“How much money do you have?”

“Well… enough for some food and a few other things.” Elise answered. “That’s about it.”

“Okay.” Sierra got out her wallet. “I think I have about the same amount you do. Together we could probably buy three or four small clothing items, depending upon whether my guesses on prices are correct.”

Sierra put her wallet back in her pocket. Elise giggled at her action.

“What?”

“When the time comes, you’re gonna miss that little convenience.”

Sierra blushed then let out a forced cough. “Well, I think that about settles the money situation. Now, umm… are we going to get a-”

“Oh yes.” Elise interrupted. “We’re gonna get you a bra that fits. One that isn’t a sports bra. What are your measurements?”

“Uhh…” Sierra hesitated.

“Of course you don’t know. Oh, what am I going to do with you?” Elise shook her head. “Well, looks like there’s only one way to do this.”

Sierra’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean…”

Elise laughed knowingly. “Oh yes, I mean. You’re going to get professionally fitted!”

Sierra looked down, seemingly in shame. “You’re really not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

Elise sighed then put her hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry if I’m being a little bit pushy but I really think this is what’s best for you. Wearing a bra that fits won’t damage your skin.”

“Okay… I trust you.”

“You’ll get through this. I know you will. I’ve seen you take bigger steps every day. Like not wearing a sweatshirt anymore. You’re a strong person.”

Sierra smiled. “Thank you.”

***

Sierra and Elise both walked toward the mall, hand in hand. To all the onlookers, they probably looked like a lesbian couple, or at the very least a queer one.

Of course, that was assuming they actually had any onlookers, which they didn’t.

When Sierra looked around, she saw that no one else in the mall was really giving her or Elise much attention. She didn’t even see many passing glances. The people there simply didn’t care.

“No one’s looking at us.” Sierra said.

“Of course they aren’t.” Elise replied. “You were overreacting again.”

Sierra sighed. “Man, I really know how to stress myself out, don’t I?”

“Yep.” Elise nodded.

“How do I do it?”

“Well, by always assuming the worst, and obsessing over that worst case scenario.” Elise answered. “Sierra, you really need to learn that no matter how much you hate yourself, or how much time you spend online, not many people will really care if you want to be a woman. I know what you’re going through isn’t easy, but you make things so much worse for yourself.”

Sierra took a moment to digest what Elise just said. Thinking about it, she agreed with basically everything. She had a lot of bad mental health habits she needed to break.

And she just couldn’t break them.

Maybe therapy would be a good idea. It would probably be good for her to talk all these things out with a professional. At the very least, it couldn’t make anything worse.

***

The longer Sierra was in the mall, the more numb she felt to the things that were previously worrying her. She was still a little nervous, especially with the professional bra fitting she’d have to go through, but overall, she was in a much happier mood than before.

It was with a light grin that Sierra swallowed a bite of a pancake she ordered in the food court. “You know, shopping with a female friend is a pretty big TG cliché.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, it’s used in a ton of TG stories.” She said. “Though I guess I should’ve said female relative because it’s more common that way than with a friend.”

“Well I’m sorry I can’t give you the full experience.” Elise said mockingly.

Sierra laughed. “Maybe our TG story can be a little different.”

“Maybe this is the part of the TG story where the boy turned girl finally accepts herself as a girl.”

“Umm… I think it’s a bit too early for that. How about this? This is the part of the TG story where the amazing supportive girlfriend helps the newly created girl become acquainted with female clothing.”

Elise smiled at the word choice. “That works too.”

***

After the meal Sierra and Elise went to take a trip to the bathroom. Still holding hands, Sierra attempted to walk toward the men’s room, to which she was quickly pulled away.

Frightened, Sierra turned around to see Elise with a mischievous smile on her face.

No, she wouldn’t.

It was then that Sierra saw Elise walking both of them toward the women’s room without a hint of hesitation.

Yeah, she would.

During that short walk Sierra’s mind was going a million miles a minute. She could hardly even believe what was happening. She was about to go into the women’s bathroom for the very first time.

Was Elise out of her mind? Sierra didn’t belong there. She wasn’t a woman, even if she really wanted to be. She was a sick, perverted man who had no business in the women’s room. And if she spoke at all in that room, everyone would know it.

Sierra desperately wanted to do something, say something to avoid going into that bathroom, but it was as if her body was locked up. She was paralyzed in fear and shock, and could do nothing but watch as Elise dragged her inside.

Once she was in the bathroom, she saw that a few other (no not “other” a part of her mind said) women were in there. Great, now she was going to make a big scene in front of a bunch of random people.

No, she wasn’t going to make a scene. All she needed to do was calm down and get through this. Just go to the bathroom and it will be over. She hadn’t made a scene yet, and she wasn’t planning to either.

Aesthetically, the women’s bathroom looked mostly identical to the men’s bathroom, except for the fact that there were no urinals, and a baby changing station was present. Why did the women’s bathroom have a baby changing station while the men’s didn’t? Whatever, feminist analysis could come later. Right now Sierra just needed to focus. Go to the bathroom, wash her hands, and get out. She could do this.

There were six stalls, and three of them were unoccupied. Sierra saw Elise walk into one of the stalls and then took a deep breath before entering one of them herself.

This wasn’t so bad. Now that the initial shock was fading, there really wasn’t anything special about this. She was just going to a public bathroom. A completely normal, slightly uncomfortable experience that every person had to go through. Why was she even afraid in the first place?

Sitting down to pee wasn’t exactly weird for Sierra. She’d been doing that a lot, even if it wasn’t completely necessary for her. It just felt… right. Also, if she needed to poop, then she was already sitting down, so it was more convenient.

Sierra flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and then walked out of the bathroom. Elise quickly followed her. She didn’t even see another person in there.

She did it. She went to the women’s bathroom for the first time. It probably made sense for her to go in there, considering her appearance. Going into the men’s room with visible breasts would be weird.

“I am very proud of you.” Elise whispered.

Sierra blushed then managed a smile. Admittedly it was a bit silly. All she did was go to the bathroom. But it was so much more than that. She just made a huge step. Going into the women’s bathroom for the very first time. She overcame her fear and a huge challenge. And already a part of her mind was thinking that it wasn’t a big deal.

She had nearly panicked before going into the women’s bathroom, but after the experience, she was glad she went in. At that moment, she felt that if she could do that, she could do anything.