Kylie watched as Kyle sat down across from Aziza, who had been staring dreamily outside the window at the palm tree lined Glendale street.
She turned around and looked startled.
"Is this seat taken?" Kyle asked with a grin.
"Um... no, it isn't."
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
"A little."
A million apologies. My name is Kyle. What's yours?"
"...Aziza."
"That's a pretty name."
A barely noticeable smile crossed the trans girl's face.
"OK, not bad so far" Kylie thought, stealing one of Kyle's curly fries as she listened to him ask Aziza if she liked video games. Aziza said yes, and they began chatting about which games they liked.
"Honestly, he's a little smoother than me" Kylie continued to think to herself. She recalled going out with Laura Miller back when she was still Kyle, and silently cringing at how socially awkward she was back then. Not that she wasn't awkward as hell now too, she just got away with it more easily as a hot girl.
Kylie's heart rate spiked as she remembered Laura cruelly revealing how she had been honeypotting him for weeks on a dare from Jennifer's crew, and how she had decided to wrap up her month of "Let's Humiliate The Nerd" by dumping him at the mall in front of dozens of spectators.
It was a painful memory. Still *so* painful after all of these years, because Kyl(i)e had genuinely loved Laura.
Having been trapped in Hell for months, and before that spiraling into a severe depression, wasn't helping things either.
And yet...
Kylie overheard Kyle make Aziza giggle, and just like that her heart rate began to stabilize. She heard herself audibly awwing. They were so cute together!
Maybe Jennifer the Sorceress's plan would work.
Maybe Kylie really could soothe some of her own trauma by playing matchmaker for other Kyles.