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Synopsis:  Ashley Roberts had decided to embrace her female side and started on her journey into womanhood thanks to the support of her family. She is now finely starting to come out of her shell and making friends, but the one thing that matters most to her is the relationship she has with Adam and how will he react when her secret is finely revealed.

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Chapter 25

 

            It was around 9 am when my alarm went off and I slowly pulled myself out of bed and made my way downstairs and into the bathroom. After relieving myself I ran a hot shower and stripped and climbed inside. I thought to myself another day with nothing to do. Amy would have already left for school and Megan, would likely be sleeping in like she did yesterday.

God knows I could have done the same but I wasn’t geared the same way as my sister, I had always been an early riser. After wrapping myself in a towel, I made my way back upstairs and into my bedroom and started getting dressed. I decided that I was going to wear something simple, jeans and a tank top. 

After I finished getting dressed I spent the next 10 minutes doing my hair and makeup. Thanks to the last few days of practice I was finished in no time and as I looked into the mirror I smiled to myself and knew that I was ready to face another day.  As I passed my sister's bedroom I poked my head inside and saw that she was still dead to the world and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. It looked like I had just missed my Uncle and Aunt because there was a half-full coffee pot on just waiting for me to finish it off.

As I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, I noticed an envelope and a plastic bag with the name Comcast sitting next to it. The envelope was addressed to Megan and me, I picked up the bag first and looked inside and found two new cellphones as well as cases and glass screen guards.

I took one of the phones out of the bag and sat it on the table as well as the envelope from my mother. After opening the envelope, I took out the contents and froze as I began to read what my mother had written.

 

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Dear Megan & Ashley,

I thought about things and decided I couldn’t just leave things as they were. When we left Boston, I left a lot of things behind that could come back and haunt us later, not to mention, your grandmother's jewelry and a few other items, which I had deposited in a safety deposit box at the bank. Try not to worry about me, I will be staying in a hotel, and will make sure I have someone with me before returning to the apartment.

Love mom.

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After reading the letter mom left, I honestly freaked out mom had always been a bit flighty but this was a whole new level even for her. It was one thing to put herself in danger and now she was risking Megan’s and my safety.

I thought to myself as I felt the anger build up inside me and made my way upstairs to break the news to my sister.

“Megan wake up,” I said after climbing the latter to the bunk bed and gently shaking her.

“Come on sis, we need to talk, it’s important.”, I said shaking her again.

“This better be good”, she said finely responding.

“Megan mom, ran off last night,” I said sounding somewhat irritated.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Megan said looking over at me.

“I wish that I was Megan, but she left us a note explaining everything,” I exclaimed.

“Shit, if dad doesn’t kill her I will Megan said sitting up, I need a coffee Ashley can you put some on I will be down in a few minutes,” Megan said looking over at me.

“Sure, Megan, I will be in the kitchen,” I said and made my way downstairs and put on a new pot of coffee and emptying the cup I had from earlier.

 

            After taking a seat at the table I wondered if she even bothered telling Aunt Helen and Uncle Brian that she was leaving. Something told me that she didn’t because I think the two of them would have tried to talk her out of going if they knew what she was up to. I thought to myself as I started putting together my new cell phone.

As I sat there I could hear the sound of water running upstairs and figured Megan must be in the shower. So I knew that she wouldn’t be down for a while.  Once I had the case and screen protector on my new phone I turned it on and let it connect to the internet and set it on the counter so it could update.

I was a bit hungry and grabbed the eggs and bacon from the fridge and started making breakfast for the two of us. While breakfast was cooking I took out my old cell phone and sent Adam a quick message giving him my new phone number. I knew that he couldn’t respond back until recess or lunchtime so I just left the phone.

By now the coffee was finished brewing and I poured myself a cup and added milk and sugar after placing it on the table, and then went over and turned the bacon over. After it cooked for a while I put it on a plate and started frying up the eggs. It was at that time too that I heard the water being turned off upstairs and knew that Megan would be down soon.

Megan joined me 10 minutes later, I was just finishing setting the table as she entered, “god that smells good.”, she said with a grin and took a seat at the table as I sat her plate down on the table in front of her.

“Let’s see if it tastes as good as it smells,” I said with a smile as I sat mine down on the table next to hers.

“Well, that’s settled it tastes as good as it smells.”, Megan said after taking a bite of her bacon and a drink of her orange juice.

“I think that we are going to have to have a talk with Uncle Brian and Aunt Helen. This situation with mom isn’t something we can just let pass Megan.” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know Ashley, it was her idea to pull us out of school and move us here, she was so worried about our safety and then pulls something stupid like this,” Megan said looking over at me.

“I would like to know what was so important that she thought that returning to Boston, was a good idea,” Megan said thinking aloud.

“One thing for sure, it was nothing that I owned,” I said looking over at my sister.

“Me either, about all I had was my clothes and a few other knickknacks, nothing that I couldn’t replace without much effort.’ Megan exclaimed.

“Well, whatever the reason, let’s hope she gets in and out without dad finding out,” I exclaimed and took a bite of my bacon.

“Yeah, let’s hope.”, Megan said looking over at me.

“Mom did manage to get your new phone at least. It looks like you will have to set it up yourself though Megan.” I explained.

“Well, that’s at least good news,” Megan exclaimed.

 

            After Megan and I cleaned up the kitchen, I made my way downstairs and Checked my email. I had left my laptop downstairs the previous night. Megan decided to spend her time assembling her phone.

While my computer was booting I picked up my guitar and took a seat and started playing, and singing “Crazy.” By, Gnarls Barkley. By the time I finished the song my computer had finished loading and I set my guitar down and moved over and took a seat in front of the computer and started checking my emails.

As I checked my email, all I really had was a bunch of spam, and notifications coming from my various social media accounts. I clicked on one of the links that led me to my youtube page and was surprised when I was now at 68k subscribers and the last video I uploaded had 566,624 views.

I was completely floored by the number of comments, that were left by my subscribers, on the video that Adam and I had recorded the previous day. Most people seemed to love the video but the question that was asked most was whether Adam was my boyfriend.

After reading some of the comments, I replied with a comment of my own stating that Adam and I were, in fact, seeing one another. Once I finished answering a few other comments, I shut down the computer and carried it, along with my guitar upstairs and into my bedroom and put everything back where they belonged.

I didn’t really have much to do, but took a couple of minutes and texted Kira, my new phone number, and said I would call her later in the day and then picked up the book I had been reading over the last week. There were only two chapters left so I figured that I would have a chance to finally finish it off.

So, I curled up on my bed and continued from where I had left off from the previous day. I read for the next hour or so until I reached the end. I was a bit disappointed by the ending. I thought to myself as I closed the book and set it on my dresser.

After finishing the book, I was left with another choice to make, I could spend the rest of the day sitting around the house or get out for a bit and maybe do some exploring which seemed to me to be the best of both options.

I looked at the time and decided, I might as well get going and grabbed my jacket and slipped on my sneakers and made my way downstairs, and found Megan curled up on the couch watching some stupid soap.

“Hey Megan, I am heading out for a bit want to join me,” I said looking over at her.

“Where are you headed?” she asked me.

“No idea, that is the fun part,” I said with a smile.

“Well, have fun Ashley I think that I will just stay home,” Megan exclaimed.

“Your loss,” I said with a grin then headed out the door.

 

            The big difference between Megan and Me was the fact that I was very spontaneous and tended to do whatever came to mind.  Whereas for Megan everything had to be thought out and planned. These two approaches had their advantages and disadvantages.

I decided on taking a walk on the bike trail, and maybe taking a different route than the one that led to the mall.  The walk to the park only took a few minutes and when I reached the turnoff that led towards the mall I kept going straight. 

As I walked I could tell that I wasn’t the only one there, I saw the odd person here and there, but everyone seemed to be doing the same thing as I was. Eventually, the trail led to a small open field.

When I entered I heard the sound of a large dog barking somewhere up ahead of me, I didn’t think much of it until a large German Shepard came out of nowhere and pounced on me sending me flying to the ground. I discovered quickly that I was in no danger as the dog started licking me on my face.

“I am so sorry, she got away from me.”, an older woman who looked to be in her 70’s said as she tried pulling the dog off me.

Looking at the old woman trying to control this large dog was almost comical. If it wasn’t for the fact, I was laying on my ass at the moment.

“It’s alright, she didn’t hurt me I said slowly getting to my feet,” I said looking at her.

“Are you sure, she hit you pretty hard.” The woman exclaimed.

“No worries, I am alright, but I think you need to maybe find yourself a trainer, she is a bit more then you can handle,” I said looking over at her.

“I know, she belonged to my daughter. When she had her baby she had to let her go and I didn’t have the heart to send her to the SPCA.” The woman explained.

“She’s a beautiful dog, and I understand. I would have felt the same way.” I said reaching out and patting the dog.

“My name is Alana, and this monster here is Shelby, I have never seen you around here before are you new to the area?”, the woman said with a smile reaching her hand out.

“I am Ashley, It’s nice to meet you Alana and yes I am new my family moved here from Boston,” I explained to her.

“Wow, Littleton must be a bit of an adjustment compared to what you're used to Ashley.”

“Yeah, but I honestly love it here,” I said with a smile.

“That’s good honey, Littleton might not be as large or busy as Boston, but I have lived here all my life and truthfully I couldn’t see myself ever leaving,” Alana said with a smile.

“I thought moving here was going to be the worst possible decision my mom ever made, but it turned out to be the best choice she ever made,” I said with a smile.

“Well, I can understand your reluctance, it’s never easy walking away from everything you know and into the unexpected. So, do you live nearby Ashley?” Alana said with a smile.

“Yeah, I live with my Uncle and Aunt, they have a place a few blocks from The Ketring Park entrance,” I explained to her.

“I know that area well, you live pretty close to me, I have a house over on Trident Avenue,” Alana explained.

“Oh, I know where you are, I pass your street every time I come to Ketring Park,” I explained to her.

“I live just a few blocks from the intersection where Main & Trident meet. If you are interested, I could really use some help walking Shelby, as you can see I can barely handle her, I would be willing to pay you a little something if you wouldn't mind walking her,” Alana said with a smile.

“You don’t have to pay me, Alana, I would be happy to take her out for a walk. I just can’t promise that I will be able to do it every day but a few times a week wouldn’t be a problem.” I said with a smile.

“That’s great but I have to pay you something, I really don’t feel right having you wasting your time walking Shelby,” Alana exclaimed.

“If it will make you feel better you can pay me a $100 a month, it will give me a bit of spending money,” I said with a smile.

“That sounds good Ashley, would you mind taking Shelby for a minute.”

“Sure”, I said taking the leash while Alana reached into her purse and dug out a card and then turned it around and wrote her address and phone number down on the back and then handed it to me.

“There you can reach me at either number Ashley,” Alana explained.

After handing her the leash back, I looked at the card, it said cloud 9 importers and looked over at Alana.

“It’s my late husband’s business our son is running the business now,” Alana explained.

“I am sorry for your loss Alana,” I said looking across at her.

“It’s alright honey, we had a lot of good years together and he was a good man, I hope you find someone that makes you as happy as Henry made me,” Alana said with a grin.

“Thanks, Alana, I hope that I find someone like your husband too, I have to get going I will call you in the next couple of days and make arrangements to take Shelby out,” I said with a smile.

“That sounds good Ashley, have a good day,” Alanna said with a smile as the two of us parted ways.

As I walked away I thought to myself what I nice lady, but I had to admit she needed all the help she could get with that dog, but I loved animals so I also knew that I was going to enjoy spending time with Shelby.

 

Chapter 26

 

            As I walked and looked around, I came to yet another trail and had no idea where it was leading me, the name of the trail was called Greenbrier River Trail and like the name implied the trail ran along the side of a river. I had to admit, it was nice getting away from the big city.

This was something I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing in a big city like Boston and if I did try something like this in Boston, I would be scared that someone would try mugging me or worse. Being a girl walking alone in a big city wasn’t always the safest thing to do. I thought to myself as I continued walking along the trail.

Eventually, as I walked my phone went off and after taking it out of my purse I saw a message from Kira, “Hey Girlfriend, I just finished school feel like hanging?”

“Sure Kira, where do you want to meet up.” I texted her.

“Where are you now?” Kira asked me.

“Walking on the Greenbrier River Trail,” I replied.

“Keep walking, until you reach a sign that says, Littleton High School. The trail you are on leads right to the school, I will wait for you here.” Kira explained.

“Ok, I might be a bit,” I exclaimed not really knowing how close I was to the turn off that Kira was talking about but as it turned out after walking a few minutes longer I discovered that I was a lot closer then I first thought as I came to a break in the trail and saw the sign that led to the school and after walking for a few minutes the trail exited into the schools parking lot.

 

            As I made my way across the parking lot, I saw Kira, she was sitting on a bench, talking with another girl who I guessed was one of her friends. She didn’t see me at first because she was sitting with her back to me.

“Hey Kira”, I said with a smile as I came up behind her.

“Hey Ashley, you made it.” She said with a smile and surprised me when she stood up and gave me a hug, which I happily returned.

“Maddie, this is Ashley she just moved to Littleton,” Kira said making the introductions.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ashley,” Maddie said with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you also Maddie,” I exclaimed.

“I hope you don’t mind but I invited Maddie to join us,” Kira said with a smile.

“The more the merrier,” I said grinning.

“Thanks, I really didn’t want to go home, my brother is being a real pain,” Maddie explained.

“I don’t have a brother thank god, but I have a sister, we get along pretty well but there are times when I need my space,” I said looking over at Maddie as the three of us exited the school and started making our way to the mall.

“So, how was your day Ashley?” Kira said looking over at me.

“To be honest, I will be glad when I can start school again. As much as I hate school, it at least makes the time pass and this sitting around the house is driving me crazy that was why I was out exploring the trails.” I explained to her.

“So, what is the holdup?” Maddie said joining in the conversation.

“We had to leave Boston in a hurry, Mom had to send for our school transcripts, plus I am waiting on other paperwork to arrive, which is going to be needed to exempt me from physical education. I might need surgery in the near future, and I am not supposed to overdo it until my doctor says it’s alright.” I explained to her.

“That sucks, so I guess you’re not going to join the cheer squad next year.”, Kira said looking over at me.

“Nope, and even if I could, I doubt it would be something that interests me,” I replied.

“Now that’s a first, most girls would love the chance to be part of the squad,” Maddie said with a slight frown.

“I am not like most girls, I am not really a fan of sports and to be honest you likely won’t see me at many games,” I explained.

“Damn, girl, I am going to make it my personal mission to get you to join the squad,” Maddie said giggling.

“Yeah, I agree with Maddie, being on the squad is a lot of fun. It’s not all about sports we do a lot of other fun things including travel.” Kira said with a smile.

“Well, it’s going to take a lot to convince me, I will tell you that right now,” I said frowning.

“We have a full year to wear you down,” Kira said with a big smile.

I thought to myself if they knew the truth about me the last thing they would be doing was trying to talk me into being on the cheer squad. 

If anything they wouldn’t be talking to me at all, let’s just say as a guy I was never very popular and still found it hard to deal with even now, living as a girl. I still dealt with all the same insecurities I had when I was living as a boy.

 

            It took us almost 30 minutes before we found ourselves waiting in line at Starbucks. As I looked around I saw that the odds of finding a free table was slim and looked out into the food court and saw there were at least some tables available there.

“It looks like we’re going to have to grab a table in the food court,” I said looking over at Kira and Maddie.

“Yeah, it’s usually like this after school, there are not many places around here to hang out so most of the kids from school head here,” Maddie explained.

“It’s a lot different here than in Boston, there is always something to do there, but I honestly like Littleton, better, it’s a lot calmer and safer,” I said looking over at Maddie.

“You’re happy to be here, and all I want to do is leave,” Maddie said in a low voice.

“Yeah, well we have lived in Littleton all of our lives. It’s only normal to want to see what is outside Littleton. Give Ashley a year, and she will be looking for the nearest exit like the rest of us.” Kira said with a grin.

“That’s true, there isn’t much here, to do and by next years she will be so bored she will have no choice but to join the Cheer Squad with us,” Maddie said with a smile.

“If I were you, Maddie, I wouldn’t put any money on that bet,” I said grinning.

“We will see”, Maddie said with a grin and I could see this one was going to be trouble.

I had to admit something inside me like the idea of someone actually wanting me to be part of something they felt was important this was something that I was not used to because I was usually the last person to be chosen it kind of makes you feel like the only reason you are there is because they had no choice and had to have you on their team.

“So, if you are not into sports or anything like that what are you into?” Kira asked me.

“Music mostly, I play guitar and I love singing. I am kind of in my uncle’s band.” I said looking over at Kira.

“I have heard your Uncles band they are pretty good, are you guys going to be performing anytime soon,” Kira said then took a drink of her coffee.

“To be honest Kira, I have no idea but when I have a date I will let you know, you’re welcome to come to if you want Maddie,” I said with a smile.

“That’s cool, what kind of music do you play?” Maddie asked looking really interested.

“Myself, I am into a little bit of everything from country to new rock, but my uncle's band mostly plays classic rock. So I have to bring them up to speed on some of the music that I like before we actually perform together.” I explained to Maddie.

“I am into country too, I don’t think that I could get up on stage and perform in front of a bunch of people.”, Maddie said with a smile.

“It’s not as hard as it looks, I was a bit afraid myself, but once you’re up there It’s easy to forget about the crowd because you are too busy trying to remember all the words,” I said looking over at Maddie.

“So what do you guys like to do other than Cheer Squad?” I said looking over at Kira and then to Maddie.

“You are looking at it Ashley, you might have noticed there isn’t a lot of activities around here, unless you are part of the church youth group. They get together a few times a week sometimes Maddie and I go, just for something to do, but were not what you would call religious fanatics either.” Kira explained.

“Yeah, Amy sometimes goes, Megan and Amy went last night, they invited me to join them but it’s really not my thing. So I decided on taking a trip to the mall and ran into Kira, and the two of us had a little chat” I said aloud.  I didn’t go into what the two of us had discussed.

I figured if Kira wanted Maddie to know she would have told her and it wasn’t my place to be sharing that kind of information anyway. I thought to myself as I looked over at Kira and could tell she was relieved that I hadn’t said any else.

“Summers are not bad here though, there is always the beach, and there are always really hot guys there and if you are into volleyball you will have no trouble finding a game to join in.”, Kira said with a smile.

“I actually kind of like volleyball, although I haven’t really played it all that much,” I exclaimed.

“Well, if you feel up to it maybe we can play this summer.”, Maddie said with a smile.

“I may take you up on that offer.”, I said with a grin.

“Have you ever played tennis?” Asked Kira.

“Yeah, I have tried but wasn’t very good, the guy I was playing with was kind of a show-off and rather than give me enough time to learn the game was hitting all kinds of impossible shots that I had no chance of hitting back,” I explained to Kira.

“Well, if you’re interested Maddie and I play every weekend, you’re welcome to join us and I promise that before long you will be able to return whatever we send at you,” Kira said with a smile.

“That sounds like fun, and I think that I will take you up on that offer, well if Maddie doesn’t mind me being there?” I said looking over at her.

“I don’t mind you there at all, it will give me someone else to play with, and if we can find someone else we can play as partners,” Maddie said with a grin.

After finishing our coffees, the three of us made a walk through the mall, none of us planned on buying anything but it really didn’t hurt to look. I had to admit that I found myself enjoying their company. It was nice having friends, that were my own and it didn’t feel like I was freeloading off of my cousin’s popularity.

 

            It was around 3:30 pm when the three of us went our separate ways, Kira, needed to get home, and Maddie worked at the local movie theater, she needed to get home for supper and to get ready for work. So the three of us said our goodbyes.

I didn’t really need to get home anytime soon, So I made my way over to the Library it was only a few minutes’ walk from the mall. Once I arrived I made my way over to the reception area to talk to the librarian.

“May, I help you?”, she asked me as I approached the counter.

“I hope so, I would like to apply for a library card.”, I said with a smile.

“Alright, I will need to see three pieces of identification, and something with your address on it.” The woman exclaimed.

“Well, the identification isn’t going to be a problem but I just moved to Littleton from Boston, so I am afraid that I don’t have anything with my address on it. I live with my Uncle and Aunt, and my cousin has an account here if that helps.”

“What’s your cousin’s name and your address?” asked the Librarian.

After I gave her the information she was able to pull up Amy’s account and then opened a membership for me using the same information that was listed on Amy’s file and then handed me my membership card. Once I had everything, I placed my new card inside of my purse and thanked the woman and headed over to look at some of the books.

I spent the next 15 or so minutes, searching for something that interested me and eventually found myself in the romance section of the Library. I had never dared enter this section when I was still living in boy mode.

As I looked I came across a book by, Samantha Young called “Hero” she was a New York Times bestselling author and the story seemed really interesting. It was about a girl named Alexa Holland the story was about a secret within her family that threatens to tear her family apart. It was a romance novel but also could be considered a mystery too and those were one of my favorite kinds of books.

Having found something that I liked I returned to the reception desk and checked the book out. As I was about to leave I heard a message coming in on my new phone and stopped long enough to take it out of my purse and found that it was Adam finally getting back to me.

“Hey Babe, how’s my girl? “

“Your girl is doing good, she is at the Library, how’s my handsome man?” I texted him with a smile.

“I am doing good; I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight?” Adam texted.

“No why?” I replied.

“Do you feel up to having supper at my place tonight?” Adam asked me.

“Sure Adam, I just have to call home and let my Aunt know where I am,” I replied.

“Call your Aunt, and stay at the Library and I will pick you up. Give me about 10 minutes and I should be there.” Adam exclaimed.

I made a quick call home, the phone rang a few times and Amy answered. “Hello”. She said sounding way too cheerful.

 “Hi Amy, It’s Ashley could you let your mother know that I am going to be having supper at Adam’s and I won’t be back till later.”

“Sure I will let her know, so you're going to his home.” She said sounding excited.

“Well, I guess this leaves no doubts the guy really likes you,” Amy stated.

“Yeah, the feeling is mutual, but anyway I will talk to you when I get home Amy.”

“You better, and I want details.” She said sound excited.

“Sure, talk to you later Amy,” I said then ended the call

As I waited for Adam I took a seat out front of the library and opened my new book and started reading the first chapter of the story. I managed to make it halfway through the chapter when I saw Adam pulling up on his motorcycle.

 

Chapter 27

 

            When I saw Adam pulling into the parking lot I slipped the book I was reading into my purse, and made my way over to the curb and waited for Adam to pull up and stopped the motorcycle in front of me.

“Hey baby”, Adam said as he pulled up in front of me and climbed off his bike, he then unhooked a helmet that was attached to the back of his bike and handed it to me.

“Hi honey”, I said taking the helmet and slipping it over my head and securing it.

Adam took a minute to check the helmet and once he was sure it was fastened correctly the two of us climbed onto his bike and exited the parking lot.

I knew having any kind of conversation with Adam at the moment was useless, between the sound of the traffic, and the motorcycle it was impossible to hear one another. It didn’t take us very long though before we arrived at Adams parents’ home and the two of us climbed off his motorcycle.

“I hope you don’t mind pizza; we usually order in every Wednesday. It’s kind of a family tradition. We order something different every week.” Adam explained.

“Pizza’s fine, I was just a little surprised you invited me,” I exclaimed.

“Well, to be honest, it was my mother’s idea. I might have mentioned you a few times and she wanted to meet the girl that has captured her son's heart.” Adam explained.

“If you keep this up, I might actually start to fall for you,” I said with a grin.

“You mean that you haven’t fallen for me already?” He said looking at me and flaunting those big blue eyes of his.

“Alright, maybe a little,” I said shaking my head and smiling.

“So, what have you told your parents about me?” I said looking over at him as I pulled off my helmet and sat it on the back of his bike.

“Well, just the basics that you are new to Littleton and moved here from Boston. They know you’re an awesome singer, I showed them your youtube page and I even played some of your videos and Dad thinks you’re a total babe.” Adam said with a big smile.

“Well, let’s not keep them waiting,” I said looking over at Adam. He then reached over and took my hand in his and the two of us made our way inside his parents’ house.

 

            When Adam and I entered the house, you could hear the sound of a baby crying and before long I saw a woman who looked to be in her late 40’s coming over carrying the little girl. Who had to be Adam’s mother, “Thank god your home.”. She has been whaling like this since you left honey.”

The woman said handing the child to Adam and to my surprise I saw the child’s arms reach out as Adam took her in his arms and the crying stopped.

“You must be Ashley, it’s nice to meet you. I am Karen and this little screamer here is Abby, and don’t let her screams scare you, she’s an absolute darling.”, Karen said with a big smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Karen, I wouldn’t worry about Abby and me, I am sure the two of us will get along just fine, you have a lovely home, Karen,” I said looking around the room there were pictures of Adam, and Abby hanging all over the place.

“Thanks, Ashley, it’s nothing special but we love it here, have a seat can I get you a drink or anything?” Karen asked.

“No thanks, Karen I am fine,” I said taking a seat on the couch next to Adam and Abby.

 “So, Littleton must be quite a difference for you after growing up in a big city like Boston,” Karen said taking a seat on the lazy boy across from me.

“It was a bit overwhelming at first, I really didn’t want to move here. I have never been very good with change, but the move here turned out to be the best possible thing for our family but were still in the process of settling in.” I explained to Karen as I felt a little hand reach over and grab hold of my finger.

When I looked over two at her both of her little arms went up towards me, When I looked over at Adam he just shrugged his shoulders and handed Abby to me and I took her in my arms. “Hey sweetie”, I said as I pulled her close to me and felt her embrace.

Karen looked over at Adam and then to me and then the baby. “she doesn’t usually want to be held by anyone but Adam honey, she barely tolerated Trevor or me when we try to calm her down.” Karen explained.

“She is adorable, how could anyone let such a beautiful baby get away.”, I said with a big smile as I lightly rocked her in my arms.

“You surprised me, Ashley, I expected you might be a bit more standoffish when it came to meeting Abby for the first time.

“Actually, I was more worried about meeting you and your husband then I was about meeting Abby,” I said in a low voice noticing that Abby was half asleep.

“It’s usually the guy that is afraid of meeting the parents”, Karen giggled.

“Well, I have never really dated anyone before and Adam, he isn’t like any of the other guys that I have known and I think Abby is the reason for it. Any man that would choose to raise a child like Abby alone, is worth giving a chance I said looking down at the baby that was now sleeping in my arms.”

“He’s come a long way, and I am not saying that because he’s my son. Your father and I are proud of the man you are becoming Adam.” Karen said looking over at her son and then looked over at me, and turned to her son again. “Your tastes in women has gotten better to, I would be nice to this one if I were you.”. Karen said with a smile.

“Hearing Karen say that caused me to blush, I wasn’t used to people talking like that about me but I had to admit, I liked Adams mother she was really nice.

“Do you want me to take her Ashley”, Adam said looking over at me.

“No honey, she is fine where she is let her sleep,” I said as she snuggled up against me.

“I am going to go set the table and give you guys some time to yourself,” Karen said with a smile and then left the two of us.

“It’s surprising how quickly Abby took to you Ashley, she really doesn’t like being held other than by me, my mother wasn’t lying and I have never seen her fall asleep being with anyone holding her but me,” Adam explained.

“I looked down at the child in my arms, she’s special Adam, maybe she sees something in me that she likes but the truth is, it’s questionable if I will ever have a child of my own and I really want to be a mother someday. Maybe somehow Abby senses that need.” I said opening up to Adam.

“Is this part of the medical condition you were telling me about?” Adam said looking concerned.

“Yes, I didn’t quite develop like a normal girl should Adam, I will need some sort of operation to make things right. Eventually, I will explain everything to you honey, but it’s very personal and hard for me to talk about.” I said looking over at him.

“Anytime, you are ready to talk, I am willing to listen,” Adam said with a smile.

“I know honey, and thank you for trusting me enough to meet your family and I have a feeling that Abby and I are going to get along just fine,” I said with a smile and felt Adams' arm slip around me and pulled me closer to him.

“You are going to make a good mother someday Ashley,” Adam said with a smile.

“Well, you already make a great father,” I said leaning over and placing my head on his broad shoulder and snuggled up close to him.

As I laid there cuddling up to my man, I thought to myself this isn’t half bad, and I found myself thinking, I could be a mother to this child, if I really wanted to the question is was it really something I wanted. I guess only time would tell, which also meant I was going to have to come clean to Adam.

 

            Adam and I just relaxed and talked to one another on the couch as Abby continued sleeping when the front door opened and a much older but handsome version of Adam came through the door. He was carrying two large pizzas’ and a bag in his hand.

“Hi, you must be Ashley, it’s nice to meet you. I am Trevor.” He said with a warm smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Trevor, I can see now where Adam gets his good looks,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah, he takes after his old man in the looks department but has his mother’s brain thank god. I see Abby has taken a liking to you.” Trevor said with a big smile.

“She’s not the only one, she’s adorable,” I said looking down at her.

“Well, I am going to bring supper into the kitchen, and we’ll call you once we're ready,” Trevor said then left the two of us.

 Once in the Kitchen Trevor, placed the pizza on the table and went over and gave Karen a hug, “She is actually holding Abby and Abby’s not freaking out she’s actually sleeping.”, Trevor said to his wife.

“I know Abby took to her right away, I couldn’t believe it, and neither could Adam,” Karen explained.

“She seems like a nice girl, and I can see why Adam likes her. She seems really mature for her age, not like the little sluts, he’s brought home in the past.” Karen said looking over at her husband.

“Yeah, when I saw her holding Abby, I knew there was something special about her.” Trevor said with a grin, she is also very pretty.” Trevor said looking at his wife.

“I think she’s fine, and she has my blessing,” Karen said looking over at his wife.

“You have talked to her more than I have, I am going to wait and see how the rest of the night progresses,” Trevor exclaimed.

“Your right honey, the whole reason for doing this is because of the disaster the last girlfriend caused. That’s the whole reason, we made him agree to have our permission before being allowed to date anyone exclusively.” Karen exclaimed.

“Actually, it was your idea not mine, but I agree it makes sense considering there is also the trust fund sitting there,” Trevor said looking over at Karen.

“Yeah, but I don’t think that matters, she’s from Boston and doesn’t know a thing about our family, she just seems to be a normal girl, well not normal if you noticed how Abby took to her,” Karen said with a smile.

“Well, at least with Ashley, in the picture, life around here would be less complicated, and a lot less noisy,” Trevor said grinning.

“Yeah, it’s nice not having to listen to Abby screaming,” Karen said as she started putting the pizza on the plates.

In the living room, Abby started stirring and I had an idea why, because of the smell, that was emitting from her backside. I looked over at Adam and smiled, guess what honey, Abby has left a gift for you. I said handing Abby over to him.

Adam didn’t look very impressed, but took Abby and carried her off to be changed. I stood up to stretch my legs and took a few minutes to look around the living room. Adam lived in such a big house, it was really bigger than they really needed, but his parents likely worked their asses off to buy it. I thought to myself.

 “Where’s Adam?”, Janet asked coming into the living room.

“Abby left him a gift, so he’s upstairs unwrapping it,” I said with a smile.

“Abby left him a gift, that’s a good one Ashley. Why don’t you join Trevor and I in the kitchen Adam will be back shortly,”, Karen said with a smile.

With that said I followed Karen into the kitchen, and took a seat at the table and Janet began pouring coke into some glasses.

Adam’s father was the first to speak, “So, tell us about yourself Ashley?” he said looking across the table at me.

I kind of knew this was coming, and didn’t really have time to prepare myself for it, so I figured it would be best to keep the story I gave them as close to the truth as possible. I sighed and then went into my story.

“Well, I am 16 years old, I am from Boston, we moved to Littleton for a fresh start and to also get away from my father. Mom, Megan and I are living with my Aunt and Uncle at the moment and maybe for a while.” I explained then took a breath and continued.

“I am not the kind of girl that Adam would go for, and to be honest I really don’t completely understand what he sees in me,” I exclaimed.

“What do you mean?” Asked Karen as she started putting the glasses on the table.

“I have never been in the popular crowd like him, I was kind of always on the outside looking in whereas my sister Megan would have fit right in. I really don’t like sports, or partying, like most of the kids I know. I prefer music, reading, and other pursuits.” I said looking over at her.

“Your right Ashley, you’re nothing like the other girls Adam has introduced to us. Most of them were cheerleaders or girls that ran in his circle of friends but I would say you are one of the more stable ones he has brought home and if you weren’t Karen and I would be against the two of you seeing one another.” Trevor exclaimed.

“I understand Adam has explained a lot to me, and I agree that for Abby’s sake he needs to pull himself together and stay away from people that are only interested in partying and having a good time,” I said looking across the table at his parents just as Adam came into the kitchen carrying Abby in his arms.

“Talking about me,” he said looking over at us.

“Yes, honey but it’s all good,” I said looking up at him.

“We were just telling Ashley that we approve of the two of you seeing one another,” Trevor said with a grin.

“Yeah, you finally brought one home worth keeping, now just don’t screw it up”, Karen said with a big smile.

“I have no intention of screwing this up, believe it or not, Ashley is the best thing to happen to me, in a long time,” Adam said putting Abby in the highchair and moving it over next to us.

Hearing him say those words, I found myself blushing and feeling somewhat embarrassed but happy all the same.

Over supper, I found myself flooded by questions about my home life and what my plans were for the future. I explained to them that my plan was to go into music but I also planned on attending college like my Uncle Brian had but at the moment I didn’t have an idea of what I wanted to take.

I also went into a few details of my Medical condition, but also kept most of the pertinent information to myself. The truth would likely come out in time but that would all depend on Adam. I thought to myself as I enjoyed the pizza and light conversation.

 

            After supper, I asked Karen if she needed any help cleaning up while the guys and Abby went into the living room. So as Karen washed the plates, I grabbed a clean cloth and started drying the dishes.

“You don’t have to do this Ashley, you’re our guest,” Karen said with a smile.

“I know, but it’s not a big deal.”, I said with a smile.

“You know Adam really likes you, Ashley, I have never seen him this excited over anyone,” Karen said making small talk.

“I like Adam too Karen, but only time will tell if things between us will work out,” I said looking over at her.

“Is the problem Abby?” Karen said looking over at me.

“Hell no, I love Abby, she’s adorable the problem is me, I may not be like the girls Adam usually dates but I do come with my own set of baggage,” I exclaimed.

“I take it you had a pretty hard time in Boston?” Karen said looking me in the eyes.

“My father was very abusive towards me, and well he left emotional scars. Let’s just say I have a lot of trust issues when it comes to men and I am only now starting to come to terms with it.” I said sadly.

“Oh, Baby I can understand why you would feel that way, but you are not the first woman that has been through this. Do you have anyone you talk to about these feelings.” Karen asked.

“Well, I just started seeing a therapist so yes, I have someone that I can talk to about it and there is always my sister Megan, and well there is my Uncle, he has been wonderful, and very supportive, but my mother has a habit of blabbing everything so I really can’t count on her for anything,” I said sadly.

“I am sure your mother loves you, but we all make mistakes honey,” Karen exclaimed.

“There is no doubt that she loves Megan and me, but it’s hard for me to open up to anyone, and have to worry about what I said being repeated as soon as my back is turned.”, I exclaimed.

“Yeah, I can see your point, Ashley.”, Karen conceded.

“Well, you have a few people you can talk to if need be, and you can always come to me if you need a shoulder to cry on Ashley,” Karen said with a smile.

“Thanks, Karen”, I said with a smile.

 

            After we finished cleaning up the kitchen, Karen and I joined the others in the living room and I wasn’t sitting for even ten minutes when Abby crawled over to me, I had been watching Adam playing with her on the floor and I could tell that she wanted to be held again, so I took her into my arms and just snuggled her next to me and she was just content to lay there quietly looking up at me.

As I looked down at her, I saw those little hands and thought to myself I was just like this baby and wondered if mom felt the same way when she held Megan and me in her arms, but I knew what the feeling was I was having it was called contentment and in my case it wasn’t a good thing to get to close to Abby. I thought to myself as I held her in my arms.

It was around 7 pm and it was time to head home, Adams father handed him his car keys and told him to drive me home. Adam had a look of surprise on his face but gladly took the keys and the two of us headed out the door after I said my goodbyes to his parents and promised to return.

Abby wasn’t happy when I handed her to Karen, she cried a little but before long Adam and I were out the door and I was climbing into his dads Mazda Cx 5. It was a nice car, it was painted dark red and came fully loaded.

I looked over at Adam as he backed the car out of the driveway, “So, what was that you looked awful surprised when your father gave you his keys.” I said looking over at him.

“You could say that; I haven’t been allowed to drive since the accident,” Adam explained.

“Well, maybe your parents are starting to trust you again,” I said with a smile.

“Maybe, or it could have been because you were there Ashley, for the first time ever both my parents like the girl I am dating.” He said with a big smile.

“I like them too, but it felt weird having them question me so much. It felt like I did something wrong.” I said frowning.

“They are worried, that I am going to fall back into my old behavior honey and they have good reason to worry. I haven’t been the best role model for a son. Hell, I am surprised they haven’t kicked me out of the house by now.” Adam said frowning.

“They love you and only want the best for you and Abby,” I said looking over at him.

“I know Ashley, and I am really trying I just wish they would see it,” Adam exclaimed.

“Well, honey actions speak louder than words and they saw tonight that you are starting to grow up, and move away from your old life. Just keep it up I am sure they will continue to come around if you show them you’re serious.” I said with a smile.

“So, how did you get so smart, Ashley?”, Adam said with a grin.

“Well, I read a lot and to be honest I have never really been part of your crowd. So I haven’t really been exposed to some of the things you have.” I said looking over at him.

“I guess that would give you a different perspective,” Adam exclaimed.

After arriving home, Adam walked me to the door. “I had a great time tonight, thanks for coming.” He said then leaned in and kissed me.

Once the kiss ended, I smiled,” I had a great time to honey, and Abby is adorable, I can’t wait to spend some more time with her.” I said excitedly.

“Yeah, and she sure likes you Ashley and so do I.”, Adam said with a smile.

“Well, the feeling is mutual honey,” I said then gave him another kiss before saying goodnight and I made my way into the house.

 

Chapter 28

             

            I had arrived home after having supper with Adam and his family, As I entered the house I could hear the sound of Uncle Brian talking loudly in the kitchen, and then my Aunt Helen, followed by Megan and then my sister Amy and had no doubt that they were talking about my mother, So I made my way into the kitchen to join them.

As I walked into the kitchen all eyes were drawn to me. “Don’t stop talking on my account as far as I am concerned my Mother needs to be put into an institution,” I said grabbing a coke from the fridge and joining them at the table.

“Have you heard anything Ashley?” Megan said looking across the table at me.

“No, but then again, I haven’t tried to contact her. Mom is going to do whatever she wants anyway; she doesn’t care what we think.” I said then took a drink of my coke.

“What your mother has done is awful reckless, not only is she putting Megan and you in danger but it puts all of us at risk.” Uncle Brian said looking somewhat worried.

“Do you really think that moving here was going to be 100 percent safe, if dad wanted to find us bad enough, he could do it without mom’s help, all she is doing is making it easier for him,” I explained.

“Ashley is right, he’s quite capable of finding us without mom’s help. He knows people and they are not very good people.” Megan said joining in the conversation.

“Then what do we do about Philip.” Aunt Helen said looking over at her husband.

“I don’t think you need to worry Aunt Helen, his rage is directed towards my mother Anything that happens is going to be directed toward Megan and Me,” I said trying to reassure him everything was going to be alright.

“I hope you are right Ashley, but right now your mother is our main problem, she took off without telling anyone she was leaving.” Aunt Helen said in a worried tone.

 

            We continued our family meeting for the next hour or so, and in the end, all we really could do was hope for the best. There was nothing any of us could really do other than hope that Mom was able to get in and out without running into our father.

Once we finished, I made my way upstairs and noticed that Uncle Brian had fixed my door and had painted it a light shade of pink. There was also a plate with my name burned into it which he had also painted to match the color of my door.

He had also installed a doorbell, and I thought to myself, it was a really nice gesture as I made my way upstairs and into my bedroom and booted up my laptop, and placed my phone down on the desk beside and retrieved the book I had gotten from the library and took a seat on my bed.

Once my computer finished loading, I loaded my playlist and the music began to play then returned to my bed and started reading. No sooner then I started reading I heard the sound of my doorbell ring.

I hollered down that the door was opened and then heard multiple footsteps coming up the stairs and knew that it had to be Megan and Amy, I had been expecting them to pay me a visit since I arrived home.

One thing I had noticed since I started living as a girl was there was a lot more communication, than when I was still living as a boy, especially between Megan and I, maybe this was the way it was for sisters but to be honest I was really starting to like the closeness between us. Whereas I felt completely alone when I was still living as a boy.

“How did things go over at Adam’s?” Megan asked taking a seat on the bed as did Amy.

“It went really well his parents are really nice and his daughter Abby is adorable, she took right to me, it surprised everyone, including me,” I said with a big smile.

“Abby has Downs Syndrome,” Amy explained to Megan.

“Yeah, but she’s beautiful, just wait until you meet her Megan. You will fall in love with her just like I did.” I said excitedly.

“This is a whole new side of you, I have never seen before Ashley,” Megan said with a big smile on her face.

“Yeah, your right I have never seen her so happy about anything other than her transition.

“I have a lot to be happy about these days, I am part of a real family finally, I am able to finally live the life I always wanted and I found someone that loves me and for the first time in my life I feel alive,” I said with a big smile.

“I am so happy for you Ashley,” Megan said leaning over and giving me a hug.

“Me too Ashley,” Amy said reaching over and making it a group hug.

 

            So over the next hour, I told them about my day starting with Meeting up with Kira, and Maddie, and how nice it was just to get out and make some friends that only knew me as Ashley the girl. I also mentioned that Maddie, was trying everything under the sun to convince me to join the Cheer Squad and this started a whole new conversation between Megan, Amy and me.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Amy said excitedly.

“Me too, it would give you lots of other experiences living as a girl, especially since you’re going to be part of the popular crowd now,” Megan said with a grin.

“I have never been part of the popular crowd, hell I have never been part of any crowd,” I said looking over at my sister.

“Megan’s right Ashley, you might not have realized it, but you’re already part of it, the moment you agreed to date Adam, you took your first steps, and then you became friends with Kira and Maddie that cemented it,” Amy said with a grin.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said looking over at Amy.

“Nope, I wish that I was,” Amy said with a sly grin.

“Well, I guess your days of being invisible little sister are over.”, Megan said and started giggling.

“You might as well make the best of it, it’s your choice how you choose to deal with it,” Amy said looking over at me

I had never really thought of it but both Kira and Maddie, were cheerleaders and were both very popular, within their circle of friends and I had forged friendships with the two of them and well Adam, was popular in his own right. no matter how I looked at it I was now part of that crowd to some small degree.

“It’s not that bad Ashley, I know it seems a bit overwhelming right now, but honestly just don’t think about it and just be yourself. That is the person that attracted Adam, Kira, and Maddie.” Megan exclaimed.

“Megan is right Ashley, just be yourself, you came here to reinvent yourself and this is all part of that journey but there are things you still need to learn about living as a woman and I think it’s time you learned some of the more advanced stuff before you walk into something you are not going to know how to handle.”

“What do you mean?”, setting my book on the end table next to my bed.

“Your living full time as a girl, but you’re still acting like a guy in many aspects of your life Ashley.”, Amy exclaimed.

“How so?”, I said looking her in the eyes.

“The first place to start is your wondering off on your own a lot, without telling anyone where you’re going.  You’re a girl now Ashley, and living as a girl you need to be careful. There are guys out there, just waiting for the opportunity to grab an unsuspecting girl that wonders off alone and do god knows what to her.” Amy explained.

“Amy is right if you need to go somewhere tell someone first and always take the most visible route, even if it takes longer, you are less likely to run into trouble, and if you do there are people around to help you if need be,” Megan explained.

“Always go with the idea of better safe than sorry,” Amy said with a smile.

“Alright, I get it, what next?” I said looking over at them.

“Guys, I know you have a boyfriend now and you shouldn’t have any worries while the two of you are out together but there will be times when you are not and you will need to learn how to deal with them. You are a beautiful girl and you will be attracting your fair share of guys and need to know how to deal with them.” Megan said with a smile.

“The first thing you need to remember all guys have two heads, one on their shoulders and the other that hangs out in their midsection. He will likely, think to himself god she’s pretty, I wonder if she’s single and then he will come over and try to talk to you.”

“Knowing you Ashley, you will talk to him because you’re not a complete bitch and of course the conversation will eventually lead to him asking you out on a date and you will tell him that you are already dating someone,” Amy exclaimed and then continued.

“Now, this is where the guy starts thinking, he asks you how long the two of you have been dating, and when you tell him that you only recently started dating Adam. He thinks to himself there is still a chance. The two of you haven’t been together long enough to be completely serious and then he starts putting on the charm.” Amy explained and Megan took over.

“This is where the fun starts, he says well maybe we can be friends and tries to work his way in and get to know you better. Once he’s in, he tries everything in his power to do things to make you interested in him.  Before long word gets out that the two of you are seeing one another and Adam is not happy. “Megan paused and then continued.

Adam finds out and isn’t happy, the two of you start fighting and meanwhile he is setting back waiting for everything to go straight to hell between Adam and you, the two of you break up and because you are close friends you turn to him, and when that happens he makes his move on you.” Megan explained.

“This is just one scenario.’  Amy exclaimed.

“So really, what should I have done?” I said looking over at Amy and Megan.

“Any guy interested in dating you and then wanting to be friends is never a good idea. It’s best to use the bitch approach, just say you're not interested and leave it at that.” Megan exclaimed.

“Another thing you can do is lie, say that you and Adam have been dating for a year or longer, He will most likely move on to someone else, thinking that he's wasting his time,” Amy explained.

“I guess both options make sense,” I said in a low voice.

“There are times though that neither approach will work, and with these guys, you need to be careful. There’s something messed up in their heads, and if you run into one you need to make sure that you have a plan.” Amy paused then continued.

“If you feel like you’re in danger, call someone right away and go somewhere public where there are lots of people and stay put, then take out your phone and call Adam, or my dad. If you can’t reach them you can always call some friends, it really doesn’t matter who you call. These guys usually only make a move on you if your alone, they will usually leave you alone if you’re in a group.” Amy explained.

“We're not trying to scare you Ashley, but this is the best way to deal with anyone that makes you feel uncomfortable, and considering your situation it’s also the safest,” Megan said looking me straight in the eyes.

“Yeah, I can see your point, and I promise that I will start being more careful when I go out. I haven’t really been thinking things through lately and your right there is still a lot that I need to learn about living as a girl full time.” I said with a smile.

I thought about what Amy and Megan had said and had to admit they were right, it would be so easy for me to get in trouble because of the lack of education I had received they had been living all their lives as girls and as for myself I have only been doing this for a short time and was only realizing now how naive I was when it came to being a girl.

 

            Megan and Amy left after that and left me to consider everything they had said, it had hit me pretty hard and for the first time started doubting my own abilities. I still had no doubts that I was doing the right thing, being a girl was the only thing that really made sense to me, but I also realized that most of Megan and Amy’s experience came from actually living their life’s, and a lot of trial and error.

I was lucky to have their combined experience; it would help steer me away from some of the trouble I was bound to run into in the future but I also knew that I had to experience life as the two of them had.

This meant I would have to put myself into positions where I could be hurt. I really didn’t like the idea of being hurt but I knew that living a life without taking risks, wasn’t really living, if anything you were just waiting for the next thing to happen. I thought to myself as I walked over and picked up my guitar and took a seat on my bed and started playing, “Numb”, By, Linkin Park.

 

 

Chapter 29

 

            I woke up early the next morning, it was around 7 am when I pulled myself out of bed and made my way over to the window and looked outside. It looked like it was going to be another nice day.

After a few minutes of searching, I decided to wear the little blue sundress that my cousin Amy had given me and made my way downstairs and hopped into the shower. The shower felt really good as the water cascaded against my body.

I found myself thinking about the previous night and how much fun that I had. I had spent the evening with Adam and his family which made me wonder if they would have been so accepting of me if they knew the honest truth and I thought to myself that it wouldn’t be long before I was facing that exact scenario.

After the events of last night, I had decided that I was going to come clean to Adam, I had come to the conclusion that I wanted him to be a part of my life and the two of us couldn’t really base a relationship on a lie.

Coming out to him wasn’t going to be easy, and I still hadn’t decided on a place or time to tell him but knew that it had to be sooner than later. I thought to myself as I grabbed the shampoo and poured it into my empty hand and started running them through my long hair until my scalp was completely lathered.

 

            Once I was finished washing my hair, I turned off the shower and climbed out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel and took a couple minutes to dry then I slipped into a fresh pair of panties and a matching cream colored bra and lastly the light blue sundress that Amy had given me. I then exited the bathroom and returned to my bedroom.

I grabbed a pair of my new sandals and took a seat on the bed and slipped them onto my feet and then moved over to my desk/makeup table and started working on my hair.  It was then I noticed that there was now a power bar attached to the side of the desk that had 6 power outlets coming out of it. I smiled to myself and reminded myself to thank Uncle Brian for being so thoughtful as I reached down and plugged my hairdryer into it.

After combing and brushing out my hair, I used the hairdryer and curling wand until I had the results that I wanted and then started doing my makeup. Which I could now do with very little thought, whereas before I spent much longer because I was always having to repair this and that, but once I was finished it was easy to tell that my skill level was now no longer at a beginner’s level.

I still couldn’t wear any of my new earrings, while the area was still healing so I grabbed one of my new necklaces and bracelets and slipped both on. I didn’t really have much of a selection when it came to jewelry yet.

 That was something I would sort out eventually. I thought to myself as I slipped a couple of rings onto my fingers and I was ready to start my day and made my way downstairs and found my Uncle Brian, Aunt Helen and Amy sitting at the table having breakfast.

“Good morning,” I said with a smile as I entered the kitchen.

“Good morning Ashley, your looking bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning.”, Aunt Helen said with a warm smile.

“Thanks, it’s amazing what a good shower will do,” I said with a grin.

“We didn’t have a chance to tell you yesterday Ashley, but the letter from your doctor came in as well as your school transcripts. You have everything you will need to start school.” Uncle Brian said with a smile knowing damn well I was getting restless sitting around the house all day.

“So how is this going to work, do we need my mother here to have Megan and I enrolled?” I said looking him in the eyes.

“Your mother has already talked to the principal at the school, and told them that if she wasn’t available that either Brian or I would take care of things until she returns.” Aunt Helen explained.

“So you talked to my mother?” I said looking across the table at her as I poured myself a bowl of cornflakes.

“Yeah, I called her after supper she’s safe, she is staying in a hotel somewhere in Boston, and has arranged to have a police escort with her before returning to the apartment just in case your father is hanging around. She should be back in a few days.” Aunt Helen explained.

“Well I guess that is good news, but I am still not happy that she left without telling anyone,” I said frowning.

“None of us are Ashley, it was really irresponsible of her leaving the way she did.” Uncle Brian exclaimed.

“Unto another subject, tomorrow is the big day, and I am going to need a drive to Denver to see the specialist that Dr. Beverley set me up with and I can’t really miss the appointment,” I explained.

“No worries, I will take you, you must be feeling a little anxious.” Uncle Brian said with a smile.

“feeling a little anxious, that’s an understatement. I am terrified that she will think I am completely nuts.” I said laughing.

“Beverly wouldn’t refer you unless she felt that you needed to see a specialist,” Amy said joining in the conversation.

“I guess you’re right, it’s still kind of scary all the same,” I said frowning.

“So, when can I start school?” I said changing the subject again.

“I was going to drop Amy off at school this morning and visit the principle, you’re welcome to join us, Ashely.”

“Cool, I would like that”, I said with a big smile.

“I have an extra binder upstairs; I will grab it for you just in case you end up staying,” Amy said with a smile then made her way up to her bedroom.

“There is not enough time to wait for your sister, I will enroll her and she can start tomorrow.” Aunt Helen said looking over at me.

“No worries, she will likely be in bed until noon anyway,” I said with a smile.

“Should I change or is what I am wearing alright?” I said looking at my Aunt and Uncle.

“You look fine honey”, Uncle Brian said grinning just as Amy returned with a small pink knapsack, and handed it to me.

“Everything you will need should be inside. There’s a binder It’s ready to use and I through in an eraser and a couple pens and pencils.” Amy said excitedly.

“Thanks, Amy”. I said happily.

“Anytime,” Amy said with a big smile.

“Well, if everyone is ready we should get going.” Aunt Helen said looking over at Amy and then to me.

           

            We arrived at Littleton High School 10 minutes later, Amy and I went our separate ways, she had to be in homeroom for attendance and I needed to see the Principle but we agreed to meet up later on in the cafeteria if I ended up being able to attend classes today.

“Ready honey?” Aunt Helen said looking over at me.

“Yup, let’s get this over with.”, I said somewhat nervous.

“It will be alright honey, I have known Principle Johnston for years and your mother has already explained to him about your situation.” Aunt Helen said reassuringly.

“Alright, but I am still nervous,” I said giggling.

Principle Johnson didn’t quite look like the middle-aged bald haired guy I had envisioned in my head. My first thoughts when I saw him he looked like he should be leading some kind of motorcycle gang, he looked to be maybe 25 years old, he was quite muscular, he had short black hair and was covered in tats, and actually quite handsome. Something told me he was the recipient of many schoolgirl crushes.

“Good Morning Helen, it’s good to see you again, and who is this lovely lady.”, he said causing me to blush.

“Hi Principle Johnson, I am Ashley,” I said with a smile.

“Ashley’s mother couldn’t make it today, but I saw no reason that Ashley and her sister Megan couldn’t start school.” Aunt Helen explained.

“Yes, I talked to Janet, she explained everything to me, and seeing you here now Ashley, I find it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that you haven’t always been a girl.”, Principle Johnson exclaimed.

“It’s part of my medical condition, from what I understand I have elements of both sexes, but as you can see the female elements are dominant. I will know more once the doctors finish running all their tests.” I explained.

“I have a letter from her doctor that should explain everything, but I think Ashley explained it best, and here are Ashley and Megan’s transcripts.” Aunt Helen said handing him a folder.

“Yes, I agree Ashley’s explanation is easier to understand than the doctor's letter, I see no problems enrolling her today, the only issue I can see a problem with is the washroom. I think it would be best for her to use the Gender-neutral washrooms, there’s one on each floor of the school. I am not saying this to be mean, it’s just you may run into problems with other students if your secret gets out.” He explained.

“I can see some people might have a problem with me sharing the washroom with them if they knew my secret, and I will use the Gender-neutral washrooms provided It’s not an emergency, but only until my condition is sorted. “I said looking across the desk at him.

“That’s fair, now as far as physical education goes you are exempted and can use it as a study period in the library. I am sure you will have plenty of work to keep you busy with considering that you are behind in many of your classes, but I am sure we can sort that out.”, He said looking through my transcripts.

“So, when can I start?” I said looking over at him excitedly.

“You can start today; I also think it would be good for you to be in the same homeroom as your cousin Amy. I am going to pull up her class schedule and see if I can’t assign you to the same classes as her.”, he said with a grin.

“That would be great, and I really appreciate it,” I said with a big smile.

After a few minutes, Principle Johnson printed up mine and Megan’s class schedule and we said our goodbyes. Aunt Helen stayed with me long enough to show me where my homeroom was and then told me to have fun and then left me outside of the classroom.

As I stood outside of the classroom I felt a little bit nervous as I reached up and knocked on the classroom door and before long I was met by a young woman who looked to be in her late 20’s. “Hi, I am Ashley today's my first day,” I said with a smile.

“Welcome Ashley, I am Mrs. Evans, come on inside.” She said with a warm smile. As I made my way into the classroom.

“Alright class, we have a new student that is going to be joining us. Her name is Ashley Roberts, make her feel at home.” Mrs. Evans said with a smile.

I smiled as I looked at the other students, “Hi everyone”, I said then took a seat towards the back of the classroom near Amy.

“How did you manage to get into my homeroom,” Amy whispered to me.

“The principal thought it would be good to have me in the same classes as you,” I said with a grin.

“That’s cool, we can be study buddies.” She said with a grin.

“exactly”, I exclaimed.

 

            Amy and I didn’t really have much time to speak before the first period, but I was content to listen. Our first class was American History; the class was just getting ready to start a book report.

We were supposed to choose a historical figure and do a book report on them and how they affect the course of history. It was up to us to choose who it was going to be about. There were so many choices that I could choose from but I wanted to do something different from the obvious selections that would most likely be chosen by the other students in my class.

I would have to give it some thought, we had a week to put it together and that really wasn’t a lot of time. I thought to myself as I listened to the teacher drone on about the American revolution.

The rest of the morning was spent going from class to class with only a small break in between classes. Amy took advantage of that time to introduce me to some of her friends. It was all a bit overwhelming but it was also nice.

Most of Amy’s friends seemed pretty friendly for the most part. There were a few hellos and the odd question here and there asked. By the end of the second period, I managed to send out a couple of messages to Adam and Kira. I let them know that I started school and hoped to meet up with them at lunchtime and received a text back for both Adam and Kira, saying they were happy and would see me in the cafeteria later.

After slipping my phone into my purse Amy and I made our way to our 3rd-period classroom, and after a few minutes walking, we arrived at Mr. Bishop’s Science class. Like in the previous classes the teacher made quick introductions.

I soon found a seat and as I looked around the classroom, I saw a familiar face wave to me and found myself smiling when I saw it was Maddie, the girl that Kira had introduced me to the previous day. I waved and smiled back at her as I took a seat and waited for class to start.

 

            I was lucky Science was one of my better subjects and found that most of the stuff the teacher was talking about was stuff, I had already learned. I knew that would most likely be the case with a few of my subjects but like Principle, Johnson said I still had a lot of catching up to do in many of my classes.

To be honest though, I only really excelled in the courses that interested me, and that was mostly by choice and not because I found the subjects hard. If anything many of the subjects were too easy.

I also knew that if I really applied myself that I could be caught up with very little effort on my part. I thought to myself as the bell rang indicating the end of morning classes. After the bell rang and everyone was leaving Maddie came over and had a big smile on her face, “I was really surprised when you came into the classroom.” She said grinning.

“My transcripts and doctors letter came in yesterday and I really didn’t see any reason that I couldn’t start classes today,” I explained.

“Kira’s going to be really happy,” Maddie said with a smile.

“We’re heading over to the cafeteria, want to join?” I said with a grin.

“So, how do the two of you know one another?” Asked Amy.

“I met Ashley, through Kira,” Maddie said answering Amy’s question.

“Yeah, Maddie and I became fast friends”, I said with a grin.

The three of us made it to the cafeteria, I pretty much followed Maddie and Amy considering I still didn’t know my way around yet. We grabbed a table and waited for the others to arrive.

Adam was the first to arrive, as he came into the cafeteria, I saw him looking around when he saw me and came over to our table. “There you are sweetheart”, he said taking me into his arms and gave me a big hug.

“Surprised”, I said wrapping my arms around him and returning his hug.

“Yes, but I love these kinds of surprises, where is your lunch”, he said as he released me from his embrace.

“I didn’t have time to grab anything this morning,” I replied.

“Well, let's grab you something honey, it’s on me.” He said with a smile then reached down and took my hand and the two of us made our way over and joined the line of other students who were waiting to be served.

It took a few minutes but before long Adam and I were served, I ordered a chicken salad sandwich, fries, and a diet coke, whereas Adam ordered fish and chips. The whole time the two of us waited he never took his hands off me, and I was sure by now everyone in the school knew that the two of us were an item.

I had to admit that I secretly enjoyed all the attention and the fact that he was telling everyone to back off because I was taking. Up to now, I had never felt wanted let alone appreciated this was all a new experience for me.

When the two of us returned to our table, nobody had their doubts that Adam and I were together and as I took our seat I notice Kira had also arrived and I saw a smile on her face. When she saw me and Adam return to the table hand in hand.

Kira and Maddie, both seemed surprised to see Adam and I together considering that I hadn’t been in Littleton very long and I had already found myself a boyfriend but they both seem happy that the two of us had found one another.

 

            The afternoon went by pretty quickly, with the first period being math, I spent the second period in the library, it was a study period for me but considering this was my first day I really didn’t have any assignment with the exception of my book report.

I spent a bit of time using one of the computers to do some research on people that I could do my report on. After a lot of thought I decided on Elizabeth Blackwell, she was the first American woman awarded a medical degree by a college and I thought that her story really needed to be told.

So over the next hour, I made my way through the library and found everything I could that was written about Elizabeth Blackwell, but also knew that there would also be a lot of information about her posted on the internet, which I would look up at home on my laptop.

The last class of the day was Social Studies, and the hour went by pretty quickly and before long the last bell of the day rang and it was time to go home. As I was exiting the classroom, I was approached by a girl.

“Hi Ashley, I am Marcy and just wanted to say hi and welcome you to Littleton High.”, She said with a smile.

“Thanks, I am happy to be here, but it’s going to take me a bit to get my bearings,” I said with a grin.

“Well, if there is anything I can do to help just let me know.” She said then walked away.

I waited a couple of minutes for Amy to catch up, and the two of us exited the school together and by the time we reached the parking lot a text came in from Adam.” Hey babe, want to hang?” he said with a happy face emoji.

“Can’t today honey, I have plans,” I said sending him a message.

“Alright, I will call you later tonight, love you baby,” Adam said.

I smiled as I read his text and then sent him one of my own, “Love you More” I said with a grin then sent him the message.

“Adam”, Amy said looking over at me.

“Yeah, he wants to hang but I need some time to figure somethings out,” I said looking over at her.

“Oh, is something wrong?”, Amy asked looking concerned.

“No, things are great, the problem is that I decided to tell him the truth, but I am waiting for the right time and place to break the news to him,” I explained to her.

“Oh, I understand”, Amy said looking over at me.

‘I know it’s fast but I really care about him, and I want the two of us to be together, but we can’t base a relationship on a lie and I also have Abby to think about, I can’t just jump into her life, let her get close to me and disappear. It’s just best to get this over with now before things get too complicated.”, I said looking over at my cousin.

“So, when are you going to tell him?” Amy asked as the two of us started walking towards home.

“Tomorrow night, I want to wait until I see the specialist first. I know he is going to have a lot of questions for me and maybe I will have some answers.”, I explained to her.

“I hope things work out for you and Adam, the two of you are really good for one another,” Amy said putting her arm around my shoulder and the two of us made our way home.

 

End of Part 6

To be continued in part 7