I blinked, expecting her answer but perhaps not the manner in which she was telling me.

“It was always going to be you. Actually, I used to imagine that I'd be your first. I had a fantasy that we'd be playing video games, and then

I'd start tickling you as a distraction, and you'd start tickling me back, we'd start roughhousing, which would ultimately lead into our clothes coming off and you sliding deep... so fucking deeeeeep... all the way inside me." Alice was panting just a bit, but she took a long breath and glanced back at me. "It was a silly fantasy, but that's what

I thought about while rubbing myself in the middle of the night."

I blushed and looked down. "I had similar fantasies. I actually had one about you giving me a blowjob as a distraction while I was trying to drive. You unintentionally fulfilled that one earlier today."

Alice snorted and leaned over to bump my shoulder with hers.

“Was it as good as in your imagination?”

"Better." I grinned, and she grinned back.

“Beyond that though," she continued.

“I don't know what ‘growing up’ really means. I haven't met the Alice I'll be yet, so I can't know.

We're all going off to college soon anyways - they're supposed to be the years of self-discovery, right? I think I'll take the girls up on their offer to help update my wardrobe and show me how to apply makeup.

I'm not gonna turn into some fashion icon or anything, but I DO think

I'd like to explore what it means to be... ‘girly'.”

“If that's what you want.”

“I'd like to at least try and experiment a bit."

I frowned.

“Does this mean you don't want to hang out and play video games anymore?"

“What? No." Alice blinked.

“I'm still your best friend, and I still enjoy playing games with you. I just think it's time I stop making games the foundation of my relationship with you, that's all. And to be honest, I think you need to prepare yourself for the idea that I'm not going to be the same ‘best buddy Alice’ you've always known."

I frowned. "That makes me really sad."

“Don't worry too much," she said with a smile. "I think being ‘best buddy Alice’ is already baked into my DNA. I'm not going to radically change, and I'll always be your friend, even if I do happen to have boobs."

"Definitely," I agreed.

She nodded, got a faraway look in her eyes, and glanced up at me.

“Just promise me something."

“Sure. What?"