Lily 8
Summary
- Lily recounts an experience in the girls' locker room at her high school.
- Mackenzie LaVerdiere shows off a new tattoo to her teammates as some onlookers feel envious of their confidence.
- Lily contrasts the modest behavior in the girls' locker room with the open nudity she recalls from the men's locker room.
- Reflections arise on how being trans has allowed Lily to experience perspectives not commonly shared by others.
- Lily expresses moments of gratitude for being trans, despite past struggles with her gender identity.
- While walking home, Lily reflects on her transition and the altered meaning a William Blake poem now holds for her.
- Chopper, her teacher, and her classmates discuss interpretations of the poem, touching on themes of love and illness.
- Lily attends a school assembly where the Rainbow Alliance, an LGBTQ student group, announces upcoming events and resources.
- Despite the campus resources available, Lily chooses not to join the Rainbow Alliance to maintain her privacy.
- Lily ponders why she avoids other people who are like her and whether she is defined by being trans.
- Memories surface about the night her father cut her hair and her subsequent move with her mother.
- The story details Lily’s past, including her choice to live as a girl and her transition process through puberty blockers and hormones.
- Lily experiences being lost in an unfamiliar part of town, reminiscing about her personal transformation and the move to Point Reyes with her mother.
- A past filled with discovery, growth, and the beginning of hormone treatments is recounted.
- Lily's narrative about her mother's support and her own understanding of being a woman unfolds.
- After taking a wrong turn, Lily finds herself being followed by a menacing man, feeling scared and vulnerable.
- Lily is approached by a detective named Newcomb, who helps her escape the threatening situation and offers her a ride home.
- Upon being safely driven by the detective, Lily reveals her name, embracing both the relief of being rescued and her identity: "I’m Lily," she says. "I’m new."