My name is Ken Clarke. Mackenzie Belle Clarke.I was named after my father, Robert Mackenzie Clarke, and my stepmother, Isabella Offner. Isabella and my mother were lesbian partners. I was born and raised in an unconventional home. No father, only two mothers. But I was raised in a home full of love and respect.Ever since I could remember, I never wore skirts nor blouses. I dressed the way my mother and Isabella dressed. Unisex clothes. Pants or shorts, T-shirts and jackets, boots or sneakers. No sandals, no flip-flops and most definitely, no stilettos.I never had long hair. I liked wearing it short like that of a boy, the way Isabella wore her hair. But I was also taught to take care of my body as a girl should, the way my mom did. I would soak myself in bath oils, or apply masks on my face and hair. I would shave as often as required, shower at least two times a day to make sure no trace of sweat and sun would be left on my body.In the world that I grew up in, gender didn’t make

I hugged my legs to my chest and leaned my forehead against my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks. I haven’t cried in a long time. Maybe the last time was when my mother and Isabella died. After that, I don’t remember shedding a tear at all. But now, I felt like I was at the lowest point of my life.My best friend just told me to stay away from her and my father just hired some maniac in his twisted attempt to knock some of his twisted sense into me. After escaping that unthinkable situation, I now watched Nicholas beating the living hell out of that man and I couldn’t help crying—in frustration, in relief.The man managed to free one of his hands. This was enough for him to punch Nicholas on the jaw and then quickly push Nicholas off him. He got up on his feet and ran to the direction of my house. I could tell that Nicholas wanted to run after the guy but seeing me on the side of the street in shatters, he decided to walk toward me instead.He knelt in front of me. “Are you okay?” h

“I don’t care if he didn’t love me, Nicholas,” I said in between sobs. “But what he did was pure evil. You don’t do that to a person. You do not do that to your child. You just don’t!”“Your father should rot in jail for this, if you ask me,” Nicholas said. “But the next step is up to you. And whatever you decide, I want you to know, I will be there for you.”As I rested my head on his shoulder, I realized that I was thankful for him. When I first met him, I wanted to take him down and burn him to the ground. But if I did, then what would have happened to me tonight if he wasn’t there? If he didn’t find it in his good soul to come to my rescue and take me in tonight when I had nowhere safer to go, I’d be on the street, half-naked and crying over my lost virtue.“And while you’re figuring things out, you’re welcome to stay here. I will keep you safe and offer you whatever help you need.”Nicholas sat on my chair, taking me with him. He put an arm around me as I leaned my head against h

Nicholas forced a smile to his face. “We have a lot of things in common. I’m as stubborn as you are. And maybe I was cursed to have this burning need to always be the hero in helpless situations.”“That’s not true.”He chuckled, wiping the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Is too. Why’d you think I did what I could to save Margaret’s diner? Or why do I hang out with those kids from the other side of town?”“Maybe because you’re really a good person,” I admitted.“Nah! I think I have superhero complex. I always look for desperate situations, damsels in distress and I swoop in and save the day!” He grinned. I could see a small blush on his cheeks.I bit my lips back to keep myself from smiling.This man! He didn’t really have superhero complex; I knew that by now. But to keep his reputation of being a devil-may-care playboy, he didn’t want to admit that he was compassionate by nature, with a good heart, a caring soul.“Okay, Superman. I will accept your offer. But I will pay you. As soon a

I smiled back at Nicholas. He knew that it was not easy for me to be transparent, to show that some things could actually pierce through my shell. He knew that when I thank him, I was actually eating a portion of my ego, because I judged him so easily and I was wrong. So, our whatevers meant we understood each other. It meant that he had proven me wrong one more time and it was okay for me not to say it because he was letting me walk away with my head held high.But not this time. He deserved it. He deserved to know that I was wrong about judging him. That I now admit that he’s a good person.I squeezed his hand back and said, “Thank you, Nicholas. You’re a good guy. And I’m sorry for judging you too soon. I’m sorry for ruining whatever chances you may have with Jen, if you were really into her. I’m sorry for all the crap I gave you. And thank you for being there for me when I needed someone the most.”He held my hand tighter in his. He looked into my eyes for a moment. “You’re forgiv