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The first time Peter went to the nightclub called Neverland it was a magical experience. He’d been so scared to go, so scared of what it meant, but Tootles finally convinced him to just go, he even managed to convince the bouncer to let them in without paying, which was good because Peter didn’t technically have a job at that time.
The first person Peter met was a big drag queen named Wendy. She wasn’t even trying to look feminine, she looked a bit like Divine from John Waters movies and had the loudest, most masculine sounding laugh Peter had ever heard. Peter was in awe. So obviously, flamboyantly gay. He’d never known anyone like that in his small village outside of London. He’d only ever been to London once, on a school trip to see a play at the Old Vic Theater. Or was it the New Vic? Peter couldn’t recall, or what play they’d seen. He was much more interested in wandering around the streets of London at night and watching all the people.
It was Wendy who first warned him about Hook. That was what his Peter nicknamed him, after Peter affectionately styled his hair one night to hang down his forehead into a hook shape. On that first night, Hook bought Peter a drink, and then ignored him the rest of the evening.
“That’s what he does, honey,” Wendy said to him. “You can’t fall for it. Drink the drink – but only if you see the bartender make it and hand it to you – and don’t go home with him.”
Wendy was always looking out for him. Many times, Peter regretted not listening to her advice. She would give him condoms and tell him what to do, warn him when there were incidents of people’s drinks being spiked, but never judged him when he made his same dumb choices and came crying back to her.
When Peter was dumped by Hook the first time, it was to pursue the drag queen Tiger Lily, who even Peter had to admit was gorgeous. He assumed he was his destiny to be dumped because he could never be as beautiful as her. But after a month Tiger Lily dumped Hook, and he came slithering back and managed to convince Peter to take him back. He was so slick, so smooth. Plus he was annoyingly hot.
But of course, after three months, Hook grew bored with Peter again and started to pursue the drag queen Tinker Bell. At this point Peter was starting to be convinced Hook was mostly attracted to drag queens or perhaps transfeminine women, or something other than him. He cried about this into several vodkas with Wendy that night.
“You gotta get over him once and for all, baby,” Wendy said, patting his back consolingly and stroking his hair.
Peter knew she was right but also didn’t know how to let go. He glanced across the long bar of the Neverland and noticed Tinker Bell was here, ordering her own drink. And Hook was nowhere around. He usually didn’t show up at the club until after ten, and it was only a little after nine now, so this wasn’t surprising. But Peter had a conniving streak and saw his opening.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Wendy and sauntered off to the other side and slid up next to Tinker Bell.
She jumped a little. She didn’t look like her full face was on. Maybe she wasn’t performing tonight. Maybe she was a trans woman, not a drag queen? Peter found it all confusing, he had only been out a year and was still trying to learn all the different identities and labels.
“I saw you perform last weekend,” Peter said, ”You were great.”
“Thank you, doll,” Tinker Bell smiled. This made her sound older than she looked. Peter was pretty sure she wasn’t much older than he was. She was skinny and had barely any boobs, and her hair was curly and reddish.
“If you don’t mind me saying,” Peter leaned in, “I saw you with a guy last weekend, and I wanted to warn you about him.”
“Oh?” Tinker Bell raised an eyebrow at him, clearly suspicious.
“He’s kind of a sleaze. He uses people.”
“You trying to get into his pants?” Tinker Bell asked.
“I’ve already been there!” Peter said hotly. “Look, I’m just trying to be nice. I’m trying to warn you - “
At this point he felt an arm around his shoulders pulling him back, and he smelled Wendy’s perfume. He tried to wriggle out of her grip, but she was strong as hell.
“What my friend means,” Wendy said, putting herself between Tinker Bell and Peter, “Is that you should be careful. But I know you will be, right Tink? You know the drill.”
“You two know each other?” Peter asked. Of course they do. Wendy knew everyone in this bar. He didn’t know how old she was but she’d been going for decades, so that gave him some idea.
“You always did like the twinks, Wendy,” Tinker Bell laughed.
“He – oh, it’s not like that,” Wendy blushed. Something Peter had never seen her do.
“OK then,” Tinker Bell turned away and ordered another drink. “Anyway, Hook never called me back. That fucker is dead to me.”
“I told you!” Peter said triumphantly. Tinker Bell gave him a withering look. “I mean, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that happened to you too.”
“Let’s get you some food, sweet cheeks,” Wendy steered Peter back to the other end of the bar and nodded at Tinker Bell vaguely. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”
Unfortunately, as Wendy was trying to steer Peter to the door, in walked Hook. Looking especially handsome in his black leather pants. He spotted Peter right away and made eye contact. Peter looked away, but it was too late. Hook walked purposefully right toward him. Wendy stood right behind him, but Peter was surprised she let go of his arm.
“Hello, Pete,” Hook stood too close to Peter and ran a finger down his cheek and chin. Peter shivered a bit but tried not to let Hook see.
“Hello to you too, Hook,” Peter said boldly. He grabbed Hook’s hand and held onto it. With his other hand he pulled him even closer.
Hook looked a little confused. Peter had always let Hook lead. Call the shots. But he didn’t protest, so Peter continued.
Peter leaned in and kissed Hook deeply, grabbing his ass while he did so. He could feel Hook getting hard. Perfect.
“You want this?” He whispered in Hook’s ear.
“Yes,” Hook breathed quietly.
“Say please,” Peter didn’t want it to end.
“Please, Peter,” Hook said, uncomfortably. He’d never played this role before. Peter was still holding his ass, while kissing his neck.
Peter pulled back, took a deep breath, and slapped Hook hard on the ass. He could smell Wendy’s perfume again, she must be right behind him.
“Well, too bad! You missed your chance, shitbag!” Peter yelled, trying to sound confident. His voice cracked a bit. Then he turned around, grabbed Wendy’s hand, and pulled her out the front door before he could change his mind.
Outside, Peter gulped in the night air and allowed himself to exhale. Wendy was breathing heavily too, but also laughing.
“That was something else, doll face!” Wendy exclaimed. “I really thought you were gonna go home with him again, and I was gonna have to beat you.”
“I mean, I thought about it,” Peter confessed. “I wasn’t sure, even when I kissed him. Why’s he gotta be so fine?”
“I know, baby,” Wendy said.
“He’ll probably just go home with someone else,” Peter said a little sadly.
“I don’t know,” Wendy smiled mischievously. She had pulled out her phone and was doing something on it.
“What? What did you do?”
“Hold on,” Wendy said. “OK. There.”
She handed Peter her phone, which was open to her Instagram. There it was, a reel of the whole scene. Hook’s face looked so shocked, so sheepish, it was amazing. She’d managed to capture the most glorious moment of Peter's life. He hadn't noticed people in the bar watching them and reacting to the scene, but she'd captured that too. Peter grinned.
“Did you read the caption?” Wendy asked. Peter glanced back down. He hadn’t noticed the words at first. In all caps she’d written “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK A BITCH.”
“Wendy!” Peter gasped.
“Oh Petey don’t be so uptight. Don’t forget to look at the hashtags.” Wendy waved him off. Peter read further on. Hashtag HookIsAScumbag. Hashtage IfYouGoHomeWithHImItsYourDoom. Hashtag HookEvansUsesPeople. They went on. She’d named him in half the hashtags. And there were already forty-six likes.
“Wendy, Hook has…people there. You’re gonna start a war,” Peter said.
“Baby, I love you, and he hurt you, and I can’t let that happen.”
“Oh, Wendy. That’s so sweet. I love you too.”
“You ever think you could love someone like me, Petey?” Wendy asked.
There was a long pause. Peter could feel the awkwardness.
“You mean – like – “ Peter stumbled.
“Yes,” Wendy cut him off. “It’s ok. I can see the answer in your face.”
“I mean, I do love you Wendy. I do. It’s just…I’ve always thought of you…like a -a –“
“Like a sister?” Wendy asked.
“More like a mother, really,,” Peter confessed.
“Ouch,” Wendy said. She looked so sad, Peter didn’t know how he could make it better and he desperately wanted to.
“I’m sorry,” Peter said feeling lame.
“Hon, nothing for you to be sorry about,” Wendy said. “I’ve been thinking it’s time to retire from coming to the Neverland anyway, you know. I’m getting too old for this shit, and my family misses me.”
“You have family?” Peter asked. He realized he knew her so well in some ways and not at all in so many others. He tried to picture her having a wife, two children, a white picket fence.
“I live with my mama and my brother, and my mama’s been pretty sick. She needs me now.”
“Will you come back?” Peter asked. “I don’t want to lose you!”
“Will you come visit me sometime?” Wendy asked.
“Whenever you invite me!” Peter exclaimed, though meeting people’s parents made him more nervous than anything else.
“Then it’s a deal, sweet cheeks,” Wendy said, and she kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “Just promise me something.”
“Anything,: Peter said. They were standing face to face now, the neon light of the Neverland sign glowing orange and red down on them.
“Don’t fall for guys like Hook again,” Wendy said.
“I’ll do my best, Wendy,” Peter said, and he hugged her tighter than he’d ever hugged anyone in his life. “Neverland won’t be the same without you.”
“We’re not saying goodbye just yet baby,” Wendy pulls out of the hug, “We still gotta get those pancakes.”
“Peter Pan” was created by J. M. Barrie, first in The Little White Bird (1902, with chapters 13–18 published in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens in 1906), and the West End stage play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904, which expanded into the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy),