The Other Side of Me – Part 33
by Lily Rasputin

After my initial shock of finding myself unceremoniously falling on my butt during cheer practice, I realized that everyone, including Coach, was staring at me with bewilderment. Everybody that didn’t know I was currently leaping back and forth between universes; that is.

“Miller,” Coach said, giving me a look that was part annoyed, part concerned. “You okay?”

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

My friends from middle school took advantage of my absence from high school the first days.

Bobby

That Thanksgiving was scary and mortifying. Not to mention the horror it all led to.

“Robert Taylor Smith! Where do you think you are going like that?”

The most scary part really came early, already at Halloween. As every teenager knows, hearing your full name expressed in a severe voice by one of one’s parents is not a good sign. Especially when expressed by a father reading with his back towards you.

Add to that I was trying to sneak out dressed in my sister’s cheerleader uniform …. Yes, I had forgotten about the mirror on the wall. Mirror, mirror on the wall tell me who is the kid most in trouble.

What idiot did come up with that title? I’m NOT a sissy. I’m NOT a girl. I’m a BOY, sort of. More specifically I’m a femboy. A proud, strong, self-confident femboy. I’m NOT a sissy. The word sissy has too many connotations of wimpishness. I’m NOT a wimp.

Still, many people call me a sissy. And – it’s true I’m changing with the football team. So there is some truth to the title even if I resent the wording - profoundly.

I blame it all on dad. He was a glutton. He ate himself to death.

"One, two, three, four, we're the tigers, do the roar!" Genesis cried as she and her fellow cheerleaders shook their pom-poms. In response, all the spectators in the bleachers cheered. The cheerleaders watched as Eastern Plains High's star batter Rupert Lacey hit a home run and ran all three bases before skidding onto home plate. There was another round of cheering as Rupert beamed with pride.

"Yeah, Rupert!" said the cheer captain and Genesis' stepsister Ramona said. "You're the man!"

"And look at that!" Rupert said, looking at the scoreboard. "We won!"

“That’s Lee,” I said, feeling a bit relieved.

The Other Side of Me – Chapter 32
by Lily Rasputin

Mike scooped me up in his arms and cradled me like a princess, smiling down at me with a grin that was both adoringly sweet and slightly lecherous. The arm closer to my butt slid higher, practically vanishing beneath the extremely short hem of my cheer skirt. A second later, I felt his palm cup my bottom, his fingers giving my rump a playfull little squeeze.

The Other Side of Me – Part 30
by Lily Rasputin

“I don’t want Charlene’s memories! Or her fucking personality quirks!”

I paced back and forth in Jackson’s lab, my arms crossed petulantly over my chest while Jackson, Shelly, and Katie stood off to one side, well out of my path, watching me with sympathetically weary faces. Remaining silently supportive as I ranted about this potential new wrinkle in my interdimensional dilemma.

Genesis barely remembered going home from the mall. All she remembered was the shock she was in. Mirna had been murdered. She wouldn't be able to reset everything to the way it was. Genesis would be stuck as a woman for the rest of her life. By the time she got home, she was right on the verge of crying. She didn't even bother talking to her dad or stepmom. She just went straight to her room, flopped down on her bed, and started crying. She cried nonstop for half an hour, feeling really sorry for herself. Her life had hit a low point that she doubted she could get up from.

A month ago, Genesis would've scoffed at the idea of being on good terms with Ramona. But after Genesis covered for Ramona, Ramona started acting a lot more civil with Genesis. She helped her out with a homework assignment, she sat down to watch TV with Genesis one night, and she went for five straight days without insulting Genesis at all. It almost seemed unthinkable. It was as if they were putting their longtime rivalry behind them.

The next morning, Genesis woke to the sound of her phone buzzing. She opened her eyes and sat up. After Charlotte and Modesty had left last night, Genesis had simply felt too tired to go back to her bedroom, so she just crashed onto the couch to sleep. But when she opened the notification on her phone, she got a nasty surprise. It was a text message from her father, and it read:

My conference for today was cancelled at the last minute, so Paulette and I are gonna come home. We'll be there in an hour and a half.

Genesis opened the door to the gym. There she saw Ramona in her cheerleader's outfit, talking to the cheerleading coach Mrs. Wilson. "Why hello, Genesis," Mrs. Wilson said when she saw Genesis. "Welcome to the cheer squad!"

Genesis forced a smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Wilson," she said.

"Here's your uniform," Ramona said, tossing Genesis a cheerleader outfit. "The other girls are already changing."

Genesis ran home as fast as her legs could carry her. What Mirna had said about casting a mass memory-altering spell really scared her. She did NOT want her father to forget the son that he had-and, okay, Genesis supposed her stepmom could be in on it, too. She'd need their help to figure out a way out of this mess.

When Genesis got home, she threw open the front door and ran into the kitchen. There, she saw her stepmom working on washing the dishes. Paulette looked up at Genesis and frowned. "Who are you?" she asked.