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Polaris wanted a dress.
She hadn’t worn one in years, since she’d had to disguise herself. She knew the dress she had worn back then wouldn’t fit her now, being much taller and more filled out.
Whatever happened to it?
Polaris knew it was probably tossed out (her father never believed in donating anything).
She thought back to that time. She felt calm and somewhat happy in that situation, very different from how one would expect a boy to feel if he were told to wear a dress.
Probably should have realized it sooner.
It was Celest who approached Polaris after class.
“Hello, Polaris.”
“Afternoon.”
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
Polaris thought for a moment. “Not that I can recall. Why?”
“The girls and I are going to the mall tomorrow and I wanted to invite you.”
“And by ‘the girls’ you mean?”
“Toko and Junko aren’t coming if that’s your concern.”
Polaris thought about it. Toko had come back to class a couple days ago after being suspended for punching Polaris in the face. Toko would glare daggers at her whenever she had the chance but overall hadn’t approached Polaris at all. While Junko was more vocal with comments, she also kept her distance (thanks Mondo).
Polaris had never been to a mall before. She didn’t know what to expect. She knew there would be a lot of people and various stores.
You can buy a dress there.
Polaris didn’t know the first thing about fashion.All of her clothes were picked out and hand-tailored for her. If she did find something she liked, would it even fit her? She’s taller than the average girl.
“I’ll come with you,” Polaris finally answered.
“Great! I’ll let the others know,” Celest waved goodbye as she walked out the door.
This was a bad idea.
Polaris was right about there being a lot of people, but that in itself made her incredibly anxious. She hated crowds and being touched, especially by people she didn’t know.
The other girls formed a protective circle around Polaris, and while it helped some, it didn’t make her feel 100% better. Aside from Sakura, she was the tallest. Polaris wore her regular suit but added a full face of makeup and a ribbon in her hair which (in her mind) made her look more ridiculous.
The rational part of her brain was telling her that people are staring at the girls because they go to an elite high school and their talents are known worldwide, but that part of her mind was saying something different.
You look like a clown.
Wipe that stuff off, Byakuya.
It’s inappropriate for a young man to play with makeup.
Polaris tried to distract herself by fidgeting with the chain of her pocket watch. It helped a little.
“I’ll take Polaris. There’s a shop I want to show her,” Sakura said.
Apparently, while Polaris’ brain was bullying her, the other girls talked about splitting up to go to the stores they want to.
“Alright, is that okay with you, Polaris?” Kyoko asked.
Polaris couldn’t find words. Her chest felt tight. She nodded.
The girls split into groups of two (Hina went to the food court by herself).
“Come with me,” Sakura motioned for Polaris to follow her. Polaris followed the taller girl, trying to ignore the eyes on her.
“Where are we going?” Polaris asked.
Sakura smiled. “There’s a clothing store here that caters to all body types. It’s where I get my clothes from. You’re very tall, so I figured we could go there and see if you like anything.”
Oh.
It made sense. When Sakura wasn’t wearing her seifuku uniform she always had really pretty clothes. She had always wondered where she had gotten them from.
The shop carried a massive collection of different styles. Any clothes in any style you could think of were in this store. Polaris was amazed.
Freak.
Getting excited over women’s clothes?
Pathetic.
A bubbly employee came up to great them. “Hello again, Sakura!”
“Good afternoon,” Sakura nodded her head at the employee.
“And who is this?” The employee asked.
Polaris crossed her arms and turned her head away.
“This is my friend, Polaris,” Sakura answered. “We were hoping to find some clothes for her today.”
“Polaris! You are absolutely gorgeous! Do you know what style you’re looking for?”
Polaris winced. The employee was friendly but loud.
“I don’t know,” Polaris answered, slightly embarrassed. “Just something girly?”
The employee laughed. “Well, that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you have any images that show what you’re looking for?”
Polaris pulled out her phone and pulled up the picture Makoto took of her when Sayaka did her makeup. She was wearing a cream sweater over a white button-up and loose-fitting blue jeans. Makoto had taken the image and plastered it with sparkles and hearts. She showed the employee, who lead her to a section dedicated to ‘tall and slender’ frames.
There were racks upon racks of different styles of clothes. The employee had lead them to an area where everything was covered in ribbons, pearls, and heart-shaped buttons. The employee explained that these clothes walk the line of cute and semi-formal.
They were perfect.
“I think these would be perfect for you, Polaris,” the employee pointed out the dressing rooms before leaving the girls to their shopping.
Sakura didn’t shop, as she had just gone shopping a few days ago. She was, instead, helping Polaris pick out various articles of clothing that would go together.
“Think you have enough, Polaris?” Sakura chuckled as the blonde girl was beginning to struggle carrying the massive amount of tops, skirts, and dresses she had chosen for herself. Sakura offered to help carry some of the load, but Polaris said no.
“I want to try these on,” Polaris pushed her way into an available dressing room.
Polaris hadn’t realized how many clothes she picked out. She managed to put together twenty different outfits with the pieces she gathered.
And she looked good in all of them.
She was afraid that she wouldn’t, that these cutesy feminine clothes would look out of place on her long not-conventionally-feminine body. But that wasn’t the case. If anything, they complimented her body.
She tried on all twenty outfits, Sakura waiting outside the dressing room to give her praise. Polaris had forgotten about all of her anxieties throughout the day.
She admired herself as she tried on the last outfit. The top was a cream sweater with a fuzzy beige bear holding a red valentine heart with a pink bow. The skirt was cream with pink-and-brown plaid. There was a pink bow on the upper-left side on the front of the skirt. Pearl buttons ran down the left side. Polaris wore a red jacket with red faux-fur lining the hood. She had also managed to find a pair of black tea party shoes that fit.
When she had come out of the dressing room she had found all of her friends waiting for her. She looked at the time to find she had spent two hours just trying on clothes.
“Oh my god, that outfit is so cute!” Sayaka chirped.
“You have good taste, Polaris,” Celest added.
“It’s a different taste than I expected,” Kyoko questioned.
“I’m sure Makoto will like it,” Mukuro teased.
Polaris blushed at her friends’ praise.
“Of course I look good. What did you expect from a Togami?”
You need to stop playing dress-up if you want any chance of inheriting the company.
Polaris pushed back the thought.
He’s not here to hurt me.
The cashier allowed Polaris to leave the store in the outfit she was wearing. She and her friends gathered shoes, purses, jackets, hats, and any other accessories they could use to make the outfits look even better. Polaris didn’t even look at the total before handing the cashier her credit card. Everyone of the seven girls ended up carrying two bags each from the shop.
“You really went all out, huh?” Sayaka asked as they walked out of the store.
Polaris was a little embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to go overboard. Everything was just so pretty and she got excited. Now, her friends were involved.
“Time just got away from me, and I don’t have to worry about money,” for now, “so forgive me for going ‘all out’.”
“I would have done the same,” Celest responded.
“Polaris, do you want a pretzel?” Hina asked.
Polaris thought about it. She’s had pretzel sticks before but she knew of the big soft pretzels that were sold at fairs and food courts. She’d never had one before. She was always told to be careful of what she ate so anything salty with high carbs were out of the question.
There were a lot of things she missed out on growing up.
Screw it.
“Might as well give it a try while I’m here.”
This is so good.
Polaris sat outside the mall with her friends as she munched on her pretzel. It was salty and buttery and soft and warm and she’s both upset and happy that she’s trying one for the first time. She thought the large grains of salt would throw her off but she liked it a lot.
She felt like herself. She felt free.
Polaris knew it was silly to feel most like herself while eating a soft pretzel as the chilly autumn evening air licks at her bare legs but she didn’t care. She was happy.
She felt a vibration from her jacket pocket. A text from Makoto.
From: Mako💋
how u doin baby?
Polaris snapped a selfie. Her shoulders were visible.
To: Mako💋
I’m not having a terrible time.
From: Mako💋
fuck yeah
I pulled that
but also
new clothes👀?
Polaris took a picture of her many shopping bags.
To: Mako💋
You could say that.
From: Mako💋
will u give me a fashion show when u get back?🥺👉👈
To: Mako💋
Only if you don’t mind sitting around for two hours.
From: Mako💋
of course I dont mind
u r hot and beautiful and I love looking at u bc u r HOT and BEAUTIFUL 😡
To: Mako💋
Dork
From: Mako💋
ur dork
dont u forget it baby😘
To: Mako💋
I love you.
I’ll see you when I get back.
From: Mako💋
I love you too💕💓💗💓💕💖❤️💞💗💓💕