I DO NOT OWN STARGIRL. SHOUTOUT TO ANIMALCRUNCH12 FOR BEING MY BETA FOR THIS STORY.
Blue Valley, Nebraska. The Next Day.
Zach woke up with the hope the previous night had only been a dream. However, the sight of him in a frilly pink nightgown on a pink bed in a pink room convinced him otherwise. He sighed as he got out of bed to get dressed for the day. The sight of feminine clothing made him want to gag, but there was nothing else he could do. Zach slowly changed into a matching bra and panties, a frilly top and skirt to match. Once he brushed his hair and teeth, Zach went downstairs for breakfast.
"What's up, Bella?" Jacob asked gleefully in the middle of stuffing his face with a flaky toaster pastry.
"Eat shit, jerk," Zach mumbled when seated, avoiding his cousin's mocking stare. In what shouldn't have been expected by any normal circumstances, Zach stiffed, having acutely predicted the cuffed hand to the back of his head by Uncle Bob.
"Watch your mouth, young lady," He warned through his bared teeth. Not wanting to see past the warning, Zach picked at his breakfast, silent, unable to find any hunger in his twisted stomach.
Once the awkward family meal was finished, Aunt Tonya drove Zach to school and walked him to the front office to help get him settled in.
"This is my niece's first day, and I'd like to make sure that everything is in order," Tonya asked.
The administrative staff tapped into the keyboard to her computer, pulling up Zach's information. Or rather, his misinformation.
"Okay... Isabella Bogumill. Here is your class schedule, your locker and its locker combination, your ID card, and everything else you need," the secretary replied. Zach tried to hold back his wince at her usage of his dead name, obediently taking everything to headed for his locker.
Before he could leave, Aunt Tonya snagged Zach's wrist, whispering hotly under her breath, "You better behave like a proper young woman, Bella. If you pull any of your trans shit here, I will know. Trust me when I say your Uncle Bob will go to town on your ass, even just a whisper about it."
Zach could only stare down at the sneakers he wore, face mottled red. No doubt she meant every word and would follow through if he tried to be himself.
After five grueling periods of being deadnamed, misgendered, incorrectly introduced, and piled on with homework, lunchtime finally rolled around for the students of Blue Valley High. Zach looked around the lunchroom, hoping to find a place to sit. Every table was packed full of people, except for one. This particular table had only four people at it. He was debating about whether or not to sit there until the choice was made for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl about his age with long curly blonde hair and vibrant blue-green eyes waving at him, calling him over. She had a curvy, athletic yet petite physique. Full lips, round face, fair complexion. Against his better judgment, Zach decided to join them. To join her.
"Hi, you can sit with us if you want," she said.
Without any other options, Zach took her kindness and set his tray down at the table.
"Thanks." He replied, sitting across from her.
"I'm Courtney Whitmore, by the way," she introduced.
Before Zach could respond, a black girl with a short curly afro, attentive brown eyes, and round face spoke for him.
"Hey, you have math with me," she acknowledged, innocuous. "You're Isabella Bogumill, right?"
Zach Bogumill felt heat swarmed his face, his chest heavy and bile. All-day, he's been deadnamed and misgendered all day. It was sickening and tiresome, awakening a fit of anger in him that Zach has tried to keep hidden.
"Stop it!" He exclaimed, getting in the girl's face. "Stop calling me that! That is not my name! So just stop it! Just stop it!"
His anger came to him like heat lightning. Blazing one moment, gone in a flash the next.
With a sobering breath, Zach noticed all eyes in the cafeteria were on him. He fought back the tears brimming in his eyes, running out before he could hear something that wasn't a hushed whisper bellowing through the large space.
Zach went to the bathrooms. For a split second, he thought about going into the boys'. Still, Zach just didn't have the energy to deal with any more bullshit. Slowly, he went into the girls' restroom, sobbing his guts out in front of a mirror.
He spent the next few minutes crying until he heard the door open. Zach turned to see none other than Courtney Whitmore.
"Are you okay?" She asked tenderly as Zach turned to her with a tear stricken face.
"No!" He wailed. Zach didn't know why. Maybe it was all of his emotions needing to be purged out of him after everything. His parents' untimely death, his new living situation, what just happened in the cafeteria. But Zach couldn't help blurting out more words to her and her kind face. "I am not okay! Everyone keeps," Zach lowered his tone, his speech cracking, "misgendering me and calling me my dead name and-and I am fucking sick and tired of it..."
Without any hesitation, Courtney reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Are you...are you Transgender?" She asked.
Slowly, sniffling and avoiding her gaze, Zach gave her a small nod.
"Yeah..." he whispered. "I'm a boy. I'm trapped in a girl's body, and I hate it!"
"What's your real name?" Courtney inquired, frowning.
"Zach... Zach Bogumill," he answered.
"Hi Zach, I'm Courtney Whitmore," Courtney said, cheerful, making Zach smile faintly. He met her eyes as she said, "And can I say something? You're a stud."
Zach was silent for a second before he broke out in laughter. Courtney joined him, pulling him into a hug. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Zach's shoulders. Someone finally saw him as his authentic self. It felt so wonderful that words couldn't even describe it.
"Thank you..." Zach whispered in Courtney's ear as she held him close.
"You're welcome," she whispered back.
After a few more minutes, Courtney and Zach came back to the table where her friends were still, an awkwardness hanging in the tense air.
"Everyone, this is Zach Bogumill," Courtney reintroduced for Zach with a bright smile. "Zach, this is Yolanda Montez, Rick Tyler, and Beth Chapel."
"Hey, Beth," Zach waved, sheepish. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry that I flipped out at you... it's just been a shitty day."
"It's ok, Zach," Beth replied softly as Zach sat back down.
"So, are you trans or something?" Rick asked.
"Yeah... FTM." Zach replied quietly. "Female to male transgender."
Yolanda lifted a brow. "Then...why haven't you transitioned?"
"Because..." Zach took in a shaky breath, "my parents died before we could start. And now, my Aunt and Uncle, who are legal guardians, think I'm an abomination, so they won't help."
"Gosh, Zach," Beth gasped. "We're really sorry,"
"Thanks," he said quietly.
At that, Courtney slammed her hands down on the table. "Ok, I'll tell you what," Courtney said. "Tomorrow, after school, you and I will go shopping. We're going to get you some real boy clothes."
Zach wanted to kneel down and kiss her feet, but he didn't want Courtney to blow her hard-earned money on him.
"It's okay, Court, you don't have to."
"I want to! I have a lot of money from my relatives' Christmas cards. What else am I going to do with it?"
Zach could name several things, but instead, he only said, "Ok..."
The conversation soon developed into the group throwing their two cents in on what would look good on him. As Zach watched and contributed here and there, he realized it was the happiest than he's felt in a long time.
"NEXT TIME, STARGIRL GOES ON A SHOPPING SPREE. REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED. SERIOUSLY EVERYONE.
