Footsteps hit the pavement behind me. I didn't turn around. I didn't need to. I already knew who it was.
The cold bit at my throat and made it hard to breathe. My chest ached, but I didn't slow down. I didn't know where I was going...just away. The gym wall came up fast on my left, and I turned sharp around it without thinking. My shoes skidded on the wet concrete, and I felt something catch on the edge of my coat. Might've torn it. I didn't stop to look.
"Hey, come on! You didn't even let us finish!"
Drew's voice. Too loud and way too close, trying to act like any of this was normal.
"She doesn't want to talk!"
Kyra, from behind him. Her voice was sharp and certain, and the way her boots struck the pavement sounded like she was marching into a fight.
"I just want an answer!"
Drew again. Still getting closer.
"I didn't say anything!" I half-turned back. "You can't just chase people like that!"
Adrian was last. He moved slow, hands in his pockets like none of it bothered him. His eyes never left me.
"You ran," he said.
"Because you were stalking me."
My back hit a fence. I hadn't even realized I'd stopped.
Drew stepped closer. I could feel his breath. "You weren't even going to hear us out?"
"She doesn't owe you anything," Kyra said. She moved between us like she'd been waiting for this.
"I just want to know why you've been avoiding us," Drew said. His voice had dropped, like he was trying not to push too hard.
I didn't answer. My hands were clenched, nails biting into my palms. My chest was tight and I couldn't slow my breathing.
"You said you'd think about it," Adrian said.
"I did. And I don't want to."
Drew threw up his hands. "So you've just been ghosting us for nothing?"
"I didn't ask for this. Any of it."
My shoulder was pressed into the fence. I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing there. Kyra squared up again.
"She doesn't owe you anything. Back off."
Adrian took one step forward. Just one. It was enough to make everything inside me clench.
"You could've just said no."
"I'm saying it now."
Drew opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, but nothing came. He let out a long breath. "Okay. We get it."
But they didn't. My skin still felt wrong. My heart was pounding, and everything sounded louder than it should.
I closed my eyes and tried to breathe.
Two years ago, I'd stood in the bathroom, staring into the mirror with a toothbrush in one hand, trying to figure out what was wrong with my own face. The edges of the glass were fogged up, but the center was clear enough to see.
I looked the same. That was the problem.
Why do I look normal when nothing feels right?
A cramp curled low in my stomach. Dull and deep. Same one that had been coming and going for months. Never consistent. Always lurking.
Just stress. Bad posture. Maybe dairy. That's what I told myself.
I leaned on the sink and breathed through it. Counted slow. Waited. It passed.
I grabbed my bag and went downstairs. My shoulders already hurt, and every step down made them worse.
Mom was at the door, keys in one hand and coffee in the other.
"Leftovers in the fridge," she said. "Back window's still cracked. Might rain."
"Okay."
She didn't wait for a reply. Just left.
Outside, the air was colder than it needed to be. The kind of cold that settles in the back of your neck and makes you walk faster without knowing why. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Twice. I didn't check it.
School looked the same. Bell. Lockers. People. But it all felt slightly tilted, like I was walking through a copy of the day instead of the real thing.
Second period was a blur.
Between classes, Kyra caught up and grabbed my arm.
"You look like crap."
"Thanks. Great to see you too."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Seriously, though. Are you okay?"
"Just tired."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but the bell cut her off.
Later, Drew found me between classes. Big grin, like nothing was weird.
"Still skipping today?"
"My knee's acting up."
"Still? You're falling apart."
"Pretty much."
"Me and Adrian are hanging out later. Kyra might come. You in?"
"I'll think about it."
"Come on, you can sit and complain like an old man."
"Already am one."
"Even better. Bring painkillers."
I didn't laugh.
The pain was back. Crawling under my skin near my hip, low and slow.
Lunch sucked. A slice of apple on my tray. I stared at it and didn't move.
Adrian sat across from me. Quiet.
After a minute, he said, "You're pale."
"Thanks."
"No, like actually pale."
I didn't say anything.
"Did you eat?"
"I did."
"Liar."
I almost told him. About the cramps. The aching joints. Waking up sweating and out of breath. Not recognizing my own walk in the mirror anymore.
But what's the point?
He started talking about his brother. I nodded along like I was listening.
By fifth period, the pain was sharp enough that I asked to go to the bathroom. My body felt heavy and too full of nothing. Like I was moving wrong.
The mirror didn't help. Still me. Still not.
My face looked the same. My eyes looked deeper. My skin looked off. Not sick. Just... wrong.
I didn't bother drying off. Just walked back out.
After school, they were all waiting at the gates like it was planned.
"You coming over?" Drew asked.
"No."
Kyra looked at me. She wasn't expecting anything. Just watching.
I walked home alone.
The door stuck like always. I dropped my bag and stepped into the hallway.
That's when it hit.
The pain was sudden and crushing. It folded me in half, and I dropped. No scream. No air. Just heat and cold and pressure and my own body turning against me.
Mom found me there. She didn't yell. Didn't ask questions. She helped me to the couch and sat down beside me, running her fingers through my hair like I was six again.
The next morning, she drove me to the clinic.
The whole thing blurred. Tests. Waiting. Needles. More waiting.
Dr. Serrano was the last one in. She had a calm voice and sharp eyes.
She asked me questions. I answered.
Then she asked, "Any tenderness? Pressure in your chest?"
I hesitated. "A little."
She looked at the chart, then at my mom. "Anything unusual at birth?"
Mom frowned. "Something. They said it wasn't a big deal. That it would sort itself out."
"No follow-ups?"
"They told us it wasn't necessary."
It went quiet for a beat too long.
Dr. Serrano nodded. "You're not sick," she said. "But your body's developing differently than expected."
My stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?"
She looked at me, serious now.
"You were listed as male at birth. But your scan shows otherwise. You've developed internal female anatomy. Hormones, structures, everything. It's not theoretical. It's already happening."
I didn't say anything.
That can't be right.
My mom's voice cracked beside me.
"You're... really a girl."