Dots and Dashes
In all aspects of her life, Gabby Dot probably should have been born a man.
Even from birth, and she'd heard this story every time her mother felt a need to have Story Time with Stranger Number Five Trillion and Two. Her parents were those kind of hardcore Christians that people read about in magazines and assumed didn't live anywhere in actuality other than Magazineland. And not the fun kinds of Christians who passed out pamphlets door to door and fell on the ground, babbling in tongues, either. No, she got the boring ones who went to church every Sunday and made those best-seller turtle brownies in the annual bake sale.
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Dot, after all, had planned their boy in their perfect, white picket fence family long before their daughter had any say in the matter. "Little Gabriel," Anna Dot would fondly tell anyone who cared, patting her swollen stomach and smiling like the proud little mother she was. "Just like the angel."
When 'Little Gabriel' popped out, missing a part or two including a 'little Gabriel' of his own, well, they'd just made a little alteration of the name.
Hence, Gabrielle Ellen Dot.
Hence, needing to be born a man.
She was already close enough to being just that anyway. Even if that meant spending most of her time playing video games -- guilty! With a wardrobe that consisted of almost an entirety of t-shirts and skinny jeans, other than the plain Jane green floral summer dress she cracked out for the nice occasions. Most of the only actual 'girl' traits she honed were... well, her hair. Long, down to her butt, and that rich, beautiful shade that she lovingly referred to as 'mud'.
And maybe there was her obsession with shoes. But any girl who doesn't want to snatch up every pair of ballet flats they find is just lying.
As far as the whole guy thing, yeah, she pretty much had that down pat. Had she mentioned video games? Check. Her mp3 player loaded with classic rock? Check. Some soccer with the guys on the weekend? Check. Playboy magazine hidden away under her mattress where the parents wouldn't look? Check.
Oh, yeah, that was the other thing.
Gabby was kind of really sure she liked girls.