You say to Trish, "All right, I'll try to help you out with him ... er, I guess he goes by 'him?'" Then, you call out to Mason, "Hey! Mason! How's it been going, buddy?"
You call out to Mason and motion for him to come over. He quickly gets out of his chair and makes his way over to your side, a smile on his face. As you greet him, you notice the girls around him giving him furtive glances.
Mason greets you warmly and sits next to you. "It's been good, George. Really good." As you both make small talk, you can't help but notice how at ease he seems with his new situation.
Mason hesitates for a moment before responding. "Yeah, I suppose so. It's a little strange at first, but the guys in the swap frat are cool, and the cheerleaders are really sweet. It probably wouldn't be quite like this if we hadn't inverted though, so it bothers me that's what they really care about ... but still, it's worth it."
You say "I don't know man ... I really don't know. But, uh, to each their own ... hey, you know Trish here, right? "
Mason nods, and smiles at Trish. "Yeah, I've spoken to her a few times since we started hanging out. She's good people."
You turn to Trish.
You say "Haha, well there you go, Trish. Mason says you're 'good people.' "
Trish leans over to give Mason a peck on the cheek. "Aww, thank you, Mason. That means a lot coming from you." She grins brightly at you. "Thanks for introducing me to Mason, George. Maybe he and I can hang out sometime."
Mason blushes slightly, but smiles at Trish. "Yeah, sure, that would be cool. Text me sometime" he says, and turns back to you. "So, what about you, George? Are you still thinking about joining a swap frat? It's not too late, you know." He winks at you, clearly teasing, then walks away.
You say "What the fuck did he have to say that last part for? Annoying. "
Trish chuckles softly and shakes her head. "He just likes to mess with you, because you're so much more opposed to inverting than most everyone else. Don't worry, he wouldn't pressure you into doing anything you don't want."
Trish chuckles again. "I mean, you're one of the few guys in class who doesn't seem to think it's the coolest thing in the world. I think Mason actually respects that about you." She smiles at you warmly. "You're not bowed by peer pressure, even if it'd be in your best interests."
You say "What!? In my best interests? Come off it, Trish, I was trying to be nice to you by calling Mason over, and you're giving me some kind of shit about wanting to keep my dick!?"
Trish raises an eyebrow at your sudden change in tone. "I'm sorry if I offended you, George. I was just trying to be honest about what's attractive about swapping genders. I didn't mean to imply that you don't already have a fulfilling life. It's just that ..."
Trish hesitates for a moment before answering. "It's just that I can't help but notice how you seem to be struggling a bit with how popular this has become with other guys. You'll eventually see the benefits of being inverted, I promise."
You say "Well, I don't get it. It doesn't make sense to me. So girls think it's cute or whatever. What good is being popular with girls if you won't have a ...."
Suddenly, you stop yourself, not wanting to bring up a sensitive topic with Trish. But it's too late. She catches on immediately, her expression hardening: "See, that's exactly your problem, George!" she snaps, a bit too loudly, with all the other students around. "You think that girls are just receptacles for your cock! That's what's so cool about these other guys getting inverted, which proves that they don't think that way!"
You can see the anger and frustration on Trish's face as she vents her frustration with you. But her words still sting, and you can't help but feel defensive. "That's not what I meant," you say softly, trying to calm her down. You see many of both the male and female students around you frowning, and you get up and leave the cafeteria.
Trish calls out after you, but you ignore her, trying to make it back to your dorm as quickly as possible. As you leave the cafeteria, you can feel the tension in the air and the weight of her words pressing down on your shoulders. You wish you hadn't brought it up in the first place.
Later that day, you are sulking in your room, when your phone rings. It's Trish. She apologizes for blowing up at you earlier, and explains that she's had some time to calm down and think things through. She asks if you can meet up for supper, and you agree, wanting to make amends and patch things up with her.
As you meet up with Trish for dinner, you feel a sense of relief wash over you. You're glad to have her back in your life, and grateful for her understanding and compassion. The tension between you eases, and the conversation flows naturally. That is until you notice ...