I stared at my appearance in the mirror. I had changed a lot since my mum had left us but that was to be expected. I had gotten a bigger sized tutu but it was still uncomfortable to wear, my hair was longer than it had ever been and Jessica had begun to paint my nails different shades; currently they're bright pink. I checked how my chest looked in my leotard and breathed out in relief. Jessica is already wearing bras! I don't know why I'm so worried about needing them but I can't imagine my body having boobs on... it seems weird somehow.

"Beck!" I turned away from the mirror as I heard my dad yell from downstairs.
"Yeah?" I replied but heard nothing else.
I looked at myself one last time. I sighed, I wished I could wear my baggy top. I finally headed downstairs.
"Look who it is," dad's face was beaming as he wiggled his phone at me. It showed mum's face on Facetime. She was in her work outfit and held a stern expression but she was my mum and I was happy to see her. I stared at her for a long time wondering what to say, so much had happened since her last skype call last year and her last phone call at Christmas as it was now May.
"Say hi, Beck," dad urged me and I finally came back down to reality.
"Hey, mum!" I cheered and waved at her. I soon dropped my hand when mum made no attempt at waving back.
"Beck? Since when is she Beck?" My mum outraged and indicated for me to turn the phone back to dad but I didn't.
"It's a nickname, mum," I mumbled.
"Is this your doing?" She questioned as dad came into view.
"It just a name, it doesn't matter." He tried to laugh it off but it didn't work.
"No, it's a male name. I don't want my baby girl to be bullied." I heard muffled talk in the background but it soon faded away again.
"She won't be, she has her dad here." I heard the tone in his voice and so did she.
"Don't start this."
"I didn't say anything wrong," my dad stressed and walked away into the kitchen.
I talked to mum about revision and dance but soon the muffled voices came back on the other end and my mum had to go sort out a work situation.

"Are you okay, dad?" I asked. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him.
"Yeah I'm fine, Becky." He held me tightly but I frowned until he let me go.
"Becky?" I hadn't heard him call me my full name since the start of the year.
"That is your name," he stated. His eyes were glazed over and he wasn't acting himself.
"Are you calling me that because of mum-" he cut me off before I could finish.
"Just go and get ready for dance."
"But dad-"
"Becky, please!" He raised his voice and I immediately rushed upstairs because he never yells at me.
I slipped on the top step but finally stumbled into my room. I rushed to my bed and lay face first on my bed. I clutched the pillow tightly and tried to not let tears spill as I thought about my old life. I needed both my parents with me. I couldn't deal with this and neither can dad.
I curled up into a ball and shook lightly.

"Becky?" My dad whispered softly a few minutes later and stepped into my room. "I'm sorry."
"Its okay, dad." I sat up in the bed and he sat down next to me. I sniffed. "I just miss mum."
"I miss her too." Dad sighed and put an arm around me.
"She's different now," I told him and hugged my chest tightly.
"But she's still your mother," he reassured me but she wasn't much of one. "It's time to go, come on."

He ushered me into the car. I stared out of the window and watched the grey sky pass by me.
Would dad continue calling me Becky now? I never really liked my name. Jessica told me that was natural because it's like an overplayed song, it's gets boring. I liked Beck though and not just because it was something new. It just fit me better but I couldn't understand why. 'It's a male name' that's what my mum had said.
I've heard about these people... they are like boys but they're girls? I don't quiet understand it but I like being a boy more so maybe I do understand it.
I think I'm probably a tom boy? I've got a few of those in my class. They wear jeans on non uniform day and OBEY caps backwards and play football with the boys. They have cool nicknames too like Ghost and Kicks. Maybe I could have a cool nickname like them?
I leant my head against the window and thought about it. I could stick with Beck but in the end everyone would just go back to calling me Becky. I could have a completely new name! Like... Phantom? It's like ghost but cooler. No, Danny because Danny Phantom. I smiled at myself as I thought of a name.
Dan.

Back then I couldn't quite put my finger on why I liked the name but I did. All I knew was that I needed to talk to Jessica about it.

I grabbed my gym bag with my regular clothes in and rushed out the car as we pulled up.
"Sorry I'm late," I said to the teacher as I dropped my bag onto the floor and took up first position along with the rest.
I immediately started looking for Jessica.
"BECKY!" The teacher snapped and I lost my footing, slipping onto the floor. "See, this is what happens when you don't pay attention!" She tutted and I felt my face heat up. "Back to first position everyone."

I tried my best for the rest of my ballet lesson, Miss Chic kept me behind to catch up with the minutes I had missed but I finally got out and caught up with Jessica in the changing rooms. We talked casually for a little while as we dressed, not that I paid attention to anything she was saying because I was instead building up the courage to talk about my new name.
"I'd like you to call me Dan..." I said suddenly as I pulled my baggy shirt on. Everyone else had already left.
"Why?" She stopped and stared at me, clinging onto the hook with her bag on.
"I, uh, want to change my name," I stuttered and looked at my bag as I shoved my clothes in.
"Oh, so it's like short for Dani?" She asked me and I bit my lip.
Just say yes.
"No..." the word came out of me before I could tell my brain to stop it. "I, um, wanted a masculine name."
"Why not have something like Brandon? Or Beck? Dan isn't even similar to your real name."
She was right. I'd been Beck for over half a year and wouldn't that be easier? But I didn't want it to be like my birth name.
"That's kind of the point," I finally said.

An:
Hey guys, girls and non-binaries!
I hope you're enjoying this story so far and Dans age will increase like this for a few chapters but it will stop doing so when Phil comes in ~
- Rach x