Chapter 6

Chapter 6: When I Get a Round Tuit
Paid publication
Book #1	Welcome to Dorley Hall
Chapter	6
Free publication
Date posted	Jan 6, 2022
Word count	12,193
Points of view	Christine, Stefan
AO3 Scribble Hub
Content warnings
Cissexism, suicide, transphobia (internalised)
Chapter 5 ← Previous	Chapter 7 Next →

Chapter 6: When I Get a Round Tuit is the sixth chapter of the first book of the series. Christine and Stefan have a heart-to-heart talk with a considerable helping of transphobia, mostly directed internally. Stefan tells Christine that he is a trans woman, and convinces her that Dorley Hall is, in fact, his best way to get the transition help he desperately needs. Christine lays some cover for Stefan, convincing Pippa to create a disappearance more in line with his preferences and sharing his innocence with Abby.

The title is named after one of the novelty mugs at Dorley Hall, and in fact Aunt Bea's favorite.

Plot

2019, Stefan

Stefan is distracted by Christine and his roiling emotions. It's hard to accept that it's possible to become a woman, let alone one as pretty as Christine or Melissa. He instead accuses Christine of lying which nearly sets her off, as vulnerable as she'd made herself after coming out to Stefan. After calming down, Christine enters Stefan's cell and shares confidential Dorley Hall documents Abby wrote that they would normally not be able to see. She shares that rather than doing something particularly bad, Melissa was brought in because she was going down a lonely, nihilistic road that sometimes ends up in stochastic tragedy.

Stefan finds it hard to believe that the programme tries to help men by turning them into women. Christine finds it self-evident, since it worked for her. He then questions whether the other boys in the 2019 intake are worth saving, to which she replies that the sponsors and Aunt Bea think so.

Christine asks why Stefan wants to stay. It's hard to admit, but Stefan confesses that he's transgender. He learns that Abby and Melissa were close enough that she's picked up one of the phrases she used to say: "Draw the stick figures first, paint on the detail later." Also that sponsors often grow very close to their charges.

Christine emphasizes that Dorley Hall is not a good place to transition, and that if Aunt Bea finds out she might kill Stefan to keep their secret. Stefan shares his plan to pretend to be one of the typical bad boys. She thinks this is a terrible idea. She tells Stefan that Dorley Hall works by yanking toxic masculinity away from these boys, forcing them to consider healthier alternatives, and that this process can be messy. Stefan objects whether this is the only way to do it, but Christine argues that the results speak for themselves.

Christine again asks Stefan to leave, and he says he can't. She calls him by the female pronoun, causing Stefan to grapple with his complicated feelings about gender. He asserts that he's been slowly fading away and that Dorley Hall is his best and last hope. They discuss the timeline for the programme, such as hormonal treatment, orchiectomy, hair removal and facial feminisation surgery. Stefan points out that all these procedures cost tens of thousands of pounds that he doesn't have, and that the National Health Service is degrading and slow, and that he's broke.

Stefan questions how Christine isn't suffering from gender dysphoria, to which she has no answer. Then he points out that Christine and all the other Dorley girls seem to be happy and begs her to give him a chance to be happy, too. Christine is forced to accept his appeals.

2019, Christine

Christine suffers from her lack of sleep. She's been up until 5am talking to Stefan. Aunt Bea notices and provides her more coffee. Pippa ponders how to disappear Stefan. Christine proposes the idea of getting Stefan's cooperation and sending mail that suggests he went on a backpacking trip around the world, heavily inspired by talking with Stefan and learning about his close ties to his family. She convinces them to adopt that idea.

2019, Stefan

Pippa comes to see Stefan again. Stefan agrees to cooperate with the program. He is introduced back to the common room. It has no windows, ten bedrooms, a main entrance and an emergency exit. He is then made to shower in the communal bathroom.

2019, Christine

Christine is once more reducing sleep, nervously spying on the basement, then she tries to make herself relax. Everything is going to plan. Abby arrives and Christine shares the story she and Stefan planned, which is also not far from the truth. Stefan met Melissa early during the programme and was recognized. He did some research and found there was a pattern of disappearances around Almsworth and got into the Royal College to investigate further. Then he uses the Dark Web to have someone hack into his records and alter them so he can be picked up by Dorley.

Christine also reveals that Stefan is trans and wants to stay. She shares that she's afraid Aunt Bea will wash him out if she ever learns about it, to which Abby agrees. The two have a sweet moment. Christine is too tired and admits she's able to hack the security system, and Abby is amazed.