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erica has been struggling with her feelings of gender and sexuality for quite some time, but doesn't really know what they mean. until stiles.
stiles, this bisexual king, who has spent hours and hours obsessing and hyper-fixating on figuring out his own sexuality and reconfirming his own gender. he's learned so much about the queer community since discovering he might be bi that he's practically an expert on the subject.
erica doesn't really know what to make of stiles, but when he comes out as bi, she wonders if maybe he'd be a safe person to talk to. after all, he did do a bunch of research when he learned she was epileptic so he could better support her and yell at people for incorrect biases. he's always been nice to her, really.
she finally gets the nerve to talk to him, and when she does, she blurts, "so you're bi."
but stiles knows that look. he's worn it on his face a million times before he met derek. so he takes her hand and walks her to a more private spot.
they start talking, and the more stiles talks, the more relaxed erica feels around him. she finally, and quietly, asks, "what if i like... dresses and skirts and high heels and lipstick and... girl things."
stiles launches into all the research he's done on trans identities, and even recommends her some trans and nonbinary books he'd read in his rabbit hole. erica types the recommendations into her phone, despite already memorizing the titles.
she works up the courage to get them from the local library, where her crush, boyd, volunteers. she's shaking when she checks out the books, but boyd simply lifts one up and says, "this is one of my favourites. you'll have to let me know your thoughts once you've finished it."
so erica starts with that one. she loves it. she cries, she smiles, she laughs, and she clings to the characters as if she was them. and then she reads the next, and the next.
she tells stiles she's trans first. he's delighted and more than happy to help her in any way possible.
she changes her name after the main character in boyd's favourite book.
erica and stiles go shopping. it's a disaster. stiles asks if it's okay if he tells some of his friends, who will be more than understanding, willing, and protective of her secret, who can help her shop for women's clothes better than he can. she hesitates but agrees.
lydia, allison, kira, and malia all come to her rescue. within a weekend, erica has been completely transformed. she knows the basics of makeup. knows what clothes she likes, and what clothes she hates. she's broken in her new pairs of leopard print high heels.
and she's gained a thousand times the confidence she used to have.
"so," lydia asks, as she paints erica's nails. "tell us. have your eye on anyone?"
"well... i do, but i don't think he'd like me like this."
the girls all look at her, and then allison says with a decisiveness that warms erica's heart: "if that's true, then he's not the one for you."
"you should give him a chance though," kira encourages. "maybe he'll be different."
"maybe." but erica's not sure.
she looks over at the library books she still has to return.
maybe.
and maybe happens on a friday. the library is usually quieter then. she spends over an hour getting ready, changing her mind, and trying to figure out what to wear. but she manages. she only has to message the girls' group chat twice with make-up questions, so she counts that as a win.
walking into the library, she's nervous. she doesn't know what to expect. but there he is, beautiful as ever, standing behind the counter. their eyes meet. she almost expects him to make a face.
instead he says, "i don't believe we've properly met. i'm vernon boyd."
"erica," she says, stumbling over her chosen name. "erica reyes."
he smiles and asks, "so, what did you think of the book?"
and she knows. right then and there, this is the love of her life.
so when monday rolls around, she enters the cafeteria in her new look, embracing her true self, and has more confidence than she's ever experienced before. she doesn't know what shocks people more: her coming out as trans or her sitting with vernon boyd and holding hands.
but she's the happiest she's ever been.