Changeling – Chapter 1
Obligatory Disclaimer: I only own my OC's and anything non-canon. Any canon material or characters belong to 20th Century Fox Television. I'm just enrolled in the school...
A/N: This story is a bit of a change to the type I normally write. For one thing I'm writing it in the first person as opposed to my usual third person omniscient. The story will only touch on canon. This story is a merger between an earlier Glee story I started writing and an non-fanfiction fiction story that took my fancy. When that happened, my muse ran with it. Now, 17 chapters later, I still feel myself pulled to write this story often, even though I'm going back and adding to my original version, Serendipity.
This story features a transgender character! Why transgender? Why not? I've been reading fanfiction for years and I've only read 1, yes 1 story with a transgender character. Plus, it kinda appealed to me.
So, if you don't care for that kind of thing, don't read it. There will be eventual lemons in later chapters, How many chapters and exactly how soon I don't know, it depends on the characters.
No flamers please. If you don't like something, that's okay. Just don't be negative without any feedback. Any posts like that will be ignored or reported.
I've taken some liberties with the timeline, mostly in regards to music, there were just some awesome songs I wanted to include in the story, particularly from The Greatest Showman, Frozen, and Moana. So, if you're still reading this, enjoy.
My anxiety was climbing rapidly as I walked through the doors of William McKinley High School. Not only was I now a high school freshman, but I was in an entirely new city and state. I had previously been living with my dad in Philadelphia, PA. Until, that is, when my dad ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He'd stopped at my favorite oriental restaurant, The Golden Wok Buffett, to grab some take-out for supper that night. He was running late and I was at my final concert for the year which was due to end at 8, so take out it was going to be. The police said that he was walking near a small group of people when there was a drive by shooting. My dad was caught in a hail of bullets from the vehicle, and the person the gang was targeting didn't even get a scratch. It was fortuitous that I'd already taken my 8th grade finals. I wouldn't have been able to do them after it happened, I was in too much shock.
The police called my mom and she arrived late the next morning. We stayed in a hotel while she settled everything, which took weeks. It wouldn't have taken her so long if she didn't have to console me so often. I don't know how I would have made it if I didn't have her. After my parent's had divorced, my dad, a gifted plastic surgeon, had stayed in Philadelphia while my mother, a thoracic surgeon, moved back to Lima, Ohio to be near her mom, and to accept the Chief of Surgery position that was available.
I had been staying with my dad because my parents wanted me to finish middle school there. They didn't even ask me about it, they just informed me about what was going to happen. I stormed up to my room, angry at the world and hating my mother because she was moving so far away. Even though they assured me that I wasn't the reason they were getting a divorce, I couldn't help thinking that they were lying to me, given the way I am.
It wasn't until Dad's girlfriend moved in that I understood he'd been cheating on my mom. After I found out, I insisted on going to live with my mother, but both of my parents ganged up on me, citing the agreement they had made.
It wasn't that Bethany wasn't nice to me or anything, but I was angry at my dad now instead of my mother and I didn't want to be around him. His solution to try and placate me was to buy me things, lots of expensive things. I didn't hate Bethany, I mean, I didn't like her but she never got angry with me. Maybe it was because she was studying child psychology while in college. She hadn't even been in the state when it happened, having flown down to Texas to visit her family.
Mom and Bethany were cordial, at least in front of me, as mom settled dad's assets. For some reason, he'd never changed his will and, since he'd never married Bethany, she wasn't legally due anything of my dads. I guess my mom was feeling pity for her when she allowed Bethany to stay in the house until she graduated from college with the proviso that she pay rent if she stayed after graduation.
oooOOOooo
I already knew where my classes were supposed to be and when. The map of the school shown in the handbook was a little outdated so I was still looking at the locker numbers trying to find mine when someone rather large bumped into me, pushing me into the row of lockers I was next to. Honestly, pretty much everyone was bigger than me.
The boy turned to me with an angry face. He had a short mohawk and was wearing a letterman's jacket, so he had to be a jock. He looked kinda cute except, you know, angry face. His face lightened a little when he saw me, but only a little.
"Watch where you're going freshie!" He growled at me.
But, even as he said it I could tell he was checking me out, his eyes going down to my shoes and then back up. I knew I was pretty, the slightly large nose I used to have courtesy of my dad's genetics was fixed by him on my 13th birthday. Another one of his efforts to get back into my good graces. At least the blue eyes I got from him didn't need fixing. The copper colored hair I got from my mother.
His eyes lingered on my chest for several moments, probably staring at my boobs. But, since I barely had any, it was more likely my Star of David. Since WMHS didn't have a uniform requirement like my last school, I'd worn a pair of jeans, a cobalt colored tee shirt with Tinkerbell on the front, and a pair of Nike 1/2 cent tennis shoes. I didn't really care about fashion, which made people think I was weird so I decided that my style was geek chic. I had my long hair in my favorite style, a low pony with side bangs.
I flushed in embarrassment, both with his words and his act of looking me over. I tried shrinking in on myself, but that would have been extremely difficult. At 4'11 and 89 pounds, I was extremely petite. There was only one thing I disliked about myself more than my size.
He turned and walked away, starting his conversation up again with his football buddies. I watched him for a few more seconds before turning and looking for my locker again. Wouldn't you know it? The locker he'd pushed me into was my own. Putting everything except for what I needed for my first 3 classes and then secured it with the lock I'd brought.
I hurried to my first class, Honors Geometry with Mr. Hammond, who would also be my Pre Calculus teacher next semester. He started with a review of Geometry that everyone should have taken last year and then an overview of what we'd be studying for the rest of the year. There was only time for a short lesson after that. I was getting my stuff together when I heard Mr. Hammond call out.
"Ms. Summers? Would you mind staying a moment?"
I was startled when he asked me to stay behind. My anxiety, which up to that point had lessened quite a bit, suddenly rose to new heights. Did he know?
"Miss Summers. I see I also have you in my Trigonometry class this afternoon. Mrs. Cartwright's letter recommended you and the administration approved. But I need to ask you, are you sure you want to take such an advanced class in your freshman year?"
My stress level dropped and I was able to breath easier.
"Yes Sir. I've always been good at math and science. I'm taking Honors Biology right now."
"Okay, as long as you're sure, but if you don't seem to be able to handle it, I'm going to have them move you to a different elective."
"I understand sir, thank you." He nodded and I quickly left, not wanting to be late for my next class.
Language Arts was my worst class. It was so illogical! I'm not, in any way, a genius. Gifted? Yeah. Genius? No. But seriously? Take the 'i' before 'e' except after 'c' rule for example. There are only 44 words that follow that rule and 923 words that break it. I never got anything less than an 'A' in the class, but it was the one that I had to spend the most time studying.
I usually enjoyed History, but Ms. Schumacher was so boring. Dates and what happened were all we got, no more, no less. 1492 - Columbus discovered America. 1607 - Jamestown established. You get the idea. I was happy I could stay awake during class, but I was going to have to do a lot more reading this year.
Lunch was a depressing affair. I couldn't eat what passed for food here and resolved to bring my lunch from now on. I could see the jock's tables, the sea of red and white letterman's jackets along with the cheerleaders in their 'Cheerio's' uniforms with tiny skirts sitting there, being boisterous. I found a table where there wasn't anyone yet and sat down. I pulled out a granola bar and a bottle of water, scanning the area around me.
For the most part, it was similar to middle school except most of the teens here were much larger. I tried not to because I didn't want to be caught staring, but I kept looking over at the jock table, searching for the guy with the mohawk. I was able to catch a glimpse of him once when two of the group separated and I could see him on the far side talking with a cheerleader. I sighed. Fantasies were fun and all, but it wouldn't have worked out anyway.
Saddened, I got up, threw my trash away, and went to my locker to change out my books. It was along the way that I found a bulletin board with notices posted on it. One of them was for a new show choir called 'New Directions'. For the first time since I came to Lima, I felt happy.
I used to belong to a community musical theater group called 'The Philly Players'. I was overjoyed to be a member because I could pretend to be someone else. I had even landed the role of 'Annie', the last play I'd done before my dad was killed and I even had a good vocal range too. When I was tested by the voice coach my dad had hired, I found out I was a mezzo-soprano, and I was proud of that.
My taking puberty blockers helped with keeping my voice at a higher pitch since I could sing in the soprano register even before I started taking them. I noticed someone by the name of Rachel Berry with a gold star next to her name. I shook my head figuring that she had an ego. Whether it was deserved or not, I didn't like people like that. There were also a few names that showed that even high schoolers had a crude sense of humor, like elementary and middle schoolers with fart jokes. This was shown by names on the list like 'Hugh Jazz' and 'Mike Hunt'. Shaking my head, I added my name to the list.
Leaving my locker, I headed for my Honors Biology class. Mrs. Strickland was an awesome teacher. You could tell she not only knew a lot about the subject, she was also passionate about it. I was happy because there was new material for me to learn. Trigonometry was the same, I was excited to have a more indepth math subject.
Mr. Hammond kept calling me out to answer questions. Maybe he was making sure I could keep up but it could also have been because there were only 8 of us in the class. French passed rather quickly. Ms. Blake gave me a smile when I greeted her and asked how she was in French, having taken 2 years of it in middle school. I was thrilled to be able to learn more. My seventh period was study hall. I would have had gym earlier in the day, but I was excused from dressing out, so I got study hall. At least it let me complete my homework before I got home, giving me more time to practice singing and my martial arts.
At length, school ended and I hurried to the auditorium where the auditions for New Directions were being held. I guess I was early because I got there just as a teacher with a clipboard was opening the door. He had curly brown hair and a cleft chin. He also had a great smile that made his eyes shine when he saw me. He had a kind face and was actually kind of cute for an old guy.
"Here to audition for New Directions?" He asked.
"Yeah, I used to be in musical theater back in Philadelphia. When I was choosing my classes, I noticed that there were different band programs but no choir."
"Unfortunately, the choir program was cut due to budget issues. But, the glee club continues to carry on. I'm Mr. Schuester, I teach Spanish. I don't think I saw you in any of my classes Ms.?"
He motioned me to enter, letting me go first. I don't know if it was because I was a student or if he was just a gentleman, but I liked it.
"Summers, Kayleigh Summers Mr. Schuester. And no, I didn't take Spanish. I took 2 years of French in middle school and wanted to continue my studies."
"Admirable. What piece are you auditioning with?"
"I'm going to sing Never Enough from The Greatest Showman."
"Hmmm. Okay, go ahead and start. You're here first so you get to go first."
Smiling, I climbed up on stage and over to the band to let them know what song I wanted to sing. I think they liked my choice, at least from the smiles they gave me. I looked over to the adult at the piano. A teacher's aide maybe?
I closed my eyes in concentration for a few seconds, getting into the right frame of mind. I wasn't just performing a song sung by Loren Allred, I was going to be Loren Allred. I raised my head and nodded. The music started and my body started moving.
As I sang, a few other kids showed up, probably to audition as well. Most were nodding their heads a bit in time with my singing. One girl, a pretty brunette, was glaring at me like I'd curb stomped her pet. Maybe I was singing the piece she was wanting to do?
When you're singing to an audience, you try and make eye contact with as many of them as possible. If you can't, for whatever reason, you pretend that you can see them. This gives the illusion that you're singing to them and not just for them. This draws them in and makes them feel as if they're a part of the song.
After I finished a few of the other's clapped, making me feel good. I went and sat down to watch the other's sing. A small kid with good hair sang Mr. Cellophane, a song I hadn't heard before. He had a good tenor voice at any rate. The oriental girl seemed to have an issue stuttering, but had no problems when she sang I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry.
When the brunette started her audition piece, she sang On My Own from Les Miserable, an awesome piece and she did a great job, I had to give her that. Several more kids auditioned, including a dark skinned girl who belted Aretha Franklin's RESPECT. When it was over Mr. Schuester said he'd post the results tomorrow. By the time we got out of the auditions, all the buses had already left so I called a cab and got home that way since my mom was still at the hospital.
oooOOOooo
I started supper, hoping that there were no emergency surgeries mom had to do. I decided to make it easy tonight and made West Virginia Dogs with French fries. Not the healthiest food in the world, but it was quick and we liked it. I put a pitcher of lemonade on the table along with plates and spoons for the chili and cole slaw. Then I sat down and began reading ahead on my different courses and with the things I wasn't sure about I studied, like Language Arts.
My stomach started growling and I checked my watch, 7:12. I guess my mom had to stay at the hospital, so I started loading my plate. I had piled some french fries on my plate next to the mound of mayonnaise I planned to dip them into when I heard the front door open and my mom call out to me.
"Kayleigh?"
"In here mom!" I yelled.
She walked in and saw the table saying "Yay! Just the thing for a starving surgeon!"
"Tough day Mom?"
"Just had to do a last minute shunt that took longer than I'd anticipated, that's all. What about you? How was your first day?"
"Not bad. History is going to be boring and Language Arts is going to be it's normal illogical self, but the rest of my classes look like they're going to be great! I auditioned for the school show choir, New Directions. I'll find out tomorrow if I got in."
"With your voice? Of course you're going to get in! Did you make any friends today?"
"Not really. I did bump into someone, or rather, they bumped into me. Pushed me right into my locker."
My mom got her serious stern face and asked "Was it on purpose?"
"No, I think he just wasn't paying attention and didn't see me. I am kinda small after all."
"Did he apologize?"
"No, he told me to watch where I was going."
"An arrogant little shit then?"
"I guess? He's a football player and they seem to run the school, so it kinda fits."
"Oh?" She remarked, her eyebrow rising like Spock. Then she asked, "Was he cute?"
I knew she was kidding with me but I answered her honestly anyway.
"Yeah, he was."
I didn't want her to know how he had made me feel after our eyes locked when he was telling me to watch where I was going. I still felt butterflies in my stomach when I thought about his eyes. We talked while we ate and I told her about some of the other kids that auditioned, including the brunette who had glared at me. I told mom about the gold star by her name and that I had to admit she had a great voice.
Mom told me that she'd clean up since I'd cooked, so I headed upstairs and laid my clothes out for the next day. I took a shower singing A Million Dreams while washing. Singing helped to distract me when I had to clean the part of my body I disliked even more than my height and weight; my little dangly boy bits.
My dreams that night involved a guy with an oversized mohawk chasing me through the halls of the school while Mr. Schuester, some of the football players, cheerleaders, as well as some of the people from the audition were standing against the lockers in the hall and singing Somebody to Love by Queen as they threw flower petals in my path. Weird. I woke up breathing hard and a feeling in the pit of my stomach like I had the stomach flu. If I was really a girl I'd think I had started my menses.
oooOOOooo
I pulled on my gaffe to hide my boy bits and then a pair of panties over that. I had chosen a turquoise skirt and a white, sleeveless, blouse to wear with it. I decided to wear a little makeup today, some barely there eye shadow, a little eye liner, a touch of blush, and the tiniest amount of coral lipstick and I was done. I wore my hair down except for three spaghetti braids on the left side. Mom had my breakfast ready, scrambled eggs, bacon, and my all time favorite drink, orange juice.
"Good morning Sweetie! Sleep good?"
I shook my head. "I had this weird dream about being chased through the halls at school while people were singing Somebody to Love and throwing flower petals in the way."
My mom laughed. "Yeah, I would say that was weird, unless..." She left the end open as she looked at me with her Spock eyebrow again.
"Unless what?" I asked.
"Unless... it was a boy that was doing the chasing." I refused to answer, but my mom chuckled when I felt my cheeks starting to burn.
"Maybe... the boy from yesterday?"
Okay, that was getting a little too close for comfort so I tried to change the subject.
"Anything scheduled for today I should know about?"
The look she gave me let me know that my effort to change the subject matter had been in vain, but she didn't bring it back up. I had been living as a girl since I was 8, and when I turned 13 and could start taking Aldactone, my psychiatrist recommending me for it. I'd been taking puberty blockers before that, but the new medicine allowed me to start growing boobs, just like a normal 13 year old girl. I was also given some medicine to help them get bigger. I was an 'A' cup at present and had been for a little while, but I had hopes.
"You have your appointment with Carla. After this one she's going to switch you back to Saturday's."
I nodded. Depending on my mood, I was sometimes excited to see her and then other times, not so much. I could tell this talk would be one where it would be a little of both.
"Okay mom."
"Grab your stuff, I'll drop you off at school."
oooOOOooo
I was at school a little early, so I headed to the bulletin board before Geometry to see where something had been posted where the sign up sheet had been. But all that was left of it was a small corner under a tack that had held the sheet in place, someone had ripped it down. I felt sad because there were people that were just mean. Why couldn't everyone just get along? I'd check with Mr. Schuester during lunch unless I saw him earlier.
I had a surprise quiz in Geometry, ostensibly to see what we'd remembered from our previous year. I told him that I was going to miss his Trig class because I had a Doctor's appointment. Ms. Blake announced that she was going to start having us speak French in class almost exclusively for the rest of the school year. This was supposed to help us get comfortable speaking it. The immersive method I guess.
Lunch was the only time that was different. I had sat at the geeks table again and, no matter how hard I tried not to, I found my gaze sliding over to the kid with the mohawk and thinking about how cute he was.
"Don't even think about it." I heard someone next to me say. I looked over to see an older girl, a sophomore or junior sitting there. I hadn't even noticed her sitting down, so wrapped up was I starring at Mohawk. The girl had dark hair and eyes, pretty, but not gorgeous. I looked at her quizzically.
"The guy in the mohawk is Puck, Noah Puckerman, and he's a man-whore even if he refers to himself as a 'stud'. He'll sleep with anything that breaths and has a vagina. I know, I speak from experience. Big mistake. I'm Sandra Dietz." She held out her hand and I put mine in it, shaking hers as I introduced myself.
"Kayleigh Summers. I'm sorry, but he's cute."
"Yeah, he's cute alright. But when he's done, he'll end up bragging about it to the team. I kept getting calls from guys wanting to go out after he dumped me, probably thinking I was an 'easy lay'. And he ghosted me."
Okay, that made it easier to deal with him, knowing what his personality was like. "Thanks Sandra, that should make it easier to get rid of my crush."
"You're welcome. Also, I should warn you about those three cheerleaders near him, the ones right next to the really tall guy."
I could see right away who she was talking about. There was a very pretty blonde girl the guy in question had his arm around, a dark haired hispanic looking girl, and another blonde next to her.
"The two blondes and the brunette?"
"Yeah, the 2 blondes are Quinn Fabray and Brittany Pierce. The brunette is Santana Lopez. They're the 'Unholy Trinity' and pretty much everyone is afraid of them."
"Why?"
"Because Quinn is the head cheerleader of the Cheerio's and all three are favorites of Coach Sylvester. If you cross them, they can make all sorts of trouble for you. Usually by having football players throw slushies in your face in the halls, always an 'accident' you know. They'll even say that you jogged their elbow to make it sound like it was your fault. I tried to join the Cheerios, but I didn't make it because Santana didn't like me for some reason. She's just plain scary most of the time. "
"God! That's bullying, maybe even assault! How do they get away with that kind of behavior?"
"Probably because Principle Figgins tends to overlook anything negative if it brings money into the school and Coach Sylvester's Cheerio's have been winning competitions for years, giving the school funds from all of the alumni donations because of it."
"I'll try not to get on their bad side. I don't plan on trying out anyway. I'm not allowed to dress out for gym, I have a condition."
She didn't look so much worried as concerned. "You're not sick are you?"
"No, it's just something minor I have to be careful of."
Like not letting anybody find out I actually have boy parts. Sandra continued to give me the 411 on the school and actually winced when I told her I was trying to join the Glee club. Glee club was supposed to be comprised of the lowest of the low, ridiculed and bullied by all others. I hope no one tried to bully me. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I wasn't going to let anyone hurt me. We exchanges numbers and I left lunch feeling great that I'd met my first friend.
I swung by the board again after lunch to find that the list had been replaced and my name was on it. Well, so was everyone who'd auditioned except for that one guy who really couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. It also stated the first practice would be tomorrow.
My mom was there to pick me up for my appointment. She'd always worked her schedule around my needs. I understood how I could have hated her, thinking she was leaving dad and me, but that was before I knew the facts. My mom went out of her way helping me deal with my issues and, sometimes, even just have a mother/daughter day out shopping, having lunch, and just spending time together.
We checked in with Anthony, Carla's receptionist. Carla insisted that I call her by her first name instead of Ms. Webber. I surmised that it was because she wanted to seem more personable so that I would open up to her. I didn't have to wait long before Carla opened the door and told me to come in. I kissed my mom, went inside, and sat in one of the two lounge chairs that faced each other.
Carla didn't have a desk. She did seem to have the obligatory book shelves with a rather eclectic range of books, only one of which seemed to be dedicated to Psychiatry. Carla sat in the lounge chair opposite me and smiled. I knew there were microphones in the headrests recording everything we said because she had told me at my first session. She'd even asked me permission first. Again, trust.
"Kayliegh! How have you been?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay I guess. My first day of high school was very stressful. I was worried someone knew or would find out."
"The chances of someone finding out are remote. The note exempting you from gym prevents you from having to change clothes in front of the other girls, so I don't see how anyone could find out."
"I know, I just felt on edge because of it."
"That's part of the reason we have you living as a girl. Usually we require at least a year, but you still have 4 more to go before you're eligible for surgery. This means you should be completely at ease with yourself by the time you turn 18. So far I see no problems with your being approved for the program."
I sighed in relief. That had been another thing on my mind.
"What about social interactions? Make any friends yet?"
I smiled. "One. Her name is Sandra and I met her at lunch today and we talked. I've also joined a show choir."
"That's great!" She exclaimed, her face beaming. I couldn't help it, I smiled back.
"What did you talk about?"
I didn't want to say, but this was part of my therapy and trust was a two way street.
"She told me about how being in Glee Club put me at the bottom of the school social strata and that I could get a slushie to the face because of it. She also warned me to stay away from a very cute boy that had accidently pushed me into my locker. Supposedly, he's a man-whore who can't keep from wanting to have sex with, as she put it, 'anything that breathes and has a vagina'. I didn't want to tell her that the last thing disqualified me from his consideration."
"Not necessarily, he could be bi or even gay and just not out yet."
I shrugged, looking down.
"Talk to me Kayleigh." She said, her tone indicating I needed to be up front with her.
"I don't want to get my hopes up Carla. What if I did start dating him and he found out? Even if he was gay, I'm not wanting to do... that... anytime soon. If he is a man-whore, he'd just move on to the next person because I didn't want to do it. Or, even worse, if I did give in, he'd probably just move on and forget about me. I'd just be another one of his conquests."
The idea of sex was a little intimidating to me. I wouldn't say I didn't like girls, but I'd always considered myself one. Thinking of being with a girl that way only seemed to work if I was a girl myself. I didn't even want to acknowledge that part of my anatomy, much less think about using it for anything other than peeing. Did that make me bi?
"Kayleigh, none of us can know what to expect in a relationship. Forgive me, but I could use your parents as an example. You just have to follow your heart and hope that the other person doesn't break it. If they do, you just need to pick up the pieces and move on. Your mother did."
"But she's not dating anyone right now and it's been 3 years."
"Maybe you should tell her that you wouldn't mind if she started dating someone."
I thought about that. Maybe she was concentrating so much on her career and on me that she had no time for herself. I wasn't happy about that.
"I think that, if this boy was to ask you out, you should accept. If nothing else, you would find out what it would be like to be on a date with a boy."
"But..." I started to explain how I would feel if I was to be outed.
"Kayleigh, this is part of living as a girl. I want you to be a girl in all the ways that matter. That means experiencing all the things that a girl can experience. I'm not saying have sex with him, but I'm not saying not to either. That's a decision you'll have to make, I'm not your parent. Yes, I'd discuss it with your mother first, but we know that, if you wanted to, you'd find a way to do it no matter how hard we tried to prevent you."
Okay, that rocked me. Carla and I had discussed sex before, but only in passing.
"But, what if I did date him and things started getting a little... carried away. What if I got outed? Right now I've been using the girls bathrooms, but what if I was forced to use the boys? What about bullying?"
I had started talking a little fast and was getting louder. Carla simply waited for my rant to be over before addressing my comments.
"As for getting carried away, that depends on if you tell him first or not. He might be more... amicable if he knew ahead of time. As for being outed, Ohio state law has given you protections based on your gender identity. Some people may get upset about it but, legally, there's nothing they can do."
"Except roast me on the grill of public opinion." I cut in curtly, images of angry parents protesting outside of the school waving signs and carrying torches and pitchforks filling my head.
"There's always going to be social pressures. How good looking you are, how much money you make, where you live. There are always going to be those that are going to hate others for those same reasons. All we can do is the best we can and keep living our lives. Only by being a positive influence will we be able to break the stereotypes some people have of trans boys and girls. And bullying? Slushies to the face are actually Aggravated Battery according to the state. If they wanted to get physical, you have that black belt of yours, self defense at it's finest."
My black belt was one of the things my dad required when I started dressing up as a girl. He was worried that I'd get beat up given all of the hate crimes against gays. My argument that, as I was a girl in mind and spirit, I was actually straight because I liked boys. He was adamant about it, so I learned marital arts. At least he let me choose which school to learn from. Kung Fu, at least, seemed less like fighting and more like dancing, so Kung Fu it was. Yeah, I know Kung Fu doesn't really have belts, they have sashes, but most everyone is used to the word 'belt' so I go with it. What it's called isn't really that important to me.
oooOOOooo
We had been driving for a few minutes when I finally got up the courage to ask, "Mom, why haven't you started dating again? It's been over 3 years since you and dad divorced. You're a beautiful woman, guys should be elbowing each other out of the way to ask you out."
And she was beautiful. The same copper colored hair but with grass green eyes instead of blue, all of which pointed to our Irish ancestry. Her figure was still slim thanks to exercising and a balanced diet. Plus, she had an amazing personality. She grinned.
"Sweetie, I have been dating. I just stopped for a while because of what happened to your father. You needed me a great deal and Paul understood."
I latched onto the one piece of information she'd given me over everything else.
"Paul?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I couldn't do the Spock thing my mom could, no matter how much I practiced in front of the mirror in my room. She blushed! I actually saw her blush! I couldn't help giggling at that.
"Yes, Paul. We've been dating for over a year now."
"And?"
"And, what?"
"How serious is it? Does he have a toothbrush in your ensuite? Some of his clothes in your dresser?"
"Young lady!" She exclaimed, her face getting even redder. But I noticed she didn't answer any of my questions and that, by itself, was telling. I was kind of surprised to find that I was happy about the fact that she had been dating someone, and long term at that.
"So. Over a year huh? When do I get to meet him?" It was my mom's turn to be surprised.
"You want to meet him? You're not angry I'm dating?"
"Mom, I stopped being angry at you when I found out why you left. I wished you hadn't moved so far away, but I understand. You deserve to be happy. Just, does he know about me?"
"I let him know when I realized it could be getting serious between him and me. I told him if he couldn't accept you as you are then we wouldn't work out. Then he told me how his 16 year old daughter had come out to him. He met her girlfriend for the first time about 6 months ago."
I felt my heart swell with love for my mom when she told me that she'd put my happiness ahead of her own. I know most parents would do the same thing, but I also knew of parents that wouldn't. I'd heard stories of kids being beaten up and kicked out of the house for being gay.
"So, I guess we're back to the getting to meet him part." I prompted.
"Dinner? Tomorrow night?"
I smiled. "Sure. And if he decides to spend the night it would be okay too."
"Kayleigh!" Her face a nice shade of puce all the way up to her hairline.
I laughed. Today had been a good day.
A/N: Okay, there's the first chapter of Changeling. I know I won't have gotten some things right, but this is fan fiction after all. Again, if there are any trans readers out there who want to give me some pointers, I'll be happy to take them. This story is actually a merger between another Glee story of mine called Serendipity, and a non-fanfiction style story that was under this title. I plan to post Serendipity at some future date as I like to have multiple chapters ready before posting the first one.
I know Kayleigh isn't a strong woman yet, that will change in later chapters as I develop her character.
Whether there is (or was, given the time frame) a law giving protection to LGBTQ+ individuals I don't know. I just decided that Ohio would have one at that point in time. In RL? I think everyone should have equal rights and protections under the law.
Until next time, Speaks With Spirits
Edit: I'm currently on Chapter17 of this story prior to posting on FFN and I have to tell you, it ain't easy writing in the 1st person. There's so much going on behind the scenes that the protagonist doesn't know about that affects them. So how to weave that into the story? Read and find out... :-)
