Wedding Crasher Gender Identity Journey

Chapter 1: The Panic Before the Storm

Jamie lies down on the bed and says, "It boggles my mind that Ben is letting some girl he found on Instagram join us at the wedding." Plus, I will embarrass myself by going alone, even if I try to hide it somehow. Since I am the one who left him, I deserve these feelings. God, I'm an idiot."

A sock is thrown toward Jamie and ends up hitting her square in the back of the head.

"Look, I'm being dramatic," Alex responds as they throw the curtains open. The room gets bright with sunlight, and Jamie starts to squint. Please don't take it too hard; it's not that big of a deal.

She raises her head slightly to look fierce at Rocky. "It is that bad. If I walk away now, I can't stand up to him. Going solo means I'll most likely end up pining for him the whole night.

Alex smiles, making the crooked poster straight on the wall. "Wow. At someone else's wedding? That's not even typical for you, Jamie.

"This isn't funny."

"I think it's amazing, too," Alex says, finding a good spot to sit on Jamie's cluttered desk. Two of our classmates are getting hitched while we're in tenth grade, except that they're lesbians, which surprises me since being knocked up is usually how things happen this young. And while you Were so sure Ben liked cis guys, here he is with a girl, showing you It was all wrong, and you still like him, even if you don't feel like saying— "Chef's kiss levels of messy."

Jamie sighed, then buried their head deeper into the pillow.

Alex leans forward, grinning. "But here's the good news: I have a solution."

Jamie peeks out. Do you mean you want to clone me on a date in only three hours?"

"Better." Alex claps their hands together. "We're giving you a glow-up."

Jamie blinks. "A what?"

"A change always helps," Alex says as she starts going through Jamie's outfit collection. "You need a date, right?"

"I mean… ideally?"

Is a hot girlfriend one of your requirements?

Jamie frowns. "Who said anything about 'she'?"

Alex looks at her while slowly smiling. "Well. You've been thinking about these things, right?

Jamie's stomach flips. They scoot up and hold the pillow more firmly. I don't know what I am.

"Perfect!" Alex chirps. "Because guess what? You're about to find out."

Just as Jamie begins to speak up, Alex has climbed halfway out the window and is up on the balcony like a wild cat. Jamie stands in awe and shock, watching how their best friend climbs onto the roof of the nearby house and seemingly disappears inside.

Not ten seconds later, Alex comes back with goodies like makeup, a wig, and a sparkly dress they didn't have the day before.

"Alex—"

Putting all the treats on the bed, Alex encourages her by saying, "Believe me, this will look much better." After I'm through, you will be unrecognizable to Ben.

Jamie swallows hard. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Chapter 2: The Birth of "Luna"

The name Luna is ridiculous. Jamie thinks that it came from a fairy tale, which was Alex's exact goal. Alex claims that the song hits all the marks—it's mysterious, sensual, and just full of enough pretentiousness to be taken seriously.

Still, no matter the hardships, Jamie is alive and here with us. At the wedding. With a wig on my head, a dress as light as tissue paper, and plenty of makeup that makes me appear like I'm ready for the stage.

Okay," Jamie whispers, reaching around for their purse straps. "You can do this. … imagine yourself to be someone else for a little while."

The place is full of people and has all this fancy lighting and flower arrangements that likely cost more than everything Jamie has to wear. The guests mix and enjoy themselves, drinking champagne, not realizing that one person present is really not who they claim to be.

Step one of Alex's plan: Look around the party to find Ben and the woman with him.

Jamie tries to be extra cautious as he makes his way through, watching every move of the dancers. With each swing of the dress and the itch of the wig, I hope no one spots my mistake, but everyone acts normal.

Then—there he is.

Ben.

Standing by the dessert table, Cantrell laughs at something his date has said. She's tall and graceful, likely spending more time on skincare than Jamie does on wanting things out of life.

Jamie's chest tightens.

Okay. Deep breath. Stick to the script.

They let their imagination run free, imitating every strong woman from romantic comedies.

Luna apologizes for talking in a voice that is a bit higher than Jamie's usual voice. "Have you seen Jamie? We were all together, yet I lost them somewhere close to the buffet."

Ben stares at Luna, blinking as they look her up and down. "Uh. No?"

Luna sighs dramatically. "Ugh, typical. They always wander off." They lean in conspiratorially. "Between you and me? Total disaster bisexual."

Ben's date lets out a snort into her drink.

Mission accomplished.

Chapter 3: When Girls and Their Gender Become the Problem

Ten minutes after that, Alex has Claire locked in a closet, and she is hyperventilating.

"This isn't going to happen," Jamie whispers tightly. "This was a terrible idea."

Alex catches their hands. "Hey. Breathe. You're doing amazing."

He says, "I don't feel very good." I am deceiving all the people I spend time with.

Alex tilts their head. Are you interested in being a girl?

Jamie freezes.

Look at that question, how heavy and dangerous it seems.

I am not sure what to say," Jamie answers at last. "But… this doesn't feel bad. Just… weird. Like I'm playing a character."

Alex grins. "That's the fun part. You are able to decide the personality of your character." They gesture at Jamie's outfit. Luna is a flexible character who becomes what you need. Try her on. See what fits."

Jamie exhales slowly.

Maybe… just maybe, they'll manage to do this.

Chapter 4: The Grand (Fake) Exit

In the end, Luna has managed to:

•            Troubled three people into believing Jamie is secretly wealthy.

I got hold of two phone numbers, one mistakenly provided by a bridesmaid.

•            Clear case of defamation, when that Ben is secretly dating a Russian spy, got spread around.

Alex comes across the boys by the exit, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well?" they whisper. "How's being a girl?"

Jamie hesitates. Then, slowly, he smiles.

"Kind of… fun?"

Alex places an arm around the other person's shoulders. "Told you."

Before leaving, Jamie looks behind him at the wedding one more time. Ben is grinning, his girlfriend snuggled up beside him, totally unaware of what Luna had done.

For the first time in a while, Jamie does not feel jealous.

Just… curious.

Epilogue: The Beginning of Something New

The following day, she gets out of bed and sees that Alex has called her twelve times and sent a single message.

"So. When's Luna's next appearance?"

Jamie laughs and rolls over in the bed.

Maybe they'll figure it out.

Maybe they won't.

But for now?

They have time.