Talia reaches from under her blankets as the alarm on her cell phone starts playing Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves. She presses the snooze button on her cell phone and retracts her hand back under the blankets. She really didn’t want to get out of bed.

Lately, there has been complaints about her being on the girls track team. Other high schools in the area have refused to compete against her. They were calling it unfair because she wasn’t born a female according to the new rules coming out of Washington D.C. and from her State Government.

She doesn’t know why she still gets up every morning to run. When Talia hears her cell phone start playing Walking On Sunshine again. She turns it off and gets out of bed. She takes her night clothes off and brushes her long dirty blonde hair. She puts it into a high ponytail and puts on her jogging clothes.

She grabs her earbuds and put them in her ears. She selects her favorite music list to listen to while she is jogging. She stuffs her credit card into her cell phone holder and leaves the house. She shivers from the cool morning air as she begins her thirty-mile run. She normally alternates how far she runs each morning.

Talia listens to the music and tries to get the conversation that she had with her coach out of her head. She either had a choice of running for the boy’s team or give up the sport. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do.

She knew she could beat several boys from the other high schools with her eyes closed. They weren’t a match for her. She bets that if she did run and beat them. They would complain about it or come after her like they did when she first started coming out while attending junior high.

The first few weeks of school had been name calling and some light bulling. Later on, a group of guys she knew since elementary school, started picking on her. They broke into her locker and tossed everything, then when they had gym class, her male gym teacher refused her to change with the girls. So, he made her change in the boy’s locker room, but away from everyone.

While they were out on the floor doing their exercises and goofing off. One of the guys came back and sprayed her clothes with lighter fluid. He didn’t set them on fire, but she couldn’t wear them because of the fumes coming off them.

Her parents ended coming up to the school and all hell broke out. Her parents weren’t going to put up with her being bullied. After that incident, she overheard her gym teacher telling another teacher that she brought it upon herself.

She found out later from placing bugs in all her classes, that some of her teachers felt the same way as her gym teacher. They felt that if you were born a boy, you were a boy. If you were born a girl, you were a girl. It didn’t matter how you felt or how your sexual organs were. You would never be the opposite gender in their eyes.

One teacher even said as much. No matter how many surgeries you have, a boy will never be a girl and vice-verse. You were either a boy or a girl, period.

Members of the local city government and the new school board members elected felt the same way. Her parents wish they could move to let her be free of these backwaters’ ideas, but there wasn’t anything they could do. They were still paying on their mortgage and her father had his construction business, that was doing really well.

So, the only thing she could do was just put up with the new rules and regulations. She concentrates on her running and by the time she is done running. Talia stops at the local convenience store and purchases an apple fritter and a cold bottle of milk.

There was a park nearby and it had benches where you could seat down and enjoy the scenery. Talia walks over to the benches and sits down to eat her pastry and drink her milk. While she is sitting there watching the cars go by.

By the time Talia is done eating her pastry and drinking her milk. She tosses her trash away in a nearby trashcan and brushes her hands off. She takes a wet napkin out of her pocket and clean her hands from the stickiness from the apple fritter. She tosses the napkin into the trash can and jogs back to her house.

When Talia arrives back home, she heads upstairs to her bedroom and strip out of her running clothes. She walks across the hall from her bedroom and into the bathroom in her birthday suit. Her parents were at work and her two older brothers were at work. One was a tow truck driver for a local garage, while the other one was a welder for her father’s construction company.

Her mother worked for a local plumbing store as their book keeper. She also did the books for their father’s construction company. Sometimes she would help out on the construction site. She learned how to use a hammer and operate some of the bulldozers and backhoes.

She takes a shower and wash her long dirty blonde hair. She still couldn’t get over how useless her testicles were. The last time she had a physical in order to stay on the team. Her testosterone levels were extremely low, but her estrogen levels were a little high.

The doctor she had wasn’t sure why her levels were so unusual. He also didn’t understand why she didn’t have erections like the other boys in her school. When she goes to wash her chest, she notices her chest felt weird. There was a slight bump under her nipple. She’ll have to ask her mother about it later.

When Talia gets out of the shower, she blows dries her long hair. She didn’t like letting it air dry, because it caused to many tangles. Even with the conditioner she used on it, it still caused her hair to tangle.

Since Talia had the day to herself. She goes downstairs to the garage wearing a pair of faded denim coveralls with paint stains on it to silk screen some more t-shirts. Some of the kids at school liked her silk screening and placed orders with her.

She goes to work, doing the screen images they want. Sure, they could order them online and maybe get a cheaper price. However, they could get them from her within a day or so. Also, there were restrictions on what the companies online would print on the shirts, hoodies, and other items they want order.

She works until she gets all the orders that came in done. Once they were done and drying. She packages all the orders and set them inside a cardboard box to take to school next week. Since school was out for Spring Break. She still had time to decide what she was going to do.

Talia washes her hands and put everything away. She was happy her father expanded the garage to give her a space to setup all her silk-screening equipment. She heads into the house and heat up some barbecue her father made. It was her father’s favorite past time.

She heats up some tatter tots to go with the barbecue. She could have had the left over potato salad her mother made, but she wanted something different. She does heat up some of the seasoned green beans.

Talia turns on the television set in the kitchen and watches the news. She had to do a report for her government class about current political policies going on this week. So, far she had five pages written for her report. The thing is, she only had to write a five-thousand-word report.

She always did more than she was suppose to do. Her government teacher sometimes hated when she did more. She wishes the high school she attended had better teachers. Not all of them were bad, but the majority of them were.

After lunch, Talia puts her dirty dishes away and grab her laptop to work on her paper for her government class. She wanted to work on it, while the information was still fresh in her head. She plays her favorite music while she adds to her report. She makes sure she cites where she got the information, so her teacher doesn’t deduce points off her grade.

After Talia is done working on her report. She submits it to her teachers email account like the class was instructed to do. She makes sure everything was correct before pressing send.

Talia gets up the next morning and gets ready for her run. This morning, she wasn’t taking the same route she took yesterday morning. Today, she takes a different route and runs only twenty miles, instead of her standard thirty miles.

The route she took, was more scenic, quieter, and less busy in the morning. She enjoys the route as she jogs. She was slowly warming up from her jogging. The weather when she started her jog was cool, but it was slowly getting warmer.

By the time she arrived back home, her mother was pulling out of the driveway. She waves to her mother as she passes her. By the time Talia walked into the house, she was feeling a little hungry.

Talia opens the refrigerator and grabs the small bowl of fruit. She also grabs some cream to pour on top of it. She sits at the counter turns the television on and flips through the channels. Nothing catches her attention, so she turns the television off and eats her breakfast.

After Talia is done eating breakfast and has put her dirty dishes away. She heads upstairs and takes a shower. Since she had her schoolwork done and submitted. She had the rest of the day to either goof off or find something to do.

Since she didn’t really feel like goofing off. She grabs the box of silk-screening shirts and hoodies she did and mounts them on her scooter. She knew where most of the people who placed orders with her lived. She knew that they had jobs, so they should be home.

Talia grabs her helmet and puts it on. She doubles checks the box to make sure it was secured, before mounting her scooter and starting it. She wanted to get an all-electric scooter, but the one the scooter store had was out of her price range. The gas-powered one was cheaper and easy to take care of.

Talia closes the garage door behind her as she drives off to make her deliveries. The first few deliveries were nearby and the person she was looking for was home. As Talia makes her deliveries, she passes by one of her teacher's houses. She spotted Mr. Jenkins outside cutting his lawn. She waves to him as she drives past his place.

By the time she gets to her last delivery, she spots Ava outside in a thong bikini. She shakes her head as she enters the backyard “You know Ava, you’re going to be the darkest person on the track and field team this year.”

Ava looks towards Talia when she hears her voice. She has always liked Talia and didn’t have a problem with her being on the girl’s track and field team. She knew Talia was always polite and never did anything to make the other girls feel uncomfortable. She hated the fact that Talia was being forced to choose to either give up running or join the boy’s track and field team.

“I know, Talia.” Ava sits up and accepts the order of t-shirts and the two hoodies she ordered from Talia.

She looked at them and liked what Talia did to them. She folds them back up and places them back in the bag they had been brought in. She looks up at Talia “Have you decided what you are going to do, yet?”

“No, and I hate that the school board, the city government, and our state are making me do this.” Talia sits down on the other lounger next to Ava’s.

“Well, me and the other girls think it sucks that they are doing this to you. You’ve never done anything to us or the girls from the other school. If nothing else, I know you have been letting other girls who have competed against you win.” Ava and several other girls on their school’s field and track team have noticed that sometimes Talia has been letting other girls she competed against win. They knew how fast Talia was from practice and knew she could easily beat the other girls.

Talia was a little taken aback that Ava and some of the other girls on her track-field team realized that she had been holding back against their competitors. She tried to be fair and let some of the other girls from the schools they competed against win a few meets.

“When did you guys realize what I was doing?” Talia watches Ava’s facial expressions.

“Midway through the year, last year. We know how fast you are and how during practice you always try to let everyone who runs against you win or come close to winning.”

“And it didn’t bother you?” Talia was shocked about that.

“Nope, we saw how hard you trained and knew you did it to encourage us to improve ourselves. Also, to let the rumors other people spew about you having an unfair advantage be proven wrong. I don’t care if you were born one gender, but identify as being female. He’ll I’ve known you since elementary school and I still think you are a girl, because you have never acted like any of your brothers or the guys we go to school with.” Ava knew Talia loved dressing up and preferred girlie movies over the macho movies/action movies that guys like.

“Thanks, Ava, that means a lot to me.”

“Hey, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.” Ava hugs Talia.

“Thanks.” Talia returned the hug and was glad Ava was a nice person.

Talia knew there were a few girls in her high school who hated her. She was more girlie than they were. Talia stands up and leaves Ava’s backyard.

Since she was done with her deliveries, Talia decided to ride over to her father’s construction site to see how he was doing. She knew her father was in the process of building two new warehouses for a manufacturer that was bringing twelve hundred new jobs to the area. Their city and state governments were giving the new company a bunch of tax cuts for building their warehouses here in West Lakedsor.

By the time Talia arrives at the construction site. Her fuel gauge showed that it was getting low. Luckily there was a gas station nearby where she could refuel. She spots her father’s pickup truck parked at the construction trailer. She parks her scooter near her father’s truck and places her helmet on the seat.

Talia walks up the steps of the construction trailer and knocks on the door before entering.

“It’s open.”

Talia hears a strong male voice answer to her knocking. She opens the door walks into the trailer and spots the foreman who works for her father sitting at his desk eating a sandwich. She closes the door behind her.

“Good morning, Mr. Sherman. Is my father around?” Talia knew Mr. Sherman normally took an early lunch.

“He’s out on the site doing an inspection. What brings you by here, Talia?” Eddie looked at Talia as she stood by the trailer door. He knew she wasn’t born female, but identified as one.

He didn’t have a problem with transgender people. The ones he did have a problem with, were the ones who pretended they were a different sex, just to have access to women’s locker room and bathroom to spy on the women.

“I was nearby and thought it would be nice to see my father. I hope I’m not being a bother.”

“You’re not being a bother. You’ll find your father in warehouse one. He’s looking at a spot where some machinery is to be installed. The inspector
is supposed to be out here soon to inspect it.”

“Thanks, Mr. Sherman.” Talia turns to leave.

“If you’re going to the warehouse, put a hard hat on, Talia.” Eddie knew it was the rule on the site.

“I will, Mr. Sherman.” Talia steps outside and walks over to her father’s truck to grab the spare hard hat he keeps in the truck. Her hard hit was back home. It was pink and had butterflies and birds silk screened on it.

Talia makes her way towards the warehouse where her father is. Several men wave to her or call out her name. She waves back to them as she walks into the warehouse. She figures her brother must be over at the other warehouse doing some welding. She saw sparks when she walked into the building.

Talia looks around and finally spots her father talking with two other men. She didn’t know their names, or who they were. She approaches her father slowly.

Connor was busy talking to some men when he spotted Talia walking towards him. He wondered what she wanted because she normally didn’t like coming to any of the construction sites he and her brother worked at. He feels her stand next to him, while he still talks to the two gentlemen from the company he was working for.

After the two men finished talking and walked away, Conner looked at Talia “So, what brings you up here, sweetheart?”

“I was nearby and wanted to see my father.” Talia hugs her father.

“Well, it’s good to see you as well, sweetie.” Connor returns the hug. He hasn’t had time to spend with his daughter since her vacation started.

Talia was normally gone for her morning runs before he and her mother got out of bed. It was rare for her to be back by the time they left the house. Also, when they got home in the evening, they were too tired after dinner to spend time with her.

“Walk with me, sweetie.” Connor had a few more things to inspect at the site.

“Okay, daddy.” Talia likes spending time with her father. She didn’t like working at a construction site like her brothers did.

Talia walks with her father as he heads toward another part of the warehouse. He was inspecting some plumping that was recently installed. She knew her father got all of his plumping supplies from the business where her mother did the bookkeeping.

“So, have you decided what you are going to do yet, sweetie?” Connor knew how much his daughter loved running.

“Do you mean after I graduate high school Daddy or about the track and field team?” Talia looks at her father for an answer.

“Both, sweetie.” Connor Talia’s brothers did want to go to college. They liked the jobs they were doing.

“To be honest, daddy. I don’t know what I want to do. My grades are pretty good and my SAT scores from last year were 1540. I was the fifth highest in my grade last year. As for track and field, I don’t know. You know if I run for the boy’s team, it would look weird to have a girl on the team, and if I beat the other boys from other schools, more than likely they or their parents are going to complain that I beat them. It’s a loose, loose situation for me.”

Connor wishes he could do something for his daughter. She trained so hard since junior high to be as fast as she is. Whereas most kids her age would be goofing off or only train at school. She gets up every morning and runs twenty to thirty miles every day. Even when it was raining outside, his daughter would run.

“Well, whatever you decide to do sweetie, you’ll have me and your mom backing you. How would you like some lunch either from the roach coach or the food truck?” Connor figures Talia might be hungry.

“Okay, and thanks daddy.” Talia hugs her father.

“Any time, kiddo.” Connor returns the hug.

For the rest of the week, Talia does her normal routine of getting up early and going for her morning runs. She switches the distances she jogs up and the direction she goes as well. She noticed recently that her areola has gotten bigger and her nipples have become more pronounced, especially when cold air or cold water from the shower hits her chest.

Along with the changes to her nipples and areola, she noticed the bumps under her nipples were getting bigger and sore. She approached her mother about this development. Her mother made a doctor’s appointment with the family doctor they had used for years.

As for her part-time job of making silk screen t-shirts, mirrors, and other items. She wanted to expand her services on that and was saving what profits she made to buy a laser engraving machine. She saw one on television and liked how it worked.

She figures she could make more money and expand what she could do. She knew several people who would pay to have their headrests and floor mats in their cars and trucks done. She could also engrave people’s tools and such.

Her mother took her to have her chest measured and bought her a few new bras. She loved the fact that her body was changing, but what was causing the change worried her and her mother. She told her father she would cut the grass, so she put on a pair of shorts that showed off her long legs and shapely hips, along with a tank top. She borrowed her mother’s straw floppy hat to wear while she cut the grass.

Most of her neighbors around her neighborhood knew about her and were friendly towards her. There were a few who didn’t understand why a boy would want to become a girl. However, looking at her, you couldn’t mistake her for being a male.

It takes Talia an hour to cut the front yard. Her father had put a mulching blade on the lawnmower, so she didn’t have to do any raking. The side yard and the backyard were the easiest to cut. Sure, she had to move things around, to cut the grass. Her father and mother loved cooking out and entertaining their friends on the weekends.

While Talia is cutting the front yard, her older brother stops in for lunch. She waves to him as she walks up and down the yard. She had her earbuds in her ears listening to music.

Ralph spots his sister/little brother cutting and pushing the lawnmower. Looking at her he didn’t see a boy, but a girl with the way she moved and was dressed. He walks into the house to grab some lunch, since he is in the neighborhood.

How he felt about his little brother wanting to be a girl, he couldn’t tell you. His little brother has always been different and weaker than himself and his other brother. He may not understand why his little brother felt the way he did, but he won’t allow anyone to hurt his brother either.

He also thought that the rule preventing his little brother from running on the girl’s track team wasn’t right. He knew most of the girls on the team and they didn’t have a problem with Talia being on the team, even when they were in the locker room. His girlfriend Tammy had told him that Talia always made sure she was covered and always turned her head. Even when some of the girls on the team teased Talia about not having a period or her small penis.

He has seen his little brother naked and had to agree that Talia’s penis was no bigger than his thumb. He had wondered why Tammy had mentioned something about his little brother. When he asked her, she informed him that all the girls on the team didn’t see Talia as a boy, but a girl.

He hears the front door open and spots Talia walking into the house. She comes into the kitchen where he was eating.

“Is the yard done?” Ralph watches Talia grabs a glass and fills it with sweet iced tea.

“Almost, I only have a small section to do. Since the yard doesn’t need to be edged. I wasn’t going to edge it.” Talia drinks some tea.

“I think you’re right about that. So, have you made a decision about the track team?” Ralph was wondering what his brother was going to do.

“Yes, I have. I’m going to run for the boy’s track team, but I’m going to make it known I won’t dress and wear the uniform they make the males do. I am going to embarrass as many as the guys from other schools as well.”

“You know that might make some of them mad.” Ralph knew his brother would do it.

“Then it will teach them a lesson. They want to be a holes, then I can be one in exchange.” Talia has already made up her mind about the situation.

“Just be careful, little brother. Guys don’t take kindly to being beaten by someone who looks like a girl.” Ralph drinks some of his tea.

“I will.” Talia knew asking her brother to call her a she or his little sister was a waste of time.

After getting something to drink, Talia heads back outside and starts the lawnmower. She works for twenty minutes finishing up the lawn and brushes the lawnmower off when she is done. She puts the lawnmower away and sweeps the sidewalk off. She could feel the sweat pulling down between her legs. She wishes sometimes her father had bought an above-ground pool last year when they were on sale, but didn’t. Their backyard was big enough for one, but because her parents like throwing barbecues parties, and playing volleyball. They couldn’t see having a pool.

She goes inside the house and relaxes in the A/C. She checked to see if any new orders had come in and saw that she had an order from an organization to custom-make a logo for them. She writes them back, with some questions to see what they represent and get some basic background. She designs several different logos and sends them back to see which ones they like.

Afterward, she walks into the laundry room and starts working on laundry. Her mother taught her how to separate her clothes and how to wash her lingerie and undergarments. She never knew how women had to be careful when they washed their intimates.

Once she has her laundry going, Talia grabs the frozen hamburger meat and puts it in a bowl of warm water to defrost it. She figures she’ll make tacos tonight for dinner.