Summary: Ricky and EJ's relationship was kept in secret while some of EJ's friends from the water polo team have been bullying Ricky until EJ defended him. And as their senior year approaches while they're officially a couple, there's one thing that's going to be very hard when they face in the whole school but they have to fight for: Ricky is pregnant with EJ's baby.
Note: This story will be written with Ricky as trans, which will explain why the water polo team picks on him for being that and being pregnant, but EJ will stick by his side. Ricky and EJ are both seniors in high school.
Side-note: This will be written as individual parts.
Title based on the song by The Pretenders.
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My name is Ricky Bowen. I'm a senior in high school, and my hobbies are skateboarding and playing guitar. But there's a couple of things not everyone knows about me other than my parents and my friends since I had told them before... I'm bisexual and transgender: FTM, female to male.
My birth name was Rachel, and growing up, I wasn't really like other girls. I was actually more of a tomboy. And sometimes, my parents could be confused about it, but then they were okay with it. And also Nini and Big Red, my only two best friends since childhood who understood how different I was. Sometimes, I'd ask my parents if I would ever be a boy some day whenever I had this strange feeling about it, and they would tell me that I could be whatever I wanted to be as long as I was happy because I was special.
When I was thirteen, I found out on how I've liked guys and girls after I took a "Am I Gay?" quiz and my results said I was bisexual, and then came out to my parents, which they took the news well. By the time I was fifteen, I had discovered about what people were like as transgender, and then I watched videos about trans men. One night during dinner, I came out again but as transgender to my parents, and I explained on how I looked up on what people had been like as trans. After telling them, they understood and were happy, and they would always love me no matter what I was.
The next day, I told my friends, my best friends from childhood and some of my high school friends. Nini was the first friend I had to tell just before she told me she was about to move to Los Angeles to start a music career, but she said that we would always be best friends. And then Big Red, even though he was heartbroken when he confessed that he had the biggest crush on me for years. I comforted him and told him that there was going to be a change but I would always be remembered as the girl he loved and who loved him back.
I've changed my whole appearance, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I was finally who I was when I got what I wanted, and I was so happy. Although, my mom got me binders to cover up my top since the surgery for it was expensive, but I didn't mind. Afterwards, I announced my transition on Instagram and how proud I was for that. The message I written on my post said, "Hello. My name is Richard Michael Bowen. But you may call me... Ricky." My friends and close family members and anyone from the LGTBQ community commented on how proud they were when they praised for the whole new me.
A year and a half later, when I was about seventeen, my parents announced they were getting divorced and my mom was moving to Chicago where she was offered a job there. I was upset about it for a little while, but then I started to get used to it. I stayed with my dad while I often arrange visiting my mom once in a while.
In between times, it was difficult for me in high school. Some of those guys, who were on the water polo team, have been bullying and humiliating me for being trans and they would say stuff behind my back, which usually sounded very hurtful. But at least I was lucky to have my friends to protect me whenever I have trouble coming toward me. And I would often talk to one of the teachers, such as Miss Jenn, about it if those boys were giving me a hard time.
Aside from that, there was one guy who never picked on me because of how much he cared for me, and that guy's name was EJ Caswell. This is actually gonna sound crazy as I say this, but we have been sort of dating for a little while.
Before all of that happened, I've been in love with EJ since we've met, even though I saw him around school and he already knew I was bi and transgender before that. He was actually captain of the water polo team, but he was never like his friends due to the fact they had been homophobic. We would hang out sometimes, but with a group of our friends, such as Big Red, Gina, Kourtney, Carlos, Seb, and EJ's cousin, Ashlyn. But sometimes, while we were still in the group, we would often talk alone.
And there was this one time while we were at Ashlyn's house for a party, where we went somewhere very private so we could alone. We were nervous around each other, even when he asked how I knew I was bi and trans, and then I awkwardly asked if he would kiss me, which we did. He then felt so scared before he ran off on me. And in embarrassment with a broken heart, I left Ashlyn's to go home where I cried my eyes.
At school the weekend after, EJ approached to me at my locker, and we talked over about how confused he was after we kissed the other night as he apologized for running off on me. I told him I blamed myself for pressuring him into kissing me, but he talked me out of it by saying that it wasn't my fault for getting into that. Then we came into agreement to keep us as a secret while he would figure things out for himself.
And after a while, EJ told me he thought he might be bi, just like me, and I was glad he told me that, but he thought it'd be best to wait a little longer until when he would announce his bisexuality and our relationship as we stayed strong. Not long after, we told our friends who had been looking out for us, and they were happy for us but we told them to not tell anyone as we were still keeping things low key.
Then one day at school, the kids gave out a sneered look at me and whispering stuff about me. I was confused about what was going on until EJ approached to me. He explained to me that it was those jerks from his team who blackmailed us when he got the photos of us on his phone that were originally sent to him by Ashlyn when she and our friends found out about this.
And that was when EJ saw his team, and Cameron Phillips, one of the guys who was always the crude one, was the reason for letting this happen. In anger, EJ went straight up to Cameron and punched him right in his face, and that was when the fight between them happened. The fight went for only a moment until one of the teachers, Mr. Mazzara, stepped in to break it up, and EJ and Cameron were sent down to the principal's office.
After the fight, the rest of the day at school was difficult for me. My friends gave me comfort as I was having a rough time. And then I texted EJ and asked him to meet me outside after school was let out. After school, EJ met with me outside and apologized about what happened with him and Cameron in the hallways earlier. Then he gave out an update that he got detention over the weekend and due to the bullying toward me, Cameron was suspended from school for a few days but unfortunately got kicked off the water polo team for the rest of the school year.
Then I had to talk to him about how I thought this was my fault for causing it to happened and I tried to be reasonable, but EJ tried to tell me not to blame myself. But I couldn't let the fights with his friends or anything terrible because of me mess up our relationship, so that was when I've decided to break up with him, which was probably for the best. Then I skateboarded on home in tears after the most hardest decision I've had ever made.
Throughout the rest of the school year, I was depressed. I had trouble sleeping at night, I barely ate, and I've been avoiding my friends whenever they tried to help me feel better. But mostly, I've avoided EJ. I've avoided him at school, at any places in town I go to, and I've avoided his calls and texts.
It went on for a little while until my mom came for a visit after my dad called her, because they were worried about me. We talked some stuff over, even when I told them about my relationship with EJ until I broke things off with him after he got into a fight with one of his friends who were picking on me. Then my parents gave advice on how things would get better eventually and that I shouldn't push myself away from anyone who try to help me.
After taking my parents' advice, I started to get a little better. I'd gotten better sleep and eating a little more, and I was also talking to my friends again, but I wasn't ready to talk to EJ just yet. And then one day, Big Red and Ashlyn came by to my house and convinced me to come with them to meet up with the rest of our friends at EJ's swim meet he had with his team when I've avoided him long enough. So I went with them after I agreed to go.
As soon as Big Red, Ashlyn and I got to the meet at the pool, we saw our friends who saved our spots on the bleachers. Then, when I saw EJ who also saw me, it was weird to see him while still avoiding him. And it was also kind of scary, because I thought the rest of the team would be pissed off at me for being the reason why Cameron was kicked off the team after EJ fought with him. But before the meet started, the team apologized for the way they mistreated me and it was all on Cameron for being a homophobic idiot. Then they encouraged me to go talk to EJ because of how much he cared for me and always had been protective for me.
I watched EJ as he was competing, and during that, it got me to thinking about what everyone told me. I've realized I made a mistake because truthfully, I missed EJ. I shouldn't have broken up with him, because... well... Okay, so I love him! There you go!
Anyways, that was when I also realized that I needed to talk to him. After the meet when the school's team won, I went to go see EJ and asked him if we could talk.
Then EJ met with me somewhere in the hallways where we were alone after he changed into his clothes. I explained to him how dumb I was for breaking up with him and avoiding him. I was talking so fast due to my stupidity because what a terrible person I was to him, and then I accidentally blurted out that I loved him. Those three words took EJ by surprise, but then I panicked as I realized I shouldn't have said because we hadn't been together that long. But thankfully, EJ stopped me from talking and told that he loved me too and that he didn't care about getting into a fight with Cameron, but it was worth it to be with me. Then we reconciled by sharing a kiss.
And so for the rest of our time, summer was great for us, and that was something we would never forget, our summer where we then became boyfriends.
At the end of the school year, EJ was unsure for a while, but he told me he was definitely bi. He came out to his parents and mentioned me as his boyfriend, and they happily accepted him and our relationship. I told the same thing with my dad and then my mom. Then me and EJ talked about our relationship with our friends, and they were happy to hear about it, even Nini when she came for a visit.
For my eighteenth birthday over the summer, EJ was so supportive as he helped me with a charity to collect money for the top surgery I'd wanted. And with the donations I collected, I finally had gotten that surgery. The moment I looked at myself in my mirror, feeling shirtless, I had felt so great about it.
On the last week of summer vacation, just when we were about to go back to school, we went to San Francisco. We drove through the Golden Gate Bridge, stayed at a hotel, did some sightseeing, and went to a few nice restaurants. And at the end of the week, we had a special weekend in honor as we were about to start our senior year together, and it was very romantic.
Senior year started so well for me and EJ since we became boyfriends. Well, it was until I wasn't feeling my best. Four weeks after school had begun, I was feeling nauseous as I had threw up, and I was having these stomach cramps. EJ would check up on me to see if I was okay, and so would my dad and friends. I didn't know what was going on until EJ took me to the doctors where I found out something I didn't know that it could happen to me since I came out as a trans man...
I was pregnant.
I was so horrified, I didn't even know what to do as I looked at EJ. What will he say? Should we keep the baby? Should we get rid of it? How are going to tell our parents? How will our friends react? So many questions I'm uncertain about as I think about it.
To be continued...
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Will Ricky and EJ keep the baby? How will they tell everyone? What if Ricky gets bullied again but as the pregnant boy, even by that guy, Cameron Phillips, formally from the water polo team? Stay tuned to find out.
Thanks to anyone for reading this. I know I took long to write more stuff, but I appreciate the patience. Part one is in the works and will be ready as possible.