A Step Off the Path

Josh and Irma

Chapter 1: a neat plan

A few months after he turned seventeen, Josh felt that he had finally worked it all out - well, nearly.

The only real question that remained was when to 'come out' as a transgender female. He thought that the sensible thing to do was to wait until he graduated from high school, but could he hold off for another nine or so months?

He'd started on oestrogen six months ago and his breasts were slowly developing. He could still hide them by wearing a tight corset affair that flattened his chest, but for how much longer would he be able to keep that up?

Josh had an elder sister - Michelle, five years older - and he had been dressing up in her old clothes for as long as he could remember. He did it openly in front of his parents and sister, but never in public.

He had commenced the formal transition process two years ago. He now had a gender dysphoria diagnosis and was under the care of doctors and support people.

He smiled to himself, "Come on, man. I mean, really, the 'coming out' is simply a matter of taking the plunge or biting the bullet; just go for it when you feel ready."

"Sure, there's going to be some drama, but what the hell."

Then he fell in love.

Her name was Irma. Josh had actually known her since he had started high school, because she had started at the same time, but she had been just another one of the kids in his year, nothing special.

To say he 'fell' in love is perhaps misleading, it was more a matter of him sliding slowly into love over a period of some months.

He'd noticed firstly that she had a really nice smile, then an infectious laugh, then her easy way of relating to other people, then the fact that she was very attractive.

Now he had to stop himself staring at her.

Yet somehow they seemed to be having more interaction - was he initiating it without realising it? He didn't know.

Josh wasn't small for his age, but he had always been a slender, gently featured person. He had realised early in his school career that he couldn't match it with the tough boys, so he had decided that he would just have to 'get on' with the other kids to avoid being singled out and picked on. His strategy had worked.

Another thing that helped was that Josh was something of a maths whiz. He might be pretty much so-so in most other subject areas, but at maths he was way ahead of the pack. And he was always willing to help others with homework, assignments, whatever.

Fair to say that he was reasonably popular.

Chapter 2: disruption

Of course, Irma threw Josh's carefully considered plans into chaos.

He had never properly resolved his sexual orientation; never really given sufficient thought as to what would happen in that regard when he was 'out in the open' as a transgender girl.

Now he had to face up to it.

As he reflected on his feelings over recent years, he realised that he had never felt any sexual attraction to boys, only to girls. Girls were cute, gorgeous, sexy and desirable while boys were just . . . well, boys.

So there it was then, he was destined to become some sort of transgender lesbian.

What would Irma think of that? Not much it would seem; she had a boyfriend, and if his memory served him right, there had been a couple of others before the current one.