The call caught Katie by surprise. Before they’d stopped being friends, James had called so little that she forgot she had his number. It was more surprising to hear a prepubescent voice on the other end; she knew James' voice, it was the one that stuck in her head every time he spat his toxic words at her. But this voice was that of a twelve-year-old or a teenage girl, not the voice of the edgelord she knew.
"Kieran, you need to come over right now. I know we aren't friends anymore, but I think you're the only one that might have a clue of what to do?" It was James, except his usual deadnaming didn't have its usual venom behind it. Maybe it was the desperate way he said it or the shakiness in his voice; like he was calling out to who she used to be, instead of trying to hurt her. She couldn't help but feel concerned.
"What's going on? Why are you calling me? You've made it pretty clear you hate me."
She remembered how his friends laughed at her at the beginning of the day when the teacher wasn't looking. How he would try and get her to react to Kieran to try and prove that she was still him. How he'd sit back and agree with his friend Ben when he went on his transphobic rants about whatever latest news came out about people like her.
"Kieran, please, I need help and there is no one else I can ask." His voice seemed to be getting shakier and more desperate; she couldn't even bring herself to be mad at him for continuing with the deadnaming.
"What is it?"
"You need to come over, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
As much as she was mad at him for what he had done, she couldn't leave him. For him to call her while sounding like that? She could fully believe she was his only choice.
"Kieran, I can't, I can't tell anyone else about this."
She had to go see him.
"Do you still live in the same place?"
"Yes."
"I'm on my way, just hang in there."
"Thank you."
Seems cosmically unfair Katie had to go through all the sh*t to get where she is and he simply woke up to it. Also I'm surprised nobody made a fuss when they were little.
There is a reason for no one making a fuss. It is unfair. Katie deserves better
unfortunately its that way irl, some have to take meds from shady sources and end up trying their hardest to pass, others pass without even starting hrt yet, others have the financial gain to get tons of surgery etc.....
it does suck some can put less effort in to get to the same place, but ultimately i am happy that anyone is even brave enough to get to said place to begin with, its hard to hate people for an advantage they had no control over, it makes sense people will use whatever is available to them to be happy with themselves
@Nari Luck is a bit*h. I know that well I think. It's unfortunate as all hell. Katie is fortunately not the type to hold someones situation against them
@DetectiveRed well I wouldn't exactly call what happened to James lucky. It would be like calling trans people lucky because they get to experience gender dysphoria.
@SpectralAssassin What I meant was luck is abit*h. It doesnt always grace people.