he says, but he looks unsteady.
I hop up the steps; I need to be quick. I push the doors open and immediately see Principal Scott adjusting his tie and smoothing out his hair while chatting with a couple students.
“Georgia.”
I turn around. “Jake.”
“How’s Pony?” he asks, worried.
“Not great,” I admit. “But he’ll get through this, I’ll make sure of it.”
Jake lowers his head, probably not wanting to hear me talk about another guy. “Jake, what you’re doing is above and beyond. You sure you want to do this?”
He finds my eyes. “One hundred percent. What my ex-teammates did, on stage and in that bathroom, was terrible. Anything I can do to help you and Pony.”
“Thanks,” I say, then give him a hug.
Ms. Randolph comes up behind me. “Georgia?”
I turn around, happy to see her. “Ms. R,” I say, throwing my arms around her neck.
“Georgia,” Ms. Randolph says, “I’m so proud of you. Your article was important. And the truth. I knew you had it in you.”
“Thanks for helping me find my truth,” I say.
“Let’s talk Monday about your next article,” she says with a smile.
Dad busts frantically through the doors. “Georgie! So glad I found you.” He gives me a half hug. “I am so proud of you for turning this moment of hate into love. Remarkable.”
“She is an impressive young woman,” Ms. Randolph agrees.
“Hello there,” Dad says with his sly smile. “I’m Robert, Georgia’s dad.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kerry. I teach English and run the paper here.”
It’s so weird that teachers have first names.
“The Hillcrest Reporter? I read it online every week,” Dad says, fanboying out.
I look down and see no ring on Ms. Randolph’s hand. I never clocked that before.
“Georgia,” Ms. Randolph says, not taking her eyes off my dad, “do you mind if your dad escorts me outside?”
“Not at all,” I say.
Is Ms. Randolph my new stepmom?
Dad hands me the box that I asked him to bring. “Thanks for this, Dad. You kids have fun out there,” I say, watching them head outside. Dad sneaks a big dopey grin my way, and I give him a thumbs up.
PONY, 5:54 P.M.
Georgia returns with a small box. She opens it up and pulls out a flower boutonniere. The rose in the middle has been painted gold.
“What’s this?” I ask as she pins the flowers to my hoodie.
“I just want to make sure you’re ready.” She smooths out my hair and kisses me. “Look at my handsome boyfriend.”
Boyfriend.
Principal Scott walks out the doors and picks up the microphone connected to a small speaker.
“Thank you all for coming this evening. As you know, there was an inexcusable act of violence at the homecoming dance last night. We are here today to let Pony, Kelly, Taylor, and everyone out there from the LGBTQIA community know that those boys do not speak for Hillcrest. We are a strong, diverse, and proud school. We welcome and encourage all ethnicities, sexual orientations, and genders equally.”
The group cheers.
“Pony,” Principal Scott yells, “I hope that when you are ready, you will return to Hillcrest to finish the year.”
They cheer again, louder.
“Now, on to the business of this evening. Jake?”
There’s polite applause as Jake walks out the school doors, wearing a tux, and takes the microphone.
“I’m here to finish the awards ceremony from last night. Hillcrest High homecoming king and queen for the class of 2020 goes to . . .” He opens a big gold envelope and reads the card. “Pony and Georgia!”
Georgia grabs my hand to lead me up the steps, slowly, as the sun sets behind the school. Jake puts the crown on my head.
“But this should be yours,” I say to Jake.
“We took a revote,” he says, then winks. “You’re the man.”
Man.
I turn to the crowd. It’s all smiles, tears, and phones recording the moment. I can see the faces of people I care about, caring about me. Jake hands me the microphone. Everyone goes quiet.
“Thank you. For all of this. And thanks to Georgia and Max for making it happen.” I smile at Georgia. She smiles back. “Last night, I was going to withdraw from school.” I stop and steady my voice. “But after this, I will be back to finish the year.”
I catch my breath. I want these words to be clear.
“I’m going to say something that I have never said before. You’ll be first to hear it. But not the last.” I find Max in the group. He gives me a thumbs-up. “I’m proud to be transgender.”
The crowd cheers. I hand