Idea: some teacher giving Marty shit for being trans so TJ steps up and the teacher is like "Why do you care are you trans or something?" Then just TJ obliterates the teacher with yes I am
So a short story inspire by an idea from one of my favorite folx on here. I am always down for more trans stories. Also slight inspiration from that one episode of Dawson's Creek where the shitty English teacher forced Jack out of the closet.
One more thing, please remember you are so valid regardless of your gender identity (or lack there of) and if you have shitty people in your life telling you differently, they are wrong.
So anyways here is "Bad Teacher" or Jesus fucking Christ, can Marty get a break?
The summer between Marty's 6th and 7th grade year, he came out as trans. He began presenting in a more masculine way. His parents were outraged and refused to accept it. But when he got back to school, it was a different story. He showed up on his first day of 7th garde and no one seemed to care. People that knew him by his deadname, were for the most part respectful towards him, while some people just assumed he was a new student. He even talked to his teachers, and even when his own parents would not respect him, his teachers did.
Things were going fine for three years, but everything changed his sophomore year of high school. His English teacher, Mr. Williams, was a total asshole. Marty has been pretty up front about his transition to his teachers. He made it a habit to meet with his teachers on the first day of class and let them know his valid name and pronouns. He found it was easier and less awkward then correcting them in class. So he did the same with Mr. Williams. But unlike every other teacher, after hearing Marty's request not to be deadnamed, he didn't seem to care what Marty wanted.
"Now Mara" He seemed to almost smirk as Marty cringed. "I address every one of my students by the name given to me on the class roster. No nicknames."
"But sir, it isn't a nickname. It's my real name." Marty said, almost pleading.
"No. Its Mara. Now, you may be excused." He said coldly.
"No buts." He cuts the boy off. "As I said, you are excused."
Marty left the classroom dejected. There was no winning this guy over and his parents weren't any help either. Sometimes he was so jealous of TJ. He even felt bad about being jealous of his best friend. Obviously he was happy for him, but it was still hard. TJ's parents had been so supportive. His parents let him start on T before freshmen year and even let him get his name legally changed. So that stupid roster had his actual name on it and not his deadname. Mr Williams, and most students had no idea that TJ was trans. Marty wishes he had that freedom.
But he didn't. So he did his best to speak as little as possible in English in hopes of avoiding his teacher speaking at him. This worked for a few weeks, Mr. Williams not having an excuse to say the name. He hated the feeling of seperation he felt when he was addressed by the name that even sounded alien to him. It was bad enough he had to listen to his mother calling him that everyday(his dad doesn't really speak to him.) To top it all off, this is one of the only classes he doesn't share with Buffy, the person who always has his back. On the flip side though, at least TJ and Cyrus are in the same English class.
Then one day, everything fell apart. Mr. Williams was collecting their poetry assignments. They were told to write about how they are feeling, so that is what Marty did. He spilled his heart out over a crinkly sheet of white note book paper.
When he got to the front of the classroom with all the poems, he smirked. "How about we read some of these out loud?"
Marty immediately said "I thought you said these were personal."
Williams looks at Marty over the top of his glasses. "I am the teacher. I can change my mind. Now, get to the front of the classroom, Mara..." The entire room freezes as he continues. " You are going first. " Marty looks down but out of the corner of his eye, he sees both TJ and Cyrus' faces shift to anger.
"Please..." Marty begs. "I don't want to read it." He tries to ignore the name.
"Get up here, now." He says harshly. "Or you and everyone else here can take a zero on the assignment." There was a collective groan from the class.
Marty slowly gets up from his seat. As he does, TJ whispers, "You don't have to do this, man."
Marty gives him and Cyrus(who is sitting right beside him) a sad smile before walking up to the front. His hands are shakey as Mr. Williams hand him the poem. He looks down at the page filled with hurt and disapproval and every personal thing that he didn't think he'd be reading out loud. He starts reading. He can barely get through a couple lines before his voice cracks and he stops.
"Well, come on. Continue, Mara." The teacher says in an arrogant tone.
Marty turns his head with a few rebel tears threatening to fall at any moment. His voice is broken as he says. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because I'm the teacher and I can."
With that, Marty throws the paper to the ground and runs past him out of the room.TJ and Cyrus instinctively stand up to follow him. Mr. Williams shoots his attention to them. "Where do you think you two are going?"
Cyrus stays quiet but does not sit down. TJ knows Cyrus would be too nervous to talk to disobey a teach so he responds instead. "To see if he is okay!" The blond replies.
"She made her decision. Now get back in your seats before I write you two up too for disrupting my class."
HE was crying, sir! Do you not have a heart?!"
"Settle down, Mr. Kippen! Or I will see you in detention tomorrow!"
"You know what?! Do it then, give me as many damn detentions as you want." Cyrus puts his hand on TJ's shoulder to calm him down.
"Why are you doing this? Why do you care?" He says sternly.
"Because Marty is my best friend."
"Mara." Williams corrects.
"No, Marty. He is my best friend. But you want to know why else I care?" He asks rhetorically before looking to Cyrus for reassurance. Once he does this he knows there is no going back. Cyrus slides his hand down to TJ's, interlocking their fingers so TJ knows he has backup. TJ takes a deep breath. "I care because I'm trans."
He hears a few shocked whispers from around the room but it's their teacher that looks the most dumbfounded. "You mean, you're a girl, too?"
"No, I'm a guy. And you are a teacher who is about to have two complaints filed with the school board for discrimination. " Now it is TJ who is smirking as he pulls Cyrus with him and past the transphobe pretending to be a teacher.
They find Marty sitting against the row of lockers down the hall from their classroom. Cyrus and TJ sit on either side of him, and Marty just cries. TJ knows he will fill his friend in later on what went down but right now he just needed to be.
