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Eve Chapter 10

By Topsy

My tutor rose from her chair.

"Don't get angry with me young lady, otherwise I'll go. Now, I'm not sure I would accept your opinion without evidence."

Mum intervened. "I'm sorry, Miss Scott, but these stories are about my daughter and are subject to legal action. You can either take Eve's report as it stands or allocate something different. Either way, anything you learn here regarding Eve's personal circumstances remains confidential."

"I'm sorry Eve, Mrs Jones, I hadn't realised. Mrs Jones, all I was told was that your daughter was recuperating after a stay in hospital but no other details. There was a strange look on the faces of the office staff at the school however when I collected Eve's folders yesterday. The head of sixth form wouldn't see me and the bursar was unavailable."

Mum shook her head, Miss Bates continued.

"I finally spoke to the Parent & Teacher Liaison Officer who had no access to Eve's academic records and simply handed me these folders and a book list. I even had to go to Waterstones to get your text books, I'll add them to my bill. I haven't even been able to get copies of Eve's GCSE exam results. The LEA now won't give me any further information, citing a new policy. This is most unusual."

I looked at the coursework folders. Where my name had been originally printed was a new sticker marked Eve L.S. Jones. Any trace of Simon had been covered. My former life was being erased one bit at a time.

I walked upstairs and retrieved my certificates, the ones that had started this whole problem. Using my scanner I duplicated the certificates, saving them, and took the copies back down. She filed them after noting the grades.

Miss Scott then got back to business and we talked about how we would structure the work. As my access to the online learning would take a week to organise I was to start reading the text books and complete chapter one in the first book for each subject by Friday, when there would be a Q&A session. In the meantime I was to write a short story, 5000 words. I considered my life over the past few weeks but there was nothing short about it.

She left me to start my work, but lunch was slightly more important. Mum had been onto the Tesco website and booked a delivery for tomorrow afternoon.

After lunch I worked for three hours before checking my emails. I'd forgotten to check them for a few days. The email address was still down as Simon Jones of course and several friends had emailed me asking when I'd be back at school. One however, from a weknowabouteve@gmail.com threatened to out me to the local and national newspapers unless I put a video on Youtube and confessed all, outing myself. I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to confess, but I wouldn't have done it anyway. I didn't have a webcam.

I printed off the email twice and took it downstairs. Mum and I weren't surprised about this, it seemed to tie into the anonymous phone call and the rumours the girls had heard at school. Couldn't prove it though, not yet. I suppose this wouldn't be the last silly comment.

We didn't see the girls before we ate but at 7pm the girls, their mum Sharon and Mr Dixon arrived. Claire was carrying a carrier bag.

Mr Dixon queried why the others were present and I explained they had information he should hear. I also was happy for them to hear the legal stuff as they knew most of it already. He wasn't convinced but I was the client.

He went back through my statement that I'd given the previous lunchtime and asked me and mum to sign it. He tucked that away and then queried what had been said at school and what had happened at the hospital.

Mum and I recounted the events the previous morning at the hospital and included the fact that I needed a CT scan, and the possiblility of Chemo. We explained quickly that I was in a skirt because of a medical need and that with the wig covering my wound it was safer to dress completely female than to appear as a male in a dress. I added that the hospital had recorded me incorrectly as transgendered when I'd been admitted so the sight of me as a female would not cause any problems, in fact, the reverse, appearing as a male, would no doubt create problems. This was, I emphasised a temporary situation.

My shrink and I would have an interesting chat on Thursday, I thought.

Of course while I said all of this I was dressed perfectly in a skirt and blouse, sat with my knees together and my hands on my lap. Very natural, for a girl.

Mr Dixon then asked Annie and Claire to describe what they had heard, and to name names. He promised that as they were minors their names would be protected. He then asked their mum, Sharon, if he could visit her and the twins after school tomorrow to obtain a signed statement.

He then discussed with mum and me how we'd proceed. He was waiting for the outcome of the governors meeting when it was expected that the head would be dismissed. That would admit guilt, he claimed. He would write once more to the governors and the LEA and explain how they had failed me, both before the accident and afterwards.

He also talked about how the school had allowed my character to be damaged and apparently had released confidential information. He said he was working on the basis of a percentage of any compensation in place of a fee. Mum had already agreed to these terms apparently.

However, he did caution one thing. All of the letters had been issued under my full name. Any financial agreement would also be in favour of me as Eve, not Simon. I would therefore have to open a bank account as Eve. I had to remain as Eve for now, changing my name to remove Eve Lynn was simply not possible until the legal side was finished, however long that took.

Life just became even more complicated. Every time I thought we were sorting things out, some other complication got in the way.

He was somewhat concerned about the email, my tutor's comments and the anonymous phone call. There could be a link. Mum gave him one copy of the email and Miss Scott's contact details. After some pleasantries, he left.

Claire, who had been sat quietly, now bounced across the room to where I was sat, told me how brave I was and kissed me full on the lips, her tongue teasing me. When she let me go, I could see Sharon sat there not knowing what to think. Annie just giggled, as did my mum. Obviously Sharon hadn't been told we might be lovers or that Claire could be a lesbian.

Claire reached down the side of the couch and picked up the carrier bag, she pulled out the few bits that I'd left in my locker at the end of the previous year. I was supposed to have emptied it, but was in too much of a hurry to worry, knowing I'd be back in September.

Mum asked Claire if she'd had any problems.

"No, I went to the bursar, Ms Holts, and she came with me to open the locker. I had the key you'd given me but did as you asked."

"Did she have any questions?"

"Only if I was a good friend of Eve."

"Not Simon?"

"No, Eve. Definitely."

Mum then took Sharon into the kitchen, poured them both a glass of wine and explained some of the background. Obviously the girls had been good to their word and hadn't even told their mum.

In the meantime I finally worked up the courage to tell Claire I loved her.

"I know."

"I think we need to be careful."

"No argument there girlfriend'

All three of us girls collapsed into giggles. Hang on, us girls? What am I thinking.

Mum and Sharon eventually took nearly 45 minutes to finish whatever they were discussing and by the time the door opened at half-eight the wine bottle was also finished. Claire's face was covered in lipstick marks, she didn't care.

"Come on girls, let's get home and have a chat."

Sharon took her daughters and gave me a kiss as she left. Claire sneaked another kiss from me.

Mum and I sat there quietly before she spoke.

"I think you've fallen in love with Claire. Have you told her?"

"Yes."

"Who does she love? Simon or Eve?"

"Eve." I said without pausing.

"I thought so."

With that, the subject was dropped.