2:23pm Saturday - Gavin
I don't know what happened...but Amity looks haggard now.
She lead me to the food court and almost collapsed into a chair…she didn't let go of my hand the entire time, so I sat opposite her and gently tugged my hand free while she was lost in thoughts.
And we've just been sitting here in silence since. Silence except for the cacophony of all the people milling about and chatting and buying things and eating as loudly as possible.
I think one of the salespeople approached Amity while I was in the change room, but I don't know what happened. Once my heart calmed down when it became clear they weren't talking to me I kinda blacked out for a little bit.
I did try on the bra though…
Actually…
I twist my torso, pretending to read the menu from a nearby fast food place. Sure enough, I can feel the bra on my skin. Amity dragged me out of that shop while I was still wearing it. The outside made it seem like it was going to be rough and unpleasant on my skin, but this is surprisingly soft. And again, Amity has guessed clothes that fit me surprisingly well. What is she hiding?
She had demanded I show her proof I tried it on, so what else was I supposed to do? Not put it on and go hungry?
She forced me to steal it.
Really glad the alarms didn't go off when we left. I think they had turned it off since a delivery had just come in, cause I have no idea otherwise why the anti-theft device didn't cause the alarms to trip when we left.
Actually…how do I get that off now?
Is it one of those dye packs or something? Is it going to explode on me? Do I need a really big magnet? I can't go into a different shop to get help, they'll think it's some kind of elaborate scam.
I can't ask Amity to look it up, she's both comatose and I don't think she knows I was wearing it. Also, I don't know if I want her to see me in nothing but a bra. There's no way she planned this just to see me naked. Wait...did she? She bet me to go in, gave me an offer I couldn't refuse and then dragged me out of the store so I can't take the bra back off?
...That does sound plausible.
We are competing for who can last the longest. I'm now wearing something that'll set off half the alarms in the mall. I can't go into any more stores without attracting more attention, and possibly the police. She snookered me! The bitch!
I need space.
"I'm gonna spend some of my winnings."
Amity perks up as I say that, a creepy smile spreads over her face, but whatever happened to her in the lingerie shop is still hanging over her- him. Him. It's haunting Him. And his eyes still look dead inside (don't open).
I'm gonna take a leaf from Flik's book and get some space and spy on them from a distance to try and work out if they really did just make me steal a hundred and fifty bucks worth of bra for perverted reasons.
Bras can't all be that expensive…right?
2:32pm Saturday - Gavin
Okay, so no. I don't think David is a machiavellian schemer.
No one who knows what they're doing looks as dead as that man does. They still look cute though.
Wait…does that make me gay? For liking how a guy looks? Does David count as a guy? Does…Amity count as a girl?
Do I?
Wait…if I was a woman…would I be straight or gay for liking how Amity looks?
"Whatcha gettn'?"
I am so glad I am an expressionless husk some days. I almost shat myself just now, but it probably didn't show on my face at all.
"Flik, who sneaks up on people like that? I'm gonna get you back for that and you'll deeply regret having thought you could sneak up on me."
"Ohh, feeling chatty today? Is that her over there? I really hope it is, cause I would feel kinda bad for perving on the wrong person. You don't have back to back dates today, right? Those are the clothes I picked out to match your suggestions, but people can share clothes." I was immediately overwhelmed by the idea of Amity dressed in the clothes I was currently wearing…she would look like she was wearing her boyfriend's clothes…he. He would. Wait…am I the boyfriend in that fantasy?
Wait, before I get swept away by my imagination.
"Yes, that's Amity."
"Ohh, that's how you pronounce it? Is it Indian?"
"What? No. Greek, I think." Greek is Latin…right? Or is that what they speak in Greece? Who knows. It's a romance language word, they're all pronounced the same.
A momentary silence built between us.
"So you getting a kebab, or..?"
"Oh no, you fool. This place does the best HSP. Good mix of meat and chips and actually put the sauce in under some of the chips too so it's not all at the top for you to accidentally eat it all."
"And you're being the gentleman and buying the food?" Flik doesn't need to know this is Amity's money.
I don't like her calling me a gentleman though. That normally doesn't bother me.
"Huh…"
"Twenty nine. Order twenty nine. HSP to go." Saved by everyone's friend: the lady behind the kebab shop counter. I grab the polystyrene box, filled to bursting with food, and turn to Flik.
"Wanna meet her?"
She looks like she could explode with excitement.
This is going to be fun.
2:32pm Saturday - Amity
I can still feel her hand on my skin…when did I get this touch starved? My bra feels weird, it's probably fitting me better now.
Wait…where did Grace go?
There she is…is she talking to someone? How is she so confident? Is that one of the benefits to being pretty? She looks more energized and happier than a minute ago…was I making this unfun and frustrating? She's my rival, but do I want her to have fun?
Hang on…why is her new friend coming back over here with her?
"Hey, Amity, this is Felicity, she thought you were cute and wanted to say hi."
What?
"What?"
WHAT?
NO! Amity, stay calm. You can do things. You have done things before and, if you survive this, will do things in the future.
"Hi." No! Bad hands. Ladies don't shake hands when they greet. That's a dude thing. Fuck! What do ladies do when they meet? Kiss?
I stand up and brush some nothing off my lap, give her a quick hug on tip toes and kiss the air near her head.
Yeah. I've seen people do that before. Totally normal. See Grace, I can do things. You thought you could make me concede just with a…wait…she said I was cute? And Felicity didn't correct her?
"You're so short and cute." Lady! You CAN'T just bust that stuff out from the jump. What is going on? Is this a setup? It must be.
"So how did you two meet?" I need to pivot attention away from me before I blush so hard I burst into flames.
"I've known Gavin since orientation, he met me a few weeks later cause I saw him lazing in the sun every day and I finally talked to him instead of walking past and we were fast friends. You were wearing that weird beanie you always wear...wait, how did I not notice you weren't wearing it today? Is this what your hair looks like without it?"
Who?
"It's not sanitary to wear the same hat every day"
...But that's Grace...
Felicity sat down and someone sat down next to her, I force myself to walk back to the other side of the table and sit down also.
Someone puts a Hallal Snack Pack on the table between us all and fans out a bunch of wooden forks.
Was I not here with Grace the whole time? Who was I competing with? That's Grace! Isn't it?
"Are you studying computer science too, Felicity?" Does she not..? Know? Wait...do just Aaron and I know the name Grace? Do I tell Felicity?
"No..." No. "...I'm doing visual arts, gotta slog through one more semester of stuff that isn't one hundred percent photography. Then every class I'm taking lets me break out the mirrorless beauty."
If I tell Felicity that Grace is the name for when...
Wait...what am I calling Gavin that for? It was for teasing and being dorks, right? Gavin isn't trans like I am. Have I just been projecting this whole time? Was I that desperate for a trans friend I could experience exploring gender together with that I forced a friend to crossdress?
The egg prime directive is bullshit. If Gavin was secretly trans this week would have given them more than enough chances to come to terms and announce a new gender. But they've been acting like they wanted to do anything but this whole time. You want this to be over, don't you Gavin?