"Alright, class, time's up," the teacher announced. "Please, turn in your results and I'll see you tomorrow. Remember to read chapter seventeen in your textbook and answer the questions we covered earlier."
Ronald jotted down his name underneath Mandy's and left the paper on the teacher's desk. Turning back, he saw Mandy gathering up her backpack. "See you, then, dance partner," she sang before gliding out the door with a throng of other classmates.
"I didn't know you dance," a soft voice spoke by Ronald's side. The boy jumped, finding a vastly transformed Leonard standing beside him, turning in his own paper. He now seemed to be much more girl than boy, as indicated by his curvy figure and full breasts. Nobody would be calling him fat anytime soon, but he did retain a softness in his contours that lent an air of innocence to him. Also, while he had always been shorter, he'd lost a few more inches, only coming up to Ronald's shoulder, which made it easy for him to hide his expression from the taller boy just by hunching over.
"Oh, I'm just a stand in. I have no idea what I'll be doing," Ronald admitted.
Leonard lifted his face a bit, smiling. "I see."
Ronald eyed the nerd thoughtfully. In contrast to Mandy's forwardness, Leonard seemed much more cautious. As they both headed in the same direction to get their things, Ronald tried to keep the conversation going. "So, uh, do you do any dancing?"
Leonard blinked. "Huh? I-I mean, no. Not really."
This got an eyebrow raise from Ronald. "Not really? So, a little?"
The shorter boy blushed, his head ducking down once more. "Well, I don't know if you'd call it dancing, per se. Ever heard of DDR?"
Ronald almost laughed. Leonard? Dance Dance Revolution? Still, he knew that the boy often dabbled in gaming. Perhaps, as a girl, his tastes in games would change. "I've seen it. Never played it. Are you good?"
"I-I guess."
*Geez, it's hard to talk to him when I can't see his face. Maybe if he was taller *
Unlike with the former Randy, Leonard's growth happened much more quickly, perhaps due to the fact that this was a new adjustment rather than a reversal of a previous one. Inch by inch, he rose until he looked Ronald in the eye. At least, he could if he wanted. Right now, he seemed determined not to make too much eye contact. Interestingly, the curves he had retained stretched out with his body, giving him a long, sloping waist that any guy would enjoy putting an arm around. Meanwhile, his hair had taken this opportunity to sprout longer, cascading down to brush the back of that waist in a curtain of auburn.
From his better angle, Ronald could get a clear view of Leonard's cute face, which only became cuter with the addition of light makeup and tiny butterfly earrings.
Trying to put the fetching nerd at ease, Ronald asked, "Where do you play? At the arcade?"
Leonard shook his head. "At home. I have my own console."
"Cool! Is it one of those roll-up ones? I've seen them around."
"No. It's actually a full-size setup built into a wood platform. My dad helped me put it together, but I handled the wiring."
Ronald did not have to pretend interest. This new Leonard was turning out to be more than he anticipated. "Full size? So it's like the actual ones in the arcade."
Shedding his initial reticence, Leonard nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, with a handlebar and everything!"
Before the discussion could go further, the shadow of their teacher fell across the two boys. "Ronald, Leonard, shouldn't you be getting on to class?"
Both of them glanced around the room, realizing that they were almost the last ones present. Quickly, they gathered up their stuff and headed towards the door.
"I thought we were both going to our classes," said Karyn as she strolled down the hall.
Walking next to her, Jon shrugged. "Sorry. I just had to keep looking. There's too much at stake."
"I would've helped you, you know," his blonde friend remarked, giving him an admonishing look.
"Yes, I know, and thanks. Still, I didn't find anything. So, either the rock got thrown away or someone else picked it up."
Karyn shuddered. "I don't know which one's worse. It'd be a shame to lose it, but if someone's making wishes behind our backs, we wouldn't be able to tell."
Seeing the fear in her clear blue eyes, Jon sighed. He really wished he could reassure her, but deep inside, he shared her concern. "We'll get it back somehow, Karyn. You'll see. Then, we can fix things for you."
"Fix what?" Karyn asked, tilting her head.
Jon paused for a few moments. "I'm not sure. Your breasts, I think? And something about your hair?"
Hesitantly, Karyn gave a small nod. "Oh, right. My breasts. Though now that I think about it, they're not that much bigger than before. My hair hasn't changed, though. It's still the same as Sarah's." She grimaced. "Yet another thing we have in common."
"Well, just be glad your similarities are strictly physical." Jon put his arm around her shoulders. "Really, Kar, I still find it hard to believe you two are cousins."
"Second cousins," Karyn clarified. "So, we're not that close. Thank goodness."
By now, they had reached Jon's classroom. He figured it best not to skip any more classes so as not to draw attention. After saying goodbye to Karyn for now, he went inside.
