Reina Katherine Monroe
Ray Monroe
The blonde walked in, simply wearing a basic black T-shirt and jeans as it was all he had to change into after his shift at the hospital, after all, surgical residency meant long hours. Granted, he could have gone back to his place and changed into something nicer before heading to his high school reunion, but he didn’t want to be late and leave his sister waiting. How crazy was it to see all of the people he spent senior year with. Well, they didn’t spend it with him. He tried to stay under the radar, mainly known as Sadie Monroe’s sister. Senior year, he was just Reina Monroe, a girl terrified to be bullied for anything, especially having been born intersex. A girl who hated being in her own skin, who felt like she could never come out and say that she was never supposed to be her parents daughter, that they made the wrong choice the day she was born, that she was always supposed to be their son. The only reason he even made it through high school was because of Sadie. Sadie, his big sister, the person he could always go to, no matter what. Though, once graduation was over, and he started college, he finally took the chance to step out of his shell, and be the real him. For once, he was no longer that kid that was practically scared of his own shadow, he was finally finding his place in the world.
The day of the fashion show during senior year, so much of the message Daniel sent about the Monroe siblings to the entire Cerulean high student body was true. Reina was the black sheep in the Monroe family, glad to hide in Sadie’s shadow, that was no question. For the longest time, the only reason there hadn’t been a surgery to “correct” the condition of being born intersex, was because of money, but over the years, Ray knew that his parents made a mistake in raising him as a girl. Everything feminine about his body tore him apart mentally. He hated everything about himself that made him more of the girl his parents pressured him to be, knowingly or not. When Ray was born, they had to make that choice, and chose wrong. In that message, only one thing wasn’t completely true. Ray had questioned where he belonged for a long time. Was he the person his parents wanted him to be, or the person he felt he really was inside? Though truly, there was no question. Ray was the son his parents wished had been a daughter. Ray knew who he was, just not how to step out of that box he felt locked inside of for so long.
Reina Monroe walked across that graduation stage, for once actually showing some of that confidence that was kept buried inside. Reina was 18 years old, an adult who could do what she wanted, and be who she wanted. With high school over, Ray could for the first time see that light at the end of the tunnel actually getting closer, but first, came the adjustment of going to college, and dealing with his insecurities. Ray was actually leaving home, putting distance between him and his siblings and parents, but as scary as the independence was, it allowed that freedom to be comfortable with himself. Ray had begun the path to becoming a doctor, a surgeon, someone who would have the opportunity to help those who need it most, but first came the most difficult part of everything. Ray had to tell his brothers and parents that she wasn’t “Reina, the perfect little princess” like he had tried so hard to be for them. Ray had spent so long trying to believe it, but what was really stopping him from being his parents son? Nothing aside from self doubt. Reina Monroe was gone forever. There was just Ray Monroe.
Ray had spent so much of his life trying to fulfill the role expected of him, and most of his life felt like he couldn’t be himself, whether it was among peers, or his own family. The only person he felt normal around was his sister. Her support was what kept him going, but he was too scared to really tell what was going on inside to anyone else, even family. The toxicity of his high school before Cerulean, where everyone knew he was intersex because of how his straight boyfriend at the time wanted to have full sex with his girlfriend and flipped when discovering the ambiguous nature of Ray’s body. Every day in that place broke down what confidence Ray had, which made everything in his head that much harder to cope with, but eventually there came the point where Ray was finally gaining that self confidence. A new environment, new people, new opportunities, being himself was possible. Being liked for being himself, was possible. Even with finally being ready to be himself, and having Sadie for support, it was still hard to tell his family. The response was mixed of course, and there was a clear change in the way he was viewed at home. There was discomfort, and Ray knew it would take a lot of time for everyone to adjust, but that wasn’t going to change what he planned to do.
Ray knew what he wanted. He knew without a doubt who he was. In more ways than one, he had Daniel Parker to thank. That message he had sent to everyone that day had hurt and only made his insecurities worse at the time, but for the rest of high school the weight of hiding something so big had been lifted off of his shoulders. Everyone knew, and overall people had looked at him strangely, but it didn’t escalate into a toxic environment. He was able to look forward, knowing that soon enough there would be that chance to not be hiding everything about the real him. When Daniel had first approached Ray on prom night, noticing how he had that spark of something different in being that girl who may have been wearing a dress, yet chose to not let anyone change her decision to wear converse instead of heels, that hidden potential confidence underneath the shyness and insecurities in the way Ray wouldn’t stand for a negative comment about Sadie. Daniel had seen something in Reina, that potential to be more than just Sadie’s shadow, even with that fear of what he could do. His concern regarding Daniel was justified as he easily found his secrets, and eventually revealed them, but soon after, he called, apologizing for revealing what he had over simply being stumbled into during the chaos of the crowd leaving the fashion show. With his apology, came an offer. There was an agreement to pay for the corrective surgeries Ray needed. That offer gave Ray the opportunity to live life how he wanted to, so there was no way to refuse, taking Daniel up on the offer when ready. Shortly after Ray’s 20th birthday, all that was left of a connection to his former life as Reina was old pictures and memories.
Ray finally felt comfortable in his own skin, to be himself in every way. He finished college, going straight into med school, making actual friends, even dating occasionally with the busy schedule of constant studying going on. Ray was actually happy, especially with how Sadie’s life was. She was with someone who would always be able to look out for her just as much or more than Ray would. Jordan was everything Ray could want for his older sister, a friend since him and Sadie had gotten together, and a great father to match the amazing mother that Ray knew his sister would be. Sadie had her own family, but she would still be the person Ray would always go to for comfort, so it was good that Ray liked being around them all, and being an uncle to Sadie’s kids, whenever his busy schedule, from med school and then the beginning of surgical residency, allowed.
Now coming back to a reunion ten years after graduation was such a strange feeling. Ray was 28 years old, and had changed so much since all that time leading up to his 18th birthday. Most of the people there, Ray never really knew them, and the others, Ray hadn’t kept much, if any, contact with, aside from Jordan because of Sadie. Whether it was merely being around people he hadn’t seen in years, merely wearing casual clothing when most would likely dress to impress, or knowing that he would likely be looked at as a stranger, Ray couldn’t help a slight nervousness. Boarding the yacht, feeling like he stuck out like a sore thumb, Ray glanced around at his surroundings, adjusting his glasses slightly and taking a sip of the iced coffee he got on the way, watching his former classmates file onboard.
Approachable
@novella - Sadie mentioned
@benitz786 - Jordan mentioned & Dan mentioned too