I woke early on Saturday morning, after again struggling to get to sleep the previous night. Too many excited thoughts running though my head, from the experiences of the last few days and the anticipation for the coming evening. I got up much earlier than I would normally have on a Saturday, and very early considering how tired I had felt.

I made zero progress in putting any of my new clothes away. I had just chilled out, curled up in the single corner of my king size bed that had been kept clear of clothes. For what was probably an hour, I played on my phone. I don’t use social media, but I do watch YouTube. Lots lately. The last hour had been makeup tutorials and clothing haul reviews. I couldn’t get enough of it.

I went downstairs to get a drink, and found my Mum and Sister both in the kitchen.

“Mum’s home?” I said in surprise, as Claire pulled onto the driveway.

Seeing my Mum back from work before 7pm at the earliest was unusual. She was a bit of a workaholic, albeit a very successful one. As the divisional CEO of a large segment within a FTSE100 consumer goods business, the financial rewards almost matched how hard she worked. My Dad, before he died, had been the Group CFO of the same business, him and my mother having met each other at work many years ago.

“I don’t have any pyjamas. I don’t wear them; I’m neither seven nor seventy years old! Can’t I just keep this on, until going to bed?” I said, gesturing towards my current outfit?

“No. I don’t want you crying all over my clothes. And you need those as costumes, don’t you?” My sister replied.

“Why on earth would I cry? What are you going to do to me?” I queried in fake panic.

“Nothing. I hope you don’t. But trust someone who knows from experience, these girlie chats about boys often end that way.”

“Boy chats?”

Instead of heading to the holding area, it was a shorter route for me to head first to the gymnasium changing rooms, and pick up my two other costumes. I therefore went in a different direction to the boys that were now likely already in the holding room, and I returned down the route I had just walked.

It felt like Ms Greenwood and Adam had been staring at me for ages. Time had stopped moving forwards, and I was stuck in this incredibly embarrassing and uncomfortable moment. I knew this whole arrangement was going to be awkward, but I had not expected it to hit me like a brick wall.

“Right then,” said Ms Greenwood. “Sam, I can see you’re not quite ready, but Adam, are you done?”

“I was ready ages ago, Miss”, replied Adam. “Don’t understand why we had to come down here so early. I was going to pop into town after school, with the rest of the lads.”

Allie - The teenage years of Alexander Horten

January 3-9 , 2016

“Terry get up. Terry get up!! You’ll be late for school.”

“Ok dad. Where are my clean panties?”

“There should be some in the drawer, if not can’t you wear boxers for a change?”

“I could, but I prefer panties.”

Luke and Lucy had their first meeting with their gender identity counsellor just over a month after confessing their feelings to each other, and just a few days before they started college. As they had done their whole lives, the twins attended the counselling session together, despite the counsellor's offer of separate appointments. During the session, Luke and Lucy told the counsellor everything they had told Dr Sutton, and at the end felt relieved to get their frustrations and stresses off their chest, and happy at the knowledge that their next meeting was only a few days away.

I wish I could get you
Out of my mind
But I think about it all the time
And I wish I could not think
For once in my life
But when I see your face
I can't escape my mind

The whole crowd seems to like me now
'Cause they think I'm cool but back when I was in school
They found it very easy to hate me
Funny how always these times are changing
Back then I was so easy to shatter
But now in the end it doesn't really matter
Tap your foot and listen in
Ignore the world, let the music cave in
Close your phone and breathe in the air
You'll soon realize that there's something that is so much more than this.

Set in modern Japan school, is a story of how a boy's life is turned upside down by a certain incident.

Mrs Bennet and the Body in the Library

By Susannah Donim

Chapter Seven – Awards and Opportunities

Interlude: Mike’s time as Mrs Bennet is over – or is it? A new opportunity comes up and Holly is determined to make the most of it…

So close your eyes
And create yourself a better life
Let the wind blow through your hair
Let the music take you there
And make a better life, better life,

During the summer of 2013, before the twins' second year of secondary school, their parents had bought them each a new school uniform- and as before, Paul had bought Luke's uniform online, while Lucy had to endure a shopping trip with her mother and grandmother.

“Omigod!” Beck shouted from the hallway. “Omigod, omigod, omigod!”

My parents and I interrupted our breakfast of waffles and looked down the hallway as Becca stormed into the kitchen. She made a beeline to the chair across from me, hurriedly shoved it out of the way and pointed her cell phone at me with a picture of Justin with me in a full, lip-locked embrace.

Just Friends
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2022 Melanie Brown


Alex should probably get a haircut

This has a different Tony. This story was actually started back in October but it wasn't finished. -- Ed

Life finds a way part 2