There was little reason for Sophie to dwell on her lost time, however. She seemed to be safe enough and she wasn’t even hungover. That was a little odd too, though, wasn’t it? If someone got drunk enough to black out, shouldn’t they also have a hangover? Was that how hangovers worked? She remembered Heather S. telling her she rarely got them. Either way, today was the day she was going to the fair with Chloe, and that took up much more real estate in Sophie’s mind than whatever had happened last night.

Excited, Sophie made her way downstairs to find breakfast already prepared. 

“Morning,” she mumbled quietly. Her parents looked up at her.

Sophie’s mom chuckled. “Woah, bed-head alert. Sleep well?” Sophie ran her hands through her hair and confirmed that it was indeed resembling a bird’s nest at the moment. She nodded in reply. She began to fill her plate with pancakes and sausage and plopped down on a stool next to her mother while her father flipped another pancake. The delightful mix of sweet and savory aromas in the kitchen quickly made her mouth water.

“You got home awfully late last night,” her father said.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve never been to a party before. I didn’t realize how late they ran,” Sophie explained.

He gave her a concerned look. “There wasn’t drinking, was there?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sophie admitted. “Heather S. kinda had too much and we had to wait for her to sober up before she could drive me home.”

That probably wasn’t a lie. Heather S. had been drinking, and even as drunk as she was Sophie never would have allowed her to drive her home while drunk. At least, she thought she wouldn’t.

Her mother nodded. “That was a very responsible choice.”

“However,” her father added sternly, “in the future, you need to have a plan. When you go out with your friends, you need to know who will be there, whether there will be alcohol, and how you’re going to get home. Remember, you can always call a cab, or call us if you’re in trouble. Or just ask to borrow my car in the first place and avoid the problem completely.”

“Erm… speaking of which...” Sophie said, sheepishly.

“You want to borrow my car,” her father finished. His expression was unreadable behind his scruffy facial hair stubble and sleep-caked eyes.

“Chloe asked me to the fair today at around five.”

The two shared a look as they considered this.

“Alright,” her father said. “I think you’ve proven yourself responsible.” He pondered for a moment. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself of what he should say. Sophie’s mom decided to cut in as well.

“Plus, the fair’s pretty safe. And...public,” she added, with just a hint of embarrassment. “We’ll trust you to take care of yourself.” Sophie’s dad walked over and grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and offered them to her in a mock begrudging manner. Sophie snatched them from his hands and stuck her tongue out at him. However, she felt a small stab of guilt as she took them. She hadn’t really acted responsibly last night--she had gotten blackout drunk with absolutely no plan for how to get home. 

“But,” Sophie’s father added.

“But?” Sophie repeated back.

“But,” he continued, “you’ll have a curfew to make up for last night.” 

Sophie sighed. That was fair. “How late?”

“Eleven. If you can’t make it, make sure to call me, okay? No texting.” He was obstinate, any sense of the jovial tone he might’ve possessed earlier was replaced by what he suddenly found himself as. A father protective of his only daughter. 

She nodded. “Okay, I can do that.” Her mother voiced her approval of their deal. Sophie finally dug into her plate of waiting pancakes. God, food, how I missed you. 

After breakfast, Sophie headed upstairs and set to work picking out her outfit for the day. She ended up torn between a simple cotton dress she could wear with the jean jacket she had sneakily snuck into her purchases while with the Heathers and a more fussy dress that had fringed lace hanging over the three quarter length sleeves and running around the hem of the dress. The former she could pair with simple flats or sneakers. The latter would pair best with a pair of two-inch floral wedge sandals. She was leaning towards choosing the simpler dress when a voice echoed in her head.

“A girl must always look her best, dear Sophie,” Heather M. echoed through Sophie’s memory. She sighed. Heather M. was always right about this stuff. She settled on the fussier dress and wedges. 

She hopped into the shower and fixed her hair, turning it from it’s previous nest status into a more manageable and attractive style. A new habit for her now, she began to sing once more through the steam of the shower. After applying her makeup and getting dressed, she began to read a few of her textbooks to catch up on some homework she had due over the weekend. Before she knew it, it was four-thirty in the afternoon.

 As she walked out the front door, she resolved to be more responsible tonight.

While she hopped into the car to pick up Chloe, something occurred to Sophie. She dug through her purse and found her wallet, then pulled out her driver’s license. Sure enough, the name on it was still “Thomas Swan”, there was an “M” where there should be an “F” and the photo would make anyone think that she’d stolen it from her brother. What was going to happen when she got her license renewed? And what about other records like her birth certificate? She made a mental note to make a wish to change her documents. For now, as long as she didn’t get pulled over the license wouldn’t be a problem. She pushed the button on the seat to move it forward and found herself surprised by how long it took to reach a position where she could reach the pedals. Had her size really changed this much? She shook her head, Dad was going to have a heck of a time changing all of this stuff back tomorrow. 

Her still persisting worries about her ID and guilt about last night were soon replaced by a different feeling as she approached Chloe’s house. She only lived a few blocks away so it wasn’t much of a drive at all. A strange, fluttery feeling in her chest. She honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it. She and Chloe had hung out plenty of times before, after all. Sure, she had had similar feelings before, but never this strong; never this urgent. After spending so much time with the Heathers’, she began to slowly process the fact that she considered them her friends as well, and had never felt anything quite like this around them.

Chloe was already standing out by her driveway when Sophie pulled up. She was wearing a dark blue tank-top and loose khaki capri pants, and Sophie couldn’t help but notice that her hair seemed a bit more neatly styled than usual. Huh, she thought, wouldn’t have thought to get dressed up for something like the state fair. Sophie pulled up to next to Chloe’s driveway by the curb and unlocked the doors, allowing Chloe to walk over and take a seat.

“Hey!” she chirped, causing Sophie to smile. Chloe’s expression turned into mock frustration, “What? Do I have something in my teeth?”

Sophie shook her head, “No, your smile is just cute.” Sophie wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a faint blush on Chloe’s cheeks. That fluttery feeling in her own chest returned, and they sat in silence for a moment. Finally, she was able to speak up again. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, dude,” Chloe replied before stammering out “W-wait, er, uh, sorry. I didn’t mean-” before Sophie placed her hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

“Chloe, you’re fine. Don’t worry about it,” she smiled. Chloe hesitantly nodded her head too. Sophie stepped on the gas. While they were driving Chloe played with the radio, setting it to an Alt-Rock station. 

“Careful with the presets, Dad got pretty annoyed last time we changed them,” Sophie giggled. 

“Nah, I got all the good stations memorized.” Chloe pointed toward her head while she smirked. “I don’t need presets.”

“Sure, radio-wiz,” Sophie replied. As they continued through town while listening to the music Sophie found herself distracted. This had been her first time driving as a girl and it was surprisingly distracting. The seat belt across her chest continued to nestle in between her breasts, chafing her while her hair obscured her peripheral vision when looking behind herself. She had even been forced to take her shoes off to have free access to the pedals. It was incredibly frustrating

Is this what girls deal with all the time?

“Yes.”  Chloe laughed softly.

“Huh?” Sophie turned, confused by Chloe’s response.

“I was talking about a game we had coming up in softball and I find you staring at your boobs and pushing your hair out of the way, so yeah. This is what driving is like now.”

“Well, I mean, can’t be all roses and violets,” Sophie sighed.

“Just wait for Aunt Flo,” Chloe whispered. She waved away Sophie’s follow-up questions with a devious grin. Sophie sighed in defeat as they pulled into the packed fair parking lot. Sophie quickly parked the car and they got out. Grabbing her purse, she hurried over to Chloe who was waiting by the trunk of the car.

“Ready?” Chloe asked.

“Always!” Sophie replied excitedly. She loved coming to the fair with Chloe, they had come often enough they each had a sequence of events more or less memorized. Once at the front of the ticket line, an older woman called them forward.

“Next, ladies,” she called out, seeming to have a long shift on her mind. Sophie couldn’t help herself but smile, wondering if she would ever feel anything but delight at hearing that. She moved to give the woman money from her purse but found Chloe placed her hand over the bag.

“I got it,” she smiled. Sophie found herself blushing as the fluttery feeling came back. Had her smile always been so charming? After having their hands stamped, they stepped past the fence.

“Okay, so first things first,” Sophie said, looking around at the whirling machinery whirling in the autumn twilight.

“French fries?” Chloe interjected, beating her to the punch.

“Yeah! I’m getting some vinegar on mine,” Sophie smiled. Chloe made a fake gagging sound, causing giggles to erupt from Sophie.

“I don’t know how you eat that stuff,” Chloe shook her head.

“What? I like how the bitterness of the vinegar complements the salt and the fried-ness of the fries. Salt and vinegar, baby.”

“Blegh, only if I can get some pineapple on the pizza,” Chloe countered, this time causing Sophie to mock gag as well.

“Fine, fine.” They proceeded to grab an order of french fries and began to walk around the fairgrounds, taking in the sight of kids running past and different machines spinning or whirling; they found themselves enraptured by the sound of the screams of delight from the riders. Horns and buzzers sounded off at random, accompanied by flashing light of multiple warm-toned colors. The air was saturated with the smell of delicious fried food in every variety. They continued exploring side-by-side taking comfort in their shared company. Sophie had to admit that despite everything else that had changed, her relationship with Chloe still felt completely natural. As she watched one of the rides swinging its passengers back and forth she accidentally stepped on a large cable running across the ground, throwing her off her balance.  A hand reached out and Sophie grabbed hold, regaining her footing. Only then did she realize whose hand she had grabbed. Her eyes traced up the arm quickly to find Chloe standing before her with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. Sophie quickly dropped her hand and tried to regain her composure.

“S-sorry,” Chloe mumbled, though Sophie waved her concerns away. 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m okay,” she smiled. “I dare say I’m quite the catch...”  Chloe’s blush deepened in response before laughter erupted forth.

“That was awful,” she squeaked between laughs, prompting Sophie to shrug.

 Where did that come from? Sophie asked herself. It had just seemed like the right thing to say. They continued a short distance before Chloe stopped in front of a game booth.

“What’s up?” Sophie asked her.

“I’m gonna win one of these,” Chloe responded.

“Oh yeah, Chlo? You’ve never really had much luck with these games before.”

“I know,” Chloe mumbled while she scanned the booths, “but one of them has to have something winnable.”

They made their way to the closest game called Pop the Balloon!, the point of which was to throw a dart at three balloons and pop them, though you only had five chances to do so. Chloe pulled out her wallet and handed the fair worker the fee to play.

“Balloons?” Sophie asked incredulously.

“Yeah, why?” Chloe retorted. Sophie giggled and rolled her eyes.

“You might be a great pitcher, but you kind of suck at fair games.”

“Correction,” Chloe held her finger up, “I used to suck at fair games. Now there are stakes.”

“What stakes?”

“You’ll see,” Chloe winked back at Sophie and threw her first dart.

“You need to wait for me to say go, ma’am.” the fair worker stated in a monotone voice, causing Chloe to blanch while Sophie burst into a fit of stifled laughter.

“Stakes, huh?” She finally added. Chloe groaned while the fair worker handed her an extra dart. Chloe proceeded to continue throwing her darts at the balloons. In the end, she had popped only one balloon in her five chances.

“Stakes,” Sophie repeated through a smirk. Chloe dropped her head and sighed. She flipped her head back up after just a moment.

“There’s a bunch more games, just you wait!” she yelled while stomping over to the next game.

Chloe’s next choice was a shooting gallery. After paying the worker, she selected an airsoft rifle and took aim at a series of tiny targets. One by one she fired at each, missing every shot with a loud pop.

“Not even close,” Sophie said as the last missed its target.

“The sight was off,” Chloe said indignantly.

“Sure it was. Are you done wasting your money yet?”

“Not a chance!”

Chloe dragged Sophie to the next booth. A ring toss.

“Oh, come on,” Sophie said. “No one ever wins these.”

“No one until today,” Chloe replied confidently as she paid the worker and received five rings.

She took a deep breath, picked out her target, exhaled and tossed. The ring bounced off the target. The next three attempts missed their mark as well.

Chloe paused to shake her hands to loosen up her muscles, then popped her neck. “Okay, I’ve got it. This one’s going right onto that peg.”

She tossed the final ring. It soared through the air and wedged itself between two pins. Chloe inhaled deeply. Sophie started to make another snarky comment but Chloe held up her finger. “Not one word.”

Chloe’s losing streak continued through several more booths before her eyes lit up. She jogged over to yet another stand and shot Sophie a confident look. She was handing her final five dollars to a girl with short blonde hair as Sophie approached. There were three sets of golden pins set up on a small platform behind the worker.

“C’mon Chloe, give it a rest,” she sighed before realizing what the booth was for. The worker handed Chloe a set of three baseballs.

“Knock over three stacks of pins with three balls and win your choice of a stuffed animal,” the girl said dully, pulling her magazine back up. 

“Piece of cake,” Chloe replied. She took up one of the balls in her hand and stepped back. In a fluid motion, she threw the ball at the bottom center of the stack, collapsing it. The girl peaked up from her magazine while Sophie’s mouth fell agape.

That was… really cool, Sophie thought idly. Chloe repeated the feat again and garnered more awe from Sophie and the worker who had placed her magazine down to watch. Chloe stepped away from her previous position.

“Oh man, the pressure’s getting to me, I think,” she complained.

“Wait, really?” Sophie asked in a concerned tone.

“Nah,” Chloe smiled. She twirled on the pad of her foot and threw the final ball with marksman-like accuracy. It collided with the final stack with much more force than the previous two attempts, loudly scattering them around the inside of the booth. The worker clapped lightly, a genuine look of excitement on her face.

“That was pretty awesome! Do you play softball?” she asked Chloe.

“Yep, pitcher and captain.” Chloe smiled. Sophie felt her stomach start to warm. Standing next to Chloe in moments like this she couldn’t help but look up at her in awe.

“Oh, I’ve heard of you, I think. Chloe Gutierrez, right? I’m Micki, I’m the captain of the Ravenettes up in Springport Falls.” She held out her hand to Chloe who promptly shook it with sudden glee.

“Like, the collegiate Ravenettes?” Chloe said, her tone bordering on reverent whisper territory.

“The very same!” she smiled. Chloe and Micki began to talk shop about softball for a short while before Micki gave Chloe some information on a small card. “That’s my school email address, shoot me an email if you ever want a tour of campus. I think my coach would love to meet you.”

“Yeah.” Chloe shook her head eagerly. “That’d be awesome!” 

“Cool. Oh, by the way, which stuffed animal did you want? Take your pick!” She gestured towards the stuffed animals hanging in the booth behind her. Chloe took a moment to decide before eventually choosing a stuffed frog with a purple ribbon tied around its neck. Micki passed it to Chloe who immediately presented it to Sophie. 

Sophie laughed. “It’s adorable.”

Chloe held the frog out closer. “Take it. It’s for you.”

Sophie felt red creeping over her face. “Really? Thanks! I love it!” She hugged the frog close, the fluttering feeling returning stronger than ever.

They continued to walk around eating various fried foods, playing games together, and rode a couple of rides., Sophie began to feel great discomfort from her heels rubbing against her foot. She paused for a moment, trying to adjust her shoes in hopes that she could find a way to make them easier to walk in.

“Are you okay?” Chloe asked.

“I think I’m getting a blister.”

Chloe took her arm, leading her to a bench. “Why did you wear heels?”

Sophie shrugged. “Heather said girls should wear heels as often as possible.”

Chloe leaned forward to stare at Sophie as if she was crazy. “That’s ridiculous. I never wear heels, you know that.”

“I know,” Sophie said doubtfully, “but I’m new to being a girl. I have to get used to following the rules before I can break them.”

“There aren’t rules to being a girl. Or at least there shouldn’t be. I knew those Heathers had to be filling your head crap like that. You can be a girl however you want.”

“But…” Sophie hesitated.

Chloe’s expression turned to concern. “What is it?”

Sophie stared down at the ground. “It’s not just the Heathers. People look at you and there’s no question that you’re a girl. But with me, I feel like if I don’t wear high heels and makeup and skirts that people might start thinking I’m a boy again.”

“Oh,” Chloe replied, quietly. “Yeah, I think I can see where you’re coming from. People have seen you as a boy your whole life. It makes sense that you’d be afraid that they would go back to seeing you that way. But listen, if it helps any you should know that I’ll always see you as a girl.”

Sophie smiled. Normally, the idea of just one person seeing her as a girl wouldn’t be very comforting. But for some reason, it felt meaningful coming from Chloe. “Thanks. That actually does help.”

They sat for a while and people-watched. Most of the passers-by were strangers, but Sophie noticed a few people from school.

“Hey, there’s Margo,” Chloe said, gesturing to a girl walking arm-in-arm with a boy. “Is she okay? Her face is all swollen.”

Sophie looked and could see that her face was indeed red and swollen. That sparked something in her memory. Hadn’t someone been talking about Margo recently?

After a few more minutes of rest, Chloe turned to Sophie. “How are your feet feeling? Want to check out the ferris wheel?”

Sophie nodded. “Yeah. That sounds fun.”

Chloe led her to the ferris wheel where, after a short wait in line, they boarded. Sophie kicked her dangling feet slightly and hugged her frog close as the wheel lifted them up into the sky with a creaking sound. Sophie felt the pinpricks, but once more they felt muted, exactly like the night she saw that fish. As they reached the top, she caught sight of something unexpected among the trees in the distance. It looked like a huge neon cyan bird, with thin legs that were far too long for its comparatively small body. It was stepping delicately between the trees. However, the ferris wheel continued to turn and soon the bird was out of sight.

“Did you see that?” Sophie asked, stunned.

“See what?” Chloe asked, looking concerned by Sophie’s tone.

“That bird! You really didn’t see it?”

Chloe shook her head.

The ferris wheel clanked as it lifted them back into the sky, but now there was no sign of the bird. Where had it gone?

Sophie shook her head. She made a note to ask the Heathers if being changed by the Well made them see things, too-- and hoped that they wouldn’t think her too strange for asking.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden feeling of a warm hand gently gripping her own. Chloe’s hand.

She turned to face Chloe, her eyebrows arching up in surprise. Chloe looked at her, an expression of uncertainty, hope, and longing all muddled on her vividly blushing face.

“Is it...is it okay if I do this, Sophie?” she asked tentatively.

Sophie gazed into Chloe’s eyes, taking in the kindness and caring that shone behind them. She felt a warm rush of happiness surge up from her fluttery tummy and explode out of her heart.

“Yeah, Chloe, it’s okay. It’s definitely okay.” Without even stopping to think about it, Sophie tenderly raised her free hand and slowly ran her fingers down the smooth contours of Chloe’s cheek and jaw. I never realized how much I’ve wanted to do that, she thought to herself.

“I’m...I’m glad it’s okay with you. I really like you, Sophie,” Chloe said, grinning unabashedly.

“I like you, too, Chloe. A lot, actually.” Sophie giggled softly. It felt good to be able to say it aloud, to even recognize it within herself. As Thomas, she’d never dared to directly admit to herself that she had any feelings for Chloe, believing that path could only lead to heartbreak and the sundering of their friendship. But that was before the Well, and before the world saw her as Sophie. 

As their seat on the ferris wheel crested again, bringing them away from the noise and chatter of the fair and up into the moonlight, Sophie felt a pull between them, inexorable as gravity. She felt herself lean in towards Chloe, felt Chloe gracefully place her hand behind Sophie’s head, felt their bodies come together, felt Chloe’s soft lips press against her own.

The kiss seemed to last forever, a perfect moment that Sophie reveled in. She was dimly aware of the additional warmth as Chloe wrapped her other arm around Sophie’s body, and Sophie laid her arm across Chloe’s back in return. It was only when the ferris wheel came to a stop at the bottom and the ride barker made a throat-clearing noise that they broke apart. 

As they clambered off the ride, Chloe looped her arm with Sophie’s, and together they walked back into the crowd, arm-in-arm. There would be discussions later, she knew--what this meant for their relationship, concerns, and worries, how they chose to label themselves. But for now, just for tonight, Sophie allowed herself to sink into the joyous feeling of being a girl in love for the first time. 

 

* * *

 

Sophie and Chloe paused outside on the former’s porch like they had the previous night, though everything else about this moment felt different. Sophie felt like so much more.

“I’ll text you when I get home?” Chloe whispered, a smile she’d been wearing most of the night still tugging at her cheeks.

“Yes, please,” Sophie nodded, fiddling with Chloe’s fingers in her palms, “I just want to know that you’re home safe. I know it’s only a few blocks away, but I could have just dropped you off you know.”

“Nah, like I said, I’d rather walk from here. It’s a nice night and I just want to bask in it.” Chloe smiled. With her heels resting snuggly in her purse, Sophie rose on the balls of her feet once more and kissed Chloe passionately one final time. After what felt like a wondrous eternity they parted. Chloe hopped off the porch and headed home, waving at Sophie until she was out of sight. Sophie’s feet were chilled from standing on the cold concrete of the walk, but she didn’t care. She felt like she could float up into the clouds.  She wandered back into the house in a dream-like haze before being awoken by her mother.

“Did you have a good time at the fair?” her mother asked her as she walked in the door.

“Oh, yeah, it was amazing!” Sophie excitedly replied.

Her mother paused, staring at her.

“What is it?” Sophie asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Nothing,” she replied. “It just makes me happy seeing you so happy.”

Sophie felt herself starting to tear up hearing those words from her mother. She quickly wished her good night and rushed upstairs before her mother could notice.  

It wasn’t until she was getting ready for bed that the implications of what had happened between her and Chloe began to sink in.

For starters, she’d become very comfortable with her sexuality, but she wasn’t sure how the Heathers, or anyone else, would respond to it. As someone who had ostensibly been a boy, she felt like she was already under plenty of scrutiny as it was-- would this only make it worse? Were the Heathers going to cast her out if it became known she was with Chloe?

And what exactly were her and Chloe now? Was she Chloe’s girlfriend? She felt a jolt of euphoria rise from her heart at the thought. However, a more sensible part of her mind reminded her that this was all new territory for her. As Thomas, she’d never had the confidence to date anyone. She had always felt like she wasn’t ready yet, as if she was too young even though plenty of other people her age were dating. She wondered now if it was something else that had held her back. Now part of her cursed her lack of experience since it meant she had no idea where things stood with Chloe. They had kissed, sure--but did that mean a relationship? Chloe had had a few flings in the past, after all, was she just one of them? Somehow, it seemed like it was deeper than that. Sophie hoped that was the case, but she didn’t want to assume until she heard Chloe say as much. Instead, she drifted off to sleep remembering that first kiss.