Page 58 of Never Never

“Except I kind of hate the color on her,” Sapphire says. “Now that I see it. No offense, Tink.”

“None taken.” I step in a little circle to look at myself in the mirror. And it’s…

I’m a girl.

Me.

No makeup, no long hair, not even shoes—I’m just barefoot—but there I am.

I smile a little.

But the color, everyone agrees, is wrong. Next up, a fluttery pink dress: spaghetti straps, wrap skirt that practically floats away from my body as I step out of the fitting room.

Ruby gasps when she sees me. “God, you’re gorgeous, Tink! You’re built like a freakin’ Barbie doll. Except your feet aren’t stuck like this.” She angles her hand in the air like a plastic foot stuck in a perma-heel posture.

“For real,” Sapphire agrees. “You are wearing that dress.”

“Seriously, why didn’t you tell us you were a girl before? We could have hooked you up!”

I stare down at the plush, pink, glittering ground beneath me.

“I had to keep it a secret,” I say, in a smaller voice than I want to.

And I didn’t think you would have liked me.

I look back up, at myself, at the dress. And it is nice. But it’s not me.

“What do you think, Tink?” Treasure asks.

“I think…I think I’ve gotta ride on a bike,” I say at last, picking at the skirt. “And this thing’ll fly right open.”

Next is a kind of corset dress: electric blue with black ribbon lacing up the back and sides. It’s cute, I think, but after five minutes of struggle in the fitting room I’m still only halfway laced.

“I’m just saying,” comes Ruby’s voice from outside, “guys are always going on about how they wanna get with twins. So I wouldn’t say no to them. Especially to the shy little one.” She gives a little giggle. “Bet he’s a real freak, deep down.”

“Isn’t he gay?” Emerald. “I could’ve sworn he was gay. Anyway, I’m more into the strong and silent type, if you know what I mean.”

“Strong and silent?” Sapphire, sounding deeply skeptical. “Girl, you fucked Pan at least five times and he is the opposite of those things.”

“Live and learn,” Emerald says airily. “I’ve grown since then. Been exploring lots of online content, you know? And I like a man who knows what he’s doing⁠—”

“Blue? Oh, he knows what he’s doing,” Sapphire says. “He just might also be a serial killer.”

“Yeah, but⁠—”

I can’t take it anymore and push open the fitting room door. “Um⁠—”

The three of them all swivel to me immediately. Treasure seems to have gone—or no, she’s up at the register, chatting with the woman behind the counter.

“Ooh,” Emerald says, eyeing my outfit. “I like.”

Sapphire nods. “It’s definitely giving badass.”

“Don’t mind us.” Ruby ignores both of them. “We were just ranking your boys, Tink.”

“They’re not mine,” I insist. “They’re just⁠—”

Someone scoffs. Treasure, back from across the boutique. “Oh, they’re yours, Tink. Whether they know it or not.” She studies my new outfit while Emerald makes the wh-chhhh sound of a whip crack.