Raine

Chapter 1

 I wake to the sun shining through the window, hurting my closed eyes. I open them, squinting, and see that my mom has come in and opened the curtains, hoping that I might get up for school on time for once. I get up and dress myself, frowning when I realize that I can't find any of my sneakers and that there are only three pairs of heels to choose from. I call out to my mom, asking where all of my shoes went. She only yells back that she has no idea what I'm talking about. Go figure.

I walk down the stairs in a half-hearted attempt to find a pair of my shoes somewhere, assuming that they have either been thrown away or taken to a donation center downtown. Luckily for me, they were in the trash today, meaning I didn't have to go across town or buy back my own shoes. I take the big box back upstairs to my room, and lay all of my shoes back out in my closet where they belong. I settle on a pair of black sneakers to match my clothes, and go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair.

"Ryan, you are going to be late! Get down here and eat your breakfast," my mom starts yelling five minutes later. I sigh and close my book, hurrying down the stairs. Mom laid out all the stuff for me to make everyone pancakes, but I am not very hungry, so I just grab a bagel and yell for my twin brother, Ryland, to meet me at the car. We reach our black Jeep at the same time, jumping in before our mom can run out to smother us with kisses. We agree without words that I should drive because we were late and I drive faster, and take off before mom ever reaches the sidewalk.

"Thanks for sneaking my shoes out of mom's car again," I tell my brother. He laughs at me and rolls his eyes. "Rainy, you really should start locking the door at night. I'm tired of being the protector of shoes, bro. Wait, hold on, mom is calling me." Ryland pauses before answering the phone, mumbles that maybe we forgot something, and then answers. I can hear mom yelling before he ever even says hello, and I am afraid to look at him because I know it's my fault, based on the half of the conversation I can hear. "They should be able to dress how they want, mom....no, mom, you know that Raine prefers they....It's not about you, mom. It's about them and their identity....Just stop stealing their clothes and maybe things would be more comfortable around the house," and he hangs up without waiting for another response.

My brother has always accepted me for who I am, since I was a kid. I couldn't be more lucky to have such a supportive twin. My mother, however, won't even try to understand why I like they/them pronouns, and she refuses to listen when we explain what being non-binary is. She hates that I don't have a feminine wardrobe, and is constantly buying me new clothes and throwing away the ones I like. She freaked out when I told her I was a lesbian, but before I came out as non-binary, at least she would talk to me, and she was supportive of at least some of the things I did.

When we get to school, my brother and I hang out in the parking lot for a few minutes with some friends before we walk in as a group, laughing and talking. Today, we have all of our classes together, and we make our way into home room, hoping there aren't any more new students today. We have gotten a new student almost every day for two weeks, and there is only one seat left in the classroom. Everyone groans as a lost looking girl with brown hair and green eyes walks through the door right beside my desk, our teacher right behind her. "Class, we have another new student today! Her name is Lavender, please welcome her accordingly." There is something different about this girl. For one, when the teacher said her name, she cringed and rolled her eyes. I have to find out what is going on with her. I lose myself in thought about what could be going on, and am brought back to reality when she sits down in the desk behind mine and says hello.

"Um, hi. Lavender, right?" Wow she's pretty. She scoffs and rolls her eyes. No, that's only what my parents call me. My name is Lazuli, and I prefer they/them pronouns. My mouth drops open. "Really? My name is Raine, and I do too. I'm non-binary, are you too?" They smile and say yes, seemingly very excited. I am excited too, as I've never met another non-binary person. They start to ask me questions about the school and the town, and we have a great conversation. We realize that for today, we have the same classes, except for one, and that makes it much easier to continue our conversation when the bell rings. We go to our lockers, and walk to our next class together.

When we get to class, I introduce Lazuli to my brother and our friends, and everyone is excited to know that there is another person like me around. We all get to talking, and barely even notice when our teacher comes in, until she walks right up to us, eyes on a note in her hand. "Lavender, Ryan, Ryland, and Grace, I need you all to go to the office please." We immediately start asking why, but she puts up her hand and says she doesn't know anything about it. Minds racing, we all gather our things and start the trek across the school. Little do we know, we won't ever make it to the office.