Being like this isn't easy. No one really knows about it. My brother knows, but that's really it. I went out a few times, but no one really knew about it. I wasn't out now. I didn't look that different. He was teaching me how to steal a car, even though I wasn't sure if that I would ever need to steal a car.
"I'm your brother. I have to look out for you." He said. Maybe it was his way of getting me out of the house because it meant that I wouldn't have to be at home with my verbally abusive mother and her physically abusive deadbeat boyfriend.
We got into the car but we only made it about 500 feet before the cops showed up. I was beginning to wonder if staying home was the better option. No, but the better option would have been not being at home and not being with Trey either. Maybe I could be at the mall buying clothes.
Some short but undeterminable amount of time later, I was told that I had an attorney. That was not something that I was expecting. At that table was a dark-haired man with bushy eyebrows.
"Ryan Atwood." He greeted me. I wasn't the biggest fan of that name. "I'm Sandy Cohen. I'll be your attorney."
"Where's my brother?" I asked. As the only family member who gave a damn about me, I needed to know where he was.
"Trey's over 18, got a few charges, and they found and a gun some pot on him. He's looking at 3-5" Sandy replied. "I'm more interested in you. I can get brought down to a misdemeanor, say you were coerced and get you probation. I know life has given you a bad hand, but I've seen you test scores, you could be a good student if you actually went to school."
"Great, an inspirational speaker…" I muttered. He didn't understand what it was really like to be me.
"You know if you ever need a hand, you can give me a call." He said as he gave me a card and we went outside. It was at that point that my mother drove up, very erratically I might add.
"Damn it, Ryan." She remarked. I did not like this woman. I wondered if there was a mother store I could return her to because she seemed to be defective. Okay, that was a little mean. I was glad that I didn't say that out loud. "I've got a family of crooks."
"Mrs. Atwood, I'm Sandy Cohen. Ryan's attorney." The man introduced as he held out his hand. She didn't take it.
"You should have let him rot in there like his brother and his father." She stated.
"Here's my card if you ever want someone to talk to." Mr. Cohen replied.
"Let's go Ryan." She said. I took the card and headed off with my mother.
When I got home, it didn't take long for a fight to break out between me and AJ. He hit me and I hit him with a bottle. She threatened to call the cops, so I took my bite and headed out. I had enough money for a payphone. I was probably the only teenager without a cellphone. I decided to give it a shot. I didn't think it would be permanent, but maybe it could be long enough so I would finally get a chance to be myself. I attached my bike to the top of his car and we began to drive. I would be staying with him at least for a few days. I was pretty sure that he noticed something.
"Are you okay over there?" He asked. I needed to say it. I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't say it.
"I'm transgender." I declared. He was silent for a few seconds. "I mean I'm a girl."
"I see." He declared. "Is there anything that I can do?"
"Do you think we can stop somewhere so I can get some new clothes?" I requested.
He pulled off at the exit just outside of Anaheim. There was a strip mall with a clothing store and a few other things. He handed me a credit card.
"I'll just wait out here." He replied. He was a little bit trusting. I could have found a way out and stolen his card, but that wouldn't be smart and he knew I was smart.
I headed inside the store. I was kind of short for my age and I was actually glad about it. I didn't want to be too tall because it made it easier to fit in. I figured that one outfit would be enough for now, along with a nightgown and some extensions and makeup. I could tell that Mr. Cohen barely recognized me when I came out wearing the dress with a lace spaghetti strap bodice and blue skirt with pink roses on it with a tan belt and beige boots.
"So, I thought your kind of lawyer didn't make money." I remarked. His car was pretty nice too. I had been practicing a more feminine voice.
"We don't, but my wife does." He stated. I couldn't help but wonder what his wife did.
The drive was kind of long. I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing traveling all the way to Chino for work. We eventually ended up in a gated community. I never thought I would be in one.
"So, I'm going to go to talk to Mrs. and I'll be right back." He said before he looked at the keys and took them out.
"My brother steals cars, not me." I declared. He then put the keys back in the car and walked in the house. He probably should have taken them in, but I had a feeling he would be coming back out.
I stepped outside of the car because I was bored and I couldn't happen to notice a cute brunette standing outside the house next door.
"Hey." I greeted her.
"Hey." She reciprocated as I walked over closer to her. "Who are you?"
"I'm…" I replied before I struggled to come up with a name. I hadn't thought far ahead because I didn't talk to people when I went out. "Rhiannon."
"Kaitlin." She said. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Honestly. I stole a car. Well my brother did. I got arrested and now I'm staying with Mr. Cohen, who's my lawyer." I explained. She looked at me, seemingly determining whether or not she wanted to believe me or not.
"So, you're that cousin from Boston right?" She asked.
"Yeah." I lied. At that point, Mr. Cohen came back out.
"Hello, Kaitlin." He remarked.
"Hey, Mr. Cohen." Kaitlin replied. "I was just talking to your niece."
"Niece? Oh right, my beautiful niece all the way from Seattle." He stated. Kaitlin tilted her head.
"Boston." I corrected. If I was going to lie, I needed to make sure the story was straight.
"Right. Don't mind me. Just getting old." He said with a chuckle. Neither of us laughed. "So, Kaitlin, we're really excited for your sister's fashion show tomorrow night."
"You are? Because I'm not." Kaitlin declared.
"We're not either." He admitted.
"Well maybe you should come," Kaitlin invited, obviously looking at me. "Maybe it'll suck less."
I then went with Mr. Cohen. He took me into the house and then outside near their pool.
"So, call me Rhiannon." I told him. We then inside this building near the pool. There was a blonde woman inside and a mattress on the floor. "Hi."
"This is the lady of the house, Kirsten." He replied.
"Welcome to our home." She replied with a fake smile. I had a feeling that she didn't want me there. It couldn't be easy when your husband says he was going to let his client stay over. I wondered if he told her I was transgender. I supposed he had the right to as long as he didn't tell anyone else.
I put on the black nightgown that I had bought and went to sleep.
In the morning, I walked out of the pool house and looked around and saw an amazing view. I then walked into the house to get some food. I saw a guy with dark, curly hair playing some video games. I assumed he was their son, they forgot to mention.
"Hi." I greeted him.
"Hey." He said before looking at me, then at the TV, then back at me. "Do you wanna play?"
We were playing some kind of ninja fighting game. I was at a disadvantage because I didn't know how long he had been playing. I also got some cereal.
"Oh what happened to your head." He gloated. "You can't fight without a head."
At that point, Sandy walked in wearing a wetsuit. Apparently, he liked to surf.
"I see you two have met." He said. I nodded. "Seth, what are you doing inside on such a beautiful day. Your should be showing around Rhiannon around."
Well, it was California and pretty much every day was beautiful.
"Yeah, because there's so much to do around here." Seth quipped. "What do you want to do?"
"Why don't you show me something you like to do." I suggested.
I turned out Seth liked to sail. He took me on his boat: The Summer Breeze. I found out that his parents hadn't told him anything about me other than I was a client.
"I can make it to Tahiti in 44 days." He declared. What would he even do there?
"It sounds like you would get lonely." I commented. I wouldn't want to go anywhere by myself for that long.
"I'll have Summer with me." He replied. Was he talking about his boat?
"I know you'll have your boat." I responded.
"No, I mean Summer, the girl I named the boat after." He explained.
"Is she your girlfriend or something?" I asked.
"I've actually never talked to her." He admitted. That was awkward. A few minutes later, we returned to shore where we were met once again by Sandy. He looked like he was done surfing.
"So, I think we should go to the fashion show around 7:00." He suggested.
"Have fun." Seth retorted.
"Come on, Seth, it's a new year." Sandy urged.
"It's still same kids, Dad." Seth argued. "Why do they need a fashion show? Every day's a fashion show for them."
"Well Rhiannon has to go. Kaitlin invited her," Sandy explained. I blushed a little.
"Kaitlin invited you?" Seth asked looking at me. "I have lived next to her my whole life and I've never even been invited to a birthday party. You know her dad almost married my mom."
"They didn't almost get married." Sandy replied.
"Maybe Summer will be there." I suggested. I didn't have a clue if she would since I didn't really know anything about her.
"She is Marissa's best friend." Seth mused. That was a lucky coincidence. Marissa was Kaitlin's sister. "So, 7:00?"
"7:00." Sandy confirmed.
"7:00." I added.
Unfortunately, when we returned, I figured out it was a formal event. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a dress from Kirsten. It was red and didn't show any cleavage which was good considering I didn't have any. I was having a little trouble with the zipper though.
"Let me help you." Sandy offered as he zipped me up. "Bet it beats a jumpsuit."
Suddenly, I knew where Seth got his wit from.
"So, you met Seth. What do you think of him?" He asked.
"He's cool." I replied.
We then headed to the fashion show.
"Welcome to the dark side." Seth whispered. We then broke away from Sandy and Kirsten. "Hey there's Summer. Don't look at her."
I looked across the other side of the room and saw a short brunette with a taller blonde. I assumed the blonde was Marissa. She looked kind of like Kaitlin.
I decided to go find Kaitlin and talk to her. She was wearing an off-shoulder black long-sleeved dress with a matching choker. I was getting good at identifying clothes.
"You made it." She declared.
"I made it." I confirmed. "Does it suck less now that I'm here?"
"It would if not for the fact that Marissa is making me go up there because one of the other girls got sick." She explained.
"That sounds like it sucks." I commented.
"Would you like to go up there with me?" She asked. I began to think about it. It could be fun, but then I realized that I would have to change in front of the other girls.
"I think I'll pass." I declared.
I then went to find Seth, realizing that we should probably take a seat. I found him…at the kids' table.
"You know this is the kids' table, don't you?" I asked.
"Yes. Chester and I were having a conversation about sailing." Seth replied. I thought he just couldn't find anywhere else to sit. At that time, the show started and Marissa gave a speech thanking everyone for coming and saying that the proceeds went to the battered women's shelter.
The show was okay. There were a lot of dresses that I wished I could wear. I even saw Summer wink at me from the catwalk.
After the show was over, I went to the bathroom. On the way out, I was found by Summer.
"Hi, I'm Summer." She greeted me with a blush. "So, my friend Holly is having a party to celebrate all of the charity work that we just put in. You should come."
I didn't know how wearing dresses counted as charity, but it had been a while since I went to a party, so I decided that I could.
I decided to find Seth and tell him.
"Hey, we should go to that party. Summer just invited me." I explained.
"How do you keep getting invited to stuff?" He asked in disbelief. I was pretty sure it was because I looked like a pretty girl. All of those makeup videos that I had been watching were helping.
We hitched a ride with a few other people to the party. It was at a beach house. We walked inside and I saw half-naked girls, beer, and all kinds of drugs on the table.
"Now this is the dark side," I whispered. I was kind of surprised that a place like Newport Beach had parties like that. I then realized that because everyone was so rich, they could afford the good drugs. I had never done drugs myself and I wasn't looking to start. I also wasn't looking to get drunk. It was then that Marissa walked over to me. She had changed out of her dress and into a striped tank top and shorts.
"Hey, we never got a chance to meet." She declared as she held out her hand. "I'm Marissa and you are?"
"Rhiannon." I replied as I shook her hand.
"So what do you think of Newport?" She questioned. I looked around and I was kind of shocked by the state of the party. Another reason, I couldn't do drugs or couldn't get drunk was because I was on probation.
"I think I could get into less trouble where I'm from." I replied.
"So where exactly is that?" She questioned.
"Hey Coop, it's your turn to deal." One of the girls at the card table replied. One of them was topless and I quickly figured out that they were playing strip poker. I quickly looked away so nothing would happen.
"You have no idea." Marissa declared before she headed back to the table.
I decided that I should find Seth because something told me that he had never been to a party like this and likely had never had anything to drink before.
However, before I found him, I was found by Summer. She was wearing a bikini top and miniskirt and looked drunk. The fact that she was stumbling added to that theory.
"Look, who I found." She declared as she wobbled and landed her hand on my chest. She seemed to be drunk enough that she didn't notice my complete lack of breasts. She giggled. "Whoops."
I tried to get free, but that happened to be the exact time that Seth showed up.
"Hey Rhiannon." He started before he noticed. "What are you doing? I named my boat after her."
"What?" Summer asked.
"It's not what it looks like." I replied as I broke free of Summer.
"Why don't you just go back to Chino!" Seth shouted. Well that was something that I didn't want him to say. "I'm sure that there's a car there for you to steal."
He then ran off.
"Chino, ew." Summer declared. I decided not to listen to that and followed after him.
I found him on the beach being held upside-down by a group of guys. It didn't look like a comfortable position to be in. I was going to say that he wasn't willingly being held in such a position.
"Hey, Rhiannon. What's up?" He asked.
"Put him down." I ordered. I probably didn't look like I was in a position of authority considering I was only 5'2" and had taken my heels off as soon as I got to the party. Surprisingly the guys dropped him on the ground. It looked like it hurt.
It was then that I noticed a guy wearing a shell necklace. I had seen him before. He drove a Jeep and he was Marissa's boyfriend and he was hanging out with a different girl.
"Are you Marissa's boyfriend?" I asked.
"Yeah, what's it to ya?" He replied.
"Does she know that you've been hanging out with another girl all night?" I retorted. That must have hit a nerve because he shoved me to the ground. He then kicked me while I was on the ground. It really hurt.
"Welcome to the OC, Bitch." He declared. "This is how it's done in Orange County."
The two of us started to limp back to the house. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there.
"Well that was interesting." He commented. It was then that I decided to say it. He deserved to know after what we'd just been through. "That wasn't how I expected to first talk to Summer, but baby steps."
"I'm transgender." I declared. I hoped that he wouldn't hit me, even though I didn't think it would hurt too much.
"Wow, you think of yourself as a girl too?" He asked.
"Yeah, I've been this way since…what do you mean too?" I questioned as I realized what he said.
"Ever since I was 8, I wanted to be a girl." He explained. "I thought I was just weird, but now seeing you and not knowing the difference makes me think that it's possible."
"Hey, need a lift?" Kaitlin interrupted as she pulled up in a car.
"You're not old enough to drive." Seth declared. Did that mean that she was the same age as me?
"Yeah, but someone has to get Marissa's car home." Kaitlin countered. We both got into the car. "So, Chino, huh. I like it. We could use someone different around here."
She drove us back to the pool house and I realized that I needed to continue my conversation with Seth.
"So, you need to tell your parents, but it should probably wait until tomorrow." I suggested.
"Yeah, that would be a good idea." He declared as he laid on the futon and fell asleep.
I then heard a car pull up and went to investigate. I saw Summer and another girl drop an unconscious Marissa off. They couldn't find her keys, so they just left her in the driveway like that. At that time, Kaitlin also came out.
"You've gotta be kidding me." She said. She was acting like it was something that had happened before. "I cannot take her inside like this."
"I can help." I offered.
"I don't want my parents knowing at all." She said. She then looked over the fence. "I know. We can put her in the pool house."
So, the two of us took her to the pool house.
"For what it's worth, I hope you stay around." Kaitlin said before leaving.
In the morning, I woke up and noticed Marissa was gone.
Suddenly, the door swung up and a very upset-looking Kirsten stormed in. Seth didn't exactly help with the matter. It was then that I started to panic. I was going to lose everything. She was going to send me away.
"Okay, so maybe the party was a bad idea, but yesterday was the best day of my life. I finally got to be myself. Please don't make me go back. I'll do anything if you just let me stay." I begged. I was in tears as the severity took me over.
I was surprised by what she did. She hugged me.
"I'm not going to make you go back." She said. "We are going to have to set some ground rules though. You could use someone who cares about you."
So, this is a bit different. There's a few changes that need to be discussed first. First, Rhiannon is a year younger and Kaitlin is two years older. Second there's a different cast than usual. Rhiannon is played Madison Iseman, Kaitlin is played by Chloe Moretz, Summer is played by Sofia Carson, Marissa is played by Bridgit Mendler and Luke is played by Cody Christian. Seth is played by Nat Wolff in this chapter only. All of the adults have the same actors. Please don't forget to review.