(Disclaimer: This chapter contains offensive and objectionable words. The intent of the use of these words is not to glorify or endorse these words. Rather, it serves to highlight the negative impact and implications of their use on men who do not fit strict gender rules and sheds light on the attitude of those who enforce strict gender rules. The character employing these terms does not embody positive values and their choice of language reflects harmful attitudes. My aim is to foster understanding and awareness about the consequences of such language, not to promote it.)

Like usual, the morning zombies shambled off the bus with Ms. Fowler repeating her usual “Have a good morning” to everyone as they passed. Danny reached the stairs and started to make his way down. However, his foot gave out in the unfamiliar shoes and he suddenly went tumbling down. His bottom hit all three steps on his way down, resting on the final step as he death-gripped the handrail. Behind him, a chorus of laughter sounded and he could hear Ms. Fowler shout, “Oh sweetie, are you OK?” Danny righted himself, put his feet on the concrete, and stood himself up. Ms. Fowler again repeated through the laughter if he was OK and Danny just nodded, his embarrassment spiking even further. If people weren’t paying attention to him, they sure were now. In fact, as he turned around, eyes were focused on him all around the bus.

“Smooth move, bro”, his sister shouted from the curb. Danny just hung his head and walked to her, feeling all the eyes that were now watching his every move. He could hear every chuckle and every whisper as everyone talked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two guys standing on the curb, with one pointing toward him. Nobody else, of course, wearing costumes. Danny approached Jenny and she lightly grabbed him by the arm. “Are you OK? Did you rip your tights?”, she asked. Danny just stood there and gave her an embarrassed and confused look. “Well,” she pressed, “did you rip the tights?” Danny reached behind his legs and brushed the back of his skirt, then shook his head. “Everything good?”, she prodded. Danny gave a weak nod in response, his eyes and ears still scanning the crowd that was now breaking up as everyone shuffled to their morning routines. “All right,” she said, “We need to go find Nik and Rachael.” Jenny started to walk off and Danny followed in tow, scanning each and every person in the crowd, looking for who was trying to humiliate him further, and who would be the first to pounce.

Walking through the main courtyard, a familiar problem started to arise. It was still a chilly October morning and the sun was barely up. Worse yet, the school had a thin low fog that only made it colder. Goosebumps started to form on his skin as they walked on, distracting him from his hypervigilance. They passed the courtyard, rounded the library, and made their way to the cafeteria. There, Jenny guided them to the door and she opened it for Danny. The two shuffled inside and Jenny started to scan for her friends. However, it didn’t take long to hear a familiar squeal from across the room. Two girls leapt up from the tables and started hauling their way toward them as Jenny and Danny continued further in.

“Oh my God, he looks so freakin’ adorable, Jen!” squealed Nikkie.

“I can’t believe you weren’t lying to us, Jen. You really got your brother to go along!” said Rachel, giggling hard.

“Yeah, I told you so. I told you I’d find us an Alice. I wouldn’t ditch on you two.” Jenny replied.

Danny just stood there, his face flushed while in front of his sister’s friends. He looked over Rachel and Nikkie, both of them in their respective costumes. Nikkie in a short Queen of Hearts costume while Rachel went for a crossplay version of the Mad Hatter. This now makes the whole group costume complete.

“God, I can’t believe how much of a cutie Danny is, Jen!” Nikkie gushed even more.

Rachel kept laughing. “Yeah, with a bit more work, he’d pass as a real girl.”

“You think?” Jen replied. She reached over and pulled Danny’s face her direction, with Danny shooting her a dirty look. “I dunno, he’s still pretty boyish.”

“No, he could totally pass! He’s adorable! I love it!” Nikkie poured again.

All the girls just giggled and laughed at Danny's misfortune as he stood there. He could feel the heat filling his body from embarrassment.

“So,” Jenny interrupted, “Do you have the final piece?”

“Oh!”, Rachel exclaimed, “Yeah! It’s over in my bag.”

Rachel took off and the rest of the girls followed with Danny in tow. They reached the table and Rachel grabbed her backpack and started going through it. She then pulled out a plastic package with a bright yellow object in it. “Awesome,” Jenny rejoiced as she took it. When Danny got a better look, he realized it was a bright blonde wig and his mind reeled once more. Rachel then whipped something else out of the bag and held it out, a black headband with a big bow. “I also got this as well,” she said. Jenny snatched that up as well and shouted in delight, “Thank you! This’ll be perfect!” Jenny then ripped into the bag and pulled out the wig. She set the headband on the table and then started combing her free hand through the strands, getting it all straightened out and presentable. “So, how much do I owe you?”, Jenny asked. “Thirty-five”, Rachel said, padding the bill a little with a lie. “All right”, Jenny said, “I’ll pay you this weekend.” Jenny then gave the wig a quick once-over and then moved toward Danny.

Before it was even on him, Nikkie was already squealing in delight. Danny just stood there, accepting his torment as his sister put the wig on him and fastened it to his head. All the girls were now overflowing with joy at Danny’s adorableness, having completed the costume. Jenny then reached for the headband and put the final crowning touch on Danny’s head.

“Oh my God, he’s freakin’ cute!” spouted Nikkie.

“Ok, now I totally see it,” stated Jenny, “He totally could pass for a girl.”

The girls just laughed and giggled at Danny and he faded off into a thousand-mile stare, wishing all of this would be over. Never had he ever been this embarrassed and put on the spot before. It is quickly becoming the worst day of his life. That is until he heard the worst words ever to come out of someone’s mouth, specifically Nikkie’s. “Oh my God, we should take pictures!”, she shouted gleefully. A collective “yeah” came from both Jenny and Rachael. Nikkie looked around the room and then ran to some guy at the table, holding out her phone. “Mike, come take our pictures!” she screeched, shoving the phone into the guy’s hand.

Mike walked over and the girls all huddled up behind Danny, making him the center star. Mike got the camera app ready and held it up to the girls, but then noticed something a little strange and paused, giving Danny a curious look. “Okay...” Mike said quietly, with a concerned tone before returning to the phone. He gave a short countdown and started snapping the pics. All the girls started doing different poses but Danny just stood there, face flushed and feeling exposed all over again. When they finished, Mike handed the phone back to Nikkie and, as he did, the first period bell rang. “Thanks, Mike”, chimed Nikkie before turning to the other girls, “I’ll send the pics to you all while I’m in class, OK?” The two girls headed back to their table and grabbed their bags. As they did, Jenny turned to Danny and said, “Well little bro, you’re on your own until school ends. Have fun!” With that, Jenny turned and started to head off to her class, leaving Danny all alone to fend for himself.

Danny stayed frozen for a while, wishing that he could just run away from all of this, wishing that he could just wipe it away from everyone’s memories forever. But, as the cafeteria emptied, he felt the obligation to go to class. Especially as he realized that if he skipped, his parents would be notified and there’d be no doubt that he’d have to clean the donation closet.

Danny made it through the halls and to his class, entering his double-period class that all the Freshman students had, which was two subjects with the same teacher. As he did, his close friend Thom dropped his jaw. Danny passed all the other tables and sat across from him. But as he sat down, a sudden cold feeling came across his bottom as the skirt lifted and he touched the bottom of the seat through just his tights and daintier undies. Danny quickly rose and adjusted the skirt before burying himself in his hands in further embarrassment. “Dude, what the hell?”, Thom quietly exclaimed, “Why the hell are you wearing that?” All around Danny, kids were filtering into his class, most he had known since middle school when his family moved into town. He tried to listen in for anyone making fun of him, but everyone was going about their usual conversations. “Seriously, bro, what the hell are you wearing”, Thom persisted. Danny just put a hand up, trying to get him to stop, and he thankfully got the clue and did.

Shortly, the bell rang and everyone settled in. “All right class, pull out your books. We’re going to continue The Great Gatsby today”, said Mrs. Edwin. Bookbags shuffled around the class, including Danny, pulled out their materials. “Turn to page fifty-one and we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday.” Danny flipped to the page and sunk in. As the class read out loud, he could barely keep focused. He felt so strange and awkward and, due to the silence of the class, this was the first time he actually had time to really focus on what he was wearing. There wasn’t a single thing he was wearing that felt familiar, it all felt so incredibly foreign, especially the tights and wig that stuck out like a sore thumb to him.

“Danny.” A voice broke through the noise and crept into his head. “Danny, can you please read to the class?” Danny’s attention snapped to the front of the class where his teacher was standing, obviously waiting on him. Danny started to panic as he became embarrassed once again. “Danny? Are you going to read?”, asked Mrs. Edwin again. “Ye-yeah”, Danny stammered out, his heart pounding. Danny scanned the book, trying to figure out where the class was but he had no clue. He quickly glanced at his teacher who had an impatient look on her face. “Wh-where were we again?” Danny sheepishly asked. “Page fifty-seven. ‘There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind’.” said Mrs. Edwin as she read the first line of the paragraph. “Oh, yeah,” replied Danny. He then started to read but was then interrupted. “Danny, stand so that the whole class can hear you,” commanded Mrs. Edwin. Danny’s heart went right into his throat. If he stands, everyone is going to see him, but if he doesn’t, Mrs. Edwin will make a big deal anyway. Danny took a big, deep breath and slowly rose out of his seat. “There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind,” Danny read, his voice quivering. He kept reading until Mrs. Edwin told him to stop and he sighed a breath of relief as he slid back into the seat.

However, as Danny sat down, Mrs. Edwin piped up, stating, “Oh! So Danny is dressed as Alice in Wonderland today.” The class began to giggle, but Mrs. Edwin shushed and shot it down. “Be nice, everyone, it’s just a costume,” she said. “Now, how about a little English literature pop quiz?”, she exclaimed. “Can anyone tell me who wrote Alice in Wonderland?”, quizzed Mrs. Edwin to the class. A freezing chill ran through Danny. It was as if a huge icicle had fallen off a cave and impaled him straight through. “Anyone at all?”, Mrs. Edwin continued. Danny saw his classmate, Sarah, raise her hand. Mrs. Edwin pointed to her and she chimed, “Lewis Carroll”. Mrs. Edwin beamed with pride as she replied, “Correct!” She continued, “And who can tell me where the story was written?” Natalie, who always competes with Sarah, raised her hand and Mrs. Edwin pointed to her. “England.” Mrs. Edwin beamed again, “Also correct.” She paced a bit before smiling and asking, “And what year was it published?” She paused for a while, scanning the room. “I’ll take a rough estimate if someone wants to take a stab at it,” she said as her eyes continued to graze across everyone. “No?”, she confirmed. “It was in 1865,” she said, answering her own question. “Ok, let’s get back to it. Prisha, you’re next to read,” she said as the class got back into rhythm.

Once again, Danny just sat there and sulked, losing himself in his anxieties as the class read. Eventually, the bell rang, signaling second period. Instead of opting to walk around the halls with Thom like he usually does until he had to return for their second class, Danny decided to stay. However, as everyone was filtering out, he noticed that Thom wasn’t budging either and he was instead looking right at Danny. When their eyes met, Thom leaned over and pounced again. “Dude, seriously,” he exclaimed, “What is with the outfit? Why are you wearing that?” Danny pursed his lips in annoyance over Thom’s nagging and shook his head. He knew that there was no way that Thom was going to let it slide, and that caused Danny to let out a heavy sigh. “It was my stupid sister,” Danny replied. Thom’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What?” he asked, puzzled by what that could mean. Danny just shook his head, his frustration growing. “My stupid sister tricked me and now I’m stuck wearing this stupid thing,” he barked, his tone starting to get snappy as the day’s stress weighed on him. “How the hell did she trick you?”, he asked. Danny just sighed and shook his head saying, “I lost a stupid bet with her and I don’t want to talk about it.” Thom leaned back in his chair finally satisfied he got an answer, and replied, “Damn, that sucks.”

As Danny was sitting there, brooding in his mood, he reached down to grab his phone. However, all he did was rub against the skirt on his thigh. Danny’s eyes went wide as his mind flashed to this morning and how rushed and stressed everything was after he had gotten up. Not only had he forgotten a jacket, which has left him quite cold — even in class, he had left his cell phone lying next to his bed on his nightstand. He had also forgotten his house keys and wallet as well. Danny put a hand up to his forehead and groaned to himself. “Seriously can’t believe this is happening”, he thought to himself.

After the seven-minute break was over, the bell rang and everyone started to filter back in. Danny was sitting quietly when someone suddenly came up to him and leaned into his ear. “Nice dress, faggot.” Danny turned his head and it was Nathan. Danny then heard Thom from across the way saying, “Dude, get a new personality already.” Nathan just stood up and laughed as he walked away. Thom just shook his head and whispered, “jackass”, under his breath while Danny sunk into his desk even more, feeling even more embarrassed that Nathan is now singling him out and Thom just defended him.

The minutes ticked by and soon the bell rang again. Mrs. Edwin stood from her computer desk and then told everyone to pull out their textbooks. Danny put away his English materials and pulled out his social studies book. Mrs. Edwin then gave everyone the page number and they all started on their work. This time, it was silent reading the chapter on Aztec history and then filling out the “critical thinking” questions 2, 3, 5, and 7 at the end. Somehow, Danny fell into a routine and was able to start working without much distraction, save for when he’d move and be reminded of what he was wearing. Danny was almost finished with his work when the bell rang. As everyone was packing to leave, Mrs. Edwin reminded the class that the work needed to be turned in first thing before second period tomorrow. Danny stood from his desk, bag packed, slung it over his shoulder, and made his way out of the classroom to his next class.

Danny barely made it a few feet away from the door before he was immediately yanked to the floor by his backpack. He landed hard on his back to a chorus of laughter. Standing above him was Nathan, who then gave Danny a weak kick to his right side. “You’re such a fucking freakshow,” Nathan said as Danny scrambled to his feet and face him, fists raised. “Oh, you want to go, little beta boy? I’ll kick your pussy soyboy ass”, taunted Nathan. Nathan was always such an asshole to everyone. He always thought he was better than everyone and tried to pick a fight with every boy in school to look tougher — well, at least not the ones with muscles, that is. “I’m not in the fucking mood, Nate”, Danny stated, his anger rising. Nathan let out a sadistic chuckle, replying, “Not in the mood? You’re such a little cuck.” Danny just rolled his eyes and shook his head at the constant use of terminally online language. Nathan just started to circle Danny, the crowd around them waiting for something to happen. Nathan faked a few punches at Danny in order to get him to flinch, but they were not intimidating at all. It was then that Danny spotted Thom, who was much larger, right behind Nathan.

Thom reached through Nathan and immediately put him into a headlock. “Hey, bitch,” Thom said, “Why don’t you leave people the hell alone, huh?” Nathan wiggled under Thom’s headlock. “Get the fuck off me,” shouted Nathan, but Thom held strong as the surrounding students watched and giggled at the situation, seeing Nathan comically trying to twist his way out. “I knew you two were homo for each other,” Nathan continued, thinking his words made him a stronger person than his predicament. Thom just laughed, replying, “I already told you to get a new personality. You should work on that.” Nathan tried to throw himself and get out of the headlock but Thom still held strong, being much stronger than him. Nathan roared, “Let me go, faggot!”, but Thom just let Nathan wiggle around some more for a while before he pushed him forward a little and kicked him in the back. Nathan flew forward several feet and fell right to the ground face-first. He scrambled to his feet in a rage before starting to walk away. “Fucking faggots!”, he shouted, in one last-ditch effort to look tough, which just made Thom and the crowd laugh even more. From there, Nathan just started walking away, adjusting his shirt and trying to look as cool and tough as he possibly could.

“Dude, you all right?”, Thom asked Danny. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Danny replied. “All right,” Thom acknowledged as he held out his hand for a dap. “Let me know if that jackass fucks with you again,” Thom said as Danny gratefully embraced Thom’s hand, accepting the gesture as a big thanks for getting his back. “OK,” he replied. “And let me know if I need to kick your sister’s ass, too”, Thom suggested, with a smile across his face. This got Danny to smile back in return, the first smile he’s had all day. “Thanks,” Danny replied. “All right, I’ll see you in PE,” Thom said, “And make sure nobody fucks with you again, all right dude?” Danny smiled a little wider saying, “Yeah, see you.”