Danny felt nervous as he got out of the car at the bowling alley, but it was better than the sheer terror he would've felt had he not talked to Sammy.

They'd decided that Sammy's date Kyle would drive them there, and then Matt would drive them back. It was a bit of a strange arrangement, but doing a carpool with all of them just felt like it would really awkward.

Danny closed the car door, and adjusted the denim skirt that Sammy had given him to wear. It had been a last minute addition, that she had given to him to encourage confidence. In all honesty, he really liked it. 

And moreover, he was wearing panties too. They felt nice and snug, and like the skirt, he actually enjoyed the feeling of wearing them.

Sammy had tried very hard to convince him to try both before they left, and he was glad she he had. They felt... they just felt so feminine. It did help him feel more confident. It made it easier for him to fit into the role of being Cindy.

A few hours ago, he would have reeled at the thought of taking things this far. But with Sammy's support, he'd stayed calm, and hadn't fought against what he was feeling. These good, pleasant feelings. 

They walked up to the front doors of the bowling alley, and Kyle held the door for them. Once inside, Danny saw Matt, and waved to him. He waved back, and they joined him walking up the counter to pay for their games and rent shoes.

"Um, so," Matt said to Danny, "how've things been going for you?"

"Good," Danny decided. "How about you?"

"Good," Matt said in kind. "My family and I have been getting ready for our trip and all. Replacing old stuff, and on Monday the day before we leave, we'll get all the food we're taking."

"So what kind of stuff do you eat when you go backpacking?" Danny asked.

Matt shrugged. "Stuff that's light and compact usually, but if you're willing to carry it, you can bring it. We have back up food, but every year we plan on catching a lot of fish, and then maybe have hotdogs another night, stuff like that."

"Ugh," Danny laughed, "I've never been a big fan of fish."

"That's too bad," Matt smiled, "you're missing out."

They paused to get their shoes and pay for their two games, and then walked through an open doorway where the bowling lanes were. Loud generic pop music was playing in the background.

"So what've you been up to lately Cindy?" Matt asked.

"Oh, I've mostly been swimming at a friend's house."

They selected their bowling balls. While they were doing that, a thought passed through Danny's mind, and feeling a little impulsive, he decided to give into it.

"But we're a little weird," Danny laughed as Matt selected an orange ball, "we don't just swim normally."

"No?" Matt said, "do you swim the front crawl upside-down?"

Danny laughed. "No, what we do is we wear costume mermaid tails."

"Really?" Matt said, "that's interesting."

"Yeah," Danny smiled, "they have this stiff fin in the bottom, and it makes it so that you can swim more quickly in the water."

"Huh," Matt said as he typed his name on the keypad for the game, "that's actually kind of neat."

"Yeah," Kyle said, "I don't think I've heard of that before."

Sammy let loose her first shot, and did pretty good, leaving only two pins up.

"It's really fun," Danny said, "and its a hobby all over the world. Some people do it professionally, and there are actually a lot of guys into it. We have two guys in a group."

Sammy, to Danny's chagrin, bowled a spare, getting a flashy little animation from the monitor mounted from the ceiling.

Matt laughed. "You'd have an awfully hard time getting me into one of those costumes."

"Nonsense," Danny said, "I think you'd make an awesome merman Matt."

"MerMatt," Sammy laughed. She turned to Danny. "C'mon mermaid, it's your turn."

Danny gripped his bowling ball the best he could, but he'd always had a hard time with it. Bowling balls always felt a bit too heavy for him. He slung it forward, and...

Got a gutter ball.

"Augh," he grunted.

"Next serve," Matt said to him.

Danny nodded. He couldn't afford another gutterball, not if he wanted to beat Sammy.

"What I find interesting," Matt said, "is that you like dressing up and swimming as a mermaid, but you don't like fish."

Danny laughed. "I don't want to eat my friends though!"

They all laughed.

"What do mermaids eat then?" Kyle asked Danny.

"Haven't you ever seen Spongebob? We obviously eat Krabby Patties."

They laughed again, and that same mood continued throughout the rest of the two games. It was only interrupted by the growing competition between Danny and Sammy, as they went back and forth, getting spares and the occasionally strike.

They didn't even notice at the end of the second game that Kyle had beaten them big time.

"He played us sisters off of each other," Sammy jokingly accused, "to detract from the real mastermind."

They laughed, and Danny smiled. He reflected for a moment on what Sammy had said. She'd called Danny her sister. He liked that.

After bowling, they went to a nearby ice cream place, and talked over some waffle cones. Matt told some funny stories about backpacking, 

After their ice cream, Sammy parted ways with Kyle, giving each other a brief hug before saying goodbye.

They chatted idly on the way home, but unfortunately, no real conversations formed. It was nice to have an extra person to bounce off of. Matt also seemed really nervous having two girls in his car.

They pulled up to the curb in front of their house, and they all got out.

"Well, I had a fun time tonight Cindy," Matt smiled.

"Me too," Danny returned. "Have fun on your trip."

"And you have fun being a mermaid."

Danny let out a bit of a giggle, and then he and Matt briefly hugged. 

"See you later," Danny said to him as he got back in his car.

"See ya," he said.

Matt waved one more time before he closed the door, and then started his car, and drove away.

Danny let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

Sammy laughed. "I feel the same way - relief on your behalf that is. You did a good job."

Danny smiled. "Thanks."

They walked up to the front door and went inside. Mom and Dad had gone out to dinner with some friends, but Jason...

They passed the living room, and Jason turned away from something he was watching to look at them. He seemed deeply troubled seeing his brother like this, just staring at them for a moment.

"So how was it?" he asked, some nervousness in his voice.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," Danny said. "We had fun."

"Cool," Jason said, turning his attention back to the TV. It seemed like he didn't feel like talking.

That was fine with Danny. He didn't feel like continuing the conversation. He had more pressing things on his mind, that he began to consider as he followed his sister downstairs.