Back home with his new hairstyle, Sam faces his dad, prepared for a lecture. But then things go off the rails....

5. My dad must be crazy...

Kissy and Rory flirt with the gods of curfew.

Sam's mom offers to take him to a hair salon, a place where they "really respect hair". Reluctantly, Sam agrees but if he sees any scissors, he's out of there...

4. My mom is up to something...

Casey's Halloween is my first post. This is a backstory from the novel I'm writing. In the novel, Casey is an adult and remembers the Halloween he first dressed as a girl. I had hoped to get this story out in time for Halloween but the universe had other plans.

I hope you enjoy the story. Feedback is welcomed.

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CASEY'S HALLOWEEN

I'd been called queer practically ever since I started school, but I didn't really find out what it meant until seventh grade. This was back when gay still meant happy to most people, and queer was an insult.

Mom made a noise. “You came here yesterday in a dress? I think he recognized your freckle pattern.”

 
Butterscotch

22. Testing

by Erin Halfelven

Mom continued with a sparkle in her eye. "The real question is, what makes you happy?"

Chapter One -- Gamer in a Suit

Taylor Averille finds a magical USB which promises him a life changing manifestation that will grant him happiness and fortune. Taylor has been trying to get his startup off the ground. Maybe the magical USB can help? What has he got to lose?

The Magic Tattoo
With thanks to The Who for their music.

My brother Zack was two years older than me and a universe away in body. That is to say that he had a body like Mr Universe and I didn’t. I looked up to him as a role model and he made sure I, as a runt, didn’t get bothered much.

Me and my brother were talking to each other
'Bout what makes a man a man
Was it brain or brawn, or the month you were born
We just couldn't understand

Ben's eyes told so much but his lips said nothing. He simply stared at us with that broken expression that had become his trademark.
In a quick action, he turned and sprinted away.

I started to follow but Mikey held me back, "don't" he said shaking his head briefly.

"He's going to go tell everyone!" I protested.

"Let him" he replied simply.

I looked up at him and he smiled. My eyes grew watery from dealing with so much emotion. He brought his face forward and kissed me on my forehead lightly before pulling me into a tight hug.

I woke up with a deep gasp clawing at the air around me. Successive heavy inhales of the cold, damp air caused me to let out wild coughs.
I was disoriented but my back, the base of my skull and forehead all hurt too badly to ignore.
I recoiled from the pain and all my sensations coming back all at once. My hearing followed suit and I recognized the sound of heavy rainfall.

"Where am I?" I thought to myself trying to ignore the pain. "I feel terrible".

"Yesterday, I was pretty sure I was a boy. Heck, this morning….” I trailed off.

He gave me a small squeeze. “You’re going to be killer when you get the training wheels off..."

“He was obviously checking me out. I didn’t smile because if I had, I was sure to start giggling.”

“Kissy is out, and Davey can't put her back in again.”

“Dad’s a plastic surgeon. But you don’t need him.” She flashed me a few dimples. “Yet.”

Was a girl turning her boyfriend into a girlfriend, something that happened out there? Just in fantasy, yeah, maybe, but in real life?

“Is there an animal you think is particularly like you?”

I blinked. What an odd question. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? “An animal? Uh—a chipmunk?”

She turned to grin at me. “I believe it,” she said.

“Stop flirting with Double Johnson,” Marjorie said. “Unless you want to be dragged away by the hair.”

“Double Johnson?!” I squeaked.

Part 1 - Melrose

Alex stared at the mirror, trying to size up his potential cosplay.

I think having my hair like this should work. And I think that plucking my eyebrows helped. I should probably watch some makeup tutorials though.