And lets it out

"My family is very religious," she started, breathing just calmly enough to cease her hiccups. "Very traditional. I know people would call us a relic of the past these days, but... it is what it is. Dad is head of the household, and what he says goes. No one ever questioned it, nor really had a reason to. Not before I made a disaster of it all." The occasional tear still continued to fall down as she spoke, but that seemed to come easy to her. Now that she'd started, the words just fell out unbidden, to which Charlie devoted his undivided attention.

"I am... was the second son of the family. I don't really think I felt bad as the middle child like some others do. Mom was always overwhelmed, trying to take care of two boys, and then bumping it up to three when Zeke came around... I was happy to help ease her burdens. It became normal to see me helping Mom with the chores around the house, as well as keeping watch of my little brother when Mom needed a moment to breathe." Charlie caught the flicker of a smile, but it didn't last. "Dad wasn't happy about it at first, but Gordon told him that chores were life skills everyone needed to know to be independent. Oh, Gordon is my big brother, and he's really smart." She nodded as if affirming it for herself. Catching herself rambling, she refocused and moved on.

"Sorry. Anyway... when the Take-Two Project was publicly announced a few years ago, I was still in high school, and I wasn't doing very well. I wasn't athletic or popular like Gordon, and gaining muscle just seemed impossible. Between exercise and chores at home, I was so tired that my grades were slipping, too. I read up on it a little, and it sounded like a miracle. A chance to be different. To be better. I told Mom and Dad right away, but they didn't like the idea."

Adrienne's shoulders drew up, guilt staining her face. "I convinced them to let me do it. I told Dad it was a chance to have another son he'd be proud of." She gestured to herself, arms falling limply back down. "And then I did this. And I lost everything." Adrienne dared to peek up at Charlie and silently gasped.

A mixture of sorrow and anger washed across his face, leaving his own steely eyes moist. His voice was a rumble, letting that tension emanate out and away from Adrienne. "You did nothing wrong, Adrienne. I don't care if it was an accident or intentional, but they should have supported you. That's what family is for." His fists were tightly clenched on the table, quivering with palpable restraint.

It felt bizarre to Adrienne, to see a perfect stranger have such a strong reaction to her story. Surely others had it worse than her. Others that suffered without betraying their family.

What else didn't make sense to her was the compulsion to take his hand again. She couldn't stand the attention of men, so why did she want to reach out to Charlie? Then, in a flash, it clicked. Adrienne reached out and patted Charlie's shaking fist, locking glassy eyes onto his with a meek smile.

"You sound like Gordon. He said the same thing."

In an instant, the tension Charlie held onto fell away. Something about that small, fragile, helpless young woman giving him such a reassuring smile just... made the rest of the world disappear for a second. He almost felt silly for how worked up he got, but he wanted to know more.

"Gordon, your older brother. He spoke in your defense?" The big guy cleared a frog in his throat while Adrienne took a long sip of her chai.

"Mhmm. He was already in college when this all started. Gordon was furious that Dad... kicked me out. He said they shouted and argued for what must have been hours. He took me back with him for a little while, until the dust settled and he could think of a plan. I don't know where I'd be without my big brother." The smile she gave was full of pain, but there was no denying the love she felt for who may be the last of her true family.

"He took care of me until I was able to find a job and a place to move into. It was against the rules, but the people who ran his building took pity on me because of the situation. I knew I was causing trouble, though, so I sucked it up and started hunting around as soon as I could regain any composure. Eventually I found this place, a small cheap apartment within walking distance, and... well, here we are."

As much as it hurt to talk about, Adrienne felt considerably lighter for finally getting it out in the open. She hadn't truly told him everything, but surely Charlie had better things to do than spend hours on end listening to her ramble and cry. And while it was daunting, she also felt flattered that he listened to her with such reverent sincerity. He's a good sort, she thought.

"And TTP," he asked firmly. "Did they do this to you? You said they got it all wrong. Did they give you a sex change against your will? Because that would be way beyond a margin of error and well into the range of a serious lawsuit."