pride
Izzy
2
The mirror stares back at me, and for once I donโt flinch. Tonight isnโt disguise or rehearsal โ itโs me, stepping fully into the world as Iโve always known myself to be. The brush in my hand hovers, the last sweep of color sealing not a mask, but a revelation.
My mind drifts, uninvited, back to those long weekends of playing AD&D and make-believe. Mikeโs basement, Ria's eyeliner smudged, the three of us vanishing into Shenzora while the others chased touchdowns and cheap beer. That was when I knew: being just a boy would never be enough. How fiercely I loved Mike, how sharply it cut when his gaze never turned my way. Ria had him, and I had only the ache โ and the truth of what I was becoming.
Years blurred past after that, years of chasing the wrong hearts, of bending myself to fit, of almost giving in to the lie that I could live smaller. But I didnโt. I held on. And now, here I sit, breathing fast, eyeliner sharp, heart racingโnot from fear, but from triumph.
This is the proof. I never erased myself. I never denied who I am. And tonight, at last, it matters.
pride
