Walt E. Disney High

Chapter 24

MULAN

I had finally gotten much, much better. My ribs barely hurt anymore, and I was able to do most of my schoolwork on my own and leave school at the regular time. Sadly, that meant Giselle spent less time with me. Kida was giving me the cold shoulder, still angry about the fight we had had earlier about her.

Today, after school, Kida and Pocahontas were getting to leave. "Bye, guys," Poca said, grabbing her vegan suede bag and walking out the door. John, her boyfriend, was waiting outside.

"Are you bringing an umbrella? It's pouring out there," I asked, glancing at the rain smacking onto the window.

Pocahontas stared at me as if I were crazy. "Are you kidding? I love the rain!"

I laughed and apologized. We said goodbye to her, and then Kida put their half-shaved hair into a ponytail. They made sure their dance bag was packed and was about the leave, tugging on a hoodie.

But before their toe left the threshold, I said, "Wait!" They stopped in the doorway and turned slightly. I took a breath. Kida sighed and turned all the way around, facing me and folding their arms. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. About the fight," I told them quietly, looking down at my hands. They were small, and I had bitten my nails away, a habit my mom always ridiculed me for back home. "You're right. I shouldn't be going after Giselle. She's probably straight and she's in love anyway. So I'm sorry."

I looked up at my friend. They shrugged. "Okay. Apology accepted. I've got to go," they said quickly, giving me a small smile and going to close the door behind them.

"Wait!" I said again, standing up quickly. "Can...Can we talk?"

Kida turned back around. "About what?"

I felt nerves churning in my stomach. It was awkward. But I knew I could trust Kida. I had to. "Um....When did you figure out you wanted to go by them pronouns?" I asked shyly, licking my lips and glancing up at them.

Ever since I had come home from the hospital with the compression bandage, I had been thinking about it. The way it made me feel, the way it made me look. I had even put it on for school a couple days.

Kida grinned a bit and walked over to join me on my bed. "In ninth grade. I was sort of tired and uncomfortable with being labeled as a girl. It sort of confined me, I felt sort of trapped. Why are you so interested?"

I fiddled with my blanket. "You know that compression bandage I came home in?"

"The one you've been wearing to school, yeah," they said shortly.

I looked at Kida with wide eyes. "You knew?"

They shrugged. "Of course. You're a very bad at hiding things. Plus, I thought it looked cool."

I beamed. "Really?"

They nodded, laughing. "You think you're gender-fluid or non binary or something?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. It's just really...confusing. Because, the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel as a girl, you know?"

Kida nodded. "Well, maybe you can try going by they...or maybe even he? For a day or two? See how you like it. You just have to experiment. I have some actual chest binders you can borrow, if you want."

I sat up, grinning. "Really?"

"Sure. They're on the shelf in my closet. Plus, your clothes are pretty masculine already. I can even cut your hair sometime if you want," they offered, standing up again and hauling the bag on their shoulder.