Yours Sincerely, Jim
It was the e-letter that had been sent to Flash's parents. But because the pair of them were too busy, he had been the one to actually open the email. As he always did.
He'd been hanging out with his friends from the decathlon team. Abe and Cindy opposite him, both looked at him in shock when he dropped his phone. "What's happened?" Abe asked, panic filling his voice. "Do you need to go the hospital?" The guy stood up and rounded the table to crouch next to him.
Flash shook his head. "No. I. I just. Have you seen this?" He pointed to his phone. Cindy picked up the device and began to read. Her face grew paler and paler with each sentence. When she came to the end of the text, she also dropped the phone onto the table. "Okay, what is it?!!" Abe asked, and took his turn to scan over the letter.
"That's bad. That's really, really bad." Cindy whispered.
"Bad doesn't even cover it." Flash responded, voice flat.
"Traumatic, soul destroying. I'm not a fucking thesaurus, but I have many words that are better than bad." Abe chimed in, fists clenched into fists. "Why didn't he say anything?! We would have helped. We would have done something for him!!"
Flash picked up his phone and let his eyes roam over the wall of text that had just destroyed his whole opinion of his friend. Well. Friend was not the right word. The guy he picked on. Peter had been absent the rest of the week, and it was all anyone could talk about. The guy had given birth in the changing rooms, of course they would talk.
Flash hadn't though.
Maybe it was the look in his eyes when they'd wheeled him past. Or maybe it had been the sheer panic on Tony Stark's face. Perhaps it had been the way Principal Morita and the school nurse had talked about police in harsh whispers that Flash had been close enough to hear. Or it may have been the way that the paramedics had looked so completely and utterly destroyed. Like the things that they had heard behind the changing room door had ruined their perception of human beings. And maybe it had. Because that damn electronic notification had just about changed Flash's life.
And he wasn't the one that had had the baby.
"So what do we do?" Flash asked his friends.
"What he would do for any of us." Cindy answered promptly.
"And that is?" Abe raised an eyebrow.
"Look after him." Flash said. Cindy nodded.
"Exactly that, Thompson. We look after him."
It is with great sadness that I am writing this letter.
As I am sure many of you have heard from your children over the past few days, one of our students gave birth on the school premises. A thorough investigation is underway. I have taken the time to get all the details as factually correct as possible, as this incident is having a profound effect on the students and staff alike. I have tried to write this message many times over the past week, but found that my emotions came through in my language. I present this to you, and ask that you read with kindness and patience.
The person in question is a transsexual student. For those who are not aware of this terminology, this means that he was born female. However, he did not feel comfortable in this assigned gender, and transitioned into a male student- Peter Parker. I explain this with his permission, as it is a very important part of this delicate situation.
Peter's uncle was murdered in front of him a couple of years ago, and despite this, he has risen to the top of our educational ranks- and is a social butterfly who brings joy to everyone he meets. His guardian met a man last year who appeared to be safe. An individual with a background check regularly updated for his job. This man's name is Stephen Westcott. They moved in together, and were in the process of having Westcott become one of Peter's guardians when he gave birth. Needless to say, that plan has been abandoned.
There is no gentle way to say this. Stephen Westcott has been found to be the biological father of Peter's new baby. He was taken into police custody on the same day of the birth, and he awaits trial. For the past year, Mr Parker has been subjected to numerous counts of sexual abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse. Mr Parker was unaware that he was pregnant, having what is called a cryptic pregnancy. He went into labour in the changing rooms, and after the baby was delivered- he was taken home. For now, Mr Parker will be resting and healing from home. We will be discussing his staggered return to school in due course. As Mr Parker has chosen to keep his baby, we will be as accommodating to him as possible.
To help soften the blow, we're working in conjunction with the police and social services to provide trauma therapists for the students to talk to. This incident has highlighted that I as a principal need to step up for our children. I have failed one of our own. Here at Midtown High I applaud academics, but the health and well-being of my children comes first. I am so sorry that I failed Mr Parker. I am going to try my hardest to make sure each child knows that I am a safe space for them to turn to, and the teachers I employ are too. We will be providing more in depth lessons about sexual health, consent and who to turn to when the boundaries have been crossed. I am so sad and so profoundly sorry that this is all coming at Mr Parker's expense.
Peter Parker is one of the best people I have ever met. He has taken the time to bring awareness to the LGBTQIA+ community in our school. He's created wellness hubs for all kids to turn to. He volunteers at his local homeless shelter, and the local animal shelter. He is a member in many of our clubs here, and performs as first chair in the academic decathlon team. He is an asset to our family here at Midtown High. We shall all rally around him as he begins the long journey to healing.
I always intended to make Midtown High a place where my children were safe. I plan to forge a path through this pain, to continue with that goal.
Attached to this email are some resources the LAPD have put together to try and help us deal with this shock. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of the faculty as and when you need.
Yours sincerely,
Principal Jim Morita.