Chapter 8

 

May: Um

Matthew: called it

Ryan: What the duck exclamation mark

May: Elaborate, Matt

Matthew: i told y’all there was buzz there was going to be an app

Ryan: Isn’t it illegal to install software on someone else’s phone without their permission question mark exclamation mark 

Drew: Isn’t this kind of magic really really hard? How is this happening? 

May: buzz from who?

Matthew: yeah, that’s what’s important here lmao

Matthew: is nobody going to mention the fact that May had her finger on the trigger to change that username as soon as you got home?

Even though she’d asked them to, May was still a little struck by how quickly and easily her friends had switched to using her name and pronouns, even though it was just for this silly contest. It was going to be annoying to switch back at the end of this, but at least she knew they weren’t going to give her grief for it, that she was safe with them. 

Ryan: How does the app even work question mark

Drew: Same as the mirrors, it looks like. Just tap. 

Ryan: But Y

May: probably to reduce traffic in the bathrooms. It’s been getting a bit silly

Matthew: yeah no more silliness from now on lol

Matthew: just extremely serious girlification and crossdressing

May: something like that

Drew: So there’s 10 people left. How many do you think we’re losing today?

Ryan: what do you mean we question mark

Drew: I’m sorry

May: if you pick on Drew I’m waterboarding you

Matthew: I’ll help

Ryan: sorry Drew

Drew: you’re fine man <3 no worries. I know this is stressful.

May: Good question though

May: Gut says 5 or 6

Matthew: sounds about right

Ryan: We’ll have to work hard then period

Ryan: Looks like pack stone overtook you again

Matthew: do you mean paxton

Matthew: you’re so pretty

Ryan: Shut up affectionate

Ryan: Anyway yes he’s got his first place back period

May: so will you, you’re in like, 5th place

Ryan: Don’t remind me period

Ryan: We’ll just have to work harder

Matthew: work harder not smarter

Matthew: like May

May: yeah

May: wait

May: what do you mean

Matthew: oops bus is here gotta go to school see you later love love <3

Drew: See you at school!

Ryan: Me too period I’ll see you all there

Drew: Hey May, do you want me to pick you up?

May: I’d like that!

Matthew: 👀

May: I thought you had to go

Matthew: 👀👀

Drew: Ignore her. See you in five! 

May put her phone in her pocket and checked her reflection again. She looked pretty good. Not having to do the whole thing quickly in the bathroom meant she’d had a bit more time to make herself presentable, and it had been worth the effort. 

The room still reeked of paint, and there were newspapers everywhere, but she was fairly confident she would be able to sleep in here soon. Little victories. There was a knock on her door. 

“Come in,” she said as she flattened the skirt, trying to get some wrinkles out of it. Her mom had actually gone to the store while she was at school and had picked up some things with her measurements. She’d even reassured May that everything she didn’t like, they could return. 

“You look amazing, sweetie,” her mom said as she stepped into the room. May had never seen her look so… proud before. “Now, are you sure you have everything? And you’re sure you’re being safe? Let us know if anyone at school is harassing you or anything, okay? Your father and I will be right over and so help me I will burn the whole place to the gr—“

“I’m fine, Mom,” May said, unable to suppress a smile. She straightened the collar of her shirt and then wondered for a moment if she should keep the top button open or closed. Open was a bit more outgoing and playful, but maybe that would be seen as too flirtatious? On the other hand, it’s not like she had a lot to work with in the chest department. Even a padded bra couldn’t work those kinds of miracles. And maybe a more modest look…

“He’ll think you’re pretty regardless,” her mom said, smacking May’s brain across the room like a volleyball. “And you look beautiful, sweetheart.”

“M— Mom!!” May stammered, turning away from her and the tell-tale mirror. The girl in the reflection was blushing like… well, like a schoolgirl. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Her mom crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. 

“Sure thing, sweetie,” she said. “Just don’t let him treat you badly, okay?”

“I won’t,” May mumbled as she grabbed her backpack, “even though I still don’t know who you mean or what you’re talking about.”

“Us girls know what’s up, honey,” Mom said with that same proud smile. It was strange, despite the fact that she was literally just dressing up for a dumb thing for school, she felt like she was getting mother-daughter time with her mom, which didn’t make any sense.

“I’m not a girl, Mom,” May said with a frown. “I’m just playing one for the contest.”

“I know, sweetie. But you also light up like a Christmas tree every time I tell you how pretty you are, and I’m going to enjoy that for as long as I can,” her mom said, then threw her hands up. “But I’m not pushing or pressuring you into anything. Come on, you’re going to be late for your boyf— I mean for school.”

“Mom!!” May blubbered as she ran downstairs. She left home and got on the bus where, as promised, Drew had already saved her a seat. When she saw him, she did her best to ignore what her mom had told her, made both easier and physically impossible by the way he looked at her. Now she knew what Mom had meant when she said ‘lit up.’ Drew went from looking out the window in disinterest to positively glowing when he saw her. 

May sat down next to him and squeezed her legs together. This was going to be her first time wearing a skirt to school. At first there had been the worry that she’d be bullied or harassed for it, but that feeling had been dissipated. It was still there, of course, an undercurrent of mild fear that it would all come crashing down quickly and violently. 

But sitting next to Drew, that feeling wasn’t nearly as powerful. She got some looks on the bus, of course, but every single one of them turned away when they realized the boy next to her was staring daggers, swords, claymores and at least one battle-axe at anyone and everyone who would even think about making her uncomfortable. 

“Hey Drew?” She asked as the school came into view. “Do you think the rumor about there being a big prize at the end is true?” May was putting some extra effort into her ‘girl voice’ today, but it was slow going. She was worried that changing her voice was exclusive to people who used hormones, but that hadn’t been the case. Gaining access to hormones would have been difficult, especially for something that was only going to last a week at most. But hormones, the internet had told her, don’t actually raise your voice. That had been a bit of a letdown for reasons she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it had also meant that she could just do ‘voice training’. Her parents only bringing broadway music with them on family trips when she was young was finally paying dividends. 

“Not sure,” Drew said, thinking about it for a moment as they got off the bus. “If it really is a wish, then there’s some big magic happening, and I don’t think a couple of high school students could bring that kind of thing together,” he said. “I could ask my cousin, Dylan. He knows more about this kind of thing than I do.”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” May said. “If you could wish for anything, what would it be?”

They walked through the school gates. They had a few minutes to spare. “Not sure,” Drew said, “but that’s not really how wishes work. If they did, we’d either have world peace or no planet. Wishes are more like… freeform magic, right? Can make whatever happen as long as it's within the scope of the magic user. So usually nothing that breaks the laws of physics for a long time or affects anything for too large a scale.”

“So nothing major, then?” May scratched her head. “That’s a little disappointing. Okay, but then what would you wish for?” May said with a chuckle. “You’re not getting out of this one without at least having a go at it first.”

“I’d have to think about it,” he said, “but I think if I could wish for anything it would probably be… well, either for my family and loved ones to live long and healthy lives, or for like, a couple of million in the bank.” He paused, then shrugged. “Enough to achieve basically the same thing and help some people out, but nothing more.”

“That’s very sweet,” May said with a smile. 

“You’d be included in that too, of course,” Drew said, and May melted like a chocolate bunny in a microwave. “You know,” he continued, not realizing the state he was leaving her in, “because you’re like family.”

“Ghjkl,” she said.

“What would yours be?” Drew asked, perfectly oblivious.

“Oh, you know, the same,” May said, and then paused. “Hey, if I do win, is there something you’d want? You’ve been helping out a lot and making me feel safe and stuff. I wanna share it with you if I can.”

He just shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders. “I just want you to get what you want, okay? I’ll be happy as long as you’re content.” May wanted to say something, but she was currently too busy feeling like a girl in a pretty dress being gently held by a large and wonderful Golden Retriever of a human being. 

“Y.” She said. 

“Oh, there’s Matt and Ryan,” Drew said. “Let’s go say hi.” He walked off, May right behind him and trying to ignore the fact that Matthew was shooting her some pointed looks. It was easy to ignore, because she was holding Ryan’s hand. “Um,” Drew said. “Hi?”

“Hi!” Matthew said happily. 

“Hey,” Ryan said, pretending-not-to-be-happy-ly.

May cocked her head. “So are we going to talk about this, or…” 

Ryan groaned. “Please, no, don’t encourage h—“

“He kissed me!” Matthew said. “I thought I was going to die alone but then he kissed me! I never thought he’d have it in him.”

“When?!” May demanded. 

“Like fifteen minutes ago,” Matt said. “When I first got to school. He was all romantic and cool and gruff about it too, like, “rawr, c’mere” and then he put his hands on my hips and kissed me.” She giggled, and then looked at him. “Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss. It was literally your idea. Or do you regret it?”

“No,” Ryan grumbled as they walked inside. Despite his grumpy attitude, May noticed he was constantly looking — and smiling — at Matthew whenever she wasn’t looking. He looked completely smitten, even if he was being a miserable little shit about it.

Paxton walked past, looked at them, looked at the handholding, then rolled his eyes. 

“Gay,” one of his cronies said. Paxton slowly turned around and frowned at the boy who had blurted it out, then raised a finger that looked like it could probably pierce rock by sheer force of annoyed authority. 

“We don’t do that here,” he said, then turned to them. “You’re going to lose. But not because you’re gay. If you are. Which I don’t care about if you are.”

“It’s okay!” Matthew said, grinning happily. “I know it’s not gay. Not yet!” She said, and Ryan nearly died coughing.