The Faire, Part Three
Part Three
Cassidy held up the leotard with just her fingertips, as if it was both dirty and infectious despite how new and pristine it actually looked. Pink was not an attractive color for a girl like her. In both high school and her first year of college, she almost always wore a combination of heels and push-up bras. A few tiny boosts in physical maturity to make up for the height and curves she lacked. And, for similar reasons, she tended to stay away from brighter colors.
“Let’s not,” Cassidy said, “This is a stupid idea.”
“Ugh, come on!” Audrey replied, “You can at least try it on, right? There’s no harm in that.”
In a way, Audrey was right. It’s not like anyone else would see, especially in the privacy of a bathroom or bedroom. Cassidy could simply take it off if it ended up being as awful as she imagined it being. Her usual desire to look her age was a bit at war with this recent concept of saving money by leaning into the features she normally tried so hard to offset.
Ultimately, Cassidy decided to give it a shot. Worst case scenario, she’d just bail on the plan, pay full price for her ticket and rent a costume there, and hope that the online company would reimburse her for the mistake. “Fine,” she said, “Be right back.” There’s no way in hell she’d strip down in front of her younger sister, even if they were both girls.
“You can use mine,” Audrey said, gesturing to the private bathroom attached to her room, “Oh, and Cassie? No underwear or bra. Trust me; you’ll be uncomfortable all day if you do.”
“It’s Cassidy. And I’m not wearing it all day.”
“You know what I mean.”
Cassidy just rolled her eyes. Not in the mood to bicker with her younger sister, she just walked away with costume piece in hand and closed the door behind her.
In the solitude of Audrey’s bathroom, Cassidy made short work of stripping off her casual clothes. Looking her petite body over while still in her plain underwear and padded bra, she let out a sigh. Her sister was right. Leotards were meant to be form fitting. Trying to keep her undergarments on would probably feel awkward, not to mention that anyone glancing her way would see the exact shape of her bra through the tight fabric.
She stripped the rest of the way down, then stepped into the pink leotard. Cassidy had never done ballet, unlike her sister, though she could at least compare it to a one piece from her younger pool days. The first noticeable difference was the light padding below her waist. She could feel it softly against her ass, and there was also a bit of bulk between her legs. Strange.
Cassidy checked herself out in the mirror, grimacing at the girl looking back at her. Bare arms and legs fully on display, chest more or less nonexistent save for the two small mounds on her chest that indicated that she was a girl. Her cheeks turned as pink as the leotard itself when she noticed how obviously her nipples poked through the tight fabric. With just a skirt and wings to go with the fairy costume, there wasn’t anything that would hide those from anyone who glanced her way.
“You dressed?” Like a parent entering after barely half a knock, Audrey opened the bathroom door with no warning and stepped into the bathroom.
Jumping a little bit, then immediately crossing her arms over her chest, Cassidy exclaimed, “Audrey! Privacy.”
“What? It’s my bathroom,” Audrey replied, “Besides, you’re changed. And it looks like a perfect fit!”
“No, it’s not. You can see my nipples, there’s weird padding, and it’s way too pink.” The last one wasn’t actually relevant to the size, but she still felt the need to express her distaste. As for the lack of respect for her privacy, that was just too much to argue about on top of everything else.
“Oh, maybe it’s the gymnastics kind! Is there padding for your butt? That’s to protect your tailbone if you have a bad fall. And the rest is fine, sis. It’s just for a few minutes, remember? Then you can change!”
“Yeah, but-”
“No ‘buts,’ Cassidy! Let’s at least try the whole costume before you reject it, okay?”
“Okay . . .”
Normally, Cassidy wouldn’t be such a pushover, especially with her sister, but she was still too off balance from the embarrassing leotard and the way Audrey burst in on her. Going along with it, she followed Audrey back out into the bedroom to retrieve the rest of the costume pieces.
The short walk just highlighted the noticeable bulk between her legs even more. This was for gymnastics?
The explanation about protection from falls made sense when Audrey said it. Cassidy had definitely seen girls land on their ass when not quite completing a sequence for cheerleading or gymnastics or whatever. But wouldn’t the excessive padding mess with their mobility? That was kind of the point of leotards for ballet, according to Audrey talking about it forever ago. Maybe it was different for gymnastics. Either way, Cassidy wasn’t the expert on those sports, so she stopped lingering on it once she was back by Audrey’s bed.
Now that she had the base layer on, the next part was easier to manage without needing any privacy. Cringing internally, Cassidy stepped into the pink tulle skirt that she normally wouldn’t be caught dead in. She and Audrey had never seen anyone they knew at the Renaissance Faire, so it was a socially safe plan. But still.
“Cute, Cassie!” Audrey exclaimed, clasping her hands together as she looked the pink-clad girl up and down, “Okay, I’ll help you with your wings and then you’ll be good to go.” Before picking up the sparkly pink wings, Audrey retrieved her phone from the edge of the bed. Glancing at the locked screen for a second, she added, “Let’s hurry, we don’t want to be late. I still have to do your hair and make-up!”