“What?” Stella says into the phone. It’s her cousin from the clinic. “Hold on, start over and let me put you on speaker phone. Pedro, you need to hear this.” Getting his attention as he was coming in from mowing the lawn. Both sat at the kitchen table, phone in the center on speaker. “Okay Michelle, Pedro is here. Tell us what happened.

“Well, alright” Michelle starts clearing her head to start again from the beginning. Sounding nervous and worried. “I was checking you in. Got the referal all set up no problem just like I said. I was confirming Avery for the appointments. Normal stuff. But it wouldn’t accept him for some of the tests. At first I couldn’t figure out why. But...You didn’t tell me they wanted an MRI.”

“That’s just x-rays and stuff. So what.” Stella interrupts.

“So what?” Michelle exclaims? “The, So What, is, how does a Boy, named Avery get an MRI of his uterus and ovaries? That’s, what’s, So What!” Michelle hisses. “You didn’t tell me anything about an MRI. You said blood work and a couple x-rays. The And Stuff part is rather important. Had I known about the MRI I would have told you right off there was no way we could do this, not with a boy anyway.” Both Stella and Pedro wide eyed went silent for a long moment.

“So, what happened?” Pedro whispers.

“Well, at that point I couldn’t just call everything off. Not without me announcing to everyone that I thought you were trying to commit feraud.” Michelle said. “I wasn’t about to get you arrested. It’s not like I had a lot of time. I didn’t really have a choice. It was all I could think of.

“What was all you could think of” Stella interrupts. “What did you do?”

With a heavy sigh Michelle continues. “The only way the system would accept Avery for a scheduled MRI of ovaries and uterus was to change his gender to female.”

“That’s all? Pedro replies. “So just change it back and everything is fine.”

“Everything is not fine. First of all, it can’t be changed back until medicaid gets billed and pays it. Or the system will kick it out. People will wonder how a boy had this stuff done in the first place. Medicaid might wonder why they are being billed like this. Might start a full audit looking for feraud. The way this was going to work is that it was not supposed to be a big deal, so nobody would look at it. Just some basic tests.” Michelle states. “On top of that, my helping out the front desk while Conny went on break didn’t go unnoticed.” Michelle continues. “She’s pretty pissed at me. To do all this she had to leave her terminal unlocked. I told her you were a friend and were almost late. As a favor she let me check you in so you didn’t lose Avery’s appointment. Should have been no big deal. Would have been no big deal. Except for that Kyle guy a month back who was doing some kind of identity thing. Now their being anal about terminal access and all that. I got yelled at and a verbal reprimand. Conny got written up for leaving a terminal unsecured. She might lose her next raise over just trying to help me help you. I feel bad for her. The really bad part though. I can not change it back at all. Nothing about my job gives me access to the computers. I’m the one that puts stuff on paper for other people to enter. I can’t ask anyone to help, getting involved in this would be career ending. I basically falsified medical records.”

“So, your saying that all Avery’s medical records at the clinic say he’s a female now?” Stella asks.

“I wish.” Michelle says. “Everything is pretty much all connected. All his medical records say he is a female now. Likely all, even the medicaid ones most likely.”

“Shit” Pedro adds.

“Yeah shit.” Michelle continues. “Either it’s just the medical records and we all go to jail when medicaid refuses to pay for a boy getting this MRI, or they pay it and we all go to jail when someone realizes Avery is a boy again...like his next physical.”

“What do we do now?” Stella asks…

***

I’m sitting on the couch reading. I swear. Honestly I didn’t even need the book anymore to read it I had this one memorized. The other three in my collection as well. The school wouldn’t let me take any more home than the four even though it was spring break and I couldn’t get any more until we went back. So I guess I was pretending to read, or maybe wishing I was reading.

Ashley was on the floor drawing. I could watch her draw for hours. She has this way of drawing. It looks like she totally messes up but by the time it’s done it’s beautiful. Trees and mountains or rivers and stuff. All these beautiful places I doubt either of us have ever been. I like to just watch her and wish I could visit some of those places. At least until she notices me watching then she hides it away. If I could do that I’d let her watch. I think.

A knock at the door broke both of us out of our thoughts. In a moment Ashley had her papers stuffed back into her folder and pencil hidden. My book vanished into the couch cushion just as fast. Both of us learned a long time ago, if you care about something never let anyone see it. Or you will lose it.

Pedro walks from the hallway across the room and opens the door. “Good to see you again Jose and Angela, please come in.” As Pedro steps aside to let them in. It’s the people from yesterday with those two girls, and it looks like they brought groceries. Both girls sit on the far couch with a backpack as the adults move to the kitchen and switch to spanish.

A long moment passes. Ashley with her back to my couch and myself in the corner hiding my book. I think Ashley slid her folder under the couch. We all just kind of look over each other. Not in any particular way mostly just getting a good look. The lights were on more this time and it was the first time we could really see each other. The small one was in the bathroom getting her hair dyed most of yesterday and we really only got a chance to see each other when we were eating. All Ashley and I were paying attention to then was the food. We got more than normal and we never turn down food.

The taller one had long black hair almost as dark as mine but hers had a wave to it and mine was completely straight. She seemed about our age and more Ashley’s height maybe a little taller. She wore a pair of skinny jeans with some sparkly things near the ankles and by the pockets as well as a shirt like Ashley has. I think she called it a peasant shirt or I guess blouse. I still don’t know what the difference between a shirt and a blouse is, other than the buttons on the other side. Most of my not school cloths were from Ashley anyway.

The shorter one use to have brown hair but now it was as black as mine and just as straight. Mine is longer I think because hers only goes down to her lower back. She had on black tights and some shorts with a bib thing in the front and straps over the shoulders like a farmer would wear but they would have pants. Under that was a light blue shirt with long sleeves. Both were wearing sandals but the taller ones had a small heel on them. The only reason I even noticed is because last time we got shoes Ashley told me she really wanted ones with a heel. I think she’s tall enough.

The tall one started to speak. “I’m Mary, and this is my little sister Sofi. You must be Avery?”

She was looking at me. I don’t know this person why was she talking to me. Why do people always want to talk to people they don’t know. I pulled my legs up and started squeezing my hands together. I’m not talking to this Mary whoever she is that’s just not going to happen. Thankfully my Ashley shield saved me again.

“Yeah, that’s Avery and I’m Ashley.” Ashley says in almost a whisper.

Our aunt Stella said that you like to draw and that Avery likes books, so um...our mom got you these.” Mary said as she pulled out a colored pencil set with a sharpener along with a thick book of blank paper. “And these are for you.” Mary added setting down the pencils and paper as she pulled out what must have been at least 8 books.

My eyes got big looking at all those books for a second. But there’s no way I can read all those before they leave. Ashley certainly isn’t going to draw in front of them either. She set the books onto Sofi’s lap and pushed the backpack off to the side. Standing with the pencils and paper I could see the side of her face as Mary shot Sofi a quick mini glare. Sofi replied with a micro eyebrow crunch but stood next to her sister holding the books. They took a couple steps until they were standing almost in front of us.

“There yours, if you want them.” Mary said and as if that was the que both girls began raising their arms in front of us. No closer than they had to be to hand us the books. With us still seated though it feels like their almost looming over us. Are they really giving this stuff to us, like to keep? It’s not our birthday or Christmas. This stuff isn’t even on the list of school supplies and we already have that stuff.

Ashley and I both looked at each other. We both know what we’re thinking. Should we trust these people? This place was alright if I had to admit it. Nobody ever hit us or yelled at us or any of that. The problem is, we were both watching for the day that would all change. Maybe this is it. Like Brian. He would wait as we got our presents now and then and if he couldn’t take them he broke them. Ashley says she is positive not all people are like that. It would be nice if she is right. I can see the question in her eyes as well. She wants to believe this place is different and I want to believe her. Should we trust these people, even a little?

“My arms are getting heavy” Mary says. “You can have this stuff, really.”

It’s the smallest nod. The kind you make without moving at all. With Ashley’s nod we both reach up for the stuff. Not too fast, I don’t think their going to pull it back but we won’t let them surprise us. We both let out a breath as our hands took the books and pencils. I don’t think either of us realized we were holding it.

“We also brought this.” Mary says as they turn back to the couch. The moment their backs were turned both Ashley and I made our new books and pencils disappear. Sofi sat back on the couch as Mary picks up the backpack taking out another book. “We both picked this out.” As they looked back up at us and noticed the stuff was gone they both looked a little surprised. Nothing was said but Mary did pause for a moment. “Um...since we all have long hair Sofi and I thought we could braid each other's hair?” Mary added holding up the book. Braids for Beginners on the cover. “You guys can have this book too, but we haven't really looked at it yet so um, maybe make it disappear later?”

Ashley and I looked at eachother then back at the book then back at eachother like our heads were connected. Both Mary and Sofi were pulling out combs and brushes and a packet of hair ties as they set them on the end table. They even got the foot stools from Mr. Lopez’s and Mrs. Stella’s chairs and set them up in the middle of the floor.

Ashley looked at me and she looks like she wants to do this. She wants these people to touch us? I shot back my look of shock instantly. Her pout. How can she pull off a pout like that, it’s not fair. I want to agree but thinking of one of them standing behind me and who knows what. I can’t do this, I just can”t. I opened my mouth and wide eyed just shook my head frantically back and forth in micro jerks a couple times. I just can’t do it. Looking down my hands are shaking. If Ashley wants to do this I want to too but I just can’t. I can’t let them touch me.

“Maybe Sofi and I can go and see if the soda is cold enough yet.” Mary said as she looks towards Sofi who with a strong nod leads the way up the hallway to the kitchen.

Ashley gets up off the floor and sits on the couch right next to me. “Please Avery, this could be fun. Their not going to hurt us. Not everyone is like it was at that house.” Ashley can see how much I don’t want this to happen, she actually puts her arm around me. Holding me close we kind of rock back and forth a little. “Avery, do you trust me?” She asks. “I don’t think they want to hurt us, and I really would like another friend.”

I can only give a small nod. I do trust her. She is the only one who never tried to hurt me. She stuck up for me even when she got hurt because of it. How could I not trust her. Part of me knows she is right. Nothing those girls have done is mean. I just don’t want to get hurt again. If Ashley wants to try this then it’s a risk I’ll take, for her. I pull away a bit and wipe a tear off my cheek I didn’t know was there.

“We both know we can’t trust everyone. We also can’t not trust anyone. There has to be more people than you and me that aren't mean. We just have to find them, carefully.” Ashley whispers as she pulls me back into a hug. Hearing the girls coming back down the hallway Ashley pulls her arm from around me but stays close.

“We have soda!” Mary exclaims tipping one glass into the air in a makeshift salute. “And ice. It wasn’t that cold yet.” Sofi and Mary each set a glass on the end table next to me.

Leaning over me Ashley grabs a glass whispering “This could be fun if you let it.” Taking a sip before standing and setting the glass back down. “I’ll do Avery’s hair.” She says to Mary.

“We were kind of hoping you and I could do each other and Sofi and Avery could do each other.” Mary says and then adds. “We’ve done each others hair before and it's easy for me to do hers but when we switch she’s too short to really be able to do mine.”

“I’m not too short, your too tall.” Sofi grumbles.

Ashley looks at me. She tried again to shield me. Most of the time I felt grateful or relieved when she did that. This time I just felt guilty. She’s right it’s not likely I need saving here. With a wince I reluctantly nod. Ashley beamed for half a second but her smile is lasting much longer. Is she really that excited about this? It’s just hair braiding.

“Sofi should do Avery first then, I don’t think he’s ever done more than that ponytail, and um, I’m not so good either” Ashley says ending with a glance to the floor before reaching over for another sip of soda.

“That’s fine. Not like were some experts anyway. Besides it’s a book for beginners anyway. It can’t be too hard to figure out.” Mary says.

“Both of you brush your own hair first to get any knots out, so we don’t have to worry about pulling too hard as much.” Mary says as we sit down on the foot rests.

At first I was shaking like a leaf. My heart was beating so fast I thought my nose would start bleeding again. I looked up to see Ashley sitting across from me. Her eyes were a bit watery and she gave me a weak smile. Then she took a deep breath and let it out. She did it again and then gave me a slight nod. I tried it. It kind of helped a little. After a few more breaths looking back at Ashley she looks at me and closes her eyes and starts breathing deeply a few times. Alright I guess. It didn’t hurt or anything. Before long I began to actually calm down. I opened my eyes to peak at Ashley and she had a peaceful smile on her face. She actually looked content. I closed my eyes again and Sofi just kept brushing my hair in slow gentle long strokes. It actually started to feel nice. Someone I just met was touching me and it actually felt kind of nice. I even started to smile a little. The moment I noticed I quickly opened my eyes to see Ashley looking right at me with a big grin on her face. With a sigh of defeat I closed my eyes and tried again to just enjoy this.

“Wow Avery, your hair is beautiful. I don’t think I have ever seen hair this thick.” Sofi says. “I could play with it all day if you let me.” She adds with a quiet giggle. “I should braid it like a samurai, maybe a bun like in Mulan, what do you want?

It took a moment to realize Sofi asked me a question. I just gave a shrug. Really as long as she didn’t want to come near me with more than a brush I was fine. It really was nice feeling. I was starting to get uncomfortable about feeling so relaxed with someone touching me. That just didn’t seem like a good idea. Then I would look up at Ashley and see how genuinely happy she was. I’ve seen her smile and happy a few times. Never quite like she looked now though. Did this feel as nice to her as it did for me?

I looked up and opened my eyes when Sofi stopped. She handed the book to me and told me to pick the one I wanted. I just kinda raised my eyebrows and shrugged. I offered the book to Ashley with a quick pleading glance. She quickly took it and started paging through.

“Maybe this one for Avery, a dutch braid? Pick any one you feel like doing Mary I don’t mind.” Ashley asked as she turned the book to me.

I really didn’t have any real idea what they were so I just nodded with a half smile. It meant Sofi would keep playing with my hair and I had to admit I was really liking it.

It felt really weird having my hair braided like this. It was a little easier to move though since it was all together. Feeling the back of my head felt really strange though. It kinda felt lighter too somehow. Not really sure how that works. I did an alright job on just a basic braid on Sofi’s hair. It was sort of fun. I never did anything with someone else's hair before. When we were called for dinner it was a ton of food. Like way more than normal. Sofi and Mary’s parents brought over food and cooked it for us. They said it was a thank you, same as the stuff they gave us. Not really sure what we did but, we never turn down food. They did leave the braid book. I insisted Ashley keep it with her. I never would have done it without her and she seems to like the braid stuff a bit more than me.

Ashley got kinda hooked on the hair book. I didn’t mind because at first she would practice on me and that felt wonderful. I was beginning to look forward to it every day after school. She started bribing me in the mornings to do her hair with the offer of doing mine after. The first day I refused to wear a braid to school but she pointed out how ratty my hair looked at the end of the day with just my ponytail and I had to admit it was true.

I got a couple odd looks when I first went to school with a dutch braid, but I always got odd looks and the dutch braid turned out to be my favorite. The best thing about not talking to anyone is I never had to explain to anyone why I was braiding my hair. I did notice that I was the only boy with braided hair but even the couple other boys with long hair didn’t have it as long as mine. After a week I became convinced that it was just a better way to do it. It stayed neet and I never had to mess with it. Ashley however never could seem to pick a favorite and she liked to try different ones on me after we were home.

Stella had to take me to the doctor to get a shot but she said it was normal. The nurse said it would let me grow more so I guess it’s a good thing. I think I’m the smallest kid in the whole school even with the kindergarten class. It really hurt, who likes getting shots. If it would help me grow some I guess it’s alright. Not like I have a choice anyway. Besides once I found out Sofi was only six anything that will help me get taller is a good thing. I’ll be nine the end of this year.

Sofi and Mary came over a couple times and I think they were surprised how well we learned the book. They didn’t have it so we had to show them the more complicated ones but it was always fun. It took a while but I even let Ashley cut the ends of my hair. She said it was to even it out and get rid of split ends. It didn’t hurt or anything and Stella has been trying to cut my hair for ever. Just scissors kinda scare me.

They all kind of ganged up on me about how to wash my hair too. Sofi and Mary backed off when they realised how it was making me feel. That’s when I really realised that they really weren't going to hurt me. I’m starting to think Sofi could be a friend even. She is nice and gentile. She is also quiet, not as quiet as me but still. She is only an inch or two taller than me so it’s not very intimidating, and I’m almost three years older. Ashley convinced me it was to make my hair healthy and strong. I kind of thought my hair was. Even after she cut it when it wasn’t braided it fell past my waist. If I tried I could kind of sit on it. Ashley is jealous because hers just won’t grow that long but hers is still way longer than Mary’s. She says it’s from my parents. Sofi’s hair is probably as long as Ashley is but she is so much taller it doesn't look like it. I started doing the hair wash stuff and even something they called leave in conditioner a couple times a week. Mostly to stop them from bugging me but also because if I can make it even longer and more nice Ashley will be more jealous. I hope it’s not bad of me to think like that of her. I think I mean it in a good way.

Ashley also kept trying to braid her own hair. I wondered why, she knows I’ll do it for her and it’s faster. I kept laughing the first few times because it was all loose and frumpy. Big mistake. She dared me to try it to. I admit it is way easier to braid someone else's hair than your own. It took a couple weeks but I’m pretty good at the dutch braid now. I can do some of the others but unless I go really slow it never comes out right.

Now every morning after were mostly ready for school we sit together braiding our hair. A lot of the time Ashley talks about school and stuff. I like hearing her voice. She could talk about anything and that's just fine. As long as we're together I think we can make it through anything. I also need to admit that with the conditioner and that leave in stuff, my hair is so much softer and shiney now. Sofi says if I wanted to I could probably sell it for a million dollars. I think that's a lot of money but no way I’m letting anyone cut it off. I don’t think I'd be scared if Ashley did it but now I just like it too much.

I’m starting to really think Ashley was right about that last place. It’s nice here. We eat, never enough but still. We never get yelled at and we get things we need. Mrs. Stella even got us each really nice brushes and hair ties. Also all that special shampoo and stuff. Mr. Lopez has been staying home a lot lately though. He use to be at work before we left for school. Now he mostly sits in his chair looking at his laptop or reading newspapers. They usually speak spanish unless they are talking to us, but we can tell somethings wrong. I hope it gets better whatever it is. This is the best place we have been in.