Laughter echoes through the hallway. Water drips down my face. So do tears. "Crybaby," Emma scoffed. I looked around at the faces in the hallway. Some were awkward. Some were smirking. Some were indifferent.
But one face stood out. Kade, don't do it. But he did it. He steps right next to me. "Get out of here, Emma!" He says. Emma looks him up and down. "Who are you?" She says, a look of disgust on her face. "Kade Bluebird. Now get out of here!" Emma looked shocked. "What did you just say to me?" She whispers. "Are you deaf? Get the hell outta here!" I say, standing up. Emma looks at me, and our eyes catch. Then, she flips her hair and says, "Whatever." And then she's gone.
Kade glances at me. "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine," I lie. "Let's get you dry," he suggests. We head towards the bathroom. When he follows me through the doorway to the girls' bathroom, I give him a weird look. "The school won't let me go into the boys' bathroom because I'm just trying to 'call attention to myself'. Kade shrugs.
Kade is transgender. Kade's dead name is Kadence. The school still sees him as a girl, though. That's why he's become a subject of ridicule for the popular kids. The freak and the dummy, they call us. That's also what brought us together. Bullying brings the victims close.
Kade pulls out a paper towel and gently wipes my face off. "So what exactly happened?" He asks. "I tried standing up to Emma," I sigh, "and she dumped water on me." "Ouch," he says. "No kidding," I roll my eyes. "What's her problem?" Kade shakes his head. "I don't know. Stress from home life?" "Yeah right," I scoff. "You never know," Kade shrugs.
Kade throws the paper towel away. "Hold up," he says, "you've got dirt on your face." "Where?" I say as I look in the mirror. "Here," Kade brings his face close to mine to see the dirt. He takes his thumb and smudges the dirt off. When he washes his hands, I try my best not to show the blush creeping up my cheeks.
Oh god. I was confused as to why I was blushing. There's no reason to, I try to convince myself. But Kade is cute. Plus, he's the only person I know that has actually stood up for me. But I have enough on my plate. No reason to add love to the equation.
YOU ARE READING
Crystal Skies
Teen FictionA group of friends explore the ups and downs of middle school. They learn a lot about themselves, and each other. Young love is inevitable. On the other side, there is a small knit, close group of high schoolers struggling through the days with only...
