How should you respond when you “lose” someone in your family? Should you stop talking to them and just don’t acknowledge their existence, well that’s what I did now I just feel like an utter dickhead.

Authors Note: This story is kind of my story “Everybody Struggles” but from the perspective of Anthony, Jayde’s older brother Anthony. I say kind of because the story will show more than just the scenes in “Everybody Struggles”. Also, hopefully, my layout looks better compared to my first story.

“Son we have something very important to tell you.”

I look at both my parents with a slightly confused face. They just look back at me with blank expressions.

“Mum don’t tell me your pregnant or something.”

“No, no nothing like that.”

“So, what is it?”

Mum and Dad both look at each other, Mum gestures to Dad and he clears his throat.

“Well, Anthony you know how your brother has been going to see someone these last couple months, well the person he was going to see was a psychologist and this psychologist specializes in gender identity issues. You still following?”

I nod and he continues to speak.

“Well, Jared has been diagnosed with something called gender dysphoria, meaning Jared is a girl trapped in a boy’s body. This means a lot to this family and some changes will need to be made, first of all, you’ll refer to Jared as Jayde and only use feminine pronouns when addressing her.”

As if on cue Jar-Jayde walks into the room, she is wearing a black sundress with white polka dots, tights on her legs, white sandal shoes and her hair in pigtails. she stares at her feet.

“Um… Hi Anthony, I’m Jayde your new sister.”

I wince when she says the word sister, I murmur back a response carefully avoiding using her name at all.

“Hey, Mum can I go to my room I need some time alone to think about somethings?”

Mum nods and I hurry upstairs to my room as quick as I can. I lie down on my bed and just think about everything I just absorbed.

“So, I now have a sister, but I had to lose a brother to gain her.”

Me even thinking about having a sister sends a shiver down my spine. The next few days travel in some sort of blur, I hardly leave my room, I only leave to get food but even with that I basically run back to my room straight after.

I hear a knock at my door.

“Hey Anthony, Mummy told me to tell you dinners ready, she also wants to know if you’ll be joining us at the table for dinner tonight?”

I sigh and quickly decide I’ve been cooped up in my room for too long.

“Tell mum I’ll be downstairs in about three minutes and I’ll eat at the table tonight.”

With that I hear Jayde’s footsteps running the hallway. I throw on a semi-clean t-shirt I found on the floor. I go to open my door when I hear the footsteps coming back so I wait, they run straight past my room. I go downstairs and sit and wait at the table. When I sit down Dad and Mum just smile at me. A few moments later Jayde returns and takes her seat. Mum and Dad go to get our food so I just stare at the wall trying to not make eye contact with Jayde. She starts to have a conversation with Dad, but before Dad even answers her question I’ve finished my dinner and I head back to my room.

I just get comfortable in my bed when I hear a knock at my door, I sit up and grunt expecting it to be Dad ready to give me a lecture about being nice to my sister. When Jayde walked in I was so surprised.

“Anthony, why don’t you like me anymore?”

Her asking me this took me by surprise. The only thing I could think to say was

“Who told you that?”

“Well… umm… no one really told me I just kind of guessed because they way you’ve acted towards me since I became your sister. Do you not want me to be your sister?”

Hearing her say this really proves to myself that I’ve been a total dick to her. I can see her on the verge of tears so I give her a tight hug. The rest of the conversation proves that an eleven-year-old can be way smarter than a nearly 17-year-old. I kiss her on the forehead.

“I love you, Anthony.”

“I love you too Jayde.”

She giggles as I say her name, I think that was the first time I used her name while addressing her. The rest of the night until her bedtime we read books and play games together, like a real family.

I lie down on my bed just thinking to myself.

Tonight, was the happiest I’ve ever seen Jayde, even when she was still Jared she was never this happy. This just helps me truly believe the Jayde just being herself is helping her, which in turn is helping our family as a whole to be a little happier.

The End

I hope you all enjoyed the other side of “Everybody Struggles”. Hopefully, this layout is better than the original but still feel free to leave criticism in the comments.

Jayde <3