South Park: Senior Year

5. P.E.

Marjorine checks her reflection in the mirror again, double-checking that the teal hoodie she's wearing fully covers the pink blouse underneath. It does its job well, yet she fluffs out the hood a bit more just in case. She then pulls her short blonde hair back into a loose ponytail. She glanced over her appearance once more. She looked like a boy, which was actually a good thing, despite how disgusted it made her feel.
She stuffed a small pink bag covered in Hello Kitty print into her backpack before swinging it over her shoulder and heading down the steps to the kitchen.
Her mother stood at the stove, humming to herself as she fried an omelet. Her father sat at the table, a newspaper in one hand and a cigarette in the other, the smell of which made Marjorine scrunch her nose. Her father also sipped at a small glass of scotch and suddenly, she wasn't so hungry.
"Is it alright if I take the bus today?" she asked, her fingers tapping quietly on her thigh.
"Are you sure? If you give me just a few minutes I can drive you down." her mother glanced away from her cooking for a moment to look at Marjorine.
"I'm sure." she smiled before turning on her heels to leave.
"Don't forget your lunch, Butters." her mom said quickly.
The name made Marjorine's chest hurt, but she said nothing as she turned back around and grabbed her bagged lunch from the fridge.
Marjorine rubbed her hands together as she walked toward the bus stop, the cold air hitting her quickly. She was already shivering when she arrived, but easily ignored this when she saw Kenny McCormick, her closest friend in the world.
"Hey, Ken!" she smiled and waved.
The boy turned at hearing his name and returned the smile, the cute gap between his two front teeth slightly visible to her. "Hey! Taking the bus with us losers today, huh?"
"You're not a loser Kenny, but yeah." she chuckled.
Kenny's eyes lingered on her a moment longer before Eric began to nag him and pulled his attention away.
Marjorine rocked from her heels to the balls of her feet as they waited for the bus. Kyle arrived not long after her, Eric rudely greeting him with a nasty remark.
"Hi, Kyle." she smiled at him, feeling bad about Eric's taunts. "Where's Stan?" She noticed the other half of their inseparable pair wasn't walking beside him like usual.
Kyle seemed to become tense and Kenny and Eric glanced over at them. Marjorine shrunk, feeling as though she'd said something wrong.
After an uncomfortable pause Kyle said, "I don't know." and the other two turned their attention to Marjorine, awaiting her response.
"Oh, okay." her gaze turned towards the ground to avoid the eyes of the others. It felt like they all knew something she didn't and they were judging her for it. But it wasn't her fault if she didn't know what it was, right? Their group couldn't expect her to know what was going on if they never tell her. Perhaps she could ask Kenny later. Or maybe she should just drop it because it wasn't her business and she'd only be bothering him by asking anyway.
Stan rushed towards the stop just as the bus was pulling up. Marjorine expected Kyle to greet him but he didn't. Stan was wearing his headphones though. Marjorine sat behind Kenny and Eric, expecting Kyle and Stan to sit across from them, yet they didn't. Stan headed straight for the back and Kyle plopped himself beside her.
Marjorine was puzzled. They were acting so odd and almost as if avoiding each other. She knew they had gotten in a sort of big fight a while back, but surely they'd gotten over it by now? She thought for a moment longer and realized she hadn't actually seen them speak more than a few words to each other in years.
She frowned to herself. It would be a shame if they weren't friends anymore. Sure, they were never really that nice to her but they seemed perfect for each other. Either way, it wasn't her business to be poking around in their personal life so she should just stop worrying about it.
"What's up with you and Stan?" she asked Kyle, ignoring her own intuition. She couldn't help it.
"Nothing." he responded.
She obviously wasn't buying that. "Why aren't you guys sitting next to each other?"
Kyle sighed. "We're not really friends anymore, I guess."
She frowned again. "Why?"
Kyle scowled at her. "It's not really your business, dude."
    Marjorine decided she should shut up now. He was right. Not her business, dude. Dude.

     Marjorine had gym last period and she'd been dreading it all day. Despite what she wished, she went toward the boys' locker room. Cartman and a few other guys gave her disgusted looks as she unbuttoned her blouse to change into her gym clothes, their eyes burning into her bare back. Once her P.E. shirt was on she felt a shove from behind.
     "Faggot." A voice whispered.
      Marjorine kept her eyes down, doing her best to ignore the lump forming in her throat.
      Kenny scoffs from where he's changing next to her.
      "Don't listen to them, Mari." He mutters.
     Marjorine had come out to Kenny back in 9th grade before she first started to publicly transition. She cried for an hour in his arms, telling him how much she tried to be normal, how afraid she was of her parents finding out, and how sorry she was for being this way.
     Kenny had stayed with her, talking and listening for hours before her parents sent him home. He assured her that she had nothing to be sorry for and that she wasn't wrong for wanting to be a girl.
      "Sometimes, I don't know what I am." He had told her. "I don't think I'd mind being called a girl or a they or whatever. I don't always feel like a dude either."
     She had forgotten that other people were trans too. It never even occurred to her that Kenny might be feeling a similar way. It made her feel so much better to know she wasn't alone.

     She and Ken exited the locker room together, Cartman following behind them.
     "Alright class." Coach Willcock began. "For today's unit, we'll be splitting the class between boys and girls. Ladies head to that side," he pointed to the far side of the gym. "And gentlemen on the other."
     Marjorine glanced at Kenny who gave her a sympathetic smile.
     "Hey," he nudged her arm. "At least we can be together."
     She nodded and smiled. He was right. She'd be much more miserable if she didn't have him with her on the girls' side.

     After a very sweaty game of dodgeball, Coach released everyone to go change. Once in the locker room, Marjorine lathered herself in deodorant. She tried to spray a squirt of perfume on her chest and wrists without any of the boys seeing.
     Though, with her luck, a few noticed.
     "Oh my god, who let their girlfriend in?" One said loudly while others snickered.
     "Oh wait, it's just a fucking fag. Hide your dicks, fellas." Another chimes in.
     She kept her back turned to them and quickly changed back into her blouse. She pulled her hoodie on over it, too humiliated to show off the feminine clothing.
     She rushed out of the locker room, blinking back tears. She would not cry at school. Not again.
     "Mari, wait!" Kenny called from behind her, but she kept walking.
     She rushed into the nearest bathroom and locked herself in a stall. She leaned against a wall, looking up at the ceiling to stop tears from falling.
      "'Mari?" Kenny's voice called.
      "I'm okay, Ken. You don't need to worry." Marjorine responded, doing her best to keep her voice from breaking.
       It was quiet for a moment before there was a small knock on her stall door.
     "Are you sure, Mari? I can go kick those guys ass's if you want. You know I will."
     Marjorine chuckled through the few tears that streamed down her cheeks. "No, it's okay."
     "You sure? I may look weak but I got guns."
     She laughed again before opening the stall door. Kenny's twinkling blue eyes stared into her own as he smiled at her.
     "Seriously though, you sure you're okay?"
     Marjorine nodded, blushing under his gaze. "I promise."