Meanwhile, over at Jonatha’s house, a similar scene was playing out between two giddy boys.
“It’s a shame that Jade couldn’t come over,” Buffie commented as he helped Jonatha with his hair. “He would’ve loved this,” he added, forgetting for a moment that Jade didn’t have the memories that Buffie had.
“Yeah.” Jonatha replied watching Buffie work his magic in the mirror. “Too bad that he had to babysit Mikelle and Diamond.” While Buffie did his hair, Jonatha worked on his makeup using the tricks that Buffie had taught him the night before.
It seemed that Jonatha was a fast learner, at least when it came to this sort of stuff; Buffie only had to correct him once.
“Try a different shade, honey,” he commented on Jonatha’s choice of eyeshadow. “You really want your eyes to pop.” Jonatha removed the makeup and tried again, this time meeting Buffie’s approval.
“I’ve got to say, babe... For someone who has only been a boy for a few days, you’re a natural.” Buffie smiled back.
“Thanks.” Jonatha said blushing. "I've been a boy my whole life, but I guess until this week I was never really a boy," he giggled.
It’s a good thing that school finished early, Jonatha thought to himself as he reflected on how long this had taken them. They would never have had enough time otherwise.
“And…we’re done!” Biff announced, releasing the curlers and stepping back to admire his handiwork.
Jonatha sat in his chair, stunned at how pretty he was. His black hair fell down to his shoulders ending in wavy curls. The purple eyeshadow matched his dress, while the red lipstick added fullness to his lips.
“Wow!” Jonatha exclaimed, while behind him, Buffie nodded in agreement. Then suddenly, making them both jump, the doorbell rang.
“Oooooh!” Buffie squealed, jumping up and down with excitement. “She’s here!”
Jonatha opened the door to see Nicole in a dark red dress shirt and black jeans, holding a bouquet of roses.
"Well, hello there," Jonatha dreamily sighed. He was smitten instantly. This is one Princess Charming I wouldn't mind sweeping me off my feet.
"Are you ready, Jonatha?" Nicole asked. While Jonatha had learned facial hair simply did not exist in this world, Nicole was still ruggedly handsome. She took Jonatha's hand and walked him to her white sedan, where she hopped in the driver's seat and Jonatha slid into the passenger's side, making sure his dress didn't sit awkwardly. "I must say...you're gorgeous," she complimented.
"Did you ever think...we'd be in this position?"
"Well, I sure didn't. That wishing stone can do some powerful stuff." She pulled out and drove toward Torani's, which was near the mall. "We've all had a week, I'm sure."
"That's one way of putting it. If you told me on Monday I'd be going out on a date on Friday in a dress and wearing makeup, I would have thought you'd read the wrong person's fortune."
"Honestly... I think we're all getting used to it. I know I'm enjoying it, even." Nicole looked in front of her at the rush hour traffic toward the mall. A woman riding a motorcycle and wearing a leather biker jacket was in front of them. There was a substantial line of cars waiting to turn in to the mall area, proving that some things just didn't change. After waiting for the green light and navigating the busy parking lots, they finally arrived outside Torani's, which sat as an outparcel of the mall itself facing the street. It was packed as ever: families with kids, groups of boys giggling at tables, older couples celebrating anniversaries.
At the front entrance, a young woman in a black outfit with red tie stood at the desk. "Table for two?"
"Yes, please," Nicole spoke up, and the pair were ushered to a table in the middle of the restaurant. The two were handed menus and glasses of water and began to pore over the choices they had. "I'm thinking about the chicken marsala. What about you, Jonatha?"
"Hmm..." He looked over the menu again. "The salad is calling my name, I think. Maybe that and one of the small portions of the grilled chicken?"
"That sounds good," Nicole replied. He's even got a girl's eating habits... she thought to herself. "I might as well get a salad with mine, then." A waiter in a black dress with white accents came and took their order, leaving them time to chat while their order was made. "What do you think has been the biggest adjustment for you this week?"
"You'll think I'm crazy... but I'm enjoying all of this...boy stuff, I guess you'd call it now."
"Really? I'm stunned."
"Well... Sure, there are some things boys just can't do, but I feel like the friends I now have more than make up for it. Jade, Buffie, Nessa, the other cheerleaders... As someone who didn't have a defined friend group before, it's... It's an adjustment, for sure, but it's so nice to have close friends." Jonatha looked around at the restaurant and back at Nicole's face. "What about you?"
"I notice it every morning, and I don't regret my wish one bit," Nicole replied. "I feel...liberated. Good for you that you've managed to own the weight you now carry. Some of it literal," Nicole explained by staring at Jonatha's cleavage, "and some of it mental."
Two Caesar salads emerged from the kitchen and made their way to Nicole and Jonatha's table, and the two began taking forkfuls of greens as they continued talking.
"How did your family turn out?"
"Well, I gained a sister. I imagine there's a bit of that, maybe even people that no longer have sisters or brothers."
"What's she into?"
"Movie reviews and critiques. It's weird to think someone I know is 13 and has nearly 100,000 YouTube subscribers. She'll be getting one of those silvery plaques they give you for crossing the 100,000 mark soon, I reckon."
"I have the same two siblings, but boy, did they change... Remember Zoe, the Goth little sister I had?"
"Yeah?"
"She's the most straight-arrow, business-oriented teen you'll ever meet. I'm surprised she hasn't started a company. And my 10-year-old brother Mikelle is shaping up to be another me in a few years' time. Jade keeps telling me about this thing called the butterfly effect," he explained while chewing through more salad. "One little thing changes and suddenly dinosaurs are back or a famous person was never born or whatever."
"It's worse when you don't know where the butterfly ended up," Nicole sighed. "We all kind of...are missing pieces of our past. Or, well, the past that we don't remember, because we heard the wish."
"Speaking of wishes..." Jonatha suddenly remembered that Nicole still had the stone and that she had promised on Tuesday morning (which seemed like an eternity ago) to give it back to him if he went out with her.
