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Written
by: “Irene
Naridza”
IA PIC
MADE BY HOTPOT: https://hotpot.ai/art-generator
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Jake had a secret he had carried since childhood. He liked colorful things, was delicate, and generally enjoyed things meant for girls TV shows, dolls, and even clothing. He always felt drawn to wearing them but frustrated because he was never allowed to.
Amanda was
his only friend and the only person to whom he confessed his secret. One day,
they were at his house working on a school project. After finishing, he
suggested watching a movie. Once it started playing, he went to his room,
saying he was going to change into something more comfortable before making
popcorn.
Jake
returned as Jacky. He wore a simple light blue dress and white tights. He had
styled his short hair with a couple of pink hair clips. An outfit he managed to
steal from his cousin’s house at the last family gathering. When Amanda saw
him, her eyes widened, and she was speechless for a moment.
"You're more feminine than I am." she said, surprising Jacky, who had expected
her to mock him cruelly. "Come on. Bring
the popcorn." she added
before continuing with the movie. Jacky nodded and, with his heart pounding,
went to the kitchen, where he placed a bag of popcorn in the microwave.
Within
seconds, he was back with two large bowls filled with warm popcorn. "Don’t put the bowl on your dress. You’ll stain it." she advised. "Oh…
thanks." he replied before
placing a cushion on his lap to rest the bowl. "Don’t
you find this weird?" he
asked, still uncertain about her calm reaction. "I
think you look really cute." she
responded, making him smile. "Thanks."
From that day
on, she helped him get girls' clothes. He would give Amanda money to buy things
for him, and she would deliver them hidden in clean, empty fast-food bags. The
receipts usually had the logo of "Grace’s Site" at the top, along
with the store’s address.
Since Jake
was short for his age, it was easy for Amanda to find clothes in his size. He
hid his girl clothes in his drawers, beneath his regular boy clothes. When he
was alone at home, he would try on different outfits, sometimes sending
pictures to Amanda. She would laugh, a mix of tenderness and surprise.
One day,
while working on a school assignment at Amanda’s house, Jacky got the chance to
try on some of Amanda’s and her mother’s outfits. "Those
tights don’t go with those heels, and besides, they’re too big for you." she pointed out as her friend wobbled unsteadily.
"Oh, and you put the skirt on wrong. The
zipper goes on the side, not in the middle."
Jacky
listened carefully to her advice. He stepped out of the closet with the crimson
skirt properly adjusted, a pair of red flats, and a sweater featuring the
boutique's logo. "That store has a wide
variety of clothes. All for girls."
Amanda explained as they headed to the living room. "It’s very popular and gets even more crowded when
they have sales."
The movie
was about a boy who, like Jake, discovered that he liked girls' things. Slowly,
he opened up to his parents and friends, who accepted him with love. "I wish that were true." Jacky murmured softly when the movie ended. "Definitely." Amanda replied.
One day,
Jake checked the boutique’s address while riding his bike. He pedaled to a
quiet corner of the city, a border between a sea of buildings and residential
neighborhoods.
A simple
building stood out among the trees and parking spaces. Its facade was sturdy
and painted in purple, white, and pink. The sign, “Grace’s Site,” was written
in elegant cursive and illuminated with warm yellow lights, giving it a golden
appearance.
A few days
later, Jake and Amanda were walking home from school, chatting about how
difficult math and other subjects were becoming. "Are
you wearing the tights?" Amanda
asked in a low voice once they were in a secluded area. "Yes. But they’re not the white school ones, they’re
the colorful ringed ones.” he
replied with a smile.
"I can get you the girls' uniform if you want, but it’s not cheap.
They don’t sell them anywhere. They have to be custom-made." Amanda offered. "Of course, I want it! I can save my allowance.
Besides, I’ll only need the skirt and blouse." he replied eagerly. "The
seamstress usually doesn’t sell separate pieces. But I’ll see how I can
convince her." Amanda said
before saying goodbye.
Jake took
the bus home and, within minutes, arrived at his house. When he entered his
room, he found all his boy clothes scattered across the floor. His girl clothes
were nowhere in sight.
His heart
pounded as he rushed to find his parents and ask what had happened. He found
them in their bedroom, both wearing serious expressions. His mother gave him
the news that he would be transferring to a different school. His father
approached him and said they had found everything and were disappointed in him.
"MY ONLY SON WILL NOT DO THOSE THINGS." he declared without hesitation.
Crushed,
Jake returned to his room, gathered everything, and put it back in his drawers,
now much emptier. The only item he managed to keep was the pair of tights he
was wearing. He carefully placed them inside a bag and secured them with tape
at the bottom of his closet. He tried calling Amanda for comfort, but she
didn’t answer.
The
following week, Jake started at his new all-boys school. It wasn’t a bad place,
but he felt completely out of place. Although not everyone was overly serious,
he never felt comfortable talking to anyone. He still wore that last pair of
tights, taking extreme care to hide and wash them discreetly.
Jake tried
calling Amanda again, and this time, she answered. "Stop
calling me. I don’t want to hear from you ever again." she said. There was fear and sadness in her
voice, not anger or resentment. He realized the obvious; his father must have
gone to her house to confront her family, and they must have punished her. His
father was a lawyer and knew how to intimidate people using legal ambiguity.
The thought
of going to her house to try and fix things was tempting, but between his
schoolwork and the fear of further trouble, he couldn’t gather the courage.
Seeing the street that led to Amanda’s house from the bus window every day was
painful. She didn’t even update her social media anymore.
Months
later, he finally built up the courage and got off at a nearby stop. He still
remembered her parents’ work schedules and knew they wouldn’t be home at that
hour. He rehearsed a few lines in his head, trying to figure out what to say to
her.
He arrived
at the house where he had spent so many afternoons as Jacky. He knocked timidly
once, but there was no answer. He tried again, still nothing. A third time, and
now a neighbor passing by took notice. "No
one lives there anymore." she
said indifferently.
"What? Why?" Jake asked, frozen in place. "They
moved out a month ago." she explained before returning to her
chores. "Do you know where they went?" he quickly asked as she walked away. "No. They just mentioned selling the house. One day,
they packed up everything into a truck and left." she replied, paying no more attention to him.
Jake stood
alone on the sidewalk, speechless. He felt devastated and couldn’t stop blaming
himself for what had happened. Even though he always knew he would never be
accepted and that his preferences would always be a problem, the moments of
praise and validation from Amanda had made him relax and fantasize about a
better reality. That scenario of acceptance from the movie they had watched
together.
He had
intentionally left his drawer open and his girl clothes in plain sight. He had
hoped his parents would find them. He had imagined talking to them and getting
a good response, their acceptance. Now, he had no one's acceptance at all.
To Be Continued…
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