There was a knock on the door shortly after Claire left.

With a sigh, I got up and went to the door. Opening it I saw Hannah. My heart flipped for some reason.

‘Hi,’ I said in a small voice.

‘Hello Emma, can I come in?’

‘Of course.’

We went into the kitchen. I offered her a coke and I joined her. We sat at the kitchen table.

‘Look Emma, I’m sorry if we upset you. The twins aren’t subtle if you know what I mean and I wasn’t much help either. I hate to see you upset.’

I sighed. I was doing a lot of that lately.

‘Has your mum said anything to you?’

‘Only that you wanted to talk to me.’

‘Here goes,’ I thought.

‘Look there’s something you need to know about me.’

‘What? Are you ill or something? You nearly fainted down by the quay.’

‘No, I had a bit of a panic attack.’

‘Why, was it the things we were saying?’

‘No, yes, oh this is so difficult. Look, I’m a girl, yes?’

‘Of course…’

I rubbed my forehead. The next few minutes could be difficult.

‘Well, I’m not.’

‘Not?’

‘No, not officially anyway. You see, I was born a boy…’

I won’t repeat my explanation, you have heard it more than once and I don’t want you to get bored.

All the time, Hannah was sipping her coke, nibbling on a hobnob distractedly and saying absolutely nothing. It was all a bit off-putting.

‘So there you have it. I told your mum, and she was very nice about it. I realised if we are to be friends, I couldn’t hide it from you. If I’m accepted at the college, the secret will probably get out anyway. If you don’t want to know me, I understand…’

She frowned.

‘Why wouldn’t I like, want to know you?’

‘Well, you might think that I’m a pretend girl or not the right sort of friend to have. A sham or sick joke…’

There go the tears again. What was it with me and tearing up?

She put her warm hand on mine. It felt nice, very nice.

‘Stop crying.’

‘I can’t, damned blockers. I’m all over the place.’

‘What blockers do you mean?’

‘I’m on tablets. They’re supposed to be blockers to stop me growing any more manly, but I have a feeling that they have other things in them.’

‘Your doctor wouldn’t prescribe pills that were dangerous.’

I looked up.

‘I got them off the internet.’

She winced.

‘Not a good idea. You hear stories…’

‘I was desperate. My doctor wouldn’t help me or my parents. I saw what puberty did to my brother, a hairy testosterone muscle man with acne and an attitude and I didn’t want to turn into anything like him.’

‘Even so.’

‘I’m seeing a doctor on Monday. Your mum said that she will go with me.’

‘Good, oh Mum told me we are related, some sort of cousin or something, that’s cool.’

‘Yes, that is cool.’

She took another sip of her drink.

‘So,’ I continued.

‘So, what?’ she replied.

‘What do you think?’

This was like extracting teeth, not pleasant.

‘Oh about you being a girl? Well, it would be obvious to a blind bat that you are a girl. Blimey, your more girlie than a lot of the ones at college.’

I felt a bit of relief.

‘So we can be friends?’

‘Of course. Look, as this is giving up your secrets time, you need to know that I’m gay, you know, a fully-fledged lesbian. Not a lot of people know that, only the ones that I care about and care about me.’

‘How long have you known?’

‘Long enough. When I was a little girl, it didn’t matter much, but as I got older it gradually crept up on me that boys were not my thing but girls were. I had a crush on a girl a year older than me. I kind of knew that she was like me. We went out for a bit and then she found someone else. Good thing really as she was a bit possessive and controlling. We always had to do what she wanted to do and she hated me even looking at other girls. She even told me what to like, wear. Since then, I have not been seeing anyone. I suppose that you like boys?’

‘No, not really.’ I said quietly. ‘I don’t have much of a sex drive. I suppose it has something to do with the pills I’m taking. Although, it’s funny.’

‘What?’

I noticed that she was still holding my hand.

‘I...I think I like girls more and when I first saw you, my tummy sort of flipped and my heart went nineteen to the dozen. You know what I mean?’

She nodded.

I said nothing. I hoped that I hadn’t put her off me by saying these things.

After a moment

‘Erm, I kind of know how you feel. I think I feel the same.’

I looked into her eyes, her pretty eyes.

‘I know that this a bit quick,’ she said, looking suddenly nervous, ‘and you have a few problems, but do you fancy going out to the pictures or something else sometime? You may not want to and I won’t be offended if you don’t want to. You hardly know me and…’

‘Yes.’

‘Yes, what?’

‘I would love to go out with you. As long as you know that I’m not a boy but have a few boy bits that I will get rid of as soon as I can.’

‘You’re no boy. I have this sixth sense that means I can tell boys from girls and no way are you a boy! There is a way that I can confirm that, if you want me to like, try.’

‘OK,’ I replied, somewhat puzzled.

‘Can you stand up?’

Regretfully, I let go of her hand and stood up.

‘Shut your eyes, I promise that nothing bad will happen.’

I did as I was told, a bit worried as to what might happen, but somehow trusting her, nevertheless.

I jumped slightly as she held both my hands and then she kissed me gently on the lips.

The kiss seemed to last forever and I was holding my breath. I had never felt like that before. It was heavenly.

Eventually, our lips parted. And I opened my eyes.

She was smiling.

‘Yup,’ she whispered, ‘there’s no doubt about it you’re a girl. A girl that I like very much.’

I was breathing slightly heavily and so was she. She also looked flushed and I bet I did too.

‘Erm, I’m not sure about all this. I need convincing. Can you do that again?’

She smiled.

‘No problem.’

‘This is silly, we’ve known each other for five minutes. How can we feel like this?’ I asked.

We were sitting outside on the bench overlooking my wonderful back garden and the sea beyond.

We were holding hands and I had my head nestled on Hannah’s shoulder. It was nice, very nice.

‘I don’t know, I’m as surprised as you are.’

‘We have to be sensible.’

She sighed.

‘I know, we need to get to know a lot more about each other before we really commit.’

‘Still, ‘I said, ‘there’s nothing wrong with being girlfriends.’

‘Mmm, close girlfriends,’

We kissed, one of those toe-curling ones, we opened our mouths and our tongues…

‘Very close girlfriends.’ I said breathlessly afterwards.

We giggled.

Soon after, Hannah had to go home as it was now getting a bit late. She wanted me to go home with her so that I didn’t have to spend my first night alone, but I decided that I wanted to spend the night in my new cottage, just to get used to things. I promised that if I had any problems. I would contact her. We had each other’s numbers, so that wasn’t a problem.

After a very protracted goodbye, she reluctantly left. Leaving me feeling that I now wished to have taken up her offer of going back with her.

I wasn’t very hungry, having eaten a good portion of fish and chips before I had thrown a wobbly and rushed off home.

It was starting to get dark outside, so I drew all the curtains and made sure that everywhere was locked.

I was tired; it had been a long and quite stressful day. I decided to have an early night.

I went upstairs to my bedroom and got ready for bed. Luckily I had already removed my makeup, so that was one chore I didn’t need to do. I had a shower, as I felt a bit grubby. As the water cascaded down my body, I thought that my breasts seemed to be growing a little bit and they were a little bit itchy and sensitive as the water hit them. My tummy and hated boy bits still ached slightly, but I felt a lot better than earlier.

After drying myself off, I had worn a shower hat so my hair was dry, I put on my nightie and went downstairs. I did not need a robe, even if I had one, as it was quite warm still.

I made myself some hot cocoa, turned the lights off and went to bed.

It was nice and cosy in the bed and I wondered how often Grandma had slept there. It was comforting to know that I was in her bed and it was almost like she was with me.

My phone pinged.

I picked it up. There was a message from Hannah.

Missing you already.

Missing you too!

Hang out tomorrow?

Of course. Have you told your mum?

About us?

Yes

I have. I couldn’t hide it as I think that I was a bit flushed for some reason. Mum has this sort of weird radar thing. She knew virtually straight away.

Is she OK about us?

She’s cool but said don’t rush into anything.

Like what?

Mad passionate lovemaking maybe?

LOL seems like a good idea but maybe wait a bit.

Agreed, but I don’t want to hurry things and I don’t think you do.

It’s terrible being sensible.

Tell me about it. Now, I’m knackered so I’m going to sleep.

Me too, not too early tomorrow, I need my beauty sleep. Night Hannah.

Night Emma, love you, xxxx

Me too you, xxxx

We both said the “L” word. Was it too soon? Somehow I didn’t think so. It all seemed so natural. Only time would tell how things would pan out.

Before I went to sleep, I powered up my laptop, went to the college website and filled out the entry assessment forms, it took longer than I thought, but finally, I finished and sent the details off. Only time would tell if they would have me. Were they funny about having a pupil like me, transgendered with a lot of issues? I would find out on Monday.

I must have been tired as I had a lovely sleep and didn’t wake up until 8.30, I was normally an early riser. I only woke up because I heard some church bells chiming in the distance and the seagulls were doing Riverdance on the roof.

I yawned, scratched an itchy breast absentmindedly, stretched and got up.

I didn’t bother with a shower as I had one the previous night. I did the usual things you do when getting up and then came the tricky problem of what to wear.

I took one look at the wardrobe and decided that I needed food before making any important decisions.

I did text Hannah for advice as she had been doing this sort of thing all her life.

Hi Hon,
Don’t know what to wear. Depends on what we are doing. Having breakfast now. Can you come over and help me after?
Love Emma xxxx

I went downstairs, put some bread in the toaster and made a mug of tea.

My feet were a bit cold on the tiles so I rushed upstairs and put on some fluffy socks that I bought on a whim at Primark. I also slipped on a cardi. I needed to get myself a robe or dressing gown and probably bunny rabbit slippers, don’t judge me. I could imagine that it would get cold in the winter in the old cottage with thick, solid walls.

When I came down again, the toaster had popped up and the tea was ready.

I was soon sitting eating my liberally buttered toast.

My mobile pinged.

Glad you got up at last!
I’ll be over at 10
Love Hannah xxxx

I looked at my watch, 9 o’clock, I finished my breakfast, washed the plate and mug and then went up to clean my teeth.

I quickly put on my face, which didn’t take too long as I was quite good at makeup thanks to the forums, TikTok and YouTube and I had practised time and time again in my bedroom when no one was about.

I brushed my hair and looking at it reflectively, I realised that I need to have a proper cut, it looked a bit too boyish for my liking.

I looked at my blocker pills and shook my head. A promise was a promise. I did take a few paracetamols though.

I was just about finished when I heard the door knocker.

I went downstairs and opened the door and there she was, Hannah.

She was wearing a white top and a pale blue short skirt. She looked lovely.

She looked at me and smiled.

‘Hello gorgeous, love the nightie.’ she said and then we got up close and personal and we kissed and hugged, probably shocking a few seagulls sitting on the wall outside.

Her hand brushed against my breast and a tremor ran through me.

'Ooh!'

'Sorry.'

'Don't be sorry!

We both giggled.

I could get used to this sort of affection!

‘Right,' said Hannah, all business, 'show me your wardrobe.’

'Yes Miss!'

'Cheek!'

Giggling, she chased me upstairs and in no time most of the clothes that I had were on the bed.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘Not that much here to choose from. We’ll have to go into Penzance soon and do some emergency clothes shopping. Anyway, anything you fancy wearing?’

‘Is it hot out?’

‘Getting that way.’

I fancied a dress that day. I picked up one.

‘Nope, too dark.’

I picked out another.

‘Nope, too old for you. What about that one?

She pointed to a yellow strappy sundress.

I hadn’t worn it yet. I held it up in front of me and looked in the mirror.

It looked nice.

‘Okay, I’ll wear that one. Do you want to go downstairs and make us a cup of tea?’

She looked at me and smiled.

‘See you in a minute.’ She said, kissing my cheek and then she left me to get dressed.

I didn’t want her to see my body. There were parts of it that I hated and was very self-conscious about. I fully intended to go the whole way and remove my boy bits and have functioning girl bits as soon as I possibly could!

I remember when I was much younger, looking at the garden shears and wondering if I could…

No, I shuddered at that thought. I wasn’t going there.

I looked in the mirror once I had put on my dress and I liked what I saw. Using tight panties, I had been able to hide my tell-tale bulge and it all looked kind of natural.

One problem was that my bra straps were showing. If I wore that sort of dress often, I would have to get a strapless bra. More expense! Still, for now, I would live with bra straps showing. It wasn’t the end of the world.

I went downstairs and found Hannah outside on the terrace, sitting on the bench. I joined her.

‘You look nice,’ she said.

‘So do you. Have you any plans for today?’

‘Not really. It all kicks off tomorrow what with seeing the doctor and trying to get into the college.’

She thought for a moment.

‘You know that you are desperately in need of clothes?’

‘Yes,’ I sighed. ‘I’ve done my best, but I haven’t had the opportunity to do much.’

She touched my hand.

‘I know it’s been tough, but what you have, sorry to tell you this, isn’t much good. You haven’t had a style consultant like me to advise you.’

‘So you’re a style consultant are you?’

‘Of course, I have been dressing like a girl all my life and have been in every good shop in Cornwall, so I know my stuff.’

‘What are you driving at Hannah?’

‘It’s Sunday, so the shops in Penzance are open until 4 pm. Let me sweet talk Mum into taking us there. Buses are crap around here. If you haven’t got a car, you are flummoxed as Dad says. You have some money?’

‘Yes, I have some cash that I could spend as long as I don’t go too mad. I have a cottage and living expenses to account for though.’

‘Hark at you, the property owner! So, do you want to go into Penzance?’

‘OK, if we can cadge a lift.’

‘Let’s go to mine and ask Mum. Grab your shoes and bag. At least we don’t need coats, it’s going to be a scorcher today.’

I locked up everywhere and we were soon going next door to Hannah's house.

Claire was in the kitchen and she looked up as we walked in.

‘Hello girls, what are you up to?’

‘Mum, can you do us a favour?’

‘Probably not, why?’

‘Don’t be like that. I’ve just seen Emma’s clothes and she is in crisis.’

‘What?’

‘She has nothing to wear…’

‘I have,’ I protested.

‘Yes, but not much. We’ve had that discussion, like, already. We need to go into Penzance and you know what the buses are like, especially on Sundays.’

‘You want a lift?’

‘Please.’

‘And what about Sunday dinner?’

‘I’ll give it a miss if that’s alright.’

‘And I suppose you’ll want picking up again?’

‘Thanks for offering Mummy, you’re the greatest.’

‘I didn’t offer anything and don’t “Mummy” me. You might be able to wrap your father around your little finger but I’m made of stronger stuff.’

‘Of course, you are, but could you?’

‘What?’

‘Give us a lift there and back? We’ll eat out and you know that Emma has to go to College and she needs to look nice and then there are the doctors and…’

‘STOP!’

Hannah stopped.

‘Emma?’

‘Yes Claire?’

‘You don’t have to do what Hannah says, you do know that?’

‘I do know, but she’s right, I do need some things.’

I was holding Hannah’s hand without realising it.

Claire looked at us and sighed.

‘I can see that you two are definitely an item and metaphorically joined at the hip. I suppose that means that I have to look out for both of you now, especially you Emma as you are sort of home alone now. Alright, give me five minutes and then I’ll be ready.’

She left us alone in the kitchen and Hannah and I took the opportunity to have a quick kiss and cuddle…

‘Hello, what’s going on here then?’

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned around.

A man stood there; he was big, very big. He had on a scruffy pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had seen many better days.

‘Hello Dad, this is Emma.’

He looked at me and smiled.

‘So you are the famed Emma. Hannah can’t stop talking about you.’

Hannah blushed to her roots.

He had a kind face and I liked him instinctively.

In the back of my mind, there was a slight amount of jealousy. Why couldn’t my parents be like Hannah’s?

‘Hello,’ I said shyly.

‘So,’ he said taking a seat at the kitchen table, ‘what are you two up to today?’

‘Going into Penzance.’

‘To spend money?’

‘Sort of, Emma needs some clothes.’

‘I thought all girls needed to buy clothes whenever they went anywhere near a clothes shop.’

‘Are talking about little me?’

‘If the cap fits.’

‘That’s very sexist and judgemental Daddy.’

‘Just the truth. And calling me Daddy doesn’t mean that you can squeeze money out of me.’

‘I’m hurt,’ said Hannah, feigning innocence.

Just then Claire came in.

‘Right, are you ready?’

Hannah nodded.

Her Dad shook his head and sighed.

‘Use the debit card we gave you, but don’t go mad. Money doesn’t grow on trees.’

‘Doesn’t it? I never knew. Anyway, thank you Daddykins!’

She gave her father a kiss and a cuddle.

‘Go away before I change my mind. Nice to see you Emma.’

I smiled and we left to go to Penzance.

It was much quicker getting to Penzance by car than by bus even if you could get one on a Sunday.

Soon, Claire stopped the car and we got out.

‘Phone me and I’ll pick you up at the car park when you are ready, not too late. Don’t forget college tomorrow Hannah and you have things to do too Emma.’

‘Ok, thanks for giving us a lift Claire,’ I said.

‘Why can’t you be that polite Hannah?’

‘I am… erm sometimes. Anyway, bye Mum, see you later.’

With that, Claire was gone and I was left to the tender mercies of Hannah.

‘Right,’ said Hannah, rubbing her hands together, ‘let’s do it!’

Penzance isn’t a city, it’s a town. It hasn’t got as many shops as some places, but it’s not too bad for shopping. You get more local retailers than some of the bigger names, but there was more than enough for me. I never really liked shopping, but this was a kind of different experience for me.

Hannah was on a mission to get me to try on and buy as many clothes and accessories as possible. First though, she was insisting on my having to do the one thing that I dreaded.

Ever since I was interested in being the bestest girl I could be, I had wanted to have my ears pierced and wear lovely earrings. Some boys have one ear piercing but I wasn’t interested in that, I wanted to have the set.

Problem is that I’m terrified of needles.

I had spoken to Hannah about this and she said that I was being a baby and it doesn’t hurt a bit. She made it her mission to get me to do the necessary.

She knew a place in Penzance called Claire’s. they were the best, according to her and kicking and screaming, I found myself in there. Alright, that’s an exaggeration, I was so scared though, I nearly wet myself. I was shaking so much that if I had a glass of milk in my hand, it would have been turned into a milkshake.

Tanya had a white coat on and looked very medicalified, if that’s a word.

She was full of enthusiasm and sales patter.

‘Emma, you’re very late to have your ears pierced?.’

‘My parents wouldn’t let me.’

‘What a shame. Never mind love, you’ll love them. Now we don’t charge you for the piercing as long as you purchase our kit. Would you like to do that?’

I looked at Hannah who nodded her head enthusiastically. She was enjoying my discomfort just a bit too much.

I might have words later.

‘OK.’ I replied, my voice quavering slightly.

Tanya showed me several sets of earrings for me to choose and in the end, with Hannah’s input, I chose the 9ct Gold Rhodium Plated 3mm Crystal Studs Ear Piercing Kit with After Care Lotion, according to the blurb.

To me, they were just the prettiest!

Tanya had me sit on a stool and explained what was going to happen. She put a dot on each ear using a marker and then with a mirror, confirmed that was where I wanted them. I just nodded, having lost the power of speech.

She then started chatting about this, that and the other, but once again, it was going over my head and I didn’t take much of it in. I had second third and fourth thoughts about having someone shoot an arrow through my ears, but in the end, I just closed my eyes and let her get on with it.

Hannah held my hand and I think that it was something of a death grip as she yelled more than I did!

You might think that I was being a bit of a baby, but that’s your problem, not mine.

Anyway, she swabbed my ears with something cool and then I felt something grip my earlobe. There was a bang and I jumped a bit.

‘That’s one done, now the other.’

My other ear was gripped and there was another bang and it was done.

Did it hurt? A little bit, but I think the fear of what was coming made it worse. Yes, my ears ached a bit afterwards but apart from a couple of sharp pricks, it was all over.

I let go of Hannah’s hand and she flexed it, wincing slightly for some reason.

So it was all over. I didn’t know what the fuss was about, it wasn’t that bad. I had a medical lesson about keeping things clean and that was it. I had some lovely Crystal earrings that looked fabulous.

My ears were throbbing a bit as we carried on shopping, but I’m a big girl and I could take the pain. Any available mirrors in shops were furtively glanced at, as I admired my brand-new sparkling earrings. I’m not vain but I did like what I saw. Having earrings was one of my big wishes and now I had them made me feel a tiny bit smug.

That evening, looking back at the day, I lost count of the number of shops we went into and the number of clothes I tried on.

Dresses, skirts, tops, coats and countless shoes were tried on and I bought plenty of things including some very pretty undies and looking at all the bags, I wondered how we were able to carry so much stuff.

Hannah also gave her debit card a good workout and I didn’t want to be there when her parents saw the bank statement!

While we were out, we went into Boots and I bought several makeup items. There was a lady there, who claimed that she was a bit of an expert, and she convinced me that I needed better makeup than I already had. This didn’t surprise me as I had bought all my makeup from the internet and I hadn’t really got a clue.

I evidently had what was technically called combination skin, which sounded a bit alarming but wasn’t that unusual according to Claudia, the makeup guru.

So I was persuaded by Claudia, with the assistance of an enthusiastic Hannah, to buy everything needed for “the perfect face”.

In my opinion, my face wasn’t anything like perfect, but it all sounded nice and persuasive so I just went with the flow.

You would have thought, being so young with nice clear skin, that I wouldn’t need much in the way of cosmetics, but evidently, what I had to have was the works. Foundation, blush, eyeliner and shadow, mascara, lip gloss, the items seemed endless, but I got out of there eventually with yet another bag of goodies.

You might think that I wasn’t enjoying myself, but I was. This was my first truly girlie shopping experience and I loved it!

Whilst in Penzance we had lunch at McD’s it was nice and cheap. A good thing, as I had made a considerable dent in my savings. It was nice to be treated as a normal girl. No one screamed fake at me or questioned who or what I was. I even had a spotty youth serving me in McDonald’s trying to chat me up, which helped me with my confidence. I don’t think that Hannah approved though!

We were eventually picked up by Claire and her eyes grew wide when she realised how many bags we had. She admired my ears and reminded me to keep things clean, otherwise, I might get an infection.

Charming!

That night, as I lay in bed, I smiled. It had been a good day and very enjoyable. I was wearing my new cream satin jimjams and feeling almost glamorous.

I felt my ears and turned my earrings like a good little girl. I was determined to look after my ears and I would follow the directions religiously. There was only a little niggly pain now, but that was worth it.

It had taken ages to put my new clothes and shoes away, even with the help of Hannah, who had me try on everything, just in case.

Reluctantly, she went home after a protracted lip wrestling session. Eventually, we would no doubt get a bit more intimate, as they say, but for the moment, we were happy with things as they were. We were still feeling our way and didn’t want to get too silly.

I hate being sensible!

As I lay in bed, I flicked through a teen mag bought that day and looked at the letters page. There were so many girls with problems, like love life, parent problems, spots and hormones. I think that I was lucky as I was healthy and happy enough.

I smiled at my recollection of the day. It had been wonderful. When I was much younger and pretending to be a boy, I had been forced to go shopping with my mother and sister and had been dragged into clothes shops against my will. Anne, my sister, tried on countless dresses, tops skirts and all manner of goodies and I was forced to watch the proceedings, yearning to be in her position and I was so jealous.

I turned over the page and saw an incredibly pretty girl wearing a dress that I would die for and I sighed, wishing that I could look half as nice as her.

I yawned and put the magazine down.

Then I remembered what was going to happen the next day. I had to see a doctor and arrange my education. For some reason, I started crying. What was going on? One minute I was happy and the next minute all unhappy and depressed.

My groin area ached a bit and I rubbed it. It was probably nerves. I went into the bathroom and took a couple of paracetamols. They usually helped. After that, I jumped back into bed and settled down a bit.

As I lay there, I wondered for the umpteenth time what would happen the next day. I had stopped taking my blockers, a promise made to Claire. She told me to take the pills with me when I went to see Doctor Sullivan. I wasn’t looking forward to that, but if I was to transition, I would have to have the support of a doctor. I just hoped that she wouldn’t be like my old doctor and tell me that it was a phase and I would grow out of it.

Then there was the college, would they accept me as a girl? I would have to tell them of my circumstances.

It was all too much to think of. I would just have to wait and see.

I yawned. It had been a long day and I needed my beauty sleep. Turning off the bedside lamp, it didn’t take long for me to go off.

My phone alarm went off at 8.00.

For a moment, I didn’t realise where I was and then I remembered and smiled.

I was in my cottage, yes mine!

I was able to live the life I wanted to. No more pretending to be a boy. No more unhappy home life with a family that didn’t love me. I had found more love in the last few days than I had ever had in my life apart from Grandma, of course.

I stretched and got up, distractedly scratching my bottom in a ladylike manner. I had things to do. Claire was going to pick me up at 9.30.

I had a quick shower including washing my hair, I dried myself off and put a brush through my hair. It was getting a bit longer but I wanted it to grow out a bit more. I would have to go to a salon in Penzance to have a proper cut soon. I could make my hair look as girlie as possible, but it could certainly do with some professional help.

I went downstairs and had some toast washed down with a mug of tea. Then went upstairs to get ready for the day ahead.

What to wear? I could ask Hannah, but she was going to be busy getting ready for college herself if she hadn’t gone already. I would have to go it alone. Looking out of the window, I saw that it was another fine cloudless day, but this was Cornwall, so anything could happen. Looking at my phone, the app said that it was going to be fine and hot and zero chance of rain.

I put on my bra and tight panties to tuck my hated boy bits away. Then, after a lot of thought, I decided to keep things simple with a pale blue silky top and a short, mid-thigh, white skirt. I wore trainer socks to go with my new pink-laced trainers.

It only took a few minutes to apply my makeup, as I didn’t want to overdo it. I loved the way that the makeup brought my face to life but I hated the way some girls cake it on with a trowel! That was not for me; keep it simple. The new makeup was much better than the internet-bought products that I had before.

I looked at myself critically in the full-length mirror on my wardrobe door and smiled. I looked nice. Then I frowned, I wasn’t getting above myself, was I? Maybe I thought I looked pretty but perhaps others might not think the same.

I shrugged. I had enough to worry about without self-doubt about my looks. I fingered my earrings and twisted them. I still loved them but looked forward to the time when I could wear something large, maybe hoops?

Finally, after spritzing myself with perfume, I put on my Pandora silver bracelet, necklace and watch and I was ready.

While I remembered and before doing anything else, I phoned my old school and spoke to the secretary.

‘Hello Mrs James, This is erm, Chris Latham, just to let you know that I’ve moved and won’t be returning to school.

‘Oh, right, where have you moved to?’

‘Cornwall.’

‘This is all a bit sudden. Will you be enrolling in a school there?’

‘Yes, I’m trying for places there. My new college will probably want school records from you.’

‘OK, get them to contact me. Good luck in your new college.’

‘Thanks, bye.

‘Goodbye.’

It was as easy as that!

Looking at the watch, I realised that I only had five minutes, so I went downstairs, picked up my new shoulder bag, left the cottage and walked next door.

I knocked at Claire’s cottage and she answered the door with a nice smile on her face. She was wearing a lovely lemon-coloured dress.

‘My, you look lovely Emma.’

‘Thanks, so do you.’ I mumbled, not used to such praise.

She smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

‘I won’t be a minute come in.’

She went upstairs and came down with her bag and a cardigan.

‘Will you be warm enough?’ she asked.

‘I think so,’ I replied.

‘OK let’s go.’

Soon we were going out of the village and onto the main road leading towards Penzance. Claire had the radio on playing the sort of music old people liked. I didn’t say anything, each to their own.

I received a text from Antonia, it simply said,

Good luck today, I’m thinking of you, any problems, let me know.
Love Antonia xxx

It was nice that she was thinking of me. I had some nice people on my side. I had received a similar text from Hannah earlier.

I was determined not to cry, but it was a near thing!

I was quiet on our journey and so was Claire. I had no idea what she was thinking, but I had a knot in my stomach. Today was perhaps one of the most important days of my life and I had no idea how things would go.

Soon enough, we were in Penzance and parking up.

We got out of the car.

‘Ready?’ she asked.

I just nodded. I had lost the power of speech.

‘Don’t worry honey, it will be all right and I’ll be there for you.’

That made me feel a bit better and I smiled weakly.

To be continued...

Please leave comments and let me know if you want this to continue. Oh, and if you can, please do the kudo-thingie... thanks! ~Sue