Kisses, Curses, and Love

By Emmalyn Brooks

Angel and Blake have been friends for years, although they've never really been the closest. That all changes when Blake admits to Angel that he has a family curse. The curse? That every boy in his family will turn into a girl upon kissing one! Most boys would be terrified, but this just makes Blake want to kiss a girl even more. Angel decides to help, but will they succeed in getting a girl to kiss Blake? And what's Angel to do if he starts falling for Blake in the process?

Kisses, Curses, and Love is a transgender romantic comedy drama suitable for young adult and adult audiences alike. Fans of Her True Form, Some Girls Do, and Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms will find this to be a perfect addition to their collections.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emmalyn Brooks
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201749613

Book preview

Emmalyn Brooks

Kisses, Curses, and Love

Copyright © 2022 by Emmalyn Brooks

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Emmalyn Brooks asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First edition

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

The Family Curse

Confidence is Key

Just a Friendly Dinner-Date

Distractions

The Moment

Forced Realizations

New Introductions Part 1

New Introductions Part 2

Life After Girl

A Talk in the Woods

Confessions

The Way Forward

Surprising Lineage

The True Curse

Epilogue

The Family Curse

Can’t believe I forgot my bag again, I whisper under my breath while I hurry down the hallway back to my senior class homeroom. This was, what, the third time this week? Why do I keep forgetting all of a sudden? I shove open the door with more force than I probably need, storming into the room in a rush. I can’t waste any more time than I already have.

Then I freeze. Sitting at one of the desks, hunched over with his face in his arms, is Blake. He’s leaned over with his head in his arms on the desk, his long ash brown hair splayed out all over in a mess. His head shoots up as the door hits the wall, his hazel-colored eyes staring at me in surprise. They’re puffy and red. A few stray tears trickle down his cheeks.

Blake? Are you okay? I ask, my misplaced bag almost completely forgotten. Blake and I have been friends for years, but I’ve never seen him cry before. Whatever is going on has to be serious.

I-I’m fine, it’s okay, Angel. Just leave me alone, okay? he stammers in response. His face goes back into his arms immediately. I can hear the faint muffled sounds of his cries through the puffed-up sleeves of his hoodie.

For a moment I hesitate. Do I really want to get involved with whatever’s going on? What if it’s something personal? And I mean, is it even okay for me to ask? Sure we’re both friends, but normally we never really pry too much into each other’s emotions or personal lives. It’s just not something guys do with each other, you know? Maybe I should just go.

To both our surprise, I find myself pulling a desk closer and sitting next to Blake. My left hand rests on his back, rubbing it gently. Hey, I whisper gently, It’s okay. You can talk to me.

His torso shudders as he holds back a sob. I hear him sniffle. …It’s stupid. And complicated. You… you wouldn’t get it.

I smile. Try me. Maybe I can help?

The air is quiet for a minute while he thinks. While I wait, internally I’m hoping that what I’m doing isn’t too weird. I don’t want to freak him out, and this is kind of awkward, but I can’t just leave a friend alone while he’s upset like this. In the silence surrounding us, all I hear are the chirps of birds and the sound of the buses pulling up to the parking lot. Looks like I’m going to be late for the bus.

Suddenly Blake stirs and sits up. He rubs his nose and clears his throat before turning to face me. His face is dryer than before, but his eyes are still red and swollen from crying. I… I can’t, he starts, scrunching up his face as he tries to find the right words, I can’t get a girl… to kiss me.

I stare blankly back, blinking a few times. A kiss? From a girl? That’s what this is all about? Um… okay, I finally manage to reply.

He groans, turning away abruptly. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything…

No, no, it’s okay! I’m not judging! I grab his shoulder lightly, squeezing it to try and reassure him and get him to stay. I guess I’m just… confused? Did someone you like turn you down?

He scoffs. "More like everyone I’ve ever tried to get together with has turned me down. He looks over his back at me. Or gotten sick. Or had to transfer. Or fallen in love with someone else. Or suddenly won the lottery and moved to Bermuda. He shivers and frowns at that recollection. That example is when I started to be convinced that I’m cursed in more than just the way I know."

Cursed?

His eyes widen. I… F-forget I said that! He stands up, picking up his backpack. Look, never mind. Just don’t worry about this, okay? You’ve helped me, I’m fine or whatever.

Blake, wait! I exclaim, jumping up and reaching again for his shoulder. He brushes me off.

I said forget it, Angel! You wouldn’t understand! He slings his backpack over his shoulder and starts heading for the door.

I bolt in front of him as quick as lightning, blocking his path. No. Look. Talk to me, okay? He stares daggers at me. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s trying to hide his sadness behind anger. I know the feeling all too well. I can’t promise I’ll fully understand, but you looked really, really sad there, Blake. So either you’re going through a bad breakup or there’s something else more significant going on here.

We stare intently at each other in a stand-off. Blake’s facial expressions flip between anger, fear, confusion, despair. The steam of the buses letting go of their brakes and leaving is the only thing that brings him out of his stupor. With a prolonged sigh, he turns around and sits back at his desk, his backpack sliding off his back and plopping unceremoniously onto the ground.

Fine, I’ll talk to you, he says finally. But only if you promise not to judge me. And to let me finish before you say anything.

I nod. You have my word.

He rests his chin on his forearms as I sit back down next to him. Another sad sigh escapes his lips. Then he turns to face me. It’s a long story. He pauses. I nod again, encouraging him to continue. I don’t know the specifics exactly, but a long time ago… my family was cursed.

He waits a moment, flinching with anticipation of what I might say. My eyes widen. Cursed? What does that mean? Are they really that superstitious? Still, I say nothing as I promised I would. He relaxes once he realizes I’m not going to judge him and continues:

Supposedly, my great-great-great-grandfather pissed off this sorceress or something. Depending on who in the family you ask, it was either a tragic misunderstanding or he had it coming to him. Blake smiles to himself. I’m betting he deserved it, personally. I giggle at that little bit and surprise colors his face for a second. Then he composes himself and continues.

"A-anyways, regardless of why it was done, what ended up happening was my great-great-great-grandfather was cursed so that ‘no woman shall ever be touched by a man from our line ever again’." Blake pauses again, to see how I react to this. I do have a question at the tip of my tongue, but I don’t want to say anything for fear of scaring him off again.

…You’re probably thinking that’s bogus, right? I mean, obviously I’m here, a modern descendant that’s part of my family line. So of course my great-great-great-grandfather must have had children with someone, right? For a moment I hesitate, then I quickly nod to affirm that that was my question. To my surprise, Blake smiles. Yeah, I thought that too when my mom first told me.

The thing is, the curse didn’t work… quite like you would expect. Not too long after being cursed, my great- Blake pauses for a moment and frowns. Let’s just shorten it to ‘grandfather’. Anyways, he gets together with another girl and goes home with her. Blake straightens up in his seat and leans in close, his expression becoming far more serious all of a sudden. "Right as they both lean in and kiss one another, a sudden flash of light lights up the room. A loud boom shakes the walls and furniture. It’s like thunder and lightning, but the sky is clear. From everywhere echoes the voice of the sorceress as she repeats her curse. ‘No woman shall ever lie with a man from your line! Ne’er shall any of your descendants be fathers!’"

I can feel the hairs on my arms stand at end. Despite the obvious theatricality Blake is putting on, just hearing the words of the sorceress’ curse said out loud seems to almost charge the air around us with static. It’s as if they truly do have power, even though more than a century has passed since she uttered them. Wh-what happened next? I whisper.

Well, my mom told me it went like this, Blake continues, his voice low and grave. "My grandfather grabbed at his stomach. His whole body felt tingly and weird. And then, before the eyes of the woman he’d intended to sleep with, he began to change! His height — smaller! His hair — longer! His skin — softer! Breasts pushed out from his chest and he cried out, collapsing onto the ground as he grabbed weakly at his crotch. Blake leans away and smiles, his eyes lighting up a little. My grandfather… he became a woman!"

I blink a few times. My jaw hangs open in shock. I… wait! The curse meant that—?! It did—!?

Yep, Blake nods, The sorceress’ curse, rather than stopping my grandfather from ever being with a woman, transformed him into one instead. In that way the magic upheld her words. Now if he went to lie with a woman, it would be as a woman instead of a man.

I take a few moments to process this. Blake, my average unassuming classmate, believes his great-great-great-grandfather was cursed and transformed into… a woman? And does that mean…? So, Blake, are you trying to say then that the men in your family are cursed to turn into women after kissing other women?

Blake nods. That’s what my mom told me, at least.

I frown. How do you know your mom isn’t lying to you to try and scare you from kissing girls?

Blake chuckles. If that was her goal, then it’s completely backfired. He sighs, his head falling into his hands as he sadly looks out the window. I’ve never wanted to kiss a girl more in my life now.

My brow furrows and I stare at Blake in confusion. Blake, I start, lightly touching his shoulder, Are you saying you… want to turn into a girl?

Blake is silent for a minute. Then, ever so slowly, he turns to face me. His lip is trembling and his eyes are teary. I can feel my heart break at the expression he has as he nods his head in affirmation to my question. I… I do, Angel. I really, really do.

I’m not exactly sure what to do with this information. I didn’t expect this from Blake at all. He’d always seemed pretty, well, normal to me. Sure, a bit quiet and reserved, but some boys are like that.

I didn’t expect Blake to tell me something so blatantly trans.

Instinctively I wrap my arms around Blake into a tight hug. Blake’s torso gets rigid and I hear a sharp breath echo in the otherwise quiet classroom. Then, like a dam breaking after holding back too much water for far too long, Blake melts into my embrace and starts crying into my shoulder. Much like when I’d first walked in, the sadness leaves in the form of wet tears and heavy sobs. For a few minutes we stay together like that, Blake’s cries and sniffles the only sound I hear as I comfort my friend.

I-I-I don’t know why I want that so bad, Angel, Blake eventually manages to stammer out. I’d, I’d always kind of thought about it idly before, but when my mom told me that story, I… It just became this need. We separate and Blake looks at me with puffy, wet, swollen eyes. I just knew that, no matter what, I had to kiss a girl. I had to become one too.

I nod. Like everyone, I’d also thought about being a girl before too. Not too often, but just as kind of like an interesting what if scenario. I could never really get into the idea of dating boys or getting married to a man though, so I dismissed it. Being a straight guy fit my lifestyle more than being a straight girl did.

However, even though it wasn’t for me, I did end up reading a bit on transgender issues. What Blake was describing here seemed like the most obviously transgender thing I had ever seen. Blake, have you, um, ever thought that you might be trans?

Trans? Blake asks with a sniffle.

Yeah, you know. Like, someone who was born a boy, but wants to be a girl?

Blakes eyes lit up with surprise. That’s… that’s a thing?

Yeah! It’s not super common, but there’s a lot more information about it on the Internet these days. I reach over and grab my phone quickly from my backpack. A couple taps and I bring up a bookmarked page I had saved months earlier that talked about the basics of what it meant to be transgender and passed it over to Blake. Check it out!

Blake stares intensely at my phone and reads everything I had pulled up. I’ve never seen someone look so serious as they read something before. I watch as Blake’s expression goes from confusion, to surprise, to pure bewilderment. This… this sounds almost exactly like me!

I smile and laugh. Heh, yeah, that’s kinda why I’m bringing it up. You’ve never heard of this before?

Blake looks back up at me, head shaking. No, I’ve never… I had no idea this was something other people even felt! Tears start building up again and Blake smiles a trembling grin. But this, this means… that I’m not alone, right? That there are other people like this out there?

I nod affirmingly. Yep! Trust me, you’re definitely not the only teen who wants to be a girl out there. I grab my phone back and glance at the last sentence Blake had been looking at. In fact, according to this, just wanting to be a girl means you already are one!

Yeah, I um, I read that and… wow, Blake whispers. I’m… I’m already a girl?

Yep! I ruffle the hair on Blake’s head and give it a quick pat. Right in there you already have the mind of a girl!

Blake just stares at me in