Oranges And Pastel Plaid Skirts ((ON HOLD))

When You Wish Upon A Star, Nothing Really Happens

When Gee woke up, Frank was gone. He didn't come back the rest of the day. Her Mama came by later and picked her up, giving the usual 'don't drink, don't party, don't sneak out of the house, don't sneak behind my back' speech. She would try to text Frank, but all she got was silence. All calls went to voicemail. No response. No nothing. And it was this way for the next week. All Gee could do was cry. Stupid Frank. Stupid party. Stupid world.

She sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest and Star Wars blankets draped around her shoulders. The record player spun, playing her favourite Bowie album. It didn't make her feel any better about the situation. Frank wasn't talking to her and she knew it was her fault. If she had just told the truth upfront and explained the situation, she wouldn't be here in her bed sobbing her eyes out and wishing for something to happen. Anything.

"Hey, Gee, what's wrong?"

Mikey had come downstairs, carrying a box of cookies. He offered them to his older sister, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"Everything."
"Oh."

The two sat in silence. Mikey didn't know what to say or what to do. He always looked up to his sister. When they were young, he'd follow her around like a shadow. They were the Way kids. Brother and sister. Best friends for life. Gee would lead and teach Mikey the ways of the world. But now, Gee was broken and Mikey didn't know what to do.

"Mama said you tried to throw away your prom dress."
"I can't go to the prom. Even if I had a date."
"Why?"
"You know why, Mikey."

Mikey sat quietly, listening to the record play. He looked over to Gee.

"That's not fair. Have you tried talking to the school board?"
"Mama tried. But they won't let me go. Only if I wear a suit."
"That's not fair at all."
"Yeah," she mumbled, resting her chin on her knees, "Not like I would have wanted to go anyways."
"You could go with Ray as friends."
"I don't want to go with Ray. I want to go with him."

Mikey frowned, knowing who she was talking about. He glanced up at the calendar, looking at the bold font of 'FEBRUARY'.

"Well, prom is in three months. I'm sure you could figure out something by then."
"I guess."

Mikey stood up, leaving the cookies besides Gee.

"I'm gonna head back upstairs. I have to finish homework. You coming up for dinner?"
"No."
"You have to eat eventually, Gee."
"No, I don't."

Mikey stared disappointedly at his sister.

"Hurting yourself like this isn't gonna solve anything."
"Do you think he found someone better? An actual girl?"
"You are an 'actual girl', Gee. Now, come on. Mom's making spaghetti."
"I'm not hungry."
"C'mon. You know what you'd always joke on spaghetti night? 'Eat the spaghetti to forgetti your regretti'? 'Don't be upsetti, have some spaghetti'? And Mama would just complain about you puns?"
"I said I'm not hungry."

Mikey frowned.

"Okay. I'll bring you down some later."

He went back upstairs, leaving Gee alone in her basement bedroom. She stared up at the ceiling, letting herself fall back into the blankets. Frank probably replaced her. Found a real girl to go out with. Once again, Gee screwed up.

She remembered when she was little and she believed that wishing upon stars would make things happen. She remembered wishing on the star to grow up and be a beautiful princess and to find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Now, Prince Charming abandoned her on the side of the highway with nothing more than the corpse of a mouse and the broken shambles of her pride in the form of shattered glass slipper. This was how her so-called fairy tales always ended. They always ended with her wondering why she ever thought she could be happy. Some days, she wondered why she didn't just off herself.  Hang herself from the ceiling with her bedsheet. Slit her wrists open. Go out to the woods and shoot herself. Down a glass of Draino. Maybe that would be better than this hell she lived in.

The sound of feet running downstairs interrupted her thoughts, as she looked to the staircase. Lindsey stood there, wide-eyed and winded, dripping wet from the pouring rain outside. Gee stared at her with a blank look in her hazel eyes.

"Giovana Artemis Way, what the hell is going on?!" Lindsey barked after she finally caught her breath. Gee stared at her, "Answer me when I'm talking to you!"
"I dunno."
"That is not an answer!"

Lindsey tromped her way over to Gee's bed, before flopping down on it. She snapped her head up to stare at Gee.

"Tell Mother what is wrong."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay, listen up here, mate, you're going to fucking talk about it."
"Lindsey, I really don't want to talk about."
"Gee," she replied, rolling over so she lay next to Gee, "Please? I'm worried about you. Mikey literally sent me a text saying you've been acting weird lately. For God's sake, you went to a party with Frank! You went drinking! You haven't been to school for the last week! Tell me!"
"He won't talk to me. He's replaced me, hasn't he?"

Lindsey's jaw dropped.

"I'm going to beat the shit of that fucker. I knew he was no good for you."
"Lindsey, no."
"First no prom, then this fucker just thinks he's a self-entitled ass who can just leave you?"
"He found out I was trans."
"That's no excuse!"

Lindsey pulled Gee into her arms, giving her best friend a big hug.

"I'm gonna hunt down that son of a bitch and castrate him."
"Lindsey, please. Drop it."
"Listen, Jimmy and I are going to get together and we're gonna throw our own prom out by that lake. And you're going to be prom queen. And we will find you the best prom king or queen we can find you."
"Lindsey, you don't-"
"Shh. It's already happening."
"Lindsey, I don't even want a prom. Not without him."
"Gee, you can't wallow around in your own pain and self-pity forever. You have to leave this bed sooner or later."
"Who says I can't?"

Lindsey groaned.

"I do. Now, come on. You're getting up and you're going to enjoy spaghetti night with your family. And I'm enjoying it too because I haven't had an actual warm and home cooked meal in forever."
"That's your own damn fault, Lindsey. You hang around with drug addicts and prostitutes during your free time."
"Don't be a piss-face. That's Jimmy's job. Now, come on."

Lindsey stood up from the bed, grabbed Gee, and hurled her over her shoulder, being to fireman carry the younger-but-not-smaller girl across the basement and up the stairs. Gee lay limp strewn across Lindsey's shoulder.

"I sometimes fucking hate you."
"Love you too, Gee. Not getting out of this. This is for you own good."

Gee sighed.

"Don't give me that tone, Gee. You're going to eat and then you're going to shower, then you're going to sleep because you're going to school tomorrow."
"But Linds-"
"No buts. You are not going to wallow around like that. This is not going to end up like it did last time. I don't ever want to see you like that again."

Gee vaguely remembered the night Lindsey was talking about. Pills, blades, and a noose was all she could remember.

"I never, ever, EVER, want to see you like that again, Gee. I love and care about you too much for that to happen. Suck it up, buttercup. You're getting over Iero and you're gonna like it."