ALEX POV

FLASHBACK

The library was quiet. It was a safe haven for Alex, somewhere she could be safe. It was also where she met Joe, and where she would meet him every afternoon, when he finished school.

"Hey." The voice came from behind the shelves to her left. Alex turned and saw there was a hole in the books, and in that hole, a face.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Alex was drawn to his face, staring at his sharp green eyes, strong jawline and his wavy brown hair.

"I thought it would be fun to talk through here." His voice was quiet, silky smooth, and it chilled her to the core. She loved it.

"Ok, that does sound fun. So how was your day?" Alex would always ask this. He would never ask it back, because he knew what the answer would be.

"It was alright, I did a maths test." His eyes watched her mischievously, suggesting that perhaps he hadn't quite been honest on that maths test.

"Sounds great." Alex was completely smitten with Joe, but there was one problem. She knew he liked her too, but did he like her when she was a him? They had never met up when Alex was male. She didn't know why that was, but every time she met with him she was female. As far as he knew, she was just a regular homeless girl. No other genders in there anywhere. Alex noticed that Joe was leaning forward, and she suspected why. She leant forward too, and their lips touched. Alex kept hers there for a couple of seconds, but then she pulled away. She walked around the shelf.

"What happened to talking through the books?" Joe looked like he was pretending to be upset.

"There's something I need to know. What's your opinion on gender-fluid people?" Alex was scared about the answer.

"Gender-fluid? You mean like they sometimes change from one gender to another, so one moment they're female, and the next they're male?" Alex nodded, "I think they should just stick to one gender to be honest, like how can you be two different genders?" Alex was getting upset now. She just had one more question to ask.

"What about gay people. What's your opinion about guys kissing guys, and would you kiss a guy if you liked them enough?" Joe looked confused.

"I think gay people are really stupid. How can a guy like another guy? And I would never kiss another guy. Why are you asking me these questions?" Alex was really upset now. She was on the verge of tears. Wait, no, he was on the verge of tears. What a bad time to shift genders, he thought.

"Joe, I really like you, but there's something I need to tell you. I am gender-fluid. And right now, I'm male." Alex quickly went to him and kissed him. He shoved him away.

"I was hoping you would understand, and that you would love me for who I am, not what gender I am." Alex was crying silent tears.

"No, you thought wrong! I couldn't love someone gender-fluid, and I'm not a filthy gay, go back to the streets where you belong!" And with that Joe stormed off, punching Alex in the mouth before he left. Alex sat down on the ground and cried. He stayed there crying for ages, he didn't know how long, he lost track of the time. He finally stopped when the librarian came to see what was going on and why there was crying. Alex got up and left before the librarian could ask any awkward questions. That night, curled up in his sleeping bag, Alex thought about the incident. How could I be so stupid? The one thing I was afraid of was exactly what happened, and all because I put myself out there. Alex curled up even tighter and cried silently until he fell asleep.