Fuck It! #4: Things Will Be Alright

Chapter One

Jeff was on vacation for most of the summer. It was easy for them to brush him from their mind.

Even if it was only in their mind, thinking about themself, Nika's old name and pronouns felt so good. For the first time in forever, they felt like themselves.

They didn't care what their teachers called them; they hadn't told anyone yet. Well, they had run into Wes.

'Oh, hey, Nick.'

'Nika,' they said, a sudden burst of courage. 'Please call me Nika.'

Wes had smiled. 'Nika. I like it.'

They took a deep breath, walking into their school. Their hair was pulled into a small ponytail, the curls against the back of their neck feeling so natural that they hardly noticed them.

Nika hadn't needed to practice speaking softly. It was their natural way of talking; it was speaking loudly that took concentration.

I'm not sure if caffeine was a great idea, they thought to themself, holding an iced coffee in one hand. Iced coffee: the drink of the gays.

"Hey, Nika." Wes had appeared by their side, looking happier than usual. "Excited for the new year?"

They smiled. "Yeah, I really am. Have you seen the others yet?"

"Oh, David's unpacking, Blaine's giving Kurt– his boyfriend, you know– a tour, but I haven't seen anyone else yet. Guess who your roommate is this year?"

"Hmm... With that grin, I'm assuming it's you."

His smile widened. "Yep! David's with Blaine, Jeff's with Kurt– not excited to see how that ends– and Thad's with Hunter."

"What do you mean, you're not excited to see how that ends?"

"Oh." His happy expression faltered. "Kurt, ah, he's wearing a skirt. We all know how much Jeff hated Rocky Horror."

Nika's grip on their coffee tightened. "Yeah."

"Nika." Wes looked at them seriously. "You know that if he says anything, we're all on your side, right? Just because Jeff's got some prejudices doesn't mean we all feel the same."

They smiled. "Yeah, I do."