It was two weeks after the first game, and even though a few more people had dropped the resolution, Jonchelle was more settled in than at any time in years. She had a girlfriend, was one of the best cheerleaders at Lake Point, and was happier than she could recall ever having been as Jon.
Jonchelle bounded down the stairs one Saturday morning, cheerful as ever. Last night, the spiritline had their best performance of the season. Even Ryan was impressed, coming over to her and Nessa after the game and saying that he couldn’t have done any better. It was just a shame that their performance didn’t have any effect on the team: they got routed. Jonchelle had never seen Lake Point get beaten that badly before.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Jonchelle slowed her pace. She could hear that the TV was on and a quick peek around the door confirmed that Zach was slumped on the sofa, dressed in a black T-shirt and black sweatpants.
“Hey Zach.” Chelle whispered softly. She felt bad for her brother. After last night’s game, she could understand if he wanted to be left alone. Zach looked up briefly and gave a slight nod.
“Hey,” he replied glumly. Sure, Zoe had been a Goth before, but never had he been this depressed. Being on the basketball team meant that he had certain expectations now, and, after last night’s loss, he felt like he had let everybody down.
Jonchelle shuffled into the room. “Everything okay?” Zach shrugged his shoulders, returning his gaze to the TV. Jonchelle sighed and moved closer, gently pushing Zach’s feet, and he reluctantly moved up on the couch so that his sister could join him.
Zach sighed. “I guess I’m not cut out for this stuff,” he began.
Jonchelle was a little shocked. “But I thought that you loved being a boy?”
“I did...but then there’s this whole basketball thing. I never knew how much pressure they actually put on you to be good, to be perfect. I’ve heard Biff talking about it occasionally, and I’ve seen it on the news but I thought that it would be different with basketball. I feel like I’ve let everybody down. Especially Coach.”
Jonchelle placed a hand on Zach’s back. “C’mon Zach… You haven’t let everybody down, you tried your best. The other team was just better.”
“I don’t know, I guess I just miss being Zoe. You know? Back when there was no pressure. If I didn’t do something, it didn’t matter, because that was who I was.” Jonchelle tried to hide her displeasure but Zach noticed. “What?”
“Nothing,” she replied quickly, sensing that Zach wanted her to say more. “...I like Zach… He’s nice, he doesn’t mope around the house and he’s a good brother. The best brother. Zoe on the other hand, she’s nothing like you. She’s mean and always cursing. I haven’t heard one curse from you since you became Zach. I don’t want to have to go back to tiptoeing around my sister in case I piss her off or something.”
Zach’s eyes widened. “Is that really how you felt about me? I thought that we got along pretty well.”
Jonchelle nodded. “We did, but you were always arguing with Mom about stuff, like why you weren’t in school or where you went at night, and when you argued, it was always better to stay out of your way. Please, I don’t want to have to go back to that. I like having a younger brother.”
Zach stared at the floor for a few moments thinking about the revelation Jonchelle had just dropped on him. Sure, he did enjoy being Zach, but he hated the idea of losing another game. And while he didn’t miss Zoe’s personality now that everyone treated him better, even Mom, he missed being her—the long hair, the skirts, the boots.
He looked over to Jonchelle. Maybe they could come up with a compromise. All of Zoe’s old outfits were either dresses or skirts, and they were all black. Jonchelle on the other hand had a much more colorful wardrobe, and Zach did have to admit that he had been thinking about borrowing one of Chelle’s dresses once he had changed back. He began to smile.
“What?” Jonchelle asked as her brother looked at her with a big grin on his face.
“How about we compromise?”
