Cut It Out [Lyle/Leia][/tlvg/]

”What’s up, buttercup?” Lyle heard over his shoulder on the schoolyard during recess.

He sighed and put his copy of ‘Welding Joints: A Modern Romance’ down on the bench. He didn’t need to look up to know it was Leia and her two friends, Gwen and... Marsha?, but he might as well.

“What do you want, Leia?” Lyle hissed.

“I’m sorry, was I interrupting your book club of one? I just thought you might want some company. I mean, you’d fit right in.” Leia smiled.

Marsha and Gwen broke formation with Leia and flanked him immediately.

“Your hair is soooo long and smooth.” Marsha said as she took a lock in her mit and held it in the sun.

Lyle gritted his teeth.

“And your skin is so soft...” Gwen said with a similar tenor, running her finger up and down his arm.

His fists balled up and he felt blood rush to his ears. Leia then took a step forward, bending forward to close the gap between them.

“You could be really popular, Lyle. Or should I say, Ly-la?” She enunciated the ‘la’ to make sure that, even as angry as he was he would still hear her.

Liea stood back and Lyle grabbed his book and ran for the pavilion. Leia burst out laughing to her friends. Lyle could barely hear that though, his heart was beating too loudly and he was seething, blowing air through his nose. He run further to the bathroom.

“I’m a boy! I’m a boy! I’m a goddamn boy!” He muttered to himself.

He pulled out his latch key from his pocket and grabbed a handful of hair, he put the edge to his hair.

“Just cut it!” He said to his self, his feet jittering, making it look like he was dancing in the mirror.

His thoughts went back to when he was young. When he was afraid to get his hair cut, or he wanted long blond hair like his mom and sister. How his mom would stroke his hair when she hugged him or Liena would braid it when she was bored. He didn’t want to lose that. But also... ‘you look so cute... just like a girl...’