It has always scared me that I might go through my entire life without making a single impact on the world. That’s why when Kota asked to borrow my dress one day, I realized that there might be hope for me after all.

     How funny life is.

     Kota and I were both fourteen when we met. Neighborhood kids always beat him up, so I invited him to my home one day to patch him up. I wasn’t trying to be a good person. It just felt like the natural thing to do. And now that he needed help, I did so for that simple reason—because I could. “If you want to be a girl, then do it right,” I said as I did his makeup. “Remember this, Kota. A man can afford to be ugly, because a rough face or even a scar can look good on them. But a girl’s life is over if she allows herself to be unattractive. I’ll lend you my clothes, so come to me whenever you need to change, got it?”

      “Don’t you think I’m weird?” he asked.

      “Look here, ‘weird’ is a bad word. It’s hypocritical to call anybody that, since all humans are a little weird. Including me, of course.”

       Kota could really pass off as a girl. Well, he had a cute voice to begin with. He even had good skin and a face that matched. I only needed to use a little makeup to make him shine, and then basked in this glorious moment of his self-discovery. Truly, life is good. “Once I grow my hair longer,” he said, “would you teach me how to use a curler?”

       “Jeez, you’re helpless without me, aren’t you? Alright, I will help.”