The next few days, Mindy was a little slower than usual, but Edith seemed to feel better and better.

Me? I was mostly excited, because Friday, Friday would be big. I would be 13!

I invited Edith, Mindy (and her parents) as well as Marge (and Ellie). I also invited Lucy, but she would be out of town with her boyfriend.

My plan was to also celebrate with Olivia, but I got the feeling that she couldn't get out much, and I couldn't invite my friend to her house, not that I wanted to.

I'll find a moment.

Anyway, my plan was simple: to do it at the warehouse! We would bring games, including a pair of Wii Dance Dance Revolution mats found in a pawn shop and tested at home by my parents. To be honest, I didn't know about them. They got them for my birthday party, but not so much for me, since, well, we didn't have a Wii. Clara needed to bring our old Wii which is her family's new Wii, to use them.

The TV came from our living room, but we put it on some plastic cases used for shipping. No, it didn't break or fall over, despite my mom worrying about it.

Anyway, that's the next chapter.

But the big news was Wednesday. My parents were home, nude, and I undressed when I arrived home, as always. Edith, as she usually did over the last few days, changed into her pajama.

We did our homework, I did have math this time, but nothing I couldn't handle.

But in the middle of the homework, I saw Edith unbutton her shirt.

"Edith?"

"I think it's healed enough," she says, removing it and baring her breasts for the first time since the attack.

"I am happy for you"

"Well, there is a scar that I will carry all my life, but I am tired of being angry. I want to be free"

I offered to hug her, but she declined. She wasn't ready for that.

Not yet.

My parents came up and were surprised to find Edith topless but only made sure she was okay.

We ate supper, with Edith choosing not to change, but we were interrupted by a phone call from Mindy.

"Guys, can I come over? I am feeling blue and alone"

I confirmed with my parents and with Edith, and soon enough, Mindy rang at our door, but Clara didn't leave the car.

"Sorry, my dad was being weird, and, wait, Edith is topless?"

"Please don't make a big deal out of it. I just felt healed enough."

"No worries, so my dad was being weird"

"What do you mean, weird?", I ask as Mindy removes her jacket and then her sundress, revealing a pair of shorts.

"I don't know. I think something occurred at this job. I mean, I wasn't listening."

"Mario Kart?", I asked.

"Sure. Let's go"

"Are you keeping your shorts?"

"Oh yeah, still on my period, and my mom said not to use a tampon for the first month."

"Good idea," said my mom.

It felt weird. Mindy and Edit were just topless, and I was nude. Previously, I wouldn't have minded, but now, for some reason I can't put a pin on, I was.

I sat on a towel, but not my friends. Well, friend and sister. I had Edith to my right and Mindy to my left, and we just went crazy at Mario Kart, talking only between races.

Nothing serious, nothing stupid, just all in-between courses.

Mindy was almost becoming calm, almost like a philosopher. It appears that the combination of a heartbreak and her first period slowed her down and lowered her energy to an almost compatible level with Edith and me.

At least, to how we were feeling.

We soon grew tired of racing and of me almost always being in the first two places, Edith always being just behind me, and Mindy behind Edith.

If it weren't for those pesky computers sometimes using blue shells, lightning, or ink in the last lap, we would always be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to 5th for Mindy. It's harder to be consistent when you aren't good enough to flee the bundle of computers stuck behind Edith and me.

In fact, a few times, Edith got in front of me, and once, she finished about a tenth of a second in front of me. I was so happy for her, but she still claimed it was the blue shell that hit me and not her that was better than me.

She might be right...

We went into my room. I often go into Edith's room, but she tended not to invite Mindy in it. Yet, Marge didn't seem to be a problem. Not that I realized then. It was a later realization.

Mindy wanted to talk. Not so much to listen, and Edith, well, she is in a listening mood more often than not, so it suited her.

"We used to kiss a lot," said Mindy, looking at Edith's feet, not because she wanted to, just because they were right under her face.

Right, Mindy wasn't as dressed as Edith. First, she was barefoot, while Edith wore socks. Second, Edith had pajama pants, while Mindy only had shorts.

I was nude, but for some reason, I grabbed one of my decorative pillows, and held it against me. Perhaps being the only one nude while being so close and so underdeveloped affected me? No, I don't think so. This is tainted memories again. I think it was just that the pillow was in the way for all three to sit, and I just grabbed it to make space.

"Did you like it?", I asked.

"I did. It made me feel all warm inside. Like I was in heaven"

"Nice"

"I let him play with my breasts. A few times. Not always. Just a little. And no nipple focus."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when guys play with your breasts, they want to focus on your nipples. I wasn't ready for that, just for the breasts"

"Well, I don't have mine yet, so I have no idea how it feels"

"Yeah. It's. Did a guy play with yours, Edith?", says Mindy, which made Edith all close up. She even put her arms in front of her.

I told her. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to"

"Yeah, sorry. That was insensitive of me," says Mindy.

"No, I never even kissed one. Sorry. I can't relate"

"No worries. You'll get there one day. When you find the right guy, it's magical. Especially when they respect your boundaries. Like, I would like, let him play with them one day and not the next, and he would respect that."

"That's nice"

"Penis in erections are weird, but I think I like it," says Mindy.

"Wait, you saw his... get hard?"

"Oh yeah. I even touched it. He liked it, but I wasn't ready, you know, to really touch it. The biggest thing I did was hold it. Once. He was doing everything not to look at me," she said, laughing.

It felt good to see her laughing.

We stayed silent for a little while.

"Boys, they promise you the world, and then break your heart"

"He never called back?", I asked.

"Never. Completely vanished"

"Did you try calling him?"

"He dumped me. Maybe if I had dumped him, but like, ok, possibly I am seeing this wrong, but I liked him, right? But it's not like I wanted to really date someone. He was there, I went for it, it was good while it lasted, but like, this is fun. It would be more fun after my periods, but like, with him, it was always him, him, him. Now, I can hang with my bestie Julie, my other bestie Edith, and get to know Marge. I mean, they are nude at her house? Why haven't I gotten back there since? I know why, I was with Billy, and, well, now I am on my period."

"How does it feel?"

"Bad. I want to cry all the time for no reason. I don't have that much cramps, so that's good. I only took Advil like, twice. The pads stink when I am done with them. I hate that. I hate not even sleeping nude, but hey, it's the price to pay to become a woman!", she says.

"I'll know in a few years"

Edith says. "I don't know why it's not my turn yet. I am older than you are"

"Could be in a few days.", says Mindy.

There was another pause.

"So, Edith, any guys caught your eye?" said Mindy.

"No, I am too stuck in my own problems to see them."

She turned to me.

"Sorry, still a kid on that front. I don't even notice guys yet"

"Bummer. I saw a guy I liked, but I won't do anything. Not until my heart is healed."

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