Intersex

Chapter 2.

Brian moved his hips from side to side as he hummed along to an old Radiohead song. He had the Bluetooth speaker strapped to the fridge where it hung, blasting music. I had to hold my hands over my ears as I staggered into our apartment. He didn't even hear the door open and kept swinging around in the kitchen wearing an apron and fluffy socks. I was probably the only one who'd seen him like this. Usually, he wore very basic clothes and plain sneakers. At home, he dressed like a thirteen-year-old at a pyjama party though.

"BRIAN!" I yelled over the music.

His head didn't even turn in my direction. He just kept swinging his hips from side to side as he bobbed his head up and down to the beat of the music.

"BRIAN!" I yelled again. This time I walked up to the speaker and turned it off. This finally caught his attention and he turned around with a displeased look on his face.

"You didn't have to turn it off..." he muttered and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared down at me.

"I could hear it from the f*****g street..." I chuckled and poked him in the stomach. He squealed and let out a loud shriek. Brian was not only ticklish but he also hated it when people touched him.

"That's a dirty move..." He scolded and pointed his spatula in my direction as I walked around him and pulled two plates out of the cupboard.

"The neighbours are gonna complain... are you trying to get us kicked out?" I mumbled and placed two glasses by the plates on the table before getting two pairs of forks and knives.

Brain was making egg fried rice with ham, peas and carrots. His short hair sat on his head like a hat and his glasses slid down his nose as he moved around. Brian was the definition of geek. He was a bit awkward, quite intelligent and warm-hearted but he couldn't speak to anyone whom he considered superior to him. He was afraid of people who could make him feel small and therefore only socialised with a certain group of people. He would probably end up running a large company when he grew older and have all his old high school bullies work for him. At least that's what he liked to tell me when I asked what he saw in his future.

Brian set the pan down on the table and handed me a glass of water. He began putting food on our plates, not really paying attention to how much he was giving me until I stopped him as my plate was starting to overflow with the rice.

"You okay..?" I asked. He looked dazed and tired.

"Work's been a bitch..." he mumbled.

"How come?" I chuckled. Brian worked at a daycare centre when he didn't have classes. He somehow managed to squeeze all his classes into Mondays and Thursdays. How? I'm not sure but to be fair, he only took three classes. He only had these two next semesters left until he was done with college and then he'd be out of here faster than popcorn in a movie theatre.

"There's this one parent who keeps giving us s**t because her kid comes home with dirty clothes... like, excuse me? Is it my fault that your kid is a f*****g maniac? Is it my fault that your kid mangers to somehow spill everything he touches? Is it my fault that your kid trips and falls and throws his food around? It's not my f*****g job to raise your kid I'm just watching him while you work so calm your saggy t**s and sit the f**k down!" Brian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His face was turning red with either rage or annoyance and he shoved rice into his mouth.

"What a bitch..." I said to try and comfort him even though I really didn't give a s**t. If it made him feel better than I would gladly let him rant to me.

"Her kid is an asshole too..." he grumbled as he chewed. "Cocky son of a bitch..."

"Yeah, he sounds like a pain..."

"I'm never having kids..." he groaned.

"Me neither..." I chuckled.

"Yeah like why have a kid when you can get a puppy?"

"They show more love, need less attention and don't f*****g scream all night..."

"Not to mention how expensive kids are..."

"Yeah f**k that..." I laughed. Brian was one of my best friends even though he was a few years older than me and pretty much saw me as a baby brother. That was probably why I liked him so much though. He treated me like his little brother. We'd only lived together for about a year but we immediately clicked like legos. We could talk about everything and shared every secret. He was one of the few people who knew about my "extra part" or whatever you should call it. As if fate was laughing in my face; a cramp hit me and I put a hand on my stomach and sighed. I would be getting my period soon.

"Time again?" Brian asked and gave me a sympathetic look. He truly was amazing. I nodded and pulled my phone out.

"f*****g tomorrow..." I mumbled and frowned at my phone.

Brian had never once asked me any questions about it. He just knew that I had a uterus and ovaries, he'd never asked where or what it looked like which I was grateful for. If he knew he would probably be weirded out too so it was just better if he didn't know.

"Do you need anything?" He asked and shoved another spoonful of rice into his mouth.

"Nah... I've got everything I need..." I mumbled.

⚥ ⚥ ⚥

I felt like a bloated potato. My stomach was aching like a b***h and my head was throbbing. Not only that but I also felt like an emotional baby. I woke up and went to the bathroom only to find blood on the paper when I wiped. I knew it was coming and it did come on time but it still pissed me off every time I saw it. I never once felt calm about getting my period and I always reacted by swearing loudly. I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe it was a habit or maybe I was just always pissed to see that my uterus was still functional, as if it would just miraculously disappear one day if I prayed hard enough.

I walked into the kitchen, sulking, wearing sweatpants and a large hoodie. Brian was frying eggs and soothingly rubbed my shoulder as I clutched onto him for comfort. His hair was a mess and so was his incredibly ugly outfit but at least his hug was nice.

"You smell bad..." I muttered against his chest.

"I know I know..." he chuckled. "I wanted to make sure you ate before I showered..."

"I don't want eggs..." I whined and looked up at him. His glasses slid down on his nose when he looked down at my pouting face.

"God, you're such a child..." he muttered. "What if I put it on a toast?" he said and pet my head.

"Fine..." I sulked and fell back into my chair.

Brian was seriously like a big brother. He cooked for me, made sure I ate and felt okay as well as helping me with homework. I'm not sure why he chose to live with me. I didn't come with a lot of benefits. Sure, I cleaned the apartment and helped him to impress girls and get dates but that was about it. Other than that I was pretty useless. I couldn't cook, I could barely do the laundry, I wasn't handy and I probably couldn't even put new batteries in a remote. Not only that but I was also clumsier than an infant.

"Why do you keep me around?" I asked and looked over at him. He gave me a surprised look as he slid the egg onto a piece of toast.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Like in what way am I good roommate?"

"You're not..." he laughed and ruffled my hair. "But you're great company!"

After a few seconds of staring into his eyes with disappointment, I groaned and looked away. "Was that suppose to make me feel better?" I pouted.

"You're like a dog!" He chuckled and sat down in front of me. "You're pretty useless, sure! But you're amazing and I love having you around. I wouldn't change it for the world."

"So I'm useless but lovable?" I stuttered and looked up at him.

"Yup!" He chuckled as he ruffled my hair again.

"Great..." I groaned.

⚥ ⚥ ⚥

I gave Kennedy an unintentional shove when he said good morning to me. His dorky smile and awkward wave just pissed me off. How could he be so cheerful? It was raining damn it. I didn't feel like apologising though so I just kept stomping past him.

"You okay..?" He stuttered and slowly approached me. He was cautious about not coming within arms reach of me and stopped a few feet away from me.

"No..." I growled. "I just want cake and a nap..." I clutched my sweatpants in my hands and squeezed the fists of cloth until I calmed down slightly. As much as I usually appreciated Kennedy's friendship, he was the last person I wanted to see. He was so clingy and annoying.

"Do you need a hug or something..?" He tried and gently brushed my arm.

My hand flew up from my pocket in an instant and smacked his arm away. It hit the wall behind him and he whimpered in pain as he rubbed it. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

"Why do you always get like this..?" He mumbled and took a step back. "It's like you become a different person every month..."

"It's none of your business..." I growled.

"I'm used to it..." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "How about we get soba for lunch?"

I looked up at him to see the dorky smile I knew that he would be flashing. I nodded in embarrassment and sighed.

"Sorry for hitting you..." I mumbled.

"It's fine!" He said almost immediately. "You're not that strong anyway!"

"Stronger than you..." I growled and he swallowed hard. I might've been tiny but I sure as hell wasn't a weakling.

"Of course!" He nervously chuckled.

I looked back down and couldn't help but smile when he didn't see. I was short, sure, Kennedy was tall, sure, but I sure as hell was stronger than him even though it didn't look like it. But then again, Kennedy wasn't especially strong either. He was just kind of a computer nerd.

I massaged my temples as I forced my brain to focus on what the professor was saying. My stomach was cramping horribly, aching as if someone had stabbed me and turned the knife. As disgusting as it sounds, it felt like I really had to take a s**t. One of those shits you take after you haven't pooped in a while and your stomach hurts like f*****g hell. But worse. I frantically rubbed my stomach as I looked at the clock on the wall. The seconds ticked so slowly. Every time the second hand moved it slowed down, ticking slower and slower until it was barely moving.

Either that or I was going crazy.

The professor flipped to the next PowerPoint slide and started talking again. His voice was monotonous and robotic as if he was running on autopilot. His eyes looked dead. His face looked dead. I wouldn't have been surprised if he turned out to be a marionette doll, controlled by someone hiding in the ceiling, pulling the strings.

I glanced at Kennedy. He was eagerly taking notes like the nerd he was. If anyone in this class made it to the top, it would be him. Him and that quiet guy in the back of the classroom. It was unfair. They didn't have severe pains that distracted them. I slammed my head against the desk and suddenly the classroom fell silent. I wasn't even going to bother explaining myself or looking back up, I was just going to pretend to have fainted.

⚥ ⚥ ⚥

"Hey!" Someone called from across the parking lot when I walked out of the building. "Micah!"

Kennedy slowly backed up when Jayden Marston jogged towards us, waving and smiling. Honestly, it pissed me off how cheerful he looked. Everyone cheerful tended to piss me off when I was on my period.

"Hey..." He snickered when he was within a few feet of me. His long, curly, black hair looked soft on his head and he had a tight jacket wrapped around his torso. "How are you?" He asked.

"Me?" I sighed. "I feel like shit..."

The smile on his face faded and he gave me a worried look. "Well, that's not good..." He mumbled and pulled his fingers through my hair. His touch felt familiar and it sent a hot shiver down my spine. Kennedy had told me that Jayden had been the one who helped me get some rest the other day so he had probably also been the one who played with my hair. I looked up at him with a questioning look.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked and raised a brow as I glanced up at his fingers in my hair.

"You've got really soft hair!" He chuckled.

"Okay there bud..." I mumbled and shoved his hand away from my head. "Personal space..."

"Sorry..." He said. His cheeks slowly turned red as I frowned at him. Just cause he'd touched my hair once didn't mean he had my permission to do so whenever he felt like it.

"Did you want something?"

Jayden blushed and gave me a goofy smile. He pulled his fingers through his black hair, combing it back a bit so it wasn't in his face. "Did you consider the party..?" He said and nudged my shoulder. "Bring a friend... it'll be fun!"

I raised my eyebrow at him. Wasn't he being a bit pushy? I only just met him yesterday and he was already this eager for me to go to his party? Yesterday the question had been gentle but today he sounded far more excited for my answer.

"I said I might... so... I'll think about it... okay?" I said.

"Well if you do decide to go... let's get to know each other over a drink... I'll be waiting..." before leaving he winked at me and smiled. The gesture was both appreciated and unwanted. Thankfully I didn't have to do anything in return since he had turned around and walked off but what would I have done if he had expected me to answer his wink?

"I thought you said you didn't know him..." Kennedy mumbled as he walked up behind me.

"I don't," I said. "He just gave me a ride last night..."

"Why?" Kennedy asked, a little too loud and impatiently.

"Cause he drove past and saw me at the bus stop?"

"I could've taken you home..." he muttered. "What if something would've happened?"

"I can take care of myself..." I growled at him. "I'm not a kid, Kenny."

"But... ugh... forget it..." he sulked and turned his back to me. If anyone was a kid, it was him.

"I'm going to the library... I'll see you tomorrow..." I mumbled and started walking across the parking lot.

"I'll go with you!" He insisted, running up behind me.

I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath. As much as I appreciated his company most of the time, there were also times when I wanted to be alone. Kennedy didn't understand that. "I'm going alone..." I said and turned to him.

A frown settled over his face and for a moment I felt bad. "Did I do something?" He stuttered. His eyes were teary and it looked like he was about to cry.

"No, I just wanna be alone," I said sternly. "Kennedy, I can't hang out with you every hour of the day. I need to be alone sometimes! I have other friends too!"

"Fine..." Kennedy whimpered and nodded. "I'll leave you alone..." He turned his back and stomped off. It felt... like a goodbye.