“Lara, I don’t see any shorts?” Lara looked at me like I was stupid.

“Sure ya can. You’re wearing one now. Duh?”

Dreaming of Cheers Standing Up to Life: Book 3 Part 15 of 23 by Tiffany Shar

Intro by Carla Ann

“Tiffany, I’ve asked you how everything is going with people and the activities you’re involved in, but you haven’t mentioned how you are coping with everything.” She emphasized the ‘you,’ when she asked that.

“Well, better than I was last year,” I started. “Way better than last year… I have a lot of friends now, and I’m not getting picked on every day.” I saw her eyes boring into me looking for something else. “Alright, I don’t know how I’m doing right now.” I told her honestly.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Well for one I’m really tired of everyone guessing I’m five if I wear the wrong clothes.” I told her hesitantly. I was sure my parents had filled her in with everything anyway, “Tuesday was pajama day. Mom and I had found some cute pajamas with feet on them that would fit Amy and me, so we wore them for pajama day. We really did look cute dressed like that, and I was having a lot of fun with it. That was until the sub in English class thought that I was someone’s little sister that had come them to school that day.”

I was really surprised Dr. Reynolds didn’t laugh about it, but I continued, “Then the next day the whole squad was wearing shortalls and our hair done in pigtails and I looked to be about five again. One of my best friends even brought a doll to school to play a joke on the sub that we’d had. I don’t think she knew that it really upset me though. I’m not five, I’m twelve! Amy has grown about five inches here in the last couple months, but I’m still the same height I was last year. It’s good for cheerleading stuff because people can toss me so easily… but…” I was doing my best to not go into tears over all of this. “as long as we’ve got my puberty stopped then I won’t be doing much growing. That’s all on top of the fact that I’m never going to be able to have periods like my friends… and I’m stuck with this stupid thing between my legs,” I told her with a great deal of exasperation. “I’m so tired of having to look at it, or hide it, every time I turn around. I know you can’t do anything about it till I’m eighteen – but I wish it could be gone now!” I had gone to tears now.

College Fees - Chapter 10 by Susan Louise Montague

They were both so well read that no matter what they discussed the conversation flowed readily and they were like two peas in a pod.

==

When time stops and all clocks are silent.
Have you been there?

The next morning I woke up to the sun shining through the curtains and I noticed that everything was exactly as it was from the night before. I went to the bottom drawer and took out the notebook. I turned it to the page and all I found was some strange writing in a language that seemed vaguely familiar, but was still at the edge of my mind. The necklace was still the same and clothes I was wearing did not seem to be any tighter than they were the night before. I put on my pink robe and slippers and went to the kitchen to start breakfast.

FLASHBACK

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
WHEN I HAVE CLOSED MY EYES
SUDDENLY IT HAPPENS

As we are liberated
from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.

--Nelson Mandela
{1994 Inaugural Speech}

College Fees - Chapter 8 by Susan Louise Montague

She began to dream and in that dream the thought of what it must be like to be fully female came back to her, a thought for the moment she wouldn’t dare to dwell on while awake.