28. The Blood of Angry Men

-Kaeden pov-

I trace the line of my boyfriend's back as he sleeps curled up on the mattress which stood to be the only piece of furniture in the entire house.

"Mmm leave me alone," He grumbles as he pulls the sheets up to his chin. I chuckle a little as I snuggle up close to him again.

"You're so cute when you're half asleep." I gently nibble his ear and he elbows me in the gut.

"Stop it, we had a long day yesterday. Can't we just sleep?" he sighs and I kiss the nape of his neck.

"You're right, but I can't help it," I mumble back and he turns around, pouting his swollen lips.

"Why?" he huffs and I wrap my bare legs around his, with one hand gently caressing his cheek.

Without letting him say another word in protest, I kiss him again. But this kiss had a sweet sleepiness to it that was so adorable I just wanted to forget the problems going on in the outside world and focus on the two of us right here. The love between us, connecting us together. With everything, we've been through.

I don't think I could ever love another man half as much as I love Finley Oliver Grayson.

"You know, I always use to make fun of Mari and Jamie because they're such a cute sappy couple and now look at what you've done to me," He says with this look in his hazel-grey eyes speckled with little dabs of green and brown. I push back his messy black hair to uncover the small brown freckles he had spread across his cheeks and his nose. There was a single dark brown beauty mark just at the edge of his left nostril that I had never noticed before.

"Kae, you're so sweet to me that sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you. You're the man of my dreams but it feels so weird," he says and I pull back.

A tiny bubble of hurt appears and I do my best to hide it.

It wasn't what he said, it wasn't Fin.

He's perfect.

It was my stupid dysphoria that made me believe otherwise.

As I pullback he grabs my hand again, pulling it back to his body and shifting closer as if he knew I had been triggered.

"What's wrong babe? What did I say?" He asks as he presses his head against my chest.

"Nothing, I just never thought I could be the man of anyone's dreams," I confess and he traces the scar from my top surgery with his fingers.

"I said it was weird because I love you so much that it hurts. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. It's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Because it's like yes, I've finally found the perfect person for me. Someone who's strong, dependable, and can take my immense amounts of sarcasm. But at the same time you could also be taken from me at any moment by this fucking government who just doesn't understand," he says and I listen to his every word while holding him so close, because I know one day, I might not be able to.

"I don't even think of you as transgender. I just think of you as this above average guy who's the nicest person on earth and to see these people cast such harsh judgments on you. It hurts me. Every time someone says your stupid dead name it makes me want to scream. When these issues arise and you manage to look me in the eyes and stay calm throughout the entire process, not allowing yourself to panic for my sake, that hurts me. It all hurts so much and there's nothing I can do unless we never go outside again," He says and I kiss the top of his head.

"We can't sit around and do nothing, we can't just let these people do whatever the fuck they want. We need to be strong so we can speak out for those who can't," I sigh, sounding like some revolutionary you would read about in a boring college textbook.

"I know, but I don't think I could ever see you get hurt," he says as he kisses my chest and squeezes me.

"You won't have to. I'll be careful. For your sake." He says and my phone starts to vibrate. I reach out and grab it. I had put it on silent all night. Only telling the guys I was alive and with FIn.

"What do they want? They're ruining pillow talk," Fin pouts and I look at all the text messages, unable to read them before another call came in.

This time from Noell.

"Hey?" I answer and they suddenly bursts out a million details at a mile an hour. It was so fast that I didn't catch any of it and told them to slow down. Noell quickly stops and takes a deep breath then hesitates before speaking.

"Kaeden, I'm glad to hear that your alive. I am so happy! The guys wanted me to call and tell you that there are riots taking place all over London. We're going to the one in Regents Park, come as soon as you can!" they scream. I look over at Fin and we both get up at the same time.

We get through the crowded tube station, hearing the violent shouts coming from the park before we even reached the streets. I grip Fin's hand tightly, not wanting to lose him in the sea of people dressed in all black, black bandana's cover their mouths as they shout things like

"LET KIDS BE KIDS!"

Because children were now being tested for gender dysphoria and placed in converson schools if tested positive.

"I HAVE GOD GIVEN RIGHTS"

Because our right to have gender confirmation surgery and go through hormone replacement therapy had been stripped.

"I AM A CITIZEN"

Because transgender people had been banned from the military.

"RESIST OPPRESSION"

Because we had been banned from attending university and imprisoned if caught on the street.

I can feel Finley's fingers squeeze mine and I can feel his wrist vibrating like crazy from the mass amounts of transgender people here.

I look back to see him pointing to our group of friends. Noell spots us first and runs towards us at full speed, pushing people out of their way until they hit me head on and wrap their arms and legs around me.

The rest of the squad quickly joins us as Noell kisses my cheek.

"We thought they caught you Kae Kae. We thought they deported you and we would never see you again," Noell cries out and I cradle him before he see's Finley's stern glare and crawls down.

"Hey he was mine before he even set eyes on you and don't you forget that!" Noell yells as he punches Finley's chest, trying to set him in his place.

"Guys now isn't the time for this, here!" Vahn says as he hands both Finley and I matching black bandanas to try to fit in with as best we can the crowd.

As I try to tie a knot to keep the bandana steady I scan over the crowd, finding us close to what I assume is the front, where a large police blockade had settled. Helicopters swarmed overhead only adding more noise to the screaming and the chanting.

The crowd sways in jagged directions with each call for action and I see her standing in the forefront of the crowd as the police take their position.

"No...Petunia!" I scream her name before rushing forward.

"Kaeden!" I can hear Finley, Noell, Vahn, Sonya, Maisie, and Cassie all calling after me, following close behind.

"Petunia!" At the sound of her precious chosen name, her real name, she turns to me. She was not wearing a bandana, but a pair of blue jeans and a prison-striped t-shirt. Her beautiful long golden hair she use to love twirling into a ponytail was reduced to a simple bowl cut. Her gorgeous light green eyes start to water when she sees me.

"Mr. Tremblay!" She calls back and I run faster. Seeing one officer draw his weapon, nervously aiming at the crowd in fear.

"Petunia No!" She was standing in the front.

And with a single bullet the glowing gleam leaves her beautiful green eyes.

"PETUNIA!" I scream her name as I hit the floor with her.

The crowd goes silent and I hold my lifeless student in my arms.

Her body looked male on the outside but I knew if only given the chance she would have grown up to be a strong beautiful young woman.

If she had just been given the right to breathe and live in her own skin like she wanted to. She was beautiful.

I look up at the nervous police officer who looks at his own gun in shock. The color of his skin or the sound of his accent did not matter for his immoral act of robbed innocence was all the same. I pick up the light little girl's lifeless as she bleeds in my arms.

"Kaeden..." I hear Finley as he places a hand on my shoulder but shrug it away. The crowd had become silent and a chill runs down my spine with every footstep I take towards the cowardly officer who did this. Small clouds of dust surround my feet as I walk beyond the small line towed in the sand between the angry protesters and the police just enacting their new laws.

"Look at what you've done!"

I find myself shaking with so much hatred for this disgusting system. I thought of the struggle Petunia, my boyfriend, Noell, and my friends had to go through and could feel the hatred pour into my soul as inner strength.

"She was transgender but she was also a human being. You just shot and killed an innocent six year old who was a human being just like you. She never wanted to hurt you! She couldn't hurt you! She only wanted to exist! We just want to exist!"

I cry out, feeling the tears rim my eyes but I hold strong. The officer who murdered my student turns from me when his captain calls out to his squad.

"Arrest him!" I'm suddenly tackled at full speeds with Petunia ripped out of my arms.

"KAEDEN!"

I can hear Finley scream my name as my face is ground into the dirt. I cough on the dust as my hands are handcuffed behind my back. I turn my face to the opposite side as my hair is yanked up and I catch sight of Finley in the same position.

"No!"

I call out to him just as an officer kicks him in the side of the head and he's knocked unconscience.