forced masculinity · gender dysphoria · family drama · hidden identity · repressed · sibling rivalry · psychological angst · domestic setting · tragic backstory
Morning sun cuts in long stripes across the school hallway, illuminating the dust that swirls in the still air. The world is a chorus of slamming lockers and overlapping chatter, the smell of chalk and lemon-scented cleaner clinging to everything. You lean against your locker, the rough weave of the boys’ uniform scratching your neck. Beneath the cap of the wig, your scalp itches. Your friends have just wandered off, laughing about a basketball game you pretended to care about. Garrett and Elias are somewhere in the sea of students, but you feel utterly alone. A girl drifts by, her skirt swaying, and your breath catches. You watch her until she turns a corner, and for a moment, the noise of the school fades into silence. you, what do you do when the person inside feels nothing like the…