Opening the bathroom door Arnold peeked out, looking down the hall toward the sound of what was clearly somebody knocking. Suddenly scared and not knowing really why, Arnold approached the door and called out, "Who is it?"
A female voice immediately called out, "It's me Annie. Open up."
Wondering who this person was, Arnold looked through the peephole, with some difficulty because of her reduced height and seeing a girl out there about eleven years old, Arnold wondered if this was something to do with the costume, "And whatever magick is attached to it," she thought as she traced the missing neckline.
Opening the door, Arnold found herself looking at a girl about an inch or two taller with dark red hair and emerald coloured eyes. "If I was male I'd find her beautiful," Arnold thought as she suddenly realised that the female of the species was no longer a turn on.
The girl, meanwhile, just told Arnold, "Took your time, Annie. I suppose you were still asleep? Have you forgotten the pool opens today and we were going to go shopping for new swimsuits?"
Unsure, Arnold shrugged and invited the girl in, suddenly remembering that her name was Danni. Fumbling for an excuse, Arnold finally explained, "Something strange has happened," and then seeing the puzzled look on Danni's face, she continued, "Well, not with me if that's what you wondering," altering the truth by just a little.
"Listen, if this has something to do with your body, tell your mother. I don't want a repeat of what happened when you first got your breast bud," Danni said, a skeptical look crossing her face.
Huffing in agitation, Arnold crossed an arm across her chest, almost in a defensive posture and then replied, "Not with me I said," and then, seeing no real way to explain, Arnold took Danni by the hand and led the girl back to her room.
Inside, Arnold paused when she saw the room and how feminine it suddenly looked. Deciding to come to terms with having a girl's room, and whether it would vanish once she figured out how to take the costume off, Arnold shrugged it off and strolling across the room, she opened the closet door. When Danni still wouldn't look in, Arnold pointed inward and said, "Something's off. It's like there is more space and plus somebody has added a whole bunch of what looks to be costumes."
Holding up her hands, Danni replied, "Listen. I know you like to play dress-up with me when we were younger, but if this is some attempt to get me to start doing again, forget it. I told you already. That stuff is for little girls," and then turning, Danni began walking away.
Bothered, Arnold cast one last look into the closet and then taking after Danni, she called out, "Wait."
Turning, Danni asked, "Why? It's clear that you don't want to go shopping today, like you said you wanted to. So I am just going to go by myself and you can sit here and fool about with your closet and then mystery of the costumes within."
Fishing for reasons, Arnold finally blurted out, "Okay. Okay. It's not you. It's me. I'm sort of unsure about going shopping for a swimsuit because, well, you know?"
A look crossed Danni's face and then she gasped out, "Oh my god. You self-conscious because you suddenly want to by a bikini and you don't know if you'll look good in one," and then she burst out into a fit of giggles.
Crossing her arms across her chest, suddenly very much self-conscious about her body, Annie grumbled, "It's not that funny."
Covering her mouth, Danni finally stopped and then said, "Come on. I'll be right with you. And, I also plan to be purchasing a bikini as well today."
Looking at Danni, knowing that her breast size was almost a cup size bigger, Annie looked down and then finally replied, "Yeah. But you have the body that's perfect for a bikini. I just don't think I'll look good."
Taking Annie's hand, Danni replied, "You look fine," and then leading Annie out of the apartment, stopping long enough to grab Annie's hand bag, Danni explained, "Besides. You might be able to get the attention of that cute boy you're always looking at in class," as she closed the door.
Unsure, torn between wanting to go with her friend and wanting to go back inside to find something else to do for the day, and being torn between Arnold and Annie - who was slowly winning the battle of wills going on inside her head - Annie aloud herself to be led down the hallway...and by the time she reached the front stoop, she had made her decision.