“Would you believe me if I told you the girl at the library reference desk helped me find them? Turns out there’s whole internet stores just for drag queens.”

I drop them on my bed and throw my arms around her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I’m so lucky to have someone who believes in me this much. It makes me not only want to do drag, but do it and be tremendously good at doing it.

“Well, you know your grammy had to be the one to buy you your first real pair of high heels. Honestly, it’s a shame we don’t wear the same size. Now, go get dressed.”

I unzip the bag and try my best not to look at anything too closely. I want to have a big reveal moment in the mirror, so I put it on as fast as I can and highlight my cheeks with a little bit of shimmery eyeshadow before adding clear lip gloss. And then I step into my shoes, balancing myself on my bedpost. I let go and—okay, okay. This isn’t so bad. I’ll probably bring a spare pair of shoes in the truck, but I think this is going to work.

I step in front of the mirror hanging from the back of my door and let myself take it all in.

I run my fingers down the front of my suit jacket. It nips in at all the right places. The pants are cut close to my thighs and are hemmed short enough to show off my heels. My black bow tie is sharp, but the real showstoppers are the rainbow lining of my suit jacket and the rainbow cummerbund draped around my belly like a victory banner. For as long as I can remember, my clothing has never felt like me, but this outfit doesn’t sacrifice a thing. It shows me off. Not just my body. But me.

Grammy outdid herself.

There’s a quiet knock on the door, and I open it to see Grammy waiting for me.

“Well?” she asks.

“It’s perfect. It’s everything I wanted,” I tell her.

“I tailored the pants a little, like you kids like to wear them. Skinny pants.”

I reach for her hand and squeeze it.

“Did you see inside the lapel?” she asks.

I open my jacket to see a small, slightly lopsided pumpkin stitched into the black fabric right before the lining begins.

My eyes begin to water and she waves a finger in my face. “No puffy eyes for this queen.”

I nod with fervor.

She takes a step back to admire her handiwork. “When the world isn’t selling what you’re looking to buy, you just have to take it upon yourself to cut your own pattern.”

Thirty-Five

The three of us take every possible combination of pictures you can assemble with three people before prom.