An Unexpected Fate

The Party

The following morning, Ellie woke up feeling just as horrible as she did last night. She rolled over, seeing Freya lying with her back turned. She wondered if she was awake, but didn't want to say anything. Instead, she got up and went into the bathroom to freshen herself up. She tried her best not to look in the mirror, knowing the agony it would probably bring. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, then changed her underwear, stopping for a second as she looked down at her crotch. She felt angry at the world, she blamed it for how she was born. She wanted to scream, to yell, to cry.

No. She thought to herself. This is my big day, I'm not gonna be sad.

She repeated this to herself a few more times before she walked, quietly, back into the room. Her silence wasn't needed, however, as Freya was sitting up, scrolling on her phone. "Morning."

Ellie gave her a small, half-smile. "Morning."

"How are you feeling?" Freya said, putting her phone down.

Ellie thought for a second. She still felt some of the shame and guilt from the previous night, but she was determined to not let it ruin her day. "Better. I'm sorry about last night." She said as she sat down at the end of bed, picking up her bag to fish out the things she needed for the day.

Freya crawled over the bed behind her, wrapping her arms around Ellie. "It's okay, I don't know what you're going through, but I'm here for you and I'll do my best to understand and I hope that one day you're comfortable enough in your own body to not let it hold you back."

Ellie smiled. She appreciated Freya more than she could ever put into words, but she didn't want to think about last night any longer. She reached into her bag and pulled out a box. "I think these might help with that..."

"What are those?" Freya said. Then she saw what was written on the box. Oestrogen Patches. "Wait, is that what I think it is?"

Ellie nodded. "My mum picked them up for me on Thursday. I thought it'd be nice if I started today."

"Ellie, that's amazing!" Freya said, tightening her hug until Ellie almost choked. "How does it work?" 

"Uhh..." She flipped the box over, carefully reading the instructions. "I just put it on my upper thigh and it releases hormones over time." This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. It had only really been a month, but it felt like she had been waiting her entire life for this. Her hands trembled as she opened the box and pulled the first patch out. She removed the protective backing and slowly placed it against her leg. She used her hand to flatten it out, ensuring it was smooth against her skin. It felt cold. Nothing else, just cold.

"Well?" Freya asked, excitedly. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know what I was expecting, to be honest. I kinda hoped my chest would just pop out and maybe down there would just vanish." Ellie laughed. "It's weird, though. Like, I know nothing is gonna happen straight away, it's gonna take time, but... I already feel better, like I can think a bit clearer."

Freya laughed. "Hopefully you won't need to wait long before you see some changes, but we'll see. But if you feel better and happier, that's already a really good start."

"Yeah." Ellie said, still looking at the box. "We should get dressed, they'll be wanting us to arrive soon."

***

Ellie had soon forgotten about last night as her mood increased over the course of the morning. She and Freya got dressed; Ellie into the tartan skirt and black top she bought, Freya into the same denim dress she wore during their trip to Pizza Hut. The girls spent the morning excitedly chattering away as they did their hair and makeup before leaving for the party. They basically skipped, hand in hand, from Freya's to Ellie's, laughing and joking, just having a good time with each other.