The doctor said I had the Feminizer disease and a strong case of it. I went numb and pale and they knew it. I thought I was going to faint. Another nurse came in with water and helped me as I slowly fell off my chair in panic.

"Please don't tell me that! How can I manage that? I'm a man!"

He had cobbled together enough fuel cells to hold for almost a year, and careful rationing would give enough food and water for nine months. After that, he would starve, freeze, or suffocate. It didn’t really matter, any way he cut it, he was dead if he didn’t make some kind of movement.

Caitlin is worried about the fall out that her outing would cause. Alison and Meredith corner her in order to have a conversation about what's going on. Can she do this without another panic attack?

Al doesn’t realize it but her journey is ending and at the same time, just beginning. She and her companion return to her original world, or at least the world where she had been Maddy. They witness a near drowning and then everything suddenly becomes much clearer. If The Wizard needed a hanky, you might need one, too.

Well, it’s back to being Al, and her dream companion from the first night as Maddy has returned. Perhaps it wasn’t a dream after all. Reconciled to whatever it is that she is going through, Al joins her companion on a lengthy and convoluted journey. She returns to her early school years and learns about someone who could have been a friend that she instead rejected.

Dang tears, they seem to come at the worst times. We sat on the bench just outside of the changing rooms, and I didn't care if others saw me or not. I was happy, and I am a girl, and I had a right to cry whereever I wanted to, for whatever reason. Bobbie sat on one side of me, and Cindy on the other. They held me from both sides, to show they were very serious about being there for me.
 

Standing Up to Life: Book 1   Part 6 of 6 (Final)   by Tiffany Shar

 
Synopsis

Brandon is a bright boy growing up near Albuquerque, New Mexico. He likes school, soccer, computer games, and playing in the school band. Small for his age and youngest in his class, his size has made him the target of every school bully for years. Each year the verbal and physical abuse increases, finally wearing him down to the point he doesn't know if he can continue. Just as he reaches the end of his rope, he is suddenly befriended by a classmate he least expected. As their friendship grows and deepens, Brandon learns the value of a best friend and finds himself moving down a road he never expected. Over the course of the school year, his friend helps him discover and cope with his feelings, hopes, dreams - and fears.

This is the story of a young person's unusual journey to stand up to the numerous obstacles that life has dealt him - and to become the person he believes himself to be. (Part 6 of 6)