Everall | The Magicae

Five - Dion

 My breath quickens as I step out into the hallway of my house. Dad doesn't know about this protest we've set up and I don't know what his reaction will be to what I'm wearing. Quietly, I slip into the bathroom and peek into the mirror. My off-the-shoulder, pastel pink dress compliments my darker skin tone, or at least I think so.

A deep breath and I step back out into the hall, towards the kitchen. My Dad greets me with a small smile before turning back towards the pancakes he's making. Then he does a double take. "I remember that dress," He says quietly, almost a whisper, "It was the dress your mother wore to parties. She loved it. I didn't know she gave it to you..."

"You haven't said anything bad yet, about me wearing a dress, I mean. So, should I take that as a good sign?" I ask as my stomach does backflips from my skyrocketing anxiety. He's never said outright anything against crossdressing or lgbtq+ people, but you can really tell just by that.

He turns back to the pancakes as a single tear slips from his eye, "You can wear what you want. Well, actually, you do have to be covered, but other than that, you can wear what you want. The dress looks nice on you. Can I know why you chose today to wear the dress?"

"We, and by we I mean everyone in the school, are crossdressing today as a form of protest. Zach had to make Coach Wilhelm change the other day when he wore a dress, so we're essentially protesting it," I explain to him, really hoping he understands.

"That's really nice of you and your friends. Is Folium participating?"

I shrug, "Probably, considering it was his and Dillan's idea." Breakfast is peaceful and quiet, fit for the time of day. The car ride is more stressful, the debate in my mind of whether or not anyone else is actually going to participate makes my heart beat faster.

When we pull up, I see absolutely no one and panic rises to my throat, before I remember that everyone is meeting behind the art building before going in. The door slams behind me as I start walking towards the back building, also known as the art room (Or more technically, the art center).

Chatter rises in volume as I approach the building, many people are already here, even at 6:45 am.

"Dion!" Folium's voice echoes to my le- right, much louder than it needs to be, frankly. "You're finally here!"

I pull my usual smile onto my face before turning to meet his gaze. His eyes trail over me as he examines my outfit while I do the same. A shin length dull, green skirt and a long sleeve, cropped jacket with an almost plaid design of black and white triangles. The pockets and collar of it are black.

I give him a slow clap, "Looks like you put together a decent outfit again! Nice job!"

"Oh, shut it, I put together nice outfits all the time." He turns to the side to show off his earrings, purple and pink. "Do you like my earrings?"

I nod, "Of course, you know you pull off anything you wear." My attempt at flirting with him falls flat on its face. Then, of course, a blush creeps up his cheeks and makes my heart flutter, giving me hope I know I shouldn't have. "I see a lot more people are participating than I thought." As I look around, some of the girls, who are all wearing what would typically be called boyish clothes, brought some makeup for the boys. Louis, Cameron, Jack, and Frankie are getting their makeup done by a few of the girls. Sonus, one of the most self righteous seniors, approaches Cmaeron from behind before tapping him on the shoulder. His head turns around and a smile spreads across his face. "Huh, I thought Sonus was gonna murder Cameron or something."

"He's not that bad," Fol defends him. At that moment, Sonus says something to Cam and he nods. "The fudge? I thought Cameron was deaf..."

I look Folium in the eyes, "He is..."

Coach ... Wilhelm

"Hey, love?" Zach calls through the door of his office.

I poke my head in the door before asking, "Yes?"

"Could you open the doors and let the kids in, please?" I nod as I step out of the doorway.

The halls are quiet compared to when everyone is walking around and talking, debating whether or not to skip class. They never get away with it though, unless the teacher that catches them is Mr. Dalt. He tends to let them off and just says something about how they might miss a test that determines their grade for the quarter, that usually gets them back to class on time but he never forces them. 'Let them make their own bad decisions and reap their own consequences,' that's what he says to Zach when he asks why. I got to hear it because Zach was driving me home with him that day, so I had to wait until he was done trying to lecture one of the smartest teachers here.

The slight heel of my shoes clicks on the floor as I trail down the halls to the front door. Janitors came by yesterday and cleaned all the windows, so I can clearly see the gathered crowd of surprisingly quiet students. But something seems off and I can't quite place it. I gasp when I spot Folium and Ignis, the most noticeable pair of people to attend this school in a long time. Folium's outfit involves a skirt, which I never thought I'd see, even with his fashion sense that would outdo anyone you put up against him in a competition for style. Ignis' outfit is a lilac colored, baggy, cropped sweatshirt with almost pastel green sweatpants. I never thought I'd see her wearing anything but sparkly or glittery, bejeweled or bedazzled. My eyes scan the rest of the crowd wearing somewhat flipped attire, the majority of the boys with dresses, the rest with skirts, whereas there isn't a single skirt or dress to be spotted on the girls.

Slowly, I step out of the school doors, the click of the lock warranting the attention of nearly everyone. "What-" I reach up and cover my gaping expression for a second before finishing my question. "Why?"

Ignis steps forward and gestures at everyone in the gathered crowd, "Everyone here, including Mr. Dalt and Ms. Cassie, if you didn't notice them, think you should get to wear what you want to. This is how we plan on telling Zach in a way he can't refuse. So, could you please go get him?"

"Uh.. Sure, he'll want to see this," I reply, still in shock before walking back inside, to Zach's office in specific, "Hey, Zach?"

"Yeah? What is it?" He hums.

I nearly hesitate before saying to him, "Everyone is gathered outside and they wish to show you something."

He quickly joins me out in the hallway before asking, "Can you tell me, or do I have to wait?"

"You must wait."

"And you, my lord, talk as if you are in medieval time," He mocks me.

"I hate you."

He bursts out laughing, "Nah, you love me." I huff in response.

As I push the door open, once again a hush falls over the gathered students. Zach's jaw might as well have fallen off. "What is this?" He asks in awe.

Duke steps forward as he repeats nearly what Ignis said to me, "Everyone here thinks that Coach Wilhelm should get to wear what he wants to."

"I- I don't even know what I'm supposed to say..." He trails off as he glances at Sonus and Cameron, surprisingly side by side. "I suppose if the school board asks, I'll explain about this. Ja- Coach Wilhelm, you can wear what you want. There isn't even a way for me to go against this, not that I want to."

Everyone bursts out cheering and Zach gives me a hug before taking one of my hands behind my back and drawing a line across my palm. I just smile at him.

Folium ... Collan

Coach claps his hands, "Is everyone ready?" Everyone's cheers echo out into the gym. "Does everyone have their bags ready and packed?"

"Yup."

"Absolutely!"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Of course the only snarky remark comes from Sebastian.

Dion looks him dead in the eye before saying, "Oh, shut it. You weren't ready last time and we were almost late!" Then he tosses his bag in the trunk of the bus and then hops on, taking the first seat.

"Everyone on the bus!" Coach calls out to us. Standing next to the trunk, we each take turns handing him our bags so he can put them together like a jigsaw puzzle and we can get on the road. Dion took his seat in the back row, so I sit with him back there as Ignis and Mare join us.