As I awoke, I found myself buried under wonderfully warm covers. I leisurely poked my head out. Some light was trickling into my room through the drawn curtains, but I had an odd feeling that I had not slept at all. It was as if I had climbed into bed, blinked, and then it was suddenly morning.
"Did I even sleep?" I asked my soft and very comfortable pillow.
It did not reply.
Before leaving the warm confines of the covers, I stretched out diagonally along the bed to give my muscles a chance to wake up. The bed's edges were nowhere near my head or feet despite me reaching as far as I could. My memories, or rather Lucas's memories, told me I should easily be able to touch both corners at once.
"You are shorter?" My father's voice echoed in my mind from the day before. It turned out that he was right.
Last night I had spent a few hours on homework after dinner and eventually the drained feeling that had been creeping up on me won. The events of Friday still were taking their toll on me, and upon crawling into bed the lingering exhaustion knocked me out completely. It was now about eight in the morning. All indications were that I had actually slept despite my brain arguing vehemently to the contrary. The covers separated from me as I clambered up onto my feet and looked at the clock. The sweatshirt and a bra that I had discarded hours ago were illuminated by the morning light spilling in through the window. I ignored the pile of clothes and slowly made my way downstairs. I was careful to avoid making enough noise to wake my father. Attached to the refrigerator with a clip magnet was a note and several twenty-dollar bills.
The note was written in my father's neat handwriting: "Hope you have a nice time shopping with Sarah!" I collected the cash, picked up the pen we left for these notes and quickly wrote: "Thanks Dad!"
Dad must have gone out shopping for groceries yesterday; the shelves inside the refrigerator were filled with fresh new packages and cartons. I quickly scanned the shelves for a possible breakfast and found milk, eggs, and bacon. After a moment I pulled out the milk, grabbed a box of cereal, and retrieved a bowl from the cabinets. After putting the milk away, I stood next to the phone and quickly dug in. I was surprisingly hungry despite just waking up.
My mind wandered as I plowed my way through the meal. I was not really exercising any more than normal. The group of us tended to bike around the small town and we went on short hikes in the woods on the weekends. The only major difference was the long fight on Friday. It made sense that it would have taken quite a toll on me, but most of what I had done was using magic. Did magic burn calories? Where did the energy to do all that crazy stuff even come from?
A loud knocking sounded at the door, and I jumped and nearly dropped my bowl. I took a second to breathe and relax before putting my dishes in the sink and moving to the door. Outside, Sarah was visible through the glass, and she had a silly grin plastered on her face. She wore a long-sleeved navy blouse and faded blue jeans which paired well with the unseasonably warm weather. I had expected her to call before coming over, but she seemed eager to get started today. I quickly opened the door and smiled.
"Hi Sarah!" I beamed, "My dad is upstairs sleeping still so we need to be a bit quiet."
"Hi Lu-Laura!" she replied energetically. I ignored the near-miss on my name. Her eyes glanced over my body quickly and then snapped back upwards to meet mine. "Uh... Laura, you should probably put on a bra before we go shopping." My cheeks immediately burned, and I had to resist immediately running to my room.
"I just woke up and had breakfast," I laughed, "I was not expecting to leave just yet. I will be right back. Do you want something to drink while you wait?"
"Water please," she replied, "We have a lot of biking and walking ahead of us today. And that's before the shopping." I fetched Sarah a glass, then headed upstairs to change. I quickly pulled on the bra, thanked the stars it was still acceptably clean, and threw the undershirt and hoodie back on before returning down the stairs. I checked myself in the mirror. Hoodies and jeans were a standard "Lucas" outfit, but it was what I had to work with.
As I rounded the corner, I noticed Sarah had returned her glass to the kitchen sink. She was clearly excited at the prospect of a shopping trip and wanted to get moving.
"Come on, Laura. We don't have all day!" she said, tapping her foot.
I quickly patted my pockets to make sure I had my keys and the cash my father gave me and motioned to the door. Sarah ran off ahead while I locked up. Then I remembered I had left my bike in the garage. I sighed, doubled back, opened the garage door, and rolled the bike out. I was still waking up and the butterflies in my stomach were building.
"Come on Laura!" Sarah called from the end of the driveway. "What's taking so long?"
I quickly hopped on my bike as the garage door closed behind me and lightly pedaled to where Sarah was waiting.
"Shall we?" I asked. In reply Sarah bolted down the road and I scrambled to keep up.
-*-
"I figure we should start at the place where I bought all those bras so we can exchange them for some new stuff in your size," Sarah said as we chained our bikes at the rack.
"So, which store is first?" I asked. I waited for Sarah as she fiddled with the knots that held the bra bag to the rack on the back of her bike.
"This one!" She indicated at the building we were already at. I warily looked through the front window. There were two dresses on display, each with distinct styles, but I did not have the words to describe them. Lucas's and Aurora's memories provided no help here.
"This is Plume!" Sarah announced, motioning at the front door, "After you."
"Lucas never went here," I thought aloud. A smile spread across Sarah's face.
"Yeah, that's not surprising. It's mostly dresses and very trendy," Sarah said.
I pulled open the door and immediately felt lost.
"Uh... Where do I even start?" I mumbled as I looked around at the displays and items on shelves.
"Head over to the dressing rooms. I'll grab some clothes for you and deal with the returns while you try stuff on. Don't be nervous, you're in good hands," Sarah reassured me and pointed to the corner of the building. I quickly found the dressing rooms and stood in front of the one furthest from the entrance waiting for Sarah to return. The selection of dresses and clothing here was enticing, and I was excited to see what Sarah would bring for me to try. Yet, there was a feeling that nagged at me that I shouldn't be here even though I wanted to be here.
I occasionally caught sight of her as she roamed the shelves, her face was intense as she looked for something specific, but I eventually lost sight of her. After a short wait, she approached holding out a violet bundle of cloth in her hands. I eagerly took it and draped it across my clothed body. It was a purple dress that hung just past my knee.
"This looks great!" I said as I turned to enter the dressing room.
"Don't forget these, and this blouse on top," Sarah added. She handed me a white item of clothing that resembled a shirt along with a pair of underwear.
"Oh, Sarah, could you also grab another dress? In a bright color? Maybe yellow?"
"What style?"
"I have no idea. Could you pick?"
"A strappy sundress would be cute. I'll look for one while you try that on. Feel free to take your time; the store's not busy. If you need help, just let me know," Sarah beamed and she quickly headed off in search of my request.
I closed the curtain to the dressing room and started swapping my outfit. I pulled my current set of pants and hoodie off and slid the new underwear on. The mirror stood before me, and I looked up at it with trepidation. For the first time I was wearing a complete set of women's underwear. Thankfully, it felt much more comfortable than the undergarments I was wearing before. My reflection was starkly different from how it was in Lucas's memories, and after a moment of consideration I decided this was a great improvement aesthetically.
The dress was next. I dropped it over my head and felt hang snugly against my body as it slid into place. The final piece was the shirt which I threw over the dress to complete the look. A glance at the mirror showed me exactly what I wanted to see: a cute young woman in a well-fitting dress.
I gave the dress a quick spin, the hem went flying outwards, and a huge smile spread across my face. Wearing a dress just felt right. I had worn one for as long as I could remember, after all. Yet, there was a small part of me that was unhappy with this situation. That part was very wrong, so I chose to ignore it. This was exactly what I wanted. Throwing aside the curtain, I walked out of the dressing room to show Sarah. She was waiting for me and holding a bright yellow bundle.
"What do you think?" I asked, barely containing my excitement.
"Oh my gosh Laura, you look great! I even got the size right. Can you spin for me?" Sarah was looking intently at my dress as I slowly spun in place. I looked down and watched the fabric flow and sway around me.
"It feels right, I think," I said as I lightly pulled on the white outer layer and completed my slow spin.
"Give me the tags for those and I'll pay for them. I also grabbed a few more bras in your size. As for this," she held up the yellow dress, "you'll have to cover it."
"Got it. Should not be a problem." I carefully took the second dress and checked the size on its label before retreating to the dressing room. A quick change of outfit later and I was looking at myself wearing the bright yellow sundress. Its neckline was low enough that it revealed the edge of my bra and the bra straps clashed with the dress's thin spaghetti straps. Was I supposed to go braless for this? My face contorted into a look of confusion as I looked closer at myself in the mirror. Eventually, I stuck my head out of the dressing room and looked for Sarah. She must have finished redeeming the store credit because she was already heading back to check on me.
"How are you doing, Laura?" Sarah asked.
"Not sure," I replied, "Uhh, weird question, is this dress supposed to be worn with a bra?"
"Yeah, but not that style of bra. You can still check the fit with that bra, but I'll grab a strapless in your size that should work a bit better," Sarah replied before running off again.
I turned back to the mirror and tugged at the dress in various locations to check the fit. It seemed like it fit perfectly with the only problem being the mismatched bra. I quickly swapped back to the purple dress, scooped up my hoodie and jeans, and carefully folded the new sundress. Ensuring the dressing room was empty of items, I walked over to the register and waved down Sarah on the way. She handed me the bra that went with the yellow dress, and we stopped just before the register. I doubled back and grabbed a few more pairs of panties. After returning to the counter, I fished out the wallet from my previous set of pants and paid. The cashier gave me a very large heavy duty plastic bag with 'Plume' emblazoned across it in large print. I shoved my old clothes to the bottom of the bag and delicately set my underwear and new dress on top. Leading the way out of the store, I held open the door for Sarah and excitedly looked down the street wondering where we should stop next.
"Thanks so much for your help, Sarah," I said. When we were outside in the bright sunlight, I noticed Sarah was giving me another inspection.
"When did you shave your legs?" she asked.
"Oh? I, uh, have not, actually," I said looking down at my legs. "I am going to have to start doing that, right?"
"Well, you don't have to, but you did buy two dresses." Sarah said, "Could go with tights or leggings if you don't feel like shaving. You could always wax if you hate shaving, but that is surprisingly painful. If you're made of money, you could even go for something permanent. I read an article speculating that laser hair removal might be getting a lot cheaper soon."
I added shaving supplies to my mental shopping list.
"Where should we head to next?" I peered down the street.
"Next up is Groove. I hope you still have some money left," Sarah smiled.
"I should have enough for a few things," I said and then laughed. "I had no idea this was going to be expensive."
"Stuff that both looks good and doesn't fall apart after the first wash is always a bit pricey, I'm afraid. Compared to your boring old tee shirts and shapeless jeans at least," Sarah said giving me a smirk.
"Hey!" I yelped, "I just got here! And you should know, hoodies are also part of my repertoire. I will not be shivering in the cold for the sake of fashion."
"Wildly adventurous. Truly a marvel. I withdraw my accusation, oh cozy one," Sarah giggled at me.
"Give me some credit, Sarah, I clean up nice," I stated proudly as I posed in my dress with my fists on my hips.
"I already took it back," Sarah said with a smirk and waved me on to the next store. She pulled the door to Groove open and held it for me.
"You said you really like Plume, but when was the last time you wore a dress?" I asked as I passed her. She ignored the question.
"Go grab a dressing room again, I think I can come up with a good outfit here." Sarah pointed to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were. After walking to the back of the store I again picked out the furthest room from the entrance and waited for Sarah to return.
"Sarah, this does not really feel like shopping with you so much as you just trying out outfits on me." I said laughing as she handed me two tops and another pair of jeans.
"Okay, you might have a point but put these on. They'll look great." Sarah replied with a pout.
"I will, I will," I said and pulled the curtain closed.
Of the two tops, one was a full-length button-down burgundy blouse and the other was a white camisole that went underneath it. I quickly threw them on, leaving the outer layer only partially buttoned, and turned to the mirror. The outfit had a nice, layered look, but my black bra was visible through the white top. I had to replace it with a white bra from the last store. After throwing on the jeans to finish the outfit, I admired my reflection in the mirror. It looked familiar. Lucas's had a classmate that wore something like this, right? The outer layer's color was different, but it was otherwise identical. Was this outfit just that trendy or did Sarah steal it from that girl? Copied or not, I had to admit that it did look good on me, even if it was not a dress. I pushed the curtain aside, saw Sarah sitting in one of the chairs nearby, and walked over to demonstrate the outfit she picked out.
"How do I look?" I spun in place in front of Sarah and she gave me a double thumbs up.
"Looks perfect, but what took you so long in there?" Sarah gave me a quizzical look.
"Had to swap bra colors to get the full effect. Then a memory from last week smacked me in the face, which distracted me a bit," I said, glancing back to the dressing room where I left my bag of clothes.
"Oh, so you figured out who I stole that outfit from?" Sarah said cheerily.
"I guess? I mean, I like the outfit and I am definitely buying it. But I will also grab a darker undershirt too, just to have another combination. Why are all these brightly colored tops always see-through?"
"Maybe they're lighter and more breathable that way?"
"Sarah, we are in Michigan, I am not sure that is a benefit."
"It will be in the summer. We have one more store to go to since you need clothes for the gym and I'm running out of time unfortunately. Let's check out," Sarah said as she started heading in the direction of the cashier.
"Sarah, could you grab the undershirt in black while I change back?" I asked.
"Sure," she responded with a wave.
I returned to the dressing room and arranged the clothes from this store into a pile and threw the purple dress back on. After quickly checking the mirror, I briskly walked to the cashier with my oversized bag of clothes in one hand and the new items in the other. Sarah handed me the top I asked for and I quickly paid for the four items.
Sarah pulled me by the arm to our next destination. The advertising on the storefront loudly proclaimed this establishment as 'Danger.' Hopefully that was the name of the place and not a warning to stay away. The display window featured bikes, backpacks, hiking shoes, various outdoor clothing, and fitness wear. Sarah continued to pull me along and rapidly picked out winter and summer outfits for gym. Michigan could get surprisingly warm before school was out.
"Is it okay if we skip the fitting room? These clothes are nice and stretchy, and they are in your size already." Sarah looked anxious and was eyeing the door.
"Sarah, I can handle the rest if you need to go. It is fine, really," I said trying to reassure her.
"I'll see you Monday then?" She turned back from the door as she asked and gave me a slight smile.
"Yeah, hopefully my dad comes up with something so I can just finish out the year and get a diploma," I muttered. My frustration must have been evident in my voice because Sarah turned her full attention back to me and her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You are going to--uhm, how should I put this--stay as Laura, right?" Sarah said awkwardly.
"Yes," I replied. Sarah had an intense look; she was mentally preparing herself for something.
"You should come out as trans," she stammered, "as a trans girl I mean."
"As what?" I was lost. Sarah glanced back at the door, sighed, grabbed me by the arm, and dragged me deeper into the store.
"This is going to be the short version of this conversation since you know you're a girl already. I wouldn't be the right person to talk to about this if you were unsure. People who go from being one gender to another are called transgender or trans. It's rare, but not unheard of. If Aurora didn't transform you, then I would tell you to ask your doctor about it." Sarah paused to take a breath. "That's actually about all that I know."
"Oh. I did not know that was even a thing someone could be." I blinked several times. "That seems like a weirdly perfect solution for me. I was Lucas. Now I am Laura and transgender."
"Ok, wow, good." Sarah seemed surprised by my reply. "Just a quick warning, be careful who you tell. Some people will see this as a chance to harass and bully you."
"Do you think the school will be safe?" I asked.
"The admin staff should be fine, but there might be the occasional student that tries to hurt you."
"Oh."
"Laura, it'll be fine. Anyone who comes after you will have to get through Dan and me first. I'll personally kick their teeth in." Sarah's grin slowly turned into a smirk.
"Thanks Sarah," I said. "Wait, how would you not get in trouble for that?"
"I'm going to head out. Call me if you need to talk, okay?" Sarah said, ignoring my question.
"Okay. Thanks again for all your help with clothes today, Sarah. And with the school stuff, too." I gave her the biggest smile I could. I put down my bag of clothes and pulled Sarah into a hug. Her eyes went wide as I approached, but after a moment I could feel her relax and put her arms around me. Then the moment ended, and Sarah's arms withdrew.
"I needed that," I said. Sarah turned away and left. Moments later the door to the store slowly closed behind her.
"I am such a mess."
The rest of the shopping trip was lonely without her.