Life Imitates Art

Part 11 - Beyond Imagination

"So it's just us until way later on again. We can work on perfecting the next Maxine thing. With my realistic, girly knowledge and your talent with the technical stuff, I think we'll get something pretty cool for you to post."

"I hope so. The numbers since Maxine started have been steadily climbing. I think it's 84 people who like my page so far. It's a tiny audience, but it's an outlet for sharing my work."

"It's not about the numbers. It's about what makes you happy. Speaking of...you've had a tough day, right?"

"Yeah. But we can't order takeout every time that happens, or we'll get fat!"

"That's not what I was thinking. I just thought you'd like to know that all of those skirts are just waiting in my wardrobe. You can wear one while we work, if you want to."

"Oh, I could. They all look so dumb on me! Doesn't the skirt feel insulted?"

Tess hesitates. "Do you want them to look better on you?"

"Well, it would be better than how they look now. And considering how you want this to be a regular thing for us to be sisters in private, it would be better for the illusion."

"Illusion." She laughs at the word. "Who you are isn't an illusion, Max. If you like skirts, boy or girl, you like skirts. If you want to look better in them, you can say that. You can do that, with some help."

"I don't really like my leg hair. If I shave my legs, it will just make school worse for me."

"Or better. At least you'll be happy with what you look like. You're already protected. If I need to force their hand into putting more in place to ensure you are safe, it's what I'll do."

I pause to think. Is this wise?

"How do I do it?"

Tess hands me a new, disposable razor.

"Use the foam on the side of the bath. But the shower should be good enough for your goal. Be firm, expect blood. But once it's done, I know you'll like it."

I prepare for my second shower of the day, placing just a pair of boxers and a red t-shirt with a dragon on it over the rail and above the towel. I take the chance to wash my body for a second time. It's quite therapeutic, so I've heard.

Tess_

Was that what Molly meant? I look at her number in my phone. I don't want to bug her, but I may have just made a terrible mistake.

I hit 'call' before my brain can catch up with my hands. I didn't mean for a girl around the same age as me to become some kind of coach, but here we are.

"Hi, Molly. It's Tessa. We spoke a couple of days ago."

"Oh, hi! I wondered why I was getting a call from an unknown number! Don't worry, I'll add you as a contact. And excuse the voice, it just drops like that sometimes. I'll try keep it up."

"Please don't feel guilty about your voice. You're a girl despite any of that."

"You sound just like my friends with words like that. Anyways, how can I help?" To the point.

"Well, you know how you suggested I give Max more chances to wear my clothes?"

"I do, yeah. I'll be honest, sometimes it's a toss-up whether I even believe the advice I give people. I can barely manage my own brain!"

"That's alright! I don't want to put pressure on you to tell me what to do all the time. But yeah, Max came in from a rough day at school. They put him in a special room during lunch today, just him and a teacher. He didn't seem to mind, but why do they feel the need to keep him hidden instead of dealing with the behaviour of everyone else?"