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“Hey mom?” Will chirped, bouncing on his heels.
“Yes, baby?” Joyce answered, peering over her newspaper.
“Have you ever known someone who was born in the wrong body?”
“I’m not su–” she stammered. “I don’t know, honey. What do you mean?”
“I mean like, if your heart is a boy but your body is a girl. Or even the other way around, and you want the outside to match the inside.”
“What’s this about, honey?”
“Micah has a boy’s heart. She– I mean, he, wants to be called Mike now. And he wants a haircut, like mine. I told him that you could do it, so his hair will look just like mine.”
Joyce sat down, taking a deep breath.
“I can do that. Did M-Mike ask Mrs. Wheeler if that was okay?”
Will looked around the room, avoiding eye contact.
“Yeah, he did. He’s gonna come over in a little bit, is that okay?
“Sure, baby,” Joyce whispered, a smile breaking across her face.
– – – – – –
“Mike is here! He’s here!” Will squealed, barrelling toward the door.
He opened the door and took a deep breath.
“Hi, Mike!”
Mike smiled warmly and waved.
Mike’s hair was long, a bit past his shoulders. It was slightly wavy and jet black, and he had soft, straight across bangs. He donned a white shirt adorned with an all-over pink floral pattern and a pair of baby blue jeans.
“Are you ready?” Will beamed.
“I am so, so ready,” Mike smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Byers!” he waved.
“Hi, sweetheart!” she yelled from the dining room. “Come here, guys!”
Mike and Will practically skipped their way into the dining room. They giggled incessantly, excitement filling the room around them.
“So you can sit here,” Joyce motioned. “Let me go get a towel, so hair doesn’t get all over your nice shir–” she paused. “Y’know what? I’ll be right back.”
She promptly left the room, if only for a moment. She returned with a towel, as promised– but held some clothes in her other hand.
“These used to be Jonathan’s. I think they’ll fit you nice. Go ahead and try those on and we’ll get your hair chopped, okay?”
She handed Mike a green turtleneck sweater and a pair of khakis.
Mike stood still a moment, staring at the clothes in his hands.
“It’s okay, go ahead,” Will pushed. “I’m sure you’ll look great!”
“O-Okay,” Mike muttered, beelining to the bathroom.
Mike emerged wearing the clothes Joyce had given him and was met with a gleeful gasp from Joyce.
“Oh, they fit wonderfully! Great, perfect. Now you come sit here, and we’ll get you started.”
Mike sat down, smiling brightly.
“So,” Joyce began, wrapping the towel around MIke’s shoulders. She tied it around his neck. “I know you want your hair to look like Will’s, but you’ve got bangs here. So it’ll probably end up looking a little more like Jonathan’s does, is that alright honey?”
“As long as I don’t look like a girl anymore, it’s fine,” Mike laughed.
“Alright, are you ready?”
“Wait, Will. Can you… hold my hand?”
“Yeah.”
The two linked their hands and Mike closed his eyes tightly.
“Okay, let’s just get it over with,” he whispered.
Joyce wrapped Mike’s hair into a ponytail and twisted it behind his head. She held the scissors, open, next to his hair dramatically.
“Alright, I’m gonna make the first cut!”
The shk shk shk noise of the scissors onto his hair could’ve been heard in the next room over. Nobody said a word until the ponytail fell to the floor with a soft thunk .
At that, Mike let out a relieved and happy gasp.
“Oh my God, it’s gone! The ponytail is gone! Will, look!” He pointed to the hair lying limp on the floor.
“Are you happy?” Will smiled.
“I’m so happy right now, I could throw up.”
“I’m not done yet! You’ll love it when I’m finished, I promise,” Joyce beamed.
Mike smiled and squeezed Will’s hand. He hummed happily and closed his eyes until Joyce was finished clipping.
“Wow, you look great!” Will gasped.
“Do I look like a boy?” Mike wondered aloud.
“See for yourself, Mr. Mike Wheeler,” Joyce smiled, removing the towel from his neck.
Mike ran to the bathroom mirror and checked himself over.
His hair ran slightly over his brows, and only a bit below his ears. It wasn’t long anymore, it didn’t fall down the side of his neck or down his shoulders and back anymore. It was short, and the new breeze on his neck sent a visible chill down his spine.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“Wow,” Will whispered behind him.
“You look so handsome,” Joyce beamed.
“Like a boy,” Mike smiled.
“Yeah,” Will answered.
“I hope you like it, honey,” Joyce whispered.
“I do, I love it,” Mike awed.
“Does the inside match the outside now?” Will wondered aloud.
He hadn’t looked away from the mirror once.
“Yeah,” Mike uttered. “Mike. I really look like a Mike now, huh?”
“You do. The clothes help a lot, too.”
“I’ve got a bag somewhere around here of Jonathan’s clothes, they were too big on Will. I’ll find it and send ‘em home with you,” Joyce bellowed from the hallway.
“My mom’s gonna kill me,” Mike laughed.
“She can’t put the hair back on,” Will reassured.
“You’re right. She’ll have to get used to it at some point.”
Joyce peeked around the corner.
“Get used to what?”
“My haircut,” Mike whispered.
Joyce set down the bag of clothes.
“Are y– Will!”
She covered her mouth.
“You said he asked his mother!”
“Mom, he really wanted the haircut! I’m sorry! But he looks so good,” Will giggled.
“Oh, I have to call her. You– oh, you boys!” she laughed haphazardly, trudging toward the phone.
The boys giggled together. It was warm, and it was sweet. Comfortable.
“Hi, Karen?” Joyce uttered into the phone.
It only made the boys laugh harder. They could only hear bits and pieces of Joyce’s conversation over their laughter.
“Oh, you know… Just around nine or ten.” She was silent for a moment. “Inches, yes.”
Another burst of laughter from the boys.
“Yes, and I’m sorry, but he really–” Another silence. “Yes, he. Mike.”
“Do you think she’ll be mad? Like, mad for a long time?” Will whispered.
“No. My mom is never mad for a long time. Unless it’s at my dad. Then she’s always mad.”
“He looks great, Karen, really. I’ve given him a bag of Jonathan’s clothes….” Joyce trailed.
“She won’t be mad. She might cry at first, though. She loved my long hair. But she loves me more. And like you said, it’s not like she can glue it back on.”
“I think you look handsome,” Will whispered. “You look so much happier.”
“Thanks, I think so too,” Mike whispered back.