Chapter 14

 

Sunday did as it usually does. It came and it went, in a limbo of anticipation and boredom, and then it was gone. Monday, like an uninvited cousin, showed up without fanfare and all the hunger of someone expecting a free sandwich spread at a wedding. But May was ready. After a Saturday that was equal parts amazing and wonderful, she was more than ready for Monday. Not only had she recharged her batteries, she’d prepared. 

Drew met her at the school gates. She fell into his arms like she hadn’t seen him in thirty-three hours and fourteen minutes – but who was keeping count – and he kissed her like it had been exactly that long. He walked her inside, much to the interest of the other students. 

At this point, she was basically a celebrity at the school. The “guy” who had crossdressed, who had made himself into the girliest girl possible to avoid being a girl. May didn’t even think of it that way anymore. She was one of the girls. She was just here to make sure what was supposed to happen, happened.

“Are you sure about this?” Drew asked.

“Yes,” May said. “If you say you trust him, I trust him.” She touched the package in her purse and ignored the butterflies she got when she touched them. “And it’s important that I win this. This isn’t about me anymore.”

“I understand,” Drew said. “Just… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That’s what my mom said,” May grumbled.

“Well, maybe she’s right about some things,” Drew said. “Besides, caring about what happens to you isn’t something your mom has a monopoly on. I’m allowed to worry.”

“Fair,” May said, accentuating her statement with a little kiss. “But I’ll be fine. Promise.”

“I trust you,” Drew said. “Ready?”

“Ready.” They went inside, where Ryan had set up shop. May cocked her head. “Uh,” she said, “what’s uh… what’s up?” The main hall of the school was packed. There were students everywhere, including on the second floor walkway, and they were all looking down at her and Drew. They all had their phones out. There was a big empty space where Ryan was stretching his calves. Matt was on the sidelines with what appeared to be a bucket of popcorn. She waved.

“You took your sweet time,” Ryan said. “Have you even looked at your phone?”

“Not yet,” she said. “Why? I already know what it says, dude. You don’t have to rub it in. Besides, we’ve got all day for things to turn around.” May stepped a little closer to Drew as Ryan stood up, wagging a finger. 

“Na-ah,” he said. “We really don’t.” His confidence was laid on there so thick May almost bought into it. She checked her phone. 

“Ah, beans,” she said. She held her phone up to Drew. SUDDEN DEATH, it said, and directly underneath, 00:09:12. “That’s not good.”

“Yeah,” Drew said. “Now what?”

“Well, no time like the present, right?” Ryan said as he stepped closer. “Let’s do this?”

“Ryan if you think I’m fistfighting you–”

“No, of course not,” he said. “But we do have to duke it out somehow, for who gets to win this. It’s not even about the wish for me. I have something to prove.”

“What’s that, Ryan?” May asked sweetly. 

“That, and please don’t take this the wrong way, you don’t deserve masculinity. Honestly, it’s better if you get turned into a girl. You’d be great at it, and I mean, look at me.” He held his arms wide open. He was wearing a baggy shirt, baseball cap and jeans. There was nothing that stood out to May to look at. He put his hands on his hips like he’d just made a very good point, then caught her expression of confusion. “I’m a guy,” he said. “And I’m really good at it! I’ve got a girlfriend, I’m strong as hell, and look–” Ryan took his cap off. He had a side shave now.

“That’s your winning strategy?” May said. “A haircut you can do with a trimmer? Also do you really think Matt wouldn’t be into you if you weren’t a guy?”

“Uh,” he said, looking behind him. Matt shrugged and shook her head. 

“I could not give two shits, babe. Sorry.” Ryan looked torn between gratitude and betrayal so he just shook his head and turned back to May and Drew. 

“O-okay. Well, uh, anyway. My point still stands. I’m better at being a guy than you and that’s why I have to win this,” he said. May gave Drew an I-told-you-so look and put her hands on her hips. “Besides, I’d never make a cute girl.” That got a scoff from Matt.

“Okay,” she said. “What’s the plan then, big boy? Are you gonna build a cabin at me?” 

“Wh– No, what?” Ryan said. “No, we’re going to do push-ups until that timer hits zero. The most masculine guy wins and the other one is turned into a girl. That sounds fair, right?”

“Ryan, it sounds fucking stupid,” May said. “And clearly you haven’t been paying attention to how I’ve been doing this, but ‘aggressive masculinity’ isn’t really my brand anymore, you know?” 

“All the more reason for me to put you out of your misery,” Ryan said, nodding sagely.

“No, you ass. I’m not doing pushups against you. This is dumb. I’m not going to go into a competition with you.” She paused as a few people chuckled. “Okay, well, I’m not going into this competition with you.” She pulled out her phone and checked the numbers. She was at 2923 and Ryan was at 3155, but the numbers bounced up and down constantly. Still, it wasn’t a great sign.

You are reading story Girl By Popular Vote at novel35.com

“Then what?” Ryan said. “Just going to let the timer run out and let me win? That’s very gracious of you,” he said, chuckling. “I’m afraid your gambit didn’t pay off in the long run, May.” He put his hands on his hips. 

“Oh, no,” May said. “I still had one more step to take. I just hadn’t gotten around to that one yet, but you know, the timer kind of forced my hand.” She took her backpack off and rummaged around in it for drama. She had put the little box on top of her stuff, but it was worth seeing Ryan sweat while she looked for it. He was more than a little suspicious of her. “Relax,” May said, opened it, and threw one of the pills in her mouth.

“Uh,” Ryan said, “if you’re going to be doping–”

“I told you to relax,” May said. “This isn’t going to make me any stronger. If anything, it’s going to make me weaker.” She winked at him. “It’s estrogen.”

“You’re taking estrogen?!” Ryan blurted out. Matt was laughing so hard she was hiccuping. “May, if anything, that’s going to make it more likely that I–” He stopped and looked at his phone. The numbers were equalizing. Fast. And the clock was running out. 

“You were saying?” May said. Her phone beeped, ringing in the last ten seconds. “Dang, that was quick.” She was trying not to show just how anxious she was getting. If she lost, right now, she’d fail, and it was clear Ryan was going to be happier as a girl. She just had to push on a little bit more. 

Unable to look away from the timer, she watched it count down to zero, just as the last votes came in. Ryan was at 3039 and May was at–

“Tied?” Ryan said. “We’re tied?!”

“Looks like it,” May said. “Now what?” She looked around, but nobody seemed to know what to do now. There had been the expectation it was all going to come to an end. That it now hadn’t, had taken some of the energy out of the room. Another chime from the phone. SUPER VOTES ACTIVATED, it said. “Um,” she said with a pause. She had gotten a bunch of those super votes last Friday, but they hadn’t seemed like anything special at the time. 

Now, however, the top of her screen flashed. ONE VOTE REMAINING, it said, and then ticked up. TWO VOTES RE- THREE V- FOUR– The numbers ticked up fast. Then, suddenly, it stopped. NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY THREE VOTES REMAINING. 

She stood stunned for a second. “Uh, Ryan?” May asked. “How uh, how many of those do you have?” 

“Like seven hundred?” he said. “But what is–”

“Then I don’t think this is going to go your way,” May said, hovering her finger over the button that would push her all the way to 3982.

“Wait, no,” Ryan said. “This isn’t right!” He hurried over. “You can’t do this, May! I can’t be a girl! I’m not going to be good at it, I’m going to look weird, and what if Matt doesn’t like me anymore, and wh–”

“Ryan,” May said, “you get that this isn’t going to work, right? I understand how this works, now. I’ve figured it out.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Everyone who was turned into a girl because of this competition… None of them wanted to turn back, and there could only be one winner. It’s clear what this is about. All of you are trans. Only one person isn’t, and that person was always going to be the winner. Me.”

“May, you literally just took estrogen,” Ryan said. In the background, Matt was struggling to catch her breath. “You use new pronouns and a new name!”

“That was to give you the chance to be a girl, Ryan,” May said, nodding her head. It was weird, now that it was here, she was coming to realize that there was a part of her that wanted to lose. Her mom had been right, she’d been happier and feeling better in her skin than she had in years, having been a girl for a week. The idea of going back to the way things had been tomorrow was not a pleasant one. 

But Ryan needed this more than she did. She wasn’t a girl, after all. She looked at the buttons again. It was tempting to tap Ryan’s name. That way she’d get to be a girl. But no, for the happiness of her friends, sacrifices had to be made. She tapped her own name. Ryan did the same, but he was more than two-hundred votes short.

He turned around to look at Matt, then closed his eyes. There was a soft little ‘puff’, and a bit of smoke, and suddenly there was a girl, wearing a baggy shirt and jeans, and a side shave. 

“Did… did you get taller?” Matt said, suddenly done laughing and scrambling over. “Holy shit you did. Babe!” Throwing her arms around the girl who would likely not be Ryan for very much longer’s shoulders, Matt kissed her. 

“Bwhf,” was all she managed. 

“Told you she looked like a lesbian,” Heather said. May spun around. 

“Where the hell did you come from?” May said. “Whatever, doesn’t matter.” She took a step closer, lowering her voice. “Thanks for pointing it out to me. You made me realize why I had to win.” 

“Sure, yeah, whatever,” Heather said. “Anyway, when are they going to come out to give you your prize? I’m gonna have words.” Pausing, she looked at May with a frown. “What are you going to wish for?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” May said. “I’m still trying to figure it out. Do you want me to make things easier for you at home, maybe?” she offered. Heather shook her head.

“Nah, that’s illegal as hell.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, May saw a girl step forward. She didn’t recognize her, but then again, this was a big school. But it only took a second for her to realize what was up. Two other girls came forward with her. They were wearing black nail polish, and the one who had stepped up first was giving May a slow clap. 

She was wearing a shirt that said “we are the daughters of the witches you couldn’t burn.” May looked at Drew, and then at the girls. 

“Oh, boy.”