The Story of Us.

“Barakat!”

I gasped, nearly poking my eye out when I jumped out of my skin. I stepped back, feeling my heart pounding in my ribcage when I looked over to see Coach Klein’s greying hair just barely peeking over the half-wall hiding the door. I swallowed thickly, unintentionally holding my breath when he called my name more sharply.

“Get over here.” He demanded, making my stomach churn.

I bit my soft lip, looking behind me in hopes of Ashley showing up. When the small sink area remained empty for the time being, I looked down to the white Pumas covering my feet and awkwardly stepped towards where he stood behind the small section of the wall. I inwardly cringed, hearing my rapid heartbeat loud in my ears once I stopped a good three feet in front of him.

“How many times do we need to have this discussion because I’m getting real tired of this, Barakat.” He scolded, pointing his fat finger down at me. “This is the Girl’s locker room.”

I looked down at my hands, staring down at the opened tube of mascara in my left palm before my gaze moved to the shaking stick in between my right thumb and forefinger. I bit my lip harder, feeling heat rise over my skin as my hands shook more noticeably.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you, Barakat.” He ordered, making my head shoot back up. “I said this is the Girl’s locker room. Do you know what that means?”

“Yes, this is the Girl’s locker room.”

The sharp tone of Coach Carson filled my ears and suddenly I could breathe again. I looked over, letting out the breath I was painfully holding in. The light burn in my chest died down once I sucked in a generous amount of air and I cleared my throat awkwardly, staring up into her bright blue eyes helplessly.

“Yes, I know that.” Coach Klein scoffed, taking my attention back to his straight face. “I’m telling-”

“You don’t need to be telling anyone anything.” She jumped in, standing by my side. “You need to get out of this room right now unless you’d like me to report you to Principle Evans. You know male teachers are prohibited in the restrooms and changing rooms of females, Jerry.”

“You and I both know I’m aware of that, Lydia.” He stressed, motioning to me. “This needs to stop-”

“You harassing my student is what needs to stop, Klein.” She reprimanded, pressing her gentle hand over the warm skin of my lower back. “Get out of here and go make sure your smelly boys actually showered. Thanks to you wasting time once again, she only has about five minutes to finish up.”

I licked my lips, feeling my heart go back to pounding in my ribcage as she pushed her palm into my back again. I looked up, watching Coach Klein’s mouth close before he turned around and pushed through the wooden door roughly. Once the door swayed shut, I let out another breath I didn’t realize I was holding in and felt a familiar lump forming in the center of my throat.

“Hey.” Coach Carson called, holding my arms as she turned me towards her. “You don’t need to listen to anything he says that doesn’t relate to the sport of the day during PE.”

“Okay.” I mumbled quietly, popping the small brush back into my mascara and twisting it shut tightly.

“I’m serious.” She continued, squeezing my arms gently. “You belong here in this room just like all of the other girls.”

“Yeah.” I agreed a little more confidently, looking up from her hands. “I know.”

“Good.” She smiled, giving my arms one more squeeze before pulling away. “Now finish up because the bell is going to ring any minute.”

“Okay.” I nodded, giving her a small smile as she backtracked back towards her office. “Thanks, Coach.”

She grinned back, turning her back on me as she rounded the corner. Sighing heavily, I looked towards the mirror and pressed my lips together hard. I blinked slowly, taking in my dark brown eyes for a split second before my gaze lifted to my dark lashes. I smiled a little, the sparkling of silver and black eyeshadow mixed to give off a smokey-vibe covering my eyelids while the rest of my thin face glistened with foundation and highlighters. I pressed my hands into the edge of the sink, looking over the features of my face intently.

“Someone is feelin’ herself!”

I smiled softly, glancing over towards the open doorway leading into the shower and change rooms while I shoved my mascara back into my make-up bag. Ashley strode out in a tight black crop top paired with black leggings that had sheer patches over her thighs. A twinge of envy hit me as I soaked in her near-perfect curves, but I forced the smile to stay on my face while I looked back into her eyes.

“God, and that hair.” She continued, tossing her head back dramatically. “It always looks flawless, Lynn!”

“It does not.” I argued, rolling my eyes fondly as I turned back to the mirror.

I licked my lips, a ping of giddiness hitting me at the compliment as I trailed my eyes over my dark brown hair. Brushing my long bangs behind my right ear, I ran my fingers through the rest of the loose curls until my fingernails got caught just below my hip.

“Ow.” I whined, pulling my fingers free from the slight knots before ruffling the thick hair gently.

“Does too.” Ash went on, nudging my side. “How did you even grow your hair out that long?”

“I haven’t cut it since I was like seven.” I reasoned, looking over to her through the mirror. “You have long hair too.”

“True, but not as long as I want.” She shrugged, leaning close to the glass as she applied a thick coat of mascara. “I want to worry about my ends getting in my ass when I’m trying to shit.”

I gawked, holding my smooth hair in my hand loosely while I stared at the back of her head. Her wavy hair ended right at the middle of her back, half of it an obnoxious red while the other half was kept black.

“That’s disgusting!” I exclaimed, flipping my hair over my shoulder while I turned back to my own reflection. “That’s why buns were invented.”

I bite my cheek, unable to hold in my giggle when she let out an obnoxious cackle. Shaking my head, I grabbed the worn down pink bag from the counter and dug my hand in. Shaking my fingers around, I grasped a round tube and pulled it out.

“Ah ha.” I chirped, finding the dark lipstick I was hoping for.

“Unicorn Blood.” Ash gushed, suddenly hovering over my shoulder.

“Mhm.” I hummed knowingly, untwisting the cap. “You can use it after me.”

“Yay, I knew there was a reason I’ve kept you my best friend for so long.” She teased pressing a dry kiss to my cheek.

I rolled my eyes again, carefully coating my lips with the dark lipstick. Once I covered both lips evenly, I popped them together and smiled in accomplishment.

“Really pulls the look together.” Ash commented, taking it from my hand. “This is seriously a beautiful shade.”

I nodded in agreement, taking in the dark rusty shade of red one more time before my gaze caught on my chest. The dark burgundy hoodie cut off just below my ribs, showing off the galaxy barbell through my belly button as well as my hip bones. Backing away from the mirror a bit more, the slight curves of my exposed sides became more noticeable than before and just like that everything Coach Klein made me feel not even five minutes ago left my body and got replaced with excitement. Another step closer to looking the way I feel inside.

“You done with your make-up, baby?” Ash questioned, zipping the bag closed noisily.

“Uh huh.” I hummed, slipping my fingers in the empty beltloops of my black skinny jeans and pulling them up a little more comfortably.

I looked up, a little taken-aback when Ashley’s hands gripped my wrists. Turning with her, I froze in place as her hands slipped up to my elbows and felt my eyes widen in surprise.

“I love you.” She told sincerely, squeezing tightly. “I love you so much and you’re not only my best friend, you’re my sister. And I don’t mean to bring it up, but I heard Coach Klein earlier. I was about to come for him, but I heard Coach Carson speak up before I got out here. If he comes in here one more time to try and tell us that you can’t shower with me, I swear. I will literally punch him in his old ass, wrinkly ass, stupid ass face and tell him to suck our assholes.”

I swallowed thickly, chills running down my spine at the emotion pouring out through her sincere words. The small lump in my throat grew at least three times bigger and I lifted my hands to clutch at her elbows with she kept her hold on mine.

“Seriously, Lynn.” She sniffled, blinking more frequently. “Don’t ever let him get you down. The only reason his damaged brain even has the nerve to corner you every chance he gets is because he met you for the first time when you were-”

“Healing from the face surgery, yeah.” I forced out, my heart swelling as my eyes tingled.

“Yeah and he’s one of the few pricks that snooped through-”

“It’s fine.” I interrupted, shooting her a small smile before she got too worked up. “Principle Evans knows he looked in my files, remember? He’s not allowed to say anything because it’s confidential. He just likes to get in my head.”

“He likes to try to force you into the handicapped stalls to change and he’s a sick fuck that needs to be fired.” She scowled, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. “You were born a girl and you’re looking more and more like yourself every day.”

I breathed in slowly, wrapping my arms around her tighter as another wave of warmth hit my heart.

“I love you. I’m glad you get me, Ash. I know you’re one of the only people who understand-” I mumbled, stopped when she squeezed me painfully hard.

“Stop.” She whispered, loosening her grip. “We can’t cry right now. All of this hard work on our faces would be for nothing!”

I closed my mouth and stared up at the white ceiling, feeling our shoulders shake together as we laughed silently. Leave it to us to get all emotional and personal after a sweaty session of PE. Breathing in through my nose, I let out a content sigh and held her softly.

“I couldn’t ask for a better best friend and sister.” I whispered, resting my chin on her shoulder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, flattening the thin piece of Juicy Fruit in attempt to get the last bit of flavor from it. Popping my lips, I pushed the shriveled gum back between my teeth and wrapped my hand around the long brown strap of my messenger bag. Chomping the dry gum, I looked down at my Pumas mixing with the dusty linoleum floor and forced my little legs to move faster just as the final bell rang. I looked up, turning into the classroom on my left and barely squeezing through as Mr. Lyle pushed the wide door shut.

“Right on time.” He greeted, raising his dark blonde eyebrow. “Maybe tomorrow you could be here before I start closing the door?”

“Definitely.” I nodded.

I loosened the grip on my strap a little, keeping my gaze glued to the floor while I rushed to my usual seat towards the far corner. I pressed my gum between my front and bottom teeth, feeling my face warm at the catcalls filling the class as I walked through. I stopped beside my chair, lifting my gaze as I pulled my bag over my head.

“Um.” I started, clearing my throat awkwardly as I noticed the stranger in my seat. “You’re in my seat.”

I frowned, holding my bag close to my chest uncomfortably while I waited for him to move. He sat still, making me raise my eyebrows down at his grey beanie covered head. I opened my mouth, closing it when my gaze fell over the thick glasses covering his eyes down his broad shoulders and to the pen in his left hand as he continued to doodle in a book lazily. Looking over his pointless scribbles, my eyes got drawn to the black covering his inner arm. I bit my lip, taking in about half of a skull-and-crossbones that almost took over his whole forearm. I barely got a glimpse of the words surrounding before his arm was flattening more on the tabletop.

“There’s room over here!”

I jumped out of my daze, turning towards the back of the room to see the star quarterback waving me over with a wide smirk. He brushed his hand through his spikey black hair and blew me a kiss, making me cringe slightly while I rolled my eyes.

“I’ve got space for you right here, baby.” He continued, patting his thighs.

I raised my eyebrows at him, feeling flattered from his wink but a little turned off by it. I’m almost positive he’s slept with half of the grade already and it’s only a quarter into the first semester.

“In your dreams, Riley.” I called back, smirking at the sniggers filling the room.

“Take a seat now.” Mr. Lyle called, quieting the room down.

Tensing my shoulders, I held my bag up over my head and awkwardly forced my hips between the small gap between my chair and the table behind me. A faint smell of skunk filled my nostrils once I made it through the tight space and I grimaced, quietly setting my bag down on my half of the table before slipping into the chair. The cold metal pressed into the exposed skin of my back and I shivered, almost debating on taking Riley up on his offer while I tucked my hands into the pocket of my cropped hoodie. I tugged it down as far as it could go, sucking on my gum while I tried to ignore the urge to look back at my usual seat.

“Now that we’re all here and sitting comfortably,” Mr. Lyle began, clapping his hands together as he leaned along the front of his long desk. “Take out your books and turn to page seventy-eight.”

I tugged my hands from my pocket, leaning forward over the table to reach where I pushed my bag. I pulled it closer to me and gripped the gold, sparkly cursive J keychain attached to the short zipper. I stretched the gum over my tongue and pulled the bag open easily, searching all of the contents until my eyes caught on the small and ugly hard-covered book assigned to us last week. I grabbed it out and pushed my bag more to the side, opening to my bookmarked page while I subconsciously looked beside me.

I rolled my gum slowly, taking in the black t-shirt hanging over his chest before my eyes instinctively ran south. White skinny jeans hung from his long legs and the lack of belt had me getting a sneak peak of the marvel themed boxers hiding. I looked down further, taking notice of the holes in his knees before I stopped at his checkered vans. I pursed my lips together, impressed by his style until I heard a loud clap.

“Okay!” Mr. Lyle shouted, successfully scaring the shit out of me. “We’re just going to finish up this chapter and have a pop quiz.”

I nodded to myself, barely able to hear him over the loud ringing in my ears as my cheeks warmed up. I gulped dryly, staring down to my hands holding the book open and feeling my heart skip repeatedly at the thought of my unintentional staring. What if he saw me looking at him? Oh God, I was practically checking him out for who knows how long. I probably looked so stupid.

“Any volunteers or do I need to pull out the jar of sticks?” Lyle called, making his old desk creak from sitting on it.

I sighed, resting my left elbow on top of the table to hold my chin up. I blinked slowly, feeling my eyes burn from staring at the small print for a whole ten seconds straight.

“Alright, Jeremy.” Mr. Lyle called out. “Let’s start with you and make our way around the room.”

I inwardly groaned, anxious butterflies filling my gut when I looked over to Jeremy. The fact that he’s on the opposite side of the room gave me a little more comfort because there are at least twenty people to go through before we get to me and I doubt the rest of the chapter is going to take that long.

“Lynn!” Mr. Lyle cheered, making my heart stop beating as he pointed directly at me. “You’ll need to share your book, but just for today.”

I nodded, my heartbeat slowing back to normal as relief washed over me. Ignoring the warmth in my cheeks, I carefully scooted myself more towards the middle of the rectangular table and slid my book so half of it was out of my view. I held the bottom of the book to keep it from closing, feeling my blush darkening when I heard the chair next to me screech along the floor as it moved even closer to me.

“Whenever you’re ready, Jeremy.” Mr. Lyle directed.

I bit my lip, pressing my fingers along the bottom of the book harder when I felt my fingertips shake slightly. I swallowed, attempting to tilt my head enough for my hair to cover most of my red face.

“But for the sense of something watching them, Ralph would have shouted at him.” Jeremy began, voice loud and clear. “Stay here? And be cramped into this bit of the island, always on the lookout? How should we get our food? And what about the fire?”

I pressed my lips together, feeling my shoulders slouch at his monotoned voice. He spoke at a comfortable pace, but I found myself not really paying attention to the actual words filling the silence. I kept as still as possible to avoid bumping arms with the guy next to me, biting my lip when I had to turn the page. I moved my fingers to hold the book down again and quickly caught where Jeremy continued reading from before my attention moved back to the boy beside me. I chewed my gum slowly, peeking over through my hair to see him continue to doodle whatever in his book. I watched his wrist move in all different directions, squinting in attempt to see through the drawing from the awkward angle. After staring his arm down and impatiently waiting for the stupid drawing to come into my view, it grew oddly quiet around the room and I finally looked back up towards Mr. Lyle’s desk.

“Thanks for volunteering, Jeremy.” He smiled, looking around the class. “Thanks to him reading more than I intended for him to read, we’re going to stop here. The quiz is from chapters one through six and it will probably take most of you the last twenty-five minutes to complete.”

Groans and whines filled the room, making Mr. Lyle roll his eyes and toss his book on the desk carelessly.

“Oh please, it’s all multiple choice.” He announced, walking over to his filing cabinets. “I’ll even let you all go early if you finish before the bell. Maybe then I’ll know who actually did their reading assignments.”

I pressed my lips together, cringing at the hard feel of the dried gum rubbing along the inside of my cheek while I pulled my book back over to me. I closed it and shoved it back into my bag, pulling a blue mechanical pencil from my five-subject notebook. Light talking filled the silence while Mr. Lyle went about finding the quizzes and I stared down in front of me, twirling the pencil between my fingers as I tried to re-cap what the hell we just read. What the hell was I thinking zoning out like that? And just to watch what someone I don’t even know was drawing?

“A majority of the questions are from chapter six so I hope you all paid attention.” Mr. Lyle called out over the talking.

I paused my movements, slumping more over the desk at his little announcement. Of course we would be quizzed more on what we just read. How stupid could I be not listening like that? If I don’t get these questions right there’s a big chance that this quiz will be half-assed and I definitely don’t need my grade dropping already.

“Just remember Jack.”

I gasped, feeling my breath get caught in my throat while my heart stopped in my chest for a good three seconds before my head snapped to my right.

“Excuse me?” I blurted, feeling my breath catch once more when my eyes locked with a beautiful light brown pair.

I closed my mouth, biting the inside of my cheek when he raised a thick eyebrow up almost enough to make it disappear under his beanie. My heart thumped in my chest and I glanced around the room as everyone continued chatting quietly, paying no attention to our conversation. I flickered my gaze back to his almost frantically, watching as he pushed the frames of his thick glasses up his nose before dropping my gaze to the black ring through his nostril and the matching rings through the right side of his plump bottom lip.

“S’kind of all about Jack.” He repeated and I could feel my chest tighten anxiously. “Like, Jack is taking over instead of Ralph? The kids are all freaking out about the best thing. Nothing really happened except for a dead man falling from the sky.”

I blinked slowly, relief washing over me when I realized he was summarizing the chapter of the book. I let out a silent breath, still feeling my heart race just from looking into his soft gaze as he raised his eyebrow again. My fingertips tingled while butterflies fluttered up my chest and I had to force myself to look away when Mr. Lyle walked up.

“No talking now that the test is out.” Mr. Lyle warned, sliding a single sheet of paper towards me first before leaving one in front of the guy next to me. “You know what? You can go on and find your next class. I’d rather wait until I’ve covered material with you before I give you a fifty-point quiz.”

“Cool.” He shrugged, closing the textbook in front of him and pushing his chair back.

I scrunched my face up, looking over the worn cover of the World History textbook before it was scooped from the desk. He pushed the chair in, tucking the book under his left arm before he walked to the door without a glance back. Glancing down as I tapped my pencil, I laughed quietly to myself. How could I possibly think someone I’ve never met knew something like that about me?

“The sooner you finish, the sooner you can leave.” Mr. Lyle reminded, bringing me back to reality.

Shaking my head, I clicked some lead out of my pencil and wrote my name across the top of the page. Once I added the date, something orange caught the corner of my eye and I looked over just in time to shoot my hand out and catch the pen from rolling off of the table. Flattening the gum back up to the roof of my mouth, I twirled the dirty orange pen between my fingers before shoving it into my bag without another thought.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My thighs are so sore from gym.” I complained, picking at the clear wrap surrounding my sub.

I frowned, attempting the rip it open with my nails only to fail for the tenth time in a row. Sighing in defeat, I dropped it back on my Styrofoam tray and grabbed my strawberry milk instead. Pulling the tabs apart, I grabbed my straw and stuck it in before taking a satisfying sip.

“Are you sure that’s why?” Jamie quipped from her place across from me.

“What?” I coughed, almost choking on the milk as it slid down my throat. “I’m definitely sure it’s from lunges and running laps.”

The loud laugh she let out in response had my cheeks burning and I shot her a look, feeling the table shake as more seats filled up.

“Oh, come on.” Kayli called after she sat down beside me.

I shook my head, looking into her blue eyes before my gaze fell over to Katie as she plopped down next to Jamie.

“Riley’s telling everyone.” She chimed in, making my eyes widen even more.

“Riley is telling everyone what?” I rushed out, setting my milk back in its place on my tray.

“He was bragging about staying up all night with you all during fourth period, Lynn.” Kayli revealed. “Doing things.”

Butterflies tore through my gut, but not the good kind. The kind that make me want to puke and hide away forever. Shaking my head, I looked down at my tray and felt embarrassment continue to cloud my mind at the thought of Riley telling sex stories that never happened.

“We know they’re just rumors he’s making up and I’m sure everyone else does too.” Katie tried comforting, only making me feel worse.

I bit my lip, feeling my mood drop considerably. I know she’s not trying to hurt my feelings, but really? I stared into the layered wrap around my sandwich, feeling lower as the seconds passed. Disappointment filled my gut and I sighed heavily, losing my appetite completely.

“What’s going on?” Ashley asked slowly, shaking the table as she sat down somewhere across from me.

“Lynn’s worried about the rumors Riley was spreading in fourth period.” Kayli announced. “We all now they’re just rumors though, so I’m not sure why she’s so bothered-”

“It’s so easy to believe it’s all a lie, right?” I interrupted, the unwelcome twinge of envy running back through me as I glanced at the girls surrounding me. “I mean, nobody would ever want to do anything with me, right? That’s what you’re saying.”

“What?” Katie laughed, sending my heart back into my stomach.

“Don’t say that.” Ash scolded, tapping her hand over the table. “You know-”

“I will say it, Ashley. I’ll say it because it’s true.” I snapped, feeling a scowl settle on my lips as anger boiled within me. “You don’t know what it’s like, okay? You don’t-”

I stopped immediately, feeling my face flush darker at the words I almost let escape my mouth. I swallowed thickly, dropping my gaze from hers and slipping off of my round stool. I grabbed my bag, barely managing to get it over my shoulder as I rushed away from the table.

“Lynn!” Ashley shouted after me.

I shook my head, speeding into a jog once I pushed through the heavy doors of the cafeteria. I covered my mouth, trying to keep myself together as I hurried towards the nearest exit. Sniffling loudly, I forced my gaze up as I pushed through one of the five doors leading out to the field and sucked in a long breath of fresh air. The wind blew through my hair and over my hot skin, helping me cool down a little bit while I made my way towards the bleachers. Shuddering, I sucked in another calming breath and kept my burning eyes aimed in the bright blue sky to keep the tears from building up.

“Why?” I groaned to myself, scowling at the uncomfortable crawling under my skin.

What did I do to deserve to go through this? I huffed, feeling my bottom lip quiver pathetically as a rage of unwanted thoughts swarmed my mind. I held my breath, feeling my hair blow around my neck from another rush of wind passing though as I continued to walk along the lumpy grass. My eyes burned more with the desire to swell with tears, but the way I clamped my teeth over my tongue quickly diverted my thoughts. I refuse to let myself cry over this again. I’ve wasted too many tears and I really don’t want to reapply make-up a third time today.

Releasing my tongue, I let out the breath I was holding in and grimaced when my sense of smell returned with an unpleasant scent shooting up my nostrils. I dropped my head down to see in front of me, barely catching the flash of white in the corner of my eye before my foot collided with something hard. I tripped, holding my bag tightly while flailing my arms to keep my balance as I practically leaped to the side. I panted heavily, flipping my hair out of my face in order to look down at my wobbly feet.

“Jesus.” I hissed once I was steady again, turning to find the guy from English leaning against the side of the bottom bleachers. “Watch it, would you? Your stupid legs are a tripping hazard.”

I pressed my mouth closed when he remained silent, grimacing more as the skunk smell grew stronger. Scoffing in disgust, I motioned to the blunt hanging from his lips and shook my head.

“Put that out!” I ordered, pulling my forearm over my nose and mouth in attempt to keep the smoke from getting into my airway. “I don’t want to get cancer from your secondhand smoke and stupidity.”

I stared down expectantly, watching him slowly pulling the blunt from his lips. He sat still, leaning his head back against the metal bleachers before his mouth was opening enough to let out a long cloud of smoke. I gawked from under my sleeve, widening my eyes when he sucked it between his lips another time.

“Hello!” I called, snapping my fingers with my free hand. “Are you that disrespectful when someone asks you to do something?”

He stared up at me, this time leaving the blunt between his lips while the smoke filtered out through his nostrils. I wafted the smoke away with my right arm, keeping my left pressed hard over my face.

“Dude!” I exclaimed, the anger and annoyance finding its way back into my veins as I continued to be ignored. “Are you fucking deaf or something?!”

I jumped, feeling my cheeks flush at the startle from the loud laugh leaving his lips. I continued waving the smoke away, feeling queasy from the constant smell filling my senses while his laughter died down. I raised my eyebrows, watching him pull his knees to his chest as he sat up straighter.

“Yeah.” He finally responded, making the end of the blunt grow red as he inhaled.

“Yeah?” I repeated, stepping to the side when he blew the smoke out again. “Will you please put that out?”

He chuckled lightly, pulling the short joint from his mouth and dabbing it into the cold edge of the bleachers beside him. I sighed in relief, wafting the leftover smoke away before finally removing my arm from my face. He flicked the butt away, pulling the top of his beanie up and tilting his head to my right.

“Why did you-” I started, feeling my heart drop when my eyes fell to the black and blue stripped earphone looking thing shoved into his ear.

“Being deaf doesn’t mean I can’t hear you.” He answered, pulling his beanie back over his ears. “And maybe you should ask nicely instead of trying to demand me.”

“I wasn’t demanding.” I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest self-consciously when he looked up at me with an eyebrow raised. “Okay, maybe I was. I’m uh, I’m sorry. Like, for yelling at you and um. And for calling you deaf.”

I stopped rambling, dropping my gaze to the ground when his laughter started up again.

“S’cool, but maybe try not to use being deaf as some sort of insult next time you trip over someone yeah?” He responded after another minute passed. “What’s got you in such a rush anyway? Were you racing imaginary friends?”

“None of your business.” I snapped, biting at my lip when he raised his hands in surrender.

“Okay okay, don’t get your fuckin’ panties in a twist.” He chuckled, only making my frown deepen. “You know, you could thank me.”

“Thank you?” I laughed humorlessly, dropping my hands to my hips. “For almost making me fall on my face?”

He chuckled, pushing himself off of the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows, watching him shake his head before he stood up straight. I stepped back, biting my lip at the height difference as he looked down at me with his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.

“For refreshing your memory on the chapter you spent staring at me instead of listening to.” He retorted, licking his lips.

I gawked, watching him push his glasses back up his nose before he sent me a wink.

“Have fun racing your imaginary friends or whatever it is that you’re doing.” He shrugged, slowly backtracking in the direction I just came from. “Try not to kick anyone else’s kneecaps, yeah?”

I kept silent, watching him turn his back to me once he was about ten feet away. I closed my mouth gently, keeping my eyes glued to his back until he disappeared through the doors back into the school.

Notes

I'm actually screaming as I type this note, I'm THAT excited to post this. This is so different from anything I've ever even thought about writing and I'm so so happy. If you haven't gathered, this is a transgender fic. I wasn't very clear yet, but there will definitely be more information about it in other chapters. I just NEEDED to post something today.

But in case anyone is confused, Jack is male to female transgender in this and has already been through a lot of the transitioning process. Again, his experiences will all be explained within chapters. If you're still reading this far, yay! This is a new territory for me and I hope I write it well!

With that being said, if you like visuals like I do I will leave you the outfits described as well as what I imagine Jack's hair to look like!

Jack's Outfit

Jack's Hair

Alex's Outfit