Ester sulked on the couch for the rest of the day, even when the rest of the family started making dinner in the kitchen. They were speaking hushed tones, probably about Ester. They’d always liked when she joined them. And until now it had always helped her feel like she was pitching in. It was good not to feel like a total burden.

She didn’t even care anymore.

“Ester,” Stephanie said softly from the kitchen, “Do you want to pick out desert tonight?”

Ester shook her head and curled up on the couch. They started talking about her again. She turned up the TV so that she didn’t have to listen to them anymore.

“What are you doing, you ungrateful bitch?” she asked herself.

April entered the room slowly, then sat down on the couch next to Ester.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, smiling softly.

“I’m fine,” Ester lied.

“I’m sorry, Ester.”

Ester glared at her, and April winced.

“I know that you’re having a hard time,” she said quietly, “because you won’t be able to break the curse. But I’m going to be here for you, okay? Whatever you need, just think of me as your younger sister, alright?”

Ester groaned. This girl was too pure and innocent to be the bad guy. How was the kindest person in the world responsible for her suffering like this?

Standing up, Ester muttered, “I’m going to my room. I… have homework I need to finish.”

April nodded, but her eyes were sad. Ester tried not to look at her, or Stephanie and Isaac. Once she was in her room, Ester collapsed into bed and groaned.

Eventually, there was a knock at the door and Stephanie told her that dinner was ready. Ester forced herself to smile and emerged from her room. She took her place at the table, where everyone was watching her like she might explode.

“How was school today?” Stephanie asked.

“It was fine, I guess,” Ester muttered, “Same as ever.”

Isaac asked, “How are you getting along with your friends?”

“Fine,” Ester insisted, “Talking to my sister more.”

April blinked in surprise, then mouthed, “Oh, right.”

“That’s good,” Stephanie replied, “Have you told her…?”

“Yes.”

“How did she take it?”

“How do you think?!” Ester snapped.

Stephanie scowled at her, but took a deep breath. Ester looked down at her chicken and poked at it with her fork. The table fell silent for a minute while everyone chewed silently.

“So, I was thinking,” April began, “Maybe we could do something to take your mind off of things. How about we get some of our friends and hang out in the park this weekend? I think Duela wanted to teach you how to skateboard.”

Ester frowned, then replied, “I’m really not feeling it, April. They aren’t going to want to bother with me.”

“They’re your friends too, Ester,” April insisted.

Isaac cleared his throat and added, “You might not feel up to it now, but if you give yourself a few days to prepare yourself mentally, you might be grateful you went through with it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ester told them, “I already have plans.”

“Oh?”

“If you must know, I have a date… with a boy.”

April dropped her fork.

“Ester, honey,” Stephanie said quietly, “Are you… sure… that you’re in a good place for that right now?”

“This is a big deal for you,” Isaac agreed, “You want to be sure about what you’re getting yourself into before committing to it.”

“A boy?!” April asked.

“You know what?” Ester said, standing up, “I’m not hungry. Thanks for dinner.”

April wouldn’t talk to her the next morning when they got on the bus for school. Ester didn’t say goodbye to her when they got off. She didn’t go to the library to find Thomas and Lilly and her old friends. All she did was go to her locker and head to homeroom, waiting for class to start.

Ester didn’t raise her hand at all during class. Teachers didn’t call on her except to ask why she had her head down. A few other students tried to talk to her, but Ester didn’t respond except with one-word answers.

She briefly spotted Phil while walking between classes. He nodded at her, and she tried to smile at him. As soon as he had passed, though, she let her head hang again.

Then lunch came. Ester considered going to talk to Carla again, but spotted her already with her friends. Rose’s table was full already. There was nowhere for her to go but outside on her own or to April’s table.

Ester sighed and approached April and her friends.

“There she is.”

“Where have you been, girl?”

“Come on, sit down.”

Ester tried to smile and sat down between Duela and another girl. She avoided Aprils’ gaze. There was a tension at the table that she didn’t remember before now.

“Are you okay, Ester?” someone asked.

April cleared her throat and asked Ester, “Do you want me to tell them?”

“Might as well,” Ester replied.

April nodded and told the table, “Ester heard back from the doctor. There’s no way to break the curse in time. So she’s going to stay a girl.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“If it’s any consolation, you make a great girl.”

“That’s too bad, Ester.”

“It’s not the end of the world. We’re still your friends either way.”

“Thank you,” Ester replied, her breathing unsteady, “I wasn’t even sure I really wanted to break it, but I still wish it felt like my choice.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”

“If there’s anything we can do to help…?”

“Actually,” Ester said, standing up, “I need some time alone. I’m sorry.”

Her vision was blurry. It was kind of hard to see as she stormed her way through the cafeteria and to the good bathroom. It was empty, thankfully, so she locked herself in a stall and started to cry.

“What am I doing?” she asked, “They don’t need to put up with me like this. Some friend I am, moping all the time.”

Ester started to sob.

“How do I get out of this?”

She pulled out her phone. Victoria’s number was still in her contacts. She said that if Ester called, she’d come.

“I’d just bring her down too,” Ester realized, before putting her phone away.

Once she’d managed to wipe away all of her tears with stiff toilet paper, Ester left the stall and stood in front of the sink mirror. She was a wreck. A few splashes of water helped, but her eyes were still red and puffy.

“I’ll shake this off,” she promised herself, “I have to by my date, at least. Phil deserves that much. And then maybe I’ll stop being such a burden on my friends. April’s friends. Who are only friends with me because I’m magically her sister now.”

She sniffed and closed her eyes so she wouldn’t start crying again.

Ester returned to the table and sat down to eat her lunch quietly. People asked her questions, but she kept her responses as curt as possible. She avoided April’s eyes.

Things were still pretty awkward, so Ester decided to leave and head to Chemistry early. Being alone in the halls made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She was too exposed. One of the Boys could easily find her like this.

“Hey!”

Ester jumped and nearly lost her footing. But it wasn’t a boy’s voice. Her heart sank and she turned around to face a cheerleader with cropped hair that she’d dyed red.

“Sue,” Ester breathed.

“Wow,” Sue said, folding her arms, “I always forget just how much like a real girl you look.”

“Did you just come here to insult me?” Ester asked quietly.

Sue glanced around as if they were being watched, then stepped closer to Ester.

“I heard you were going on a date this weekend. I wanted to check you out.” She glanced up and down Ester’s body, then shrugged. “I don’t see what’s so impressive. You look like any other girl.”

Ester felt like she’d been stabbed.

“Susie…” she muttered, fresh tears welling up in her eyes, “Why? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Come off it, Eli,” Sue said, “I saw how you and your friends used to shit on each other. You can’t tell me you’ve really lost your balls.”

“I thought you loved me.”

Sue shuffled uncomfortably.

“I did,” she said, “But that was then. This is now. Welcome to a girl’s life. Eat or be eaten.”

“None of April’s friends feel that way,” Ester insisted.

“Maybe not to your face.”

Ester felt her heart sink.

“Our relationship really means nothing to you,” Ester realized.

“We’re not in a relationship anymore,” Sue reminded her, turning away.

“Wait…”

Sue sighed and stopped.

“Was there…” Ester searched for the right words. “Was there ever any chance for us? If the Girls hadn’t reacted so poorly to my curse? Do you think we could have made it work?”

Sue shook her head.

“I’m straight, Eli—”

“That’s not my name.”

“Whatever.” Sue rolled her eyes. “We broke up because of you, remember? Not the Girls.”

“I didn’t want to break up,” Ester replied, “I wanted to break the curse so we could stay together. I thought you did too.”

“I did,” Sue snarled, “But then you went and made a girl out of yourself. Are you even gay, Eli? Or whatever you’re calling yourself now? Do you like girls? Because you’re not going out with one.”

Ester looked away, her face burning.

“That’s what I thought,” Sue said, turning and walking away, “Have fun. Maybe once you’ve had a guy yourself you’ll understand why I can’t settle for anything less.”

Ester sniffed, then turned around so she wouldn’t have to watch Sue leave. She took a few deep breaths and shook her head, then continued onto Chemistry. But her thoughts were still on Sue.

Her heart ached. Ester knew that Sue had moved on a long time ago, but it still hurt. There was no more love in her eyes. Ester was just another girl to her. The thought ate away at the back of her mind as the got to her class and sat down outside the door to wait for the teacher.

Class was quiet for Ester. She kept her head down and didn’t answer when Mr. Stevens called on her. Briefly, she thought she saw Cole turn around in his seat to stare at her. It was probably in her imagination.

Ester kept her head down as she left class, walking slowly. There wasn’t much point in hurrying. She made it to her locker by the time the warning bell rang, but trudged along and was left alone in the halls on her way to her final class of the day.

“Ellie!” someone cried.

Ester looked up and her breath caught in her throat. Leon, all two hundred fifty pounds of muscle, was standing at the end of the hall with a sneering Jimmy behind him. Ester glanced behind her. Cole was standing there, a sleeveless shirt showing off the two years of weightlifting he’d done.

Her mouth was dry.

“Fuck me,” she muttered, reaching into her coat pocket.

They started closing in on her. Ester was shaking. From fear, yes, but there was something else. Who did these fuckers think they were? They were still trying to harass her after all this time.

“Get out of here, Boys,” she warned, “I’m through putting up with your shit.”

“That’s cute,” Leon said, striding closer, “You’ve had this coming for a long time.”

Blood was pounding in Ester’s ears. Her breathing was shallow. There was no way for her to keep her eyes on all three at once. And if one laid a hand on her, she was dead.

They weren’t going to stop, and there was no one around to save her this time.

“Fuck this,” she said, pulling a long pocketknife out of her pocket and flicking it open.

“Do you remember this?” she asked, holding it up, “It’s the same one my sister almost gutted you with. How are your kidneys, Leon?”

Jimmy seemed to hesitate, but Leon just sneered. Ester turned to point the knife at Cole.

“I’m going to start with you,” she insisted.

Cole furled his brow and threw up his hands.

“Fuck that noise,” he said, “I’m out. You two deal with this crazy bitch without me.”

He turned and started walking away. Ester smirked and turned to brandish the knife at the other two. She focused her attention on Jimmy.

“I’m going to enjoy carving you up, scrawny,” she growled.

Jimmy gulped and took a few steps back. He glanced between Ester and Leon, who was glaring at him. But finally he mumbled something too faint to hear and turned to run down the hall.

“And then there was one,” Ester said, cracking her neck.

Leon flared his nostrils and took another step forward, but Ester held the knife up and bent her knees. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn’t keep her breathing steady.

“This isn’t over, freak,” Leon warned, “The more you put it off, the worse it gets for you. Remember that next time I see you.”

He turned and stormed off. Ester waited until he was out of sight, then collapsed to the ground. She folded up the knife and stuck it back into her pocket, then smiled.

“Thank you, Carla,” she muttered, “No wonder she loves these.”

Ester pulled herself to her feet and smiled. She was so late for class, but it didn’t matter. For all the shit she had to put up with, only one thing mattered.

She wasn’t fucking giving up yet.