That Girl

Lies Come With A Great Price

 What am I gonna do about Page? Will she be okay with this? Will she leave me for it? I'm sure she'll know that it's not my fault... Will she be pissed about me being gone yesterday? I hate to say so, but she definitely will and she might kill me!

I shivered. I could imagine all the ways it could go wrong. From leaving me to her choking me with strength no one would expect. I mean, she does have a bad temper, once you set her off. I've seen it, I'm definitely dead meat... my alarm went off and I jumped. It was 7:20! I rushed and got everything all together and ran a bit down the road, to get a head start. I then got the idea of making a name change, to feel a bit more masculine. I had never thought dysphoria was this bad. It happened almost every second of the day. Until I looked into Andy's eyes that moment when we hid in the janitor's closet. As I thought about it, I started to turn red. I stopped in the middle of the road and tried to stop thinking about how calming it is to look into those soft, sweet eyes of his and how creepy I felt remembering that. After a minute or two, I ran a little bit more, since I was going to be late if I didn't.

The first two classes of the day were almost as boring as usual. Almost. With Andy here, I couldn't think of anything other than that moment.

"Kat!" I came to and blinked twice, turning to my left. Andy was calling me to attention.

"You okay there, bud?" He had a sad and worried expression. I assured him that everything is fine.

"I'm just a bit out of it, I promise." I laughed nervously before adding "I didn't sleep well last night. The neighbors had another big fight..." I saw a flash back to the worst one they had. They hurt their cat, their dog was barking like crazy, you could hear their screaming, and every stray, and housed, dog on the street joined in. It was like wolves having a meal and territorial issues at the same time.

"Alright, I'll trust you..." He gave me a doubting smile, which seemed more like a grimace. I felt bad, I just couldn't tell him what I was thinking of.

"Psst! Boo, over here! Psst!" I turned over to the not-so-quiet calls of the rare creature: Adam, the gayest species to exist.

"What is it, Babe?"

"Are you going to tell Page?" I gulped. Last night, really, I had broken down in my room and cried into the phone, talking to Adam about all that had happened.

"I'm trying to... I've got to."

"Want me to be by your side for that?" I was startled. Andy was projecting a fatherly aura, like I was his cub.

"Well, I-"

"Too late, I'm gonna be right there with you. You really had no say-so." I chuckled.

"Alright, fine, Papa Bear."

We went to third and I was shaking again so, Andy opened the door for me. Page looked up from her lap and ran towards me. She got so close, I was about to run. That's when it happened. Next I knew, she was on top of me and were on the ground. My head hurt a bit but, Page looked right at me and tears had filled her eyes. One bad move, which this was, and it would not go well...

"Where've you been?"

"I... I... Page-"

"Kat is not a girl. He identifies as male now." The whole class gasped, snickered, and whispered. I was ready to shed a few with Page.

"ANDY! Why-"

"Is that true?" I stopped breathing.

"Is he right? Are you not my girl now?" Oh god... What have I done? I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think or open my mouth to speak words that could cause some pain for her and me.

"Y-yes... It's true. I'm not Kat anymore... I'm..." Think, fool! Change your name, quick! "I'm Kris now." Nice going, genius... The whispers I got seeped into my skin, killing me, as if they were poisonous venom from the beast that kept ripping my life to shreds. Page got up, muttered a few words, and ran out of the classroom, leaving us in awe. Andy helped me up and I headed towards my desk. I'm so sorry, Page...

"It's over, I'm sorry..." Tears fled from her face. Everything turned to black, just a dark abyss. The sadness was pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain. I fell to my knees and started screaming, hitting the ground with my fists, covering only them in blood. It seemed as though the darkness was stronger than anything else, hence the reason it was the only thing around me. The darkness started to cover my fingers. I started to freak out. It slowly started to cover my hands, my arms... My legs were already gone. I couldn't see them anymore. It reached the bottom of my neck and I started to suffocate. I forced my head up, hoping it would do something. Before I knew it, the darkness went over my eyes, covering my vision. It covered me completely and I screamed.

I lunged up, breathing heavily. I grabbed my neck, I could breathe. I looked at my hands and feet, I could see them. I looked around me, I was in my room. I sighed in relief. I had forgotten that I passed out after I laid on my bed. I was so tired from the stress. "It's over, I'm sorry..." I remembered those words she had mumbled before she fled from class. One tear dropped from my left eye, only one because I could not feel a thing after remembering those few words. I just sat there, in my bed, and I felt dull. I went without eating that day.

I heard a knock at my door, it was already Friday night. I looked at my alarm, it was midnight. I got up, stretched, and headed towards the door. Who could it be? I opened it and it was Andy. I was confused, I didn't know why he would be on my doorstep, holding... Flowers?