Alexa

True to her word, Alexa paid the taxi to stop at a salon and wait for her. She got a simple buzz cut and inspected herself in the mirror.

With her new hair cut and the loose fitting soccer jersey and shorts she'd happened to be wearing, she would indeed pass for a teenage boy, if one with unusually smooth legs. In the future, she'd have to figure out something to do about her b-cups, but for now, her sports-bra held them flat enough that she didn't think anyone would notice. Especially not if they were looking for Joshua.

The rest of the ride to the Altero Academy, she imagined a future of competition, athletics, and the outdoors. Far better than any school she'd attended before. But as they drove further and further into the country, she began to be plagued by fear and doubts.

Would they have private showers? How would she cope in the locker room? Would she have a roommate? If so, how would she keep her secret from him?

Even as they arrived at the ivy-covered gates of her new school, fear and worry began to mask her excitement.