Finding Yourself: Book Two

Chapter Three: Grow Some Balls

"Um," Devin chuckled awkwardly, "What?"

At first, for half a second, he thought it was some kind of sick joke. But he noticed that Sam and this girl (?) looked exactly the same. Devin had just assumed they were twins or just extremely similar. However, the lack of boobs started to become a glaring sign.

"Sam, the guy you met yesterday, and Samantha, me, are the same person," Sam responded.

"Wha- I-" Devin stuttered, trying to put pieces together, "I am so confused."

How can a guy also be a girl? Devin was wondering to himself. He wondered what kind of genitals Sam (Samantha?) had. Surely, he couldn't have both?

"Dude," Hailey looked at him in amazement, "You've never heard of gender fluid? Transgender? What year are you living in?"

"I-" Devin suddenly felt really stupid. He hated feeling stupid. His whole complex was built on being better than everyone else. Being clueless about something made him feel like an inferior dunce.

"I can answer your questions, if that can help?" Samantha(Sam?) replied.

"Yeah, sure," Devin responded.

"Before you do that," Hailey interrupted, turning to Devin, "I need to talk to you. Privately."

Devin took a couple of seconds to look over Sam, before turning to Hailey.

"Alright, we can skip first period?" Devin suggested, and he wondered to himself what Hailey wanted to talk about.

"I'll meet you guys at lunch, maybe?" Sam/Samantha replied.

"Maybe," Hailey agreed, pulling on Devin's hand to the janitor's closet. Devin had shared that space with several girls over his four years of high school. He smiled when Hailey dragged him in.

He was hoping for a makeout session, seeing as how that was the usual activity he did in the closet, but instead, Hailey whipped around with crossed arms as soon as she shut the door behind them.

"You are insufferable!" she hissed, "I thought all the other girls were just being dramatic, but you are seriously the worst person I've ever dated."

Devin blinked at the backlash; he didn't expect to be yelled at or insulted. He wasn't surprised- however- since he was often yelled at, but he didn't expect it from Hailey so soon. And she used that title he guessed he was anointed with: "The worst."

"That weekend we had, alone, was nice, and I thought you were just deeply misunderstood," she huffed, "I guess it was foolish for me to assume you were a better person on the inside."

"Okay," Devin started off slowly, "I'm not saying you're wrong but...what did I do?"

Hailey looked like she was about to smack him, so Devin prepared for the inevitable blowup. She did that thing that girls do when they get extremely angry- and you know they're angry- but they still talk calmly and stare into your soul like they are about to rip you apart.

"What did you do? More like, what did you not do. You are a homophobic, manwhore piece of trash," Hailey snapped, "I'm sorry for being harsh, but it's true. You beat up any guy that gets near me, even the guys that I would never date and only want to call friends-"

"We've been dating for a week-"

"Shut up!" she snapped, "Sam is my friend, and you beat them up! Sam didn't deserve that! And when you saw them as a female this morning, you were eyeing her up as if you didn't already have a girlfriend!"

"Okay!" Devin raised his hands in surrender, "Fair points. I apologize."

"Say it like you mean it," Hailey narrowed her eyes.