You are beatuiful...

Black heels, high-waisted skirt, pink tank top. Nick stood there for what felt like an eternity, just looking in the mirror. Trembling started from his lips, his his fingers, and ended in his toes. Something stirred in him and awakened his soul. It filled him with sadness, fear, joy, and confusion. These pieces of clothing - all belonging to his older sister- were now so much more. They were now a part of him - a part of his skin. The person in the mirror looking back at him was finally the person he always knew he was born to be.

He ran the cherry colored lipstick along his lips and an unexpected tear drop fell from his eye. He softly whispered to himself, "This is me." But he wanted to yell it. He wanted to scream it and be loud enough for the whole word to hear.

But the world wasn't ready for him. So instead, Nick wiped away his tears and laughed. He laughed and laughed and danced to the music blasting inside of him. He danced away his fears. He danced away his sadness. He danced away all his feelings of being different and abnormal. He danced away all the venomous words his classmates attacked him with. But most importantly, he danced away his self loathing.

But then he saw something by the doorway that made him stop in his tracks and cut his laughter short. It was his father just standing there, watching him. His father's eyes filled with anger and shock.

And just like that, Nick's whole world fell apart.