Chapter 13

Alyssa drove a 2007 Nissan Sentra. She kept it very clean, but it lacked that new car smell. When we left the house, I thought we might head north to Smithfield and Carolina Premium Outlets. Instead, she turned south and took us into town. I wasn’t completely against the idea. We would be close to the Sheriff’s office this way. What bothered me more was that we passed Dollar General. It wasn’t the best place for clothes, but it was better than some other shops I knew. We also passed Family Dollar. Then we came to the center of town and turned off on Fayetteville Street. I suspected where she was taking me and I didn’t want to go there, but I couldn’t make an accusation without proof. I waited, not simply until we arrived at the parking lot. I waited until we pulled in right in front of the main doors.

Shirley’s was a small shop that catered to the current season, which meant their wares changed every month. The shop had been there as long as I could remember and didn’t seem to have any problems drawing in customers. Of all the stores I would have chosen to buy clothes, this wasn’t on my list.

Alyssa killed the engine, pulled the keys from the ignition, and looked at me.

I stared at her. “Why did you bring me here?”

“It’s the only store with clothes that’s open this early on Saturday,” she said.

Damn. I should have remembered. My fears were distracting me. I had to get past them, to squash them, and get on with my plans. The sooner I left town, the better I would feel.

I nodded in acknowledgement to Alyssa’s reasoning and then climbed out of the car.

We went inside and I knew by the music alone that I would be lucky enough to find anything made for the male gender, much less anything that fit. The shop reminded me of Joyce’s Rack, where my girls and I had purchased our costumes for Halloween, and where Emma tried to strip me of my power in an effort to free herself of the Lockdown. I had turned the tables on her that day, but I didn’t believe I would be nearly as lucky here, today.

“Hello! Welcome to Shirley’s!” said a woman as she approached. “My name is...” and she stopped when she saw me. The smile on her face vanished, and the ease in her stride stiffened.

I looked at Alyssa and softly said, “And you thought this was a good idea?”

Alyssa looked past me with a smile and approached the sales woman. Newton Grove may have been small, but I didn’t know her. Hopefully, she didn’t know me either. Hopefully, her reaction was because a boy was in her shop.

Alyssa didn’t try to hide what she said. “My brother arrived in town late last night and has business to attend to, but he lost everything he owned in a fire and needs some clothes to last him for the next few days at least.”

The woman looked from Alyssa to me with raised eyebrows. Then she looked me over and shook her head. “We have very few men’s clothes. I’ll show you were they are, but I wouldn’t expect much.”

Alyssa smiled and nodded. “Thank you, it’s a start.”

We followed her to a back corner of the shop. She was right about carrying very little for men. A single rack held shirts and dress pants. There was nothing else, and I would need more than this. I checked the sizes. There were only two shirts that would fit, and one pair of pants that might fit. I needed to try them on. Alyssa brazenly asked for a dressing room.

The woman led us to the other back corner of the store. We passed a girl hanging up Christmas sweaters. She had multi-hued blue hair and purple eyebrows. She watched us walk by with bright blue eyes. I didn’t know if she knew me, but I knew her. The hair and eyebrows were the give-away, especially since school rules heavily frowned on anything outlandish like that. Her name was Lalas Whitford, and she was Lisa Hartwell’s cousin.

I stepped into the dressing room. Like the dressing rooms back at Sammi’s store, Silk and Lace, this one had mirrors on every wall. Unlike Sammi’s dressing rooms, the door swung outward and didn’t have a latch. It didn’t bother me. I was accustomed to undressing in odd places where people I didn’t know might see me. Being a male underwear model curbed those issues for me. I decided to try on the shirts first and quickly pulled off my sweater and shirt.

Before I even picked up one of the new shirts, I saw the door inch open. No, I didn’t squeal like a little girl, nor did I try to hide behind a shirt. I glared at Alyssa until she shut the door. Yes, she peaked this morning, and she was trying to see more now. I didn’t need the trouble, so I stepped over to the side where she couldn’t see me without fully opening the door and looking in.

I pulled on one of the new shirts. It was a bit tight in the shoulders, but not too bad, so long as I didn’t have to try to stretch out completely with the cuffs buttoned. The color was bland, which was fine. I didn’t want to draw any undue attention anyway.

I saw the door open again, and then Alyssa whispered, “How does it fit?”

I rolled my eyes. What, did she think she was my mother? “It fits fine, if a bit snug in the shoulders.”

After a second, the door opened wider and she stepped halfway inside. She looked at me and then twirled her finger in the air.

I groaned and turned around so my back faced her. She tugged at the shoulders and then pushed on one to make me turn again. I faced her, but rolled my head back in frustration. I didn’t mind my girls going with me to help pick out clothes, but this was Alyssa. She and I weren’t about to find out how quickly she could remove my shirt later tonight.

“You’re right,” she said softly. “It is a bit tight. Try the other one on.”

I looked at her, but she stood there waiting for me to change. Fine! Whatever! I took off that shirt, which she took and hung up, and pulled on the second one. It fit much better, but the colors bothered me: Cyan and Turquoise. I had seen worse.

Alyssa smiled. “I like the colors, and it fits you perfectly.” She made me turn around again, tugged at it here and there, smoothed it out in the back, and then made me turn to face her. She tugged at the shoulders again, and ran her hands over my chest. “Wow! Have you been working out?”

I grabbed her wrists and pried her hands off me. “I have to try on those pants now. Do you mind?”

She stepped back and I let her go. Then she smiled and said, “Go ahead. I don’t mind at all.”

I gave her the most scornful look I could muster. Finally, she giggled and left the dressing room.

I took it off the second shirt, pulled my shirt back on, and then slipped out of my pants. I was about to pull on the new pair when I saw the door opening again. I reached out to grab the top to hold it shut, but my foot caught in the pants and I fell. I hit the door, pushing it open and landed on my side. I didn’t hit my head, but getting back up wouldn’t be pretty. Both the sales woman and Lalas stood by a rack nearby and stared down at me.

I apologized, though I wasn’t sure why, and withdrew into the dressing room. At least I was wearing clean underwear. I untangled myself, stood up, and pulled the new pair of pants on. The length was good, and the waist had built-in elasticity, but they were snug through the crotch and butt. They were black, which was a big plus, so I decided to keep them. I had worn more frustrating pants before.