Changeling - Chapter 3
I awoke the next morning, excited to begin my Cheerio's training later in the afternoon. Then I remembered that I'd probably have to face Noah. My good mood followed my enthusiasm out the window.
I braided my hair with 3 spaghetti braids on the left side running parallel to the ground until they were past my ear, then down until they were past my shoulders. Much like the first day of school, I was very nervous. But, this time my timidity was focused on one person. Happily, I didn't seem to see him as I cautiously made my way to my locker. Changing out my books for the one's I'd need this morning, I closed my locker and proceeded to jump out of my skin. "Eeepppp!" I squealed.
Noah was right in my face as I turned around to head to class. I could see that Angry Face Noah was back.
"Why do you keep scaring the crap out of me?" I asked heatedly.
"Why did your mom fire me?"
I didn't want to tell him the truth.
"I... I... don't know why."
"I think you're lying! Did you tell her about me flirting with you?"
"Well, yeah. But she thought it was sweet."
"Then why did she fire me?"
I don't know why I said it, I didn't mean to. But his anger and attitude flipped a switch inside of me. "Because you're a bully! A friend of mine told me you'd slushied Rachel last week and I saw her blouse with a pink stain on it the same afternoon."
He actually looked confused. "Yeah, so?"
I was starting to get angry myself now.
"SO?! You're a bully! You treat others like shit because you feel you can get away with it! Just because you're a jock! I don't know if you truly get your rocks off on it or just to score points with your friends, but neither my mom nor I like bullies. She fired you because of that, and as for me..."
I didn't get to finish. I admit what happened was partly my fault. I was having a heated discussion with Noah and wasn't paying attention. I barely had time to close my eyes when a red wave slammed into my face. It was so cold! It was in my hair and dripping down my shirt, even into my bra!
I'd just been slushied and it hurt. The little ice crystals in the drink moving at a decent velocity actually caused pain! I gasped, allowing some of it to enter my mouth. Cherry. I'd just been hit in the face with a cherry slushie.
As I stood there, recovering from the unexpected shock, I head Noah yell "Dude! I was talking to her!"
Oh, okay. So it was alright to slushie me as long as I wasn't talking to him. I was certain that steam was rising from me at how angry I was now. I wiped the excess from my eyes and headed for the girls room. I could hear Noah arguing with the guy until I was about 20 feet from the opening when I heard him yell "Kayleigh, wait!"
Instead, I sped up and entered the girls room mere steps ahead of him. I washed my face and hair the best I could. Drying was problematical as the paper towels didn't seem to wick water away very well. Cheap product.
Wishing I had another choice, I took my shirt off and rinsed it out under the faucet, hoping that it wouldn't stain. I was wringing it out, standing there in my bra.
"Kayleigh?" I heard from the doorway. I squealed again, turning to face the door, bringing my shirt up to cover my bra and what little of my boobs that were exposed. Probably too late for my modesty, given how Noah was looking at my chest.
"Noah?! What are you doing in here? You're not allowed in the girls bathroom! Get out!" I yelled.
"Look Kayleigh..."
"NO! GET OUT!" I screamed, heads beginning to poke in to see what the commotion was about.
I headed for a stall and closed the door, sitting on the toilet, drawing my knees up and hugging them against me, sobbing loudly. I hated high school, I hated Lima, and I hated Ohio. I wanted to go home to Philly and I wanted my mom and dad.
I don't know how long I was in the stall, but I heard Sandra's voice outside the door.
"Kayleigh? It's okay, you can come out. I have Ms. Pillsbury with me, she's the guidance counselor. She's really nice."
I got up and noticed that my jeans now had a wet stain on my thighs where they had been pressed against my wet shirt. My day just kept getting better. I opened the door to see Sandra with a concerned look as well as a beautiful lady with hair a few shades darker than my own standing next to her. She had kind eyes and looked a little worried as well.
I heard Sandra suck in a little breath. The older lady's pretty brown eyes widened a bit and she said, "You have a little... just there", as she waved her hand vaguely at her forehead.
I walked over to the mirror over the sink and could see a slight line of blood on my forehead just under my hairline on the right side with a small drop of blood pooled at the lower end of the cut. I guess that the slushie had a larger than normal piece of ice in it. I started crying again as I wet a paper towel and carefully cleaned the cut. It was tiny, so it shouldn't scar.
"I'm going to have to report this." Ms. Pillsbury stated. I was at the point where I didn't care anymore. Sandra rubbed my back trying to comfort me as I cleaned myself up again and re-applied my makeup from the kit in my backpack. Putting on a wet shirt wasn't fun, but I didn't have anything else to wear. Sandra had to leave to make it to her first class and I had to follow Ms. Pillsbury to the office and fill out a report.
When my mom found out about this I would be surprised if the school was still standing when she got done. I gave my statement and then headed to my math class with a tardy excuse in hand. I was more reserved than usual in my classes, I didn't raise my hand to answer any questions. And when I was called on, I gave only the minimal answer, unlike my usual essay length on it.
Sandra sat at lunch with me like always, the other geeks sitting on the opposite end. I suppose I could have sat at the Cheerio's table, but that would have put me near Noah. It wouldn't have mattered anyway since he got up and came over to where Sandra and I were sitting and sat down opposite of us.
I had just taken a bite of my BLT when he started walking over. I forgot to chew, not because I had a crush on him anymore, but because I couldn't believe his audacity. At least my shirt had dried by then. Pink wouldn't be the same though.
"What do you want Puck?" Sandra asked him when he sat down. He started to say something and then surprised me as he stopped himself and then actually answered her.
"I want to talk to Kayleigh." He said simply. I was chewing the bite I'd been holding in my mouth while the two traded words.
"What makes you think she wants to talk to you?"
He bit back whatever it was he was going to say initially and then said, "I need to talk to her... Please."
The last word was uttered as if he was having teeth pulled. Sandra looked over at me and I nodded, swallowing. "Okay. Kayleigh, I'll talk to you later."
"Later Sandra, and thanks again!"
She smiled.
I decided to talk to my mom about having her over after my session next Saturday for a pool party, maybe a sleep over if I could swing it. I turned to Noah and glared at him. "I don't want to talk to you!"
"Look, I wasn't the one that slushied you, and I got on to him about it."
"No, you didn't slushie me, but you've slushied others haven't you?" I didn't wait for an answer, already knowing what it was. "And yeah, you got onto him, but only because you were talking to me, not because it happened. I guess if it had happened when you were elsewhere it would have been okay, wouldn't it? I told you, my mom and I don't like bullies! I won't be able to avoid you since I'm a Cheerio now and we practice when the football team does, but I don't want to talk to you and I don't want you to try and talk to me."
He got a little startled and said "Wait! You're a Cheerio?!"
I nodded. "Yep. As of last Friday, I'm Coach Sylvester's new flyer."
While he tried to pick his jaw up off the floor, I got up and stormed away, several pairs of eyes following me and leaving most of a very good BLT sandwich on the table. I may get hungry later, but it was worth the exit.
oooOOOooo
*Are you alright Kayleigh?* Ms. Blake asked me in French.
*Not really. Just high school drama, you know?*
*Ah yes, I do. I haven't been out of school very long. If you need anyone to talk to, let me know. You're my star student and I want you to keep doing well in all your classes.*
*I will, thank you Ms. Blake*
Just the short conversation I had with Ms. Blake helped settle my nerves. There was just something about the French language that made me fall in love with it. When I went to my Trig class, I was back to my normal self.
oooOOOooo
When I got to Cheerio's practice, no one mentioned the slushie incident. But, they did inform me that, when I started wearing my uniform, the required hair style was a high pony. I frowned, wearing that all the time would get boring and I said as much. Quinn told me that it was because it was required by the rules for competition as it helped to keep your hair out of your eyes. So did several other hair styles, such as braids, why wasn't that an option?
We stretched at first and then they started going over the different stunts they'd need me to do. I was given a packet showing the different routines to study when I got home that we'd go over later in the week. The UT, AKA the Unholy Trinity, were impressed with my flexibility and how easily I took to the stunts. Even Santana almost cracked a smile.
Glee was meeting in the auditorium today. When we got there, he introduced a new member to us, Finn Hudson, the tall football player that was Quinn's boyfriend. Mr. Schue actually picked a good song for him and Rachel to perform as a duet, You're the One That I Want from the movie Grease. Finn had a very nice baritone voice that could hit the tenor range as well. Rachel started looking at him like he was a tasty treat and was ready to pounce. Mercedes stopped the piece once and made a valid point, but then Kurt and Artie made one and Mercedes agreed to it. Things started looking up.
When Glee finished rehearsals, I stayed and sat at the piano. I was unhappy, but not sad, so I started playing the 1st movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. When I finished, I heard Noah behind me say. "That sounded sad."
"I told you I don't want you talking to me." I told him without turning around.
"I'm trying to say I'm sorry."
I got up, lowered the fall board, grabbed my backpack, and started walking rapidly away, my anger spiking. "Actions speak louder than words Noah!" I exclaimed heatedly.
He made the mistake of trying to grab my arm and turn me to face him, which caused me to react and he found himself on the floor, looking up at me in a daze.
"I'm sorry Noah, but you shouldn't have grabbed me like that. I'm a black sash in Kung Fu and I'm trained to react a certain way when stuff like that happens."
It was true. That's what a lot of the training is for, doing the forms over and over again, sparring, etcetera, all to build up muscle memory. That's why martial artists tend to be so quick. They don't have to do the whole "He's throwing a punch, so I need to capture his wrist, lock it, and twist him this way to put him on the ground." That requires too much thinking, at least half a seconds worth which could be an eternity in a fight. You just react.
I decided to leave him with a few words before I left. "Noah, you have to decide what kind of person you want to be. The kind that bullies others because he can get away with it? Or the one that want's to make a good life for himself and make a difference."
oooOOOooo
I made steaks for dinner that night, with an appetizer of potato skins and steak fries. I took out a 2 liter of Barq's Root Beer to drink. Mom came home as I was pulling the potato skins out of the oven.
"Kayleigh!?"
Oh shit, that was her angry voice. Since she was addressing me with it, she was probably pissed already.
"Mom?" I answered timidly.
She came storming into the kitchen, lightning practically flashing from her eyes and automatically sought out my forehead where the school nurse had put a band-aid, the cut not needing anything else. We were officially at Defcon 1.
"How come I have to receive a call from the school to inform me that my daughter had been assaulted?! Why didn't you call me right away?"
I shrank in on myself as I answered, hoping that she'd calm down. "Because I didn't want to bother you in case you were in the middle of surgery. Your work is too important to stop at every little thing that happens to me at school."
"Little! There's nothing little when something like this happens! Nothing is more important to me than you!"
That made me feel bad. I'd tried to keep from adding to her stress, but it seemed as if I'd made it worse instead. At least she lost her angry face and adopted a loving one instead as she pulled me to her for a heartfelt hug. In her arms I felt loved and safe, the bad things that had happened seemed to flow out of me and disappear. I hugged her back with all that I was worth.
"I'm sorry." I said into her blouse.
"We'll talk while we eat. What are we having?" She asked, looking around.
"Steaks, potato skins, and steak fries." Her eyes lit up with pleasure instead of aggression.
"Cassidy? Kayleigh?" I heard Paul's voice from the foyer.
"In here Paul." My mom called out, releasing me.
Paul walked in, still dressed for court and his eyes went straight to the band-aid just like my mom's had. His lawyer face froze with a neutral expression instead of the calm, jovial one I'd come to know since dinner the other night. But I'd seen the flash of anger before that and I could still see it in his eyes.
"You told him?" I asked, trying, and succeeding I thought, in sounding neutral.
"I did." My mom affirmed. "I told you, something happens to you and the school is going to regret it."
I looked at both of the adults. One I loved, and the other I respected. I surprised myself when I realized that I was starting to hope he'd be more one day. "Look. Mom, Paul, I doubt you'll be able to find anyone that will admit to what happened. Sandra told me that they'll even say it was my fault because I jogged their elbow, and this will cause me more problems later on."
"No problem Kayleigh. We'll just look at the footage from the camera's to prove who made the assault."
My eyebrow's rose as I answered. "Um, there's no cameras in the hallways that I could see."
Both adults stilled at that information and looked at each other. My moms face began to redden and I needed to distract her before she exploded. Paul noticed as well and put his arm around her, causing her face to lighten by several shades.
"Paul? Would you like to join us for dinner? There's plenty."
"I wouldn't want to put you out. I just came over to find out the facts of what happened today."
"I cooked steaks..." I intoned, saying the word 'steaks' in a sing song voice, hoping to entice him.
"Well... maybe a little bit." He said with a small grin, giving in. I added another plate and split my steak with him since I wouldn't eat it all anyway.
While we ate, he asked pointed questions and I answered the best I could. As both the dinner and the deposition wound down, Paul let me in on a tidbit of information.
"Kayleigh. Ohio state statutes require all public schools to have security measures in place. This includes cameras in the hallways and, if needed, in the classrooms. Should it be necessary, there are to be metal detectors at all entrances that allow access in to the school. The law's been in place for almost 4 years now. There's no reason your school shouldn't have them." Okay, that was an eye opener.
Mom and I escorted Paul to the door where he hugged my mom and told her "I can't represent you. It's not my field and I'd have to recuse myself since we're in a relationship. I'll refer you to a friend of mine, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to help you out."
Whether it was because Paul was more relaxed in front of me, or he wanted to make sure my mom was calm when he left, he gave her a deep kiss. I couldn't be certain, but I'm sure that tongue was involved. I was smiling slightly while they kissed, finding a sudden interest in the crown molding in our foyer to give them the illusion of privacy.
My mom looked slightly dazed when they parted. Paul turned to me and held out his hand for me to shake. Impulsively, I sped forward, wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him. Not so much for helping me, but for loving my mom and being there for her. He hesitated only slightly before he chuckled and hugged me back.
My mom shut the door behind him after he left and then beamed at me. I just shrugged while I smiled at her. It was awesome to see my mom so happy. We cleared the table, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and put away the leftovers, not that there was very much to put away. I pulled out my diary after my nightly routine, having neglected it for quite a few days, and then went to bed, on edge about tomorrow and the doom that awaited my school. And, quite possibly, me.
oooOOOooo
I was so tired of being nervous walking into school. I knew, without being told, that my mom and our attorney would be here at some point during the school day. My day was already on a downhill slide and then I see Noah standing next to my locker. My shoulders slumped and I resolutely approached my locker.
"Kayleigh, look, I'm sorry. I really am! What can I do to make it up to you? Let me take you out!"
I tried my best to ignore him. I grabbed the books I'd need for the next few periods, Noah constantly trying to get me to talk to him, before slamming my locker and walking away. At least he could be taught since he didn't try to touch me or get in my way. He just wouldn't stop trying to get me to talk to him. It was very hard not to respond at times. Up until lunch, every time I turned around, there he was. I'd go into the bathroom to escape him, he'd be waiting for me when I came out. I'd leave class early, making an excuse that I needed to go to the bathroom, alluding to a female issue, and he'd find me.
I was actually dreading lunch. Noah was already at my usual table talking to Sandra when I got there. He immediately brightened when he saw me, which made Sandra turn in my direction. She waved and I waved back. Sitting down, I pulled out my ham and cheese sandwich along with my chips and root beer.
"Kayleigh..." Noah began. He stopped when I raised my eyebrow. I did it! I'd actually succeeded in doing the Spock eyebrow! I wanted to crow in happiness at my achievement, but I had to deal with Noah.
"Noah." I deadpanned.
"You can call me 'Puck' you know."
"Puck is your nickname, that's what friends and family call people they like. I'm not your family, I'm not your friend, and I'm don't like you."
"How do you know? You just need to give me a chance!"
It wasn't that I didn't want to, I did. I just couldn't chance it. "No I don't, and I won't. Actions speak louder than words Noah. Say we were to date, what would lead me to believe that you wouldn't push me to have sex with you, and then forget about me like you did poor Sandra here? I was told you were a man-whore and a bully and I haven't seen any evidence you've changed or even plan to. And stop stalking me! You're making me a nervous wreck!"
He sat there looking at me with sad eyes before he finally got up and left. I sighed in relief and looked down at the table while Sandra watched him leave. After he'd sat back down at the jock table, Sandra turned to me and hit me with the news I'd been waiting for, her gossip network performing at peak efficiency.
"Did you hear? 2 women stormed into Figgins office earlier. Ellen couldn't hear the words, but the one woman, a redhead, could be heard yelling at Figgins. Ellen said he looked like he was about to piss his pants. Then the blonde started in on him but Ellen couldn't even hear her, but whatever the woman said caused Figgins to turn deathly pale."
I sighed heavily, drawing her focus from her story to me.
"What?" She asked.
"The redhead is my mom, she found out about what happened yesterday and wasn't in any way happy about it. I was afraid she was going to explode until her boyfriend showed up and helped me calm her down. The blonde lady would be our attorney."
Sandra's eyes widened as she stared at me. I could see the gears turning in her head and she reached the same conclusion I had the night before. "You are so dead."
oooOOOooo
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the UT had joined Glee. I knew Coach Sylvester didn't like Glee. Okay, that might be putting it a bit mildly. She hated Glee with a passion that was almost holy in it's intensity. She, almost literally, scared the crap out of me when she went on her rants about the club. I was even more surprised when I found out that they could actually sing!
At least something seemed to be going right around me. We almost had enough for the invitationals now. Practice went well, the Trinity quickly meshing with the group. At least as far as the performances went. Santana could be very caustic when she talked to the others. The only exceptions were Quinn, her being the Alpha Female, and Brittany, her friend. Even I received a watered down version of her attitude. 'Shrimp' being her favorite nickname for me. Hell, Rachel was taller that I was!
As for Quinn, if looks could kill, Rachel would be a smoking pile of ashes. When we were done, I followed them out to talk to them. "Quinn, wait!"
They stopped and turned, Quinn giving an honest smile, as well as Brittany. Santana had her lemon face on. "Hey K. What's up?"
"I didn't know you'd joined Glee. Won't that lower your reputation?"
Quinn's features hardened when she responded "I have to keep an eye on my boyfriend so that hobbit doesn't try to steal him. Plus, Coach Sylvester wants us to keep an eye on the Glee club."
I nodded. "Good plan! I remember their first duet. Rachel was looking at Finn like he was a meat popsicle and she was desperate for a taste."
Quinn nodded and asked. "Can you help me keep an eye out, only when I'm not around?"
I smiled. "I'll be happy to do that for you Quinn. I'm just surprised that Coach Sylvester didn't ask me to spy on Glee. I wouldn't do it, but I am surprised."
"Because she doesn't trust you!" Santana huffed as she turned and strode away.
oooOOOooo
Mom had called and said she'd be running late, but she'd stop by the Peking Gardens restaurant and pick up supper. I was salivating already, thinking of General Tso's chicken, Crab Rangoon, Calamari, Lo Mein noodles, as well as Sweet and Sour chicken. I set out the plates and chopsticks. Then I made a pitcher of tea to wash it all down with.
During dinner, My mom let me know what had occurred in Principal Figgins office. The yelling that had been heard was my mom ripping him a new one for failing to protect students from being bullied. When he tried to defend himself by saying that he posts teachers in the halls between classes, Diane, our attorney, said that such efforts didn't meet state standards and that all schools had received funds to install cameras in the halls 4 years ago and why weren't there camera's installed in this school at present.
It was when Diane informed him that a forensic accountant would be investigating the schools finances to determine where the funds had disappeared to that Figgins had done his ghost imitation. I told my mom that I hoped that everything worked out and that none of it fell back on me. I was having a tough time of it anyway.
Then I had to explain what I meant and I told her about Noah.
"Do you think you'll give him another chance? He seems determined. I don't like him and I really don't want you dating him, but I won't stop you if he makes you happy."
"I know mom. But I can't chance it. I haven't seen anything that would make me think he's changed. Not to mention my 'little problem'. If he found out he'd run screaming for the hills at best, and group up with others to torment me at worst."
"Sweetie, if you tell him and he still wants to date you, then go for it. Maybe you'll find something worth keeping. If not, at least you've tried."
"I'm not ready to out myself mom. Not yet."
On the bright side, my mom said that Sandra could come over Saturday afternoon and even spend the night if it was alright with her parents. I had another strange dream that night. I dreamt that I was surrounded by hundreds of adorable Labrador puppies with the largest, saddest, eyes all whining at me. But whenever I'd try to pick one up or even pet one, my hands would go right through them.
oooOOOooo
The rest of the week passed by and the other shoe never seemed to drop. I was doing great in all my classes. I thanked Ms. Pillsbury and talked to her about some career options. I looked into becoming an attorney like Paul and felt that it would be a good fall back, but I was really looking forward to finding something in the field of science. Maybe Aerospace Engineering or Robotics.
I became an official member of the Cheerio's and started wearing my uniform. I had to admit I loved being a flyer and even talked to Quinn about some possible stunts to incorporate into our routines.
Glee was finally coming together, the only negative was the number that Mr. Schuester wanted us to do for the Student Assembly. We were practicing Le Freak to perform in front of the whole school at the assembly in the gym. It seemed like no matter how much we argued or what logic we used, Mr. Schuester was stuck in the 70's and each one of us could see a future filled with slushie tsunami's.
That is until Rachel actually had an good idea that didn't revolve around her getting every solo part. Her stock in the Glee club rose to new heights at the suggestion. Not that it meant very much. I just had to express my viewpoint about it. Rachel was actually cute when she wasn't trying to be a diva, so I went easy on her.
"Look Rachel, I understand that sex sells, but I'm really uncomfortable with this song. And the choreography? I'm not happy about that either and my mom would have a heart attack if she saw me dancing like that. I mean, we're practically going to be having sex with our clothes on!"
"Would you rather sing Le Freak?" She countered.
"Yeah, Kayleigh. It's not really any worse than what happens in the halls between classes anyway." Kurt offered.
I sighed. They both had a point, but I still wasn't happy about it.
"B...b...besides, we...we... might get s...s...some positive rep!"
I threw my hands up in defeat. I didn't care very much for the choreography, it was far too suggestive for my tastes, but it was fine with the rest of the club members so I went with it. I just wouldn't want my mom to see me doing the routine.
Our performance was a huge success, at least for us. Most of the student body loved it, dancing in their seats while we sang, and clapped wildly when we finished. I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed performing and hearing the audiences appreciation. It wasn't until Friday that we found out our song choices had been cut to only children's songs or Christian hymns. I was so angry I almost quit Glee.
oooOOOooo
"How have you been doing Kayleigh?" Clara asked me as soon as I sat down.
"High school." I answered as if that was enough to let her know.
"Could I have a little more detail?" She asked with a smile.
"I'm doing great in all my classes and I expect to be getting most, if not all, A+'s in my courses. Glee has kind of fizzled for me. Mr. Schue kept insisting we do disco in front of the students, and we ended up doing our own number. I guess it's partly our fault for doing that, but he wouldn't listen to any of our arguments, so now we're reduced to cutesy children's type songs that make us want to barf rainbows.
The boy that bumped into me turned out to be the new pool boy my mom hired to clean our pool and he flirted with me outrageously. I ended up telling mom how he was a bully and would slushie other student's in the hall, so she fired him. That Monday he trapped me at my locker angrily asking me why he got fired so I told him. I was in the middle of my rant when I got slushied. Now he's stalking me asking for forgiveness, but I haven't seen any changes in him.
That ended up causing a huge mess, no pun intended, when my mom and our attorney basically kicked the principles door down and laid down the law. Now the school is being investigated to find out where the money for the cameras that were given to the school went to because there isn't a single camera installed.
On the plus side, I have my friend Sandra coming over this afternoon and we're going to have a sleepover! And... I'm now a cheerleader!"
"Absolutely wonderful Kayleigh! I'm glad you're starting to feel more comfortable with yourself!"
"Yeah, I ended up telling Coach Sylvester that I was trans and she didn't care!"
"See? I told you that it would be okay."
"Maybe, but I think it's more because she benefits from it than anything else. Especially since she blackmailed me into it. I'm actually surprised though, I didn't think I'd like it, but I do!"
"I'm glad you seem to be fitting in, getting more comfortable being yourself. Let's get back to this boy..."
"Can we not? There's nothing to say. I had a crush on him until I found out he was a bully and now he won't leave me alone."
"Say he did prove to you that he'd changed, would you forgive him?"
"Yeah, but he hasn't yet and that doesn't mean I'd date him."
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know. I just don't want you to avoid dating just because you're trans."
I could feel my cheeks redden. It wasn't that I didn't want to date. I've imagined being on dates where a faceless boy and I would hold each other and kiss. But the reality always made me take a step back. Lima Ohio wasn't Philly.
"Okay. Say I do date some boy. When am I supposed to come out to them? I can't imagine how angry they'd feel if, say, on the third date I said something like 'Gee, thanks for tickling my tonsils with your tongue, I really enjoyed it. But hey! I'm a boy!"
"Kayleigh, you keep looking at the negatives in those situations. Start small, like hanging out with others, especially boys, in a platonic setting. Just make friends first. Take Sandra for instance. She's sleeping over tonight and she's already your friend. Do you think she'd ostracize you for being trans?"
I had to think about that. I had a feeling we could become really good friends, and I don't think she'd hate me for being trans. I knew that, if we stayed friends like this I would tell her eventually. "No, I don't think so. I plan to tell her eventually, I'm just not sure when."
"I'm not trying to get you to come out completely. You're a beautiful trans girl. Just because I want you to be comfortable with yourself living as a woman, doesn't mean you have to hide who you are. If someone were to find out, so what? You're still you and they can either accept that or not. That will be on them. If they accept you for who you are then you'll have found a good friend. If they can't, then ignore them because they're not worth your time anyway.
"Ha!"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry Clara. I reacted to what you'd just said. I've been trying to adapt to a new philosophy 'It's all mind over matter. I no longer mind because they no longer matter'!"
Clara snorted in amusement. "I like that! Follow that and I think you'll do fine!"
