Tomboy

Chapter 1

My friends were talking about hot girls, and the times when looking at those girls had been a little too hot. They all had a story to share about trying to hide their embarrassing responses in public. We were hanging out at my house and playing video games. My mom worked the night shift at a factory five and sometimes six days a week, so we freely talked about anything and everything.

"What about you, Cam?" Adam asked me before looking embarrassed when he remembered that I was a girl.

My best friend, Kyle, hooted with laughter. "Hers is probably bigger than yours."

"Shut up," Adam said. "Anyway, you haven't shared anything."

"Just saving the best for last." Kyle got a look on his face like he was remembering. "One time I hid in the girls locker room and watched the cheerleaders change clothes after practice."

Knowing him as well as I did, I kept my face expressionless while the others listened with rapt attention to this male fantasy.

"Two of them stayed behind after the other girls left. They started kissing and making out. I wanted to get a better look, so I quietly moved closer. They were so into each other that I took a chance and got even closer. I guess I made a sound, because they saw me standing there watching them. Then they asked if I wanted to join them."

"You're full of shit." Adam looked angry that he had been momentarily taken in by Kyle's story.

Everyone laughed and said rude things to Kyle. I smiled and stood up to go get a drink out of the kitchen. Hanging out with my friends was one of my favorite things in the world. It had been that way since elementary school, and it hadn't changed in all these years. We were now in high school, but our bond was as strong as ever. I had always felt more comfortable around guys than girls. They felt comfortable around me too, as evidenced by Adam's slip. It wasn't the first time that one of them had forgotten that I'm a girl.

Probably the most girly thing about me was my long hair, but I had it up in a ponytail most of the time. It was an ordinary brown just like my eyes. My body was fit from playing soccer and skateboarding with my friends, but I mostly dressed like a teenage boy. I mean that literally. I bought most of my clothes in the boys department, like the shorts and t-shirt I was wearing now. My mom would shake her head and comment that she didn't know she had given birth to twin boys. I told her that she had been right to give me a unisex name like Cameron. She had named my twin brother Connor.

He and I were close, but we had our own separate friends. His best friend, Jake, was in the kitchen when I went in to get my drink. He had five brothers and sisters, and he was the oldest child in his family. Like I said, our friends tended to gravitate toward our house for the freedom from parents. I was used to seeing Jake around at all hours. At this point there was no animosity between us. That was about to change, but I was blissfully unaware of this that Friday evening. I poured myself a glass of my favorite drink, orange juice, and turned around to see him studying me.

"I can't believe they don't see it." His blue eyes held an appraising look.

"See what? Who are they?" I asked before taking a refreshing sip of my juice.

"Your buddies out there. I can't believe they don't see you, Cam." His gaze was still taking me in.

Now I was really confused. "What do you mean? They see me practically every day."

He smiled in amusement like I had said something funny. "You're still a kid, aren't you? That's okay. I can wait for you to grow up."

I had just turned seventeen, and I was hardly a kid. What in the world had gotten into him? He had always been an okay guy, but now he was acting decidedly strange. What was that comment about waiting for me to grow up? Whatever was going on with him, I decided that it was none of my concern. Yet I could still feel his eyes on me as I walked out of the kitchen to return to my friends.