First Day
…one week later
Drake woke up at four o'clock in the morning. He was beyond aggravated that he had to
adjust his schedule like this. But there was no way, no fucking way that he was going to
go to school with The Drag Queen. The nickname he called his brother behind his back.
If he had to be the first one up this morning so he could be the first one out of this house
then so be it. Besides, he could take a nap in one of his classes if he had to close his
eyes. He even got dressed in the dark; you'd think he was the freak in the family. Drake
wasn't going to do this avoidance everyday, but today of all days, he didn't want to send
the message that he approved of what Josh was doing.
There. He made it downstairs without anyone realizing it. The scent of hazelnut coffee
was coming from the automatic coffeemaker. It was due to stop in about an hour when
his mother wanted to get up early to see the kids off to school and then go back to bed
for an hour before she had to go to her office. Drake was too old for a maternal send off
anyway. He didn't need a brown paper bag lunch made for him like those sitcoms from
the '50s.
Drake Parker was a grown man and perfectly capable of getting his lunch in the school
cafeteria. If there was a higher power, they better have two different lunch periods. He
could change his class schedule if he had to.
Drake grabbed his dark green backpack (that only contained two three subject
notebooks and two ink pens) and headed out the door.
Megan watched from the living room window, thinking that Drake must have thought he
was so intelligent for leaving for school at four twenty-three in the morning. She was
quite disappointed in him.
Josh couldn't help who he was.
From the research she found on the internet next year Josh would be undergoing sex
reassignment surgery. He wanted to be a woman. It's not something the gifted ten-year-
old girl fully understood. This year was the most difficult because he had to do the Real
Life Test, which was basically living your life as your new identity before having the
surgery. For all intents and purposes starting today, Josh Nichols wanted to be Dina
Andrea Nichols. He was still a Boob. Just like the other brother. Their whole family was
divided over this issue before them. Walter could not accept that "his son" was never
happy in his male skin and wanted to be a woman since he was knee high to a
grasshopper. He had these thoughts since he was a little kid in Kindergarten and felt
different from the rest. Josh could never kill the bugs, liked making brownies for the
football team along with managing their equipment; he even liked to dress up in the
Miss Nancy costume. It wasn't those things that made a person transgendered, but it
was combined with how he felt on the inside. It was the desire to be feminine. It was
Drake who told him that wasn't normal and Josh wanted so much to fit in. And to have a
wonderful brother like Drake was something else that Josh always wanted.
Megan knocked on the guestroom door. She could see that the light was on, but still
figured she should knock first.
"Come in." Josh/Dina was still in bed the covers up to his/her neck.
"It's me, Megan."
"Can I help you?" Megan didn't say much since this was happening.
Mom, Dad, and Drake had such strong opinions on this; no one was going to listen to
her. After all she was just a kid.
"I just wanted to say I hope you have good day in school, J—Dina."
"Thank you, Megan. Drake left already didn't he?"
"How do you know?"
"I heard his car sputter out of the driveway."
"I'm sorry."
"You might want to let him know that I'm sorry too, but, I'm in the process of my RLT. I
can't stop who I am because it makes some people uncomfortable." He/She took
his/her hands out of from under the blanket. Josh/Dina panicked during the shopping
trip with Mindy last week and settled for temporary press-on nails. Yesterday he/she got
the acrylics.
The girl at Lily's did a good job and used a nice lavender color.
"I know." Megan noticed the wrinkled picture of Drake by the pillow. She wished she
knew the words she could tell Josh/Dina to make it all better. Megan knew that first day
of school was going to be Hell for the both of them.
Drake was able to charm the secretary and explain that he needed to see Josh's
schedule when the office opened up at eight-thirty in the morning. Of course she knew.
They all knew thanks to Audrey's in-advance notice.
"Thank GOD! We don't have any classes or lunch together! For once I will thank the
whole San Diego school district."
The middle-aged woman kept her opinion to herself so she wouldn't be fired, but she
could understand this boy's relief. Josh Nichols used to be such a nice, responsible boy.
It had to be that rock music that all the kids were listening to.
Drake thought most of his problems were over. He had no idea they were just
beginning.
"Mindy, maybe a skirt was a bad idea….women wear pants, you're wearing dress
pants….I don't want to throw this up in anyone's faces. And does this make up look
natural in real light? It was a simple long black skirt with side pockets from JCPenney. It
matched the black ballerina style flats.
Mindy and Josh/Dina were in her car parked a block from Belleview High.
"I think you look nice and pulled together. Your make up is just fine; you look good in the
earthy tones. That's the point, right? You really worry too much, Dina."
"People are going to pick on you for standing by me." Josh/Dina nervously put on
another application of cinnamon swirl lipstick.
"I can handle people. The first day is the hardest. We can't stay in here forever, so let's
go."
Mindy Crenshaw was better than Oprah Winfrey. She made sure that they held hands
tight; everyone needed to see that they were in this together. Her eyes were hazed over
with a mild sense of fear. There was no way this could be kept from her parents.
Someone was going to say something and the Crenshaw's would find out about it and
they would bar her from any further contact with the person she loved the most in this
world.
Drake was never in homeroom until the second warning bell, but for today, he had to
defend his turf. Yurmo was the only one in the room looking at his bug collection through
a magnifying glass.
There was a ruckus outside that seemed to start without any build up and Drake's
stomach sank to the floor. He slowly walked to the window and saw his brother and the
Creature holding hands. This was beyond disgusting. He didn't want to look but he did.
People were pointing, laughing, and even though the windows were closed he heard
cruel remarks like "Queer Boy", "Faggot", and "Loser". A bunch of cheerleader's called
Mindy a "dyke".
There was number 57 on the football team in his red and gold letter jacket shaking up a
can of soda. Getting ready to spray them when they walked by.
The short sleeved white shirt with a big blue flower on the pocket that Josh was wearing
was drenched with Mocha Cola when a few other jocks added to number 57's spray
party. Drake turned around and put his back to the window.
"Damn it."
"Hey, Parker. What in the Hell happened to your brother this summer?"
"Shut up, Randy!"
"Drake, your brother is a queer!" Came another male voice
He might as well have been outside walking with them. Now that people were lumping
him in that category. Drake always had trouble with some males. It was always more
natural for him to talk to a woman.
Ironic, that.
"Hi, Drake."
"Hi, Amanda. I saved you a seat in front next to me."
She had brown hair and had it tied back in a ponytail. Which made him realize at that
moment that Josh had a dark wig on that was in a short bob style. He knew there was
something else different.
"I'm sorry. I'm going to sit with Chris."
What in the Hell? They always sat next to each other in homeroom since ninth grade
when she moved to this school district.
"Tell me that has not—never mind." He sat back down in his seat.
Drake knew damn well it had to do with Josh—oh excuse me, Dina.
His world was over.
Principal Raymond let Josh/Dina use his personal office bathroom. Imagine the lawsuits
if he didn't do anything and everything possible to protect this kid!
"I thought you'd be in your homeroom by now."
"No chance," Mindy kissed Josh/Dina on the cheek, "I'll walk you to your homeroom."
"You're too sweet."
"Thanks, Mr. Raymond, I appreciate it."
"No problem, Nichols." There was his way of getting out of the Josh/Dina question.
"Your stain stick worked on your blouse, but not my sweater."
"I told you I'd pay for the dry cleaning."
"That's not necessary."
"I wonder how Drake is?"
Now the taunts were more silent, the hushed-tones because no one wanted to be
reprimanded by a teacher. The teachers who had their own opinions from the closed
teachers lounge doors.
"I can't believe you still care for the jerk. He bailed on you this morning."
"He's just frightened," Josh/Dina held Mindy's hand tight trying to ignore the egos of the
insecure tough guys who wanted to beat the crap out of him/her for wanting to be true to
the self, "Like I am."
"You have me."
"Thank you, Sweetie. I appreciate it…but I sure could use my brother's support right now
too."
'Damn Drake' Mindy thought.
What a selfish incorrigible jerk. If she wasn't so worried about the safety of her
boy/girlfriend she would have marched right up to his homeroom and told him off in front
of everybody.
"Now, you have your cell----"
"Mindy, you need to relax too. I'll be okay."
"Love you," another kiss on the cheek, the laughter impossible to ignore, "Dina."
"I love you too, Mindy."
Josh/Dina was beyond frightened, but didn't want Mindy to think that was the only
emotion swirling through his/her mind. There were many more thoughts such as the
concern for Drake a few doors down.
How was he coping?
"You can't think that I approve, come on," Drake opened up a pack of breath mints, "I
hate the fag just as much as you guys do."
He detested himself for saying such a lie to the small group of guys that he knew since
grade school. Drake was also aware of the misusage of the mean slang term. But he
had to fit in. There was no way his world of cool and charm could be over. Drake Parker
was never the school square peg and he wasn't about to start now. Not in his senior
year. The year that was supposed to be the epitome of perfect with highlighted good
times for the yearbook. He wasn't going to let these events ruin what he's worked so
hard for. His popularity. Drake might have to backpedal and eat some crow, but there
was no way his senior year was going to be ruined. It was bad enough that his parents
may not make it through this unscathed but his social status was not going to be
washed away.
"Hey, I have an idea on how to get Josh good!" Said Jeff who used to eat Mrs. Parker's
homemade cookies at Drake's house when he was six years old and afraid of sleeping
in the dark and slept with his Gloworm.
"Tell us…." replied the rest of the eager guys to prove in a lesser way than the jocks that
they were all men.
"I will, but first, I have to make sure---Parker---are you in?"
What was the harm? Nothing was going to ruin this school year and popularity for him.
Was Amanda winking at him from a distance when she was supposed to be chatting up
with Chris?
Yes! Now this the senior year that Drake was thinking about.
"Yes," He let the faux anticipation come over him, "I'm in."