Insert standard disclaimer here: The one that reminds everyone that this is a work of fiction. No one is real and any resemblance to someone who is real is just the reader's imagination. This is also a Fan Fiction set in the Whateley Story Universe. No Canon characters were permanently harmed in the making of this story. I hope. :)

Note: Thanks again djkauf for correcting my many mistakes.

** Chapter 30 **

“Bree, Amanda, wait!” My mom yells over the busy sounds of the mall and people shopping.

Her voice snaps me out of my feedback loop and I stop moving towards the girl store.  

Amanda stops and looks curiously back at me. “What’s the matter?” She asks.

“My mom just yelled for us.” I say, looking back at my mom and Barb as they approach us. I hope that she is going to stop us from going into Amanda’s store.  I know that we are heading to Macy’s, but I kind of want to see the new games and any extra girl store will just make us take longer.  It’s only going to take me five to ten minutes, tops, to look at the new stuff, but I just know that if we go into Amanda’s store, we will be there for more than thirty minutes, easy. That’s just how girls shop.  It’s crazy.

“Hey, Amanda. Sorry. I see that you have Aerie picked out, but I kind of need to talk to you and your Mom about a few things before we go in there.” My mom says.

Crap, it sounds like we are still going in there, but now it’s going to take even longer and I will never get to check out the games.

“Oh, okay? What’s wrong, umm, Jennifer?” Amanda asks as Barb looks at my mom with some concern.

My mom laughs. “Oh, nothing super critical, but I just needed to talk to you about Bree’s allergies so that we will know what kind of clothes to avoid. I meant to do that during dinner, but we kind of got side-tracked. Sorry.”

Amanda gives me a sympathetic look before turning back to my mom. “Oh, no! I didn’t know that Bree was allergic to stuff.”

“It will probably take a few minutes.” My mom smiles at Amanda before turning to me. “Bree? I noticed that you wanted to check out Game Stop, why don’t you head in there while I go over your allergies with Barb and Amanda?”

And angels sing.  “Really?!?  Thanks Mom! It won’t take me long. Just yell when you’re ready.” I say, grinning from ear to ear.  I ignore Amanda’s slightly concerned expression as she takes a quick peek inside Game Stop.

Smiling while entering geek heaven is probably a mistake. There is one other girl in the store, but she is following a guy and looking bored. I guess that he is her boyfriend and not his sister because I know Lindsay would never have followed me around this place. The two sales dudes instantly lock on to me and their obvious interest kicks in my targeting and tracking system.  Lacking the military ID cards, I am able to track and identify them by their cell phones. Well, their phone numbers anyway.

I should be scared, but when my system tags the two sales dudes as “Enemy Target 1” and “Enemy Target 2” while tagging the boyfriend and girlfriend as “Enemy Non-Combatants”; I can’t help myself, I laugh.  Does the Army really view everyone else as “enemies”?

“Umm, is there something that I can help you find, ma’am?” Enemy Target 2 asks, sounding confused by my behavior.

Still smiling at the thought that game store dudes can be enemies, I turn and face the guy.  I am surprised by how tall he is compared to me.  I know that I only shrunk an inch, but facing him, I feel smaller than that.   How tall is the guy?

>180cm

Okay...in English?

>5’ 11”

He has dark hair. I’m not sure what color exactly, but it’s not black and it’s not brown. His eyes are hazel. Yes, I know that brown and green equals hazel. I’m not that bad with girl colors.  His skin is a little pale, but that’s normal for a gamer.  His teeth are straight. He must have had braces or something.   Oh gawd, now I sound like I am sizing him up or something.

“Oh, hi, umm, Gary?” I say while making a show of reading his name tag.  

“I’m sorry, I’m just browsing.” I say as I look past him and at the Xbox game wall.  That always gets the sales dude people off my back.  That is gamer code for, “Dude, I don’t have any money” and I do not want his help.

“Oh? Are you looking for anything in particular for your boyfriend?” Gary asks, still smiling at me.

What the hell? Boyfriend?  Can’t girls like video games too? Luzer!  I debate correcting him, but I doubt that it would help.  I also debate playing the ditzy girl and waste his time asking him all the dumb questions I can think of, but I only have a few minutes and that would waste more of my time than his.  He’s getting paid by the hour here.

“Grrrrr! Don’t make me frag you.” I say as I make it a point to ignore him and walk past him to view the Xbox display.  The girl hanging out with her boyfriend gives me a sympathetic smile while Gary remains rooted in place.  Shocked, I’m sure.

As I walk across the store, I notice Enemy Target 1 behind the counter struggling to contain his laughter from watching his wing-man get shot down so spectacularly.  I look back to my mom, Barb and Amanda chatting outside the store.  Amanda smiles and gives me a cheery little wave.  

For some reason, that makes me feel better. I could get used to that. It’s always nice when a pretty girl smiles at you, but it does make me wonder exactly what my mom is telling them.  Is she telling them that I was a boy?  That would suck, I think.  I don’t know.  Would Amanda think I’m a freak?  Heck, I’m surprised that she hasn’t mentioned my elf ears.

I give Amanda a quick smile and wave in return before I study the game selection.  Now that my rig is toast, I have zero desire to rebuild it just so that I can play GEO; I think it is time to play something safer, like Halo 3.  I know that it has been out for months now, but my GEO, umm, habit kind of made me not worry about buying it.

I note that Enemy Target 2 is on the move again.  He is on an intercept course with me.  I decide to ignore his approach and pull down the box for Halo 3 so I can read the back.  The plastic makes my fingers tingle a little bit, but it doesn’t burn me like the vinyl chair did.  I wonder why.  I know that I am allergic to the plastic, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering me as much.  Am I building up some immunity?  That would be nice, because it would really suck not being able to hold the controller and play the game.  Those thoughts are interrupted by Enemy Target 2.  I refuse to think of him by his name.

“Umm, hey, look, I’m really sorry about what I said back there. I can’t believe I was such an idiot.” Enemy Target 2 says.

Ah man, now what do I do?  I can’t just ignore him.  He really does sound sorry and his voice stress gauge even matches up with that.  Well, he is stressed anyway, but then again, so am I.  He’s only saying that he’s sorry because I’m a girl, but at the same time, that is also the only reason that he has to because he would have never said what he said if I was still a boy.  

Just go away dude. I don’t have any money and I don’t plan to buy anything.

That is what I want to say, but instead, I laugh a little due to all the conflicting thoughts racing through my head.  “Oh, that’s okay dude. I’m used to it.” I say as I continue to pretend to read the back of the box.  What the hell?  I am definitely not used to it, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“Maybe you are, but it still wasn’t right for me assume that just because you’re a pretty girl, that you aren’t a gamer.”

I can’t help it, I flinch when he calls me a pretty girl.  Crap, he’s attracted to me.  I’m practically every geek’s fantasy girlfriend now.  I’m a girl who enjoys playing video games.  Hell, when I was a boy, the girl didn’t even have to be pretty. Just the fact that she liked video games was enough to make her cool and attractive.  I reflexively look for my mom and I see that she is not only watching me, but she is moving to get up from the bench she and Barb are sitting on to come to my rescue.  She has that Mom on a mission expression.

Having my mom come rescue me from some dude would be even more embarrassing. I quickly put the game back on the shelf and turn to face him. “Umm, that’s okay.  Really. I was just looking. My Xbox is back home in New Mexico right now, so I can’t really buy the game right now anyway.”

My mom slows her advance as Barb and Amanda now turn to try and find what interrupted my mom.  They both look a little confused.  Based on my mom’s initial reaction, I think that they were expecting to see me being assaulted or something.

“Oh. Hey, like, if you want, I can load that one,” Gary says, pointing to the Halo 3 box. “, up on our store demo system for you to try. I mean, I’m not really supposed to do that, because we are trying to promo the new Ghost Recon AW2 game, but since I was such a jerk and all that...”

He really is trying to help and now I’m starting to feel a little sorry for him.  Not only that, but Gary’s mentioning of the new Ghost Recon game has got me curious. It’s not due out for another couple of weeks, but I’ve heard good things about it.  I take another quick glance at my mom and she is starting to relax, a little.  She turns back to Barb and Amanda with a smile and says something.  

“Umm, I’m not sure if I have enough time for that. My mom and a friend are staying, umm, safely outside the store waiting for me so that we can do some clothes shopping.”  I laugh a little at my joke and he laughs with me. The tension I felt melts away and I see my mom return to the bench. Amanda gives me a quick smile before she returns to paying attention to whatever it is that my mom is saying.  Now I’m really starting to feel curious about what she is telling them.

“I think that I’d like to see Ghost Recon, but first I need to check with my mom.  Do ya mind?” I ask, slightly distracted by my curiosity over what my mom is telling them.

Gary laughs. “Oh no, not at all. I’ll go guard the system for you, just in case!  It’s wicked cool.”

“Thanks.” I say, actually meaning it. Now that I have sort of established my, umm, gamer cred, he’s not that bad of a dude.

As I approach my mom, she perks up. “Hey! How did it go? I noticed you talking to that guy and get a little upset.”

Amanda peers behind me and into the store with a look of speculation for a second before returning to study my face.

“Oh, it was nothing.  He just sorta thought that I was in there trying to find a game for someone else.”  I say with a laugh because now that I think about it, it is kind of funny.  I mean, really? Me, have a boyfriend?

“So, umm, I was wondering.  Can I check out the demo for a new game real fast before we go to, umm, that store?” I ask, pointing with my eyes to the Aerie store across the way.

My mom laughs and glances at Barb and Amanda for a second. “See? I told you.  A total tomboy!”  

I start to blush as I wonder how much of a “tomboy” she said I was.  It doesn’t sound like she told them I was really a boy, boy.  Amanda isn’t looking at me like I’m some sort of freak or anything.  If anything, I think that she actually looks a little excited.  Oh gawd, I hope that she doesn’t think that I need to go uber-girlie to compensate now.  Now I know that my mom is going to tell me no about trying the demo.

“Sure! I think that we can spare another five or so minutes, right?” My mom asks Barb and Amanda.  

Barb smiles as she nods her head, while Amanda answers by grabbing my hand and pulling me back into Game Stop.  “He’s a senior at my school! He’s cute. What do you think about him?” She whispers with a giggle as she sneaks a glance at Gary.

Yes, what do I think about him?  Well, he’s not a complete jerk like I thought he was.  He is kind of tall and I did notice his eyes and teeth for some strange reason.  That realization shocks me into a completely different line of thought. What if I like guys now?  Does that make me gay?  How can I be gay if I still think Amanda is attractive? She has such pretty and expressive eyes.  She smells nice too. Well, I am a girl now, so I guess that technically, if I think that Amanda is attractive, then I must be lesbian.

“Earth to Bree, Earth to Bree.  Hello.” Amanda says snapping her fingers in front of my face to get my attention.  

I didn’t realize that I had stopped walking.  “Umm, what was your question?” I ask.

“Nevermind!  I can see that you have the hots for him too.” Amanda says with a giggle.

“Huh?” I ask, with a quick glance into the store.  

Gary is guarding the system and he looks a little nervous at the sight of both of us standing outside the store, giggling and sneaking glances at him.  Well, Amanda is anyway.

“Amanda!” I say with exasperation as I shake off my confusion and enter the store with Amanda still finding my predicament funny as she follows me into the store.

Gary is watching us with a stunned expression as we enter the store.  I think that he’s a) surprised that I came back and b) surprised that Amanda came with me.  “Oh! Hey, umm, I got it all ready for you.” He says with a blush before he quickly recovers his poise and hands me the controller.  Is noticing that he blushed a bad sign?

As soon as the controller hits my hands, all thoughts of boys and girls, birds and the bees are forgotten.  My system alerts me to let me know that I am allergic to the plastic, but just a little.

>Allergen detected...
>Reaction: Mild
>Prolonged exposure not recommended.

Okay, how long is prolonged?

>Analyzing...
>Not to exceed one hour.

Oh, that’s good, sort of.  I know that when I play; I can play for hours at a time, but maybe a break every forty-five to sixty minutes would be a good thing.

There is one additional thing that I notice while holding the controller.  Just like when I almost died playing GEO, I am totally connected to the game, but now that I am aware of that connection; the connection feels safer to me.  I feel more in control.

Gary takes my inadvertent pause as a sign that I need some help navigating the menu to start the game. “You just select....”  He says, trying to help me before trailing off as he notices me rapid fire selecting from the menu items.  

I barely pay attention to him as the Xbox opens up for me. I notice that the game disk is almost full, which seems strange for a demo.  Why would they waste so much data for just a small playable demo of the game?  I back up in the menu and I notice the game program check the system time and return a false value.  

Hmmm, I wonder...

I tell it to return a true value and the “Play Demo” menu option changes to read, “Play Game”. I quickly select that.

“What tha?” I hear Gary say from behind me.

Oops. I just hacked the game to play the real version.  I back up and pretend to hit some complex sequence of buttons on the controller while I set it back to false.  The menu changes back to “Play Demo”.  “Umm, I heard somewhere that the demo game is really the real game, but they disabled it until the release date.  There’s a cheat code you can enter to enable it though, so I just tried that and it worked.”  I say, looking back at what are now two incredulous “Enemy Targets”.  Even Amanda looks a little impressed.

I can’t rewrite the game disc, but I can change what is in memory.  I modify it to accept my made up cheat code so that Gary can play with it.  Well, until they shut the Xbox down, but by then, I will be long gone.  I show them my made up cheat code and the menu changes back to “Play Game”.

I really like this game. It’s so realistic and I’m totally owning it.  Being hardwired to the controller almost feels like cheating.  I just think and it happens.  Plus, my own HUD is helping too, but I am not cheating. I am not altering or reading the game data before it displays on the screen.  My mom’s arrival in the store tells me that it is time to go. I hand the controller back to Gary.

“Thanks!  That was awesome!” I say as I quickly wipe my hands on my jeans.  Even though it was only ten minutes, they were starting to itch.  I guess the one hour estimate is just until my skin starts to burn or something.

Amanda even pouts a little. “Ahh, Bree was awesome!  Can she play just a little bit longer?” She asks as I look at my mom with my best hopeful expression.

My mom and Barb exchange smiles.  “I’m sorry girls, but we need to get some clothes for Bree, remember?” Barb says.

Amanda quickly regains her enthusiasm for shopping. “Oh yeah!  Come on Bree!  We need to find you some clothes!”  She says, motioning for me to follow her out of the store.

I shrug and look back to the still stunned guys. “Sorry, I’d love to stay, but I gotta go.” I say, turning to follow Amanda out of the store.  

“Wait!” Gary says, I look back and he is digging out his wallet.  

Oh crap. He is going to try and give me his number or something.  “Oh no, that’s okay. I don’t need your number.”

“What?” He asks, looking genuinely confused for a second before it dawns on him what I must be thinking.  “Oh! No!  Not that, I just wanted to give you an employee’s friends and family discount card.”

Now it’s my turn to feel really embarrassed. “Oh, Thanks.”  I manage to squeak out as I take his discount card.  I’ve never been given one of these before and I’ve spent a lot of time inside the Game Stop back home.  Don’t tell me that I might have something to add to the pro girl column.

“Hey, no problem.  See ya at school tomorrow, Amanda.” Gary says with a mischievous smile as he turns to look at her.

Damn, he knows her.  I turn back to Amanda and she looks like a deer caught in the headlights.  Now it is my turn to smile.  “Oooo, Gary and Amanda sitting in a tree...” I mock sing to her in a whisper as I walk past her, tucking the card into my purse.

“Hey!” Amanda says as she takes a couple quick steps to catch up with me. “Umm, do you think that he likes me?” She asks, suddenly looking vulnerable.

I turn my head to look at her.  “Well, you knew he went to your school, but did you know his name?” I ask.

Amanda looks slightly ashamed and even a little depressed as she considers my question. “Well, no.” She says.

“But, he knew your name, right?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

“Yes...” She says.

“Well, then he likes you and probably has for awhile now.” I say, matter-of-factually.

Amanda looks stunned. “What?!?!  How can you think that?” She asks.

“Look, it’s easy.  He’s a guy and he knows your name.  Guys don’t take the trouble to find out and remember a girl’s name unless they like her.”

“Really? I guess that kind of makes sense, but how do you know that?” Amanda asks.

Now I know for sure that my mom didn’t spill the beans.  “Oh, I dunno, but it’s true, right?” I ask.

“Maybe?” Amanda sounds a little dubious now.

“Oh, it is. Trust me.” I say.  All this sort-of girl talk totally distracts me and I don’t even realize that we have entered the girl store until I hear some woman’s voice. “Welcome to Aerie, I’m Cindy, can I help you ladies find anything?”

Amanda grabs my arm in a sort of friendly hug thing, but I think that she really does it to keep me from running. “Bree here, recently, umm, grew and none of her old clothes fit her anymore, plus she is allergic to some stuff, so we need to get her some new clothes.”

I glance back to my mom for help and she just smiles at me.  Giving me that, everything will be okay look.

The sales lady blinks with surprise as she takes in my appearance.  I’m half expecting her to give me the sign of the cross to banish me like I was a vampire, but instead she smiles at me. “Oh, you’re an elf.  That’s cool.  What are you allergic too?”

“Umm, synthetic fibers.”

“Hmm, how about the natural man-made fibers like Modal?”

“I dunno?” I say with a shrug as I consider the natural and man-made conflict.

“Well, let me show you our thermal crew line over here.” She says, leading Amanda and me to a rack of warm looking long sleeve shirts near the front of the store.  “They are cotton and modal blend that should be okay for you, but if not, we have some 100% cotton tops and sweaters too.”

It feels really really weird walking into a girl’s clothing store as a customer because I remember the last time I was dragged into a girl store, as a boy.  Like all the other girl stores and even girl areas of  less specialized stores, this store has a mannequin setup to display a matching bra and pantie set.  I know that I shouldn’t even think twice about it, but I clearly remember thinking, “Wow! That would look so hot on a girl!”  Now, it is me that I think it would look hot on and that is confusing, to say the least.

I also never really noticed just how many different colors and styles there are for girls to choose from. I feel overwhelmed by all of the variety.

“What size are you?” Cindy asks.

“Umm, I dunno. Sorry.” I say, feeling super embarrassed and out of element here.

“Hmm, well, I think that you look like a small or extra-small.”  Cindy says as she looks me up and down with a measuring expression before she touches a red shirt before ultimately selecting a blue with white snowflakes shirt from the small section of the rack and hands it to me.  “Here you go. I think the navy is more your color.  Red is definitely not you.”

I am surprised by her assessment of my color preferences.  How did she know? The fabric does feel nice and best of all, no reaction detected.  

Cindy also grabs an extra-small and hands it to me. “Do you like?” She asks.

I nod. “Yes, and I don’t think I’m allergic to this.”

“Excellent!  Why don’t you go try them on and see which size fits you the best.  Then, we can go from there?” Cindy asks, pointing me to the changing rooms located in the back of the store.

Amanda follows me and as we pass the underwear section, she points to a bra that matches the shirt I am going to try on. “Oh, that looks cute and hey, there are even some matching panties! What do you think?”

“Umm.” I say while struggling to come up with an answer.  There is no way that I am going to try on a bra in a store. Talk about embarrassing.

“Oh, all of our bras have a least a little spandex in them.  She might not be able to wear them.” Cindy says, coming to my rescue.  “I hate to say it, but you might have to hit Macy’s or even Victoria’s down the way.” She vaguely points down the hall and deeper into the mall.

“Macy’s!” I say, desperate to avoid the mecca of all things girl.  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have all those awesome angel commercials on TV.  Wow, talk about a good reason for the pause and rewind button on the remote. Just walking past the store is enough to get a guy excited.  As soon as a guy knows that you’ve been to Victoria’s, they are mentally undressing you in their head and wondering what you’re wearing.  Not that I ever did that or anything. No way, not me.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Last time I thought to look, their bras were made out of the same stuff as ours. Macy’s might actually be better for you.” Cindy says as I sing her praises in my head.  Best sales lady evah!

While Cindy saves me, I notice some underwear that looks a lot like my old boy briefs, but definitely all girl and cute with bows on the front.  Some even have lace trim, talk about crazy. Unfortunately, I stare at them a little too long.

Amanda follows my gaze.  “Aren’t those just the cutest?  Hey!  We should see if you are allergic to those.” Amanda says.

“Those are our new line of boy brief panties.  They are mostly cotton, but they do contain some spandex.”  Cindy says, trying to save me again.

Yep, spandex, can’t wear those!  Can sales people get tips?

I half expect Amanda to follow me into the changing room and she does not disappoint me.  What is it with girls? Do they have no privacy expectations amongst themselves? Guys do not “help” each other out when they are trying on clothes.

“Here, lemme hold these for you while you take your top off.” Amanda says, gesturing at the two shirts in my arms.

I hand them too her. “Okay. Umm, thanks.” I say, trying to sound casual about her being in here with me as I am undressing.  I am wearing a bra, so I guess I’m not really getting naked in front of her.  It still seems wrong for some reason.  I mean, there are hooks to hang stuff off of in here. She doesn’t really have to hold them for me.

She pulls the extra-small off the hanger for me and hands it to me with the front facing out so that all I have to do is slide it over my head.  It’s still a little strange, but having her in here with me could be kind of handy.  

The extra-small is definitely too tight across my chest. It bunches up at my boobs and before I can force it past, Amanda stops me. “Nope, too small. Let’s try the other one.” She says as she helps me get the extra-small off before handing me the small.

The small shirt also is tight across my chest, but not restrictive. I don’t like how it shows off my boobs and hugs my tummy though.  Why does everything have to show off my body so much?

“Umm, I think this one is too tight too.” I say, pointing to my obvious display of hidden cleavage and stomach.

Amanda examines me. “Nope! It’s perfect. You would be swimming in a medium.”

“Is it supposed to be this tight?” I ask while tugging on it to try pulling it off my skin in the hope that it is just bunched up in back or something.

“Boy, your mom was right, you really were a tomboy.” Amanda says smiling at me encouragingly before she turns an opens the door a crack. “Umm, Cindy?  It looks like she is a small.  What else do you have in that size that she might not be allergic to?”

We end up spending 45 minutes in that store. I looked at and tried so many different outfits. They had some cute, umm, I mean cool looking cotton t-shirts, but they were also made with 40% polyester.  My medical system listed my allergic response as “moderate”, but I started to itch almost as soon as I touched it.  That was kind of a bummer because I liked some of the less girlie shirt designs.  We did learn a lot about what I can and cannot wear.

We discover that clothes that contain 10% or less fully synthetic fibers, like spandex, do not trigger an allergic response, but anything more than that, does. That discovery proves to be a double edged sword because we, meaning Amanda, also discover that the boy briefs only have 7% spandex in them, so Amanda insists that I buy some.  I try to refuse, but I think she can tell that I kind of like them. By the time the dust settles, I have half a dozen new pairs of boy brief underwear of various colors.  No reds or girlie lace trimmed ones though.  Happy dance.  

Out of the dozen different colors and patterns for these things, they only have one pair that is just white.  Amanda only “let” me get two pairs of the plain white boy briefs. She claimed that I couldn’t just get white because I needed some to match other outfits. My mom wasn’t much help there either.  She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Amanda is right dear.”  I decided to not ask why matching your underwear is important.  All of my old underwear were white, well, mostly white, and no one ever said anything about those needing to match anything, ever. Plus, except for me and maybe my mom, who is going to be seeing my underwear?  I’m just glad that health department regulations prevented me from having to try on and model the underwear like I had to for all the other clothes.  Even if there weren’t regulations about trying on underwear, who would want to?  Gross.

I feel relieved, but at the same time, a little sad when I walk out of the store holding a giant paper bag full of new clothes. It was kind of fun trying on all of the different outfits and my mom seemed to enjoy it too.  There were a few times that she got that fond and “I’m about to cry” look in her eyes.  

The total damage ends being three of the thermal crew shirts, one sweater and two more cami tops.  I also got a super comfy loose pair of grey cotton PJ bottoms with a matching PJ top and rounding all that out were the boy brief underwear.  

Cindy was also very nice to us.  She gave me a whopping 20% discount using some bogus “Recently Emerged” discount program and even said that she was sorry that they didn’t have more natural fabrics for me.

Macy’s proves to be a bust in the bra’s selection.  No pun intended. All of their stuff is nylon and spandex blends.

Amanda finds me an awesome pair of black leather, ankle high boots with a sturdy two and a half inch wedge heel in Macy’s.  Awesome is how Amanda referred to them. Me, I just think they look warm and the wedge heel might not suck as much as my first pair of ankle breaking shoes.  

I really like how they make me look and Amanda thought that they match my jeans and top perfectly. They also make me look and feel taller again. My legs look so long and I like that. It is amazing what the right pair of shoes can do for a girl.  Maybe I will need more than two pairs of shoes.  That thought shocks me a little, but I really can’t help it. I really like these boots and how tall they make me look and feel.

I use the, “my feet are cold” excuse so that I can wear them out of the store. As I walk, I can’t help but notice how they have changed my gait. They are making me walk just a smidgen more smoothly and that surprises me because I didn’t expect them to be so easy to walk in. I sort of expected to wobble, a lot, but I guess my super reflexes and the VR time helped.

My mom looks at her watch as we leave Macy’s with another bag. “Well, I almost hate to say this Bree, but I think that we will have to go to Victoria’s to see if they have any bras for you.”

Amanda struggles to contain her enthusiasm while I struggle to not panic.  Me, walking into the Victoria’s Secret store and looked at as a customer instead of a perv?  Oh, wait a minute.  This shopping spree is costing my parents a ton of money. How can my parents expect me to learn how to be responsible with my money if they spend tons on me for clothes?

“Umm, Mom?” I ask, trying to buy me more time to think of a good and responsible sounding excuse as to why we shouldn’t go to ‘that’ store.

“Yes, Bree?” She glances at me with a slightly amused expression.

Ut oh, that doesn’t bode well.  “Isn’t, umm, Victoria’s kind of expensive?”  I ask.

“Yes, yes it is, but where do you think that the bra and panties that you’re wearing came from?” She asks with a smirk.

I’m wearing a Victoria’s Secret bra and panties, and I have more in my suitcase?  I kind of forgot about my underwear, but now, I am suddenly very aware of the fact that I am wearing a bra and silk panties, umm, underwear. I recall how pretty, no, sexy I looked with just those two items of clothing on and that Amanda saw me wearing them while trying on various outfits. Holy crap, I’m wearing the same kind of underwear that the VS angels wear while prancing around on TV with fake wings. Thinking about that is kind of making me start to feel like I did before my shower last night.

“I am so jealous! Mom, can I get a bra from Victoria’s too?” I hear Amanda ask Barb while all those thoughts crash through my head.  

My mom grabs my hand. “Bree?” She asks, sounding concerned.  

That snaps me out of my thoughts. “Umm, what?” I ask.

My mom studies my face for a second. “Are you okay?” She asks as Amanda and Barb look at me with concern.

I smile and nod my head. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. I was just worrying about tomorrow’s tests.” I say. I know my mom doesn’t believe me.

“Okay then, let’s go.  A few more bras would be good for you to have.” My mom says, smiling back at me as she ignores my lie.

Amanda does an excited little clap, gives me a quick hug and grabs my hand, dragging me ahead of our parents and towards my doom.  “Come on, slow poke!”  She says with an infectious smile.

Helpless to resist, I look back at my mom and wanly smile. She just smiles and mouths, “It will be fine.”

I sure hope so.  

We both attract more than our fair share of second and third glances by the guys.  Not just the guys our age either.  Older guys too, real old, like maybe thirty or so.  I blame Amanda for being so outgoing and bubbly.  Her “Ooos” and “Aaahs” over random items in the store windows as we pass just attracts attention. She comments about how that top would go my jeans or with some skirt along with that necklace and those earrings.  She even instructs me on makeup tips by pointing out all the other women, what they are wearing and how their makeup works or doesn’t work to enhance their look.  I don’t know if it was her intent or not, but I do learn a lot.

Just before we enter “The Store”, I point out a girl wearing a light green eye shadow that really makes her eyes look clownish.

“OMG! You’re right.  How can she not know?” Amanda says, out of the side of her mouth so that it looks like we aren’t looking at or talking about the other girl.

“Beats me.” I say.

Amanda giggles. “It’s a good thing that you can do that thing, ya know?” She says, hinting at, but not really saying that I can cast illusionary makeup on myself.  

“Yeah. I will have to practice with that a bit more.” I say with a whisper to prevent my mom from overhearing me as we cross the threshold of all things sexy and 100% girl.

If I thought Aerie’s displays were sexy, Victoria’s totally takes the win.  I am still a little apprehensive about going inside the store, but Amanda’s excitement is a little infectious and I am having a hard time coming up with reasons to not go inside.  This time, I spot the sales person before she surprises me.  She looks exactly like I expected a Victoria’s sales person to look like.  Model tall, pretty and professionally dressed, but with a hint of sexy.  “Hi, Welcome to Victoria’s. I’m Amy. How can I help you ladies this evening?”  She asks, stumbling a little there at the end as her eyes grow large with surprise.

I hold back when I notice that her voice stress meter is in the red.  Especially there at the end, after I turned to face her.

Amanda doesn’t seem notice Amy’s hesitation. “Oh, hi.  My friend,” She gives me a quick hug as she calls me her friend. “, needs some new bras. Do you have any made from natural fibers, like cotton?” Amanda asks, smiling happily at Amy as Amy’s gaze seems locked to my face.

Amy looks extremely uncomfortable to me and my mom confirms my assessment when she places her hands on my shoulders from behind and pulls me closer to her body. “Is there something wrong?” She asks.

Amy jumps from my mom’s question and looks nervously around the store. She spots another sales person and heads toward her. “I’m sorry, but I just remembered that my manager needed me to unpack some new items.  I’ll get someone else to assist you.” Amy says as she hurries away.

Her voice stress meter is all in the red.  What is her problem? She is walking a little stiffly. Does she have to go to the bathroom real bad or something?

She briefly speaks to the other sales person while glancing back to me a few times.  The other sales person laughs and heads toward us with a smile on her face as Amy hurries out of sight towards the back of the store.

My mom’s grip on my shoulders relaxes as the other woman approaches us.  She has long straight blond hair that extends just past her shoulders. She’s not as model tall as Amy, but she is still taller than me. I think that she is prettier than Amy due to her natural and friendly looking smile. Like Amy, she is also wearing professional clothing and it somehow looks sexy on her.  I am not sure how that is possible.

“Hi, I’m Katrina. Sorry about Amy, but she, umm, had some stuff to do. How can I assist you today?” Katrina asks with an embarrassed smile.

Oh, wait. I can see a hint of her bra from underneath her button down shirt. Is she wearing Victoria’s Secret underwear?  Is that her secret?  Maybe she’s wearing one of those thong things I’ve heard about, but never actually seen. Well, not in person anyway.  Those are definitely sexy, but I can’t see how having a string up my crack could be comfortable or make me feel sexy.  Not that I would want to feel sexy or anything.  

Katrina, that’s a nice name. Very exotic sounding. I start to imagine her as Nikita, the sexy female assassin from that TV show.

“Bree?  Bree?  Hello, are you there?” Amanda asks.

Oh my god. Busted. I can feel myself turning beet red.  I was doing exactly what I was worried that I would do. “I’m sorry.  This is my first time in here and I’m so embarrassed.” I say while wanting to just crawl in a hole and die.

Nikita, I mean Katrina laughs. “I totally understand!  My first time here I was petrified and you should have seen me on my first day working here!”

She has such a nice laugh.

“So, I take it that this is your mom?” Katrina asks, looking back to my mom.

I nod.

“And this lovely lady is your BFF?” Katrina ask while looking at Amanda.

Amanda laughs and hugs me. “She is now!”

“So, what are you looking for?” Katrina asks.

“Umm, I’m looking for some bras.” I say, trying hard to not mumble and look her in the eyes.

“Oh great! I think I can help. Since this is your first time, we should start by getting you fitted.” Katrina says as she turns to Amanda.  “Should we get you fitted too?”

Amanda looks at Barb with the best puppy dog expression that I have ever seen. Lindsay has nothing on Amanda.  “Fine, we can get you one bra too, but don’t tell your dad.” Barb says.

Amanda gives Barb a quick hug before turning to me with a giggle. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“No, it’s not.  We can’t do that.  I might see your boobs!”  Well, that’s what I want to say.  

“Yeah.” Is what I really say as Amanda gleefully pulls me along as she follows Katrina to the dreaded fitting rooms..

I am surprised, pleasantly, when Katrina motions for Amanda and me to enter our own fitting booths.  “Okay, who is first?” Katrina asks as she takes a tailor’s tape of her pocket.

Amanda looks at me as I look at her. She looks nervous and that makes me feel better.  I thought that she would be a pro at this and think nothing of it, but if she’s actually nervous, then I’m not alone.  She giggles as we both look at each other and hope the other volunteers to go first.  

“I can.” I say, surprising myself as I raise my hand.

“Great!  Go on in and let’s get you measured.” Katrina says with a smile.

Katrina follows me into the fitting room and closes the door.  I feel a little self conscious as I take off my top.

“Oh, you’re wearing one of our new cotton bras.  How does it feel?” Katrina asks.

“Umm, okay, I think.” I say.

“Does it bind or pinch anywhere?” Katrina asks.

“No, not that I have noticed.” I say.

“Hmm, it looks a little tight on your shoulders.  Turn around. I will try adjusting it a bit.” Katrina says.

I turn around and watch her in the mirror as she makes some minor adjustments to the shoulder straps. The pressure on my shoulder blades ease and I feel pain that I didn’t even know I was feeling, fade away.

“Oh, wow.  Thanks, that feels much better.” I say, smiling into the mirror.

“No problem.  I think this one fits you pretty much perfectly. I think that we can skip the fitting. Unless you want to make sure?” Katrina asks, looking concerned.

I laugh, feeling relieved. “Oh no, that’s okay. I’m sure Amanda is sweating bullets over there.” I say as I tap on our shared wall.

“Hey! I am not!” Amanda says before breaking down and giggling. “Well, okay, maybe a little.”

My mom and I hunt down the cotton bra rack while Katrina fits Amanda.  So many colors and patterns. I discover that my “beige” bra’s official color is called “nude”.  How can “nude” be a color?  The cheetah and leopard print just confuse me. What can you match them with?  The two shades of pink is just bleh. I end up grabbing another nude, hehe, and white bra.  I get a little risqué by picking a black with kind of cool white dot flower pattern for my final pick.  I think that six bras should be enough. I wonder if I can wear them two or three days in a row like my jeans.  

“Oh my god, Bree! You have just got to get this white with roses one!” Amanda says as she sneaks in and pulls the offending bra off the rack.

“Umm, why don’t you get it?” I ask.

“Silly, I can’t.” Amanda says with a pout.

“Okay, why?” I ask, tentatively because I know that she’s faking it.

Amanda grabs the pink leopard print bra. “Because I’m totally getting this one!  What do you think?” She asks as she holds it up over her chest and strikes a pose.

“Amanda Lynn Townsend! You are not getting that bra.” Barb says, using the full name parental authority mode.

“But, Mooom, I liiiike it.” Amanda says with a foot stamp and a pout as she struggles to not laugh.  

Yes, she is totally faking it.

“Amanda...” Barb says with exasperation.

“Okaaay, How about this one?” Amanda asks after grabbing the solid dark pink colored bra.

I’m sure that there is a special name for that specific shade of pink, but to me, it’s pink. Maybe dark pink, but it is still pink. I accidentally catch the name of the color from the bin label. Pink soda, really?

“We also have these in demi, push-up and unlined full coverage. Would you like to try any of those styles?” Katrina asks.

Oh crap.  What the heck is a demi bra and do I really want to know?  Is that named after Demi Moore or something?  Push-up?  Heck no!  These things are pushed up enough, thank you very much.

“Oh! I wanna try the demi bra.” Amanda says, quickly putting the pink soda colored bra back.

I catch a glimpse of Amy, the grumpy sales lady, glancing at me a few times as she assists another customer.  “Umm, Katrina?”

“Yes?” Katrina asks.

“Why did, umm, Amy not want to help us?” I ask.

Katrina glances over to Amy before looking back at me.  “Honestly, I don’t know for sure.  I’ve only worked here for a month now and I’ve only worked with her once before, but I have heard that her brother was accidentally killed when some super hero group was called in to defeat a super villain that was robbing a bank.”

“Oh, that’s bad.” I say, feeling sorry for Amy.  I can see how that could make you not like supers, but she doesn’t even know me.  How can she not like me?

I catch up with Amanda just as she finds one of those demi bras in her size and in that pink soda color.  She holds it up for her mom to inspect. Barb just nods her head yes to approve it. Maybe a demi bra isn’t that bad.  I debate caving under peer pressure and trying one myself, but I’m pretty happy, relatively speaking, with my current full coverage bra style.  Need to keep these aliens fully covered, yes sirree!  

Amanda grins with delight and bra in hand; she heads back to the fitting rooms. I’m a little surprised, but I don’t know why, when Amanda stops after a few meters and looks back at me. “Bree? Come on. I need you to tell me how it looks!”  She says, waving me over.

Of course, she wants my opinion. How could I have not anticipated that?  Why can’t she want her mom’s opinion instead?  I know that is who I would ask about bras and once again, why does how it looks matter when no one is supposed to be able to see them? Isn’t it supposed to be about how comfortable it is?

Barb follows us, while my mom stays behind for some reason. Amanda enters a changing room and I stand guard outside her door.  There is no way that I am going to follow her inside and thankfully, she doesn’t appear to want me to.

“Oh my gawd!  This bra is sooo cute!  Ooohh, and comfy too.” Amanda says from the other side of the door.

I hear the door unlock and Amanda steps out wearing only the bra up top.  “Well? What do you think?” She asks.

It definitely exposes more of her boobs and they look a little bigger than mine.  I’m not jealous am I?  Nope, not at all. I like my boobs just the way they are.  OMG, this is taking the camouflage idea a bit too far now. I can’t believe that I just thought that.  Why can’t I still be a boy? I should feel like I have died and gone to heaven, but it’s more like hell because I know that she is only showing me because she thinks I am a girl, just like her.

“Oh, it’s, umm, cute, but it shows more, umm, side boob. Is that the right way to say that?” I ask, feeling embarrassed again because it really does look nice on her.  Very sexy even and I’m not supposed to think that about her.

Amanda giggles. “Of course, that is what it is supposed to do.  This bra is for when I am wearing something low cut and I don’t want my bra to show.” She says.

“Okaay, but...” I say, but decide to stop myself before I really make myself sound like a prude.

Amanda doesn’t buy it. She puts her top back on, but pulls it down in the front to show how the bra is hidden and her boobs are tantalizingly on display without really being exposed.  “See?” She asks.  

“Oh yeah, that looks very nice.” I say, trying not to blush or stare.

Amanda turns to her mom. “So, Mom, can I get this one?” She asks.

“Well, if that is the one that you really like. I guess so.” Barb pauses as she looks at Amanda critically. “And, it does look like it will go with some of your other outfits.”

Amanda is pretty darn happy and I can’t help myself. I laugh from the pleasure of seeing her look so happy and proud of her new bra.

As we exit the fitting rooms, I see my mom waiting for us at the cash register, bag in hand.  As Barb steps up the register, Katrina hands her a bag for Amanda’s old bra.

“Thank you for shopping with us tonight.” Katrina says with a smile for Barb and my mom before she turns to Amanda and me. “I hope that you two were able to find everything you wanted.”  

I manage to smile while Amanda can barely contain her enthusiasm over her new bra and the subtle sculptured increase under her shirt.  Barb tries to hand Katrina her credit card, but Katrina holds up her hand and refuses to take it.  Barb turns to my mom with shock.  “You didn’t have to pay for Amanda’s bra too!”

“Oh yes, I did. With all the help Amanda was with Bree, she earned it!” My mom says.

I can see that this is going to take a minute or two as they debate each other, but in the end, I know that my mom is going to win. This time, it is me who grabs Amanda’s arm and pulls her out of the store as the two adults continue to mock argue with each other over the bill.

It only takes 25.6 seconds before Barb finally gives in and joins us outside the store.  

“Seriously Jen, you didn’t have to do that.” Barb says, giving it a last ditch effort to change my mom’s mind.

My mom laughs. “Nope, all done. Too late!  Okay then, how about if we head back to the car so that we can all get our beauty rest?”

I feel pretty happy as we walk back through the mall.  Now that the shopping is done, I can kind of just relax.  Plus, I have Amanda by my side keeping me company and I find her presence comforting for some reason. She chats about a million things.  Like my new clothes and how nice they will look with this or that item and accessory. I’m not really sure about accessorizing yet. I don’t even have my ears pierced, but I only know that is not normal because of Amanda.

“Oh my gawd! Bree, Mom, Mrs. Peters.” Amanda says, full of excitement as we near a jewelry store.

That’s not good. She is using my mom’s proper name.  I wonder what Amanda is so excited about.

“Can we stop and get Bree’s ears pierced?  It will only take a few minutes and the store is right there!” Amanda asks.

“Amanda, I’m not sure if Bree and her Mom planned on getting that done today.” Barb says.

I notice that she didn’t say no. She’s leaving that up to my mom and I.  

My mom looks at me. “Bree? What do you think?” She asks.

Amanda can’t contain her excitement. “Oh please, please, please? I have the perfect pair of studs to go with that green outfit of yours and I wanna give them to you tomorrow or before you leave.” Amanda says, practically begging me.

I’m not that keen on getting both of my ears pierced, but I’m not opposed to it and Amanda looks so excited about the idea.  “Umm, I guess so.  Will it hurt?” I ask, instantly regretting it.  

What a dumb question. Of course, it will hurt.  They only stick a big needle through your ear.  I wonder what my regen will do.  I seem to heal pretty fast.  Will they even be able to get the studs into my ears before I heal?  What about after?  Will my nanites eat the studs and heal me anyway.  

“Silly! It only hurts for a second!” Amanda giggles as she drags me into the store.  

My mom has to sign the consent form and just before the lady with the piercing gun punches holes in my ears.  Getting the studs isn’t cheap and I don’t want my mom to waste her money. So, I notify my ears to not eat the studs. I think.  Five minutes later, we walk out of the store and I have a small pair of silver studs in my ears.  I guess that my nanites listened to me. The lady instructed me on proper care and cleaning of my new wounds, but I’m not sure that I am going to need to worry about it. My medical system reports that my ears are 100% healed before we leave the store and an experimental tug on my stud confirms that with zero pain or discomfort.

“I think that my ears are healed already.” I say to my mom with a whisper.

“I’ll have to take a look at them once we get back to our room.” My mom says as she drops back to allow Amanda to resume her position at my side.

“Oh wow Bree!  Those look so cute on you! I can’t wait to give you my set. I hope that you will like them.” Amanda says, sounding a little worried that I might not like her set.

“Oh, I’m sure that I will like them.” I say, but I really don’t know if I will or not.  I absently tug on my ear from the unaccustomed feeling of having something in my ear.

Amanda bats my hand away. “Don’t touch them!  You don’t want to get them infected.” She says with a concerned tone.  “It took my ears almost a month before they really healed up.”

I don’t have the heart to tell her that my ears are already healed. “Oh, yeah, that would be bad.” I say.

Amanda smiles at me before she restarts the conversation from where she left off from before she spotted the piercing store.  She’s pretty amazing.  I am surprised when she tells me about her school and how much she wishes that I could go to her school too.  I am surprised by her sentiment because I think it could be fun too.  I really like her, but not in a boy likes a girl way.  She just makes me feel welcome and that makes me feel warm inside.  Is this what it feels like to have a girlfriend who isn’t really a girlfriend, but is really a friend who is a girl?  I know that I never felt like this with John. Sure, we are buds and all that. We would both probably be willing to help the other hide a body for each other, but we never had this kind of relationship.

“Hello! Earth to Bree!” Amanda says, impatiently to regain my attention. “Have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“Umm, sorry. I was just thinking about how nice it is to have you as my friend.” I say with total and complete conviction.

Her eyes get a little moist as she smiles warmly at me. “Oh, Bree.” She says before she turns back to yell at her mom. “Hey Mom, can we trade Bree for Jason?”

Her mom and my mom are keeping pace with us, but about three meters, I mean ten feet or so, behind us. I guess they are giving us some space or something. They both laugh at her question.  “I don’t think so Amanda. I doubt that your brother would be willing to move to New Mexico, plus you would miss him.”  Barb says.

“Totally no!” Amanda says with a giggle as she turns back and gives me a quick hug as we continue walking.

The parking lot is pretty dark and empty when we leave the mall.  Well, not dark for me, but I’m sure that it is dark for everyone else.  Our car is almost three hundred meters from the doors and there are only a few cars still parked near it.  I notice a late model Cadillac Escalade parked and idling a few rows over, but closer to the entrance. The windows are tinted in the back, but out of curiosity, I decide to play with my thermographic vision mode. That allows me to easily see that there are two dudes up front and three in the back seat. The bass is cranked up so high that the entire car is vibrating.  I’m surprised that the wheels and doors haven’t fallen off. To make matters worse, the song sucks.

Something about them worries me. Why are they just sitting in their car?  Are waiting for someone to get done shopping so that they can give them a ride home?  That’s got to be it, but where would another passenger sit?  I must be paranoid. I start to ignore them, but I notice my mom tense up as we walk past their car.

“Just keep walking. Get your keys out, Barb.” My mom says with a tense whisper as she grabs my hand.

Now my targeting system kicks in and I realize that except for the other car, we are the only people in the parking lot right now.  The Escalade’s sound system turns off as its lights snap on. It slowly begins to move forward.  

Amanda isn’t sure what is going on, but she looks pretty nervous by both our mom’s tense and protective behavior.  “Amanda, come on. Let’s get to the car.” Barb says to her suddenly nervous daughter.

“Mom? What’s wrong? You can’t think...” Amanda asks as she looks behind us and notices the Escalade creeping up behind us.  

Amanda’s nervous glance behind us must be their cue.  

“Hey!  Ladies! Were you going? Maybe we can like, give you a ride!” The eighteen’ish year old boy driving the car yells from twenty meters behind us while leaning out of his window.

I hear the rest of his friends laughing pretty hard.  

“Oh yeah! I know how to give them ladies a ride they will never forget!” I hear a muffled voice say from inside the car.

“Keep walking, don’t look at them.  It will only encourage them.” My mom orders under her breath.

We make it another twenty meters closer to our car and safety, but we still have one hundred meters to go and the big SUV is now only ten meters behind us. “Yo! Bitches! Didn’t you hear my boy axe you a question!?”  The front passenger yells from half in and half out of the passenger side door.  All of the boys in the car think that is the most hilarious thing they have ever heard as they all break out into laughter.

“Oh fuck yeah! Them are some fine looking MILFs! Just look at their hottie daughters!” The driver yells back to his buds in the back seat, not caring if we overhear him or not.

“Barb, Amanda, Bree. Run to the car, lock the doors and call the police!” My mom says as she stops walking just as the Escalade’s tires squeal under acceleration.

Barb pulls Amanda into a run, while I hesitate. “Mom?”

“Bree! Come on!” Amanda yells at me.

“Just go! Bree! Now!” My mom yells as the Escalade skids to a stop beside her and the doors start to swing open.