Unaware that anything was off, the two headed out the door and catching the bus downtown, Talbot and Echo passed the time whispering ideas for names. When they departed the bus, Talbot had decided that he wanted to be called Emily while Echo had decided she wanted to be called Tobi.
Wandering through the downtown area, Emily and Tobi passed the time window-shopping. But when Tobi said he wanted to go into a sports store, Emily suddenly found herself losing interest. Unsure why this was, thinking that maybe she was acting to much like a girl, Emily thought a couple a seconds before saying, "I'll wait out here," as she indicated toward a nearby table.
"Okay," Tobi replied and kissing Emily on the cheek, he disappeared into the store.
Sitting down at one of the tables, Emily closed her eyes and wondered what was wrong with her. Just because she was dressed like a girl didn't mean she was a girl.
"I mean," she amended. "I am really a guy and this is just something my girlfriend thought up," but stopping, thinking something was off about that sentence, Emily opened her eyes and looked about. Suddenly finding it strange that her girlfriend was showing an interest in sports, Emily stood.
Taking a couple steps toward the sports shop, wanting to ask Tobi if he noticed anything off, including if he was thinking with a reversed gender pronoun, Emily stopped. Confused and feeling turned about, she hugged herself and looked into a nearby shop window, suddenly wanting to go home, get out of the clothes she was wearing and put on something that was more masculine.
"I mean," she thought as she took a step closer. "I not only look like a girl, but sound like one. And that's bothersome," and thinking that her height looked off, she turned away.
Spying Tobi coming out of the shop, Emily took a step away from the window, preparing herself to call out, but stopped. Behind him a couple of boys had also emerged and from the way they were smiling and joking with Tobi, it became apparent that Tobi had forgot about her for the moment. Heading back over to the table she had taken a seat at a couple seconds ago, Emily retook her seat and thinking something was definitely off, she absently glanced in Tobi's direction and tried to think what it was.
***
Window shopping with Emily, forgetting that before they had taken the bus downtown that Emily had been Talbot and that he'd been Echo, Tobi found himself getting bored and rather restless. For a moment he wondered if he was going through psychological change because he was wearing boy's clothes. "Perhaps when a girl wears clothes suitable for the opposite sex, she quickly begins to act like the opposite sex."
Stopping, right when they reached a sports store, finding what he had just thought to be really ridiculous, he quickly indicated the sports store and said, "I think I'll take a look inside." as he took a couple steps closer to the store.
Emily, appearing to lose interest, commented that she'd rather wait outside. Leaning down to kiss her, he told her, "Okay," and turning away, he wandered into the shop.
Inside, Tobi passed a couple wracks of baseball bats and a table pile high with baseball jerseys. Feeling comfortable inside the store, he ambled to the back. Feeling like he'd been inside a couple times, he decided he knew what he was looking for. Stopping in front of a mirror, he thought something about his reflection looked off. Turning away, thinking, "I'm not vain. Only girls stare at themselves for hours on end in mirrors," he headed toward a glass counter containing several football, hockey and baseball trading cards.
"Hey, Tobi," a voice called out and glancing at the speaker, Tobi watched as a guy that was built about the same way as he was, but was just a couple inches shorter approached.
Holding out his hand, Tobi slapped the other guy's hand and than bumped knuckles as the other guy asked, "You catch the game the other night. Man it was intense. Benson totally blew it in the ninth," and than smiled a knowing smile.
"I know, dude," Tobi replied without giving it a second thought. "Benson totally blew it. But it was a good thing Jeremy was there to pick up the slack."
"Close shave," another voice said and glancing in the direction, Tobi called, "Arnoldson, dude," and once again slapped hands with the other guy and than bumped fists as Arnoldson announced, "I think Benson has had is probably going to be dumped at the end of the season."
Nodding, the first guy, who Tobi suddenly realised he knew as Mike, commented, "Totally," as Arnoldson asked Tobi, "What you up to, Bro."
"Was window shopping with Emily, but meh," Tobi replied.
Smiling still, Mike instantly said, "Dude you should totally come with us. We're going over to Steve's and I'm sure Emily wont want to. Come on. She wont mind and you can catch up with her later."
"Yeah," Tobi replied. "I'm totally there," and turning away from the case, he led the way out of the shop, Mike and Arnoldson a couple steps behind him. And when Arnoldson cracked a good joke, he found himself laughing along with Mike and forgetting that he was going to spend the day with Emily.
***
Emily, unable to think what was off, stood and returned to the window, noting that there was really cute dress on display. Looking at her reflection, noting that she appeared to be about five foot tall, she sighed and thought that the glass was screwy and that was why she appeared so short.
Turning away from the window, she began to look into other shop windows, disappointed that Tobi had ditch her to hang with his friends instead of hanging out with her, like he said he would. Rounding a corner, Emily nearly ran into another girl, who immediately stated, "Sorry," stopped and than said, "Emily! I thought you and Tobi where going to be hanging out all day."
"He went off with his friends," Emily replied, wondering who this girl was and how she knew her.
And than, as the other girl asked, "You want to hang out with me and Vicky instead?" it came to her and Emily knew that the girl's name was Suzie and the she, Sue and Vicky had all been friends since they'd met before school.
Nodding, Emily said, "Sure," and casting another glance at a shop window, she thought, "My reflection still looks off," before following Sue, immediately immersing herself in a conversation as the two walked.