Shopping for that smile

Rubbing the fabric between his fingers, Bailey absentmindedly played with the bow at the front of the high waisted cream knit pencil skirt that hung on the rack in front of the feminized man. He was bored of the days activity, this was the third department store they had been in and he had long lost count of how much they were spending. Candi would say something was cute, or would bounce up and down at finding something just perfect on the discount rack. Once upon a time he liked picking up something nice. The pencil skirt he held on to now he could just picture Mommy in it, he loved seeing her dressed up, but now even when he pictured the lovely woman wearing it his mind would drift to different blouses he owned and how many outfit combinations he could wear with it.

His eyes slid away from the skirt to a pair of men standing in the walkway between departments, both wearing jeans and Raiders jerseys. Bailey didn’t pay particular attention to the men themselves, but it made him wonder when the last time he sat down and watched a football game. A memory of sitting on some bench seats flirting with a waitress at the Wing House came to mind. Bailey had struck out with getting a waitresses phone number, but Chuck was at the top of his game. The pretty blonde girl had literally sat in his lap when she asked him intimately what he would like for dessert. The thought of his old friend brought back the memory of him closing the door behind him as he left Bailey, leaving him to Liam.

“Bailey, are you still with us?” Bailey blinked a few times, snapping his attention over to the older blonde woman, who was holding up a wrap-around mini leather skirt.

“Hmm? What?!” Bailey could practically feel his blood pressure rising as pieces of that night bubbled to the surface of his mind. ‘No, no, no, no! I am like, Bailey Ann Best, I am Bailey Ann Best, it was just totally a bad date night, that was all it was. I am a normal teen girl, just a normal teen girl doing her favorite thing. Just think of the picture frame Candi got us, today is a good… today is a day you get to spend shopping, you got this girl, you go this.’

Seeing Bailey’s attention snap away from the two twenty something young men made Megan smile, especially with how those two simple words sounded like she was guilty of something.”I was asking what you thought of this for work? It isn’t something I would wear to the office, but I might have when I was your age.”

“Daddy would kill me if he caught me wearing that to the office, but then again…” Candi looked between the skirt, Bailey and the older men. “Maybe we should ask one of them their opinion? Tell me sis, which one would you like to talk to and see about getting his opinion. I like the one with glasses, he looks a little nerdy in a super cute way.” Bailey waved his hands in Candi’s direction like he was trying to shoo a gnat away.

“I was not checking anyone out!” Candi stepped away giggling, bobbing her head from side to side with a small lip biting smile on her face.

Moving her arms behind her back, Candi leaned forward at the waist. “I didn’t say you were, someone is telling on themselves.” Bailey squinted one eye at the green eyed girl as he thought of what he had said.

“I umm, noooo I was like just looking at their jerseys, I mean who is a Raiders fan?” Candi shrugged at the question, her father watched a little sports, but he wasn’t a die hard fan of any team that she knew, so it wasn’t ever something she ever paid much attention to.

“I like really don’t know anything about them, and I’m betting you don’t either. Wanna tell big sis what you were really thinking about?” Bailey pursed his lips together for a second, he wanted to tell her about the team's current quarterback.

“The Raiders current quarterback is like Derek… Derek… sugar, it has something to do with a car or truck or something and, and… Bailey could easily picture the man playing on the field, he had watched many games with him in it, but he also didn’t pay close attention to football, other than a time to go out and drink and flirt.

“If you are going to make up a name, you should pick one that isn’t so obvious.” Candi giggled, thinking her friend picked the name after her own father. Bailey glanced back at the men, seeing them now walking away, done with whatever they were doing, hoping to see the name he wanted on the back of their jerseys or a name that would job his memory. He stomped his wedge heeled foot, looking back at Candi with a sullen look.

“Only thing I’m like going to admit to is loving this skirt.” Bailey said, taking a few steps closer to take the mini leather skirt in his hands. Wrapping it around himself, covering part of the yellow dress he tilted his head to the side considering it. The skirt was much shorter than the dress he currently wore, something no one should be wearing to the office. Bailey twisted his waist from side to side, holding it in place as he bounced his head from side to side. ‘It does scream Bailey Ann doesn’t it? It is totally something she… something I would wear.’

“Candi, I’m totally going to get this skirt. Are you going to pick one up too?” Candi gave her friend a weak smile, shaking her head.

“I am like suuuuure it will look hot on you, but Daddy would have steam coming out of his ears if I wore it. I could like imagine me bending down to pick something up and him just firing anyone who looked at my butt in it. He might fire anyone looking at you in it too, I’m like not sure why but he seems to like totally think of you as another daughter. You know you should just lean into that and call him Daddy too.”

“I am not like calling him Daddy!” Candi rolled her eyes.

“Fine, we can like compromise if you like. You win, you can call him Dad.” Bailey folded the skirt, pressing it to his friends chest till she took hold of the garment.

“Clothes, we are here for clothes. Focus girly.” Candi placed the article of clothing in the shopping cart with their other soon to be purchases as she laughed to herself thinking at first how she could have a one track mind at times and then thinking about how just now Bailey went from thinking about clothes, to boys and then back to clothes.

“What is so funny?” Bailey asked, looking back at Candi. Hoping she didn’t have mischievous idea about catching back up to the boys.

“Oh, I was like just thinking of some blonde jokes and…” Candi’s attention went to a skirt on a nearby rack as they started to walk. “This! We can both get this skirt!” Candi held up a speckled gray wrap around skirt with three pearl white buttons. Its color had bits of black and white in the pattern across it.

Megan looked at the skirt, admitting to herself it was cute. She hadn’t worn a mini skirt in a long time, but knew the kind of reaction Charles would give her if she showed up wearing it. The man would instantly want to unwrap it from her waist like she was a present. “The skirt is cute, but wouldn’t you run into the same problem with your father?”

Holding the gray fabric between her hands, Candi held it up to her waist. “Maybe… but like it isn’t leather or like fake leather so I think it will be an easier sell. Besides, like who lets their Daddy tell them how to dress?” Bailey tilted his head as he looked at the girl, baffled by what she just said, considering the conversation they just had.’

“But like you said…” Candi spoke quickly and loudly to talk over Bailey. “I SAID BOTH OF US ARE GOING TO GET THIS SKIRT!” Bailey worked his jaw from side to side, some people might think she was acting like a spoiled child, wanting to get the article of clothing she wanted and not liking her own objections being thrown back at her, and he thought that could be a part of it, but mostly it was just her being her own brand of forceful and playful at the same time.

“Oh yeah?” Bailey said, cocking his his to the side as he placed his hand on his hip. He didn’t even think about how he was posing there in the store in his little yellow dress, giving his friend a sassy reply.

“Oh yeah, we are like getting them.”

“Fine!” Bailey took his phone out of his purse, snapping a photo of the skirt. “I’m just going to send a text to DADDY! Lets see what he says when I tell him you are making us get super short skirts.” Bailey added more emphasis on the daddy then was needed since it was Candi who kept making him call him by a fatherly title.

“Don’t you dare!” Bailey started moving away from the shopping cart, typing into his phone. He wasn’t planning on actually sending the text off, he just wanted to see her squirm like she had made him earlier with the football guys, but then he saw Candi coming towards him at a rapid pace.

“Eeep!” Bailey picked up the pace, causing Candi to do the same. Megan looked on as the exchange turned into a game of chase through the store, the type of behavior she would expect from children and not teenagers.

“Girls! No running in the store!” Megan yelled after them, but she didn’t try to catch up. Instead she moved the shopping cart off to the side, looking over its contents. Seeing it mostly full, she was sure they should make a run out to her vehicle after finishing up here if they wanted to have any hands free to carry more bags. Knowing the girls wanted to make a stop to pick up some more shoes, that and Candi had said something about wanting to go to Victoria’s Secret for a few things. Hearing people running towards her, Megan watched as Candi ran in her direction, followed by Bailey, a reverse of when they had left.

Holding her arm out she stopped Bailey in her tracks after Candi had come by giggling and running much faster in her flats than Bailey could in the tall wedges. “What is going on now?” She demanded. Taking a few breaths, Bailey looked around the woman in front of him to see where Candi had gone off to. “She… she…”

“Breathe pumpkin, breathe and then talk.” Bailey nodded his head, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, unaware how much he was making the day of the middle aged cashier nearby as he watched what he thought was a girl's well rounded chest moving along with the little bow between her breasts on her little yellow dress.

“She totally took my phone and said she was going to tell him I was in love with him.” Megan nodded, finding it funny that Bailey thought she could run fast enough in her shoes to stay ahead of Candi to begin with and how the other girl turned the game around.

“She shouldn’t be able to do that from your phone unless it was unlocked, so you don’t have anything to worry about.” Bailey pursed his lips together, looking away from the blue eyed woman.

“Ummm….”

“If you left it unlocked then this is partially your own fault, you know that right?” After she had agreed to not send messages as Bailey, she was surprised Bailey would be so thoughtless.

“No, like umm, I changed my phone to use face verification and like it totally opens up for her and hers does for me.” He had heard over and over again how Candi thought they could be twins, but he never really considered how much alike they really were if the device thought they were the same person. Same eye color, same hair color sure, but that was as far as it went or so he thought.

“Here you go! Your Auggy says he loves you too!” Bailey’s eyes got big with freight as he heard Candi speak. She had circled around them to come up behind, making her appearance be a surprise.

“You didn’t!” Bailey said taking his phone back, flicking open his text messages to see the damage the chaos beast known as Candi Ann Connors had caused.

Bailey: What do u think of this skirt?

Auggy<3: Can you try it on for me?

Bailey: NRN, do u think I should get it?

Auggy<3: I will buy it for you later if you don’t

Bailey: Candi isnt sure so I like wanted ur thoughts

Auggy<3: That doesn’t sound like her

Bailey: I know right? She is like the best!

Auggy<3: A close second

Bailey: Awwwww you are the sweetest!

Bailey glowered at the girl as he looked up from his phone, still sitting in the white and pink flower case that was given to him on his first day as a pretend girl. “You didn’t.” He said flatly.

“I didn’t! But I did get you a second opinion on the matching skirts. You are soooo welcome!” Candi gave a big toothy smile to her friend, positive she had her heart beating with what she threatened to do. With such a bad date, and Bailey giving her away her virginity to the wrong person Candi knew her friend was a mess. She had considered going all the way with Ryan, but she wasn’t there yet, and hearing how Bailey had a bad experience it made her more wary, but she also had seen how good August was to her and for her. The two were a cute couple and when she considered how August’s sister was Bailey’s God mother and her Mom’s best friend it made the two of them fit just soooo well together. She just knew she had to make sure Bailey didn’t push him away when she was in a funk. Today was about Bailey feeling better and hearing from a guy you like saying he would buy you clothing seemed like a great way to help her friend's mood.

Bailey looked down at the texts again, focusing on the text Candi had sent as him to talk herself up. It brought a smile to his face, the girl had him worried with what she said she was going to do, but really the only thing she was trying to pull was being a good friend. He didn’t feel like he deserved a good friend, but her warmth and her teasing really did make him feel like he missed out being an only child. It made part of him wish this was real, that he was Bailey Ann Best and Candi some long lost sister. “You are a good sister Candi, thank you.”

“I’m trying to be the best sister, and it is really unfair you have that as your name. When our parents get married, then, then! Then we will be on an even playing field.” Candi said, her large smile never slipping from her face.