Smoke break (Patreon)

— "And… what was your name again? Jaycee, Judy…?" — the guy asked curiously, trying to strike up a conversation with the girl standing there, smoking thoughtfully.

— "Jake," — she replied sharply, looking off to the side. Her voice, though curt, carried a hint of hurt and embarrassment. The guy smiled, convinced this was just some kind of joke to make him leave her alone.

— "Hey, seriously?" — he chuckled, tilting his head slightly and squinting as if searching for a trick. — "You don’t think I’m gonna buy that, right?"

The girl, dressed in a bright blue dress, turned to face him, blowing out a ring of smoke gently. Now his gaze caught her cold, determined eyes. Jake—now officially "Jaycee"—frowned, her brow furrowing in annoyance.

— "Oh, crap… you, uh… you’re trans?" — he blurted awkwardly, his face a mix of confusion and concern. The girl narrowed her eyes, throwing him a piercing, frosty look.

— "No," — she snapped, irritation flickering in her voice, — "I’m not trans. This body is one hundred percent female." She paused, letting the words sink in, then added: — "But I’m not exactly a woman, either."

The guy blinked, still trying to make sense of what she meant.

— "What do you mean? How…?"

— "My body is completely real," — she explained, a strange mix of bitterness and disappointment coloring her tone. — "Every cell, every bone, every strand of hair—everything is just like a regular girl’s. It’s just… this isn’t me. Not who I used to be." She turned away, as if just talking about it caused her pain. — "But inside, I’m still the same."

The guy stared at her in stunned silence. He couldn’t grasp it. Was she saying she used to be a guy? Or… something else?

— "Hey, seriously?" — he finally smirked, though his voice was tense, like he was trying to defuse the situation. He tilted his head slightly and squinted again, as if searching for some hint of deception. — "You don’t think I’m gonna fall for that, do you?"

The girl, dressed in the same bright blue dress, turned to face him again, softly blowing out another smoke ring. Now his gaze locked onto her cold, determined eyes. Jake—though now officially "Jaycee"—frowned in displeasure.

— "I’m not kidding, buddy," — she whispered, her shoulders tensing slightly. There was something threatening in that movement, despite her new delicate appearance.

The guy froze, blinking in confusion.

— "Wait… so, you… uh… used to be a guy?"

— "No, I’m still a guy," — she shot back, lighting a new cigarette and glancing at him mockingly. — "Just in a body that, as you can see… looks a little different."

He gulped, his confidence evaporating right before his eyes.

— "That’s… how is that even possible?"

— "Magic, a curse, a glitch in reality," — she scoffed, shrugging. — "Funny how that’s what bothers you, and not what it’s like for me," — her voice wavered for a moment, as if something painful flared up. — "What it’s like to get used to the fact that my legs are suddenly thinner, that I have to style my hair, that guys like you are constantly trying to hit on me…"

— "C’mon, I…" — he began to stammer, but she cut him off sharply.

— "You don’t get it!" — Jaycee took a step closer, making him instinctively step back. — "Imagine you suddenly wake up and see a stranger’s face in the mirror. You go to work, and no one recognizes you. Your friends act like you don’t exist. And women start hating you for how you look." — Her hand holding the cigarette twitched nervously, and she took another drag, staring off into the distance. — "The whole world is convinced you’re someone else!"

The guy stared at her in shock. Thoughts started swirling in his mind: maybe this girl had some serious mental health issues, or she was an incredibly good actress. But then, why go through all of this? He continued to stand across from her, mesmerized by her bluntness and sincerity. Inside him, a strange mix of fear and curiosity began to stir.

— "So," — Jaycee tilted her head slightly, her eyes flashing with defiance, — "still want to ask me out for dinner? Or are you gonna run off now that you know the truth, looking for someone… more ‘normal’?"

The guy shook his head, as if trying to wake up from a bizarre dream.

— "Wait, wait… but why are you even here? Why do you keep going out, talking to people? I would… I’d just hide somewhere."

The girl chuckled, but there was no humor in her smile.

— "Yeah, I did that… at first." — She looked away, and for a moment, it seemed like her eyes clouded over with memories. — "Locked myself at home. Hid from everyone. But then I realized that reality wouldn’t change if I stayed shut in. I… I need to make a living somehow, and these girls… supposedly my friends, who I never knew before, they’re so… nice?! Damn, it’s disgusting, but they really try to help, but…" — she faltered, frowning as if struggling to find the right words, — "...but you get it, it’s like they pity me. And I don’t want their pity!" — a note of desperation flickered in her voice. — "I’m still the same person inside, it’s just… damn it, everything on the outside changed!" — Jaycee dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it abruptly with her heel.

The guy stood in silence, his thoughts swinging between feeling like he was witnessing something absurd and an unexpected sense of respect. Before him stood this confident, almost brazen girl, but every word she said screamed of pain and loss. He swallowed, instinctively stepping closer.

— "Wait… you’re kidding, right? This is some kind of prank to make me leave, right?" — the guy tried to smile, but couldn’t hide the nervous tension in his voice.

Jaycee turned to him, her gaze unfathomable, but the corners of her lips twitched into a weak, almost weary smile.

— "Yeah, a joke," — she touched his cheek, mimicking an ironic smile for a moment, then turned her head slightly, as if trying to add a touch of madness to her expression. — "Hahaha, of course!" — the sharp laugh echoed in the silence of the alley, making the guy flinch. But then the smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. She straightened and looked at him with cold seriousness. — "Only… you know, there’s nothing funny about this joke, is there?"

The guy felt his confidence crumbling. He opened his mouth, but then shut it, unsure what to say. He realized that something was definitely off here. Something creepy and terrifying. His heart was pounding faster, and he unknowingly clenched his fists.

— "Don’t worry about it," — Jaycee turned sharply on her heel and walked away, leaving him in confusion.