I step out into the hallway, and see my mom standing down at the end by the door, having a quiet but clearly angry conversation with a small man, who seems to be genuinely listening and just a bit upset.

  I approach them, and tug at my mom’s arm. “I’m done.” I murmur.

  “Hi, Emmy.” She says. “Sorry I left, you seemed like you were in good hands, and I wanted to make sure that rotten women got what she deserves for how she treated you.”

  “Thanks…” I say softly. “I um… I’m kinda hungry. Can we go?”

  “Yes, of course, Emmy.” She says, and then turns back to the man. “Is there anything else I need to do?”

  “No, no, nothing else.” He says, still seeming annoyed. “Thank you for reporting it. I’ll take care of it tonight.”

  “Thank you.” My mom says, before turning away.

  I stay close beside her as we walk out towards the car. She unlocks the door, and we sit down. “So, what’s for lunch?” I ask.

  “That’s up to you.” She says. “But we’ve got one more stop before food.”

  “Oh?” I ask. “Where to?”

  “You’ll see.” She says with a soft smile, and starts driving. “Figure out where you want to go for lunch.”

  I consider my options while we drive. I haven’t really thought about vegetarian restaurants before… A thought hits my brain. I was really only doing the vegetarian thing for Holly anyways, there’s no reason for me to keep it up.

  “Can we go to Genx Diner?” I ask.

  “Sure.” My mom says with a smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve had their sweet potato fries.”

  She pulls into the parking lot of a rge gss building, and quickly finds a spot. I follow her out of the car, and try to find some hint as to what we’re doing. There are enough people coming and going, that I cannot see any signs posted in the windows or on the doors.

  Inside is a short line leading up to a metal detector and one of those x-ray machines you see at the airport. On the floor of the atrium is the state seal. So we’re at the courthouse. I pce my bag on the belt, as well as my cell phone and keys with their cute keychain.

  I walk through without trouble, and wait for my mom behind me. She gets through without issue, and takes my hand as we walk to the elevator and up to the fourth floor. My mom leads us down a hallway, and into a small room.

  “Hi!” A kind looking woman says from behind a yer of plexi-gss. “How can I help you.”

  “I’m just waiting for my husband.” My mom says. “Then we have some paperwork to file.”

  “Sounds good.” The woman says. “I’m assuming the paperwork is for your daughter there?”

  “Yes.” My mom says, just as the door opens. “Hi, honey.”

  “Hey, Evelyn.” He says, and kisses her on the cheek. “Good to see you. Sorry I’m te.”

  “No need to apologize.” My mom says back. “We just got here.”

  “How was your doctor's appointment, little dy?” He asks.

  “Good.” I say with a smile. “Getting my blood work done wasn't great, but other than that I’m happy.”

  “What was bad about the bloodwork?” Dad asks.

  “We’ll have time for that ter, you two.” My mom says. “Come on.”

  “Right.” My dad says with a grin, and follows my mom up to the counter. “Hello,” He says while pulling some pages out of his briefcase. “We’re here to file the paperwork for my daughter's name change.”

  The woman takes the paperwork, and looks it over. “Can I get yours and your wife’s ID’s?”

  “Of course.” He says, and hands his driver’s license over.

  My mom passes hers over, as well as my birth certificate. The woman spends more time looking at the paperwork, and then looks up at me. “Can you please state your full current legal name for me?”

  I sigh. “Daniel Galilea Valera.”

  “And the name you’re changing to.” She says.

  “Emmy Luna Valera.” I say.

  She types away for a few more moments before printing out a sticker and spping it on the front of a manil folder. “Can you confirm the spelling please?”

  I lean forwards and check to make sure it’s right. “That’s it.” I say with a smile.

  “Wonderful.” She says. “Now for the filing fee.”

  “Here you go.” My dad says, and passes over an envelope.

  She opens it and pulls out three crisp one-hundred dolr bills. “Perfect, thank you. Your court date is set for Friday, August fifth at one PM.”

  “We’ll be there.” My dad says. “Thank you for your time.”

  “You’re welcome.” She says, “And Emmy?” I turn back to her and tilt my head. “Congratutions.”

  “Thank you.” I respond, and then follow my parents out the door.

  “So,” My dad says. “Where are we going for lunch?”

  “Emmy picked Genx Diner.” Mom says.

  “Ooh!” My dad says. “I could go for some onion rings.”

  I smile, and follow behind my parents, listening to my mom tell him the story of what happened at the b. We all walk to my mom’s SUV. I climb in the back, and decide to text Paige while we drive.

  ‘Hey, hope your appointment is going well.’

  ‘I was thinking, can we do coffee tomorrow?’

  ‘If not that’s okay.’

  ‘Just soon.’

  ‘Hey! My appointment went well. I’m hoping to pick up my HRT ter today. I can’t do coffee tomorrow. How about Wednesday?’

  Paige’s response is nearly instant.

  ‘I’m happy to hear that, but sad about not getting to see you tomorrow.’

  ‘It’ll have to be Wednesday.’

  ‘What time do you want to meet up?’

  ‘I’m normally not awake super early, but I’m getting up tomorrow at like 7. So maybe we can do like 9?’

  ‘9 is perfect.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see you.’

  ‘It’ll be fun. I haven’t really gotten to have any female friends before. Maybe sometime soon you can introduce me to those girls I saw you with at the mall.’

  Paige doesn’t respond quickly, so I put my phone away as we pull into the diner’s parking lot. My parents get out, and I quickly follow them inside. The pce is retively packed, and my parents turn towards me.

  “Go get us a table, and we’ll order.” My dad says. “What do you want?”

  I think for a moment, and nearly order a cheeseburger when a thought hits my mind. Twenty-five chickens… “Can I get a garden burger, extra onions, and a side of waffle fries please?”

  “You got it, little dy.” My dad says, and gets into line with my mom.

  I take a table in the corner with four seats, and wait for them to arrive. Paige still hasn’t texted back, and I am about to send her another text when a gentle masculine voice speaks up from beside me.

  “Hey, it’s you again.”

  I look up to see the boy from the other night. “Hey, Tyler, right?”

  “Yeah!” He says excitedly. “I’m surprised you remembered.” I just smile at him, and he continues. “I never actually got your name.”

  “Emmy.” I say simply.

  “Emmy.” He says, almost as if he’s savoring the words. “Pretty. I like it.”

  “I do too.” I say, more than a little wary of him. “What do you want?”

  “Just to say hi.” He responds. “I know you have a girlfriend, so I’m not about to hit on you or anything. Scouts honor.” He accentuates this with a hand over his heart.

  I giggle slightly at his actions, and cover my mouth. He smiles at me, a real genuine smile. “Thank you, Tyler.”

  “No problem.” He says. “I’ll get out of your hair. I gotta get back to work, anyways.”

  “Alright, bye Tyler.” I say, and give him a gentle wave.

  “Bye, Emmy.” He says, and heads for the front door.

  After another few minutes, my parents come and take a seat. They both have conspiratorial grins on their faces.

  “What?” I ask, a teensy bit annoyed.

  “So...” My mom says, clearly giddy. "Who was that boy?"

  “His name is Tyler,” I expin. “I don’t really know anything about him.”

  “He’s cute though.” My mom says. “And clearly interested in you.”

  “He is cute…” I say thoughtfully. “But I have no idea how old he is… He said he has to go back to work. That could be anything from a summer job to an actual career.”

  “He seemed young.” My dad says.

  “Yeah,” I agree. “But that could mean anything from te teens to like, I don’t know, early twenties, and I’m not about to even consider dating someone who is older than eighteen.”

  “Does that mean you thought about dating him?” My mom asks, still sounding a little excited.

  I giggle at the thought. “No. I’m not ready to date anyone… Had he asked, I would have given him my number, but made it clear that I just want to be friends for now.”

  “I think that’s very wise of you, Emmy.” My dad says.

  “So what are your pns for the rest of the week?” My mom asks.

  “Well,” I say thoughtfully. “Caleb wants to go out into the woods again tomorrow. Py some airsoft or something.”

  “Isn’t that kind of a boy thing to do?” My dad asks, and my mom gives him a look.

  “Hobbies do not make gender.” I expin. “Although, in all fairness, I’m not super excited about it. I’m mainly just doing it to hang out with Caleb.”

  “Makes sense.” My dad says. “Sorry.”

  “No worries.” I wave his apology away. “Other than that, I am going to have coffee with Paige Wednesday morning.”

  “I thought you weren’t dating anyone anytime soon.” My dad comments.

  “We’re just friends.” I say, blushing slightly. “She’s cute, and she likes me, but… It’s just too soon.”

  “So what you’re telling me is,” My mom says. “You’ve got two people, a boy and a girl, both interested in you, all while you’re single. Any idea who you’d rather end up with?”

  A worker approaches and pces our food on the table. “Enjoy your meal.” He says with a smile.

  “Thank you.” I say, and immediately pull out a waffle fry, before turning back to my parents. “I don’t really want to think about it, if I’m being honest. Holly and I just broke up, I need time to get over that. Plus I’ve got a whole new self to explore. Jumping into a new retionship is just going to distract me from figuring more out about the type of girl Emmy is.”

  “That’s actually really sweet.” My mom says.

  “So, since you think both of them are cute,” My dad says. “Does that mean you like both guys and girls?”

  “Yeah,” I say simply, as I unwrap my garden burger. “I’m bi, but that’s old news.”

  I take a rge bite of the burger, and the fvor hits me immediately. Yummy! I take another two bites of it, leaving a bit over half remaining. My dad chuckles as he watches me.

  “Is it that good, or are you just hungry?”

  “Both.” I say, and hold it out to him. “Want to try it?”

  “Sure.” He says, and takes a bite out of it. “Wow, that is really good... For a veggie burger.”

  “Can I try?” My mom asks.

  “Of course.” I say, happy to pawn off more of my food onto people who can’t push theirs onto me.

  My mom takes a small bite, and then hands it back to me. “This is actually way better than mine.” She admits.

  “Told ya mom,” I joke. “I’m turning you to the dark side.”

  “You really are.” She says with a ugh. “Maybe this is my st meat based food ever.”

  “Poor choice for your st meat.” My dad says.

  “Yeah…” She says softly.

  The rest of the meal goes by quietly, and I get praised by my mom for finishing my meal. Despite a third of the burger ending up in their stomachs. We hop back in the car, and my mom drives back to the courthouse.

  I pull out my phone, and see a couple texts from Paige.

  ‘Hey, sorry.’

  ‘I can introduce you to them.’

  ‘Eventually, okay?’

  ‘Okay. Thank you, Paige. I really need new friends.’

  ‘I get it. Sorry.’

  ‘Why are you apologizing?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘So, what are you up to?’

  ‘Going to drop my dad off at his car, then I’m not sure. Hopefully pick up my meds.’

  ‘Will you tell me more about yourself?’

  ‘I want to learn as much as I can.’

  ‘Sure. What do you want to know?’

  We continue texting back and forth while we drop off my dad. After I move to the front seat, my mom smiles at me. “I just got the text, Princess. Your meds are ready.”

  “Really?!” I say excitedly as I shove my phone into my back pocket. “Can we go get them?”

  “Of course.” My mom says with a smile. “I know how much this means to you.”

  The pharmacy isn’t too far from us, and soon enough we’re in the parking lot. Mom and I quickly hop out and walk inside. The door dings as we step in, and we immediately start towards the back.

  “Emmy!” A light masculine voice shouts from off to my left. “Fancy seeing you here.”

  I turn to see Tyler standing next to a cart full of items still in rge boxes. “Hey Tyler.”

  He smiles brightly at me, and I blush slightly as I notice his bun is slightly loosened, and some of the pieces are falling out. Cute… He chuckles as he walks over to me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just picking up my meds.” I expin, before remembering the person standing behind me. “Right, Mom, Tyler, Tyler, Mom.” I say, gesturing between them.

  “Hi, Mrs…” He pauses slightly. “I never actually got your full name, Emmy.”

  “Valera.” My mom answers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tyler.”

  “Valera, huh…” He says, pressing his finger to his lips. “I swear I’ve heard that name before, not like it's very common… Oh well.”

  “Well, I gotta go.” I say, and start pulling my mom towards the actual pharmacy. “Talk to you another time, Tyler.”

  “Another time, Emmy.” He says, and goes back to stocking the shelves.

  Once we’re out of earshot, my mom nudges me gently. “He’s polite.”

  “And he works at a pharmacy,” I say through gritted teeth, “Which doesn’t even give me the tiniest hint as to how old he is.”

  “You could always go back and ask.” My mom says. “I don’t mind picking up your prescriptions for you.”

  I think for a moment before shaking my head. “No. Like I said, I’m not interested in him right now. If we run into each other again, when I’m ready, then I’ll ask.”

  “If you say so.” My mom says. “Although if I were you, I’d get his number now, keep him interested, ya know?”

  “Eh, I can wait.” I say with a shrug. “Worst case scenario, I know where he works now, and I’ll have to come here every month or so.”

  “That’s fair.” My mom says, before stepping up to the counter. “Prescription for Valera.”

  The man types away at his computer for a moment before looking up. “Got two here for… Daniel?”

  “That’s me.” I whisper, and hold my hand up.

  He looks closer at me, then more intently at the screen. “I get it now. Do you have an ID, Ma’am?”

  I shake my head. “No. Sorry…”

  “That’s fine.” He says, waving my apology away. “I can just take your mom’s ID.”

  My mom passes it over, and then after a few moments takes it back. The man goes back to typing, and then turns back to a rge shelf full of bins with initials on them. He returns with three bags.

  “Okay,” He says. “This is your spironoctone. Take one pill when you wake up every morning.”

  “Okay.” I respond simply.

  “This is your estradiol.” He pulls out two small pill bottles. “These contain the needles. Pink for drawing, blue for injecting.” He pulls out a small bag of syringes. “You’ll want to draw out exactly point two five milliliters. These have a tendency to have a single milliliter of air, so you’ll wanna draw to point three five, and go from there. Understood?”

  “Understood.” I say with a smile.

  “You put the entire needle into the middle of your thigh, depress the plunger completely, and then rub the area to get the medication flowing. Then pull the needle out and sp a bandage on it. Got it?”

  “I got it.” I say. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He says, and hands the bags to my mom. “That’ll be twenty-three thirty-seven.”

  My mom pays, and passes me the bags before we head out. Tyler waves to me, and I wave back. We drive quickly back to the house, my new medication metaphorically screaming at me to open it. The moment we’re inside I immediately sit down on the couch and start pulling out my new medication.

  “Mind if I watch?” My mom asks as she sits down next to me.

  “Go for it.” I say with a smile, and start putting together the injection supplies.

  After drawing up the instructed amount of estradiol, I swap out the needles, and then pull my pants down to my knees. With my bare thigh exposed, I pull off the cap of the needle, and tap the side to get the air bubbles to the surface.

  Once the fluid is just barely dripping out of the tip of the needle, I hold it perpendicur to my thigh, and push the needle down into my leg. My mom winces and I give her a grin. “What’s wrong? Squeamish?”

  “A bit, yeah.” She admits as I plunge the fluid into my leg. “I don’t get how you just did that with a straight face.”

  “It’s just a needle.” I say as I pull it out of my leg and cover it with a bandage. “Plus, it’s good for me. It’s my girl juice.”

  “Girl juice.” My mom says with a grin. “That’s a silly name.”

  “A lot of trans girls call spiro their anti-boy-otics.” I say with a ugh.

  “I may not be a part of it,” My mom says happily, “But I cannot wait to learn more about the community you’re in.”

  “I can’t either.” I say with a smile. “Too bad we missed pride month… Oh well, there’s always next year.”