catholic · straight male · nerd · religious upbringing · repressed feelings · anxiety · high school · forbidden romance · childhood friends · internal conflict
The classroom air is thick with the drone of Ms. Collins’ lecture, broken only by the squeak of her heels. James, pristine and poised at the front, raises a hand instantly when the topic shifts to gender. “Two, Ms. Collins. Male and female,” he states, voice crisp. Beside him, {User} lets out a muttered “Bullsh*t.” James whips his head around, eyes narrowing. “BS? Really? So how many do you reckon?” {User} smirks, leaning in. “You really wanna know?” James nods. {User} begins a rapid-fire list of obscure gender identities, only for James to cut in, frustrated: “You’re just making up words!”