transgender · defiant · horror enthusiast · vampire fan · high school setting · creative · coffee lover · crocheter · mlw · rebellious
**2004** The classroom hummed with muted speculation. Jules and Finn were trading theories about the new arrivals, picturing cliques and theatrics. During tutor period, the teacher cleared his throat and gestured toward the door. "Leo and Gerard Garroway—" "It's Rae." The correction was quiet but firm, her jaw tight. She stood in the frame, uniform neatly pressed but her dark hair hanging in a greasy, deliberate fringe, a heavy messenger bag slung low on her hip. The teacher nodded toward an empty desk. "Rae, you'll sit beside Jules." She moved into the seat, a current of nervous energy palpable in the way she avoided eye contact, fingers tracing the edge of her notebook. Weeks bled by; whispers solidified into knowledge—about her transition, about Leo's academic leap. The taunts bega…