Of course, the thought of my father tricking my mother into marrying him and her keeping him anyway gave me a higher opinion of her loyalty and a lower one of her good sense.

Then again, I couldn’t exactly help loving him myself. He was kind of adorable in his own weird way.

Tricksters.

One day the war will have to happen. The reminder sent a shiver down my spine. But something came after it.

A cycle. A cycle that might not leave any of us the way we were, but something came after it.

Surtur thought that something would be better for his people. I finally understood him. I didn’t agree with him.

I just understood him. Which made me wonder about my own good sense.

Prom was fast approaching and I still didn’t have official permission to take Kanesha. I’d decided I wasn’t going with anyone else.

Maybe.

Maybe I could find, if that happened, somebody who didn’t have a date, somebody who didn’t want a date, even. Heck, somebody like Sarlacc. You had to have a date, and it was so stupid.

They hadn’t denied us permission either. Maybe she should just show up anyway. If they said no at the door then somebody might support us, might take pity on us.

Maybe even the people who wanted to deny my identity and tell me I had to be a lesbian now.

After lunch, I was called into the office.

“Okay. We got your application to bring an alumni as your date.”

“And?”

“Don’t you think this sets a bad example, Ms Doe?”

I seethed. I’d started the process for legally changing my name and everyone else had respected that I wanted to be Ms Rudi now. “Bad example in what way?”

“Things might be more accepting, but it’s still inappropriate to flaunt your lifestyle in front of the younger students. Not to mention the danger it puts you in.”
“So, if she was a boy you would grant it?” I kept my voice low and dangerous.
“No reason not to.”

I only had a short period. “In that case, I’ll be contacting the ACLU. They have lawyers on hand for just this case.”

“In that case we’ll have to change our policy to allow only dates who are current attendees. Do you want to ruin things for everyone?”

He was the vice principal. I kept my gaze even. “I’m not responsible for your actions.”

As soon as I was out of school, I made good on my threat and called the ACLU. Things like this had been in the papers before.

I didn’t want to be in the papers. But I wasn’t about to take this lying down. And I might well have an ally.