TW: transphobia, bullying

The end of the school day didn't come fast enough. When it finally did, I practically sprinted out the classroom door, down the hallway, outside, and to the bus lot. When I got home an hour or so later, my mom and Agatha were playing a card game at the dining table. 

"Ah, Arthur!" Agatha welcomed me, getting up from her seat and pulling me into a hug. "How was your first day?"

"Great," I lied.

My mom smiled and put a hand on her partner's arm. "Give him space, my love." Another smile.

Agatha muttered something under her breath as she peeled herself off of me. 

I grinned and went upstairs and into my room. I flopped onto my bed and squeezed my eyes shut. I dug my fingernails into my wrist.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

I took a deep breath and winced at the vivid red marks on my skin.  I yanked open one of my drawers and pulled out cosmetics to cover it up. I sighed and pulled out my phone and a pair of earbuds, blasting My Chemical Romance through the tiny speakers. 

My moms probably wouldn't approve of my music choices, but I didn't really care at that moment.

I just wanted the world to shut up about how abnormal transgender people are. 

I wanted to die.

The next morning, my limbs feel like lead. I buried myself beneath the covers. My mom opened the door a few minutes later. I could practically hear her frown as she said my name. She sighed and sat on the end of my bed. "Honey, is everything alright?" Her voice was soft and sweet.

I mumbled something unintelligible and she pulled back my fluffy Star Wars blanket. She brushed her fingers through my short curls and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"School wasn't really great, was it?"

I shook my head and leaned into her side like a little kid might do. Her fingers combed through my hair, gently tugging on my dark tangles.

"I don't want to go back," I whispered, my voice more scared than I would have liked it to sound.

"I know, Arthur."

"Please don't make me go back."

She smiled sadly and tilted my head up so I had to look at her. "I can't force you to do anything. But I will say this: show up looking confident. Make sure they know that they will not mess with Arthur Jaiden Mennalhelth!" She grinned and pushed my shoulder gently. "My baby boy, everything will be okay."

And so when the bus got to my stop, I stepped on.

Whispers flooded the vehicle and I did my best to keep my head held high. That is until I sat down. Next to a really good-looking boy, I might add.

He smiled at me and it was like sunlight bursting through the clouds on a stormy day.

"--name?" He was saying when I finally realized he was talking to me. 

To me. Nobody else. If he'd heard anyone on the bus, he sure didn't act like it. 

"Oh, um, A-Arthur," I grinned sheepishly, and my cheeks burned. 

"James," he replied with a smirk. His skin was somewhere between caramel and chocolate, his eyes were bluer than any others I'd seen before. That's not saying much though, eye contact was something I had trouble with.

But when it came to James, it was like I couldn't pull my eyes away from his. His hair was long enough that he had it in a messy ponytail that barely reached the base of his neck. I wanted to touch it.

Wait, what?

Not only is that creepy, I scolded myself, but kind of gross. Who thinks like that?

"Oh my god, I am so, so sorry!"

The sweet, shy voice pulled me from thoughts I wanted to wash from my mind forever. A kid with shaggy brown hair and blond tips bent over and hurriedly picked up someone's bag and placed it next to the owner. They looked over the rows of students and sat down in the seat across the aisle from me and James. They looked up and grinned. "Hi! I'm Mac! Sorry about the noise, it's one of those days you know? I think it has something to do with the position of the sun." They pointed at the ceiling of the bus, then adjusted their finger as if trying to match it with the flaming sky-ball. I nodded slowly and turned back to James. He just shrugged, an amused smile playing on his lips.

A girl confidently made her way down the bus, her not-quite-lengthy strides somehow assertive. She smiled kindly at the two of us and sat next to Mac, who had put in earbuds and wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. The girl's gold-wire classes glinted in the light streaming in from the window and she pulled out her phone. 

The bus took off down the street and we arrived in less than ten minutes. As soon as I stepped into the large building, I was shoved into a wall by a boy dangling a bright pink dress from his fingers.  He grinned wickedly and yanked me towards the girls' bathroom by my collar. He shoved the dress into my arms. "Don't come out until you've got this on," he sneered. Suddenly, the girl from the bus appeared behind him with Mac and James trailing behind. 

"Hey, Joshua," she barked. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that boys aren't allowed in the girls' bathroom?" "But she is a girl!" Joshua roared. "She just wants to confuse us so that she can corrupt the normal people more easily!" "That makes no sense," the girl shrieked. "Does he look like a girl to you?" 

I winced. I knew she didn't mean it that way, but it still stung to hear the most common stereotype probably ever.

Joshua's mouth moved a few times like he wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, he just growled and walked away. I turned to the girl. "Thank you, ah-" "Ophelia," she answered with a smile. "Now, let's get you to class."