Author's Note: This is a two-part chapter that I'll be uploading simultaneously. It was originally one whole chapter, but I felt like it was rather long so I split it into two. Enjoy the double upload!

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“So, are you ready?”

Blake squeezes my hand and bites her lip nervously. She looks a bit ridiculous with her clothes all loose on her now from the transformation. But there’s not really anything else we can do about it at the moment.

“I’m about as ready as I think I can be.” Blake closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, then exhales and opens her eyes again. “I wasn’t exactly planning on doing this today, but then again there’s no way I could have predicted any of this would happen.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” I agree with a sigh. I still can’t believe this is all happening to me. That I’m a girl. A girl and I’m dating Blake. I’m a lesbian. Who could have ever seen this coming? “Still, we gotta do this. We’re going to walk out of here together and introduce the real you. First to the rest of our friends, then everyone else from there.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come out yourself at the same time, Angel?” Blake asks with a concerned expression on her face.

I nod. “Definitely. I think it’s going to be a big enough shock with you coming out, as well as having transformed so dramatically. I’d rather wait until I’ve changed a bit more myself too before I start coming out to people.”

Blake nods back to me. “Totally valid.” She looks to the door and squeezes my hand again. “And you’re okay with coming with me to see my parents to show them that I’ve changed?”

“Of course! I’m your boy-- er, girlfriend, after all.” God, it’s going to take me a while to get used to referring to myself with female terminology, isn’t it? “I’m more than happy to be by your side during that conversation.”

Blake kisses my cheek and my heart immediately flutters. “Thank you,” she says with a relieved smile. “I don’t expect it to go poorly, at least with my mom, but I don’t know how Dad’s going to react. I don’t even know if he knows about the curse at all.”

“I’m sure it’ll go fine, um...” I blush and hold my hand behind my head. “Is it okay if I call you ‘babe’?”

Blake blushes and looks away from me. “Um… Yeah. That’s okay. I’d like that.”

“Then I’m sure it’ll go fine, babe!” Blake looks back at me with a silly happy grin on her face and kisses me once more, this time on the lips. It’s three for three with endorphins and weak knees. God, this is just great. I’m so looking forward to kissing her more often in the future.

“Alright,” she starts, her voice a bit breathy as she breaks from our kiss, “um, let’s get this over with, I guess?”

“On three, okay?” Blake nods and squeezes my hand. “One. Two. Three!”

With a dramatic pull, we open the door and step out of the backroom. The rest of our friends in the club have already arrived and everyone is shuffling about, setting up their things and chatting with each other. Overall we have: Alissa, Elizabeth, Donnel, Marcy, Theo, and the teacher leading the club, Mr. Schultz. All of them stop what they’re doing and look at us in surprise.

“Angel?” Mr. Schultz asks, “Why are you coming out of the back room? How long have you been in there?” He looks over at Blake, confusion evident on his face. “And who is this that’s with you?”

“Ummm…” 

“Hi, Mr. Schultz,” Blake interjects, stepping forward and taking a deep breath. “It’s me, Blake.”

“Blake?” Mr. Schultz looks Blake over, raising an eyebrow and shaking his head. “What do you mean? I’ll admit you look related, but Blake is very obviously a boy and you’re, well, not.”

I smile, feeling some second-hand gender validation for Blake there. I’m sure she’s also just as excited, but she’s doing a good job of holding it in.

“Trust me, sir, I’m Blake,” Blake insists, tensing up her shoulders. “I’m… I’ve turned into a girl, sir.”

Mr. Schultz stands silent for a few moments, his expression one of utter bewilderment. The rest of the club exchange whispers with themselves and a couple of quiet snickers.

“Turned into a girl? You can’t honestly expect us to believe that,” comments Theo. 

“Yeah, I mean, no offense or anything, but you’ve gotta be kidding yourself if you really think any of us would think that’s true,” adds in Alissa.

“It’s the truth, I swear!” Blake asserts. “Listen, I know this seems crazy, but you all have to believe me!”

“I suppose you are wearing clothes that look a bit too big on you,” comments Elizabeth as she adjusts her glasses. “But you could have easily grabbed some boy’s clothes and changed in the backroom there as part of this prank.”

“No, these are Blake’s -- I mean, MY clothes!”

“Ha! You slipped up! See, this is a load of shit,” laughs Theo. “There’s no way this is actually real.”

“Yeah, for sure,” agrees Donnel as he crosses his muscular arms. “Besides, even if you are Blake, why would you transform into a girl in the first place? What sort of guy would do that?”

“Um, see, that’s the thing,” Blake replies, crossing one arm over her chest and grabbing the other. “I’m, uh. I’m actually transgender.”

“Transgender?” asks Marcy. She pulls out her phone and types away at it furiously for a moment. “Wait, wait, wait. Okay. Like you’re trying to say you’re one of those people who’s born a boy, but wants to be a girl?”

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s pretty close,” Blake answers with a nod.

“So then, let me get this straight,” starts Elizabeth as she crosses her arms, “You’re Blake, who’s transgender and wants to be a girl. And then in our backroom today before club started, you, what, did something to magically turn yourself into one?”

“Well, technically my family has this curse and it, um, it activated after I did something and turned my body into a feminine one that matches my gender identity.”

Elizabeth blinks. “Oooookay.”

“Oh come on, that is ridiculous!” Theo scoffs. “That literally makes no sense at all. Not to mention it’s way too convenient. You just ‘happen’ to be transgender and have some sort of family curse that can solve your gender dysphoria? Like what sort of bullshit story is that?”

“Easy on the language there, Theo.” Mr. Schultz says sternly. “I know this sounds pretty far-fetched, but let’s keep things less confrontational here, okay?”

“Tch.” Theo leans back onto a desk and frowns. “I’m just saying, her story sounds like some sort of internet transgender wish-fulfillment fanfiction.”

“Oh really? Any reason you would know anything about those sorts of stories, Theo?” I ask him with a growl.

His eyes widen and he quickly avoids my gaze. “N-no! Of course not! It’s just a random fact anyone could know!”

“Okay, everyone, that’s enough.” Mr. Schultz says, gesturing for us all to be quiet. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. This club is currently meeting in this room and it’s members only.”

“But I’m part of this club!” Blake protests, stomping her foot in an extremely adorable way. “I really am Blake, I really am trangender, and my body really did transform!”

“Right. Look. You have to know how silly that sounds. There’s no possible way I can believe that you’re actually Blake Rose.”

“Please, Mr. Schultz, you have to believe me! I’ve been one of your students since freshman year! And I’ve been in this club since sophomore year!”

Mr. Schultz crosses his arms. “You’ll need to do a bit better than that.”

Blake growls in frustration. “Okay, well, how about the time we all went to get breakfast before going on a trip to the KSL TV station here in town. And while there I ordered Canadian bacon thinking it would be like regular bacon except larger, but what ended up coming out was literally thick slices of ham? And I had ordered WAY too much for me to finish all by myself, so we all had to share?”

Mr. Schultz raises his hand and opens his mouth, then stops. Slowly his mouth closes and he brings his hand to his chin to stroke his beard. “That’s… a very specific instance to bring up. How do you know about that?”

“Because I’m Blake! Like I’ve been saying!”

“Huh. Maybe she really is Blake,” Donnel comments. He gestures to her and adds, “I mean, how else would she know about that story unless she was actually there?”

“She probably was over a couple of tables and heard the whole thing happening,” Theo chimes in. Looks like he’s recovered from before, considering how he’s right back to doubting us again. “That’s obviously way more likely than her actually being Blake.”

“Yeah, I mean, that’s cool that you know that and all, but you gotta like, actually prove a bit more than that if you seriously want us to believe you’re Blake,” Marcy adds.

“Okay, well, fine, if you want proof, then here’s proof!” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her wallet, slamming it down onto one of the desks. “That’s my wallet with all of my IDs, both my student one and my driver’s license!”

Theo scoffs. “Blake could have just given those to you for the prank.”

Blake glares at Theo. “Oh yeah? Would ‘Blake’ have told me about the time you cried and threw a tantrum in second grade because all the strawberries the teacher had grabbed for our Earth Day party were gone and you didn’t want any of the blueberries or bananas?”

Theo’s face pales. “W-Well, I mean, it’s possible, but, god dammit!! I can’t believe you know that!!!”

Blake smirks triumphantly. “And I know more too! I know that Elizabeth is really into Dungeons and Dragons and a die hard Firefly fanatic!”

“It’s just a really good show that was canceled INCREDIBLY unjustly, okay!” Elizabeth says defensively, blushing slightly.

“And Donnel! I know that you go to the gym three times a week, but you’ve never once played in any sports!”

Donnel scoffs and rubs the back of his head. “So?”

“You know, now that I think about it, she’s right. Why don’t you play any sports, Don?” Alissa asks.

Donnel shrugs. “I dunno, I’m just not interested in them. I’m much more invested in this club and my amateur photography.”

“But you work out so much!” Alissa exclaims.

“For myself! Have you ever thought that maybe I just like being in shape?” Donnel retorts.

Blake smiles, and I smile with her. I think she’s really starting to get through to them! Or, well, at least she’s starting to turn the tables a little.

“Oh, oh, do me next!” Marcy squees happily, jumping up and down.

“Okay, um, well, you’re always on your phone or social media, and you research anything we’re ever talking about. You kind of have for as long as I’ve known you.” Blake crosses her arms and her face furrows. “Although despite doing that, you still seem to miss out on key points and details all the time.”

“Oof, yeah, you got me,” Marcy laughs. “That’s, like, probably why I come off as ditzy all the time!”

“That and because you say the word ‘like’ constantly,” Theo mutters. This time everyone turns to glare at him and he shrinks down beneath our gazes. “Okay, okay, jeez, I’m sorry!”

“God, Theo, why are you being such an ass?” Alissa scolds. “It’s not unusual to see you being a smartmouth, but you’re just being a downright douchebag right now!”

“I said language, everyone!” Mr. Schultz's commanding voice quiets us all down and we look over to him. He sighs and puts two fingers between his eyes at the bridge of his nose. “Alright, well, it’s obvious that you know some key information about us. But despite how he’s presenting it, Theo was right that this is all trivia Blake could have told you in preparation for all of this.”

Blake looks at the ground dejectedly. “I mean, that’s fair. But how else am I supposed to prove to you that I’m who I say I am? It’s not like we can do some sort of DNA test to prove it.”

I let out a deep exhale. Looks like it’s time for me to step in and try to help. “Okay, look, everyone, I was there when Blake transformed as a witness. I can vouch for what she’s saying. She really, actually transformed!”

“Alright then, Angel, answer this: how exactly did Blake transform?”

I feel the blood rush to my cheeks as the question makes me vividly remember the kiss Blake and I shared just before her transformation. Blake and I look at each other. After a moment of us both exchanging worried glances, she closes her eyes and nods a silent answer of approval. I look up to everyone and this time, I’m the one blushing nervously. “W-Well, um, you see, I know Blake transformed because… She transformed after I kissed her.”

One by one, each of our friends’ mouths drop. Then simultaneously, they all yell, “You two kissed?!?” 

My already burning cheeks burn even hotter. I nod meekly, grabbing onto Blake’s hand for support. “Yeah. We did. We, um, we both confessed our feelings to each other in the back room, and then we, um, kissed. A-And after that, Blake transformed right in front of me!”

“So like, are you two… dating then?” Marcy asks. “And, wait, does that mean you’re gay?”

Elizabeth elbows Marcy in the arm. “No, it doesn’t you idiot! If Blake is a trans girl, then that means it’s still straight!”

“Oh, right, because she’s a girl and Angel’s a boy! Okay!”

I can’t help but smile, hearing that exchange. Technically Marcy wasn’t wrong the first time, but none of them know I’m actually a girl too. Hell, I can still hardly believe it myself. What an absolutely crazy day today is turning out to be.

Alissa claps her hands together and smiles happily. “Oh gosh, I really hope this is actually true then because I have totally been shipping you two together for a while now!”

My expression twists with shock. “You have?!?”

“Yep! I sure have! I mean, it was just so obvious that you two were into each other. Especially this past month!”

Donnel nods and smiles. “Yeah, I noticed it too. You two have been really close and hanging out pretty much all the time. I figured something had to be up.”

Mr. Schultz pats me on the shoulder and smiles warmly. “I’m really happy for the two of you, Angel. That’s a very sweet story you shared there.”

“I know right!” Marcy squeals excitedly. “It’s just so adorable and magical and amazing!”

“Wait, we’re seriously all just going to believe this now because some romance got thrown in?” Theo frowns and gestures at Blake. “This doesn’t prove anything! It’s obvious Angel is just in on this since he and Blake are so close!”

Elizabeth sighs and looks over at Theo. “Come on Theo. If this was a prank, I think they would have called it by now. This is going on way too far and way too seriously.”

“They’re talking about literal magic!” he exclaims, throwing his hands into the air. “Magic isn’t real! People don’t just magically get brand new bodies!”

“Well, this time someone did, okay?!” Marcy snaps. “And it was from something incredibly romantic and heartwarming and you’re just, like, going to have to accept it, okay??”

Theo motions to protest some more, but we all glare at him and he backs down. “Ugh, screw this.” He grabs his backpack and angrily stomps out of the room.

Mr. Schultz sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Theo with all this. Maybe some time alone will do him good.”

“Yeah,” I agree, nodding sadly. I’ve seen Theo act really loud and rude before in the past, but something about today just seems off. Call it my newly-found woman’s intuition, but I think there might be something more going on here.

“Someone’s going to have to catch up with him later, though, because we have a problem,” Alissa pipes in.

“Problem?” Blake asks with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Well, first, even though it’s hard for me to believe, it really seems like you’re Blake. You even have the same body language. And if that’s true, then that means you really did magically transform.”

Blake nods in confirmation. “That’s right, and thank you for finally believing me.”

Alissa smiles. “You’re welcome! But, back to the problem, what are you going to do for the rest of the school? Are you going to tell everyone? That might cause a lot of problems or unwanted attention.”

“Hmm… I guess I hadn’t really thought about that yet,” Blake admits. “I’ve been kind of caught up in the joy of finally being in a body I can love.” 

I give Blake a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “And I’m super happy that you finally have that now, babe!” 

Blake blushes and kisses me back, much to the excitement of Marcy, who squeals immediately. “You two are just so cute!!” This just makes Blake blush even more.

“Th-thanks, but, um, Alissa is right. I can’t exactly have this going around the school. So for now, could I trust all of you to keep this a secret for me?”

Elizabeth nods. “You can count on me, for sure.”

“Me too,” Donnel agrees.

“Same here, obviously, since I brought up the concern in the first place,” Alissa affirms.

“I’ll also keep it secret. Last thing I want is something like this putting a media spotlight on you kids,” Mr. Schultz says reassuringly.

“Gosh, I already want to tweet all about this!” Marcy protests. Then she sighs and nods too. “But for you I’ll keep this a secret. I want lots of details, though!!”

Blake laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you all in the loop on things.”

“What are you going to do instead, though?” Donnel asks. “It’s not like you can just show up to school looking like that. It’s way too sudden of a change.”

Blake grabs some of her hair and strokes it in thought. “I’m not sure. I guess I’ll have to talk to my parents about it and figure something out.”

“Oh god, your parents!” Elizabeth exclaims. “What are your mom and dad going to say?!”

“Heh, well, Mom probably won’t be that surprised since the family curse runs on her side.”

“Family curse?” Marcy asks.

“Yeah, he -- sorry, she mentioned it earlier when she was explaining everything.” Donnel answers. The way he corrected himself on her pronouns makes Blake blush and smile. She squeezes my hand and I squeeze hers back. 

“You probably should go take care of that now then, Blake,” Mr. Schultz chimes in. “I’m sure we all have a million questions for you. I know I do. But I think it’s best if you first handle this with your parents and get everything sorted out.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “I really am just completely blown away by all this. I’m guessing we won’t see you here at club for a while?”

“Um, yeah, probably not,” Blake agrees with a small laugh. “I know this is a lot for you all to take in, but, I hope this doesn’t change how you all feel about me or any of our friendships…”

“It’s definitely completely bizarre,” Alissa comments with a sigh. Then she smiles reassuringly. “But you’re still my friend, Blake. And I’m guessing this makes you really happy?”

“Oh, unbelievably happy!” Blake confirms with an excited nod. “You have no idea just how happy this makes me!”

“Then I’m really happy for you too, Blake!” Alissa approaches Blake, then stops awkwardly. “Um, is it okay if I hug you?”

Blake blushes, then nods. “Y-yeah, of course!” With that, Alissa pulls Blake into a hug and Blake practically melts into it with a relieved and comforted expression on her face.

“Oh, oh, group hug!” Marcy yells before jumping in and hugging Blake too. She’s followed by Elizabeth and then, after a moment of decision, Donnel as well. And of course me. Like I’m going to turn down an excuse to hug Blake.

“I’m so touched by this,” Blake says with a wavering voice. “It really means a lot to me to have you all accept me like this.”

“Well, to be fair, it’s not exactly like you were the most manly guy ever before or anything,” Elizabeth points out.

“Yeah, like, you’ve always been kind of shy and effeminate,” Marcy agrees.

“It’s true. You know, now that I think about it, Blake always did seem kind of different when we were growing up. I guess it makes sense now that we know she was transgender the whole time,” Donnel adds in thoughtfully.

I nod in agreement. “I’m sure y’all will see it more moving forward now, but trust me: Blake is one of the girliest girls I know.”

“Angel!!” Blake whines while blushing even more.

“It’s the truth, babe!” I assert with a laugh.

We all break up from the hug and share some more smiles and happy looks with each other. “Okay, Blake, time for you to get going to see your parents, then,” Mr. Schultz reminds us. “Are you going with her, Angel?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be heading along as her emotional support, um, partner!” I reply, stumbling a little as I try to think of a suitable replacement word for “boyfriend” so I don’t have to misgender myself while simultaneously avoiding outing myself.

“Okay, bye, you two! Good luck with everything!” Marcy says with a wave.

“I really am so happy for you, Blake,” Alissa reasserts. “And you too, Angel! Aaaaa, I’m so excited that one of my ships actually came true!”

Blake and I both look at each other and smile, grabbing onto our hands. “Yeah,” I affirm with a nod. “I’m really happy it did too.”