Chapter 4 - In Too Deep

The next day, Lisa went to school, and things started to feel normal. Like she had always gone to Lovelace Prep. More people were starting to learn her name and some girls she’d just met this week like Chloe and Madeline were quickly becoming friends.

Lisa shared her QuikChat account with Madeline and promised to keep in touch throughout the day.

Towards the end of the day, she got a text from Ryan. “Holy shit, dude, Lamar was pissed. He and Jackson were suspended for fighting! He’s going to confront Addison after school.”

“Here?” Lisa replied.

“Yes, there. You wanted a show, right?”

Lisa stared at her phone in shock. At some point Addison would learn about this. She DM’d Madeline to meet her after school.

Sure enough, when the last class ended and all of the students filed out of school, Lisa and Madeline met up near the entrance.

“What's going on?” Madeline asked.

“You’ll see,” Lisa chuckled.

Sure enough a hot and fiery Lamar came running from the parking lot. Addison was casually talking with her friends when he showed up.

“You cheated on me!” he yelled.

“Lamar,” Addison said, looking around nervously. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“You were making out with some dork?”

“That’s not true!”

“Jackson Williams.”

Addison suddenly looked guilty, and the color drained from her cheeks. “I don’t know who that is.”

“He knows you. He admitted to it. You’ve been seeing him behind my back.”

“It’s not what you think it is.”

“No? Then what was it?”

Addison was at a loss for words. 

“You don’t deny it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said in snooty denial. He’s clearly making it up.”

“He said you two went out for Valentine's Day! You blew off my date because you said you had a stomach virus!”

“I was home sick on Valentine's Day!”

“There’s witnesses! Fuck, Addy. I’m done with you!”

“You can’t break up with me!” Addison protested. “I already paid for the dress and the limo for Saturday!”

“Watch me, bitch!” With that, Lamar turned around and retreated to his car.

Addison stood there in a state of shock as a number of spectators started giggling. “But I’m Addison Thomas!”

“Someone thinks too highly of herself,” Lisa giggled to Madeline.

Madeline made sure Addison saw her when she gave her the finger. She then turned to Lisa. “Thank you, Lisa. That was better than I hoped.” She then hugged her.

“You’re welcome,” Lisa replied. “But I have to meet up with another friend.”

“Have a good night!” Madeline responded.

Lisa first texted Ryan. “I don’t know how you did it. That worked out so well! Thanks, dude!” 

She then found Ava sitting on the oak tree bench with a backpack. As she walked toward Ava, she passed a still in-shock Addison Thomas. Lisa whispered, “Fuck around, find out, bitch!” as she passed. Addison gave her a look of disgust. Lisa kept walking to Ava.

“Hi, Lisa, ready to go?”

“I am,” Lisa responded.

“Did you bring a change of clothes?”

“They’re in my car.”

“Then let's get changed real quick.”

* * *

Lisa grabbed her change of clothes from the car. Ava waited for her at the bench. They walked together to the girls’ locker room.

Lisa wanted to go find the corner where she’d been getting changed for the past two days, but it seemed rude to run away from Ava.

Ava was casually talking about her day as she pulled off her top then bra.

Lisa followed her lead, and tried to turn away and be a perfect gentlem… er to respect her privacy. But couldn’t avoid seeing her breasts in her periphery. Her perfect breasts. She realized how awkward this situation was and how if anyone found out who she really was she could get in trouble. She then looked up and realized Ava had done the same thing, then their eyes had met. She thought, “Ava was checking me out?”

Lisa waited for Ava to say something, but she didn’t and continued getting dressed. Lisa was suddenly glad the body suit hid any erections happening under the suit. She looked away and focused on her own clothes, lest the body suit malfunctioned suddenly.

After they got dressed into their hiking clothes and shoes they left the locker room and went to the parking lot. “Do you want to follow me or ride with me?” Ava asked.

Lisa was about to suggest she drive herself until she realized Ava might recognize Tristan’s car. “Let’s ride together.”

On the way to the trail they chatted about their families. Some of that information Lisa already knew. Meanwhile, Lisa made up details. Like having a mom and dad instead of a mom and stepdad. Lisa was an only child - like Tristan used to be.

The topic of sexuality came up again too. Ava admitted having lost her attraction to her previous boyfriend as one of the first signs she noticed. She then gushed about which female musicians were hot.

Halfway up the trail, Lisa realized she didn’t break in her new hiking shoes. “Hold up,” she said to Ava. “I need to sit down. My feet are killing me.” 

They both sat together on a boulder. Lisa took off her right shoe and sock to examine her foot. It wasn’t red, but it felt like a blister was forming - perhaps under the suit.

“New shoes?” Ava asked.

“Yeah,” Lisa said, rubbing the inside of her ankle.

“Sorry. I should’ve warned you.”

“Oh, I knew,” Lisa replied. “I just forgot.” She put her sock and shoe back on. The skin on her ankle was tender. She would have to check out what it looked like later tonight when she got out of the suit. For now, she should be careful. Since their previous conversation while hiking had ended, Lisa saw this as a good enough opportunity to talk about the dance. “So, I heard about this Sadie Hawkins dance,” Lisa mentioned with feigned ignorance.

“Yeah, it's crazy,” Ava replied. “Did your previous school have anything like it?”

“Definitely not. Gender roles - bleh.”

Ava chuckled. “Right? Besides, I just don’t want to conform by asking out some random guy.”

“Yeah, it’s stupid.” Suddenly Lisa thought of something she hadn’t considered that might derail this entire plan. “Wait - are girl couples allowed to go... as couples?”

Ava thought for a moment. “You know what, I don’t think so. They haven’t said anything about it. But it’s a mixer between our school and the all-boys school across town. I could see the administration complaining that taking another girl from Lovelace would defeat the point.”

“That would totally suck,” Lisa said, “so that means you’re not going at all?”

“No. My friends have been bugging me to ask a few guys they know. They don’t know that I’m questioning whether I’m into guys at all.”

“So you haven’t asked a girl?”

“Ha!” Ava let out a chuckle. “Only in my wildest fantasy. I’m not out of the closet. Even my closest friends don’t know.”

“But - I know,” Lisa said with a smile.

Ava was silent and looked down.

“Ava, do you want to go with me to the dance? I can ask you. It’s this Thursday, right?”

“Lisa. I do, but-” she trailed off.

“But what?”

“I said in my wildest fantasy. I’m not ready to come out. I mean. I have a crush on someone. She doesn’t know about it. But what happens if I come out and she hates me?”

“Why would she hate you?”

“She might be straight.”

“Straight?” Lisa sat there stunned. She was assuming Ava was talking about her this entire time. Only now did she realize she was talking about someone else. She didn’t know what to do and could feel her lip quiver.

“Of course, we can pretend this is a movie and we go with each other to make her jealous,” Ava laughed. “That would be crazy right?”

“Right.”

“Maybe one day,” Ava sighed. “With your help I can get the nerve to ask her. Lisa, you’ve been a great friend. You’ve helped me with my confidence and self-esteem. Gosh, I can’t believe we only met a few weeks ago.”

Lisa wasn’t sure what to say. She’d been friendzoned by Ava. Again. This time she had spent nearly a thousand dollars on a body suit and clothes only to get rejected.

“You know what…” Ava suggested. “I have an idea. Maybe we should both go. But we can’t go together. What if we just bring some guys. Then we can go and have fun with each other and our friends.”

That gave Lisa a glimmer of hope. Sounds like she could spend time with Ava at the dance, but not as a couple. 

“We can even make my crush jealous,” Ava giggled.

Lisa nodded. She wasn’t thrilled about being a pawn to make someone else jealous. Either way, the writing was on the wall. Ava was into someone else. Not Tristan. Not Lisa. “Yeah,” she choked out. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine,” Lisa lied. “Let’s keep going.” She got off the boulder, and Ava followed and they continued their hike. Lisa didn’t say much, she was too busy brooding over her latest failure to win Ava’s heart.

* * *

When Ava dropped Lisa back off at school after the hike, Lisa got into her car and sat there quietly. Ava had just driven away, and the school parking lot was mostly empty.

She slammed the steering wheel with her hand. She couldn’t believe how stupid she was. How stupid this plan was. How much money she blew on the body suit and the clothes. Ryan was right. Ryan was always right.

She vowed that when she got home, she’d call this whole thing off. She’d box up the body suit, and throw it into a river and donate all of the girls’ clothes. Tomorrow she’d go back to Tristan's school and pretend this never happened. 

Out of nowhere there was a knock on the driver's side window. 

Lisa was startled to see Madeline standing there. She rolled down the window. “Madeline, what are you doing here so late?”

“Band practice just ended. Lisa, what’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

“I had a bad afternoon.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I dunno.”

“I mean it. I owe you for what you did for me today.”

“Sure.”

Madeline walked around the car and opened the passenger side door and got into the car. “OK, girl, spill it.”

“I asked someone out. I got rejected.”

“You asked out someone on your second day of school?” Madeline asked. “Wow, girl, you move fast.”

Lisa looked at Madeline and frowned. She wasn’t helping.

Madeline realized she wasn’t being very empathetic. “I’m sorry. It’s rough getting rejected. If I had a nickel for every time I got rejected… I'd have several nickels.”

Lisa laughed at Madeline’s attempt at levity.

"Who is he?” she asked. “I know a few guys over at the all-boys school. I can have someone kick some sense into him.”

Lisa decided to not correct her and come out as a lesbian just yet. “I was so embarrassed. It’s not worth coming to school again.”

“Oh, honey,” Madeline said, stroking her arm. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Look at me. When I ran into you yesterday I thought the same exact thing. Tomorrow is a new day.”

“But this is different. There’s no point in me coming back tomorrow.”

“I don’t get it. You told me how excited you were to be here. How you loved this school. What changed?”

Lisa didn’t want to explain that she only came to this school because of a crush. “I don’t know.”

“Trust me, things are no better at the public school. You’re better off here.”

Lisa sighed.

“Do it for me?” Madeline asked. “Who will I talk to in English Lit? Besides, you’re like the coolest person I’ve met here in a long time. You took down Addison Thomas on only your second day here.”

Lisa sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you,” Madeline said, hugging her.

When Madeline left, Lisa had a lot to think about. Would it hurt continuing to go to Lovelace for the rest of the week? Even if dating Ava was no longer an option? Tristan already had an excused absence all week. And this expensive body suit wasn’t going anywhere. And she had to admit, it was an interesting experience seeing life from the other side, if only for a short time. It was then she decided to continue being Lisa until the end of the week.

* * *

Early in the morning, Lisa joined Ava and Kaitlyn with their friends under the grand oak tree. She was quiet, not having much to add. To her surprise, they were looking at her.

“Earth to Lisa,” Kaitlyn called out. “Abby was asking you a question.”

“Sorry.” Lisa said. “My mind was in the clouds.”

“More like space,” Ava giggled.

“What was the question?”

“Are you going to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance tomorrow?” Abby asked.

Lisa made eye contact with a frowning Ava. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m new to town. I don’t know who to ask.” 

Ava suddenly spoke up, “You know what. I’ll go if Lisa goes.”

Lisa remembered yesterday’s conversation. About going separate. About making her crush jealous. But in order to do that, it would mean-

“Yes!” Izzy cheered. “Now we just need to find you both dates.”

Lisa wanted to run away. She didn’t want to be set up with a boy. “I don’t want to be set up with a…” She noticed Ava shaking her head at her. Don’t say it. Don’t come out to them. Lisa honestly didn’t care if she came out to them. She’d be gone at the end of the week. But this was important to Ava. “...just any boy.”

“You can always ask my stepbrother,” Kaitlyn suggested. “He doesn’t have a date, and I get the feeling he really wants to go.”

That took Lisa by surprise that Kaitlyn would even suggest that. “I- I can’t go with Tristan.”

“Why not?” Kaitlyn said looking disappointed.

Lisa raised her eyebrow. She was confused at why Kaitlyn was pushing this. What was in it for her? “Wouldn’t that be weird? Hanging out with your stepbrother?”

“He already kinda tags along with us. But he’s weird and awkward. I thought maybe if he got to know someone better he wouldn’t be so awkward.”

“There’s always basketball Greg,” Abby suggested. 

“Eww,” Ava interjected, “he’s kind of douchey.”

“Well, maybe Lisa might be interested,” Abby responded.

Lisa held up her hands to stop the conversation. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll find someone.”

“Promise?” Ava asked.

“Promise.”

“This is great!” Kaitlyn said. 

Just then, the morning bell rang.

“Bye,” the girls all said to each other as the students filed into the school.

* * *

“How are you feeling?” Madeline asked during English class.

“Better,” Lisa replied. “Thank you for that pep talk,” Lisa smiled. “Hey, are you going to the dance tomorrow? She was feeling a little anxious about going with a guy. Maybe with more friends present she wouldn’t feel as anxious.

“Totally,” Madeline replied. “I asked a guy I know from D&D. Why?”

“Oh, well, I have some friends trying to set me up, so I might be going too.”

“That’s awesome. We totally can hang out there.”

‘Well, I have to find a date first.”

“Do you need me to set you up? I know some cool guys I think you’d get along with.”

“Nah, I think I’m good,” Lisa replied. In reality, she didn’t want to go on a date with a guy at all. But if she had to pick one, she knew of only one choice. Hopefully he was still available.

* * *

When Lisa got home, she went straight to her room, locked the door, and deactivated the suit. 

Tristan exhaled a nervous breath. His heart was racing. He pulled off the head, then eagerly pulled out his phone. He paced back and forth. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” he mumbled to himself. He then called Ryan. 

“Hey dude, why the call?” Ryan answered. “Usually you just text.”

“I felt like talking this time.”

“OK, cool. How’s life as a girl going?”

“It’s been… Interesting. How’s getting a date to the dance?”

“No luck. No girls asked me. The dance is tomorrow. I guess I’m not going.”

Tristan took a deep breath. Here it goes. He was about to ask out his best friend. “Umm.. I can solve that for you. Lisa can ask you to the dance… If you want.”

There was a long pause before Ryan responded. “You can’t be serious.”

“I do owe you…” Tristan clenched his teeth. This was awkward.

“I can’t go with my best friend.”

“Lisa’s not your best friend. She’s super hot, and you’re totally attracted to her.”

“True, but you’re Lisa!”

“Think of Lisa as a totally different person. Remember, this is our last chance to go to this dance. You said so yourself.”

There was more silence. Ryan was clearly weighing the pros and cons of going to the dance with a guy as a date - even if that guy was his best friend in a body suit. Ryan sighed, “Fine. But you have to ask me again in Lisa’s voice.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. If you want me to think of Lisa as a totally different person, then I want to be asked out by Lisa - not by my best friend.”

“You’re lucky I’m still wearing the suit. Hold on a sec.” Tristan put the phone down and put the head of the suit over his head and pinched the ear. The suit activated, squeezing the breath out of him. Lisa regained her breath and composure, then picked the phone back up. “Ryan?” she said in her voice.

“This is too weird,” Ryan responded.

“Do you want me to ask or not?” Lisa replied, exasperated.

“Yes. Sorry, Lisa. Go ahead.”

“Ryan, will you please go with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance?”

“Yes. Yes, I will, Lisa,” he replied. “OK. Let's hang up before this gets too weird.”

“OK,” Lisa agreed, hanging up the call. She deactivated and took off the suit, and returned it under the bed.

Tristan walked downstairs and parked himself on the couch. Kaitlyn was there playing on her phone and idly watching TV. 

A text from Ryan came to Tristan’s phone. “I’m so excited, Lisa. My parents want us to take pictures. Meet me at my house after school?”

Tristan shifted uncomfortably as his best friend called him Lisa and was talking about their upcoming date. “Sure,” he replied.

“Do you know what color dress you’re wearing? I was going to get you a corsage to match your dress.”

Tristan started to get nervous. Ryan was more excited about this than he was. He was suddenly on the hook to be this perfect date for his best friend. While Ryan was well aware of the body suit, Tristan was starting to worry Lisa was leading him on. “I haven’t picked out a dress yet.”

He rubbed his temples. When exactly was he going to get a dress? The dance is tomorrow! He was running out of time. That means he’d have to go this evening or take off from school tomorrow. He should’ve called this whole thing off when Ava rejected him yesterday. Why did he let Madeline talk him into staying?

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Kaitlyn got up to get it. 

“Oh, hi,” Kaitlyn could be heard saying. “I wasn’t expecting you.” 

Tristan couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. The other person mumbled something.

“You want to see him?”

Tristan was baffled. Who was at the door?

Ava walked into the living room with Kaitlyn.

“Ava,” Tristan said, standing up.

“Hi, Tristan,” she said. “I haven’t seen you online lately.”

“Oh,” he said, realizing that he’d been logged in as Lisa for weeks now. “I was taking a QuikChat detox. You know, social media can be toxic sometimes.”

“Oh, cool. Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ava asked.

“Sure,” Tristan replied. “Let’s go in the kitchen.”

When the teens were in the kitchen and out of Kaitlyn’s hearing Ava brought up the dance.

So, I know this is very last minute, but I was wondering if you would go with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance?”

“Y- you want to go with me?” Tristan asked.

“Yeah,” she confirmed.

“But I thought-”

“Tristan, I promised my friends I would ask someone, and I have to ask a boy. And I can’t think of any other boy I’d rather go with,” Ava admitted. “We’ve been friends longer than I can remember, and I think we would have fun.”

“Yes - sure - definitely,” he stammered, his face a mix of confusion and elation.

“Great - hey since you’re on a QuikChat detox, do you want to share numbers?”

“Yeah sure,” Tristan said. 

They exchanged their numbers and saved them in their phones.

“Should I meet you here?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, without thinking about it. His head was completely in the clouds.

“Great. My mom is waiting in the car outside. See you tomorrow!” Ava said excitedly. Tristan escorted Ava to the front door where she turned to him and said, “Thanks again, Tristan. We’ll have a great time.”

“I can’t wait,” Tristan replied. “See you then.”

She reached up and gave Tristan a hug, then turned and headed out the door.

Tristan sat down on the couch wondering what the hell had he just done. He was now on the hook for being at the same dance with two different dates - and as opposite genders to boot. He didn’t want to let down either Ryan or Ava.

Kaitlyn put down her phone. “So why did Ava want to see you all of a sudden?”

“She asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance.”

She smiled. “Well, Tris, looks like you finally got your wish. Now just don’t be weird.”

Tristan sat in shock. What did he just do? He couldn’t be in two places at once. 

“Since you and Ava are going to the dance with us,” Kaitlyn said in a voice dripping with honey, “can you drive all of us?”

“What about you?”

“Umm. No car. Duh.” Back to snotty stepsister voice.

“What about your date?”

“Well, if you and Ava are going together, I’d rather ride with you both.”

Tristan grunted in frustration. “Fine.” No sooner had he agreed to go as himself and be a chauffeur, Tristan received a DM from QuikChat. It was from Ava.

“Lisa, I got a date. Did you?”

Tristan replied, “I did.” Two in fact.

“That’s so exciting! Do you want to go dress shopping this evening?”

“Yes!” he replied. At least he could cross one thing off his list.

That’s when he ran upstairs, stuffed the body suit and the school uniform into his duffel bag and ran back downstairs.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Kaitlyn observed. “What about dinner?”

“I need a suit for the dance!” he said, running out the door before she could question him about the duffel bag again.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Tristan drove Ava, Kaitlyn and their friends to this town center to go dress shopping. Now it was just Lisa and Ava here to shop for dresses. They had agreed to meet at the water fountain. Ava arrived first, having been dropped off by one of her parents. Lisa emerged from the parking garage.

The both greeted each other and shared a friendly hug before walking together to the dress shop.

“Who did you ask to the dance?” was the first question Ava asked.

“Umm…my fr- er- I mean, Tristan’s friend Ryan,” Lisa replied. “Gotta be more careful,” she thought.

“Ryan - oh yeah. That’s Tristan’s best friend. He’s a good guy. Speaking of Tristan - he’s going to be my date!”

“Cool,” Lisa replied, nodding her head.

“Tristan is the only other person that knows I’m not into guys. He’s a childhood friend, and I can trust him not to make any moves on me.”

Lisa forced a smile. It was a little uncomfortable hearing Ava talk about Tristan when she didn’t know Tristan was inside the Lisa suit. She tried to push that out of her mind and just be Lisa. Then she wondered about Ryan. Would he be a gentleman as well?

As they sifted through the garments, Lisa was confused by dress sizes. Despite all of the measurements she knew of the body suit, dress size wasn’t one of them. She supposed she’d have to hold it up against her body and then try one on. “This place is overwhelming,” she said, looking around.

“I know, but it’s fun,” Ava gleefully replied.

Lisa’s eyes caught the glimmer of a vibrant red dress. Its elegant silhouette and intricate embroidery captivated her. She held it up, admiring the way the fabric cascaded down her body. This dress would certainly turn heads. But she paused for a moment, defeated. Whose heads was she actually expecting to turn? Who was she trying to impress? 

Ava saw Lisa holding the dress and admiring it. Her eyes widened in appreciation. "Oh, Lisa, that's stunning! It's perfect for you."

Lisa timidly replied, “Really?” 

“Yes, really. You should go try that on.”

“OK.” Encouraged by Ava's enthusiasm, Lisa slipped into the dressing room to try on the dress. When she emerged, Ava's jaw dropped. The dress hugged Lisa's figure perfectly, accentuating her curves and making her look like a model. Lisa silently gave props to Skincognito for making such a flawless body suit.

"Wow, Lisa, you look incredible!" Ava gushed. "That dress was made for you."

Lisa smiled, feeling a surge of confidence. "I love it too. Did you find something?"

Ava disappeared into a dressing room, and moments later, she stepped out in a breathtaking emerald green gown. Its delicate lace overlay and flattering A-line silhouette made her look like a princess.

Lisa's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Ava, you look absolutely gorgeous!" she exclaimed. "That dress is perfect for you." 

Ava twirled, reveling in the soft swish of the fabric. "I love it too! It feels so comfortable and elegant."

Lisa was about to go change out of the dress, but Ava tugged at her bare arm. 

“Wait up. Now we need shoes!” Ava excitedly announced.

“Shoes?” Lisa repeated. “What kind of shoes?”

“Something in a matching color with a heel on it,” Ava explained. “Unless you already have shoes that go with your new dress.”

“I can’t wear my school shoes?”

Ava laughed. “No way! Those drab things the school makes us wear? You need something sexy to go with the sexy dress you’re getting!”

Lisa knew Ava meant heels, but remembered how that went with Ryan over the weekend. She didn’t want to admit she neither had a pair nor knew how to walk in them. Was there enough time before the dance to practice walking in heels?

“To be honest, I left all my dressy shoes back home,” Lisa confessed. 

Ava dragged a nervous Lisa over to the shoe section, then dove right in, finding emerald green high heels that matched her dress.

Lisa sat there in awe.

Ava looked at Lisa sitting there. “You’ve never worn heels have you?”

Lisa turned red with embarrassment. “Was it that obvious?”

“You gave off very tomboy vibes,” Ava giggled. “It’s cool though. Let me help!”

“Thank you,” Lisa timidly replied.

She scanned a few boxes of shoes. “What size are you?”

“Nine.”

She scanned some more boxes then stopped. “Yesss!” she squealed, looking in a box. “These are perfect.”

“Let me see,” asked Lisa, her curiosity suddenly rising.

Ava brought over the box of shoes. In it were vibrant red strappy-heeled sandals. She knelt down. “May I?”

Both girls giggled as Lisa offered her foot to Ava. Ava was right - this was fun!

Ava gently put the sandals on each foot, then tied the straps. “OK, stand up.”

Lisa stood up and looked at the shoes in the mirror. The red matched the dress, and the straps zigzagged up her ankle and lower calf. “Wow.”

“I know, right?” Ava said. “Super hot! You have to get these! Can you walk?”

Lisa put her arms out and took a few wobbly steps. She noticed her center of gravity was all off. The heels made her butt stick out and her legs looked even longer and sexier than before. She could see why women put up with all this hard work to look good.

“Keep trying,” Ava encouraged. “You can practice at home too.”

“Well, I only have less than 24 hours,” Lisa replied.

“You’ll do fine.”

Lisa looked at the price on the box. Well, there goes all of Tristan’s savings. Suddenly her phone buzzed. It was Ryan.

“Did you get a dress yet?” he asked.

“In fact, that’s what I’m doing now,” Lisa responded.

“Who’s that?” Ava asked.

“Ryan, my date. He was asking about my dress.”

“Oh, here, let me!” Ava said, taking Lisa’s phone. “Pose for me.”

Lisa stood there and smiled.

“Sexier, girl. That’s an awesome dress. Show it off.”

Lisa struck a sexier pose, like the models on the posters surrounding the store.

“More leg. Let’s see those heels.”

Lisa raised the hem on one side of the dress.

“Perfect,” Ava said. “And sent!”

“You sent that?” She immediately turned red from embarrassment at the idea that she sent a sexy pose to Ryan. She hoped Ryan wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

“Yeah,” she replied. “Now do me.” She handed Lisa her phone.

As Ava posed, Lisa took a few pictures then handed the phone back to her.

Ava looked through the pictures. Then pressed a few buttons.

Lisa’s phone buzzed.

“Ryan must’ve liked that,” Ava chuckled.

Lisa looked down and saw that it was a text from Ava to Tristan with one of the pictures she just took for her.

“Yeah, he did.” 

Then her phone buzzed again. This time it was actually Ryan. Underneath the posed picture that was sent was a bulging eyes emoji. She clearly got her best friend's attention with that pose and dress.

Lisa slowly walked back to the dressing room. As she stared at her dressed-up reflection one last time, she wondered how she was going to handle both of her dates at the dance. She could barely handle it now. 

She thought about Ava. The two of them had fun shopping for dresses and shoes. Lisa still felt guilty knowing this fantasy would have to end, and probably very badly. With a depressing sigh, she removed the dress and put her school uniform back on.

What about Ryan? Ryan was looking forward to this dance. He was looking forward to bringing a girl to it. Now she’s that girl and had placed a whole bunch of expectations on herself.

Lisa met Ava at the sales desk, where they each paid for their items.

“I don’t know about you,” Ava said, but shopping makes me hungry. It’s such a satisfying workout,” she laughed. “Let’s go to that pizza place we passed on the way here.”

Lisa silently nodded her agreement. Suddenly, things weren’t so much fun anymore. She had been so selfish in wanting a relationship with Ava, she hadn’t considered how devastated Ava would be when Lisa disappeared. And how could Tristan ever look Ava in the eye after that, knowing he was to be the cause of her ultimate betrayal?

“Are you OK?” asked a worried Ava.

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Lisa lied. “Things have just moved so fast since I got here, I’m not sure what I’m doing half the time.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ava reassured Lisa while squeezing her hand. “You’re doing fine, and you’ve become such a great friend to me. I feel like I know you so well.”

Lisa managed a weak smile and looked at Ava. “I feel the same way, like I’ve known you forever. Thank you for taking me under your wing.”

“Hey,” Ava suddenly said. “You don’t have pierced ears. We can get them pierced right now and then you could get some pretty earrings to wear with your dress.”

Lisa panicked. The switch for the body suit was in her left earlobe. If someone stuck a needle through it, who knows what would happen. She might not be able to deactivate the suit. Or it might deactivate right here in front of Ava. She couldn’t take any chances.

“Look, Ava, I have this terrible fear of needles.” Another lie. “I pass out when they have to draw blood from me. That’s why I never got them pierced. Please, can we just skip the piercing?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ava apologized. “I didn’t know. Well, there are always clip-ons,” Ava suggested.

Since Lisa’s suit was turned on and off by squeezing her left earlobe, what would a clip-on earring do? Again, better safe than sorry. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just skip the earrings altogether,” Lisa declined. “My stomach is rumbling, too.”

“OK, let’s get some pizza,” Ava directed. “That will cheer you up. Just don’t eat too much or you won’t fit into that gorgeous dress.”

* * *

During dinner, they each got a slice of pizza and a drink, and decided to share a brownie for dessert. The girls were having fun talking about school and the dance tomorrow night. Ava started laughing and Lisa found it to be contagious. Soon both girls were laughing and carrying on without a care in the world. Just as Ava and Tristan had done so often growing up together.

“So, Lisa, tell me,” Ava said, smiling as if she was seeking the latest juiciest gossip. “Tell me about the worst relationship you had.”

Lisa paused for a moment while she chewed on a bite of her pizza. She hadn’t created enough backstory for that, so she would have to make it up on the spot. “Umm.. well… There’s not much to tell. My last relationship ended because… she cheated on me.”

“Oh, that sucks.” Ava frowned.

“Yeah. She left me for the head cheerleader.”

“That bitch.”

“I know, right? How about you?”

“My ex,” she said with a disgusted look on her face. "I really liked him… at first. But I found out he was lying to me about himself.”

Lisa swallowed hard and put her pizza down. She was glad the suit hid her Adam's apple. She cleared her throat. "What do you mean?"

"He was pretending to be something he wasn’t. Just to get close to me.”

“What was he pretending to be?” Lisa was getting worried and the pizza suddenly wasn’t sitting right in her stomach.

“This amazingly charitable saint. A guy you can show off to your friends and your parents alike. The nicest nice guy. ” She gave a sarcastic smile before her scowl returned. “He told me all these stories about helping people in need, especially women. All lies. The scary part was, it almost worked.”

“What happened?”

“I found out the truth. We broke up. Trust is so important to me, Lisa. It’s an instant deal-breaker. I haven't talked to him since.”

“I’m sorry,” Lisa whispered.

“It’s not your fault. That was right around the time I started to figure out I wasn’t really attracted to him in the first place. Just what I thought he was, and what everyone else thought he was. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah.”

“Enough of that. I don’t want to waste anymore of our fun evening on that loser.”

Lisa nodded.

It was Ava who changed the topic. “So I’m going to have my parents drop me off at Kaitlyn and Tristan’s house tomorrow. You and Ryan should meet us there! We’re all friends. We can carpool.”

Lisa put her pizza down again. There was no way that was going to work. She couldn’t be both Tristan and Lisa in the same car. “I um… think Ryan really wants to drive. He’s very chivalrous. Plus, his parents want to take pictures of us, so I have to go to his house first.”

“Oh,” Ava replied with a touch of disappointment.

Sensing Ava’s feelings, Lisa quickly replied, “Don’t worry, we’ll have a great time at the dance!”

That picked Ava right back up and the two finished their meals, each trying to grab the last piece of brownie.

After they left the pizza place it was starting to get colder as the sun went down. Lisa put her jacket on, but her legs still felt cold in the skirt. “Ava, it was so much fun shopping with you today,” Lisa gushed. “And you’re right, I’ve always been sort of a tomboy. But you’ve shown me how much fun being girly can be. I hope we can do this again, after I get more settled in.”

“I had a great time too,” Ava agreed. “We are gonna knock ‘em dead at that dance.”

And at that, Ava pulled Lisa in for a hug and, both girls parted company with smiles on their faces and headed home.

Meanwhile, Lisa’s head was swirling with dread. She had no idea how she was going to pull tomorrow off.

When Tristan got home, he grabbed his duffel bag, ran to his bedroom, shut his door and leaned against it. Now that he was alone he started breathing heavily. He thought about all the money he spent- about everything Ava said about her ex and deception- about Ryan’s growing excitement- about something he couldn’t be- for either Ava or Ryan. That’s when everything he’d done these past three weeks crashed down on him. He slid down to the floor and buried his face in his hands. “What have I done?”