"Lisa! Jacob!" Our parents would call us, all the time.   

But what they didn't understand is really how deep those  words hurt Charlie and I.

Charlie and I  hated our given names ,   no one understood us as well as we understood each other.  

I was Ariana, a girl stuck in a boys body,  given name Jacob Baker.

My best friend  was a natural tomboy who was Charlie  Gardener, a boy at heart , given name Lisa Gardener .

Charlie and I had a sleepover that night and we had a plan.

Only a small step in becoming the people we wanted to be.

No, the people we were.

I handed him a stack of shirts and pants and he handed me a stack of dresses.

We both tried on the different clothes, Charlie put on a red plaid shirt and jean pants and a jean jacket with a red cap over his head.

"How  do I look?" Charlie asked with a spin and holding the sides of his jacket.

"Good" I said with a laugh.

"Why thank you, M'lady" Charlie says bowing.

I laugh again and Charlie smiles.

We really are best friends, no one understands me like Charlie does.

I put on a red dress and red high heels with a gold heart on each of them, they totally match this dress perfectly.

I put some makeup on and put a red bow with a yellow heart on it in my hair.

"You know what I just thought of?" Charlie asks.

"What?" I ask adjusting my bow.

"We  should totally wear these outfits when we start school" Charlie joked,  but neither of us laughed, the comment hanging between us in the air so tense  you could cut it with a knife.

I bit my lip and sigh slightly smiling at Charlie. And he smiles back at me.

" I wish" I finally said as I smoothed my hair down .

Outside Charlie's door we heard his mom say "Lisa, can I come in?" Charlie and I panicked.

The problem was that parents didn't approve of Charlie and I, they would say to me " you're a boy, not a girl"

And to Charlie they would remark " Lisa, you're a girl, act like it"

Charlie had dark brown hair and sparkling green eyes .

I had light brown hair and light blue eyes.

"We're changing!" Charlie called.

"Smooth" I whispered sarcastically.

Charlie shrugged and changed and put on a silky nightgown.

I quickly wiped the makeup off my face in a panic and put on some boy pajamas.

Charlie's mom walked in she went over to Charlie's hair and ran her fingers through it.

" Lisa Gardener! " She said.

Charlie!

I corrected in my head.

Charlie looked down looking like he was on the brink of tears, and I felt anger boil up inside me.

Charlie's mom looked at my face "Oh, Jacob Baker!"

Ariana!

I corrected again in my head.

"Don't cut your hair, don't wear makeup, you're a girl and boy act like it!" Charlie's mom took a wipe and roughly wiped my face, ran her fingers through Charlie's hair one last time and slammed the door behind her.

Charlie and I went to mirror and looked at our reflections of ourselves.

Well, more or less our selves.

"If we do go to school like that how are we gonna sneak it by our parents?" Charlie says.

I gasped.

"I just had an idea! We could change in the gas station up the road and wear our stupid gender clothes out the door!" I exclaimed.

" Genius !" Charlie yelled.

I shushed him knowing that his mom was probably still listening.

" Go To Sleep!" A voice yelled from outside the door.

Charlie and I giggled as he got in to his bed and I snuggled in to my sleeping bag on the floor.

Both of us dreaming of our amazing first day tomorrow.

Yet, neither of us were expecting half of the things we were yet to experience in the cruel, harsh world of middle school.