Crumbly Writer’s Stories
		“Normalcy Is Harder Than It Looks”
		Book 3 of “The Catalyst” Series
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Chapter 07:  A Few Personal Revelations

           

Nothing was said on the way out, since both girls knew how much I liked my ‘silently walking out’ statements. Allison, however, was quick to bring me up to date on what they’d been doing earlier.

“Last night Anh and I went out and bought a bunch of balloons and toys for the kids in the hospital. This morning while you were in school, Shani and I gave them out while we watched the results in the children’s auras. We watched their happy reactions and their disappointment at some of the lesser toys. We surprised them by popping balloons and tossing out little plastic bugs. We’ve managed to learn a lot more about the various emotions we see in people’s auras since children tend to have less conflicting motivations. I’m proud to say I think we’ve broken the back of many of our aura identification problems. I think we can more accurately evaluate what we see now.”

“That’s great. I know that has been a mission of yours and it will be a huge help to everyone. Rebecca and Brooke will especially benefit from it. Now if you could teach me to tell when someone I’m with is faking an orgasm…,” I joked.

“Sorry, but there’s no crossover with these abilities. Actually, I’d love to document all of this, but without the ability to paint the appearance of the auras it would be meaningless. No, this will have to be passed on to each Seer on a one-to-one basis. And no, it can never be used as a lie detector. Lies are neither an emotion nor a physical condition. It’s why automated lie detectors are so easy to fool, they just measure nervous responses, which can be easily faked, or could reflect nothing at all. Besides, I don’t think you have anything to worry about in the faking department. I’m pretty sure all your girls are quite satisfied.”

“Yeah, even Gail seems to enjoy your attentions,” Shani offered.

“I was just teasing, but it brings up a good point: we shouldn’t try to read more into these abilities than we can be sure of. But what we have so far has been useful and I’m sure what you’ve discovered is even more helpful yet. You’ve done some excellent work here, Allison.”

She positively beamed at my praise, and it made me wonder if maybe I hadn’t been complimenting my girls enough. They’d been working on a variety of things for me lately, and I had to remember to keep encouraging them. I’d been learning about management on the fly so far, and it’s not a good educational method. I’d really have to find someone to explain a few things to me about keeping everyone happy with what they were doing for me. Maybe Ryan could help with that.

On a related note, there was still a lot yet to be done. One thing we hadn’t addressed yet was space. With the recent addition of Jennifer we were facing a significant space crunch.

“Shani, I was thinking about the different things we have to accomplish. We’ve grown a little too big for our house. I know you’ve been looking for apartments, and while I know that’s just for show, what’s the prognosis on that front?”

“Actually, there’s a nice one we plan on taking possession of soon. We’ll just move enough into it to make it look ‘lived in’, although we may use it for other things. Plus we might just use it for overflow, since, as you say, your house is getting a bit crowded lately.”

“What about some alternatives?” Allison asked, perking up at the topic. “With all of us pitching in, it wouldn’t take much to rent out a nice studio or loft space in Carbondale. That would give us our own space with plenty to spare, and it would be nearby the hospital.”

“Yeah, but it’s a long way from home. I’m not sure Mom and Dad would appreciate seeing the last of their children bolting for the hills. Plus I’ve still got another month or so of school. Carbondale is a little far from Eldorado,” I countered.

“But not as far as Shawneetown is from Carbondale,” Shani reminded me. “It could reduce your travel times to Carbondale. Plus it would take a while to arrange anything, so it makes sense to get started now. I could set up a corporation, just so your name isn’t associated with it. We could all contribute to it and it could cover things related to your actions, including everything from car rentals to newsletters for the Watchers in New Orleans. We could call it the ‘Angel Corporation’.”

“Ha, I’ll bet you anything that name was taken a long time ago, especially since it would have to be a national company. But it’s a good idea. Since you know about business practices and planning, could you get that started for me? I don’t know where we’ll eventually want to settle, but Carbondale would be close to both the hospital and SIU for Allison, Cate, Becky and Melinda. It would also provide Chalise and Caroline a place to live, assuming they don’t find somewhere before then. I’d say go for it.”

This seemed to please Shani no end, as she quickly fished out a spare notepad from somewhere and started to make several hurried notes.

Of course everyone was excited about what had happened once I got home, so I sat down at the dinner table and explained what had transpired at the hospital.

“You know, it’s upsetting that Dr. Palmer figured out what was going on so quickly,” Shani said. “I mean, I know that Gail taught you to lie, but even with that, you end up tipping your hat an awful lot!” There were nods all around at that, as everyone looked worried about what my next revelation might subject us to.

“She’s right, I worry about you honey,” my mother added, placing her hand over mine.

“You know, maybe it would be better if you stop taking so many chances,” my father suggested in his sagely ‘voice of the ages’ voice. “You’ve been lucky so far, but your luck is only likely to hold out for so long.”

That was met by a chorus of both agreements and objections, and the conversation quickly degenerated into what was and wasn’t safe for me to do until I finally put an end to it.

“OK, enough!” I insisted, slapping my hand on the table to cut the discussion short since it didn’t seem to be heading anywhere. “So far my approach, as unusual as it is, seems to be working for me. I don’t know if Anh’s theory is correct about my gut being a better judge of things than my conscious mind, or whether I just managed to skim by on luck, but so far nothing has quite exploded in my face yet. Yes, I needed to be cautious, but I needed to continue to make the call on an ongoing individual basis.

“I can’t handle new things happening to me every day with a fixed response to how I approach everything. A cautious approach is what you do when you can coast. We aren’t there yet, and each crisis has to be met with a different response based on the circumstances. Since I’ve had such ‘luck’ with it so far, I’ll continue to trust my judgment of people!”

That ended that pointless discussion. Even my parents accepted my decision, even if they might still harbor reservations about it, but Anh sagely nodded her head, letting me know she approved of my choice in the matter.

Of course Cate had to call Becky to discuss the new results of my recent MRI. She didn’t bother me about it, apparently she wanted to check everything out with our sister first. I figured that was all right, as I couldn’t figure out what I seemed to be doing during my activations anyway.

Afterwards, I ended up sleeping with Anh, Shani, and of course Cate. My girls easily understood Cate’s point of my allowing my poor abused dick a little rest, as it was getting a bit raw after all the use it had seen in the last week, so we managed to keep our hands off of each other. It was nice to relax and simply sleep for a change. Having Cate’s arms around me while I did so certainly didn’t hurt.

---

I was still nervous about potential fallout over Monday’s events the next day. However, both Kitty and Chalise were much more concerned about the surgery from the previous day, so we spent all our time talking about that and how they interpreted the various events. But in the end there really weren’t any new insights. Basically, Dr. Palmer was apparently holding his opinion based on my results and, for now, had promised to remain silent. Any other speculation was spurious. Cate then described the new information about my scans. They were impressed with the new information but also had no way of processing it, but there was no end to the speculations about it.

There were numerous looks as we made our way into school. I had apparently shaken things up quite a bit with Detective McCallister’s appearance at the school. The students seemed pretty divided over me, but the tide seemed to be moving in my direction, at least, thanks in no small part to Ryan’s outreach program. It seems Michelle’s threat that the principal needed to address schoolyard bullying had also had an effect amongst the other more unpopular students. A fact that was brought home several times during the day when various students came up to thank me for what I’d done. However I didn’t think the various bullies were likely to feel the same way.

Lunch was … interesting, as everyone wanted to hear the rundowns from each of Monday’s participants.

“So, can’t you tell us what actually happened?” one girl I swore I’d never seen before asked after stopping by the table with a beseeching look accompanied by a very pleasant smile that was hard to resist.

“Sorry, there’s not much to tell,” Chalise insisted, shrugging her shoulders. “Tony tried to make a scene, a few of us defended Alex—over his objections. End of story.”

“Come on,” the girl pressed. “There had to be a lot more to it than that. What was Tony so upset about? Who else was involved? What did everyone say?”

“Forget it,” Ai told her and the others surrounding the table attempting to listen in. “You know Alex’s position. Kitty and Chalise aren’t going to gossip about anything, and they certainly won’t do it without the permission of the people involved.”

Both Kitty and Chalise nodded at this, and I was proud of them both as it was clear they’d learned the lessons of my own experience, although I wasn’t so sure they’d be so circumspect if cornered privately. After all, they might just not have wanted to upset me, but I chose to believe that they felt the same way about attention at school as I did.

“Well, you’re all here. Tell me what you know at least?” the girl urged.

“Again, there was a minor altercation, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Someone had a few words with Alex, that’s all that happened,” Kitty said in a clearly exasperated tone.

“But I heard that you knocked him flat on his ass,” the girl pressed, seemingly desperate to get the details.

“Hey, I’m not going to talk about someone when they’re not here to defend themselves. Everyone has their own perspectives,” Kitty responded a little harshly.

“So I guess you’ve got nothing to add?” the girl asked, turning to me.

“Hey, people are already talking about me,” I responded, leaning back and crossing my arms. “Nothing happened to me and no one was hurt, so there’s nothing more that needs to be said.”

“But what about the police presence and the school’s response?” some guy at a nearby table who’d clearly been listening in to our discussion asked.

“Again, that’s out of my hands,” I responded, shrugging my shoulders as if I couldn’t possibly know what had happened. “That’s up to the Principal, though I must say that I think it’s about time. The bullying of people here has been out of hand for way too long.”

“I should have known you wouldn’t say anything,” the girl complained. “You didn’t say anything on Monday, and you were hiding yesterday. All we want is to know what happened. But I guess I’ll just have to ask Tony!” she insisted, as if that were the ultimate threat. The girl turned and stalked away, angry at having been denied something she could discuss with her friends, but I doubted that Tony would be suckered into discussing how he’d been humiliated either, so I thought we were doing fairly well.

“You realize you can’t keep them from talking?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, I realize I can’t change human nature, but I can change how I respond to it. If I don’t cater to it, maybe it won’t fester quite as long.”

“I must say, I’ve been getting questions like those all day,” Chalise admitted, to which the other girls all nodded.

“Don’t worry, it’ll blow over before long. Just put up with it for a little longer, and soon no one will ever remember it ever happened,” I assured them, even though I doubted it would be that simple.

“You know, Chalise and I are both looking forward to Prom,” Kitty announced, hoping to change the topic to something a little more innocuous.

“So which of you did Alex finally ask?” Amanda asked eagerly.

Kitty’s grin grew like the Cheshire cat’s. “He actually asked us both. We’ll be the school’s only threesome.” Chalise grinned at that as well, as the two of them leaned in together.

“Oh, neat. I couldn’t really see him doing anything else, though, as it’s clear he’s crazy about both of you,” Amanda responded, grinning back at them.

“Say, if you don’t mind, could I have a dance with him myself?” Ai asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I’d love one as well,” Mia asked.

Both Kitty and Chalise glanced at me, looking for some direction so I just smiled as all the girls turned to regard me. “I’ll dance with anyone that Kitty and Chalise allow me to, just as long as they don’t insist on dancing every dance with me,” I assured them. “You know, maybe Alex would be willing to help out by keeping at least one of my two girlfriends busy?” The other Alex grinned at that, as I was sure he wouldn’t be able to dance at the Prom with who he wanted to, but would probably enjoy dancing with someone who he knew didn’t expect anything romantic from him. “But you know, I may have to drag in a couple more guy friends to free me from both girlfriends’ clutches long enough for free dances,” I added. Everyone thought that was quite humorous and they took it as I intended. I figured that gave us enough latitude that we could decide on whatever we wanted to do.

Everyone at the table suddenly quieted, glancing up expectantly. Curious, I turned and saw Julia finally showing up at the table, apparently to formally apologize to Kitty I assumed. I didn’t think I needed to be there for that, and I sure didn’t want it to look like I’d arranged it, so I slid over next to the other Alex for a bit and figured I’d try to embarrass myself if I could.

“Hey, Alex, can I ask you a potentially offensive question?”

“Sure, I won’t promise to answer, but you can always ask.”

“Sounds fair, what I wanted to ask is: what’s it like to suck on a guy’s penis? I don’t mean any offense; I’m just curious what it’d be like.” He just looked at me for a few seconds then laughed.

“Sure, I’ll answer that one; it’s much better than the one I thought you were going to ask me. But in answer, why don’t you just ask anyone at the lunch table? I’m willing to bet that all of them have just as much personal experience in it as I do. Why not ask your girlfriends?”

“Good point, but I just thought I’d like to hear it from a guy’s perspective. Isn’t it strange?” He thought for a moment about how to answer.

“I guess it’s a lot like playing with breasts, they’re basically just fun to play with. They’re designed for manual access, they’re just big enough for a handful or two, and they generate a lot of appreciation and fun expressions when you do it right. They’re like toys, you just can’t put them down. But seriously, are you really going to tell me you’ve never tried to suck your own cock?” He got his answer when I laughed and blushed at the same time. He just smiled at me and nodded his head.

“So, what question did you think I was going to ask?” I inquired.

“The anal question; it’s usually the central question everyone wants to know. What most people can’t seem to accept is that not all gays engage in anal sex. It’s like assuming all lesbians fuck each other with strap-ons, or engage in fisting. It’s unique for each person. Some people like ass play while others simply don’t. I don’t seem to have much sensitivity down there, so I just don’t get excited when someone tries to play around with my ass. That’s not to say the right guy couldn’t convince me to try it someday, and from what I’ve heard, the stimulation to the prostate would be likely to both maintain an erection and help you get off, even if you don’t enjoy it, but it’s not something that I want to do.”

“You know, you seem to be awfully young to have had that much experience for that amount of detail,” I pointed out, curious just how he seemed so self-assured when everyone always talks about teens committing suicide over being gay all the time.

“Well, frankly, I haven’t had a lot of experience myself. A friend and I, who I won’t name, played around a bit last year, but most of my knowledge comes from talking to older friends and from reading about it online. That’s the thing about coming out at an early age. It takes away the shame and self-doubt, but it also allows other people to offer their support.”

I considered that, as it seemed to have bearing in my own case as well, though I’d have to deal with that issue later. Instead I just gave him a wordless glance, which produced a laugh of its own.

“No, it wasn’t like that. They didn’t fool around with me. It isn’t like all gays mount anyone who admits they’re gay. Since they’re older, they aren’t interested in anyone as young as I am, but they wanted to encourage me to talk about it, rather than my having to struggle as much as they did when they were younger.”

“Well, I must say, I’m glad you’ve had an easier time of it,” I told him.

“I’m not so sure it was that much easier. There are still a lot of bridges to cross, and a lot of stereotypical assumptions, but taking a firm stand gives me a better platform to resist the typical pressures that I bend to everyone else’s expectations,” he admitted. “Face it, I couldn’t hide being gay if I wanted, so if I tried, I’d just be asking for abuse.”

“That’s fascinating. Of course, the answer about anal sex was a lot of information for a question I never asked, but thanks for offering it. It’s always fun to have some trivia handy to pull out in a discussion. Personally I think I’m like you in regard to anal play. Someone tried playing with my ass and it clinched up tight right away, and wouldn’t relax until they left the vicinity.”

“Yeah, it’s always like that. To be honest, you’ve got to give it a chance and see if you feel differently in different circumstances, or just try it yourself. Play around in the shower. There you won’t have the pressure about what someone else expects and you can relax and approach it slowly. But, I’ve got to admit, I’ve tried it in the shower, and while it’s not as scary, it doesn’t make it any more enjoyable if you don’t like it in the first place.

“This type of question is also typical of lesbians; they frequently get asked what they do with each other. Probably not as much anymore now that there are videos all over Facebook of girls kissing each other and doing everything imaginable, but it’s been a sore point for them for years. Again, a few go to extremes with fisting, a few more use strap-ons, almost anyone who’s ever tried straight sex won’t object to a dildo, and quite a few only do oral with each other. Or at least that’s what I’ve read as most gays and lesbians don’t hang out that much. There’s no single answer. It’s kind of like asking if someone is gay. According to a lot of theories, most people are a little gay. The proper question is just how gay are you? Are you a homophobe who won’t glance at another guy, are you dedicated to sucking cock, or do you simply fit somewhere in between?”

“Hey, thanks for the honest answers. It’s nice getting a thoughtful answer, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten such a good response from anywhere else. Clearly you’ve given this some thought.”

“Yeah, you think about things that everyone assumes you do, when you actually don’t. From what I hear it’s similar to you, always being asked who you’re associating with. You’re likely to have thought of a good response simply because you have to continually think about it.” I decided then that I really like this Alex; he was a decent guy and I hoped we could become good friends in the future.

As I turned away from this discussion it appeared it hadn’t been that private, as a couple of the nearby girls all started to ask Alex about the topic, perhaps looking for a little more insight into it themselves. Oh well, a little more education never hurt anyone.

Oh, yeah, it turned out that Julia had apologized to Kitty in my absence and now they were friendly again, although I doubted that Kitty would ever trust her with anything in the near future.

During the day I also had several faculty ask me either what had happened, or what I’d told the police. My response was the same tired old line, which I doubted anyone paid much attention to. People would believe whatever they wanted to believe regardless of what I might say. However, since I wouldn’t get into an involved discussion concerning the events, it was equally as difficult to figure out their own position on the issues. It’s hard to get someone to discuss rumors when you refuse to do so yourself.

Those that were openly hostile—like Mike and my other so-called friends—mostly kept their distance and most of their comments to themselves. Overall I didn’t have any particular trouble that day so I figured that I was no worse off than I had been before, except I still didn’t know what Tony’s issue was. So I finally concluded that the day was a success.

The only oddity in the day occurred when I was cutting across a section of the school rarely used, near the trash dumpsters, when I heard scuffling and a cry. Investigating, I discovered Tony facing off against three bigger aggressors, still trying to show off his Jiu-Jitsu moves. The three guys didn’t look like they wished him well, and I realized he’d have difficulties against those numbers, even if he could fend off one or two using his martial arts. Thinking he’d need assistance, I quietly moved in behind the threesome, only then noticing a skinny kid laying helpless on the ground behind Tony. The kid looked scared and was glancing worriedly at the trio, so I assumed that Tony had interrupted another bullying attack and had stepped up, which certainly raised my esteem for him.

As I closed in on them, moving quietly so I didn’t warn them that I was there, the three guys rushed Tony. I have to admit, Tony was quick, and blocked a couple of punches, using kicks to drive back two of his attackers, but the remaining one caught him unprepared and sent him flying backwards against the ground with a whump. The kid on the ground, with long blondish hair and freckles, scrambled back searching for the comfort of a nearby brick wall, though that would limit his ability to run if anyone came for him. Before the attackers could advance on the helpless Tony, I made my presence known in order to buy him some time to get back on his feet.

“Three against one?” I called out, causing them to spin around as they kept one eye on me while still glancing back to make sure that Tony didn’t get away. “That’s mighty brave of you. Couldn’t you find a few more bullies to pick on one of the smallest kids in the school?” I continued, hoping to distract them so they wouldn’t notice Tony quickly climbing to his feet. They regarded me carefully, apparently weighing whether I presented a problem for them as I circled around on the side opposite the scared kid and came up beside Tony, who didn’t look very appreciative.

“I don’t need any help,” Tony hissed as he brushed the dirt off his jacket, taking the additional delay my appearance had caused to prepare himself again. Tony got his arms back up in a basic defensive stance preparing for another assault, though he was glancing at me as much as he was the others, the kid on the ground forgotten by them all.

“I’m not here to help you,” I informed him, hoping to save him some additional embarrassment. Still, I was heartened that Tony, who had acted like a bully to me, would stand up against others who were bullying someone else. That at least told me his problem with me was personal, and not a basic flaw in his personality.

“Ha, that stupid cop and the principal’s new crackdown isn’t going to save you now, shithead,” the biggest, one Tyler Cox, shouted at me as he bent down to pick up a nearby brick. I was more upset that the school would allow such dangerous material to be left lying around on school grounds, but I also realized just how dangerous this had become. I knew we might have a problem. Luckily Tony didn’t let his disagreement with me let him abandon me to my own fate. He could easily have taken Tyler’s anger at me as an opportunity to flee, leaving me at the mercy of the three bullies, but instead we both faced the danger the more lethal trio now presented. Taking my eyes off them for a second, I saw the kid on the ground, who I didn’t know, scrambling to his feet against the wall. At least if things went south for us, he’d at least stand a chance of getting away.

The three started to advance, with Tyler hefting his brick, motioning the other two to circle around us. I faced Tyler, figuring I’d stand a better chance against Tyler and his brick while Tony was better able to handle two attackers, but Tony lowered his brick partially, while his two friends stepped back unexpectedly. I couldn’t see what they were looking at as they were looking behind me, but I wasn’t about to take their bait, being caught unaware by looking at the empty alley behind me. However, seeing an alternative to an outright fight, I motioned Tony to the side to give them a way out if they wanted one.

“I was wondering where you’d run off to,” Darrell called from behind me in a friendly and seemingly innocent manner, despite the fact he must have seen what was going on. Somehow our adversaries didn’t think too much of facing off against a semi-trained fighter and someone of Darrell’s size both, and like so many bullies, they’d only attack when they had overwhelming odds, so they quickly backpedaled and fled before anything else could go wrong with their plans.

“Hey, thanks a lot,” I said as I turned to welcome Darrell, my relief evident on my face.

“Yeah, like I needed either of your help?” Tony snarled as he too turned and stormed off in the other direction, leaving the victim he’d come to assist all alone in the dirty alley with us.

“Yeah, both Kitty and Chalise mentioned why they were defending you before, so when I noticed you disappear back here I figured it made sense making sure you weren’t getting into any trouble,” my former nemesis told me. I thanked Darrell again then turned to consider the victim.

Approaching the kid I quickly evaluated him. He was a skinny young guy, he must have been a freshman, which would explain why I didn’t know him. He was light skinned with long blond bangs that hid much of his face. He certainly wouldn’t intimidate anyone. As I walked up he began shuffling back and stumbled over his feet he was so busy watching me and not where he was going.

“Relax, we’re here to help,” I told him, offering him my hand to help him stand. Once he grabbed it I pulled him all the way up and into my arms, just to be sure he’d be OK. When I did he got a little twisted around, owing to his own unsteadiness. As a result my hand drew across his chest. I looked at him oddly.

“Darrell, I think we’re OK. I think this young man might like some privacy,” I suggested over my shoulder, still regarding the young man.

“Sure thing,” Darrell assured me, sounding friendly but a little guarded about my deciding to remain behind in the alley instead of returning to a safer environment. “Glad I could help. Yell if you need any further help,” he replied, heading back inside.

“And thanks, my ass would have been history if it wasn’t for you. I owe you one,” I told his retreating form.

“You would’a been fine, and I think I still owe you,” he called back as he walked away.

“Now, do you want to tell me something?” I asked turning back to the young man.

“What do you mean? I got beat up. I always get beat up,” he told me, looking decidedly defensive.

“What about what you’re wearing under your shirt?” I asked, keeping my voice low even though we were both alone.

He glanced down and brought his hands up to hide his chest, looking at me with a look of panic in his eyes. In the scuffle, his shirt had opened and his undershirt was skewed, revealing some ace bandages underneath.

“Look, I’m not going to say anything. If you know anything at all about me, you’ll know that I’m the last person to gossip about something concerning anyone,” I told him. “But if this was a sex crime or a discrimination case, we should call the police.” The last statement really sent him into a panic.

“No, no, please, no police. That would spoil everything. I don’t mind getting harassed or even beat up. They don’t suspect anything; they just don’t like me because I’m so small.”

I examined him a moment, then sat down against the wall and patted the ground beside me. “How about we talk about it for a minute, just to be sure.”

He sighed heavily, but took the offered seat, making exaggerated motions and crossing his legs in a “T” formation like most guys do, trying to make himself look tougher. I noticed then that his shirt was torn and scuffed and he had a few abrasions on his face and arms.

“So, what’s really going on?” I asked him simply.

He signed again and seemed to come to a decision.

“My name is Brian, Brian Simmons. I started here in the fall. Before I started here my name was…,” here he hesitated before continuing. “It was Beverly Adams. I’m a transsexual. I haven’t been able to begin hormone therapy because my dad would never sign the papers. I'm too young to do it on my own, so I'd need both my parents' signatures. Even though he’s mostly been distant, he blew up when he found that my mother had enrolled in school me under my assumed name. He stormed out of the house and has never looked back. So far I’ve been able to keep it a secret, so no one else suspects anything. We moved just so no one here would know me from my previous life. My mother used to live near here when she was younger.”

He took another big sigh. “What you apparently felt are the bandages I use to wrap my chest before school every day. I just recently began developing and I don’t want it to give me away. If I’d been able to begin hormone therapy, I may have been able to avoid growing breasts altogether. It will likely require surgery to remove them now. I’ve been working out a lot and dieting heavily as an alternative to try to prevent their development.”

“Look, you don’t have to tell me anything that you’re uncomfortable with,” I assured him, thinking I’d have to look into his frequent harassment later. “I just want to know whether we need to get the police involved. As you may have heard, I have a slight in with someone in the local police force. I’m sure she would keep this quiet if that’s necessary. Do the school authorities know?”

“Yeah, the principal and the nurse do, but no one else. I got out of gym by claiming a case of severe asthma, which my doctor backed up with a note for me. But I mostly just want to keep out of the limelight. I don’t want to attract any attention to myself. I just want a chance to adjust to being a guy so I’ll be ready when we can afford the treatments.

“But, to answer your previous question, you’re actually the only kid my age that I’ve told. While it feels like a huge revealing this, it’s also a big load off of my mind knowing that I can actually tell someone who I really am. As long as you don’t respond badly, I don’t mind telling you as much as you’re ready to hear.”

“How much of a role does your father play in this?” I asked, having difficulty understanding a father that couldn’t support his own child.

“Oh, once he figured out I wouldn’t pretend to be a girl anymore, he pretty much just gave up on us. But my mom hasn’t finished divorcing him yet, so I still need his OK for any elective surgery until I turn 18,” he explained.

“Man, that’s tough. Look, I won’t push you to press charges, but I’m going to talk to the principal about providing better protection. It’s unforgivable that you should have to put up with this on a daily basis. And I want you to come by my table. We have a whole table of very accepting people who I’ve been trying to train to be nonjudgmental and non-gossiping. I’m not sure just how successful I’ve been, but I’d like to see them try their best. You may get along a little better with us than with any of the other groups around school.”

“Thanks. I’ll have to think about that. Hanging around your table might just generate more anger at me than what I normally face, you’re still a pretty provocative figure. But I appreciate the thought.”

“Well, we’ve been here way too long and we’re late for our classes,” I said, having heard the bell while he was still talking about his family. “It was nice to meet you and I hope we can be friends in the future,” I added, helping us both stand up.

“By the way, my name is Ale—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured me. “Everyone knows who you are!” We both laughed as we headed back into the building.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Kitty and Chalise both had to get home, Kitty because her father was watching her now that he knew she had a serious suitor, and Chalise because both she and her mother had agreed to meet her father to talk things out in person. So Cate and I rode home alone. Neither of us said anything, as I was thinking about what I had planned that night. It was a big event, and I didn’t want anything going wrong. Cate kept glancing at me, realizing I had something on my mind, but she didn’t press, merely glancing at me occasionally, wondering what was bothering me. Little did she know. But I just hoped I could carry it off. After all, there was a lot riding on this.

           

Note: Book 6, “Building A Legacy”, is available for pre-order.
It goes on sale on Dec. 16, 2013.
Check out smashwords.com or vincentberg.net.

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