my name is aaron (ftm)

20

"Hey, Aaron, how was your summer?"
I turn around and smile.
"Hey Sadel. It was great."
I tell her about Disneyland and she tells me about her trip to Florida. We laugh and smile and it all feels so natural that I can barely remember exactly one year ago when I had been in this same situation but it had been so different.
"Alright, well I'll see you later, Aaron!" She says, waving and smiling before she walks off.
I wave back and put my hands in my pockets. I wander around the campus that is to be my new school for the next four years.
Rubric High School.
My schedule sits in a folded paper in my back pocket along with a map of the expansive campus. High school is a lot bigger and I can only imagine what might happen here in the next four years.
"Aaron? Is that you?"
I turn around and see a slightly familiar face.
"Jordyn?"
He laughs.
"Hey! I didn't know you went here."
He high fives me and I smile.
"I just started, I'm a freshman." I tell him.
He has his arm wrapped around the waist of a girl I assume to be Clara. She waves at me and I wave back.
"That's cool." Jordyn says, "I just graduated and Clara here is a senior now."
"Well at least I know I have good friends in the higher grades." I joke.
They laugh.
"That's true." Clara said. "Jordyn's told me a lot about you. We should all hang out sometime."
I nod. "Yeah, that would be cool."
The bell rings and they smile and wave good bye before going on their way.
I pull out my schedule and figure out where I need to go.

The day flies by fast.
No more molasses.
I meet tons of nice people in each of my classes and when the teachers take roll and say "Aaron Bidden?" it's like stones I have been carrying for the past many years have all been lifted off of me.

After the last bell, I say goodbye to a girl named Katy I had just met in class and I head over to the back of the school to retrieve my bike. There's only a few bikes there, and soon I'm the only one back there once everyone has gotten their bike and left. I lean my back against the wall, taking my time and scrolling through my phone. I'm about to put Katy in my contacts and begin to head home when I hear a voice that makes me freeze.

"Hey, Aaronator."

Holy fuck.
I whip my head up to see a tooth gap grin I thought I'd never see again.
My jaw drops and I gasp.
"Holy shit."
He laughs and walks over to me, hugging me. I hug him back and I'm in shock.
"Oh my god, Screw, what-"
He pulls back and grins at me. He looks me over.
"I like the new look." He comments.
"I- I uh- Thanks." I stutter.
He laughs. "I missed you."
I run a hand through my hair.
Unbelievable.
This is unbelievable.
"I missed you too. Holy shit. I thought you were never coming back!"
He shrugs.
"Yeah... High school in Europe just isn't for me." He scrunches up his nose. "They don't speak English."
I laugh. "So you're going to school here?"
He nods.
"Here?"
He nods again.
"With me?!"
He grins. "Yep."
"Oh my god!" I shriek and hug him. "You're staying!"
He hugs back. "Yeah and guess what?"
I pull away and look at him. "What?"
He grins. "My mom is staying back in Europe but she talked to your parents and-"
"Holy fucking balls, are you gonna be staying at my house?!" I shout.
He shrugs, a smug grin on his face. "I guess so."
I hug him again and I don't ever want to let go.
"This is fucking amazing!" I scream.
He laughs and hugs me and it feels so right to just hold him and he holds me back.
I pull away just enough to look at him and he makes me so breathless.
"I- shit- can I be your boyfriend?" I blurt out.
He laughs and blushes and it's adorable and I just want to be with him forever.
"If I can be yours." He says.
I grin and we kiss and it feels good and it feels right. Nothing like that night at the park. That kiss was a good bye, but this one is a hello that holds nothing but promise.
"As long as you don't call me Screwdriver." He says as he pulls away from the kiss.
I laugh and shove him playfully. "Shut up, you like it."
"Maybe."
We kiss again and I never thought I would end up dating the random kid with a tooth gap grin who rides a skateboard and invited me to a park at four am to see a sunrise when we barely even knew each other... Let alone fall for him. I never would have guessed he would fall for me too.
I guess those things happen.
I guess everything that has happened... Happened.
Cuz sometimes you're stuck in the dark, and it sucks ass because you can't see and all you want is a little bit of light, but you're out of matches and your flashlight's batteries are dead and you don't think you'll ever get used to the darkness.

And you've lost hope.

But it's okay.

Because all you need to do

Is wait

For the sun

To rise.

~~~

The End