Stereotype

They entered Marina's house and, while the girl stood in the center of the living room asking him what they were there for, Frank got ahead to search for her mom. He found her tiding the kitchen and didn't waste time with any greetings. He knew the woman was used to his urgent petitions, and he had mastered the art of persuading her with innocent smiles and dolly eyes. Beth was his enabler, who indulged Frank in everything his mother didn't. Not for a second did he consider the possibility of failure when she begged her, "Please, please, please drive us to the costume shop downtown now?"

In barely twenty minutes, the three of them were walking through the doors of Be-it Costumes, the sound of bells welcoming them to the spacious shop. The smell in there was a mix of naphthalene, plastic, latex, make-up and various kinds of fabrics; it made Frank smile. He still hadn't told Marina -of her mom- what it was that he wanted to rent. They had asked, of course; many times as they drove there. But Frank had only answered, "You'll see, you'll see," while rubbing his hands in what he intended as a mischievous gesture.

At the front of the place was the counter and also all the extra accessories that didn't belong to any specific outfit: hats, masks, face paint, hair-bands with horns or antennas, fake noses and the like. Frank didn't think he needed any of that, so he ignored the section.

Following that, was the part that held all the actual costumes. It was a huge room with square black and white tiles, divided in the middle by an aisle. To the left, a red sign with white letters that hung from the ceiling read "Women", while a similar blue one to the right read "Men". The division sat wrong with Frank. Who decided those things? It was like telling people that the side that didn't match their gender was banned to them. What if a girl wanted to dress like Spiderman? What was wrong with that?

Frank couldn't let his hate for gender standards stop him now. And although his next step could have well served as an act of defiance, his mind had been previously set on it.

He walked into the women section, amused with the curious looks Marina and her mom were exchanging behind him. He wandered among the lines of costumes, noticing that they were arranged on separate metal racks by themes -like what you'd see with books or movies. Reading the smaller signs, Frank checked a few racks. He supposed what he was looking for could fit more than one category. It was when he found the one tagged with "Fairytales" that he began to browse through the costumes with more confidence; it had to be it. He slid the hangers along the rack one by one, letting out various types of involuntary noises of doubt or disapproval as he went.

"Won't you tell us what you're looking for?" Beth asked.

"You'll see if I find it!" replied Frank, eyes set on the passing outfits.

About halfway through his search, Frank had seen a costume that could work pretty well if nothing that matched his idea better appeared. Reaching the end of the rack, he sighed with resignation and retrieved the small green clothes he had eyed before.

"Well, I was thinking of something less character-specific, but this will do...with some adaptations," he thought aloud.

Marina stared at what Frank held from the hanger, frowning at it. "Tinkerbell, Frank? Are you sure?"

"Positive! They say I'm a fairy...so I'll give them a fairy!" He grinned. 

The aforementioned costume was of Tinkerbell as seen on the Disney cartoon. A great representation of it. The only difference was that what should have been a strapless top, was sewed to some kind of skin-colored, nylon undershirt with long sleeves. That detail pleased Frank for two reasons. One, he didn't have breasts to keep a strapless dress in place. Two, it was Winter.

Marina took the outfit out of Frank's hand and raised it so the very short, leafy skirt was at eye level. "Mmm..."

Beth seemed to be studying the same thing. "Are you really sure, Frankie?"

Frank giggled. "With some modifications, remember? I'm not into mini-skirts for the moment, honestly. But I think I'll be okay with it as long as I find some fitting green shorts to wear under. Don't want my butt to feel so defenseless among those pervs..."

"Oh, kid," his friend's mom laughed. "We'll go buy shorts next, definitely. And pantyhose. But...what about your mom? There's no way she'll approve of you going anywhere in this..."

"That's why she can't know! I'll make something up and change somewhere else. I could just go to James' early. You won't tell mom...right, Beth?"

"You know I won't," the woman said. Another victory for Frank's perfectly practiced dolly eyes.

After having bought everything he needed and on the ride back, Frank gave the bag to Marina and told her to please keep it until Saturday. He was dying to try on the costume properly -since he had kept his jeans on at the shop, but he couldn't risk his mom seeing it. He needed to go straight home now, so his itch would have to wait until the next day after school at least.

"If we all happened to hang out together before the day of the party, don't mention anything to Gerard," Frank instructed his friend. "Oh and please, Mar...don't tell Mikey anything! I'm sure he'd tell his brother and I want it to be surprise. He can't see me before the party!"

"What are you? A bride?" she mocked him.

Frank laughed, feeling his face heat up. "Shut up."

Marina got closer to him and whispered, "You like him."

"What?"

"You like Gerard..."

Many things had confused Frank in his short life, but this was one of the most confusing moments in a while. Why was Marina stating something obvious? "Uh...of course I like him, that's why he's my friend."

"You know what I mean...you like-like him," Marina emphasized.

But no. Frank had not known what she meant; not until now. He hadn't simply because the thought had never crossed his mind. He had never thought of Gerard that way. Therefore, he was honest when he replied, "What the fuck, Mar? No!" with conviction. 

"Okay, okay, I believe you!"

The girl had sparked Frank's curiosity. "And...why did you come up with that? Did I ever look like I liked-liked him to you?"

She thought for a while. "No, I really just said it 'cause of the way you were acting about the costume now. Never noticed anything before. Well, you've never liked-liked anyone that I know, so not sure how you'd act."

Marina had a point there; Frank didn't know either. "Ahh, ok. And...no idea how I'd act either."