Bruce Mason walked down the hallway to his homeroom. As he made his way into the room, he ruffled his blonde hair and straightened his jacket. Looking to the front of the room he spied a new woman, a substitute. He sighed to himself, realizing he might have to tell her the pronouns he preferred (assuming Ms. Jurca did not leave a note telling the sub to refer to the student, Briana, as Bruce, despite the class roster). He sat down, waiting for his friends to come in and fill the immediate surrounding desks. Within the next two minutes, the room contained a full load of excited students. Tired teenagers in a place they did not want to be we're trying to make the best of their daily routine. Bruce’s best friend in the whole world, Amy, was to his left. They had known each other for 7 years, since 5th grade, and knew everything about each other. The first to know of Bruce's gender identity, and the crush he went through, she was amazing. To his right,Tony, his brother from another mother, the Dean to his Sam, sat with a zombie face. They grew up next door to each other, and became inseparable. Although less openly accepting than Amy, Tony was still cool with Bruce. The trio talked about their weekend, recapping the time they spent together.
As the bell rang, silent fell and the sub closed the door. She walked to the front of the room and began to write her name on the board with a bright orange marker. The beautiful cursive letters came to make the name "Mrs. Gann." She was an elderly woman, with grey hair and a few stray fire-red strands surviving from the color of her youth. She was wearing the kind of matching outfit every Grandma wears, green with little pink flowers and bees on the pockets. The roll sat on her desk, but found its way into her hands. Mrs. Gann began to call names, enunciating each name, taking care to pronounce every single one properly. As she passed Megan Lewis, she called out "Briana Mason?" looking for the raised hand that would pop up. Bruce raised his hand, trying to shrink himself and look meek. The stern eye of the sub came to rest on him and an eyebrow raised. She questioned "BRIANA Mason?" expecting a clever game where the students claimed to be one another. "Yes ma'm," Bruce quietly murmured, "but I prefer Bruce." He hoped she might move on, and think whatever she thought in her own mind. She looked at him for a good long while, and made him feel unsettled. Her look did not tell what her reaction might be, or what she might say.
When she did finally continue down the list of young minds, Bruce let out a deep sigh and turned towards Amy to offer up a weak smile. When he looked over at her, her expression told she was bothered by the subs lingering on the subject, but he could not tell why. He had come to terms with the fact that every once in a while, especially with strangers or those from older generations, he would have to explain, or hear a comment he would prefer not to. He leaned over and poked Amy in the arm, getting her attention, "Hey, it's fine, I'm not bothered by it, she didn't know." He smiled again, hoping his ease and cool demeanor might comfort her. Amy's face softened as she began to relax. She reached over to squeeze Bruce's arm, whispering "I know, I just wish it was one of those things everybody realized and picked up with ease," she doodled on her work to avoid looking like a slacker, "it's not that hard of a concept, you deserve to feel like yourself all the time." She quickly looked at him and smiled, melting his heart. Bruce sighed to himself and thought about what it would be like to finally change his legal name. No longer would he have to correct anyone. Alas, he would have to wait until he was eighteen and free to do as he wished legally, without parental interference. Mrs. Gann finished calling roll and sent it down with a small girl that never said much. The day was simply study hall, so the students split into groups and began to "collaborate" with each other on the assignments of other classes. Bruce, Amy, and Tony joined desks and pulled out their Pre-Calculus homework, ready to cry together. Mrs. Gann called out "Bruce, would you please come here?" with a neutral expression. As Bruce approached the desk, he saw her look was concern, but not of the angry kind he expected. He pulled up next to the desk, and asked "What's up Mrs.?" focusing on breathing in and out. She looked into his eyes and began "I hope I didn't offend you, I was just caught off guard. I've never met someone so young who's know who they are. In my day, the thought of being trans of any form was far from any kind of socially acceptable. I'm use to 30-year-old adults finally coming open about who they are so late into their life," she paused trying to find the right words, "I rarely sub at this school, so I just want to congratulate you in what I've seen others struggle with. It's refreshing to see the new generation become unafraid of being themselves."