Tug of War 70.1

The next week...

As Timothy crossed the quiet streets of his neighborhood towards his house, he couldn't help it but feel a strong sense of déjà vu. Considering he had walked those same streets a million times before, it wasn't that surprising. However, there was something special about that particular late afternoon. The sun setting behind the distant houses... the gentle breeze on his face... the leaves along the way... all this reminded Timothy of a certain day almost a year ago – the day before the most dramatic change in his life, like the calm before the storm.

Back then, the young man couldn't even imagine what was about to happen to him. He crossed the familiar streets wearing an old gray T-shirt, faded jeans, and a pair of comfortable All-Star shoes, while he carried his guitar case and with his disheveled hair blowing chaotically in the wind. Now, on the other hand, he was wearing a cute floral strapless cropped top, a hot pink faux leather mini skirt, and 4-inch sandal heels, which clicked audibly with every feminine and graceful step he took. Instead of a guitar case, he was carrying a fashionable pink purse; and his hair, now long and blond, floated glamorously behind him, like in a movie.

Gosh, one year can change everything indeed... Timothy mused, biting his lower lip and tasting his strawberry lip gloss. But what am I, like, going to do now?

Two recent events had made the feminized guy very thoughtful. The first one, of course, had been the night he had spent with Kate. Sure, he had enjoyed it a lot, but the night also had its low points, especially looking at it in perspective. Timothy was convinced that Kate hadn't believed a word when he stated once again that he had never intended to be Tiffany, and all of that had happened by accident. Could he start a relationship under such circumstances, with someone who didn't know who he truly was?

But that wasn't all. Timothy was again feeling concerned about his sexuality. For a long time, he had told himself that he liked girls... alright, it was hard to believe he was "entirely heterosexual", considering that Matt had brought him to orgasm, but Timothy insisted that he would certainly prefer to sleep with women. Now that he had experienced it, however, he wasn't so sure anymore. Matt had clearly been a jerk to Timothy the whole time they were together, so the feminized guy felt more at ease with Kate, who was a sweet and empathic person. But talking exclusively about the physical aspect, had it been that different? Had Kate managed to turn him on more than Matt? He didn't even need to think about Matt to wonder about it. Had being kissed by Kate been better than being kissed by Martin, despite all the awkwardness of being in such a situation with his best friend?

The answer was clear as day, no matter how much Timothy wanted to deny it. There was no doubt that he was bisexual. Deep down, he knew the best he could do was to simply accept it. There was nothing wrong about liking men and women, after all. But he also knew that sexuality had nothing to do with gender identity. So the most important question was, did he really still see himself as a male? Did he hate being Tiffany that much? Whatever the answer was, he needed to figure it out fast, because he had an important decision to make – a decision that, one more time, would change everything.

Such a decision was related to the second event that was making Timothy so uneasy. It had all started with a simple phone call, two days ago...

At first, the feminized guy thought it was just a prank call. It's not every day that the assistant of a producer from one of the biggest record labels in the country calls you, after all. Timothy was still doubting the whole thing when he went to meet the man at a local cafe the next day. To his great astonishment, though, it soon became clear that the man really was who he said he was. As someone as passionate about music as Timothy, he immediately recognized Mark Turner, the producer responsible for much of the big hits of the past few decades.

Before leaving home, afraid this might be some kind of scam, Timothy had asked Kate and Alyssa to accompany him. Once there, the two girls looked puzzled at the feminized guy, not understanding why he was so shocked.

"Mr. T-turner" Timothy stuttered, open-mouthed. "I-It's an honor to meet you in person!"

"Ha! I bet you didn't believe I would actually come from LA to here, in the middle of nowhere, right? I see the locals aren't used to visitors. Everyone has been looking at me as if I had come from another planet!"

Considering Mark Turner's extravagant style – a mix of Elton John and David Bowie – Timothy thought it was no surprise that the conservative people of his hometown were terrified. Turner was wearing a bright orange plaid suit with a purple bow tie. His famous curly white hair was more voluminous and wild than ever, in such a way that even Brian May would be jealous.

"And who are those ladies with you?" Turner asked, looking at Alyssa and Kate. "Your backing vocals? Yeah, I think they would look great on stage, as well" he added, scratching his chin.

"Umm... no, Mr. Turner. They are, like, just my friends. Alyssa Taylor and Katherine Jones. I asked them to come with me to... umm... support me, you know?"

"So you brought friends over instead of a manager? Oh, I already like you! I'm tired of people barely out of their diapers thinking they are the new Madonna or something. Please sit down girls. You can order whatever you want. All on me! Actually... the record label will pay for everything, but that's the same thing. Those bastards would have already gone broke if it wasn't for me!

Kate and Alyssa looked at Tiffany, once again confused. Since they didn't know Mark Turner, they were also unaware of the man's eccentric reputation. A reputation that, as far as Timothy could see, was entirely justifiable.

"Anyway" Turner continued after the girls settled down. "I saw a video of you singing, Mrs. Foster. I think it was in a beauty contest or something like that. I must say I was impressed. You are a great singer with a good stage presence, although we still need to work on that. I then did a little research on you and I couldn't believe what I was reading. A trans girl! Who would have guessed? I mean, you're so beautiful and feminine. It's almost impossible to believe you were born a boy! But the fact that you're trans just made it a thousand times better. If before you were just another pretty girl with a nice voice, now you're special, if you know what I mean. In this age of social awareness, representation and all this stuff, you are just perfect! I couldn't resist and decided to come here right away. Listen to me, Mrs. Foster, I'm going to make you a big star... the biggest star of all!"