I wasn't sure how they knew I was here.

Probably Maya.
But it didn't matter — because suddenly, the door swung open and Claire burst in like she'd been sprinting the whole way.
Jess was right behind her.

"Riley!" Claire half-yelled, eyes wide as she crossed the room. "Oh my god, are you okay?! Maya said you collapsed?"

Jess hovered near the doorway, looking uncertain. "Are you in the hospital? Is this—what happened?"

I sat up a little in the bed, blinking against the light. My heart pounded.
"I'm fine," I lied. My voice came out soft. Too soft.

Claire froze for a split second, then kept moving, brushing it off. She came to the side of the bed and gently squeezed my hand. "Don't scare us like that, idiot. You okay?"

I nodded once, avoiding her eyes. "Yeah. Just... stomach pain. They're doing tests."

Jess stepped in more slowly, her brows still pulled tight. "Was it like food poisoning or something? Stress? You've been kinda off since the semester started."

Maya stood off to the side, arms folded, eyes flicking between all of us. She didn't say anything.

Claire tilted her head at me. "You look really pale. And—have you lost weight?"

"Maybe," I muttered.

It was suddenly too hot under the blanket. Too bright in the room.
Claire was still studying me, the way her friend-eyes always picked up on things other people didn't. "You sure you're okay?"

I nodded again, but my throat tightened.
If they noticed the voice, they didn't say anything.
Yet.

Claire was still watching me too closely. I could feel the questions building behind her eyes — the ones she hadn't asked yet.
The ones I wasn't ready for.

Before she could say anything else, Maya stepped forward.

"Hey," she said gently, laying a hand on Claire's shoulder. "Let's not overwhelm him, okay? He's been through a lot."

Claire glanced at her, blinking. "I'm not—"

"I know," Maya said quickly. "You're worried. We all are. But the doctors are still figuring things out, and he needs rest more than anything right now."

Jess finally moved closer, her expression softening a little. "So... it's not serious, right?"

Maya gave a noncommittal shrug. "We don't know yet. But he's stable. They're running tests, and we'll know more soon."

Claire was mid-sentence — something about getting me soup later — when the door opened again.

Dr. Hendricks stepped back in, manila chart folder in hand and a tight, unreadable look on his face.
He didn't seem to notice my friends standing there.

"We've received the preliminary results from her bloodwork," he said, speaking quickly. "Estrogen levels are elevated well beyond typical ranges, and we're not detecting any significant testosterone activity. We'll need to run a karyotype next, just to confirm if—"

He stopped suddenly.
Because the room had gone silent.

Claire stared at him like she hadn't heard him correctly.
Jess blinked. "Wait... her?"

The air shifted — fast.
My stomach dropped.
I couldn't speak. Couldn't even breathe.

Dr. Hendricks looked up from his notes, eyes flicking toward Maya, then to me, then to the two stunned girls still rooted to the floor.

"Oh," he said, finally realizing. "You're—sorry. I thought—"

Maya jumped in, her voice smooth and fast. "Okay, that's enough for now. Let's give Riley some space, yeah?"

She turned to Claire and Jess, already ushering them gently toward the door.

Claire looked back at me, her face a storm of confusion.
"Riley... what's going on?"

I didn't answer.
Couldn't.

Jess hesitated. "Is this some kind of—?"

"Later," Maya said firmly. "Please."

But the moment they stepped into the hallway, their voices didn't stay quiet.

"I knew something was off!" Claire snapped, just outside the door. "Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't you say anything?"

Jess responded, her voice tense. "Claire, maybe he didn't know how. You saw his face — he looked terrified."

"No," Claire said. "No, this isn't just about being scared. This is—this is huge, Jess."

"You think I don't get that?" Jess hissed. "But yelling about it in the hallway isn't gonna fix anything."

Their words grew sharper, overlapping. Every syllable slipped under the crack of the door like static from a radio turned too loud.

Dr. Hendricks cleared his throat and stepped calmly to the door. He opened it just enough to poke his head out, voice firm but polite.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said. "I understand this is confusing and emotional, but I'm going to have to ask you to continue your conversation elsewhere, please. We need to maintain a calm environment for our patients."

A beat of silence followed.

"Sorry," Jess said quickly.
Claire didn't answer.

Footsteps retreated down the hallway, then quieted.

The door shut again.
And everything inside the room felt heavier than before.

****

The tray they brought me was basic — mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and a tiny cup of applesauce with one of those peel-back foil lids. No meat, which I appreciated. I didn't have the stomach for anything heavy. Or anything at all, really.

The applesauce had one of those labels with a cartoon apple smiling up at me, like it was trying too hard.

I pushed the carrots around with my fork, not sure why I even asked for food. Maybe because sitting here doing nothing felt worse than eating something I didn't want.

Maya was perched on the edge of the visitor's chair, one leg folded under her. She hadn't left — not since Claire and Jess were ushered out.
She watched me quietly, arms crossed like she wasn't sure what to say next.

That made two of us.

"Don't feel like eating?" she asked gently.

I shrugged. "Just... don't feel much like anything right now."

She nodded like she got it.

"Your voice hasn't cracked once today," she said after a pause. "I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just... different."

"I know." My voice came out flat. Soft — too soft. I didn't even flinch at it anymore. Maybe I was getting used to it. Or maybe I was too tired to care.

Maya leaned forward a little. "The doctor's going to come back soon. He said he'd talk to you once the full blood panel comes in."

I didn't answer.

There was a clock on the wall across from me, ticking just loudly enough to be annoying — one of those off-white plastic ones with black numbers and a red second hand that jerked forward every tick.
It felt like it hadn't moved in hours.

"I hate this," I whispered suddenly. "I hate not knowing what's happening to me."

Maya reached out and touched my hand, just lightly. "You will know. And when you do... we'll deal with it."

I looked down at our hands.
My fingers looked thinner than I remembered. The shape of them... different. Like even the little things were quietly betraying me.

I didn't even realize I'd stopped eating until my fork slipped out of my hand and hit the tray with a soft clatter.
The sound made me flinch.

Maya looked up.
I kept staring at the mashed potatoes like they were going to explain something to me. Like they could make this all make sense.

"If I'm really..." I started, but the words caught.
I swallowed hard, tried again.
"If I'm turning into a girl... does that mean I have to start using... she and her?"

My voice sounded small. Barely mine.

Maya didn't flinch.
She didn't fumble for words or try to dance around it.
She just looked at me for a second, then said quietly, "Yeah. I think so."

It hit like a punch to the chest — not because she was mean about it. She wasn't.
She was just... honest.

"That's what people will expect," she added, softer now. "Especially once they see you. If your body's changing... they're going to assume you're a girl."

I didn't say anything.
I just kept looking at my tray, like if I focused hard enough it would swallow me.

"I'm sorry," Maya said, reaching across the table to touch my hand. "I don't know what's causing this. I don't. But you're still you, Riley. Even if people start calling you something else."

I didn't pull away, but I didn't look at her either.
Because I didn't know who "me" was anymore.

There was a knock, then the door creaked open.

Dr. Hendricks stepped in, still holding that same manila folder from earlier — only now it looked heavier. Thicker. Final.

He gave a polite nod to Maya, then looked at me.

"Riley," he said, voice calm but firm, "I have the results from your full blood panel and follow-up scans."

I sat up a little straighter, though my chest tightened with every word.

Dr. Hendricks moved to the end of the bed, flipping open the folder. "First off, your bloodwork confirms what we initially suspected. Your hormone levels are consistent with those of a biological female. Estrogen is high — naturally high — and we're not detecting any measurable testosterone activity."

I swallowed hard.

He looked at me carefully. "We also ran a chromosomal analysis."

My heart pounded in my ears.

"Riley... your chromosomes are XX."

Maya inhaled sharply next to me.
I just stared at him.
No words. Just a buzzing in my skull.

"We weren't expecting that," he continued. "Given your childhood development, this is extremely rare. But the karyotype is clear. Genetically, you are female."

The room seemed to tilt a little.

Dr. Hendricks gave me a moment, then continued. "To better understand what's going on internally, we also performed a pelvic MRI. It showed the presence of internal structures — a uterus, fallopian tubes, early-stage ovarian development. Everything points to a functioning, if still maturing, female reproductive system."

My hands were cold.
I didn't know what to do with them.

Dr. Hendricks hesitated, then said the words that made it all feel real.

"If this continues... in time, your body will begin menstruation. Likely within a few months, if not sooner."

The buzzing in my head turned to static.
I wasn't sure if I was breathing anymore.

Maya moved closer. She didn't say anything — just sat there, her knee against mine.

Dr. Hendricks closed the folder with a soft thunk and rested his hand on it.

"We'll need to keep monitoring everything closely," he said. "And there are going to be a lot of decisions ahead. But for now—"

He stopped.
Because I wasn't looking at him anymore.
I was staring at my hands. They didn't even feel like mine.
None of this did.

I opened my mouth to say something — anything — but no sound came out.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.
A nurse leaned in. "Doctor? You're needed in Room Fourteen."

Dr. Hendricks gave a small nod, then looked back at me.
"I'll be back in a bit. Try to rest, Riley."

He stepped out. The door clicked shut behind him.

Silence.

Maya sat beside me, still as stone.

I turned to her, barely able to speak.
"What if... what if I'm not supposed to be Riley anymore?"

She looked at me. Really looked at me.
Then she opened her mouth to answer.

But before she could say anything, I fainted again.