"My goodness is that our little, Io," my homeroom teacher, Mr. Barns, said on my first day of back at school. He was taking attendance.
"Yes, Mr. Barns."
"My, how tall you've grown over the summer—and so pretty too."
I thought I looked nice too. I had on my new shorts and shirt. My hair had grown long enough over the summer for my mother to put it in pigtails.
"Thank you." I was glad. I had been afraid they'd make fun of me. Me being dressed up as a girl and everything. But no one seemed to take notice. Like, it was the most natural thing in the world that some boy should come back after summer and be a girl.
I was terribly sorry that Jolene wasn't in my homeroom. But I was sure glad that Bobbie was. Every time I looked at him, I felt funny inside—like when you walk on top of a split rail fence like it was a tightrope. You like it. And you're scared too. Scared you'll break your fool neck—and glad because you're brave.
YOU ARE READING
Io
Short StoryI said, "Gee mom, give me a break. You've got it easy." "Easy?" she says, cocking one well plucked eyebrow. "Well, yeah. All you have to do is look pretty." Then she popped THE QUESTION. "So, you'd like it easy too, I suppose?" I'm Io. And that is...
