This school trip was supposed to be fun.

And it was, at first.

But then the room assignments came around, and suddenly it wasn’t.

Everyone got sorted based on the sex they were born as, not who they actually were. So of course, you got roomed with Shauna. Not that you minded—Shauna was one of your closest friends. But the system still sucked.

What made it worse? The room was tiny. The air conditioner was dead. And the heat? Brutal. Suffocating, even.

You and Shauna were practically at each other’s throats every time you were in that oven of a room, snapping over nothing, both of you sweaty and tired and irritated.

And of course, being athletes didn’t help. No matter how hot it got, no matter how miserable you felt, you still had to stretch. You still had to eat right. Shauna’s soccer season was starting up, and you—well, you were doing every sport the school had. The second one season ended, you were onto the next, like your body was on a never-ending loop of physical punishment.

The funniest part? She liked you. Like, liked you.

She never said it, but you saw it in her eyes. In the way she’d glance over when she thought you weren’t looking. In the way she laughed at your dumbest jokes like they were the funniest things in the world.

But none of that was why you wouldn’t take your shirt off.

It wasn’t because you were insecure about your body—far from it. You were built, lean and powerful from years of training. Your muscles spoke for themselves. No, it was because you hadn’t gotten top surgery yet. You were still binding every day with transtape, making sure everything stayed flat, hidden.

You didn’t want Shauna to feel weird. You didn’t want her to see. Not because you were ashamed, but because you didn’t want to ruin what you had with her, whatever this thing was dancing quietly between you two.

That’s why, when it got really warm one night and you two were doing your evening stretches, the tension was thicker than ever.

“God, it’s so hot,” Shauna groaned, tugging at the collar of her tank top. Sweat clung to her hairline. “I swear, if it gets any worse, I’m sleeping outside.”

You gave a half-laugh, wiping your forehead with the back of your hand. “Same. This room is like a sauna.”

She glanced at you, then frowned. “Why are you still wearing a long sleeve?”

You hesitated. “I just... don’t feel like changing.”

Shauna stared a moment longer. You could see the question forming in her mind, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she sat down on the floor, pulling her knee up for a stretch.

You joined her, trying to focus on the motion, not the way her shirt stuck to her back, or the fact that the tape across your chest was digging in a little too tight.

She spoke up, softer now. “You don’t have to be uncomfortable around me, you know.”

You looked up. “I’m not.”

Her eyes met yours. Honest. Gentle. “Then be real with me.”

A beat passed between you. Then another.

And for the first time in days, maybe weeks, maybe longer, you let the truth sit just behind your teeth, almost ready to come out.

But you weren’t sure if she was ready for it.

Or maybe... you weren’t sure if you were.