Jesse just had to send a text message to his girlfriend. There were so many question that needed to be answered. With careful fingers, he spelled out every word correctly on his smartphone. He pressed his fingers on the screen, which produced a familiar repetitive clicking sound every time he used a word.
He wrote, "Why are you breaking up with me?"
He sent it to Rebecca and hoped that she would send a response sooner than later. He sat at his desk in silence and took a slow breath.
He heard a brief jingle, which was immediately followed by a response from Rebecca that appeared on the screen.
She replied, "I just don't like what you've become."
Jesse felt confused. He wrote, "What do you mean by that?"
Several seconds later, Rebecca messaged him back with, "You're too much of a wussy right now."
Jesse could feel his heart beginning to shatter into tiny little fractions. "Wussy?"
Rebecca seemed to be very honest at the moment. "You're not hot anymore. You're too girly right now. I prefer my boyfriend to be a tough guy."
Jesse almost forget that he held his breath. "I always thought you'd like me this way."
"I'm sorry, but I don't."
Jesse didn't know what to write next. He never felt so heartbroken by a young woman's words. He kept his fingers away from the screen.
Several seconds later, Rebecca replied with, "Goodbye."
Jesse let out a deep breath. He wanted to type something, but he just couldn't. He kept his eyes on Rebecca's latest response. Without hesitation, he set his smartphone on the desk and just left it there. He remained seated as a poor soul. He didn't want to look at the text messages again.
He and Rebecca had become a couple for the past several months. Around that time, he began to change his appearance. His look had grown more feminized. His behavior became less of a masculine trait. He had turned into a twelfth-grader with an effeminate exterior. The eighteen-year-old student never thought that Rebecca would end their relationship after he embraced his new lifestyle. And now that the truth was out, he had second thoughts about his demeanor.
He stood up and took a look in the mirror that hung on the wall. He certainly appeared to be a girly young man. His long blond hair ended at his shoulders. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans. He had kept his physique slim and healthy. Overall, he looked much more feminine than he did last year. He also looked vulnerable because of his masculinity completely diminished as a personal choice.
A skeptical thought emerged from his brain. If Rebecca rejected him for his brand new look, then many other girls from his school would do the same. Now, he felt sorry that he didn't look like those football players that so many of these females would be obsessed with. He wanted to cry, but he knew that would be pointless. He just couldn't escape the fact that he had just lost his girlfriend tonight.
Jesse looked out the window to see a full moon towering over the suburban neighborhood. It was a particularly cool evening in the city of Cerritos. The temperatures in Southern California remained low, especially during the final week of May. Seeing the moon managed to ease Jesse's heartbreak, but only for a little bit. He threw himself on the bed and lay on his back. He stared at the ceiling. He brushed several strands of his blond hair away from his face. He felt like searching for a miracle that would bring him back to a more optimistic state.
He began to hear footsteps in the hallway. He turned his head to see his father's best friend peeking his head in. through the open doorway. Howard was a forty-two-year-old African-American man. He had been friends with Jesse's father for more than a decade. Jesse had grown familiar with the older man. Howard had always supported him during times of trouble. Now, the young man was just so pleased to see him in his bedroom.
Jesse sat up from his bed. "Hey, how's it going?"
Howard replied, "I'm doing okay. I'm just here to tell you that your dad went back to the office to get something. He'll be back in an hour or so."
Jesse nodded. "All right. Thanks."
Jesse couldn't help but smile. Howard stayed healthy for most of his life. He had grown muscular from top to bottom. Oddly enough, Howard never married and remained single to this day.
Howard asked, "What's the matter?"
"What do you mean?"
"You look as if you lost a loved one."
Jesse knew that he had to tell the truth. "I just did."
Howard sat down beside him on the bed. "Okay, tell me everything."
Jesse already felt comfortable knowing that Howard would most likely understand his situation. "My girlfriend broke up with me."
"Well, that's too bad."
"She did it because she thinks that I'm a wussy."
"Why would she say something like that?"
"Come on, you know why. Look at me. I'm too girly for her. I can't really blame her, though. I've learned a lesson today. Girls my age wouldn't go for a guy like me."
