“Good- evening,” Janet said, checking her watch as Ellie walked through the door. “Making sure it is still evening and not early tomorrow morning.”

“Hilarious,” Ellie snorted as she dropped her handbag on the coffee table and flopped down onto the sofa. “It’s only, what, 8pm?”

“And you’re only, what, seventeen?” Janet replied, before smiling sympathetically. “Though in fairness, when I was seventeen, 8pm was early too, heh. And a lot earlier than you’ll be back tomorrow, though that’s understandable under the circumstances!” Ellie grinned widely as she looked forward to the big event that was happening the following night- though a large part of her smile was due to how she’d spent that particular day as well.

On weeks when she was at college, Ellie dreaded Thursdays more than any other day of the week. She would usually be tired from a long week at college, and wouldn’t be able to properly relax afterwards as there would still be another day before the weekend. On this particular week, though, Ellie wasn’t at college at all- and as such, she enjoyed each day more than the last, hanging out not just with Kacey and Monique, but her new friends Jodie and Keira as well.

The whole week, however, paled into insignificance next to what would be happening the following night. Ellie and her four friends had tickets to see their favourite band, Out of Heaven, at Wembley arena. Even though she’d seen the band before (and considered one of the members to be a close friend), Ellie still struggled to sleep the night before the concert, though this was as much due to reminiscing about the events of the previous few weeks as it was excitement about the concert.

In the weeks following Lindsay’s assault on Ellie, things slowly started to change for Ellie both at home and at college. In her first year, Ellie had at best been someone who flew under the radar of the more popular girls, and had at worst been a pariah. She hung out with Kacey and Monique as she had no other options, and attended every party she could out of fear that she’d never be invited to any others- a decision that came back to haunt her in the end. However, following Lindsay’s assault (and to a lesser extent, Ethan’s) Ellie began to earn the sympathy of the other people at college, which was soon followed by friendship from some- and much to Ellie’s surprise, Jodie and Keira were among the first to befriend her. Ellie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Lindsay as she was left abandoned by the girls who used to be her friend, but any sympathy quickly evaporated when she remembered what Lindsay had done to her (along with the actions of her mother and brother).

Unbeknownst to Ellie, though, Lindsay continued to take the same bus to college as her two friends, occasionally chatting with them (though nowhere as much as she used to) and occasionally shopping at Janet’s supermarket- though Janet had yet to exchange any words with her daughter. However, none of the girls were aware of Lindsay’s biggest secret…

“Wakey wakey!” Janet said, knocking on Ellie’s door and waking the blonde girl from her slumber. “Big day today!”

“Go away, it’s still too early,” Ellie moaned.

“I took the day off work today,” Janet retorted. “It’s almost 10am! You don’t want to be late, do you?”

“Concert’s not until the evening,” Ellie replied, before sighing and sliding her tired body out of her bed. “Okay, I’m up, I’m up.” Ellie stretched her stiff muscles before pulling on her favourite fluffy pink dressing gown and padding through to the kitchen, where Janet had her breakfast all ready and waiting for her. “Why you off work today then?”

“Had the leave built up,” Janet shrugged. “Either use it or lose it, better to do the former, right?”

“I guess,” Ellie shrugged. “Why are you off TODAY, though?”

“Because I wanted to be,” Janet replied. “I’m kinda excited about this concert too, you know? When Steph gave you your tickets, she had a few set aside for me if I wanted them…”

“And thank god you didn’t take them,” Ellie snorted, making Janet giggle- the reaction wasn’t unlike the reaction she got from her own daughter whenever she threatened to interfere in her personal life.

In the six weeks since Lindsay had visited Janet’s supermarket for the first time, Janet had thought a lot about her relationship not just with Lindsay, but with Ellie as well. She and Janet had been living together for almost a year, and what had initially seemed like a short-term, stopgap arrangement had turned into a friendship unlike anything Janet had ever expected. When Janet had been forced to leave her home, she’d felt like a failure both as a person and as a parent, and Ethan and Lindsay’s later actions toward Ellie had only reinforced that feeling. However, Ellie’s continued implicit reliance on Janet had helped to ease her negative feelings, and over time, had even started to reverse them. For the first time in a long while, Janet felt like a good parent- and for the first time ever, she was beginning to feel like a mother.

“I’m probably just going to spend today catching up on housework,” Janet said with a shrug as Ellie wolfed down her breakfast. “You meeting up with your friends again today?”

“Probably,” Ellie replied. “Waiting for them to all get up first though.”

“Yes, yes, hint taken,” Janet giggled.

“I’ll probably come back here to change before the concert though” Ellie said. “Will you be out with your work friends? It’s, like, Friday…”

“Probably,” Janet said with a chuckle. “So I might not be back when you come home to change. So you take care today, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Ellie replied, making Janet smirk yet again.

After finishing her breakfast, Ellie took a quick shower, before dressing for the day in what had quickly become her trademark look of a tight turtleneck sweater that showed off her fledgling curves, followed by a tiny pleated skirt, a pair of light tights and a pair of long, dark socks that both kept her legs warm and ensured she attracted a LOT of male attention when she left the flat!

A short while later, Ellie met up with her four friends inside a warm, crowded coffee shop in central London, and within seconds she had a wide, excited grin on her face.

“Hey girl!” Monique giggled as Ellie sat down next to her. “Looking hot today, hehe!”

“Yep!” Ellie said, playfully tossing back her long blonde hair. “SO excited about tonight!”

“Who isn’t?” Keira asked with an excited squeak. “Not only am I going to see the best band EVER, but I’m going to see them with a close, personal friend of one of the singers!” Ellie felt her cheeks start to flush as she was teased by her newest friend, but the smile on her face only grew wider.

“…Doubt I can get you girls any backstage passes, though,” Ellie said with a mock sigh that increased the excitement levels of her friends.

“Meh, you’re still cool,” Jodie shrugged. “I guess this concert is, like, special for you, I mean, not just ‘cause you know Steph, but, umm…”

“Erm… Yes?” Ellie asked. “You don’t need to be, you know, nervous about asking me questions about being trans, I mean, we’re friends, right?”

“Well- yeah…” Jodie said, before sighing. “What I want to know is- is, like, the concert special because you know with Steph in the band, there won’t be any transphobes there?”

“Huh,” Ellie mused. “Never really thought about it that way, though I guess it would be, I suppose.” And it’s certainly the biggest crowd of people I’ll have been in since I ‘met’ Ethan Cole, Ellie thought to herself, wondering whether or not the concert’s ‘safe space’ status boosted her confidence- or whether or she’ll ever be able to go to a ‘normal’ gathering, like a party or a concert, ever again. The other girls had been talking about going to the Isle of Wight or the Reading Festival the following summer, and while Ellie was enthusiastic about the idea, and genuinely loved the thought of getting dressed up and partying all weekend with her friends, her insides churned at the knowledge that all it would take was one transphobic person to ruin her fun- and with thousands attending festivals each year, the odds were not in Ellie’s favour.

“Well, I don’t care whether she’s trans or not,” Keira shrugged. “All I know is that tonight is going to be AWESOME.”

“When you say ‘she’,” Monique asked with a giggle, “do you mean Steph or Ellie?”

“…A little bit of both,” Keira replied as Ellie’s cheeks grew even redder.

“…You guys…” Ellie mumbled bashfully, though secretly, she was loving every second of the attention she was getting.

“You know what’s weird?” Jodie mused as she sipped her latte. “I realise you probably don’t want to even hear her name, but it was actually Lindsay who put me on to Out of Heaven in the first place.”

“And then burned all her shit when she found out one of the girls was trans?” Ellie scoffed.

“No, actually,” Jodie replied, grimacing as an awkward silence fell over the previously energised table. “Umm…”

“You reckon they’ll sing any songs from their next album tonight?” Kacey asked, trying to break the silence. “I mean, it’s coming out in what, May next year?”

“Probably,” Ellie mumbled, though something about the way Jodie replied to her rubbed her the wrong way. She knew that Jodie and Lindsay had been friends for a very long time, and figured that Jodie was still, in some way, fond of her, but the way she defended Lindsay still made Ellie suspicious.

“I hope Adeola gets to do a solo song,” Monique said, shaking Ellie out of her paranoia. “Heard that she didn’t in Southampton.”

“Meh, that’s ‘cause Southampton was Kayla’s night,” Keira said. “Her hometown and her birthday, like, you know?”

“I guess,” Monique shrugged. “We’re gonna get there early to hit the merchandise stands, right?”

“Well, duh!” Jodie replied with a grin that lightened the mood at the table.

The girls stayed at the coffee shop for the next hour, returning home afterward only to reconvene later in the afternoon at the vast SSE arena in Wembley in the west of the city. All five girls had taken the opportunity to change ahead of the concert, Ellie swapping her pleated skirt for an equally short but much tighter black skirt, and her turtleneck for a t-shirt displaying the cover of her favourite band’s last album, the title of which resonated with Ellie. ‘Stronger’ was how Ellie felt with every day she lived life the way she wanted, and every time she overcame an obstacle, though she had to admit that the ‘obstacles’ of Ethan and Lindsay were taking her a long time to overcome…

“Hey girl!” Monique yelled over the noise of the crowd as she and Kacey greeted Ellie with a tight, excited hug.

“Feeling ‘Stronger’, then?” Kacey teased.

“You got it!” Ellie squeaked as she excitedly bounced up and down. “Where are Jodie and Keira?”

“Already here, said they’d meet us inside,” Monique replied. “They got their tickets in July so they’ll be in a different section to us anyway. Ahh, this is gonna be SO awesome, though!”

“There are loads of people here!” Ellie said as the three girls headed into the vast arena and found their seats.

“And why wouldn’t there be?” Kacey asked. “Aren’t Out of Heaven the most awesome band EVER?"

“You said it!” Ellie giggled, straightening her skirt as she sat down and eagerly awaited the start of the concert.

Ellie and her friends didn’t have long to wait, and before long, the entire arena was filled with music provided by the four young women on the stage.

Ellie’s head was buzzing as she left the arena just over two hours later due to a combination of the music and the noise of the crowd. She knew from her studies about the euphoria that music could cause, especially live music, but that didn’t stop her from feeling a high after watching her favourite group do their thing. However, Ellie had no idea that her high was about to come crashing back down hard.

----------

"Kind of wish I was going with them in a way," Janet mused as she gave her work colleagues their drinks and sat down in her usual seat.

"No reason why you shouldn't," Shannon shrugged. "I mean, you're Stephanie's friend, after all. I was almost thinking of getting tickets myself, heh."

"Why didn't you?" Meredith asked. "Either of you, I mean? Because, you know, it's not going to be ONLY teenagers there, I remember going to a Take That concert when I was 14 and there were plenty of older fans there, though I suppose they'd only be 'old' from the perspective of a fourteen year old, so I dunno really, maybe?"

"It- it was just a silly thought, I'm not even really a fan of that style of music," Shannon confessed, before smirking. "...So Take That, eh?" Both Janet and Shannon grinned as the 37 year old woman began to blush.

"I was fourteen years old and it was 1994 so it's not like there was much else to do," Meredith sighed. "Actually had to read, you know, real, paper magazines rather than look on the internet, and the only mobile phones were the size of breezeblocks and you got music off the radio instead of Spotify. Radio 1 played a lot of Take That so that's what I listened to. That, and my sister was in charge of the radio most of the time so it was either 'like what she liked' or 'be miserable'."

"Did you cry when Robbie left the band?" Janet teased, smiling as her friend's cheeks grew even redder.

"...Can we change the topic, please?" Meredith winced.

"If it's any consolation, I was a huge Westlife fan when I was a teenager," Shannon confessed. "May have had one or more posters on my walls. Or should I say 'bits of wall between the posters', heh."

"How about you, Janet?" Meredith asked. "Who were the big boy band of the late eighties, anyway?"

"Umm, probably Bros," Janet replied. "Heh, THAT's going back a while."

"No, no, I remember Bros," Meredith giggled. "Hey, I'm a child of the eighties too, I remember watching Philip Schofield and Sarah Greene on Saturday mornings, I had a HUGE collection of Polly Pockets, read every issue of Just Seventeen- you ever read that, Janet?"

"Ah- umm, not really," Janet said, biting her lip as a look of pure mortification spread across Meredith's face.

"Oh- umm, s- sorry, I- I kinda, umm," Meredith stammered.

"...Though it is flattering to think you think I might have," Janet chuckled. "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah..." Meredith grimaced, sipping her drink as an awkward silence fell over the table.

"So, umm," Shannon asked. "Why- why didn't you go to the concert, Janet?"

"Because if my parents had come with me to a concert when I was seventeen, I'd never have forgiven them," Janet replied with a smirk. "And even though I'm not, you know, Ellie's 'real' parent, the effect would still be the same."

"I dunno," Shannon shrugged. "I- umm, I mean about you not being Ellie's real parent. I get that it'd have been TOTALLY embarrassing for her. But, you know, after everything you've done for her... There's no way you can say you're not a 'real' parent to her."

"...I dunno," Janet sighed. "I mean, I'd like to think we'll always be friends- okay, friends with a 26 year age gap, but still, right? I'm at best someone who put her up for a few months."

"If you insist," Shannon replied. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she thinks of you as her 'second mother' her whole life."

"I'd like to think that," Janet whispered. "I mean, I loved being a father... But there's something special about being a mother too." Janet smiled as her thoughts turned to her young ward, and the fun she was inevitably having at the concert...

----------

“That was SO awesome,” Monique enthused, shivering as she and her friends left the arena and were greeted by the cold October air.

“Can’t wait for the next one!” Ellie giggled as she got her phone out of her handbag and switched it back on. “I’m gonna text Jodie and Keira, see if they want to meet up for a drink before going home."

"Yeah, well make sure they know it'll be alcohol-free," Monique said. "Just 'cause I'm the only one of us who's eighteen it don't mean I'm gonna get arrested buying booze for all of you!"

“Meh, still sounds good,” Kacey shrugged. "He and she who must be obeyed and worshipped aren’t expecting me back for a while though dad’s made it clear what’s going to happen if I stay out TOO late.”

“Ugh,” Ellie spat as she remembered her own run-ins with Kacey’s father.

“Gonna be different next year when we’re at uni,” Monique said with a confident grin. "And can ALL properly drink!"

“Oh- definitely,” Kacey giggled, before sighing sadly. “Though I get that living independently isn’t ALL fun and games.”

“Oh- don’t worry,” Ellie chuckled. “It’s definitely more fun than living as ‘Liam’, that’s for sure! And I’m not REALLY independent, not, you know, living with Janet anyway.”

“You’re a lot more independent than I am,” Kacey mused. “And there’s a difference between ‘independent by choice’ and, well, not.” And god knows I wouldn’t choose to be ‘independent’ if it was up to me, Ellie thought to herself.

“Can- can we not talk about this?” Ellie asked. “I mean, we have just seen THE best concert ever, right?”

“Right, sorry, sorry,” Kacey giggled. “Where we meeting up with Jodie and Keira again?”

“It’s just across the road,” Ellie replied, smiling despite her friend’s inadvertent reminder of her relationship with her parents.

In addition to being on a high following the concert, Ellie also felt a sense of pride at how she’d felt throughout the evening. Her initial anxiety at being in a large crowd had quickly faded to be replaced with a true sense of belonging. Jodie had been right when they’d said that the concert would be a ‘safe space’ for Ellie, but it had still built her confidence to the point where going to a different band’s concert, or even to a big weekend festival, was no longer a terrifying prospect to her.

However, Ellie’s confidence evaporated when she and her friends entered the crowded coffee shop and found their table where their friends were sitting… Alongside the unmistakable form of Lindsay Cole.

“Wh- what the fuck is she doing here?” Monique hissed, instinctively standing between Ellie and Lindsay.

“Okay, guys,” Jodie said softly in an attempt to calm the situation.

“I should’ve fucking well known,” Ellie spat, her heart sinking at the sight of her nemesis sitting with the girls she thought were her new friends. Ellie’s paranoia went into instant overdrive as countless worst-case scenarios ran through her mind- had Jodie lured them to the coffee shop to humiliate her? Was Lindsay going to give her another beating despite being in public? Had Jodie and Keira ever been sincere about being her friends? Worse yet, were Monique and Kacey in on it as well?

“I- I think we should leave,” Kacey said, also stepping between Ellie and Lindsay and shooting daggers from her eyes at the latter girl. “We WON’T see you on Monday.”

“Guys, please,” Jodie pleaded. “Okay, you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but please hear us out.”

“’Us’, then?” Monique snorted. “And I don’t think Ellie’s interested in anything you have to say to her.” Ellie felt her confidence return as her friends- her true friends- defended her, and she stepped out from behind Monique to confront Lindsay herself, but much to her surprise, when she looked at the brown-haired girl, there was no anger in her face, no hostility- only sadness. Ellie was amazed to see that tears were actually beginning to form in her eyes. Maybe she was being paranoid after all…

“Come on guys,” Kacey spat. “Let’s g-“

“Wait,” Ellie said softly. “I- I want to hear her out.”

“Ell,” Monique whispered, “whatever it is she has to say, it can’t be good. You really want to put yourself through this?”

“You know what happened last time you two went head to head,” Kacey said.

“I know,” Ellie said stoically as she looked straight at Lindsay. “I’m listening.”

“Good,” Jodie said, biting her lip at the awkwardness of the situation and keenly aware that it was due to her actions. “We, umm, we- we had tickets to the concert since the summer, you know that, right?”

“Yes…?” Ellie replied.

“Well, umm, what it- what it is is-“ Jodie stammered.

“I’m sorry,” Lindsay whispered in a barely audible voice, sniffing back tears as she looked Ellie in the eyes.

“I- umm, what?” Ellie asked, her anger quickly deflating.

“I’m sorry,” Lindsay said in a louder, clearer voice. “I’m sorry I assaulted you. I’m sorry I blamed you for what happened to my brother and my- my, umm, dad… I- I’m sorry I was a bitch.” Ellie’s jaw dropped as she looked her one time nemesis in the eyes and saw that her apology was genuine. Not born out of a desire to be accepted by her friends yet again, but out of a genuine feeling of guilt at what she’d done.

“Okay…” Ellie mumbled as she suddenly felt several eyes turn to her, waiting for her to accept the apology.

“I realise that the way I’d acted, I wouldn’t want to be friends with me either,” Lindsay continued. “And it- it’s not like I hate transgendered people, I- I really don’t. I wouldn’t have been at the concert if I did.”

“I was gonna say,” Monique snorted.

“I just-“ Lindsay said, before biting her lip and sniffing back more tears. “I was- I was really hurt by what my- my dad did. I’d always looked up to hi- to, umm, to dad as a role model, and when he- umm, when, you know…”

“Janet was just as hurt by what you did to her,” Ellie mumbled, biting her lip as Lindsay tearfully nodded.

“I know,” the distraught girl whispered. “And I’m sorry about that as well.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologising to there,” Ellie mumbled.

“I know,” Lindsay whispered, shedding more tears as the four other girls intensified their stares at Ellie. The blonde girl’s mind raced as she tried to process the information she’d been bombarded with. She was so used to hating anyone with the surname ‘Cole’ (with one obvious exception), so used to seeing them as irredeemable transphobic monsters that it had genuinely never occurred to her that they might be regretful of their actions. Ellie wanted nothing more than to throw Lindsay’s apology back in her face and make her feel just as small as she’d made Ellie feel when she’d attacked her, but as Ellie looked into her eyes, she could see that Lindsay already did- and Ellie already had enough enemies for her liking.

“…And I accept your apology,” Ellie mumbled, her cheeks turning red as her four other friends all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks,” Lindsay whispered.

“Though I am a little pissed off at you for luring me here like this,” Ellie said to Jodie, who winced and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, sorry,” Jodie grimaced. “It’s just- I- I knew if you knew Lindsay was here, you wouldn’t come, and I knew you’d all be at the concert, and I’m sick of this fight and having to choose between you guys…”

“It’s okay,” Ellie shrugged. “Everything’s out in the open now, so it’s okay.”

“Good,” Jodie said with a tired chuckle. “’Cause I’m looking forward to all of us being friends and-“

“Whoa, wait a minute,” Ellie said. “I said I accepted her apology, I never said anything about ‘friends’.”

“Oh, but-“ Jodie stuttered.

“No, just –no,” Monique scoffed. “Ell’s right, like, it’s good that we ain’t fighting no more but friends? I don’t think so!”

“Oh,” Jodie said, clearly disappointed by her friends’ responses. “I- I just thought that-“

“Isn’t Jamie-Lee Burke always saying ‘you can never have too many friends’?” Lindsay asked, making Ellie’s jaw drop in shock.

“I- I’m not sure what’s most weird,” Ellie snorted, shaking her head. “You quoting Queen Jamie or you actually wanting to be my friend!”

“I’d go for the fact that she’s ever even watched the Angels!” Kacey said with a derisive snort of laughter.

“Are you kidding?” Lindsay asked. “I LOVE the Angels. Watched every episode of it. Got loads of merchandise for my thirteenth birthday. Hell, I even had some 'Teen Angels' stuff, and who remembers them?" I might know a couple of people, Ellie smugly thought to herself. "Though now if I want to watch the show now," Lindsay continued, "I have to do it on my laptop in my room, mum’d go mental if she caught me watching it. Actually made me throw away all my Angels stuff as well when dad, well, you know. Think she actually blames Jamie-Lee Burke herself for what happened, heh.”

“Ugh, my parents are probably the same way,” Ellie spat as she sat down opposite Lindsay. Unbeknownst to both girls, Jodie was standing behind Ellie with a wide grin on her face, while Monique and Kacey watched in shock at the two former enemies talking civilly.

“Want me to get your drinks?” Keira offered, sharing Jodie’s smirk.

“Please,” Ellie said, relaxing into her chair as she listened to tales of Lindsay’s home life, her frustrations with her mother and her brother and her genuine guilt and regret at her actions at the start of Septemberr.

The six girls remained at the late night coffee shop for another hour before heading to the nearby tube station together. During that hour, Ellie and Lindsay had connected in a way the blonde girl hadn’t thought possible. Ellie discovered that she and Lindsay had more in common than either of them expected- in addition to similar tastes in music and TV, they both shared many other similar interests and, much to Ellie’s surprise, similar taste in boys- though the discussion did cause her chest to tighten when she remembered what happened the last time she’d tried to chat up a boy.

Ellie arrived back home just after 11:15pm to find the flat in total darkness and Janet fast asleep in her bed (judging by the loud snoring coming from her bedroom, anyway). Ellie quietly changed into her nightclothes and headed toward bed herself, but not before opening up Facebook on her phone and browsing to a page she’d blocked months ago. A few button presses later, Ellie was faced with the message ‘Add Lindsay Cole as your friend?’, and she paused before pressing ‘send friend request’.

Even though Lindsay had been genuine about wanting to be her friend, Ellie still felt strange about making it ‘official’. Janet would inevitably see that Ellie had a new friend, and while she would be happy for Ellie, the young woman didn’t want to get her guardian’s hopes up that she might reconcile with Lindsay as well. And then there was Lindsay’s family too- her mother and brother would inevitably be ballistic about her making friends with the girl they blamed for Ethan’s criminal record, much like Ellie’s own mother would be if she discovered that her brother regularly communicated with her. And there was no guarantee that Lindsay would accept the friend request, whether that was due to the same worries Ellie had or due to no longer wanting to be Ellie’s friend…

After a long deliberation, Ellie took a deep breath and pressed the button. Even if she didn’t accept the request out of fear of how her family would react, Lindsay would at least be able to see that the request had been sent, and receive further confirmation that Ellie’s acceptance of her apology was genuine.

Ellie was awoken the following morning by the sound of a gentle knock on her bedroom door, causing her to moan tiredly.

“Ellie?” Janet called. “You awake?”

“Ugh, I am now,” Ellie replied, running her fingers through the tangled mess that her hair had become overnight.

“Take it it was a good night, then?” Janet asked.

“The best,” Ellie replied with a grin, before gasping as she remembered the friend request she’d sent the previous night. Ellie hastily checked her phone to discover that while she had plenty of notifications from Facebook- mostly being tagged in photos from the concert, but a few private messages too- but none of them read ‘Lindsay Cole accepted your friend request’.

“You gonna get up and eat breakfast while it’s still morning, then?” Janet asked, giggling even though she couldn’t actually see Ellie roll her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” Ellie sighed as she got out of bed. When she opened the door and looked Janet in the face, though, Ellie briefly paused. She hadn’t noticed it the previous night- or the other times she’d encountered Lindsay- but as she grew more feminine, Janet started to look a lot like her daughter. Ellie wasn’t looking forward to have to lie to Janet’s face about the previous night.

“I’ve seen some of the photos of last night on Facebook,” Janet said, placing a sweet-smelling cup of coffee on the kitchen table in front of Ellie. “Looked like a fun night!”

“It was,” Ellie said. “Can’t wait for the next one, hehe!” Especially as I’ll have more people to go with, Ellie thought to herself.

“I bet,” Janet chuckled. “You gonna hang out with Monique and Kacey today as usual?”

“Umm, yeah,” Ellie replied. “Just, umm, waiting for them to text me.”

“You know, there’s nothing stopping you from texting them,” Janet said.

“Umm, the cost?” Ellie retorted. "Working one day a week in a music shop doesn't exactly pay me millions..."

“You’re texting all of two people,” Janet said with a snort of laughter as Ellie cringed. “Okay, message them on Facebook then, that’s free, right?”

“Umm, I guess,” Ellie said, taking her phone out of her dressing gown pocket and opening Facebook to see that the friend request to Lindsay was still pending. “I- I’ll talk to them after breakfast.”

“That would’ve been my next suggestion,” Janet said, chuckling again as the younger woman rolled her eyes.

After finishing her breakfast, Ellie showered and got dressed in her usual tight top and short skirt combo, before opening up Facebook and sending a message off not just to Monique and Kacey, but to Jodie and Keira as well- the clear implication being that Lindsay was also invited out.

As she approached the coffee shop, Ellie began to feel nervous, even anxious about the prospect of meeting up with Lindsay for the first time ever as friends. Ellie considered the possibility that after having slept on it, Lindsay might not want to be friends after all, and might not show up, or worse, might be luring her into some kind ambush even despite her other friends’ presence.

However, when Ellie saw Lindsay sat at a table happily chatting away with Monique, all of her anxieties melted away. She wasted no time in getting her own drink and sitting down to gossip with her new friend, who greeted her like there had never been any bad blood between the two of them.

“Hey Ell!” Kacey said with a giggle.

“Hey girlies!” Ellie replied. “Soo… What’s the goss?”

“Tuesday,” Jodie answered with a wide, cheeky grin. “You know what day THAT is, right?”

“Umm… The day after Monday?” Ellie answered, frowning as her friends all giggled.

“It’s also the 31st of October?” Keira said. “Aka ‘the biggest party of the year’?”

“Oh- Halloween!” Ellie giggled. “God, must be more tired than I thought, heh!”

“Keira’s parents are out of town next week,” Monique excitedly squeaked. “And you know what that means, right?”

“Especially as Keira’s already said it,” Jodie giggled. “Biggest. Party. Of. The. Year!” Ellie grinned along with her friends at the thought of the party, even as it caused her chest to tighten.

If the thought of getting dressed up and going to a music festival left Ellie feeling ambivalent, the prospect of a Halloween party practically tore her in two. She had a million different ideas for a Halloween costume, some of which were skimpy, some were scary and some were elaborate- but all were girly, gorgeous and would show off her fledgling figure beautifully. However, the party would inevitably be loud, crowded and full of people Ellie didn’t know, and who, more importantly, didn’t know Ellie. Anybody at the party had the potential to be like Ethan Cole- a fact that was driven home from Ellie as she glanced at the face of her newest friend.

“Sou- sounds cool, heh!” Ellie chuckled as she gingerly ran her fingers along the scar on the back of her head.

“Yeah…” Monique grimaced. “Thought this’d be a problem.” Ellie felt her stomach sink and her cheeks redden as her friends turned to face her, and while their faces were all sympathetic, it didn’t stop her from feeling guilty.

“Sorry…” Ellie mumbled.

“No- YOU don’t have anything to apologise for,” Kacey said as she gave the blonde girl a gentle hug and shot a dirty look at Lindsay, whose own cheeks started to redden.

“Wh- what’s up?” Keira asked, confused by the sudden dark mood that had descended over the table.

“Ellie kinda- kinda has a problem in large crowds,” Kacey said gently.

“You seemed alright last night?” Keira asked.

“Yeah, ‘cause there wasn’t anyone there who was gonna smash a bottle over my head for being transgendered,” Ellie snorted, frowning as she saw Lindsay’s face droop further toward the table.

“…Oh,” Jodie mumbled. As Lindsay’s best friend, she was all too aware of the effect Ethan’s conviction had on the Cole family, but was only just learning of the lasting effect it had had on Ellie.

“I’m sorry,” Lindsay mumbled under her breath.

“Nah, you don’t have anything to apologise for either,” Kacey sighed. “Well, nothing you haven’t already apologised for, anyway.”

“Yeah, but-“ Lindsay said, before sighing. “I didn’t realise it was, like, THIS bad…”

“It IS getting better,” Ellie reassured her newest friend. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to the concert yesterday for a while after, well, you know.”

“We have been to a few parties the last few months,” Monique said. “But only, you know, smaller ones…”

“Don’t take that to mean I want you to, you know, make your party small on my account,” Ellie said. “I’d hate that, you know?”

“Oh- I get that,” Keira said. “But, you know, it’s, like, our first party with all six of us, yeah? Like the real Angels or something.”

“Umm, there are ten of them?” Monique retorted. “Felt I should represent them as the only non-white person at the table!”

“…Well then we’ll just have to make more friends, won’t we?” Keira said, earning giggles from all of the girls at the table- or rather, all but one. “And it’s okay if you don’t feel up for coming on Tuesday, Ellie. It’s not your fault if you still feel shitty.”

“Though I’d really like it if you could come,” Lindsay said, making Ellie sigh.

“I’d like that too,” Ellie said with a smile. “I- I’ll see how I am by Tuesday, okay?”

“Sure,” Keira shrugged.

“And we’ll keep an eye on you, make sure you don’t- well, you know…” Kacey mumbled, making Ellie bit her lip and blush- though to the blonde girl’s surprise, it was Lindsay who looked more ashamed than she did.

“I’ll make sure of it too,” Lindsay said. “Feel I owe you that much after everything my family’s done to you.” Ellie smiled as her and Lindsay’s friends all nodded, though she felt the urgent need to correct her new friend over what she’d said.

“…Not EVERY member of your family,” Ellie whispered, frowning as a dark look fell over Lindsay’s face. “Janet’s been more of a mother to me the last few months-“

“Don’t- don’t say that,” Lindsay growled, before sighing as she received five judgemental stares. “Can we change the topic, please?”

“I’m still going to have to go back home to Janet when I leave here,” Ellie said, frowning as Lindsay winced at the use of her father’s new name.

“I- I’m just not ready to deal with this yet,” Lindsay mumbled.

“You said the same thing about Ellie yesterday,” Jodie reminded her friend. "And you've been going to her Tesco, haven't you?"

"...Maybe," Lindsay mumbled.

"And you'll have to talk to her eventually," Keira said, making her friend's face screw up in frustration.

“I know, I know,” Lindsay moaned. “Just- we went to an awesome concert last night and we’re going to an awesome Halloween party on Tuesday, can we try talking about that, please?”

“Okay,” Jodie said as Ellie tried her hardest not to frown at what she perceived as a callous snub of the woman who had supported her for the last year- and who had raised Lindsay herself for the fifteen years prior to that.

As had been promised to Lindsay, the rest of the afternoon was spent talking about the concert, the party and numerous other topics- but not about Janet. Nonetheless, Ellie was able to relax and have fun with her friends, and she was forced to admit to herself that she’d had more fun than she’d had in a long time, even though all they were doing was sitting around a table gossiping.

Before the girls left the café, they big each other farewell with a round of hugs, though Ellie and Lindsay’s hug was accompanied by an awkward glance between the two of them. Still though, promises were made to meet up again the following day before the six of them returned to college the day after. As Ellie headed back home, though, she couldn’t help but feel frustrated at her new friend’s attitude toward her guardian- and guilty at the fact that she’d have to lie to Janet’s face about what she was doing that afternoon.

“Evening,” Janet said as Ellie walked through the front door of the flat and dropped her bag on the sofa, swiftly followed by her tired body. “Fun day, then?”

“Yeah,” Ellie said with a smile. “What’s for dinner?”

“I had an enjoyable day too, thanks for asking,” Janet replied, chuckling as Ellie rolled her eyes. “I’ve ordered a Chinese online, hope you’re hungry?”

“Yeah,” Ellie shrugged, getting her phone out of her bag and immersing herself in Facebook as Janet rummaged around the kitchen for plates and cutlery. A few minutes later, a knock came from the front door.

“That was quick,” Janet mused. “Can you get that?”

“Sure,” Ellie sighed as she put her phone down and got up from the sofa. When she opened the door, however, Ellie gasped as she was greeted by someone very different to the delivery man she was expecting.

“H- hi,” Lindsay said, almost hyperventilating with nerves.

“Hi,” Ellie replied, her own anxiety levels quickly rising.

“Is it the delivery man?” Janet asked from the kitchen.

“J- Janet…” Ellie stammered as she led Lindsay into the small flat.

“What is i-“ Janet asked as she entered the small living room, before gasping in shock at the sight of her daughter in her flat- and at the smile on her face. It may have been a shy, nervous smile, but it was still a smile nonetheless, and to Janet, it was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

“H- hi… Dad,” Lindsay said, waving nervously.

Janet stood still for what felt like an eternity as she looked deep into Lindsay’s face. It was a face she had seen countless times in her previous life as ‘John’, and while she’d only physically seen it a handful of times since becoming ‘Janet’, it was a face she kept in her mind and her heart wherever she went. Janet had resigned herself to the fact that she would never see Lindsay’s face in the flesh again, so when she saw her standing there- looking happy to see her, no less- there was only one thing Janet could do.

“Oh my god!” Janet squeaked, tears flowing freely from her eyes as she opened her arms wide for a hug, which Lindsay was only too happy to receive.

“I- I’ve missed you so much,” Lindsay blubbed.

“Not as much as I’ve missed you,” Janet whispered.

Janet and Lindsay stayed in each other’s arms for several minutes, not talking but simply enjoying the fact that they were once again in each other’s lives. They would have happily stood there for hours if not for the arrival of the delivery man with Janet and Ellie’s meal, which they were only too happy to share with Lindsay.

“I’m guessing you have a million questions,” Janet said as she dished up Lindsay's dinner for her, just as she had done hundreds of times in the past.

"More like a billion," Lindsay sighed. "I- I'm really going to struggle to get used to- well, you know, 'this'. I mean, you're my dad, but you know, you've changed?"

"Yes, I've changed," Janet said. "But me being your dad is one thing that hasn't changed and never will, I want you to believe that."

"Is that the same for Ethan?" Lindsay whispered, making both Janet and Ellie frown.

"...Yes," Janet replied. "He made a mistake. A massive, criminal mistake that he is paying for. But he's still my son, and I still love him. Even if it's obvious that he doesn't love me anymore." Janet blinked back a tear as she remembered that while she may be celebrating a victory, she still had a long, long way to go. "What are you even doing here, anyway? Does your mother know you're here?"

"God no!" Lindsay snorted. "She'd, like, have a stroke or something if she found out I'd come over here. She thinks I'm having dinner with Jodie, who's covering for me."

"You and Jodie are still friends, then?" Janet asked. "I always did like her."

"Mmm," Lindsay replied. "We go to- ah, umm, we go to the same college..."

"...I did hear what happened on your first day at college," Janet said, exchanging a glance with Ellie, who quickly pointed her reddening face at the floor.

"Yeah, I've kinda done some thinking since then," Lindsay mumbled. "We had tickets to the concert yesterday, Jodie told me Ellie'd be there, I wanted to, you know, bury the hatchet, that sorta thing."

"So- so you two are friends now?" Janet asked.

"...Getting there," Ellie said, sharing a tired giggle with her newest friend.

"I was really worried at first that I wouldn't be accepted," Lindsay said. "Then I realised that this is probably what girls like you have to go through every day, heh. And I do want to be accepted."

"You- you genuinely don't know how happy that makes me," Janet sighed.

"I don't want to end up like Ethan," Lindsay said. "He- he's so, you know, overwhelmed by anger... I thought I had to be too, you know, to support him 'cause he's my family, but you're family too, you know? And I know you can't help being who you want- who you really are inside."

"Thanks," Janet whispered. "...Eat up, your food's getting cold."

"Some things haven't changed, then," Lindsay said, making Janet smile happily as the three women ate their food.

Lindsay remained at the flat for another hour and a half, asking questions about Janet's transition and answering questions about the home that Janet had been forced to leave. Janet made sure to absorb every second of the visit, committing it to memory as though it was the last time she would ever see Lindsay, though as the 16 year old girl prepared to leave, she promised that she would return when she had the chance, even if it did mean sneaking behind her mother's back. Before she left, Lindsay took a deep breath and asked the one question she hadn't dared to ask her parent throughout her visit.

"So, umm," Lindsay said as she pulled her coat on. "How- what- umm, what do I, you know, call you? Like, is 'dad' misgendering you or something, or is 'mum' too weird, or 'Janet' too-"

"You call me whatever you want," Janet said, giving her daughter a gentle hug. "Though- though I would prefer 'dad'. I've stopped being a man, but I've not stopped being your dad."

"Okay... Dad," Ellie giggled.

"And before you go," Janet said, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, "there's just one more thing. Wait right there."

"Oh- umm, okay..." Lindsay said, before frowning in confusion as Janet returned seconds later with a brightly-wrapped package in her hands.

"I bought this last December," Janet whispered. "I- I really never thought I'd get the chance to give it to you. Merry Christmas. And, umm, happy birthday, I guess. Sixteen's kinda an important age, so I, you know, got you something anyway."

"Oh- dad..." Lindsay said as she tore open the packaging, revealing a small fabric-covered box. Lindsay carefully opened the box, and tears fell from her eyes as she saw its contents.

Inside the box was a dainty silver chain, attached to which was a small circular pendant bearing the inscription 'to my amazing daughter, who I will love forever'.

"I get that you probably can't wear it home," Janet mumbled. "It'd raise too many questions, and-" Janet yelped as her daughter surprised her with a sudden, tight hug.

"Thank you," Lindsay whispered.

"No, thank you," Janet whispered as she reluctantly let Lindsay go, waving goodbye as she shut the front door after her. "And thank you, Ellie."

"I didn't really do anything," Ellie mumbled.

"I wouldn't say 'nothing'," Janet said with a chuckle. "You didn't have to forgive Ellie, but you did, and now thanks to that, I've got my daughter back. You don't know just how big a gift that is."

"I can kinda guess," Ellie said. "I didn't have a brother for a while, remember?"

"I suppose," Janet said. "And I don't want you to think that because Lindsay’s now in my life that I'm going to, well, neglect you or anything."

"I honestly wouldn't blame you if you did," Ellie sighed as she flopped back down onto the sofa.

"Well I'd blame myself," Janet said. "Especially after what you did. So thank you again."

"Thanks," Ellie whispered. "Oh, and, umm, I'll be- I'll be kinda going to a party on Tuesday night, you know, for Halloween..."

"Will Lindsay be there?" Janet asked.

"Yep," Ellie replied with a grin.

"...Just as long as you don't stay out TOO late," Janet said with a giggle.

"Will do," Ellie said, before grinning. "...Mum." Janet smiled at the unconventional compliment as she tidied away the dishes.

For months, Janet had thought of herself as a failure of a parent, alienating her children to the point where neither of them wanted anything to do with her. Lindsay's appearance at her flat had changed all that. For the first time in a long while, Janet not only felt confident, but actually looked forward to what the future would bring. She even dared to dream that a reconciliation with her son and her ex-wife wasn't impossible- though she would happily settle for contact with her daughter for the time being.

Ellie went to the Halloween party with her five friends, having hung out with them at college during the day, and while she felt anxious due to the number of people at the party, the fact that she was among friends meant she could relax and have fun- and the fact that she was catching the eye of many of the boys in her skimpy costume did nothing to damage her confidence either.

Both Janet and Ellie knew that for all their reasons to celebrate, they still had a long way to go and many more obstacles to overcome en route to the life they desired. But for the first time in a long while, they felt prepared to face the challenges head on, and overcome anything that life put in their way. They were women, and slowly, but surely, the world was getting used to that idea.