Misleading stereotypes
Duration: 2 episodes

Eli's pov

Oh, high school, what a joy to be in high school. Yeah, I am in high school alright. I wish this story was about how I was dating the hottest jock but it's not.

In the end, I'm just a freshly new Junior that lives a boring life with no friends. It sucks I know but I guess I can't expect more, can I?

I always dream to be living life like in the movies but my school is boring I tell ya but maybe god has finally listened to me because today we are having a transfer student.

Strangely, that transfer student decided to transfer at the beginning of the middle of September when we started school just last month.

Regardless, I hope that transfer student is a guy and especially hot because the guys aren't even attractive. They suck big-time, classic stereotypical teenage guys.

I get inside my History class and instead to sit in the back like I always do, I make extra sure to sit next to an empty seat. That's how badly I want the transfer student to notice me.

Eventually, everyone arrives and sits down. The teacher puts down his coffee mug and starts his class.

"As you might have already heard, we have a new transfer student." Girls smile brightly and boys whistle. I hope it's a guy...

"So, I might as well, let him in."

Suddenly a tall guy with carob brown hair, I believe dark brown eyes, slim and as well as glasses, gets into the class. Girls stare at him dumbfounded, guys look at him jealous and oh my god! I hit the jackpot!

"Introduce yourself."

"I don't do introductions but I'm Mason Shaffers."

Despite his nonchalant attitude girls still look at him lovestruck.

After that, he doesn't wait for the teacher to say more and starts walking in
the direction of a seat. He looks everywhere and then his eyes fall on the place next to me. He stares at me coldly but still takes the seat next to me.

Girls stare at me displeased and guys look dumbfounded he chose to sit next to me.

Omg! I don't care that guy doesn't seem to like me all that much, he sat next to me! Me! I have to try and talk to him as soon as I get to. He's so handsome! Exactly the guy I have longed to have!

"Ok, as the introductions are done, I have to do the list of presences. So first off, Elisabeth O'neal?"

"It's Eli, sir!"

"Eli, yeah..." The teacher looks at me slightly annoyed.

"Sir? Don't listen to Lizzie she's just a wannabe tomboy!" A guy in my class says.

Ugh...I hate it when I get misgendered. When will they understand, I'm no longer Elisabeth but Eli? Gosh...this is exactly why this school sucks.

The teacher continues the presence and while he does, I try to talk to the new guy.

"Hey, what's making you transferring school in the middle of September?" I say trying to put my best smile on.

"I fought an annoying guy and got expelled." Wow...I didn't expect this...I thought he was just a quiet nerd.

"What did that guy do to make you fight?"

"Getting on my nerves. Stop trying to become friends. You're trying too hard."

My smile falls immediately as the guy starts listening to the teacher who starts his class by explaining women's rights, historically.

What? What does he mean I'm trying too hard? Don't tell me he doesn't want to talk to me because I'm trans? Please no! I just want a guy to finally like me just the way I am!

The teacher continues talking and eventually, he asks us to do our assignments in today's class.

I'm not giving up on the new guy. This is my chance to try to get him to talk to me.

"Hey, let's work on the assignment together!"

"No," He says harshly and I stare at him dumbfounded.

"Why not? I bet you're good at this."

"Exactly, I'm not good at history." Huh? I thought he was a nerd.

"What?"

"You heard me. I don't want to work with you."

"But, I could help you."

"You could help me?" He stares at me with judgment.

"Yes, I ace history."

"You? Good at history?" He says it in a harsh mocking way.

"Why are you finding it hard to believe?"

"It's just you seem dumb like all the other kids in this class." My jaw drops. He's so...cold...No! I can't give up! I have to impress him!

"No, you're wrong. Ask the teacher. I'm actually good at History. I like it. I'm good at my studies." He doesn't say anything in return.

"What? Why aren't you saying anything?" He ignores me and he tries to answer some questions and gets them wrong.

"Nah, that's not how you do it." I show him the right answers instead of his assignment.

"How'd you do that?"

"Easy, women got allowed to vote in 1920."

"Huh?" He looks at me all confused. Impressed huh?

"So, you're really not good at history. If you're not good in history, in what else are you good in?"

"I repeated junior year, so basically nothing." My jaw drops. How can he not be good at anything at all?! I thought he was a nerd!

"Impossible. I don't believe you." He seems to be annoyed at me and I don't know why.

"Maths: 58, English: 53, History: 44, Geography: 38, Chemistry: 39, Physics: 42, Heath: 0, Arts: 21, P.E: 0."

"What?! How can you get those kinds of grades?!" Unfortunately, I yell too loudly and the entire class stares coldly at me and the teacher gives me a deathly glare.

"Elisabeth, detention." What?! I didn't do anything wrong?! I just yelled too loudly. Everyone does this and they never get detention.

"Teacher! It's not fair! I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Don't protest with me or else you'll get detention after school too." I guess I have no choice...

I leave the class and as I do, I stare at the new guy one last time. I just wanted to get to know him...Why does the teacher have to ruin this for me?

———————

As unfair as things are, it's now lunchtime and badly I want to sit with the new guy, Mason I believe. Other girls or guys will try to sit next to him first but I have to make sure I win this race.

I get in the cafeteria and sure enough, I notice Mason heading to a table all alone.

Without a second thought, I run to Mason's table and sit next to him. He gets rid of his AirPods and looks at me clearly bothered by my presence.

"Hey, you don't mind if I sit here huh?" I smile brightly.

"No..." Obviously, he doesn't mean it but I don't care.

"Cool"

I make sure to check all his features and immediately, I can't help but swoon over his looks. He's so handsome. Even though he's cold and arrogant a bit, I find it hot. What I really want though is to keep his attention on me.

"What were you listening to?"

"So nosy..." Huh?

"What did you say?" I smile brightly.

"I listen to EDM music."

"EDM music? I didn't take you for a guy like that."

"Stop trying to be my friend." I want to say more about that but suddenly a blond guy comes to bother us.

"Hey! What do we have here? Mason, you're sitting with Elisabeth..." He looks at my quiff-styled electric blue hair in disgust.

"He came to sit next to me not my fault." What? He used my pronouns?! He's the first person to do so!"

"He? I thought you could do better than that Mason. Why not sit with my gang?"

"I would rather sit all alone than hang out with losers like you." The blond-haired guy's fake smile falls flat. Wow! Mason is so perfect!

"Oh come on, my gang is still better than Elisabeth." His fake smile comes back on.

"No, thank you. I'm quite fine here." Wow!

"Fine, suit yourself." The tall guy stares at me coldly and then leaves.

"You were so cool there!"

"You didn't get the memo?"

"What memo?"

"It means you're not welcomed to this table either." I stare at him aghast.

"Why are you so mean? I just want to get to know you."

"And I prefer being left alone." Is this the end? Are my chances ruined?

"Well...earlier you said something that I find really nice."

"What again?"

"You used my pronouns correctly."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because as you may have noticed no one respects that here."

"It's the bare minimum of respect. You asked the teacher earlier to call you Eli and I can tell you want to use he/him/his pronouns. I have to respect that."

"Do you know how much I love you right now?"

"What? Love? You're saying utter nonsense. Go back to your friends." Oh...

"I don't have friends." His eyes light up in slight surprise for the first time.

"You don't have friends? I was sure you had seeing how much you talk. Wait, does it have to do with your gender and stuff?" He says confused and slightly surprised.

"Yes..." I say melancholic.

"Well, those people are the dumb ones. They can't see gender has nothing to do with you as a person." Wow...he's so...

I hug him and he tenses up.

"You have no idea how much those words mean to me."

"I get it, now get off." Despite wanting to hug him so more, I listen to his request.

He continues to eat while he puts back on his
Airpods on and so do I in silence. Eventually, the silence bothers me and I break the silence.

"You don't think the silence is boring?" He gets out his AirPods and looks at me confused.

"What?"

"You like it when it's silent?"

"Yes, I do."

"You don't get bored of it sometimes?"

"No" Oh...

"Well, I do."

"Good for you then." He tries to put his Airpods back on but I talk again.

"So, you really don't want to try to make friends?"

"No, why would I?"

"You get to have fun! You don't want that?"

"Not really?" He says with a fake unsureness.

"Wow, so you're really just a nerd."

"What did you expect?"

"Well, it's a shame you don't want to have friends because you are quite handsome."
I dare to say.

"Handsome huh? So, you think I'm handsome?"

"Yeah, you would do well with girls. You would be a catch to girls."

"Yeah...no."

"Guys then?"

"Neither? Are you trying to know which way I swing?"

"It wasn't my intention but..."

"I don't care about gender. Is that good enough for you?" What?

"I don't get it. What do you mean by that?"

"What are you trying to get at?"

"Ohhh..."

The silence comes back and immediately I try to find a way to get him to talk again.

"About earlier, how do you manage to get bad grades?"

"Easy, I sleep during classes and skip too. Don't you do that too?" Why does he assume that?

"What? No! Why would I do that?!" He seems slightly surprised by that.

"You don't? I was sure you did."

"Well, I don't but you sleep in class and you skip classes?"

"Yeah, why listen to utter nonsense?"

"What?"

"Come on, don't tell me you actually like school?"

"I like learning new stuff! It's cool!" Yet again he's surprised.

"Wow...I wasn't expecting that out of you."

"Neither did I."

"Now, can you shut up and leave me alone?"

"Fine..."

———————-

Lunchtime went by faster than I thought and classes too. Now the school day is over. In the end, Mason was right, during the last few classes he slept without a care in the world. He got woken up by others but in Math class, I got to sit next to him, our last class of the day so, I get to wake him up.

"Mason, wake up. Class is over."

He steers away and looks at me displeased as soon as he sees me. He gets up and leaves the class without uttering a word to me.

Ugh...why does he have to be cold to me? We literally talked during Lunchtime. Was I lucky that time?

There's no way I can give up! I badly want a friend and I want it to be him! I'll try to do anything to get him to become my friend.

Little did I know it wouldn't be that easy.

——————-

It's been an entire week and I haven't made any progress. He keeps either sleeping in class or skipping class. Exactly, as he told me. When he's not doing that he's all alone. The others stopped bothering him long ago once they learnt that he's not a part of us.

I wish I could say otherwise for me but he has been ignoring me. That first day was the most social he was. I find it hard. I really want him to talk to me. I can't let him go when he's the only one that has ever shown appreciation to me. He's so different and mysterious. I want to know what's underneath this person. If only he'd let me.

It's Saturday today but yet again god must have heard me because while I decided to shop already all alone, I notice him in the electronic shop just in front of us. I need to go talk to him! It's my only chance!

There, I basically run to Mason and as soon as he notices me out of breath, he looks at me all confused. Though, he doesn't utter a word. He avoids me...

"Mason!" Nothing...

"Mason! It's Eli! From school! You remember me right?!"

"What?" Finally!

"I saw you here and decided to tell you hi."

"Ok? It's done now. So, you can leave."

"No!"

"What do you mean no?"

"You should join my shopping spree! It's so boring without friends!"

"No"

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" He looks about ready to say no but I grab his wrist.

"Fine..."

"Yes! We'll have fun!" I tug at his wrist clothes but he doesn't budge.

"I have to pay for my new AirPods." Oh...I didn't notice the box in his hands.

"New ones? Didn't you already have AirPods?"

"I broke them."

"Oh..."

We go in line and while we do so a mom in her mid-thirties with her little kid compliments us.

"You two look like such a cute couple."Couple? Does she think we are a couple?!

"Ah, Mam, we aren't dating. You're misunderstanding." What? Immediately, he yanks out my hold on him.

"Oh...I thought you were dating that girl, my bad." She moves away. Girl...They can't see I have short hair styled like a boy?!

"Well...that was awkward."

"That woman was so rude. She assumed we were dating and even automatically assume you were a girl." He's bothered by that?

"Then what if we actually dated?"

"Us dating? Yeah...sorry no." What...?

"Are you rejecting me because I'm trans?"

"What? No! You're not even my friend!"

"Then, be my friend!" He becomes silent at that.

"I'll just play for my Airpods and leave."

"No! Don't leave! You promised you would hang out with my friend and I!"

"Ugh...fine." I smile brightly as it's his turn to pay.

After he pays, I push him in the direction of the shop right in front of us, the one I was in before I saw him. He looks around and keeps silent.

"Omg! We'll have so much fun!" He remains silent.

While he does, I spot an outfit I really believe would suit him. There's a gray hoodie that says "f**k class, I just want to sleep." What a coincidence. That's really like him. There's a black loose ripped on the knees, jeans. He needs to try it out!

Immediately, I take it.

"You need to try this on! It would suit you a lot!" He stares at the clothes.

"There's a cuss word on the hoodie?" He says slightly surprised.

"Yeah, seriously, try it on! It's so much like you!"

"Fine..." Yes!

"Now we have to find a cabin for you to try it out."

I look a bit in the store and find some changing cabins. While I do so, another woman in her forties this time, talks to us.

"Shopping for your boyfriend?"

"Oh, no! I'm shopping for myself too! He just agreed to tag along!"

The woman's smile falls flat because of pure judgment. She leaves right after. Of course...everyone wants to believe I would be cured if I had a boyfriend. There's no curing here. I identify as a boy and that's it. It's a part of me and I accept who I am.

Though, I'm disappointed...I thought he would defend me a bit.

"Go try these on!"

"Ok"

We ended up having lots of fun. He didn't want to buy clothes but I got him to agree. Regardless, I consider this a win. This might mean that Mason is my friend now!

Little did I know we would eventually become extremely close friends.