Jon sighed as he waited for Karyn to return to the room. Sure, it was fun having a magic wishing rock, but it wasn't enough to shake the bad day he'd been having. Maybe once Karyn left for home, he could come up with a safe wish to make it all better.
As he sat on his bed and counted the minutes before Karyn was done wishing in the other room, he thought back to the day's events. It had started well, taking the rock to school, Karyn wishing herself some big boobs and blonde hair, but then it had gone off the rails. It wasn't a wish that had made things so bad, but rather logistics.
It was the morning break between classes. Jon had grabbed his backpack and darted to the washroom, but, as usual, a line-up had formed. The boys washrooms were notoriously busy at his school, mostly because there were three boys to every girl attending. Patiently, Jon waited in at the back of the line, nervously watching the clock tick his break away. He knew that he couldn't hold his need to pee for a whole class period, so instead of returning to the classroom when the bell rang, he took advantage of the evaporating line and relieved himself in the vacated bathroom.
He was only late three minutes, but his teacher had had enough of his tardiness. Straight to the principal's office he was sent. Jon had never been disciplined like this before, so was terrified as to what he was about to experience. Would he be suspended? Sent home with a note? Expelled?!
All of that would have been much better. Instead, his principal, Mrs. Eisenberg, wanted to make an example of him. To solve the problem of the overcrowded boy's rooms, the school was going to begin utilizing the girl's rooms more aggressively. And by aggressively, she meant forcing Jon to use them.
"But won't that make the girls uncomfortable?" he asked in a small voice, feeling timid and afraid of the woman's authority.
"Of course not," Mrs. Eisenberg said with a sly grin, "we have just the thing to make them feel more at ease."
Twenty minutes later, Jon staggered out of the office and into the school hallway. He was barely recognizable. Mrs. Eisenberg had forced him to forfeit all of his clothes, which were immediately shredded (he never questioned why she had a paper shredder that could handle blue jeans). His body was now clad in something he would have never worn if he had had a choice. A knee-length denim skirt, a tight white blouse, and two-inch heeled boots. Beneath his blouse was a bra, and in the bra were large breast forms. His hair, normally cropped short, was now long and styled in pigtails (Mrs. Eisenberg had used a hair-growth product she said her husband had developed). His face was made up by the older woman to look like he was stepping out of a fashion magazine.
In short, Jon looked like a girl.
Not only that, but as he walked to class, Mrs. Eisenberg informed the entire student body over the loudspeaker that Jon was, from now on, to be treated as a girl too.
The students were glad to comply. Not-so-subtle gropes by passing football players. Gossip and alienation from the cheerleaders. Notes slipped. Eyes rolled. Doors opened.
Jon wanted his life back.
When he had returned home, he found that his parents were informed of the disciplinary measure, and were fully on board. His wardrobe had been destroyed. His clothes fully replaced. His new life was laid out for him like a Sunday dress. He hadn't changed his clothes when he got home. Why bother? Nothing else he owned would be any more masculine. Instead, he invited Karyn over to see if they could find a way to safely use the stone. When they did, he was glad to offer her a wish before he got to fixing his problem. Sure, she wanted to make a game of it, having to guess what the wish was, but he didn't care. He just wanted to fix his life.
When she finally returned to the room, he was sitting on his bed waiting for her, just as he had been before she had left. His skirt had ridden up slightly, but he didn't care. Maybe soon he wouldn't have to worry about his new life, but instead have his old one back.
