Tanner clutched the basketball between his now slender hands, staring at Madeline with indignation. “I want to go play! I used to hit the courts every day!”
Madeline leaned against the doorway, her arms folded across her chest, an amused smirk on her lips. “I really wouldn’t advise it, Tabitha.”
“That’s bullshit!” Tanner bouncing the ball for emphasis. “Why not? Because you found me down on my luck, a homeless college dropout whose hopes of playing for the NBA were destroyed along with his ACL? Because you decided I’d be better off as a girl and somehow convinced me to go through with it?”
Madeline raised an eyebrow. “You’re being dramatic.”
“Dramatic!?” Tanner’s voice cracked. “Look at me!”
“I barely had to do any convincing. Remember, you were the one looking for a fresh start, a way to rewrite your story. And look at you now! Healthier, happier, and, dare I say, thriving in ways you never imagined.”
“Basketball was my release! It was everything to me! And now what? I let you turn me into a girl, and I can’t ball because you think girls can’t play? That it’s not feminine enough?”
With a long-suffering sigh, Madeline pushed away from the doorframe and walked to where Tanner stood fuming. She placed one manicured hand on her hip. “No, I’m suggesting you don’t go out because you’re naked.”
Tanner froze, blinking in confusion as he glanced down at his bare form. “Well, yeah, I mean, I just used to being here with just you, I... I forgot.”
“But,” Madeline smiled, “I have a cute little athletic wear set for you...” She pulled out spandex shorts and a matching sports bra from the bedroom drawer.
The anger drained from Tanner’s face as he gawked at the stretchy fabric adorned with neon stripes.
“So,” Madeline went on, dangling the outfit before his eyes, “unless your plan was to give everyone at the park quite the show—and trust me, darling, they would be eternally grateful—maybe put these on first.”
Tanner snatched up the clothes and slipped into them awkwardly but quickly before grabbing the basketball again.
“Now,” Madeline said with an approving nod. “Go show those boys how it’s done.”