Becoming Robin By Zoe Taylor Nikki & Robin... -/- Date Night   “So, Robin, Nikki told me she wanted to ask you something.” I tilted my hand mirror back just in time to catch the rather calculating grin on Allison’s face. “Ally!” Nicole practically yelped, laughing nervously. “Not now! She’s been traumatized enough this morning, jeeze!” “What are you two plotting?” I angled my mirror to try and read Nicole’s face from where I sat. It was hard to tell, but I thought she might be blushing. She sighed, turning her gaze toward the floor.

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I again found myself standing in the shower for longer than I’d intended. It was just so easy to get lost in the billowing steam and cascades of hot water washing away not just my sweat from jogging, but my emotional stress. I had time to relax and think there.

My mind’s eye continued to return to my poor mother. The last time I saw her she was hooked up to all sorts of tubes and monitors. Part of me wondered if she was slipping away because I wasn’t there.

I shook those thoughts from my mind, speaking aloud to myself, “No. You can’t think like that Robin. It’s going to be okay.” It was only after I’d begun to work a good lather of shampoo into my hair that I realized I’d just called myself Robin for the first time aloud, with no one else around to hear it. A chill ran down my spine as I smiled, and said it again. “Robin.” I giggled a little.

I stepped out of the shower and began toweling myself off. I knew Margie would have left by now, so I didn’t bother laying anything out beforehand other than my underwear. I was getting quite adept at hiding my increasingly undesired extra appendage, and as I looked at myself in the mirror, I began to wonder…

Reality came flooding back with the ringing of the cordless phone. ‘Margie must have set it inside before she left,’ I thought to myself, picking it up.

“Evans residence,” I answered as politely as I could.

“Hey you,” Nicole answered.

“Hey!” Allison echoed a moment later.

“Oh, hey Nikki,” I responded a little more brightly than I had intended as I stepped out of the bathroom and quickly moved to my bedroom, making a bee-line for the closet. “How was camp?”

“Ohmygosh it was so awesome!” As she gushed on and on about getting to work with real musicians, I began searching through my closet, trying to coordinate outfits. Allison would occasionally ask her something, to which she’d excitedly respond, while I just stayed quiet, listening to the back and forth.

“Robin? He-llooo!” They finally caught on to my silence. Allison knew what was bothering me, but Nicole had been away all week.

“Sorry Nikki. I’m just having a bad day, and I can’t find a thing to wear,” I whined, adding a moment later, “Sorry, I’m listening,” I offered. I was listening, I thought.

“Did you hear what I said? I said I met someone.” Her tone sounded serious, but cheerful, and seemed to imply that she could only mean one thing.

I frowned a little. I had secretly hoped that maybe something would develop between us, but I was still happy for her. “That’s great, Nikki,” I said half-heartedly.

She sighed dramatically, “Ro-bin! You’re no fun to tease when you’re like this! I was actually talking about me. I feel like I really found myself this week, just being able to get away and have fun, and… not think about things, even though thinking is pretty much all I did in my free time.” She added a moment later, in a much softer tone, “And I owe it all to you.”

I had been holding up a black-with-white-polka-dots peasant top with a sleeve that puffed out from the shoulder to three-quarters of the way down, tapering sharply to a cute little black ribbon before expanding out again. I nearly dropped it when she said that.

“How do you figure that?” I asked as I hung the top on the inside doorknob. She had managed to garner my undivided attention.

“Well, it’s a combination of things, but mostly the sleepover. I had so much fun that night that I actually forgot about Jason, and my week just continued to get better from there! One of the instructors I met actually got to work with … Hey, Robin, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it over the phone, if that’s alright,” I offered quietly, trying not to sound rude. I just didn’t want to break down while standing in my closet, barely dressed. When I parted with Allison, I felt ‘okay’, but my shower meditation time had been pervaded with such dark thoughts that I started feeling down again.

Nicole chuckled knowingly. “You’re home aren’t you? Stay there. I’ll be right over. You too, Ally!”

“Sure thing. I just got out of the shower so my hair’s still wet, but I can be over in ten.” Allison replied. I had to wonder if she was trying to decide what to wear as well. Still, with Nicole and Allison’s promise to come over shortly, I had to pick up the pace.

“Alright. I’ll explain everything when you get here. Ally already knows, but that’s just because we went jogging this morning. I’ve gotta go right now though. I just got out of the shower too, and I’m not even dressed yet.”

“Ohmygawd!” Nicole whispered under her breath. She started giggling. “See you soon!” I turned off the phone, tossing it lazily around the corner of my closet in the general vicinity of my bed, and began my clothing search anew. I ultimately settled on the peasant top with pair of dark jeans.

I didn’t have the hips for designer jeans, so I had just picked up a few pair of tight-fitting jeans in various colors from the girls’ section during the big shopping spree.

I paired it with a jeweled white belt from Claire’s, and after slipping on a pair of short socks I decided to err on the side of comfort and slipped into the casual Mary Jane flats I’d worn out of the hospital last week.

I was so engrossed in drying my hair that I didn’t even hear the knock at the door downstairs. It wasn’t until my hair dryer suddenly stopped working that I snapped back to reality. Nicole stood in the doorway of my bathroom, holding the plug with a smug look on her face.

She wasn’t wearing any eye makeup at all, and only a dash of peach-colored lip gloss that matched her ‘Rock On!’ camp T-shirt. At least her shorts were black, though it wasn’t enough not to be incredibly jarring seeing her like this. I couldn’t complain, though.

“Like I said, you’re way too much girl to have ever been anything but.”

I managed a laugh, Allison chuckling as she stepped around the corner into my field of view behind Nicole. I set the hair dryer aside and picked up my tourmaline brush. As I stepped closer, neither girl moved aside. Instead, Allison reached out to take my brush, while Nicole grabbed me by the hand, giving a reassuring smile.

“Ally told me what happened. I’m really sorry, Robin.” She offered, as we walked back to my room. Allison spoke in her own defense a moment later.

“I know it wasn’t my place to say anything, but I know how hard it was to talk about the first time, so I told her before we came over.” She seemed very apologetic, like she expected me to be upset.

“Allison,” I began as I put my arms around her, “You’re like my best friend already. Just the fact that you had my best interest in mind means a lot to me.” I turned to hug Nicole next, “You too, Nikki. I mean, you came all the way over here just for me.”

She smiled as Allison sat me down at my makeshift makeup table. I didn’t have a standing mirror, but I did have a small hand mirror lying amidst several bottles, vials, and makeup pads where I had been experimenting with my look from time to time.

“Hey, what are friends for? You were here for me so it’s only fair,” Nicole insisted. Allison had by now begun to brush my hair out. It was still a little damp, but dry enough to be manageable without breaking. She chimed in a moment later.

“Yeah, and I’m sure you’ll both be here when daddy finally accepts that I’m old enough to start dating.” Nicole and I both laughed. I had only briefly met Allison’s father Joe, which was an intimidating experience at first.

He was a neat, organized man who ran a tight household, but he respected his daughters as much as he loved them. Allison began working my hair into a braid as Nicole continued the conversation.

“So, Robin, do you think you’ll be here for Halloween?”

It seemed a fairly out of the blue thing to ask, I thought. I’d only been here a week, and hadn’t actually given a lot of thought to where I’d be when school started back. There was that brief conversation with Allison about it last week, but I’d not thought twice about that since.

“I thought I’d be back in Cali by then, but…” I trailed off. Nicole stood and moved to kneel beside me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, I was thinking maybe you could come back and visit. Ally tried to get me to go trick-or-treating with her last year, but my heart just wasn’t in it.”

I stared at her a moment. I think she read my mind, as she laughed dryly, “I know, I know. I should be the queen of Halloween, right? I didn’t always dress like a vampire. But I was thinking how cool it would be to do something as a group this year, maybe crash Ally’s parents’ annual snore-fest.”

“My parents have a big Halloween party every year, mostly for daddy’s coworkers and family friends. I talked to Mom about this year having a second party for us kids in the den. It’s still several months away,” she commented, as she began tugging and twisting my hair this way and that.

She paused, “Hey, that’s perfect! Nikki hand me that butterfly clip!” She practically squealed as she pointed to a half-inch wide brass butterfly hair clip I’d picked up the other weekend. Its wings were set on a spring hinge that caused them to flutter a little as Nicole picked it up, handing it to Allison.

“But yeah, like I was saying, it’s still months away, but if I’m going to host my first party I want a LOT of time to warn daddy in advance.”

“Yeah, her dad would have a bull elephant if she sprang this on him at the last minute.” Nicole laughed. She squeezed my hand as she stood, then moved back to sit on my bed again.

“A bull elephant?” I echoed. That was a new one.

“Yeah, it’s like having a cow only worse.” Nicole reasoned.

Allison laughed, “It takes awhile to learn Nikki-speak.” Allison retorted. I could hear Nicole giving her raspberries behind me.

While Allison played with my hair, I decided I couldn’t just sit idle anymore and started working on my makeup. I was far from adept, but at least had Margie, a few teen magazines, and of course Allison to lean on for advice.

“Anyway, if your dad says no we could always have it at my house.”

Allison stopped immediately and looked back at Nicole. “Seriously? You’d do that?”

“Sure. I never ask them for anything, so I doubt they’d say no, plus you know how much space there is,” she trailed off, and Allison abruptly changed the subject.

I felt there was some important detail I missed in the conversation, but had been too occupied with my makeup to really press the matter.

“So, Robin, Nikki told me she wanted to ask you something.” I tilted my hand mirror back just in time to catch the rather calculating grin on Allison’s face.

“Ally!” Nicole practically yelped, laughing nervously. “Not now! She’s been traumatized enough this morning, jeeze!”

“What are you two plotting?” I angled my mirror to try and read Nicole’s face from where I sat. It was hard to tell, but I thought she might be blushing. She sighed, turning her gaze toward the floor.

“I wanted to ask if you might want to go see a movie tonight, maybe grab a bite to eat,” she mumbled. Wait. Was she asking me out?

“You mean… like, a date?” I was dumbstruck. I guess I should have seen it coming. It’s not like I hadn’t been thinking about her all week or anything. Did this mean she really saw me as a girl, though?

“Well if you want to call it that,” she continued in that same nervous tone. I felt Allison nudge me for a response, but I wasn’t sure what to say. The last time I dated anyone, it ended with me on the receiving end of a dumpster dive.

“Wow… Nikki, I don’t know what to say,” I started giggling, “I’d love to!”

“Really!?” She exclaimed brightly then cleared her throat. “I mean, uh …”

Allison giggled, “God, you two! Just promise me you won’t hate each other if it doesn’t work out.”

Nicole laughed, “Relax, Ally. I’m not ready for a real relationship again yet. I just thought it would be fun to go out with someone whose idea of a good time isn’t trying to get me to take off my bra.”

I couldn’t help laughing, “Likewise, Nikki. My first, and last, girlfriend didn’t work out too well. She was just using me to make her old boyfriend jealous, so the only time we were even seen together was when it was convenient for her.”

“Ouch. I’m sorry Robin,” she offered. “For what it’s worth, it’s totally her loss. If she only knew what a great girl she had,” she commented without so much as a second thought. I gave a quiet chuckle.

“What?”

“She didn’t lose a great girl. She lost a social outcast who was still pretending to be a boy.”

“Oh, right.” She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry Robin. I sort of forgot you weren’t always ‘Robin’. But in my own defense this is how I met you, as this awesome, friendly,”

“Beautiful,” Allison chimed in as she finished tying off my freshly-braided hair.

Nicole giggled, “Very.”

I stood and hugged her, then pulled her over to sit with Nicole and me.

“It’s okay. I’ve stopped thinking of myself as a boy who wants to dress like a girl. I’m starting to think that maybe I really am a girl inside, or that I should’ve been.”

“Really?” Both girls chimed in unison. I nodded as I received supportive hugs from both.

“Really. I’m going to tell Doctor Ketz about my feelings at our next session this Saturday and see what she thinks.”

“That’s great, Robin! You know Kelly was our age when she transitioned, too. If you start taking hormones now you won’t have to worry about things like your voice dropping any lower.”

Hormones? Oh crap. I never gave that sort of thing a second thought! I’d have to bring it up with Doctor Ketz and hope for the best. Meantime though, I had a date to look forward to tonight!

“So if this is a date, like a ‘date’ date, I need to figure out what I’m going to wear!” Both girls giggled.

Nicole stroked my hand as she responded, “Oh, please. Don’t you start that, or you’ll have Allison making me model dresses all afternoon for something for ME to wear.”

Allison peered at Nicole with an impish grin. “Why, Nikki, that’s an excellent idea.”

“Now see what you started?” She was trying her best to sound irritated, but cracked a grin that suggested she was hoping Allison might say that.

I laughed. “So you’re okay with being seen in public, on a date with a girl then?” I asked, trying to feel out where she stood on the whole ‘possibly lesbian’ issue.

“Um, duh?” She rolled her eyes. “Actually it’s something I thought about all week. I made up my mind I was going to ask you out when I got back, but then when Ally told me what happened, I chickened out. I didn’t want to make things any harder on you than they already were.”

I smiled warmly and hugged her. “You guys are so great.”

“Aww…” Allison giggled, leaning over to hug us both.

“Anyway, I better get home. I have some uh... ‘laundry’ that needs to be taken care of.

"I’m going to break the news to Mom about Jason, then soften the blow about wanting to go out with you by promising I’ll go shopping with her for something that’s not black.” She grinned.

I had to laugh as Allison and I both stood. I wasn’t sure what I should do, so I just hugged her. She kissed my cheek as she hugged me back.

“I’ll come over this afternoon to be your fashion doll, Ally.” She added a moment later, as we stepped into the hallway.

“Finally! My devious plan to turn you both into girly-girls like me is one step closer to fruition!” She cackled like a mad scientist in a bad horror movie, causing both of us to lose it, cracking up.

“And Robin, I’ll come get you at say, five? Six?”

“Five’s fine. You can drive?”

She flinched, “I wish. I’m only fifteen. That’s not a problem is it?”

“Of course not, as long as whoever is driving doesn’t mind two giggly teenagers.”

“Nah; I mean, if I wasn’t just so absolutely sure that they’d say yes to this, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Trust me, they’ll be okay with it.”

What can I say? I hadn’t cried as much in my entire life as I had in the last couple of weeks, but I hadn’t laughed this much either, and now I had a date to look forward to this evening.

I wondered, as I stepped back into my bedroom, how Nicole’s mother was going to handle the news, to say nothing of her father.

I didn’t know anything about her home life, if her parents were together or divorced, or if like me, her dad was no longer around, even.

I was suddenly glad neither of us wanted anything serious yet. There were far too many variables at play that needed to be sorted out first.

I expected Margie might come home for lunch, but I had a few hours before then to kill. I didn’t care much for daytime television, so I decided to busy myself playing the domestic little sister.

I didn’t have much else to occupy my hands or my time after finishing the letter to Mom that I promised Doctor Ketz I’d write, so I spent most of the morning straightening the house.

Around ten I went into the kitchen to see what I had to work with as far as lunch was concerned. It would still be a couple of hours before Margie came home, but that would give me time to defrost something.

If having a single mother who worked odd hours taught me anything, it was how not to burn the house down preparing a simple meal.

I found a small package of ground beef in the freezer and set it out on the counter, then went to the pantry for a side dish. Margie to her credit, kept the pantry well-stocked.

I wondered as I pulled out a can of pork and beans, how much of the old life insurance policy was left, and how much of it had gone into buying this house.

‘At least her business’, I thought as I set the can aside, ‘sounded like it was picking up.’ I started thinking about taking a summer job.

I was so convinced mom would get better before today, that I would’ve never even entertained the notion further before, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that if the worst should happen, that I’d have to be able to take care of myself. Even though I knew I’d be able to stay with Margie, it wouldn’t be fair to her if I just lay about all summer.

“She will get better though,” I tried to reassure myself. Snapping back to reality, I dug through several kitchen drawers until I found a box of zip-lock bags and placed the meat inside.

After running some cold water in the sink I set the meat in its watertight bag, into the water with the pork and beans can on top to weigh it down then proceeded to busy myself, changing out the water about every fifteen minutes while I cleaned and straightening the kitchen.

I’d just begun frying up the second hamburger when I heard the front door open.

“Robin, that smells great!” Margie called from the foyer. A moment later she joined me in the kitchen. She gave my braid a playful tug that caused the spring-loaded butterfly pin to dance, as she stepped up behind me. “Wow. That’s a hamburger I smelled?”

I smiled as I nodded. “Yeah, I hope you like them. It’s a recipe I found on the internet last year.”

She gave me a puzzled look, “There are recipes for making hamburgers?”

I put my palm dramatically to my face, “You’re joking right sis? Here,” I handed her the plate with the first burger, already sitting neatly on a toasted bun. “You have got to try this. I didn’t know what you liked on yours so I just put everything out on the table over there.”

She gave me a hug as she accepted the offered plate, “You sound like you’re feeling better at least.” She offered, staying by my side.

I nodded as I flipped my hamburger over then turned off the burner, scooping the meat up and dropping it onto my own toasted bun.

“Ally and Nikki came over. I also wrote that letter to Mom that Doctor Ketz wanted me to write, so that helped. Plus I’ve been playing domestic all morning so I haven’t had time to really stop and think, either.”

As we sat, I watched her take a bite of her burger. I had to grin as her eyes widened.

“Oh my God this is divine! What did you do?”

I giggled, “Salt, pepper, and a dash of honey. Next time I’ll try garlic too, but I wanted to see how you liked it without first. Oh, can I go to the movies with Nikki tonight?” I tacked on the end in as nonchalant a way as I could manage.

“Of course you can. Allison’s not going though?”

I shook my head. This was the moment of truth. “It’s … kind of a date.”

She stopped chewing for a moment and stared at me. I smiled broadly back at her. “That’s great! I didn’t realize you two were serious though. I thought she was off at some camp all week.”

“Oh, she was,” I responded before taking a bite. I took a moment to savor the flavors mingling with the small amount of ketchup I’d added to mine, before continuing.

“She just came off a really hard breakup last week, so technically we’re just going out as friends, but kind of more, you know?”

“I guess that means she knows everything, then?” Margie offered in that way that only a big sister can, protecting her little sister. I smiled sheepishly.

“Well that’s the funny thing. Right after Kelly and I had our little talk the other day on the stairs? She overheard us talking, thought I meant that I was just into girls by my comment to Kelly about worrying about Mom accepting me, and… she asked me for advice about how to tell Allison without losing her friendship.”

I proceeded to relate how Nicole and I had talked about her feelings, and my advising her that just because she liked girls, it didn’t mean her friendships with others had to change.

Margie giggled when I told her about Nicole’s revelation, that the only thing that changed was that she was more comfortable with herself now.

“Gee, now where have I heard that before?” She grinned. I had to laugh.

“Y’know, I can take the afternoon off if you want to get your hair done for tonight.”

“Really?!” I almost squealed. I’d dreamed of getting my hair done at a real salon ever since it started to reach my shoulders.

“But it’s a real commitment. Once you get it styled, it’s going to be hard to hide if you decide you want to go back to being Robert again.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Sis, there’s something I need to tell you.” I set my hamburger down, stating with absolute certainty what I had been thinking about off and on since this morning.

“I don’t think I want to go back to being Robert again, ever.”

 
“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Margie said softly as she reached out across the small dining table to squeeze my hand. “I’m honestly amazed at how completely you took to being Robin.

“I think I've told you before how Linda and I spoke at length about how you weren’t making friends at school, and how she was starting to get really worried about you,” she hesitated.

“I know. She constantly encouraged me to be more outgoing, but I just never felt comfortable being social before.” I replied.

I hated social situations as Robert, and the few people I did call friends were more like ‘people I talked to at lunch’ than anything. I didn’t dare invite anyone over because I didn’t want to risk someone finding out about my then-secret.

“But now… Look at you.” She smiled, “You’ve got two great friends, and you’re going on a date tonight. I’d call that a turnaround.”

“It’s weird. When I stopped fighting it: when I stopped trying to ignore my urges, everything just started falling into place. It was just like Doctor Ketz said. I can’t feel guilty for breathing.

“Nikki and Ally brought up the big ‘H’ word earlier. I’m going to talk to Doctor Ketz about it this weekend.” I said with no small amount of pride.

“The H word?” Margie asked, as she picked up our plates, moving to the sink. I started to help her, but she shook her head. “You made lunch, so I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“Oki doki.” I said cheerily as I hopped up on the white kitchen countertop beside the sink, leaning over to watch her. “And yeah, um … ‘hormones’.”

“Oh, that ‘h’,” she echoed. Glancing at me, she cracked a smile, “You look so adorable. Just don’t get your hopes up. It’s only been a week.”

“I know. I just don’t want to wait too long. Kelly was my age when she started her transition.

“I don’t expect to just suddenly wake up and be a natural girl or anything, but I don’t want to wait until puberty decides I’ve had it easy long enough and turns me into a baritone with feet the size of boats.”

It’s true, I was a late bloomer. My voice wasn’t as high-pitched as it used to be, but it wasn’t atrociously deep either. I wanted to keep it that way if nothing else.

“That makes sense. Maybe they can start you on something to block that then go from there. So, any ideas on what you want to do with your hair?” She asked as she rinsed and set our plates in the drainer, moving on to the frying pan.

I realized, at this point, that I’d completely forgotten the can of pork and beans I was going to serve with our burgers. I picked up the can, staring at it as I thought about Margie’s question.

“I love it long, but it’s getting to be pretty unwieldy. Maybe I could get it cut to here,” I raised my hand to indicate a point just above my shoulders, “where it would hang down and frame my face. I don’t want to get a bob though. It worked for that girl that pierced my ears, but I never want my hair that short.”

Margie chuckled as I prattled on. “I agree. Leaving some length would look cute on you, maybe cut off a few inches to here?” She dried her hands, then reached out to point to my shoulder blade area.

“I think, for tonight, you should wear it up too. You were blessed with straight hair, but it’s got some great volume to it. I’d bet anything every girl in school wished she had your hair,” she teased.

I just blushed. “They used to say that a lot. They’d die if they saw me like this.”

“From jealousy, I’m sure,” she added entirely seriously. The odd thing was, I actually kind of agreed with her. I didn’t have a great figure. I didn’t have a figure at all, but I felt good about myself. That had to count for something right?

“Well, go get your purse. I’ll wait in the car.”

When I got out to Margie’s car, she looked like she’d been chatting on her cell phone for a few minutes. I sat down and pulled my seatbelt across, just as she wrapped up the conversation.

“We’ll be there shortly. Thanks Dee. I owe you one.”

“’Dee’?” I echoed. As we backed out of the driveway, a little black Mustang had just pulled into the Jones’ driveway. The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see the driver, but I waved as Nicole stepped out from the passenger side.

She grinned, giving me a playful ‘thumbs up’ and holding up a shopping bag. I started laughing as I waved, “I guess shopping worked.”

“Dee is Denise, my stylist. She is to hair what Michelangelo is to sculpting. And of course shopping worked! Shopping is the divine cure for all that ails!” she joked, then paused, “But just so we’re clear, what did shopping cure?”

“Nikki wanted to break the news to her mom about wanting to go on a date with a girl gently, by letting her take her shopping for clothes that weren’t all black. I’d say it worked judging by the smile back there.”

“Ahhh, that makes sense. I didn’t even think about Nicole’s parents having a problem with this. I’ll talk to them if anything should need to be smoothed over.

“I want you to just worry about having fun tonight. God knows you need a break.” Margie had a twinge of concern in her voice at that last part, but I could understand why, with everything going on right now.

I nodded, staring out the window. I had never been in a salon even with my mother, so I had no idea what it would be like. I was expecting little old women in curlers sitting under antiquated machines like in the movies.

Alpine Springs wasn’t the biggest community, but it was large enough to support Denise’s establishment, apparently.

When we arrived, we were greeted at the door by a tall, willowy redhead dressed somewhat casually. She and Margie hugged and exchanged pleasantries for a moment before both set their attention on me.

“You must be Robin. My goodness Margie, you weren’t kidding! She’s a doll!” I fought with everything I had not to blush at her compliment as she stepped closer, gently lifting my chin.

Her eyes were a deep, rich blue that almost had to be contact lenses. She smiled, “You have really pretty eyes.” She added a moment later.

“Thank you.” I finally lost my battle against the blush. She walked around behind me, holding my braid up by the tip.

With a few gentle tugs, she managed to completely untwist everything Allison had done. She offered me the butterfly clip with a warm smile. I carefully put it in my pocket as Margie introduced us.

“Robin, this is Denise. She’s the only woman I’ve trusted with my hair since moving here.”

I offered a warm smile and turned to shake her hand, “Nice to meet you ma’am.”

“Likewise, Robin. Your sister is far too kind though.”

She led me further inside to the main styling area, for lack of a better word, where another girl was getting her hair done.

She presently had her hair wrapped in a towel to protect it from the facial cream applied to her face, so there was really very little of her to see. Denise motioned for me to sit, and moved around behind me.

“So, Robin, Margie tells me this is a big night for you. Do you have any thoughts about what you want to do?”

“I don’t want it short, but that’s about all I really know. We were talking about it earlier, and she says I have a lot of volume.

“All I know is it’s kind of intimidating to work with so I usually just let one of my friends braid it, or wear it straight,” I offered, adding a moment later, “Thanks for agreeing to see me on such short notice.”

“Nonsense, dear. Margie is one of my favorite regulars, and I accept walk-ins anyway, since things have been slow lately. Now, just try and relax.”

I settled back into the chair and let her work her magic. A great deal of snipping, combing, brushing, and spritzing took place over the next thirty minutes.

When she had finished, she handed me a small hand mirror, then had me stand with my back to the larger wall mirror so I could get a better look from both angles.

I was surprised at just how long she had left it, for how much hair I thought was being cut away. She managed to shape it in a way that it hung very elegantly around my shoulders, with two much shorter locks down the left and right sides, framing my face perfectly. I had bangs again, and what’s more, they were kind of sexy.

“Now, if you want something more dressy for tonight you can roll this,” She paused, gently touching my bangs with her fingertips, “Into tight curls.

“For the rest you can go with looser waves, or if you’re going to wear a dress and go for a more formal look, put it up into a high ponytail and tight curls there as well, or a flower-garnished bun if you want to go all out.”

I turned and hugged her. “Oh, I love it! Thank you so much!”

She smiled warmly, “You’re welcome, but we’re not done yet. I have every confidence in your and Margie’s abilities, dear, but I simply can’t let you walk out of here until I have the honors of finishing your look for tonight first.”

I giggled as I handed her the mirror and sat down again. “Well, I think my date is going to be trying a new more formal look, so I have to look my best too. I have this one really cute dress I got last weekend.

“It’s not really ‘formal’ formal, but it’s not something I’d wear for an everyday dress either. It’s a pretty wine color, and almost but not quite off the shoulder so I can still wear a regular bra.

“It’s got a modest scooped neckline and about a knee length hem,” I gushed, continuing to describe it as she set to work. I was so proud of that dress, as it was one of the few that really worked well with my figure, or lack thereof.

“Tell your sister I’d like to see a picture of you before your date tonight. That sounds absolutely lovely. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

I blushed. Should I tell her ‘he’ was a ‘she’? I decided to let sleeping dogs lie, and settled in for another long style session.

I was actually relieved to find that Margie hadn’t waited there for me the entire time. She had just returned with two McDonalds cups as I emerged from the back.

My bangs now hung as two tightly spun twists framing my face, with the rest bound back in a ponytail held with a ‘loaner’ wine-colored barrette from Denise’s private collection bearing a small gold plate across the top.

“Oh you look beautiful!” She exclaimed as she rushed over to hug me. “Denise you’ve outdone yourself!”

“She wants pictures of me in my dress before I go out tonight,” I added proudly. Margie nodded.

“Absolutely! Oh, this is for you. I had a McFlurry craving. I hope you still like chocolate?”

I happily accepted my sweet treat. I hadn’t had chocolate in over a week now, and truth be told, this was the first time I’d actually given it any thought either. “Ooh, thank you!” I said happily.

I satiated myself off to the side while Margie and Denise talked for another moment. I watched Margie try to hand Denise a wad of bills. Denise peeled one away, and forced the rest back on her.

“Dee, I insist!” She demanded in a hushed tone as she tried to give the rest back.

“No, this one’s my treat. It’s not every day I have someone as happy with my work as your sister. I thought she was going to cry when I finished. I’m happy I could make tonight more special for her!”

By this point, I was blushing again. I smiled as the two turned their attention back to me.

“Thank you again,” I offered, as Margie echoed.

“Yes, thank you Dee. Come by the store some time. You’ve made Robin’s day, so you get a discount.” She winked, turning to head for the exit. I couldn’t help grinning as I followed.

We headed home after that, and I spent the next few hours a nervous wreck on the living room sofa. Finally around four o’clock, I went up to my room to start getting ready.

I knew Nicole would be over by five, and I needed as much time as possible to get my makeup to look perfect.

Maybe I was taking this all too seriously, as we were technically just going out as friends, but this was my first time going on a date as a girl, and this was Nicole’s first night going out with a girl, so I wanted to make it as memorable as possible for both of us.

Around five, a knock at the door made me squeal. I heard Margie call from downstairs, “Relax! You’re going to pass out if you keep squealing at every little noise!”

She had a point. I needed to calm down. I had just finally put the finishing touches on my makeup and begun sorting through some of my jewelry.

I wanted to look pretty, but not like a walking display case, so I opted for a simple silver chain, holding a pendant with a tiny amethyst in the center to match my stud earrings.

I added the silver chain bracelet Margie had loaned me for the evening, and finished off with a light spritz of perfume. It had a faint citrusy base that made me feel good without reeking of fruit salad.

I grabbed my purse, stopping short. Something felt wrong.

“Shoes, genius!” I muttered. I’d been walking around with a pair of socks over my dark pantyhose to protect them, so I sat on my bed and peeled those off first.

Just as I was sliding a pair of two-inch heeled sandals into place, someone knocked on my open bedroom door. I almost squealed again. I looked up to see Margie smiling at me, followed by a bright flash from her digital camera.

I blinked a few times. “Who was at the door?”

“It’s just me.” Allison called cheerily as she poked her head around. “I just wanted to–Oh my God, is that you?!”

I stood and stepped closer, nodding. I wasn’t really sure how to respond, but fortunately I didn’t have to. She rushed up and hugged me.

“Robin, you look incredible! Oh man, Nikki’s not going to know what hit her! I thought she looked great, but wow!”

Flash! Another picture from my giggly sister followed. Allison had turned just in time to see it coming, and managed a grin to offset my dumb smile. I hugged her as Margie turned to leave us alone to talk.

“So did Nikki say anything about where we’re going?” I asked as I moved to follow Margie.

“She did, but I can’t tell you. She wants it to be a surprise.” She put her hand on my shoulder, causing me to pause and turn back to face her.

“Robin, I can’t remember the last time I saw her so excited about a date. I’m kind of jealous.”

She grinned, “But I’m happy for you both more than anything. I know you guys said neither of you wanted anything serious, but this is still a huge step for both of you. I’m glad you’re taking it together.”

I smiled as I hugged Allison tightly. She laughed, “Hey, no tears now. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

As we walked downstairs, I had to ask, “So… How did her mom take the news?”

“Better than expected. Honestly, Nikki’s been in kind of a funk for awhile now. I think her mom was just happy to see her genuinely excited about something other than music. Plus, she hated Jason.” She laughed.

“Really?” I asked. We’d no sooner hit the bottom step than someone knocked at the front door.

Allison grinned at me. “And that’d be her.”

Before I could respond, Allison had made a bee-line for the kitchen. I don’t think I’d ever seen her move that fast, actually. I on the other hand, moved to open the door. It seems Nicole enjoyed leaving me dumbstruck.

She was dressed in a gorgeous burgundy A-line dress with simple, matching heels. Her makeup was more dramatic, but decidedly more elegant, than I’d ever seen, and her hair was up in a tight bun.

I’d swear it looked like it had been highlighted since I saw her last, but most striking was that the pink in her bangs had been completely washed away.

A middle-aged woman with layered auburn hair, definitely my mother’s age, stood behind her. She was dressed in a beautiful, but conservative semi-formal black dress, and with her heels, must have towered over me by a good four inches.

“Oh my God, you look amazing!” Nicole exclaimed as she threw her arms around me. “Wow, Robin. You really went all out! Oh, Momma, this is Robin, my … Um … date.” She fumbled her words nervously.

I put on my most polite smile. My heart raced as I offered my hand, “It’s nice to meet you ma’am.”

“Likewise, Robin,” she replied neutrally as we shook hands. “Nicole hasn’t stopped talking about you since she returned from camp.”

I smiled nervously. “Would you like to come inside for a minute?” I offered, again, as politely as I could manage. I knew I’d only get one chance to make a good first impression. Nicole turned to look at her mother, who nodded in-turn.

“Yes, I believe I would.” She replied. Nicole, I’d observed, always seemed to have a very faint southern drawl to her speech. Her mother on the other hand, had practically no accent whatsoever.

I stepped back, leading the pair to the living room. As Nicole and I sat beside each other on the sofa, her mother seated herself in one of the adjoining chairs. Margie, apparently waiting for some sort of visual or auditory cue, suddenly appeared in the doorway.

“Good evening Gina,” she offered warmly as she extended her hand.

“Oh, hello Margie,” she responded, shaking Margie’s hand. She was decidedly warmer toward Margie, which should have made me feel better, but I couldn’t help feeling I was about to be on trial for whatever it was I would never dream of doing to her daughter. By now Nicole had taken my hand in hers.

“So, Robin,” she began. I flinched inwardly, but her expression shifted from neutral to an almost kind one: almost. “Nicole tells me you’re the reason she’s been so cheerful this last week. At first we thought it was someone making prank phone calls from her music camp,”

Nicole giggled. “Yeah, they couldn't believe how happy I sounded by Monday.”

I blushed. “I … I don’t know that I’d go that far ma’am.” Nicole squeezed my hand, interrupting me.

“Robin stop being so modest!” she whispered.

“To tell the truth, it all started with an innocent question. She came over to hang out with Allison. Ally had come over with her sister Kelly to see how my therapy session had gone.” I flinched. Oh crap. Now she was going to think I was crazy!

Sure enough, her finely-sculpted eyebrows rose a bit at that.

“Um, don’t get me wrong, I’m not crazy or anything. It’s just a lot of things have been happening in my life. My mom’s in the hospital, and I had to come here to stay with my sister while she’s in a coma, and it just all sort of piled up.

“Anyway, I thought something seemed kind of off, so I asked her if everything was okay.”

She silently nodded for me to continue.

“Well, she opened up about that jerk dumping her and how she wasn’t sure she could still go to her music camp.”

Nicole offered a moment later, “And you already know the rest.”

She nodded curtly. “Yes, although it’s taken me a few hours to get over the shock of being called “Momma” instead of “Gina”.”

She added with an odd smile, “Robin, you seem like a well-mannered young lady. If this is what Nicole truly wants…”

Nicole leaned over to kiss my cheek, causing me to blush brightly yet again. “Definitely,” she insisted.

“Well, we should be going soon if you girls are going to make your reservation.”

There was something in her expression: a hint of a knowing smile, perhaps? She rose. “I’ll be in the car, dear. It was good to see you again Margie,” she added, stepping back outside.

I turned to look at Nicole. She was positively glowing. “Mom got us reservations at Chez Marceau!”

I must have been staring because Nicole giggled, squeezing my hand. As we stood, Margie broke out her camera again. This time I was ready for her.

I put my arm around Nicole’s waist and leaned close. While we posed for pictures together, Allison emerged.

“That went better than I expected.” She chuckled.

Nicole squealed, “Ally! You were there that whole time and you didn’t come out?”

“I came over to make sure Robin was ready, but you showed up before I could leave, so I hid in the kitchen. This is you guys’ night.” She beamed.

Nicole grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to me. “One more picture, then we have to go. C’mere Robin.”

I stood opposite Nicole, both of us hugging Ally in the middle. It was going to make a great photo, with both of us all dressed up and her in a pale lavender top and cut-off jean shorts.

I was surprised to see, when we stepped out, a silver Lexus parked in the driveway. The driver, a middle-aged man dressed in what appeared to be a black suit and tie, seemed to be staring at me.

He looked back to Gina, who just nodded her head. That had to be her father. I stayed practically glued to Nicole’s side as we approached.

My stomach felt as though it might to knot itself hopelessly, and I could practically feel my heart in my throat.

Nicole opened the passenger side back door, waiting for me to sit and situate myself before closing it then getting in on the other side.

“Daddy, this is Robin,” Nicole offered. There was a certain I-don’t-know-what in his expression when she said that. Maybe I wasn’t what he was expecting? Or maybe he wasn’t used to being called ‘Daddy’ so cheerfully, if Gina’s comment was any indication.

I offered my hand, which he turned around to shake. “Nice to meet you, sir.” I offered nervously.

“How do you do, Robin,” he replied with a little warmth in his tone. I expected to be grilled worse by him than her mother, but he left it at that, starting the car. Curiously, he seemed to be lacking in any sort of accent either.

“We’re just going to drop you girls off and pick you up again in about an hour.” He smiled back at us as he looked back to check for traffic, backing out of the driveway.

“We were going to go with you,” her mother added a moment later, “but after seeing you, Robin, and having a chance to talk with you, I feel the two of you can be trusted.”

I smiled warmly, more than a little surprised by this revelation.

I’d never put this much work into looking good for a date with Andrea. I guess somehow I always sensed that it wouldn’t last, but with Nicole, even if we were just going out as friends on a ‘sort of’ date, it was absolutely worth going all out just to see that look on her face when I opened the door.

Now that I knew we would be going to the most expensive restaurant in town I was glad I had.

“I’m honored, Mrs. Morgan,” I offered softly as Nicole squeezed my hand.

True to their word, Nicole’s parents dropped us off at the restaurant and left. Nicole took me by the hand again and smiled. “Have you ever eaten at a place like this?” She asked. I shook my head.

“I’m a fast food girl.” We both laughed as we stepped inside.

“Don’t worry.” She whispered, “This place puts on a big show, but the staff are awesome about being respectful.

“I mean, they haven’t thrown me out yet despite my reputation. So just smile a lot and act like you belong here because you do!”

As we approached the maitre d, he seemed initially uneasy, but a spark of recognition crossed his face.

“Ah! Mademoiselle Morgan, I did not recognize you!” He began in an atrociously bad French accent, then paused and winked at us, speaking in plain English.

“My goodness, you look incredible!” He smiled as he turned his attention to me. Nicole released my hand, and he took it. I blushed intensely as he bowed, kissing the back of it softly. “And you have a very pretty friend with you!”

Nicole took my hand again as he stepped back. By now more customers had arrived behind us, so the accent had made a triumphant return.

“Ah, oui, I believe your mother phoned ahead this afternoon, but your parents are not here now, so… ah ha! This is a special night?” He grinned.

Nicole just smiled. “Yes. You’re looking at the girl who tamed the wild little hell raiser you so hated to see coming through here a month ago.”

He laughed as he motioned with his hand, “Then tonight, you shall have the royal treatment!”

I was stunned. Apparently the people waiting behind us were as well. I glanced back to see a middle-aged man in an expensive-looking suit nodding toward us, or toward Nicole at least, and whispering something to the slightly younger woman by his side.

She stared wide-eyed, smiling politely a moment later as she realized I’d noticed. I just smiled and returned my attention to the maitre d.

He led us to a table for two at the center of the floor. A beautiful flower arrangement dominated the table though we could easily see each other over it.

He pulled out my chair and bade me sit, then did the same for Nicole. I shook my head in disbelief as he raced off to attend to the other customers.

“What was that about?” I asked, still trying to get my head around what had just happened.

She giggled, “Umm, about that,” she trailed off with a wry smile, “My parents are kind of loaded.”

“Ah Miss Morgan, you look absolutely ravishing!” A young man in his twenties with neatly trimmed hair spoke as he approached. “And you have a pretty friend as well! May I get you both something to drink while you peruse our menu for this evening?”

Nicole said something to him in French that I could not begin to hope to repeat. I recognized my name somewhere in that garbled mess, but that was it.

He smiled broadly as he responded in kind, placing a pair of menus before us and dashing off again.

“So anyway, I guess you could say my Goth girl phase was sort of a personal rebellion. I always dressed as trashy as I thought I could get away with and made the wait staff miserable.

“I’d send my meals back two or three times just to mess with the head chef.” She giggled, smiling wryly.

“I don’t get it, Nikki. If your family is so well-off, what are you doing living in a place like Alpine Springs?”

“Well, let me ask you a counter-question first. How much did you pick up on about my parents when you met them?”

I blinked at her odd question, pondering for a moment. “Like what?”

“Like, that I don’t look anything like them for one.” She gave me a knowing smile.

“Or that you’re the only one with that adorable accent?”

I thought she was going to turn beet red as she lowered her gaze, giggling a little.

“Yeah, I’m kind of adopted. My real parents were total a--” she abruptly cut herself off as one of the wait staff stopped by our table to deliver two glasses of water.

“They were bad people, and I don’t want to say anything more about that. Bob and Gina were my foster parents since I was like ten. When the state decided I’d lived with them long enough, I threw a fit.

“I didn’t want to leave them because I knew I could trust them, and I knew they wouldn’t hurt me. They’re both really awesome, if a little overprotective. That thing with Mom earlier tonight? That was her testing you. She did the same to Jason, so don’t sweat it too much.”

I frowned a little at what she was implying about her birth parents, but managed a polite chuckle to keep the conversation going, “So, I guess that means you don’t normally call them ‘momma’ and ‘daddy’?”

“Nope! They’re great parents to continue taking care of a messed up kid like me. They even adopted me after they realized I didn’t want to live anywhere else, and I know they love me.

“I just never felt all that comfortable treating them like my parents. To me parents were … well, I’ll tell you about it some other time. I don’t want to ruin our date.” She smiled broadly as she stared across the table at me.

I nodded softly as the young man returned, setting our glasses in front of us. He lingered a moment. Nicole immediately nodded toward me. “So, have you decided what you want?”

“I… can’t understand any of this.” I finally admitted, offering a sheepish smile. “Something with chicken would be awesome though. I’m trying to watch my weight and I had a huge burger for lunch.”

Nicole again rattled off… SOMETHING in French, and the young man left us alone again. She glanced at me. “So? What were you about to say?”

“I was just wondering what changed your mind?” I offered, staring at the glass. The strongest ‘drink’ I’d ever had usually involved powerful, foul-tasting cough medicine.

I lifted my glass and took a sip, wrinkling my nose as its contents trickled down my throat.

She laughed, “It’s an acquired taste, but don't worry, it's just cider. And to answer your question, you did,” she paused, lifting her glass again, “Hearing you and Kelly talk about how her mom and she became closer after she stopped trying to live a lie…

“It really spoke to me. I spent my free time at camp either practicing, or thinking about the last few years, why I never let those two close to me even after I had begun to trust and even love them.

“As I got older, I started to get scared that they’d want to disown me if they knew I liked girls. But I made up my mind this morning, after you said yes, that I was going to let them see for themselves the impact being honest with myself had on me, and on our relationship. I freaked dad right the hell out when I called him ‘daddy’ the first time.” She grinned.

“But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.” I reminded her, with a gentle smile.

“Ah, that’s easy. Daddy used to be an investment banker. About three years ago he had a mild stress-induced heart attack, and the doctors told him to start taking it easy, so we moved here.

“He still owns controlling stock, and he still holds rank on the young pups. He’s just not in the more stressful stuff anymore.”

I nodded as I listened, so lost in our conversation that I didn't even notice the well-rounded man in a stereotypical white chef’s apron and hat approaching our table, carrying two platters.

“I just had to see for myself!” He said in a cheerful tone, as he set our plates before us.

“My young friends, you both look trés belle! Tonight, I shall prepare for you my finest dessert at no charge. It is worth it to see that perhaps tonight, I won’t be re-preparing your meal so many times, yes?” He winked at Nicole, who started to giggle.

“And you thought I was joking about that part?” I laughed quietly as I shook my head.

“God this is incredible!” I exclaimed after trying a bite of the chicken dish. The apparent head chef smiled proudly as he bowed, turning to return to the kitchen.

“I don’t mean to sound shallow at all here, but how could Jason just break up with you? I mean money aside, you’re so fun to spend time with.”

“Equal blame to me and my mother, I guess. Like I said, our relationship always felt forced, and as far as Mom's involvement, well... you’re the first person I’ve dined out like this with, if that tells you anything. With Jason it was a burger joint or bust.”

I decided to let the issue drop, as I was certain she was tired of talking about the jerk. The rest of the evening passed far too quickly.

I felt like a princess in a fairy tale. I had to remind myself several times that evening that neither of us wanted a serious relationship, but I had decided, regardless, that I would get a goodnight kiss at least.

It perhaps didn’t help that the movie we went to see was a real tear jerker. It was a modern day take on the old story of a prince who forsakes his royal birthrights to pursue romance with a common girl.

I can only describe how we spent most of the movie as ‘cuddling’. Her parents sat behind us, and I’m pretty sure they were watching us more than they were the movie, but to tell the truth there was nothing much to see.

I never made a move on her, nor did I wish to. She did, however, give me a playful, light goosing as I got up to leave during the end credits.

The sun had already set by the time we returned to Margie’s, leaving street lights and a perfectly hung full moon overhead.

Nicole insisted I wait in the car, quickly getting out and moving around to open the door for me. Her dad shot me a surprised glance, to which I just offered a helpless smile, stepping out.

“I had so much fun tonight,” Nicole said as she walked me to the door. I squeezed her hand, and gave her a hug before responding.

“Me too, Nikki; I feel like any second now I’m going to wake up and find out this was all just my mind messing with me.”

As we reached my front door, she put her arms around me. The rest of the world completely melted away as we stared into each other’s eyes. She leaned in for a lingering, soft kiss. It was as exhilarating as it was innocent.

“Now I know I’m not dreaming. My imagination’s never treated me so well.” I grinned.

“I know we both agreed we didn’t want anything more,” she began softly as we hugged each other, “But we should still do this again soon. Goodnight, cutie.” She grinned.

“Sweet dreams, vampire.” She laughed, as she pulled away, turning to return to her parents’ car.

I stood there under the soft glow of the front porch light, watching her get back in the car and drive away, before I stepped inside.