My Long-Awaited Dress

My sister dreamed of being a fairytale heroine, guarded by loyal knights.

The day I was born, she wished for a baby brother to protect her.

My parents didnt have the heart to crush her fantasy, so they changed my birth certificate, listing me as male.

I kept my hair short, followed her like a shadow, carried her backpack, and fought her battles.

Yet I could never shake the suffocating injustice.

At seventeen, I secretly created a second social media account.

My profile was a girls picture, my bio feminine, my feed filled with delicate princess dresses.

A boy added me, and we talked for six months.

One afternoon, he sent a voice note, chuckling softly, I found you.

Later that day, the most popular guy in school confessed his love to my sister.

As I was about to explain, glowing text began scrolling across my vision like livestream comments.

What is this side character thinking? Does he believe confessing now will change anything?

How could the future wealthiest tycoon of Bayview ever fall for a guy? Its laughable.

If he discovers hes been chatting with a boy, hell be furious about the deception.

But I wasnt a boy.

I was Dakin, and all I wanted was to wear a dress just once.

My fingers hovered over the screen. In the end, I never sent that message.

01

Closing my phone, I listened to my classmates gossiping excitedly around me.

"Oh my god, was that Miguel?"

"He is so insanely handsome. I walked past him earlier and caught a glimpse, he looks so cool and detached."

"I can't believe he confessed to Serena!"

At Bayview High, rumors about Miguel always traveled the fastest.

"Did you guys know? Miguel has been into Serena for a long time."

"My cousin is his roommate. He said Miguel is always staring at his phone, smiling so softly."

"The girl he likes has a really sweet voice, loves to daydream, and her social media is full of kittens and all kinds of princess dresses."

I looked out the window.

Below the academic building, Serena was wearing a designer Miu Miu dress.

Her long, wavy hair fell beautifully over her shoulders.

She threw herself into Miguels arms.

Even the way she blushed was breathtakingly beautiful.

I thought to myself.

They were right.

Serena truly looked like a princess.

My desk mate, Wyatt, leaned over the windowsill, watching my sister before turning back to look at me with a serious face.

"Dakin, you and your sister don't look alike at all."

"What do you mean?"

Wyatt thought for a moment before offering an analogy. "Your sister is like a graceful swan. You... you look like her servant."

"Short, scrawny, and your hair is full of split ends."

Anger flared in my chest.

I buried my face in my arms on the desk, ignoring him.

Wyatt nudged my shoulder, his voice turning teasing. "Come on, Dakin, don't be mad."

"I'll buy you a drink."

Just as I was about to look up, he added, "Here, this one's for you. And can you help me deliver the other one to your sister?"

My drink was a cheap, dollar-store iced tea.

The one for my sister was a fancy, expensive specialty berry latte.

I buried my head deeper into the desk. "I'm not going."

"My sister doesn't like you anyway. She won't accept it."

Ego bruised, he slammed his hand on the desk, his face flushing with embarrassment.

"We're guys, we don't need to drink fancy things. Why are you acting so high and mighty?"

"Dakin, I think you're just jealous of your sister!"

With that, he stomped off.

The entire classroom turned to look at me.

I buried my face in my math worksheet, pretending I didn't care.

But my fingers gripped the hem of my shirt so tightly that my palms ached.

I didn't say another word to Wyatt that day.

Once school ended and everyone had left, I sat in the empty classroom and cried.

I suddenly remembered a time long ago when I had secretly tried on one of my sister's hair clips.

My mother had screamed at me, calling me a thief.

Heartbroken, I had posted a picture of the clip online.

A kind stranger added me: [Is this the one? Don't worry about the money, I'll send it to you.]

Later, he messaged me: [So you like pink? Princess dresses, huh? Quite the girly heart.]

Then, he added: [But... it suits you.]

I knew that every time I posted on my feed, he was always the first to leave a like.

Miguel had mistaken my sister for me.

I didn't blame him.

After all, I was the one who, like a thief in the night, had secretly envied and peeked into my sister's perfect life.

02

After that day, I logged out of the secret account and never opened it again.

During breakfast, my mother gave me her usual reminder.

"Your sister is having bad cramps today. As her brother, you need to take good care of her."

I chewed slowly on my toast. "I will."

Serena was two years older than me, a senior.

Our classrooms were far apart.

I carefully filled a thermos with warm chamomile tea and stirred in some honey.

The moment the bell rang, I ran over to her building.

By the time I arrived, sweating and out of breath, my sister had just gone to the restroom.

I set the warm tea on her desk.

After a moment's thought, I slipped a few chocolates next to it.

Suddenly, a boy with dyed red hair blocked my path, raised an eyebrow, and leaned against the desk.

He looked me up and down with a sneer. "What class are you in?"

"Don't you know Serena has a boyfriend?"

I didn't know this guy.

And I didn't want to start any trouble.

But before I could even open my mouth to explain, he snatched the thermos and threw it to the ground, splashing the tea everywhere.

"I've been watching you for a while now."

"Every single day, you carry Serena's bag, run errands, and buy her drinks."

"Tsk, trying so hard to kiss up to her? Do you really think you're on her level?"

He pinned me against the wall, his tone dangerously casual.

He was too close.

Terrified that he was about to punch me, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"That's enough."

"Asher, don't push it."

A cool, detached voice sounded from nearby.

Miguel took off his headphones.

Glancing at me, he said calmly, "Take your chocolates back, kid. She doesn't need them."

"And from now on, stay away from Serena."

His voice was beautiful.

His words were polite, yet firm.

Glowing comments flashed across my mind.

[Lmao, the side character is such a clown.]

[The male lead didn't even recognize him. He thinks Dakin is a rival and is getting jealous!]

[Dakin needs to know his place. Stop making a fool of yourself. Even if the male lead found out the truth, he would only feel disgusted, not fall for you.]

Just then, Serena hurried back.

Seeing the tense standoff, she let out a soft laugh.

"Oh my gosh, what are you guys doing? Are you about to fight?"

She naturally wrapped her arm around Miguel's.

Then, she pointed at me.

"This is my brother. My real brother."

Miguel froze. "Your brother makes you tea and walks you to school every day?"

Serena blinked innocently. "Yeah, he's like my personal knight. A younger brother is supposed to protect his sister for the rest of his life, right?"

A long silence followed.

Realizing he had made a mistake, Miguel extended his hand to me and said sincerely, "I'm sorry."

I forced a tight smile, but my lips felt completely numb.

Back when we chatted online, he used to tease me, making my face flush: [What are you so afraid of? Am I going to eat you when we finally meet?]

But I never expected our actual meeting to be like this.

And all he had to say to me was a cold, polite apology.

03

Perhaps out of guilt for the misunderstanding, Miguel had someone deliver some things to me a few days later.

It was a stack of thick, neatly organized study guides and hard-to-find practice exams.

Asher dropped the materials onto my desk with a lazy shrug.

"Miguel put these together."

"He's always top of the class. His notes should help you with the upcoming midterms."

Seeing my hesitation, Asher slung an arm around my shoulder.

"Come on, don't hold a grudge. We were out of line the other day."

"Just don't go badmouthing us to your sister."

I thought to myself: Ah, so he likes my sister too.

I nodded and accepted the books.

As I flipped through the practice exams, a beautifully packaged box of imported chocolates fell out.

I blinked in surprise.

Asher was already walking away.

He waved a hand over his shoulder. "Those are from me."

"Eat up. You need to grow taller."

During the midterm exams, for some reason, every question that was similar to the ones in that practice book was a breeze.

I didn't lose a single point.

Gradually, the tension between us began to thaw.

Whenever I ran into Miguel at school, we would exchange a polite nod.

Sometimes, while memorizing vocabulary in the hallway, I would look down and see Miguel squatting near the academic building, feeding a small colony of stray ginger cats.

The summer breeze blew softly, rustling his hair.

He would smile, his lips curving into a gentle line, as if thinking of someone special.

But in the next second, a bright, cheerful figure would throw her arms around him.

"So this is where you were hiding!"

Serena glanced down at the cats, wrinkling her nose. "Ugh, why do you like these basic ginger cats just like my brother does?"

"I thought you'd prefer something cooler, like a Maine Coon..."

Miguel went rigid.

"Your brother likes these cats?"

"Yeah, why?"

Miguel stood up, brushing off his jeans. "Nothing."

"Let's go. I want to see you practice ballet."

As they walked away, a little ginger cat rubbed against my ankle, meowing softly.

I broke off a piece of a turkey jerky strip and fed it to the kitten.

After that day, I rarely went to that hallway to study.

04

Miguel's devotion to Serena was legendary throughout the school.

On her birthday, he gifted her a diamond necklace worth seven figures.

The class decided to celebrate at an upscale karaoke lounge, and during a game of Truth or Dare, Serena lost several rounds in a row.

Miguel drank every single penalty shot for her.

I went to the restroom, and when I came out, I saw him leaning heavily against the sink.

He looked incredibly pale, as if he had just thrown up.

After a brief hesitation, I stepped forward to support him.

"If you're not feeling well, you should tell my sister."

The moment our fingers brushed, Miguel stiffened. His handsome brow furrowed.

He subtly but firmly pulled his arm back, escaping my touch.

"Why is it you?"

The floating comments sneered:

[The side character is so pathetic, trying to orchestrate a run-in to get close to the male lead.]

[He tried the same thing with the ginger cats last time. What's the point of all this effort? Even if the male lead suspects something, he'll just pretend he doesn't know.]

I withdrew my hand. "Just passing by."

Even after I had walked far down the corridor, I could still feel his dark, heavy gaze lingering on my back.

I left the party early that night.

Around nine, a light drizzle began to fall, and my father looked out the window with a worried frown.

"Dakin, go pick up your sister and bring her home."

I kept my eyes glued to my textbook. "Someone is already bringing her home."

My mother frowned, her voice sharp with disapproval. "I don't trust other boys walking her home in the dark. Dakin, since when did you become so selfish?"

Seeing the rising tension, my father put his laptop aside and quickly tried to soothe her.

I silently put on my raincoat, grabbed an extra umbrella, and walked out into the damp night.

Perhaps Serena had stayed out too late.

By a stroke of terrible luck, we were cornered by a group of local street thugs in a narrow, dark alley.

"Dakin, what do we do? I'm scared..." Serena whimpered, her voice tiny and trembling.

I didn't tell her that I was terrified too.

But I dropped my backpack anyway.

"Serena, when things get messy, run toward the main road. Don't look back..."

It was supposed to be this way, wasn't it?

When I was a child and a plate was broken, I was the one who took the blame.

Every teddy bear my parents bought was handed to her.

When there was a massive spider in her wardrobe, she would scream and call my name, and I would swallow my own terror to kill it for her.

From the moment I could understand words, the phrase my parents repeated most was:

"You must promise to protect your sister. You're the man of the house."

"Serena has a congenital heart condition, she's so fragile. You are healthy and strong, so you have to look out for her your entire life."

"Our Dakin is so smart, surely you can understand and help your parents..."

I had heard those words so many times that they had become second nature.

So, when the wooden planks and metal pipes swung toward us, I didn't hesitate.

I shielded her with my body.

When they grabbed my hair, I kicked them in the stomach.

The noise eventually grew loud enough to draw the attention of nearby neighbors, who called the police, forcing the thugs to scatter.

Wiping the blood dripping from my forehead, I reached out to pull my sister up.

Some kind bystanders helped us to the hospital, and Miguel arrived shortly after receiving the news.

He burst into the room, and his eyes immediately locked onto the scrape on Serena's knee.

He turned to me, his voice tight with anger. "Dakin, why couldn't you have been more careful?"

"She's hurt! Is this how you protect your sister?"

His anxiety made his aura incredibly cold and oppressive.

Serena sobbed, shaking her head to defend me, but she was crying too hard to speak.

"Hey, Miguel, calm down," Asher stepped in, patting his shoulder.

"Dakin is hurt too. Look at his forehead, it's still bleeding. You can't blame him for this."

Only then did Miguel notice the white bandage wrapped around my forehead. His voice caught in his throat.

He fell silent, turned on his heel, and walked out to settle the hospital bill.

Knowing his friend was in a terrible mood, Asher followed to comfort him.

From a distance, Miguel's cold, dismissive words drifted back to my ears.

"He's a guy. Isn't this exactly what he's supposed to do?"

"What does he have to feel bad about?"

"Honestly, I don't feel safe leaving Serena in his hands."

I lowered my head, staring at the tips of my shoes, and kicked a small pebble.

I didn't say a single word.

05

When Miguel dropped my sister off at our apartment building, he called out to me.

"The police found your phone."

The screen wasn't locked. I mumbled a quick thank you and took it from him.

Just as I turned to head upstairs, the phone in my hand began to vibrate.

I froze, looking down at the screen.

Standing under the dim streetlamp, Miguel slowly lowered his own phone from his ear.

"It really was you."

We stared at each other through the hazy drizzle.

There was no sudden joy of discovery, no regret for the misunderstanding.

His face was as flat and cold as still water as he slid a card toward me.

"Dakin, let's just pretend this never happened, okay?"

"I don't want anyone else to know."

"Honestly, it's pretty disgusting."

The freezing rain beat down on my face.

It was so humiliating.

So painful that it made me want to weep.

With all the strength left in my body, I snapped the card in half, threw the pieces at his chest, and ran upstairs.

The moment I crossed the threshold of my home, the tears finally spilled over, completely uncontrollable.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to demand answers.

Why was life so incredibly unfair to me?

Seeing me, my father quickly put a finger to his lips. "Shh, your sister just fell asleep..."

The heavy silence in the room was suffocating, pushing me to the brink of madness.

"Dad, Mom, I don't want to be the brother anymore!" I sobbed, my voice cracking. "I want to be a girl again! I want to grow my hair long, I want to take ballet lessons..."

"Why are you doing this to me? It's not my fault Serena is sick! Why do I have to carry this burden?"

It was the very first time I had ever talked back.

Flushed with anger, my mother raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"What is wrong with you? Who upset you that you're taking it out on us?"

My cheek burned with a stinging heat.

I couldn't stand to be in that house for another second. I bolted out the door and ran into the night.

Behind me, I heard my sister stirring, her voice sleepy and mocking. "Why is Dakin crying? What a baby, crying over nothing."

My father asked, "Who set him off?"

My mother replied coldly, "Who knows?"

Outside, the storm grew heavier.

I huddled under the awning of a bus stop, shivering, with absolutely nowhere to go.

Clasping my knees to my chest, I let out a broken sob, weeping into the dark.

Bus after bus passed by.

Then, an umbrella tilted over my head, blocking out the rain.

"Dakin?"

Asher called my name a few times. When I didn't respond, he squatted down and pressed his palm against my forehead.

"Oh my god, you're running a fever. Get up."

He reached out to help me stand.

But my knees buckled, and I collapsed forward, crashing directly into his chest.

Asher groaned as we hit the pavement, but his body went completely rigid. His eyes widened in absolute shock as he looked down at me.

"You... you're a girl?"