Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Jeff Garvin
- Language: English
- Genre: Coming of Age Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
NEW POST: ONE OR THE OTHER
OCTOBER 1, 6:55 AM
The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a
boy, or am I a girl?
I STOP TYPING AND STARE at the cursor, which flashes at me
incessantly, as if mocking my inability to write one stupid post.
“Riley!” It’s my mom, calling me from downstairs in her singsongy
voice. “If you still want to be early, you’d better come down for breakfast!”
I glance at the clock. I’m not really running that late—but I want to get
the lay of the land while the campus is still mostly empty. “I’ll be down in a
minute!” I say, then click Delete, slam my laptop shut, and slide off my bed.
At least I can tell Doctor Ann I tried.
I stop in front of the mirror to examine myself. I don’t know if this look
will help me blend in at my new school, but it definitely exudes a sort of
existential punk vibe, like, “I care so much, I don’t care,” that feels
distinctly me. As a last touch, I mash down my bangs so they hide as much
of my face as possible. It’ll have to do.
Downstairs, my mother gives me a wide smile. “First day!” she says.
I manage to smile in return, and then I grab a box of cereal from the
pantry and sit down at the table across from my dad.
“Ready to conquer Park Hills High?” he says. Then he looks up from
his tablet, and his smile wilts as he notices my outfit.
I’m wearing a pair of jeans and my dad’s old Ramones T-shirt, which
I’ve modified to fit my smaller frame. Black Doc Martens—synthetic ones,
no cows were harmed in the making of my shoes—round out the ensemble.
I’m grateful that I don’t have to wear a uniform anymore—I remember how
suffocating it was to be confined to the same identity day after day,
regardless of how I felt inside.
But the truth is, it still doesn’t matter how I feel—because however I
show up today, people will expect me to look the same tomorrow. Including
my parents.So my only choice is to go neutral.
“Is that my Ramones shirt?” Dad says.
“Once upon a time,” I say.
He clears his throat. “Riley, are you sure that’s how you want to present
yourself on your first day?”
I open my mouth, then close it without saying anything.
Dad gestures at me with his grapefruit spoon. “You only get one chance
at a first impression.”
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