Why did they mention that memory? It's not like I want to play as a girl.
But I can't deny his words. All of my life, I was treated like a little doll playing dress-up with my older sister. It made sense since I was born as a girl.
At first, I had no issues but annoyance with my sister's crazy hobbies that evolved into her dream career that we shared together. I dealt with how conservative my mother and aunt were when it came to entertainment. But once I entered middle school, I grew uncomfortable with what they called "female standards". Skirts and dresses were too embarrassing, long hair was making me sweat, and Mary-Jane's shoes and ballet shoes were too tight for me to wear every day. Even when I tried to follow the trends my sister and classmates were into, I was unhappy with my appearance. I was supposed to be a perfect little girl, an image my family wanted me to become. But in the end, all that was giving me was grief and confusion. It's as if I wasn't born as a girl to begin with.
I continued enduring this frustrating life with dresses and ponytails. But one day when I was visiting my father, I saw a black suit small enough for a kid to wear. It didn't seem like one of his childhood clothes since it was new at the time and some of my cousins were also visiting, so I'm guessing it belonged to one of them. I got too curious the moment I set my eyes on it. So to satisfy it, I removed my mother's pink dress behind her back and wore the suit. I remembered it was a bit tight. But just wearing pants instead of a skirt was the most liberating act I've ever done. While it was a brief time, I realized how much I love wearing that suit. That was something I couldn't replicate the feeling with the clothes my mother bought.
Ever since then, I tried to find a way to wear boy's clothes without being caught. Since I was the only girl at that time, I couldn't find them other than my Dad's. So I tried saving up to buy my own clothes while keeping up appearances. But in my attempts to buy them, I ran across two of my classmates at the same store. They had no issues talking to me despite being weird for a girl to be in a boy's section of a department store. Yet as I continued to talk to them, the more connected I was than with other girls. It's to a point when the nerd of the two mistaken me for a boy since I tried out some outfits that time. Rather than being offended, I feel like it was a compliment.
Then, that comment alone opened my eyes to a realization. And those classmates whom I encountered became my closest friends.
A lot has happened when I realized my true identity. I moved out of my house once I got a scholarship with Lucas and Brycen and I distanced myself from Nelly since she still couldn't comprehend my gender change. I thought I changed my life around once my transition was finished...
But discrimination happens and right now, the source of my frustrations returned as I watched my sister tilt her head while I put down the burgers and approached them with a huff.
"What are you guys talking about? I only told her that she's too cute to change her character so suddenly," she said. "If she did, I would be sad that I have to show some photos just to change her mind..."
Yeah, that's definitely blackmail, alright... I quickly step between Nelly and my harasser and push them away from each other before she could reach her phone. "Stop it. Did we promise that you're not supposed to show those photos in public?"
"How rude! I still can't believe you're too shy to share it on social media. Maybe those boys might be a bad influence on you after all. You may still delude yourself as a boy, but you're still one of the elegant daughters of the Spencer family! Mom won't be happy if you keep this up."
"You heard her, Haley. Why don't you go back to your dresses for once?" The leader spoke up. "Unless you want to go back to your old cosplay~"
...That finally did it.
I didn't know what went over me. But the rage inside me was almost full and I couldn't hold my fist any longer. But their laughter was too much and I couldn't bear this humiliation any longer!
Just one punch... No, two punches to shut them up! My sister who couldn't accept who I am and those jerks who kept mocking me...
It would be better if they had black e-
BLAM!
"-he f*ck?!"
It was all too sudden. I was about to throw the punch at one of those jerks. But instead, Lucas ends up doing the deed in my place. He didn't pinch my sister (thank god), but he did so to the leader of my hecklers. That was enough to snap me out of my anger and realize I was about to do something horrifying.
"GRAAAAGGGHHHH!!! YOU BASTARD!!!" The leader screamed while holding his nose in pain. "You almost break my nose! Are you asking for a lawsuit?!"
He's right. We're in public and he just got out from the Goodie's incident. At this rate, he needs to back off before...
"So what?" I quickly froze once I heard an unexpected response from him. "I'm willing to tarnish my reputation once more to protect my friend's dignity. Unless your friends are also asking for another beatdown."
No way... I can't believe Lucas said all of that without hesitation in his voice. He's already aware of the consequences, but that didn't matter to him anymore. He only cared about me and nothing else. But at this rate, his bluffs would lead him to the hospital.
"Bastard... You're asking for trouble now!"
I quickly brace myself as soon as he raises his fist towards Lucas. But before he can lunge it to his face, one of his goons suddenly grabs his arm and shouts, "No, boss! You can't! Have you seen the news lately?"
"What news?" The leader asks with his eyebrows raised.
"You know! The viral clip that shows an incident happening in Goodie's a few days ago?!"
He takes out his phone and shows it to his leader. I didn't see the clip, but I hear snippets of it with Lucas and Eric's voice included. To my shock, I also heard Eric's scream by the end of it. I had already seen some clips of the incident through different perspectives before, but it felt so surreal seeing a quiet guy like Lucas flipped Eric with no hesitation. By the looks of the heckler's face, I feel like he's getting second thoughts on kicking my butt.
"Wait, that did happen?! There's no way this was faked!"
"I don't know. But let's not mess around before that guy in glasses does something crazy to us!"
The leader grumbled under his breath and turned to glare at me. But when he shifts to Lucas, he punches the nearest shelf behind him. "You win this round, girly. But know that you're still a girl no matter what clothes you wear. Kekeke..."
That's all he can say before he and my bullies leave the store. I'm glad that's over. But at what cost?
"Guys, are you okay?!"
Bryce quickly runs up to us with a plastic bag of food in his hand while I quickly rush to Lucas's side.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Wish I can say the same to Lucas." I turn to him next. "Speaking of which, what were you thinking?! Don't you know you're going to be canceled online if you punch him like that?!"
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"My sister's right!" Nelly then approaches us with concern that I can't tell if it's real or not. "Not everyone on the net will see you as a hero if you attack him unprovoked."
"But if I don't, then your brother will take the blame instead. I rather keep up with the perceived reputation than let him tarnish his own out of anger," Lucas answered. "As for the "blackmail" thing you and that guy mentioned... I don't know the details, but if you keep denying his new identity in front of him, then you're denying reality itself. Keep that in mind if you meet someone like him back home."
Lucas... He barely knew about my family issues, yet he didn't hesitate to defend me and my rights as a transgender male. Brycen didn't say much, but he didn't budge from where he was standing and made sure she wasn't near me by accident without my input. Those guys... They may be in their own little worlds, but they do care more about me than my sister ever did.
"Come on, guys. We can't let our food get cold." Lucas turned to me next and smiled. "The burgers are on me anyway."
I smiled back at him. I follow them out of the store without looking back at Nelly. I'm sorry that I'm not going to be the "little sister" of your dreams. But this is who I am. I'm Harley and while I still follow my fashion dreams, I live my life without you and Mom's nagging.
I sighed as I sipped a bottle of cola before I took a bite of my cabbage and mayonnaise burger. This was supposed to be a peaceful housewarming party with my friends in my new apartment. Instead, I ended up in Harley's family drama. I still can't believe that his sister kept denying his new identity. I heard from him that he has a conservative family, but I never expected them to stay ignorant of his transition. I swear, they might not like my parents. But they're the whole other level of neglect and discrimination.
So far, the "party" went off without a hitch. We mostly play card games since I haven't unpacked my [VeilCon] yet and chat about the news relating to my sister's surprise appearance at a convention and
"Yo, Earth to Harley! How long are you gonna mope over your sister?!"
And when I said "can't leave him frowning", I didn't mean blurting it out loud as Bryce did. Oh well... At least he made a nice icebreaker from his sadness.
"Bryce is right. Besides, I dealt with this kind of backlash before. With the Goodie's incident still fresh in their minds, I doubt they're going to mess with you now that I've moved here," I said.
"I know. It's just..." Harley groaned. "The more I see Nelly or my Mom, the more I regret becoming trans in the first place. And my top surgery won't happen until next week!"
"That's what 0.5 people said after they transitioned. Boogle said it, not me," Bryce said. "But you have to ask yourself: Why did you think you're a boy in the first place? Last time we heard your answer, it's not just to avoid dresses, heels, and skirts."
Harley almost buries his head on the table. But he hums and raises his head to us. "It's who I really am. That's it. There's no complicated answer for it. The more I think about myself, the less I understand about my gender. And the moment you guys mistook me for a boy, it clicked. I wasn't offended by your remark. Instead, felt happy about the fact that I am a boy. I guess it's all based on experience."
He's not wrong about it. To be honest, Bryce and I almost panicked when we told him that he was a boy during our first meeting. We thought we might have insulted him. But instead, he was bawling his eyes out and thanking us as a compliment. We almost labeled him as a weirdo until he told us the reason behind his reaction and the rest was history.
"Yep. I remember we spent a few weeks researching transgender and what it meant to transition and understanding them," Bryce recalled. "Just reading all of those articles on the net made me think we're prepared for anything Harley's life would throw at us. Turns out we missed some that warned us about the bullies and his conservative Mom hitting him like 10-ton bricks raining down on him while we ended up in the crossfire."
I narrow my eyes when I stare at Bryce. "That's...a decent way to describe Harley and his self-esteem being targeted by the people he knows."
Harley then sighed. "I wouldn't survive the rest of the middle school if you guys hadn't been there to support me. I would do anything to return the favor until I'm ready to take on the world by myself."
"Even if it meant giving up your chance to attend a Fashion Institute like your sister?" I asked.
"Oh, please. I would get nightmares just going to college with her naivety." He sighed again. "I just wish she stops pretending I'm still a girl."
"That would be the day..." I mumbled before I took another bite of my burger. "Besides, I thought you said your Dad already approved of you when you came out before graduation, right?"
"Yeah. Wish I could say the same with them. But you're right. I should focus on my fashion endeavors and [Isekai]. Namely, I finally bought enough [Adaments] for a [Gender Bender Potion]."
Both me and Bryce widen our eyes at the news. "Seriously?! That's great news! But you should bought the potion already."
"Easier said than done. With my sister's "blackmail" spreading around the neighborhood like wildfire, it's a matter of time until my Mom finds out that I haven't changed my mind."
I sighed at this. "Does it matter? Take it from me, I keep making excuses just to get away from David's bullying in and out of the game. But if you don't do it now, you will regret it for the rest of your life. It's better to do it now than wait until it's too late."
Harley then looks at me with widened eyes. "Wow... That's...oddly motivating. And so not like you, Luke. What happened while I was busy with my fashion thesis last week?"
"You could say he's having a howling time..."
I quickly elbow him before he starts spouting out our secret by accident. "Trust us. It's better you don't want to know."
After the party, Brycen and Harley went home for the night before midnight struck. I can't believe my moving day ended up more eventful than I thought it was. I'm glad it went off without a hitch after the incident downstairs. Thankfully, I managed to unpack my pillows, [ADVR] equipment, and lamp to turn in for the night and the bed that the landlord and Mr. Spencer provided was much more comfortable than my old one. Looks like I won't be worrying about my back for the night.
But as much as I want to unpack more of my stuff from the other boxes and play [Isekai], I'm already exhausted and I need to prepare for the test and training tomorrow. For now, I should check the [Wolf Space] app and see what my [Inner Wolf] is up to. Of course, when I booted it up, I saw him fiddling around a meat bone like a bored dog until he saw me and barked.
[Me! You're back! Are you here to play with me?]
Man... Just looking at him panting with a smile reminds me more of a puppy than a scary werewolf on my phone.
[It's good. But it's much better when you're around!]
Huh... I guess he's not much of a patient type like me. Then again, I recall Danica's words about me being reckless and impatient in the past. Was I really that bored back then?
[Sounds great! Let's play! Let's play!]
So we did just that. We played several minigames available in [Wolf Space] for an hour. Some of them were basic ones such as Minesweeper, Tic-Tac-Toe, and Hide and Seek with my [Inner Wolf]. The more I played with him, the more I wondered if he was more than a special NPC based on myself. He has several aspects of my childhood self such as my love of exploring small caves and forests, playing on the monkey bars and virtual sandbox, and being simply energetic. Maybe the game just helps me rediscover my childhood in weird ways.
Either way, it's a nice change of pace than immediately write my stories or playing [Isekai]. After our little playdate, I prepared for bed and just in case I haven't nod off, I decided to do one more thing I never think of doing. I switch to Quitch and played a recent VOD of a certain Vtuber.
"Hear me, soldiers! For I have come to bring love and bonds for all!" An anime woman with bright pink hair with red highlights on her bangs declared. I couldn't see her outfit since I could only see from above her neck, but I could tell she wore pink armor with a light red frilly collar. "I am known as the Warrior of Love,
Now that I saw her Vtuber persona, I can't believe how happy she looks on virtual camera. Which makes me feel guilty of missing out her streams in real time. I know I can't watch it all night, but I want to see how she's doing without me.
"I'm sad that this is only a quick stream since I need to be in New York for the Blazing Waves Anime Convention this week. And yes, I have a lot of things to do other than meet and greets. And no, I'm not the type to blurt out everything I planned for my visit..."
Of course, she has to show off. But suffice to say, she's aware of my wants and privacy, unlike Harley's sister. That's something I want for both of us...