Chapter 1: School’s Out For Summer!
555 1 18
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

Another wonderful cover image from the amazing and talented Marzennya on Tumblr! Show her all the love and support she deserves!

https://marzennya.tumblr.com/post/626645626853244928/another-adorable-commission-for-both-thatsnice13

Of all the ways to beat the heat of summer in Metropolis, flying over the rooftops in a sleeveless dress was a method which Lara Ella Kent had never thought she’d resort to.

 

Summer had snuck up on the city, and before anyone could even say, “Look! Up in the sky!”, the people of Metropolis found themselves in the middle of a heatwave. Temperatures had shot well into the 90s, AC units all over town had roared to life, and local ice cream vendors were raking in the cash.

 

Being half-Kryptonian, Lara was less bothered by the heat than other kids her age. She absorbed solar radiation to fuel her powers, which meant that she never had to worry about sunburn, and her super-endurance gave her a pretty high tolerance for heat. 

 

However, the heat only made it more rewarding when she was finally allowed to don her Supergirl outfit, and fly through the sky as Metropolis's newest hero. The outfit was so freeing, compared to her stuffy school blazer, and the wind was so much cooler 10,000 feet above street level.

 

It had been just over a month since Lara had come out to the world, not just as Supergirl, but as the world’s youngest transgender superhero. She had been immediately accepted by her family and friends throughout the superhero community, and was overjoyed to know that pretty much the entire world saw her as the girl she was! Well… Everyone excluding a few jerks on the internet that were easily ignored.

 

As she soared across the skyline, Lara listened out for any signs of trouble, or people in need. Luckily, things seemed relatively peaceful, giving the young heroine more time to enjoy her afternoon flight.

 

“I love being Supergirl!” Lara thought to herself, as she performed a quick fly-by of the Daily Planet offices. “Heck, I just love being a girl!” she giggled, doing a quick loop-the-loop. “Being “Super” is a nice bonus, though!”

 

The reason for Supergirl’s positive mood was pretty straightforward; The school-term had just finished the previous week, and she was now officially on vacation! This also meant that her birthday was coming up! On July 15th, she was going to be 12 years old!

 

The best thing about superhero birthdays was that it usually meant two different parties; one with friends in the hero community, and another with regular friends and family. The first would be organised by her dad and Damian, as it would be held at Wayne Manor, but Lara had been given the honor of planning her own smaller party, with her own personal friend group. She had already sent out invites to her two school friends; Laurence Stamp and Isabelle ‘Izzy’ Issacs.

 

Lara was looking forward to seeing them both. It would be the first time they’d all hung out together as friends since… Well, the last time they’d come over to Lara’s place had been… kind of dramatic.

________________________________________________________________

 

Four weeks earlier…

 

Lara had just finished her last lesson of the day, at the Reeve-West Academy. The school day had passed in a blur, and she had managed to avoid most conversations concerning her absence the previous week. Seeing how her mom had phoned in to declare her child’s absence, plus the fact that Lara had bought a doctor's note (The note was from her real doctor, Dr. Victoria October, so it only slightly stretched the truth), the teachers didn’t seem to notice anything too out of the ordinary, and most other students didn’t pay her any more attention than usual.

 

All the same, it was still hard for Lara to motivate herself to focus on her work. Finding herself flung back into a world where she was still seen as male had not been a pleasant experience, but that wasn’t the only thing on her mind. 

 

Though Lara felt confident and empowered to be out of the closet as Supergirl, she wasn’t ready to face the entire world as Lara Ella Kent just yet. But today was the next step to being out to the world. Today, after school, Lara was going to come out to her two best school friends!... And that knowledge had left her a nervous mess through the entire day.

 

The final bell rang after what felt like days of waiting.  Lara soon found herself on the bus, once again sitting between Izzy and Laurence. Lara had texted her mother, to let her know that she was bringing guests, and hoped that Lois would pick up on the hidden intention within the message.

 

Lara listened to her friends talk about their day and contributed a bit of her own input, but she was paying so little attention that Laurence had to remind her when the bus was at the stop for the Kents’ apartment. Lara led them up to her floor and held the door for them both. “Mom! I’m home!” She called as they filed in. 

 

“Hi sweetie!” Lois called from the kitchen. “Hi Laurence, Izzy. Great to see you.” She dried her hands and went over to greet the kids. “It’s dad’s turn to work late tonight so just us for dinner. Figured I could order a pizza or two if you kids decide to stay.”

 

“That would be great Mrs. Kent.” Laurence said in the rather formal tone he tended to use on most adults. “I’m not sure if we are staying for dinner yet, J hasn’t said why he wanted us over yet.” 

 

Lara caught the faintest movement in Lois’ face; a barely maintained urge to correct the young man for misgendering her daughter. Lara loved her mother even more for the impulse, but she was glad she hadn’t been accidentally outed by her mother’s protective attitude. “Well I’ll leave you kids to decide what you’re doing. I’ll be here if you need me for anything ok?”

 

“Thanks Mrs. Kent!” Izzy said as Lara led her friends to hang out in her bedroom. 

 

Lara was glad that her room was tidy, and that her more girly clothes were hidden in the wardrobe. She also had a box of make-up and nail polish under her bed. Maybe she could show them to her friends after she told them? “One thing at a time, Lara.” she thought to herself. 

 

Apart from those hidden additions, her room was unchanged from her friend’s last visit. A bookcase full of novels and her favorite Marvel comic books, a small desk sat across from her bed with a Wonder Woman comforter and Batman and Flash pillow cases. On her walls were posters for Gravity Falls and The Legend of Zelda.

 

“So…” said Laurence, leaning against the wall, right beneath the poster of Dipper and Mabel Pines, “What was it you wanted to tell us? You said you had stuff you wanted to talk about, but you didn’t want to tell us at school?”

 

“Yeah, didn’t you say it had something to do with Supergirl?” asked Izzy, who sat on Lara’s desk chair.

 

Lara took a deep breath. She had gone over this conversation in her head countless times. Now was the time all that preparation would pay off.

 

“So, you know how I asked you to call me ‘J’ earlier?” Lara began, figuring it was best to start from the beginning.

 

“Yeah,” said Laurence. “You said that you were hanging out with the Wayne kid, and that’s his nickname for you, or something.” 

 

Laurence and Izzy didn’t know Damian as well as Lara, despite going to the same school. This was partially because Damian often hung out with the richer older kids, but also because Damian and Lara only really saw each other outside of school, away from the non-superhero kids. 

 

Lara had told her friends about Damian a few times before, but had never gone into too much detail unless she accidently revealed his secret identity, as Robin. As far as Izzy and Laurence were aware, Damian only hung out with their friend because his dad technically owned the newspaper that the Kents worked for.

 

“Right.” Lara nodded and took a deep breath. “Well, Damian and I were hanging out over the weekend, and… Well you could say I figured a few things out about myself…” 

 

Lara had paused in the moment to prepare for the final plunge, but Izzy cut her off. “Oh my god! You finally kissed him didn’t you!”

 

“What?!” Lara exclaimed, the accusation completely derailing her train of thought.

 

“Are you dating Damian? Is that what this is all about?” Izzy asked, sounding excited for her friend.

 

“I mean… good for you getting a boyfriend J, but isn’t he a bit old for you?” Laurence asked, his tone supportive, but questioning.

 

“Ew!” Lara cried out trying not to gag at the image of kissing her friend and superhero trainer. “No, I’m not dating Damian! How would that even work? He’s gay!”

 

Laurence and Izzy exchanged a look. “Yes J, that’s what it means when two boys like each other. Did you not know that?” Laurence asked, speaking slower as if explaining something complicated to someone thick, earning a hit from Izzy in the shoulder for being patronizing.

 

Lara only then realized how crazy her comments sounded without full context. There was no backing out now. “Yes I knew that… Sorry. What I meant was... Damian would never want to date me in the first place because… because I’m not a boy…” 

 

The two friends said nothing to this. The three of them sat in silence before Lara made herself clarify. “I’m transgender, guys… like Supergirl…That’s… what I wanted to tell you.”

 

Izzy was the first to speak up, after what felt like an eternity of silence. “You...You’re trans?” she muttered, slowly. “You’re a girl?!

 

Then it was Laurence’s turn to react. He slapped his forehead as if having a sudden realisation. “Oh my god! The nickname!” he gasped. “It’s so obvious now!”

 

Lara grinned nervously. Her friends had certainly been taken aback by her coming out, but neither of them seemed to be upset...yet. She decided to clarify a few things. “Yeah, I’m a girl. My name is Lara, and my pronouns are she/her.”

 

“Lara…” Laurence repeated the name and nodded his approval. “It’s a great name Lara, and I’m glad to know the real you a little better.” He smiled at his friend and put a gentle hand on her arm.

 

Izzy seemed to still be processing all of this new information. “My best friend is a girl… but… but how? When did this happen!?”

 

Lara thought how best to explain. “Well… I hadn’t felt right as a boy for a long time, but I couldn’t figure out what was the problem until that night with Damian. I met his boyfriend, Colin. You see, Colin is a boy who was born a girl. Between talks with him, my parents, and my doctor… Well, I got my answers, I picked out my new name, and I started learning more about the real me.”

 

“A boy… who was born a girl… It works the other way too!?” Izzy asked in quiet disbelief, a tone and reaction that Lara recognized, making her wonder about her friend, and not for the first time.

 

Laurence smiled smugly “I knew you weren’t actually out sick! Looks like this girl likes playing hooky!”

 

Lara couldn’t help but blush with delight, “To be fair, my mom did call the school without me asking her, and I did have a note. It’s not hooky if I do it by the booky.” 

 

“Ha! You’re still the same massive dork, Lara!” laughed Laurence. “We’re both really happy for you!”

 

“Yeah!” said Izzy, quite suddenly, as if she’d only just remembered where she was. “Yeah, this is awesome! You go girl!”

 

Lara was too overcome with euphoria to notice her friend’s reaction at first. She hugged both of her friends, only then realising just how much her hands had been shaking. Coming out had really done a number on her nerves. She gave a small sigh of relief, before smiling at Laurence and Izzy. “Do you guys mind if I get changed?”

________________________________________________________________

 

Later, Izzy and Laurence headed into the living room, where Lois had prepared snacks, and was waiting for any questions the kids had about Lara.

 

While her mother kept her friends occupied, Lara changed out of her dull and boring boy’s uniform, and put on her sky-blue spring dress, which Lois had bought for Lara not long after she came out. It felt amazing to be back in girl clothes after a long day of pretending she was a boy. She giggled and twirled as she admired herself in the mirror.

 

Then Lara noticed her glasses lying on the desk. She didn’t really need them, but they helped to protect her identity as Supergirl. Seeing how Izzy and Laurence were unaware of Lara’s superhero lifestyle, she realised that she would still have to wear them as a girl.

 

Lara slipped the glasses on and looked in the mirror. She had to admit, despite the thick frames and the fact that she had previously only worn them as a boy, Lara thought the glasses looked pretty cute on her when combined with the dress. Though, maybe she could ask her mom if she could try out some more girly glasses for when she came out at school?

 

She also took time to notice her hair. One side-effect of having Kryptonian invulnerability was that normal scissors weren’t strong enough to cut Lara’s hair. Instead, her parents had to cut it using a special pair forged from the same metal as the ship which brought her father to Earth all those years ago.

 

Even before she knew she was a girl, Lara had hated having her hair cut, and would often let it grow quite long before her mom insisted it be shortened. Since coming out as trans, Lara now had an excuse to grow her hair out even more. It was still relatively short compared to the hair of other girls her age, but it neatly covered her ears, and Lara felt confident that, with a few months of growth and maintenance, she would soon be able to try out a wide variety of girly hairstyles! She even had the opportunity to have two different styles at once, one as Lara and one as Supergirl!

 

However, for the moment, the young Kryptonian was happy to just wear a cute clip, to keep the hair out of her eyes, and to complete her look. With this final touch, Lara grinned, did one more quick twirl for good measure, and headed out to show her new look to Izzy and Laurence.

 

Lara entered the kitchen to find her two friends in deep conversation with Lois. Laurence seemed to be asking the most questions, whereas Izzy looked to be in deep thought. Once again, Lara couldn’t shake the feeling that she recognized Izzy’s expression. She looked to be going through a similar thought process as Lara had when she first met Colin. When she had first learned what being trans meant…

 

“Uhh… Izzy? Laurence?” said Lara nervously. “How do I look?”

 

The two kids turned to look at Lara, and simultaneously, their jaws dropped. 

 

Laurence was the first to try and speak, but he was too flustered to form the right words. He just sat there, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find the right words. It was highly unusual for the boy to be left speechless by anything, so Lara felt a tiny bit of amusement, as she watched Laurence gape at her.

 

Then she noticed Izzy, who had at first been as baffled as Laurence, suddenly break out into a massive grin. “Oh my god…” said Izzy slowly, before jumping out of her chair and pulling Lara into a hug. 

 

“Lara!” Izzy cheered, embracing her rather baffled friend. “Girl, you look stunning!!” 

 

“Uh… Thanks, Izzy?” said Lara, unsure whether to be amused or concerned by her friend’s unusual behaviour. “I take it you like my dress?”

 

“Like it? Lara, I love it!” said Izzy, stepping back to admire her friend’s outfit. “Where did you get it?”

 

This only added to the pile of confusion in Lara’s head. Izzy had always complained about having to wear skirts and dresses. Her parents always doted on her as their perfect little princess, but she had always been the first to complain whenever they were out of earshot.

 

 “My mom got it for me.” said Lara, perplexed. “She had a bit of a shopping spree for me after I came out... But I thought you hated dresses, Izzy.”

 

Izzy offered a little shrug, “Sure, I don’t like wearing them, but I love how they look on you! You look so happy you are practically glowing! I’ll tell you right now, if you want any of my old dresses, you can have them! I’m not using them and I won’t miss them. But trust me, girl, you’d look amazing in them!”

 

“Thanks Izzy!” Lara got an idea and decided to test her theory. “You know… I was getting ready to go through a lot of my old boy clothes to give them to the Goodwill. If you want to trade some of your old clothes for mine, we can do that any time.”

 

Izzy smiled even wider and hugged her friend, “That would be amazing! Thanks Lara!”

 

“I’ll keep my clothes thanks.” Laurence added in as a joke, feeling a bit left out of the conversation. He sat up a bit straighter as he heard a familiar chime from his pockets and pulled out his phone. He sighed as he quietly read the text message. “Of course, they want to talk tonight… Sorry girls, but it looks like I can’t stay for pizza. Mom wants me home to quiz me, see if I’m ready for finals.”

 

The Stamps were a strange family. Mr. and Mrs. Stamp were rarely seen, almost eternally away from home to manage a growing industry of the Stamp Stationery Company. Their paper products were selling very well in Japanese markets, and they insisted on being on the front lines for plans of expansion. As such, Laurence lived in Metropolis with his uncle Mike. All the same, Mrs. Stamp was relentless about her son’s grades and would often spring Skype calls on the boy to “observe his progress” as Laurence liked to quote her as saying.

 

“No fair! Tests don’t start till next week! And you probably already know the topics better than the teachers!” Lara pouted, sad a potential sleepover had probably just been shot down. 

 

“Sorry Lara. Summer is just around the corner. Even she can’t keep up with the pop quizzes then!” He got up from his seat and went to say goodbye to Lois.

 

“I swear that woman.” Izzy shook her head in disapproval, as she watched Laurence leave, “How can she be stricter than my mom from hundreds of miles away? You can’t be an absentee parent and a helicopter parent at the same time!”

 

“Maybe Laurence has one of each.” Lara contemplated. It was always Mrs. Stamp that drove Laurence so hard after all. Mr. Stamp seemed eternally working on something else. Something that he apparently thought to be more important than his own son’s grades.

 

Not wanting her plans to be completely derailed, Lara turned to Izzy, “What do you think Izzy? You up for a girls night?”

 

Lara immediately regretted that choice of words as she saw her friend’s smile falter for a moment before she responded. “Yeah… yeah, I’m up to hang out for a while! Your house is more fun than mine any day.”

 

Lara smiled a little and went to find a few board games to try and play. She had just opened the hall closet when she heard Izzy call to her. “Actually… Lara, do you mind if I take a rain check on the game night?” 

 

Lara turned to see her friend standing looking a little anxious in the entrance to the hallway. “I… Yeah Izzy, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to… Is something wrong?”

 

“No! No, I want to stay!” She answered a little too quickly, afraid of upsetting her friend. “It’s just… I have a lot to think about right now… I don’t think I’d be the best company with so much on my mind.”

 

“I… see.” Lara wasn’t sure how to take that news. Did it mean that she had to rethink their friendship now Lara was a girl? Or was this... something else? Something that was giving her deja vu. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

 

Izzy sighed and shook her head, “I’d like to talk about it soon, but not just yet Lara. I want to work out parts of it on my own first if you understand.”

 

The young hero wasn’t happy both her friends were leaving, but she had, after all, just gone through her own journey of self-discovery, and she was sympathetic. “Yeah, I understand. Just let me know if I can help you with anything Izzy. It’s probably for the best anyway. It is a school night. Your parents wouldn’t want you out late with, “those strange boys” as your mother sometimes calls us.” She said strange boys in air quotes, wondering how Mrs. Issacs would take the news that she was now a “strange girl.”

 

Izzy shrugged “It does kinda rule out me sleeping over at the very least.”

 

“Laurence have you gone yet?” Lara called to the kitchen and was relieved to see he was still there, having spent a few minutes asking Lois what she thought of Supergirl. “Izzy isn’t staying either, could you wait for her to go?”

 

“Oh yeah, no problem!”

 

Lara smiled and hugged both her friends, which wasn’t normal for them, but it felt right. “You two get a pass tonight, but you don’t get off that easy ok? We still have a lot to talk about … like how you ask if I “finally” kissed Damian, I definitely want to know what you meant by that.” 

 

Izzy chuckled and blushed, “Well… your friendship seems so odd at times… I kinda thought you were dating in secret…”

 

Laurence actually laughed at that. “That was your first mistake Izzy! You really expected a Wayne to keep something a secret? If he was dating someone in our school, there’d probably be no escaping the news.”

 

Lara laughed too, but more at the irony of the massive well-kept secret hidden behind the Wayne family excess. “Well that’s one question answered at least. Get home safe you two. I’ll see you on the bus… Oh! And remember guys, keep calling me J in public for now, ok? I’m not ready to come out to the entire school just yet. Might wait till next year for that at this point.”

 

“You got it Lara!” Izzy said with a bit of a larger smile. “Bye Mrs. Kent! Sorry I can’t stay!”

 

“No problem Izzy! You two are always welcome.” Lois called back.

 

“Bye Lara! Thanks again for the talk Mrs. Kent! Let me know if you get to talk to her again!” Laurence waved goodbye, opening the door for Izzy before following her out into the hall.

 

The apartment felt very quiet once they had left. Lois joined her daughter in the living room. “Well, that went well! I’m proud of you sweetie!” She got down and hugged her daughter tight.

 

“Well, yeah.” Lara returned the hug with less enthusiasm, “Not how I had hoped. I should have waited for a Friday, they’d have had time to talk then.” There was a small part of her still concerned that her friends had left early because they were weirded out by her as a girl and that things would never be the same.

 

Lois felt the tension and got an idea. “Any homework tonight sweetie?”

 

Lara shook her head, “Nope, did it all in study hall.”

 

“Well then, I still say tonight deserves a celebration. How does a pizza and ice cream with a movie sound? Let our hair down after a long day.”

 

Lara smiled. It did sound like a perfect way to end the day. She had all the time in the world to spend with her friends. She was Supergirl after all. Everything would work out in the end, right?

18