My creative writing assignments

San francisco and micheal being in denial about his gender dysphoria

Authors note: its actually called that by the way, its not just another joke title lol. the prompt for this one was to right it like this short story called elleven, so basically its about a kid who feels out of place and you have to write about how they feel and stuff. idk think it comes off well with Morgan (she's an egg in this and so still called Micheal. also she's an oc i already had) since she's kinda "i dont care, im too depressed to cry anymore, what do you mean your emotions dont have a layer of numbness on top of them?" in middle school so its kinda dull. i hope i got it accross though. the san francisco/ we didnt start the fire joke is real, though he wasnt involved it actually happend in my dad's history class in the 90's. also tell me if i should post the christmas poem from last year early.

San Francisco and Micheal being in denial about having gender dysphoria 

April, 1990

Michael sat in his seat half paying attention. It's what he always did, just enough effort to float, just little enough that he hasn't given himself a headache. He bumped his leg up and down, like always too. Frank, who sat next to him, paid enough attention for the both of them. Frank always liked history, Micheal didn't get it.

Today was not like always, because for the first time Ms. Jones covered something Micheal actually liked. Music. She took a record player from the corner of her desk to the one closer to the class and put in a vinyl. She carefully skipped to the second song with the needle. The song that played: we didnt start the fire by billy joel. Micheal smiled.

When the song finished she asked the class what they thought. One kid raised his hand.

"Its about history" well yeah, idiot Micheal thought, and he guessed the teacher thought that too. Whether she did or not was a mystery.

And then Frank raised his hand. Micheal had a bad feeling.

"It's very san francisco" okay thats not thaaat ba-

"Because you would know!" said Terry, and one other kid laughed. The rest of the class didnt get the joke. Frank didn't get it, so he just tilted his head, michael did get it. He didnt laugh.

It was kinda funny, in any other circumstance it would have admitted a snort from Micheal. But it was his circumstances, and it was an insult to his friend, who didn't even get it. Micheal just sighed, and Frank brushed the comment off. The class continued.

***

Micheal sat down next to Davis at lunch. Frank and Jamie across from them.

"Frank? Did you get the joke back in history? Y'know, after you said the song was San francisco?" Micheal asked, he figured someone should tell him. Micheal had to know what the joke meant, he had to be the one who got the joke but couldn't laugh. The least he could do is make Frank aware. Sure.

"What joke?" Frank asked, tilting his head "oh, the thing Terry said? That was kinda weird. It was a joke?"

"Yeah, he laughed after." Micheal said like it was obvious, and maybe to Frank it wasn't. "Well whatever, you want to know what it meant?"

Frank looked at him for a second before saying "...no, i don't think i do" and he left it at that.

All Michael could do was squint at him with a slightly open mouth, before leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

"What was the joke?" asked Davis, leaning in to talk quietly to Micheal. Davis hadnt even been in the class.

"If i can't tell frank, i'm not telling you" davis just pouted and leaned away.

Micheal bumped his leg up and down, a bit more vigorously then normal as he thought. Whatever dumb conversation he normally wouldn't think of as dumb the boys around him where having faded out, and the only thing around was his head as the rest got fuzzy. Frank? Really? Sure the guys kinda... "eccentric" but he's also liked Amy since the 5th grade. Micheals arms got itchy, not the type of itchy you scratch and it goes away, the itchy most people get when they look in the mirror or take a shower. The itchy thats under your skin and every once in a while when its really bad makes it hard to breath. Most people do get that itch, right? Yeah totally.

If anyone was "San francisco" it wasn't Frank, it was Micheal.