Read Strange Fires for Free Online

1
    I had two glorious weeks of freedom before I learned a valuable lesson about life in the human world: people here notice if you spend too much time ogling naked men.
    It wasn’t that people didn’t notice on the island where I was born and raised. There just weren’t as many men, what with the whole matriarchal society thing, and I was related to most of them. They spent little time running around naked, and I spent even less time attempting to find out what was under their clothes.
    That was not the case in a college dorm. Sure, there were a few modest men who insisted on wandering around the halls fully clothed, but they were the minority. Tahoe, after all, was known for its wealth of outdoor activities, and I was surrounded by men who spent hours on skis, snowboards, kayaks, and mountain bikes. They had the muscles one would expect from constant exercise and absolutely no compunction about showing them off to the only girl on their floor.
    I had no aversion to seeing those muscles, either, which was part of the problem.
    “I don’t see why I have to move.” I attempted to smile winningly at the resident advisor. He was perched on the edge of his single bed, having offered me the room’s only chair. Unfortunately, he was one of the floor’s shy residents and wouldn’t actually look at me long enough to appreciate the effect of that smile.
    I tried logic, instead. “I’ve already unpacked. And I have a single, so it’s not like anyone else has to live with me.”
    The RA nodded, pretending to consider my argument. “Yes, but Aidan, you’re a girl.”
    Even I would have difficulty arguing that point, though I still tried. “I never said I wasn’t. My dorm application said girl. This is where they put me.”
    “Likely because your name is Aidan.”
    “So?”
    “Aidan is a boy’s name.” The RA spoke patiently, as if I was especially slow or perhaps drunk.
    Condescension never brings out the best in me.
    “I disagree. Aidan is totally a feminine name. Haven’t you seen Sex & the City ? Why do you think they named the beta male Aidan? It’s a chick name that’s been misapplied. I’m reclaiming it.” I nodded firmly, daring him to question my logic. The best thing about my logic was how quickly people realized it was practically impenetrable.
    “You’re...” His eyes scanned his shelves, as if hoping a baby name book would appear and prove me wrong. He blinked twice and refocused. “The point, Aidan, is that regardless of how the mistake was made, it was made. This is a boy’s dorm, and you are a girl.”
    “And?”
    “The reason we separate the genders is so people feel comfortable on their own hall.”
    “I’m very comfortable. Thanks for checking.”
    He let out a deep breath and finally met my eyes directly, trying to determine if I was being flip or just really dense. I smiled happily, offering no help.
    I knew this wasn’t particularly nice of me. He was just doing his job, and even if he was comically bad at it, there was no reason to make his life harder—except he was trying to move me to a different dorm, and I didn’t want to go.
    “Some of the men have complained about having a girl on the floor.” The words came out in a rush, likely because he was one of the men. Based on what I’d seen, most of the men thought it was hilarious, and a few even dropped their towels the moment I appeared.
    Really, I’d learned more in the dorms than I had in my first week of classes. The university should advertise such a service rather than try to shut it down. After all, “Turning overprotected, sheltered girls into informed perverts since 1956!” was the kind of slogan that boosted admission numbers.
    Unfortunately, the RA did not see it my way. “A transfer has been arranged to Willow Hall, to the girl’s floor. You’ll move tonight.”
    Though the words came out in a rush, his relief was obvious. No matter how many specious arguments I drummed up, there was no way this man would