The Study

Chapter 6: First Day of School

As I woke up that morning, I felt a knot in my stomach. It was finally here, the first day of senior year as Heather. Mr Smith had tasked me with maintaining a diary to document every detail and difference I experienced throughout this journey. I got dressed in my cutest dress, some stockings, and my favourite brown leather boots. I added a little makeup, trying to enhance my features, and headed out the door to catch the bus.

As I approached the bus stop, I recognised a few familiar faces. I hesitated for a moment, then decided to take a chance and sit with the popular kids at the back of the bus. "Hey, guys," I said, trying to sound confident. "Mind if I sit here?"

They all turned to look at me, and I could feel their eyes on me. "Who are you?" one of them asked, eyeing me up and down.

"My name's Heather," I replied, trying to sound casual. "I'm new here."

"Well, welcome, Heather," another one chimed in. "I'm Sarah, and this is Jack, and that's Emily."

I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that they were friendly. We chatted for a while, and they told me about some of the things that went on in the school. I was surprised to find out that there was a lot more drama than I had anticipated. So much had happened from when I left.

As I stepped into the school building, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness as I walked towards the principal's office. Mr. Smith had given me this opportunity to study the differences in treatment between genders in schools, and I was determined to make the most of it.

Mrs. Whitman, the principal, greeted me with a warm smile and showed me to my first class. "Here we are, Heather. This is your math class," she said, introducing me to the class.

"Hi everyone, my name is Heather and I'm from Arkansas," I said, trying to sound confident. As I took my seat, I could hear the whispers and murmurs from my classmates.

Sitting beside me was Jessica, the epitome of popularity in our school. I had a crush on her when I was Bryan, but now I just admired her beauty. She smiled at me and introduced herself. "Hey, I'm Jessica. Don't worry, I'll show you around the school," she said.

I couldn't believe it. The most popular girl in school was talking to me, and I had the opportunity to befriend her. Throughout the class, I listened intently to the teacher's instructions and answered the questions with ease. Jessica was impressed and looked at me with admiration.

"You're really good at math, Heather. Maybe we can study together sometime," she said, flashing me a smile.

"Sure, that would be great," I replied, feeling a sense of excitement at the prospect of spending more time with Jessica.

As the class ended, Jessica and I walked out of the room together. "So, what other classes do you have?" she asked, linking her arm with mine.

I listed off my classes, and she told me that we had some classes together. "Awesome, we can sit together in those classes too," she said.

As the day went on, I felt more and more like Heather and less like Bryan. Jessica had introduced me to her friends and I was starting to feel like I belonged in this new group. It was a strange feeling, being treated so differently just because I was now presenting as a girl.

During lunch, Jessica invited me to sit with her popular friends. I felt nervous but excited as I took a seat at their table. They were all chatting and laughing, and I felt like I had entered a whole new world. It was nothing like the lunch periods I had experienced as Bryan.

In chemistry class, I was relieved to see that Daniel didn't recognise me as Bryan. I was grateful to be able to start fresh and make new friends as Heather. I joined a group with Daniel, Harry, and Josh, and we worked well together. It was like the good old days, but with a new perspective.

After school, as I walked towards the bus, Jessica came running up to me. "Hey Heather, wait up!" she called out. "What's up, Jess?" I said, smiling at her.

"I'm having a sleepover with the girls this weekend," she said, looking at me expectantly. "Would you like to come over?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I'll have to ask my parents," I said finally, hoping to decline the invitation without hurting her feelings.

"Oh, okay. Let me know if they say yes," she said cheerfully, before her mother pulled up to pick her up. "I'll text you my address later. See you soon!"

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a little envious of Jessica's life. She had a huge house in a wealthy neighbourhood, but her parents never seemed to have time for her.