One

"Dylan, are you almost ready?" Mom asked, speaking through my bedroom door.

"Yeah," I called back. I listened to her going down the steps before I finished preparing my backpack. As I placed the last book in inside and slung it on my back, I looked around my room. Half-unpacked boxes littered the area, making it obvious that my family had moved here very recently. It was tough to say goodbye to what few friends I had and move across the country, but here I was... about to start at a whole new school. I wondered how things would go.

I walked out of my room and greeted Mom again. Dad was already at work, so the house would be all hers once I got to school.

"Are you ready?" she asked, rather more cheerfully than I felt at the moment.

I nodded. Mom seemed to notice my concern over the coming day and placed a loving hand on my shoulder.

"You're going to a good school, sweetie," she said, "you'll be fine."

I gave her a hug. "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome," she said, giving me a warm smile.

With that issue settled, Mom and I went outside to face the Indiana sun. Well, at least however much of it was out at 7 AM. The drive to Cathy James High School wasn't too long, but my remaining nervousness seemed to make it longer. It did not, however, stop us from arriving. I avoided sighing as I opened the car door and stood up.

"Have a good day!" Mom called.

I waved back at her, "You too."

Mom gave me one last smile as she drove away, leaving me to enter my new school. Students were slowly filing into the building. I reluctantly followed. As I walked the halls to find my locker, I found that not many people were giving me that curious glare usually reserved for new students. Maybe the place was friendlier than I thought.

At my old school, I was almost forced to be shy and introverted. I wasn't treated very well at all, so I made very few friends and kept even fewer. But... this new school was a new chance. If I played my cards right, I could banish my old self and become my real self again. The apparent friendliness of Cathy James High reassured me of that dream.

I found my locker easily enough; the small size of the school helped keep the lockers organized. As I approached my locker, a girl hurriedly left the locker next to it, practically diving into a nearby classroom. I barely got a glimpse of her; she really seemed to be in a hurry. I decided not to worry about it for now. Being locker neighbors, we were bound to meet eventually.

I took a last look at my schedule once my supplies were in my locker. I had to go to Homeroom in Class 2-D. Looking at the doors around me, I found that the room was right next to my locker! It was also the same room that the mystery girl dove into.

A quick peek into the room revealed that it was nearly full. The back rows were much more filled than the front rows, unsurprisingly, but a single desk in the far corner was empty.

Behind that empty desk, the girl sat. I felt drawn to the seat, so I made my way further into the classroom and sat there. Several students shot me odd looks as I settled into it. Ignoring them, I turned toward the mystery girl. She seemed surprised to see me sitting in front of her.

"Hello," I said, cheerfully, "I'm Dylan."

The girl seemed torn between responding and staying silent. She slid backwards, further into her seat, and began twiddling her first fingers.

"...Amy," she spoke, almost in a whisper. She continued to twiddle her fingers, looking at them instead of me.

"It's nice to meet you, Amy," I said. Amy did nothing but twiddle her fingers for the few remaining seconds before the bell rang. A teacher walked into the room, gaining the attention of the class. He wrote his name, Mr. Gloson, on the board. He was old enough to seem wise, with graying hair and a growing beard. He looked over the classroom.

"Welcome back, students," he said in a gruff, yet friendly voice. Nobody answered him. He looked over us again, this time stopping when his eyes met mine.

"Ah, it seems that we have a new student with us. Would you care to stand up and introduce yourself?" he said.

Feeling everybody's eyes on me, I stood up. "Hello," I said nervously, "My name is Dylan Adams, and I recently moved here from California."

I looked to Mr. Gloson for escape, and he seemed to approve of what I had said. I sat down as the rest of the class started murmuring. Among the many phrases, I caught "Oh, so he is new" and "no wonder he's sitting there."

I couldn't help but wonder... just what was going on, and why did Amy seem to have a part in it? I wondered what she was doing behind me as Mr. Gloson proceeded to go through some standard first day points. It wasn't long before we were sent to our first actual class. I noticed that Amy was one of the first people out of the door, despite sitting the furthest from it.

As I walked to my first class, I couldn't help but think about Amy. I remembered her lengthy black hair as it framed her face and soft brown eyes. She wasn't wearing much makeup; just enough to get by. She looked plain, but it almost seemed as if she was doing it on purpose... as if she didn't want to be noticed.

Then... why did I notice her?

I wasn't sure whether to dwell too much on it or not as I walked to class. However, I was struck with a strange sense of Déjà Vu upon entering room 2-A. Aside from a few different faces surrounding it, there was an empty seat in front of Amy, who sat in the back corner of the room. This time, as I looked toward her, she made eye contact briefly before looking away nervously. I decided to sit in that oddly vacant seat once again.

"Hello again," I said to my new acquaintance.

She looked at me before answering. "Why... are you sitting there?"

Hm. I expected a "hello", or something. I shrugged. "The seat was empty."

Confusion fell on Amy's face as she looked down again. "Nobody sits in front of me..."

Now, it was my turn to be confused. "Why not?"

My simple question seemed to stun Amy into silence. She slid backwards into her chair again and began twiddling her fingers. She didn't want to answer my question... or maybe she couldn't. Either way, pushing the issue seemed like a bad idea. The class would start soon, anyway.

Thankfully, the class was math, one of my best subjects. The hour went very smoothly. When I turned around at the sound of the bell, Amy was already gone. I couldn't catch her at our lockers, either, nor was she in my next two classes. However, I managed to find her at lunch. She was sitting at a table near the back of the Cafeteria, along with two or three other girls. As I began walking toward the lonely looking table, a hand tapped my shoulder. I turned around.

"Going to talk to Amy again?" a blonde boy asked.  

"That's the plan," I said, "by the way, I'm Dylan."

"Tony." he said. "Are you sure about Amy?"

I furrowed my brow. "Yes, I am. Why is that such a problem around here?"

Tony fidgeted slightly. "Well, Amy's, um, well, just considered to be some kind of freak."

Anger flashed within me. "You don't know, do you?" I accused.

"I know why!" he assured me, "It's just that you wouldn't want to know, is all."

My anger remained. "What? Do you think that I can't handle the truth?"

"Um, well..." Tony stammered. He couldn't seem to think of a suitable answer to my question, so I decided to leave him alone and continue walking toward Amy. He didn't stop me.

As I approached the table, two of the girls moved aside to let me sit down. Conveniently, the newly opened seat was right across from Amy. I sat down to find another confused look on Amy's face.

"Hello," I said. Amy didn't react for a moment, then her expression changed to one of caution.

"Hello," she said.

I was glad that she greeted me back, this time.

"Are these your friends?" I asked, motioning to the three girls around me.

"Sort of," Amy nodded slowly, without taking the cautious look off her face.

I decided to jump the gun.

"Do you think we could be friends?" I asked.

I watched as Amy almost smiled. Her apparent happiness quickly morphed back into caution.

"Why could you want to be friends with... me?" she asked, starting to revert to twiddling her fingers again.

Noticing the sign of her closing herself off, I thought quickly. I didn't want to tell her the real reason for my persistence, but I didn't want to outright lie, either.

"You're an interesting person," I said, hoping that she wouldn't take it badly.

When Amy looked back up at me, anger framed her face. "You're lying," she said resolutely. For just a moment, her shyness had been banished.

I sighed. She was quick. "Okay," I said. "The real reason is that... when I see you, I see someone who is alone, even when around other people. At my old school, I felt the same way... I know how much it hurts. I just don't want anyone else to feel the same pain I did," I explained. If I had kept talking, I would have started crying.

Amy didn't give me a visible reaction. Perhaps she was hiding her emotions this time. Instead, she asked me a simple question.

"Do you pity me?"

I was shocked by the question. It was the last thing I expected anybody to ask me. 

"...No," I said, after a long pause. I wanted to help her because of my suffering... not necessarily because of hers. Together, neither of us had to be alone, right?

Amy let some of her relief show, extending a dainty hand toward me.

"I'd... like to try," she said.

"Being friends?" I asked.

She nodded slowly. I took her hand in mine.

"Friends, then," I said, smiling at my first friend in Indiana. I was glad to see a faint smile of her own... even if it carried more than just a hint of caution. With that small little smile, I was able to leave school for the day feeling like I had accomplished something. I had not only made a friend for myself, but I became a friend for someone who really wanted... no, needed, one.

Two

"So, do you know why people seem to try and avoid you?" I asked Amy at lunch, one day.

In the two weeks I had gotten to know her, she had relaxed somewhat in my presence. She seemed to be afraid that I would abandon her, but I felt that she was realizing that her fears were unfounded. My question would have caused her to retreat within herself a week ago, but today... she simply frowned.

"Would you be mad at me... if I said I didn't want to talk about it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Of course not. I wasn't trying to push."

"Thanks," Amy said, giving me her faint smile again. I wondered when she'd give me a real one.

"Hey," I said, changing the subject, "would you like to go cruise the mall later today?"

Confusion fell on Amy's face. "Like... a date?"

I laughed, "Nah. Just two friends spending some time together. What do you say?"

"You'll stay close to me... right?" she asked, looking down.

I didn't know why she wanted that assurance, but I nodded my head. She smiled again. "Okay."

I smiled myself. "Why don't we walk down there once school's out?"

Amy just nodded. When the lunch bell rang, I was truly sad to go. Now that Amy was starting to open up, she was revealing herself to be a very caring and sweet person to be around, if still quite shy... and the fact that she agreed to our mall trip showed that she wanted our friendship to work as much as I did.

As school ended, I found a nervous Amy standing a few meters outside the school doors. Her face visibly brightened when she saw me.

"Hey there," I said, waving to the small girl.

"Hi," she said. She kept glancing around her, as if she were trying to watch the crowd that surrounded us. I figured that I should keep out of any terribly crowded areas of the mall today.

As we walked the short distance to the local mall from the school, I noticed that Amy stayed sort of... huddled up. It was almost as if she were trying to make herself seem smaller. I gently tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked at me with her characteristic faint smile. I would always smile back, in the hopes that her smile would become larger.

Thankfully, the mall itself wasn't too crowded. Amy seemed to release some of her tension simply by being indoors. We perused some stores, without really buying anything, and ultimately ended up sitting on a bench. Amy seemed troubled, so I tapped her shoulder again.

"What's on your mind?" I asked.

"I..." Amy said, "is this real?"

Oh, no.

"Is what real?" I asked.

"This," she said, suddenly becoming more animated. "You, me. This friendship. I was always told... if it seems too good to be true... then it probably is."

I took Amy's hand in mine. "This is real, and this is true. I like you, Amy, and I am your friend."

I watched as a tear fell down her cheek. She was so much more hurt and tortured than I was at my old school. It was all a rumor. A stupid rumor. One person decided that I was gay, and soon enough everybody believed it. I became an outcast in a week, and it lasted for two whole years. But... whatever happened to Amy... it had to be worse. All of my instincts told me that I should hug her, but my common sense told me that she would probably react badly to such an intimate movement.

I hated not being able to do anything. Amy rested her head against my shoulder and softly cried. Whether it was with happiness or sadness, I didn't know. She was so detached that she didn't realize that people were watching her. I silently shooed our audience away as she slowly looked up.

"I've... never had a friend like you," she said softly, but with conviction.

"And I've never had a friend like you," I repeated back. 

Through her tears, Amy managed to smile. It wasn't one of her faint smiles, but one of those smiles that truly lights up a room. Despite her muddled face, that one movement jumped her from pretty to beautiful.

I gave her a tissue to wipe her tears away as we stood up again. People were confused by what had just occurred, but nothing strange happened on the way out of the mall.

"I'm glad we did this," Amy said, her complexion clear. She gave me another big smile.

"Me, too," I said, walking with her into the Indiana sun.

Three

"Yeah, he's totally gay."

"He almost started making out with Amy!"

"Hahaha! Does he even know?"

The next day brought strange rumors to my ears. Usually, I didn't really listen to the mill unless the subject was, well, me. And I was hearing some really strange things. How could I be considered to be gay just by being associated with Amy?

...Sigh. Why did I ever listen to rumors, anyway. They're never true, and I was the only person who needed to know that. Besides, nothing would affect my friendship with Amy, especially after our experiences yesterday. I wondered if she would be even more open than usual today. I was really starting to grow fond of her, but I knew that there was still more of her that I hadn't seen quite yet.

Still, I was worried about the rumors that were starting to spread. I decided to ask Tony, whom I had developed somewhat of a friendship with over the past weeks... just as long as he didn't badmouth Amy. He did seem more like a sheep than someone who genuinely disliked her, which was why I didn't just ignore him altogether. I approached him at lunch before sitting with Amy.

"Hey, Tony," I said, getting his attention. He shied away from me as I got closer.

"I... I can't be seen near you, man," he said.

"Why? Because of some stupid false rumors?" I asked, anger rising.

"No, they're true!" he cried.

"I did not almost make out with Amy," I deadpanned, hoping to take his mind off of the "gay" rumor. Besides, if I proved just that one wrong, it would be unfounded. Well, probably.

"Then, what was that scene in the mall?" he asked seriously.

"Something was upsetting her and I gave her a shoulder to cry on. That's all," I said, not wanting to get into any real details.

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, right. Nobody 'provides a shoulder' without compensation."

"I'm not that kind of guy," I insisted.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they all say," Tony said.

I sighed. More like huffed, rather. I forced myself to leave the vicinity, lest things get out of hand. If my past experiences had done anything for me, they gave me the ability to become very angry, very quickly... and I never wanted to lose control of myself. I didn't know what my limit was, but I never wanted to test it, either. I made my way to Amy, who, for the first time, greeted me with a wide smile.

"Hi!" she said, rather enthusiastically. 

My anger at Tony all but melted at the sight of such cheeriness.

"Hello to you," I said with equal fervor.

"I want you to meet my parents," she said suddenly. "They've been dying to meet you."

"Oh, so you've been talking about me," I said in a jokingly accusatory tone. 

"No! Um, well... only to my parents," she admitted.

I laughed. "Well, I'd like to meet your parents, too."

Amy smiled again. "Yay! How about next Saturday?"

That was over a week from now. "Why the delay?" I asked.

"My mom is out of town right now..." Amy said.

I nodded. "I understand."

Amy smiled again as we continued our conversation. Despite her apparent happiness, some caution still occasionally leaked out of her expressions. She really valued our friendship if she was willing to open herself up like this. I really liked this new Amy. This real Amy. She was brighter, happier, and bubblier. I really didn't want to leave her for the second half of the day.

As the days passed, the small amount of caution still hanging with Amy managed to erode away... but only really when she was around me. She was a completely different person when she was with me, kind of like a girl with a crush. I could imagine people voting us as the "couple who should have been" because we were just friends.

...Right?

As Saturday arrived, I received a call from an enthusiastic Amy. She gave me the okay to walk over to her house, which wasn't far from mine. I knocked on the door about ten minutes later.

Four

"Why, hello there!" An attractive woman greeted me. She had Amy's hair, and it was obvious where her beauty came from. "You must be Dylan."

"And you must be..." I started.

"I'm Amy's mother. Please, call me Sue. She's told me so much about you. Please, come in!" she said.

I shrugged and followed her inside.

"Where's Amy?" I asked.

"She's upstairs. I'd like to talk with you a little, first, if you don't mind,"  Sue said.

"I don't mind," I said, although I was somewhat suspicious. We sat down in the living room, where an older man, whom I assumed was her father, sat. Soon, all three of us were in a triangle.

"Hello, Dylan," the man said, his soft brown eyes communicating nothing but friendliness. "I'm Ken, Amy's father."

"It's nice to meet you, Ken," I said. Both parents smiled at my politeness.

"Dylan," Sue started next, "we just wanted to thank you for being such a friend to Amy. For the last week, she's been so much happier."

"Our daughter is really fond of you," Ken added.

I was fond of Amy, too.

"Well, I was once considered an outcast at school as well," I explained, "and when I saw her, I knew she needed a friend. I just didn't know how much we would connect until now."

"There's no need to be modest, Dylan," Sue said.

"I just wish I knew why people disliked her so much. She's such a wonderful person," I said.

"Has she told you?" Ken asked, as if it were something simple.

"No," I said, "and I don't want to hear it from anybody else, either. I want her to tell me when she's ready."

"An admirable decision," Ken said.

Sue smiled at me. "Well, we'd best not keep our daughter waiting too much longer. Why don't you head upstairs? Her room is the first one on the left."

"Okay," I said, "thank you very much for having me. I'm glad to know that I've made a difference with my simple actions."

"So are we," Sue said.

"Thank you again," I said, before heading upstairs to my friend.

Five

"Hello?" I asked, knocking on what I thought was Amy's door. It had her name on it, after all.

"Dylan?" Amy's voice asked.

"Yeah. It's me," I answered. The door opened immediately to reveal a smiling Amy.

"Hey!" she cried. She jumped forward for a moment, yet held herself back. 

"Hi," I said, trying to match her cheer. She was just so much fun to be around when she was this happy.

"Did you meet my parents?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. They're really nice."

Amy seemed to relax. "Well, come in!" she implored me.

As I walked into the room, I immediately noticed that it was definitely a girl's room. The room was painted a soft pink; pink enough to be feminine, but not really intrusive. The layout of the room was very neat, and included a desk, vanity, and a bed, of course. The bed was, interestingly enough, fitted with baby blue sheets, providing a neat contrast to the pink walls. We both sat down on the bed.

As I saw Amy's legs start to swing back and forth, I noticed that, for the very first time, she was wearing a skirt. Her blouse was somewhat nice as well, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. I was surprised to find that its absence actually made her look more beautiful. The last thing I noticed was just how close we were sitting to each other. We were nearly touching at the hips, but it didn't seem to bother either of us.

"So..." I started.

"Dylan," a suddenly nervous Amy interrupted, "I... I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked. The pointless chatter I planned on starting was suddenly irrelevant.

"Um... well," she started, blushing heavily, "I really like you, Dylan."

Although her emotional state suggested further implications than "like", I decided to answer her. I gave her a smile.

"I really like you, too, Amy," I said. I couldn't believe just how true that statement was.

Amy's blush became deeper. "But... I kind of like you... more than that."

Her last words were almost a whisper, but as soon as they came out, a weight seemed to be lifted off of her shoulders. Just how long had she been feeling this way? Yet, something still seemed to be bothering her.

"Amy..." I started.

"Please," she whispered, without looking at me, "don't."

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately feeling that she was sad again.

"I... I have to tell you something, before you answer me."

"What is it?"

Amy looked at me with resolute eyes. "Can you promise me that, no matter what happens, you'll still be my friend?"

I didn't need to think on that one. "I promise. I'll always be your friend, Amy."

Amy gave me another huge smile, but I couldn't help but feel as if she feared that it would be her last. She continued to look me in the eye, taking a deep breath. To prepare, I supposed?

"Dylan..." she finally started, pausing once more. "I was born a boy."

Those simple words seemed to explain everything. I couldn't discount Amy's own word about what had caused most of the school to turn against her. I understood why people would avoid her... but I didn't understand why they would let such a bright, beautiful, and cheerful girl fall into despair. If I had known from the beginning, would things have been different? No. I would have still been her friend. But, I really felt something for the girl sitting in front of me. Something definitely beyond like. Her words didn't matter. There was a girl sitting in front of me. I noticed that tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. I gently placed my hand under her chin. Her crying slowed.

"Are you sure?" I asked, giving her a small smile. "It seems like you've been a girl your whole life to me."

Amy immediately stopped crying. Her face seemed to drift across several emotions, before finally settling upon surprise. She slipped out from above my hand and fiercely hugged herself against me.

"You really think so?" she asked, speaking rather quickly.

"I know so," I said, "you'll always be a girl to me, Amy."

Amy clutched me tighter as she began to cry again.

"I...I..." she stammered.

I gently stroked her back.

"I... love you too."

Upon hearing those words, Amy lifted her head off of my chest and looked me in the eye again.

"You... do?" came her simple question.

I nodded as I realized that I was starting to cry, too. I pulled her back into the hug, savoring the contact. I wasn't sure how long we held each other, but it was long enough. I pulled out of the hug to face Amy's tear stained face once again. She smiled.

"I love you," she said, finishing her confession. I knew it to be true.

"I love you too," I said, relishing the fact that I could say those words, and mean them.

Amy made a move to hug me again, but I placed my hand under Amy's chin again and lifted her face up to mine. She closed her eyes as I locked her lips into a kiss. Amy quickly returned it, solidifying our new union.

As we melted into each other's arms, I knew that this relationship would work.