Share
MidReal Story
Girlfriends
Scenario:I watched Riqui saunter up to the bar, her slim boyish hips swaying just enough to suggest high camp. Was she really going to do it? I almost regretted the bet we made - that she could pass as a gay guy and pick up one of the boys who cruised our favourite bar.
Create my version of this story
Mason
He is a college student participating in a sociology experiment to understand gender roles. He is curious, skeptical, and humorous. Mason is part of a research project where he and his friends are testing the hypothesis that a woman can convincingly pass as a man in a specific bar setting. He observes his friend Riqui transform into "Rick" for the experiment, struggling with the character's flamboyant demeanor. Throughout the night, Mason grapples with his own attraction to Riqui, despite the experimental nature of their interaction.
Brady
He is another one of Mason's friends involved in the research project. He is cautious, witty, and curious. Brady questions the feasibility of Riqui going undercover as a man at the bar but supports the experiment's goal of gaining new insights into human behavior and gender roles. His cautious nature provides balance to the group's enthusiasm for the study's potential outcomes.
Felix
He is one of Mason's friends involved in the research project. He is outgoing, bold, and carefree. Felix takes Riqui under his wing when she goes undercover as "Rick" at the bar, encouraging her to embrace her new persona and interact with other men. He provides comic relief through his bold statements and antics but also shows respect for the experiment's goals of collecting data for sociological understanding.
I watched in stunned silence as Riqui sauntered up to the bar, her slim boyish hips swaying just enough to suggest high camp.
Was she really going to do it?
I couldn’t believe I’d let myself get talked into this, and I almost regretted the bet we’d made.
As Riqui ordered a drink, I leaned in closer to Jace and Felix.
"So, how did she get like this?"
Jace snorted.
"Like what? A guy?"
I nodded, watching as Riqui took the drink from the bartender and turned back to us.
"Yeah. I mean, she’s always been feminine."
"Well, you know how she is," Jace said.
"She practiced for weeks. She’d walk around the house like that all the time, even when we were just hanging out."
Felix grinned.
"Yeah. At first it was pretty funny. She’d try to walk like a guy, but she’d forget halfway through and end up doing this weird hybrid thing."
I laughed at the image of Riqui trying to walk like a guy.
I remembered how determined she’d been during our planning sessions, her eyes gleaming with excitement even as I could see the nervousness lurking behind them.
"I remember when we were planning this," I said.
"She was so excited about it. I could tell she was nervous, but…"
Felix laughed.
"Oh yeah. She was so nervous that one day she almost gave up on the whole thing."
"What happened?"
Jace asked.
"Well, she was walking around like a guy all day long," Felix explained.
"And Brady and I were giving her a hard time about it. We were teasing her mercilessly, and finally she just got fed up and said she was going to stop." "But then Brady sat her down and told her that he believed in her," Felix continued.
"He told her that he knew she could do it if she really wanted to, and that he would support her no matter what."
I nodded thoughtfully as Riqui made her way back over to us.
She set her drink down on the table and smiled at us.
"See?" she said triumphantly.
"I told you I could do it."
I watched as Riqui flirted with the guy at the bar, marveling at how natural it seemed for her to be playing this role.
Jace leaned over, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Did you tell her about the guy watching from the corner?"
Felix shook his head, glancing nervously in that direction.
"No, but I think she already knows."
I tensed as Riqui leaned against the bar, chatting with the bartender in her practiced low voice.
Her shoulders stayed squared, her stance wide - just like Felix had taught her.
When she laughed, she kept it deep in her chest instead of letting it rise to that feminine pitch we’d worked so hard to eliminate.
The corner guy stood up, his leather jacket creaking as he moved.
I nudged Jace, who was already reaching for his phone to record the interaction.
Felix shifted closer to Riqui, ready to intervene if needed.
I leaned against the wall, watching as Riqui continued to chat with the bartender.
The guy in the leather jacket made his way over, his eyes fixed on Riqui.
She kept her shoulders squared and her elbows wide on the bar, just like Felix had taught her.
When he reached out to touch her arm, I tensed up, but Riqui just laughed that practiced low chuckle and shifted slightly away - a move we’d practiced for unwanted contact.
Jace held up his phone, pretending to check something on the screen while he filmed their interaction.
The guy in the leather jacket leaned in closer to Riqui, whispering something in her ear that made her eyes widen briefly before she caught herself.
The guy leaned in closer, his voice a low rumble.
"You're pretty good at this," he said, a hint of admiration in his tone.
Riqui smiled, her eyes flicking briefly to us before she replied, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for someone to notice."
I tensed as the bartender moved toward Riqui with deliberate slowness, his hands moving in a practiced rhythm as he mixed what looked like a gin and tonic.
My stomach dropped - had he figured her out?
But Riqui just kept her cool, her posture slouched and casual as she pretended to check her phone.
The bartender set the drink down in front of her, his fingers brushing against hers for just a moment.
And then I saw it - a folded napkin underneath the glass, hidden from view.
Riqui’s fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the drink, her eyes flicking up to meet the bartender’s.
He gave her a knowing smile before turning away, leaving me wondering if he’d seen through her disguise after all.
Felix gripped my arm, his voice low in my ear.
"Don’t react. Just let it play out."
I nodded, forcing myself to stay still even as my mind raced with possibilities.
What was on that napkin?
Had we been caught?
Riqui took a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving the guy in the leather jacket.
He frowned slightly, his gaze flicking between Riqui and the bartender.
I edged a little closer to the bar, pretending to order another drink while I watched Riqui’s fingers tremble around the napkin.
She kept her masculine posture, but her eyes darted nervously between the bartender and the guy in leather.
And then, with a practiced smoothness that made me proud, she slid the napkin off the counter and into her lap.
The guy in leather didn’t seem to notice - he was too busy arguing with the bartender over some stupid sports game.
But I saw it - the way Riqui’s hands disappeared beneath the bar top, the way her shoulders tensed as she unfolded the paper.
The guy in leather leaned in closer, trying to see what she was looking at.
I edged a little closer, pretending to order another drink while I watched Riqui pull a pen from her jacket pocket.
Her masculine posture faltered for just a moment as she hunched over the napkin, writing furiously.
The guy in leather kept trying to peek, but Riqui angled her body away - using the exact move Felix had taught her.
When the bartender passed by, Riqui caught his eye and held up the folded napkin between two fingers.
Her hand trembled slightly, but she kept that cocky grin we’d practiced plastered on her face.
The bartender nodded subtly, and in that fleeting moment, I knew the game had changed.
I leaned against the bar, close enough to catch Riqui’s eye but far enough that we wouldn’t blow our cover.
She kept her masculine posture, but her gaze flicked to me for just a moment - long enough to see the vulnerability hidden behind her eyes.
The guy in leather leaned in closer, his hand brushing against Riqui’s shoulder as he tried to see what she was writing.
The bartender lingered nearby, waiting for Riqui’s response to his note.
Riqui’s fingers drummed against her glass, the signal we’d practiced for when she felt uncomfortable or threatened.
The moment stretched out, heavy with anticipation as Riqui held my stare.
Her eyes were wide and fearful, but there was something else there too - a glimmer of determination that made my heart swell with pride.
When she finally looked away, I saw her jaw clench and her shoulders square.