Sin

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This short story was written for a fiction writing class I took years ago. It's very intense because the protagonist and her friends are all thirteen years old, and at that age, everything is intense. It may seem overdramatic at points, but that's how thirteen-year-olds view the world. It's written in the present tense because they live in the moment, and sometimes they feel like this moment is all there is.

When I wrote it, some people argued that the kids should have been older, but here's the truth: Thirteen-year-olds are trying to figure out who they are. A lot of young queer kids are just starting to realize they're different at that age. I wanted to tell a short coming of age story that explored how hard it is to be different than your peers, especially when the world hasn't accepted the gay community either.

In 2002, when the story is set, the Media was just starting to explore portraying lesbian, gay, or bisexual characters, and it was still considered to be kind of edgy and taboo. (Transgender people were generally not represented or accepted at all.) Coming out in that world was even scarier than it is now, and that's why I wrote this story.

Comments and votes are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!

SIN
New York City, 2002...

It's the first sunny day in a week, and the temperature is higher than it has been in months. Spring has arrived, and the students of Parker Middle School are not looking forward to going inside this morning. For once in our lives, Lucy and I are no exception to the general population of the school.

Lucy and I have never really fit in with the other girls at school. We don't want to be cheerleaders. We don't wear make-up. We don't pay attention to the latest fashion trends. We prefer reading The New York Times to reading Seventeen Magazine. Lucy and I also have no interest in boys. Well, actually, Lucy's pretty interested in them, but I don't see what the big deal is.

Lucy's my best (and only) friend. She's really thin, hasn't gotten a figure yet, and she wears glasses with thick lenses. Her long black hair is always worn in two braids, one on each side of her head, making her look even younger than her thirteen years. Lucy may be interested in boys, but they're not very interested in her. I think she's better off.

At the exact moment that I look up this morning, someone I don't recognize enters the schoolyard. The girl has strawberry blonde hair that barely reaches the bottom of her ears. She's grinning from ear to ear and her blue eyes are shining. Something about her reminds me of a pixie. She sits down by herself in the corner of the schoolyard opposite where Lucy and I are sitting.

"Who's she?" I ask Lucy, pointing to the pixie-girl.

"Who, the girl with the short hair?" Lucy asks. I nod. "I have no idea. She must be new."

"She's, like, really amazing."

"How do you know that if you don't even know her name yet?" Lucy asks with a laugh.

"I don't know; I just do. I really want to talk to her."

"What, do you have a crush on her or something?" Lucy asks with a laugh.

I'm totally caught off-guard by Lucy's question. "No way, that's crazy. How can you even ask me a thing like that?" I reply. It seems like such a ridiculous suggestion.

"Well, the way you were just talking about her, that's what it sounded like, is all," Lucy replies with a shrug.

"It's not like that, Lucy. I just think she's cool-looking, and I get a good feeling from her."