In Between Codes

Chapter 12

Tamy stood there, her bra exposed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt small, vulnerable, completely exposed. Mr. Lopez's eyes darted to her and then to the group of hormonal teenage boys. He froze for a moment, then, in a tone that felt more like an exhale than anything else, said, "Oh."

Then, without missing a beat, he turned to the boys. "Out. Now. Let her get dressed in peace."

The boys shuffled out, casting lingering glances at Tamy as they left. Mr. Lopez turned to her, his voice soft but firm. "Hurry up and go join the girls when you're ready."

Tamy nodded, trying to swallow the knot in her throat. Fury bubbled up inside her, mixing with the humiliation, as she dressed quickly. The whole time, she couldn't stop thinking about Moe and the way he had treated her.

As she changed, Tamy spoke to Samantha. "Moe has to be punished."

"I agree," the AI replied.  "What do you have in mind?"

Tamy's mind raced. 

"I want to make him regret all he has done to me. And since he's making fun of me for being a girl, I want to see him try. I bet he couldn't even pull off half the grace I have. So... I want you to make him come to school dressed and acting like a girl. I want to see him walk a day in my shoes. You have my permission to use any means necessary to make it happen. Got it?"

"Got it, Tamy." Samantha's voice was cold with resolve.

Tamy felt a small surge of satisfaction. Now, it was up to Samantha to get her revenge.

Tamy quickly finished changing and joined the girls for their gym class. The moment she stepped onto the floor with them, the sense of relief was immediate—she was in a safe space, surrounded by friends and kind people and far away from the boys, away from Moe and the tension of that locker room.

As she warmed up and began stretching, a few of the girls complimented her on her leotard and her new earrings. Tamy smiled, a small spark of pride flickering inside her. Despite everything that had happened earlier, she couldn't help but feel good in it. The fabric hugged her in all the right places, and for the first time that day, she felt something close to graceful.

PE class was just a warm-up for Tamy, Laura, and the other cheerleaders—a prelude to the real work that came right after. They used the time to stretch, review choreography, and offer each other constructive feedback, helping to fine-tune every motion, every count, every beat.

Soon after the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Stephanie and the rest of the squad arrived for training.

Stephanie lead the training, running the drills with her usual intensity. The energy was just as demanding as the morning session—if not more—but just like earlier, things didn't go well for Tamy.

She knew the moves. She'd studied them. She could explain exactly when to jump, how to position her arms, where to land. But knowing didn't mean executing. Every attempt seemed to fall apart—her feet slipped, her timing was off, her body refused to cooperate. Sometimes it was one issue. Sometimes a combination. Sometimes... everything at once.

Frustration churned inside her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to stop. Just breathe. Just rest. But Stephanie was relentless, pushing her again and again.

Every time Tamy thought she couldn't go on, Stephanie would call out her name, urge her forward, refusing to let her give up. And somehow, Tamy kept going.

By the end of practice, she felt hollowed out—drained, defeated, like a shadow of herself. Her muscles ached, her patience was threadbare, and her self-doubt had settled like a heavy fog around her.