Okay, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Back when I went to a physical high school, I heard a couple of the guys in the cafeteria talking about going to the malls with their fashion-friendly girlfriends, usually the peppy cheerleader types. They made it sound like they were kidnapped and underwent months of torture with minimal food and water. To them, it was some kind of human rights violation to be stuck with those girls. Well, maybe the kidnapping parts were true, and maybe those parts were human rights violations. The rest of it? Not so bad. Back in Oregon, the drive to the mall did take us almost an hour, so maybe that’s what the guys took issue with.
Lizzy claimed she had no idea where we were going or what stores we'd find, yet she magically guided us to an upscale shop without any difficulty. The lighting was dim, which didn't seem helpful when looking at or trying on clothes someone might want to buy. Surrounding us were billions of colors, designs, fabrics, and words for articles of clothing I didn't know existed before that trip to the mall. Outside of one lady at a checkout counter, the three of us were the only people in the store. She waved at us and asked us if we needed any help. Lizzy told her she was going to try and find a few things first, but if she needed it, she'd be back for better fits or recommendations.
“Okay, this should do to start.” Lizzy walked up to Val with a mountain of clothes after a mere few minutes of going around the shop. That monster of a woman had more clothes in her hands than I’d managed to own across my entire life to that point. “Go try these on. We’ll give you our takes.”
The lady at the counter looked our way with a mixture of concern and amazement. Concerning and amazing were great ways to describe Lizzy. I gave the lady a sympathetic shrug, not that she should care too much about us trying on clothes. As long as we were respectful and put everything back, I wasn't going to worry about the mountain of clothes being an issue.
“These are to start?” I asked. The look on Val’s face told me that she agreed with my exasperation. Despite the small amount of horror in her eyes, she seemed to be having fun spending time with other people. “Lizzy, my sister and I combined have owned less clothes in our entire lives.”
“That’s because you guys were poor.” When Lizzy saw the annoyed look on my face, she shrugged with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t mean anything by it, cross my heart. Still the truth.”
“Really, Lizzy, I think he’s right.” Even with Val’s height, she still struggled to see over the pile. “These will take all day.”
“You’re a superhuman,” Lizzy said, a little too loudly. When I shushed her, she rolled her eyes. “We’re in Nebraska, Ethan. There’s no one here. Now go get changed, Val. Start with whatever you want.”
For whatever reason, there were small benches in front of the changing rooms that Lizzy and I could sit on. It felt really weird to me to have spots set up to sit right outside where people were changing clothes. Maybe they were there because of the exact reason that Lizzy wanted me there for: to make it more comfortable and easier to go through outfits. I still felt like I was accidentally being a perv, and that if anyone else was there, they’d be glaring at me until I left. At least having a girl there next to me would probably help people from thinking I was a complete creep.
“Why did you really want me here?” I asked. The unease of what people might think seeing me by a changing room had my skin feeling like it was crawling.
“The reason I told you. I wanted a boy’s take on how Val’s outfits looked.”
“Lizzy, you have way more fashion sense than I do. There is nothing I could say that would come close to what you know.”
“You’re right on that. Honestly, you’re like a second sister if anything. That’s why I brought you.” I must have had another annoyed look, because she pulled back quickly. “I’m playing with you. I just thought that you could use a little time out of the house and a chance to get a present for Megan. And we could talk about this game night idea. And we could talk about Megan’s birthday party. And we could-”
“Got it, you just wanted to chat.” She nodded and looked like I would be mad. I wasn’t going to get mad at the lady. I just wanted an honest answer. If she wanted to chat with me, that was fine. “I can’t wait to get out of here. My skin is rebelling against me, and this scar is getting the worst of it.”
“I didn’t want to bring it up in case you were sensitive about it.” Lizzy placed a hand on it. I managed to stay calm. I tried not to make a big deal of touching out in the parking lot. I would have felt bad if I backtracked on it so fast. “If you ever want me to put makeup over it to conceal it, I will in a heartbeat. Like, I’d drop whatever I’m doing if you wanted me to.”
“That’s sweet of you, thanks.” As long as she wasn’t running her fingers all over it, I had no problem with her touching the scar. I knew it was ugly, but at the same time, it had to be fascinating for people that hadn’t seen burn injuries before. “Actually, why not use your makeup to give me regeneration powers? You can give a temporary Anomaly, right?”
“Huh, I didn’t think about that. I lost all my stuff back when the Catskills facility was taken, so I can’t right now. The moment I get more, I’ll help. The cosmetics I use with my power are special. I don’t think normal makeup would do the trick for this.” She held out a pinky to me like I was a kid. I rolled my eyes and tried to make myself look too cool for it, but I put my pinky with hers. “Pinky promise, buddy.”
Val slowly opened the door and looked mortified. She had on a loose and flowing sleeveless blue dress. On someone like Lori, it would have probably hit the ground, but on the girl who was taller than me? No such luck. She was trying to pull down its skirt to avoid accidentally showing more than she wanted. She shifted awkwardly and looked at me for help, like my power was to fix women’s clothing. For what it was worth, I did think the dress looked nice. Given how uncomfortable she looked in it, I decided to keep my mouth shut on the matter. “I don’t think this one’s the answer.”
“Definitely not. I have my work cut out for me.” Lizzy groaned and puffed out her cheeks. To help Val’s modesty, I went ahead and tried to find something interesting to look at on my shoe. “As a tall girl with big boobs too, I feel your pain, both when it comes to buying clothing and on my back. Your body shape is dreadful for the kind of clothes we’re finding here. This is too tight in the chest and shoulders. Even if it wasn’t, this is supposed to be a calf-length dress. Man, this is a bit loose in the waist too. God, you’re like, ninety percent leg. You’re so long, no offense.”
Lizzy shifted between Val's different body parts at a speed that both impressed me and made me feel slightly uncomfortable to hear the discussion. If Megan got to the point where she cared about how she dressed as a teenager, I was sending her to Lizzy for her expertise. In the meantime, I would count my blessings that buying clothes for Megan was exceptionally easy. If the shirt was pink and had a princess on it, she lost her mind. I wasn't going to take that for granted anymore.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“None taken, I know what you mean.” The rustling of fabric made me keep my eyes on the floor for sure, just to be safe. “When McLeod let me out to shop, I had a hard time finding anything that fit me.”
“Ugh, this doesn’t even cover stuff like specific hip or inseam measurements. If you want high-waisted anything, we’ll have to make another trip out of it, I think.” Lizzy sounded like she was about to lose it.
“Lizzy, don’t have a fit now.” Silence. Maybe my comedic genius was less effective directed at my shoes. “Get it? Fit? Clothing puns? I slept two hours last night, so if I don’t get one fake chuckle, I’m stealing your car.”
Both of them complied and gave me fake, but friendly, laughs. I heard Lizzy groan again and it really did sound like she was on the verge of losing it. “I really am about to have a fit over this. Whatever, try on the next thing that looks good. Mash it up with anything you want and we’ll go from there.”
Val complied and Lizzy rejoined me. In a total mood shift, she stared at me with big eyes and a wide smile. “Tell me about your date with Rebecca.”
“Right, the thing I ended up losing an eye over.” I instinctively ran a finger over it to make sure that I did, in fact, still have my eye. “I’m not even sure why I came out with you guys. It seems like every time I get caught up with you girls, I get some kind of bodily harm. Drive safe, please.”
“Your sister would have my head.” Lizzy shuddered. “Anyway, don’t dodge the subject. Your date. Details. Now. I want a full report.”
“I took her to a gazebo I thought was nice, she fell asleep on my chest, and she drooled on me. Other than that, we just talked a bit.” I shrugged. Even though I had fun, I knew how lame it sounded as a first date. “Let me try to channel the second sister thing and get you some better, sappier details. When I’m with her, everything feels simple and right. I have never been near a person who just makes me feel so relaxed. It feels like I’m home when I’m with her, and I just don’t get it. We’ve gone on one date, and we’ve technically only known each other for a month.”
“Then there’s nothing to get. That’s how a relationship should feel. You’ve seen people stumble in romance, yeah?” When I nodded, she looked satisfied. “That’s just it, Ethan. Romance isn’t the thing that’s complicated. People are. At the end of the day, two people love each other. If they don’t complicate it themselves, then they’re home free. Maybe you guys are just two simple souls that know you’re meant for each other.”
“Whoa there, who said anything about love?” If my skin was just crawling before, it was now in overdrive. Buzzing? Could my skin be buzzing? Probably not. It still felt like it was. “We’re not even at the first kiss phase yet.”
“Apologies.” She did a fake bow that somehow looked graceful, even though she was slouched over on a cheap little bench. “And it’s fine to not know if you love her yet. It’s even fine to know you don’t love her yet, but that’s the end goal, right? I don’t get the impression you’re out here to be a womanizer, so why date her if you didn’t feel like you could be compatible with her?”
“You’re right,” I admitted, feeling a flush snake its way up my neck. “Love is the end goal. When I first even thought about dating, I decided I didn’t want any games. I was aiming for a good relationship. It does feel like that this is a good relationship.”
“Ethan Harper, you are just so cute.” I didn’t mind teasing Lizzy’s return. She was so easy to talk to about things I’d otherwise find embarrassing. Maybe we were each other’s second sisters, or whatever she would call me. Still, I felt like I was betraying Lori by not letting her be the emotional guidance in my life. That was literally her power’s gimmick. “I’m so happy for you guys.”
“Thank you. I think I’m happy too.” I always noticed that she didn’t have anyone around her that could qualify as boyfriend or girlfriend material. I was scared that I might be encroaching on a boundary I wasn’t meant to cross, but Lizzy hardly seemed to hold anything back, so I took my shot. “You seem to know a lot about romance, so I have to ask, why are you single?”
Her face got serious for a moment, and I thought I did overstep. Right as I was about to backpedal, she sighed and looked at her hands folded in her lap. “Romance isn’t for me, I’ve learned. This might not make any sense, but it’s just not something I can make work with my brain and my person. I don’t have any romantic connection to anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not incapable of loving people like you and Lori. Falling in love is a different story.”
“I think I get you,” I said. I nudged her with my elbow. “I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what signals you were giving me when you called me pretty before. Considering I’d never had a girl say something like that to me, I went with my gut and assumed you weren’t interested.”
“That’s because you are cute, even if I don’t want to be your wife.” She pinched my cheek like a stereotypical grandma from a comedy. “It helps diffuse a lot of tension in people. I know that my beauty and my scar can make me intimidating, so if I’m a bit of a goof, people usually stop freaking out about how I look. After that, it’s just for fun.”
Val opened the door again and emerged with a new outfit. She had on a black crop top and leggings, reminding me of her workout gear. Since she didn’t have to battle the length of anything, it was way more fashionable. It was still a little chilly at the time, so if she gave it a little bit, she’d have a great outfit for the spring.
“Your abs are insane, girl.” Lizzy pointed at Val’s abs before going walking around her in a circle. “This is a little better, but the top wasn’t supposed to be this short. At least it’s wearable, I guess. You like it, Val?”
“I’m not sure. I think it grabs too much attention.” She tried to look at the back of the outfit by turning her head, ignoring the fact that she had an available mirror right behind her. “I want to stay off the radar if I can.”
“Only a few people know what you look like. This is only attention-grabbing because of how fit and tall you are. You’ll see this kind of stuff in the summer all the time.” Lizzy gently squeezed her shoulders. “It’s up to you. Give it a maybe for now?”
Val nodded and vanished back into the changing room. They didn’t even ask me what I thought about it, so that just showed how much I was really needed there. I thought about getting up to wander around the mall. It was a Monday and kids weren’t quite out for break, so the entire place was quiet. Or the mall could have just been performing terribly with the rise of online shopping. I knew that was a thing that was hurting them all across the country.
“Let’s get down to business,” Lizzy said, sitting down next to me again. “I think that Lori would go to a game night at Val’s place. With the right prodding and a little bit of the old puppy dog eyes trick, I think we could get her there. Now, there is virtually zero chance that she’d plan it herself. She’ll need to ease herself into the whole Val acceptance thing. That means I’m your temporary leader and I’m going to try and get the ball rolling on this.”
“How does this mean you’re our leader now?”
“I think we should get simple board games that can make you think,” she said, ignoring my question entirely. “Have anything in mind?”
“Uh, Scrabble?” I offered, knowing I wasn’t going to talk her down from her leader thing. She snapped her fingers, pointed at me, and nodding enthusiastically. I was brought along to name one board game. That was my entire role in our shopping trip. I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and cry.
“Good thinking! I like it. We can add some simpler stuff like Uno or Yahtzee later. Those sound like a good three to start with. Not too competitive, you could do two of them in teams for our cute couples, and they’re easy enough to get going.”
"Do you two want to come with me to grab them?" I asked.
Lizzy shook her head. "After this, we're going underwear shopping, so unless you want-"
“How about I go buy them now?” I cut her off. I stood up but got a rush of dizziness, probably from how exhausted I still was, causing me to stumble. I tried to play it off like it was nothing. “I saw a toy store when I walked in. I’ll head that way and meet up with you guys in an hour or so. Sound good?”
“Ethan, don’t you get hurt out there for a couple games.” Lizzy held up her phone and waved it in front of my face. “If you start feeling bad, sit down, then you call or text me. Got it?”
“Got it. Let me tempt fate by asking what’s the worst that could happen.” And before the ceiling could collapse on my head, I left Val and Lizzy to their fun challenge of finding clothes that could reasonably fit a busty six-four woman.