"Is this real?" A transgender love story

The Beginning.

I'm a simple man. Born female, but a simple man. I wear my hair up, keep my head held high. The captain of the junior varsity girls lacrosse team, section leader of the alto saxophones in marching band.

Everyone sees me as this pretty girl, so sweet so simple. Yet, inside.. I'm a man. Manlier then you believe. I've fought through years of depression, of bullies, and it still won't stop. Oh well, I won't give up.

There's this boy, he plays mellophone. Light, fluffy brown hair that flies around when he swings his head. Bright blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight. Oh how amazing he is.

We have band and 2nd period together. We both take Biology Honors, and he sits next to me. I'm still too shy to talk to him despite seeing him in band camp everyday.

The other day when I was walking down the hall, he waved at me. With a huge smile, his shiny white teeth glowing as he spoke to his friend.

I walked into Biology today. I was frightened, scared. I was going to talk to him, my best friend Olivia and I had planned it all out line by line what I was gonna say.

I walked up to him.

"Hey! Jared!", I called with a huge smile gleaming from my face.

"What's up Isabella?", he asked.

"Oh no, I go by Justin. I'm a transgender male.", I replied shaking a bit.

"Oh well. What's up Justin?" , he mentions my name without hesitation.

"Nothing much, are you enjoying this Biology project we are doing on the structure of a frog?", I asked politely. Before he could answer the teacher Ms. Blake walked in.

"Hello class." She said. "Today we are going to do a frog dissection, please choose your partners." Before I could say another word, Jared grabs my wrist.

"Let's do this!" He exclaims with a huge smile on his face.