Suddenly Royal

Chapter 8:

MY EARS HEARD 'Alan' being called from the wrong place. Ellie's mom Susanne may have recognized me, but she hadn't said it. Instead, Emily somehow recognized me and I turned towards her.

"Umm..."

"Why are you...?" Emily started to ask just as on the other side of the fence I could hear a bunch of screeching of tires in front of our houses.

"Why don't we continue this inside?" Susanne suggested.

I numbly nodded as Ellie grabbed both me and Emily and dragged us inside. "What's going on?" Emily asked a moment later.

I sighed and pulled the swim cap off of my head. I pulled my hair out of the bun that Ellie had placed it in and looked at Emily. "Umm..."

"How about we sit down?" Susanne suggested.

She brought us glasses of ice water and I just kind of stared at Emily trying to figure out what to say. "Okay, so now you want to tell us what's going on?" Susanne asked gently.

Ellie grabbed my hand tightly and I smiled at her, "I'm transgendered," I told them both.

"No way?!?" Emily said.

I looked at her nervously, "Please... can you keep this a secret...?"

"Of course, we will," Susanne said and gave Emily a look.

"Duh!" Emily said. "How long have you...?"

"A long time," I told her.

"You've known this whole time?" She looked at Ellie.

"For a couple years now since she told me," she told her.

"This is so cool!" Emily said to my surprise.

"It is?" I asked in shock.

"I've always wanted to know someone who was trans!"

I gave her a look and said, "You know you really are weird..."

She laughed.

Between Susanne and Emily my hidden life from the last few years was pried from Ellie and my memories.

"So, are you coming to school as Allie next year?" Emily asked me just as the Ellie's house phone rang.

I watched her mom stand up to get it and heard her say, "Hi Karen... yes... she's here..."

I looked up and heard her say, "Yes... I just found out... Yes, I'm okay with that... Sure I can keep her here inside for a few hours..."

She hung up the phone and sat back down at the table. "So... what's going on with reporters outside your house that your mom wants you kept here for a few hours."

I looked up and sighed as the towel around my chest slipped. I pulled it back tight and said, "So... yeah, me being trans isn't the only big thing about me..." I saw the paper from today sitting flipped upside down from the article and just turned it over and pointed. "I'm also apparently a princess."

"No freaking way?!?" Emily said. "I read this earlier. I'm friends with the coolest person in the world?!?"

Ellie laughed, "Of course you are, you've been friends with me since we were in third grade."

Susanne laughed at that, "So reporters are out there now looking for you?"

"I guess so..."

"You're not to go looking for them right now," Susanne told her and Ellie as they tried to stand to go look.

"Yes ma'am," they both said.

"How long have you known you were a princess?" Emily asked me.

"Two days?" I thought back. "Something like that?"