"That's - all - you - had - to - do," Sammy said, pounding her hand against the table, rattling their drink cups. "You just had to say, 'I'm a guy, I'm sorry I confused you.' It would've been horrible and awkward, but it would've ended then and there. You never would've seen him again."

Danny leaned back in his chair, trying to focus on the background noise of everyone in the mall's food court, rather than on the thoughts in his head.

"It's just...," he said, "he looked so heartbroken. Like I'd straight up told him he was ugly."

"Danny," Mom said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "sometimes... sometimes you have to hurt people's feelings to prevent things from getting worse."

"I know," he said with leaky eyes, "but... it's just so hard to hurt people. I hate it. So many people have hurt my feelings, and I don't want to hurt theirs."

"All you're doing is delaying those hurt feelings though," Mom said. "How is he going to feel when you don't answer your phone, or reply to his texts?"

Danny looked forlornly down at his partially eaten Subway sandwhich.

"I don't have to do that though," Danny said.

"Danny," Sammy asked in shock, "what are you going to do, go on a date with him?"

Danny didn't respond, he just sat there, unable to really think. What had he done? He'd really screwed up this time.

He took a sollemn bite of his sandwich, but couldn't enjoy it with everything going on.

"You could've also said something like, 'I'm sorry, I'm not really comfortable giving my number to strangers,'" Sammy said.

That would have been wise. Dang it! He'd already done something like that when messaging Lucy, why couldn't he have thought of that there?"

"Aughh," he groaned, "I was put on the spot. He just seemed so upset."

"It didn't help that you were talking with him the way you were," Sammy said.

"I was chatting!" Danny said. "We were waiting in the line, and I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Well Danny," Sammy said, "you obviously show your hand here, because you don't appear to have a clue what it looks like when a girl is flirting with you."

"Sammy," Mom scolded, "that's not very nice. And what's done is done. The question is Danny, what are you planning on doing about this?"

Danny swallowed a bite of food. "I really have no idea."

His pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone to find a text from a number he didn't know.

>Hi, it's Matt :)

"That's that boy isn't it?" Sammy asked. She leaned over to see the text.

He stared down at his phone. His vision swam as he stared at the blank whiteness of the screen.

"So?" Sammy asked, "what are you going to do?"

"You can just be honest," Mom said. "Just tell him that you're a boy, and that it was a misunderstanding, and that you didn't want to embarrass him or yourself."

But Danny didn't have that kind of backbone.

>Hi Matt :)

"That definitely wasn't a confession," Sammy remarked.

"I can't tell Matt that he was...," Danny winced, "flirting with a guy. That'd make him feel really bad too."

"But what about your feelings Danny?" Mom asked. "You obviously aren't comfortable with it either."

"But this poor guy was obviously asking someone out for the first time," Danny said. "Imagine how horrible he'd feel knowing that his first try at asking a girl out that it was actually a guy."

They were all quiet for a moment, and Mom put her hand on top of Danny's.

"Danny," she asked softly, "are you thinking about going out with this boy?"

He'd successfully convinced his new friends that he was a girl. That didn't feel nearly as daunting. No, what was daunting was the fact that he would be going on a date with a boy.

"I... I'd just go out once," Danny said. "Then, then I'd just say that I didn't feel like going on another date with him, not because he wasn't a nice guy, but because I wasn't really feeling it."

"Danny."

He looked into his Mom's eyes.

"Danny," she repeated, "do you... do you want to go out with him?"

"Eww no. I mean, that's... that's just not for me. I just want to do it to protect his feelings."

His phone vibrated again, and he checked it.

>I was thinking, if you wanted, we could go bowling on Friday. You up for it?

Sammy looked at the text. Danny typed back.

>Yes, that works for me

Sammy shook her head. "I hope you're ready for this Danny. You could really hurt his feelings."

Danny pursed his lips as another text came in. Sammy leaned over to look.

>Is it okay if we make it a double date? I haven't got anyone in mind yet, but I'll let you know.

"If you're really doing this," Sammy said, "I'm coming with you."

She took the phone from him, and texted Matt, saying that "my sister can come with her boyfriend." She handed it back to him, and another text appeared.

>Great! I'll let you know the time.

"Well," Mom said, "I hope you're prepared for this Danny."

"He might hold your hand," Sammy said, "if he's really gutsy, he might even try to kiss you."

Danny felt a sharp pain in his insides as if he'd been stabbed. It was a harrowing thought. His first kiss. Not with a girl, but with a guy.

"Again Danny," Mom said, "you don't have to go through with this. You can cancel and say you have other plans. I just really don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"I can do it Mom," he squeaked out.

"If you're going to go through with this," Sammy said, "this'll be an interesting challenge. We'll need to make you look like a girl."

Danny groaned slightly. "Whatever it takes."

"I don't think it will be too hard," Sammy said. "Well, um. I mean..."

Danny sighed. "It's okay. I look like a girl. It's okay if you say it. It isn't like I haven't experienced it first hand."

"Well," Mom said, looking over their finished lunch, "let's go get you a swimsuit."

The ordeal he'd just gone through made him forget all about that.  He'd been dreading it, but in comparison to what awaited him on Friday, he looked forward to just being able to swim with his friends.

Thankfully, when they went looking for a suit, there weren't many people in the area of the store they were looking in.

Mom held up various suits, asked for Danny's approval. They were all monotone, and Mom seemed to be looking for ones that were more boyish.

"Can we look at some more colorful ones?" Danny asked.

Mom seemed surprised. "You want a more colorful suit? Are you sure?"

"Is that alright?" Danny asked nervously. He'd honestly been thinking about what would go well with his tail in the pool. He also liked a bit more color.

"Yes," Mom said, "if it's alright with you, then that's all that matters."

They moved a bit further down the aisle and they came to some more colorful suits.

Mom was asking him what he thought of a green suit, when a different one caught his eye.

It was one patterned with horizontal white and blue stripes, like the patterns on those really old bathing suits. It looked like it would go well with his tail.

"How about that one?" he asked, pointing to it.

"Danny," Mom said, "that one has a skirt on the bottom."

He glanced back at it, and immediately felt very embarrassed. It did indeed have a skirt, colored the same blue as the stripes.

Danny shrank back away from Mom and Sammy. Mom took the swimsuit of the rack and held it in front of him.

"But," she said, "if you really want to try it on Danny, you can."

He hesitantly took the hanger the suit was on, and held it in front of him. His daydream from Saturday resurfaced, and now, mermaid Danny was wearing the swimsuit.

He stared at it for ten seconds of silence. Danny absent mindedly walked to the changing room with the suit in hand, and they went inside.

Am I honestly doing this? he thought. He was going to willingly put on what was basically a skirt.

"It... it will cover up... my bulge," he said quietly once the door was closed.

"Are you saying then," Mom asked, "that you don't want people to think you're a boy?"

Danny averted his gaze, wincing. "Well... I... what if I want to go swimming at a public pool? Maybe it would be easier if everyone thought I was a girl."

"Okay sweetie," Mom said, "if that's what you want."

Once Danny had the swimsuit on, he turned his gaze to the mirror.

And there he saw Cindy once again. But it was still his face in that reflection.

Not just my face, he reminded himself. All of this... all of this is me.

It was his body, breasts and all. Was the swimsuit... was the swimsuit him too?

"Aw," Mom said, "that looks very nice on you Danny."

Sammy smiled as well behind him.

What... what am I doing?

He felt a couple tears dribble down his cheeks. The realization that had come to his mind was almost too much to bear.

I enjoy wearing girls clothes. I like to look like a girl.

"You-you're sure it's okay for me to get this suit?" he asked Mom, his tears drying on his face.

"If you want to sweetie."

Mom was giving him an ultimatum. If he got the swimsuit, it meant that the anxious thoughts in his mind were true. It meant that he accepted them.

He swallowed, and turned to look his Mom in the eyes, his own filled slightly with tears.

"I want to get this one."