PROLOGUE
Faith moved away before her freshman year in high school, and Lewis felt everything crumble. This year would be hell. It hurt. It really did. He'd been at this school for two years so far, and it hurt.
He sighed as he stared at his ceiling. The time was 6:15 AM. School wouldn't be starting soon, yet his dad would take him early anyway. But he didn't want to go. It was just a stupid routine that meant nothing. Bad grades would automatically make him a delinquent? Good grades were his only tickets into college? His anxiety was on overload. If he missed the tiniest assignment his father would be cross, would chastise him, call him out on all his wrongdoings. It was barely the beginning of the year.
Suddenly, his phone blinked with a text message from his father."Rise and shine, pumpkin." Oh right, he was going to drive Lewis to school today. It was Tuesday. Guess he had no choice but to get up. Unless he could feign illness again. But then his dad would come around noon to take care of him…and he still had his Italian class tonight.
"Kill me," Lewis whined into his pillow miserably. He reached to his bedside for his medication and paused over his glasses. No. No no no, I don't want that to hinder me. Get up and put your contacts in, you'll be more attractive, especially to them. They'll…they'll like it better.
Dressing in the familiar uniform, swallowing the pills, and carefully putting his contacts in, Lewis felt the routine drag on. Everyday is exactly the same, he thought. Everyday is exactly the same, there is no love here and there is no pain. Everyday is exactly the same. "I can feel their eyes watching, in case I lose myself again. Sometimes I think I'm happy here, sometimes, yet I still pretend." He slipped on his shoes. "I can't remember how this got started, but I can tell you exactly how it will end."
He grabbed his phone and earbuds as he made his way out the door. "Bye Mom!" Jogging down the steps of his complex, he pushed open the door to where his dad's Rav4 was already waiting. "Prepare for hell, fucker," he muttered to himself before opening the passenger door.
~I~
By the time Lewis exited his father's car in front of MetaMorph Tech, his mood had worsened. He whipped out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached Aud . Opening a new message, he began typing, "u at school?"
He sighed as he walked down to the local cafe to the to grab some food. I sigh a lot, he mused. I breathe too heavily. I'm not skinny enough. I'm not pretty. My teeth aren't straight. I'm not straight. I constantly dye my hair. I hate my eye colour. My skin can't decide whether it's tan or not. My face is too greasy and fat. My laugh is stupid. My voice is annoying.
He grabbed a prepackaged PB&J sandwich and chocolate milk. I can't sing. I can't draw. I can't write. Why am I even alive? I'm a disappointment to my dad. My preferred gender doesn't even correspond to my assigned gender. I'll always be a girl, no matter how you look at it. I'll never be a boy. After ringing up his food, he placed a hand on his chest.
"Everything hurts." He looked into his bags wherein three eggs lay in a makeshift bed of his uniform sweater, nestled on top of his books. "Hey guys, when're you gonna hatch? I really need you now…" Over the summer, he'd received these eggs on his pillow when he woke up. Without any explanation. After much asking around, he managed to find people who knew what they were.
"Isaac and Chris said that you'd only hatch when needed…but I need you now. There's so much I want to change, why are you taking so long?" Lewis felt tears build up behind his hazel green eyes. He ran to behind the school to his secret spot under a large oak tree, out of eyeshot and earshot of the school. He threw everything down and sat down harshly, beginning to cry. He repeatedly hit the ground with his fists, much like a child would. "I want to go home!"
"I'm sorry, darling."
Hazel eyes met blue eyes, framed by pink glasses. "Aud," Lewis gasped. "I-I'm so sorry you had to see me like this, I-I'm sorry I'm weak, it's only the first day, fuck, I'm pathetic I'm so sorry, dear, I'm so so sorry."
The senior sat in Lewis's lap, wrapping their arms around his neck. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault, darling. Don't apologise."
"I love you, Aud."