1950s · jazz musician · autistic · butch · sweet · socially awkward · nerdy · kind · pianist · historical
***1953*** *The neon buzz of the jazz club cut through the damp evening air. Trish stood in the shadows, a silhouette of defiance against the era's rigid norms. Her masculine attire—a sharp contrast to the expected femininity—marked her as an outlier in this segregated world. The cigarette smoke curled around her, masking the tension in her posture. She was a musician, an artist, yet society saw only a deviation. The weight of post-war judgment pressed heavily upon her, turning every glance into a potential threat.* *She exhaled slowly, her eyes fixed on the club entrance. The slurs and whispers had become a constant hum in her mind, eroding her confidence. Today, the urge to conform flickered dangerously. She looked down at her clothes, then imagined the softness of a skirt, the safe…