So it was getting late, it was well after 10pm at night; Jon had finished watching the latest episode of the new Star Trek. It was compulsory for all real nerds to worship at the church of Roddenberry and complaining all the time about the new show runners ruining it, but he still enjoyed the series like all real Trekkies.
Mickey and Zoe had joined Jon in the lounge room after dinner; it was not that odd to see Mickey sit on the couch beside him in their mother’s clothes and at the same height as Jon. The weirdest part was the clothes, not so much the size in the end, but it wasn’t off putting enough for Jon to undo it all.
Zoe on the other hand was particularly strange now, thanks to the fact that she now had a dog boy below her neck, she didn’t really have the opposable thumbs required to actually use a phone anymore. She ended up coming in partway through the episode on TV with her iPad in her mouth, putting it down on the floor in front of her and parking her caninoid butt on the mat next to the TV, the larger display was obviously sufficient for her to be able to use the device despite her new digitigrades tipped limbs.
God knows where Nikita ran off to, probably sleeping in their parents’ bedroom, Jon had to admit he was curious to see how Nikita changed the clothes that were on her body now, or if it was something the family did, like grooming the dog. Linda had finished the washing up with some difficulty due to her reduced height and disappeared to bed, she had come down earlier in the evening to wish her children a good night, only to find her topless, with middle aged breasts on display and only wearing Mickey’s pyjama bottoms. Jon really wished he could scrub that image from his brain, but it would take a lot more effort to do so tonight.
I’ll fix everyone in the morning, Jon said to himself as he switched off the TV and headed upstairs.
He could hear an odd creaking coming from the far end of the hall near his bedroom as he approach, assuming it was just the wind; Jon opened the door and went into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Jon was about to get ready to go to sleep when he heard a tapping on the window. He figured it may have been a branch and turned to take his shirt off when he heard a tapping again. Turning around, Jon saw a figure wearing dark clothes standing at the window sill, with its face obscured by a black hoodie.
In shock, Jon flicked on the desk lamp and shined at the intruder, “Jesus Jon-Boy! It’s like the ark of the covenant!” the figure said with a slight Irish twinge in it.
“Emily?” Jon asked, surprised, turning the lamp away from the window, washing it in darkness again.
“Yes” the voice came back, “fuck, it’s me. I told you I was coming around” she said gruffly, pulling the hoodie back to reveal her mane of fire red hair.
Jon headed over to the window and unlatched it, opening it up and extending a hand to help Emily inside. She climbed through the window, Jon shut it behind her, turning around, he found herself already sitting on his bed.
“Look, this can’t wait, I need to talk to you, kinda importantly”, she said.
“Uh, sure”, Jon replied, cautiously, sitting down at his desk chair next to the window.
Emily fidgeted, which was very unlike her, she was normally a very confident person but tonight seemed different.
“Look, about today. I uh, didn’t want to give you the wrong impression or anything”, Emily started.
Jon felt his stomach drop a bit there when he heard that, he had just gotten used the idea of Emily liking him that way, and he had to admit there was feelings he didn’t expect welling up after seeing her again after so many years.
“Uh... how do i say this?” she said, trying to find the words, eventually getting frustrated, she stood up and started pacing back and forth, “I’m trying to say... Oh, god, how do I say this?” she repeated.
Jon stood up, he may have been disappointed, but he was still her best friend and wasn’t going to let her get any further agitated than she already was, “Look, Emmy, its ok. Just tell me, I won’t be mad or upset or anything”
Emily looked Jon eye to eye, those same green eyes that seemed to be betray a deep desire earlier in the day revealed nothing but sadness to Jon now, “but that’s just it, it’ll be upsetting and I can’t... get the right words out, not to you”.
Jon put his hands on her shoulders, trying to be reassuring, “Come on Emmy, you’ve never been afraid to say anything before, why stop now? Just out and say it, I’m a big boy, I can take whatever you can dish out”
Emily looked at Jon and sighed, reaching up to grab his hands; he gently pulled them off his shoulders and clasped them, her hand in his, in front of him. Emily looked up at him, staring at him eye to eye for a moment, before breaking away and stepping back.
Pacing again, “Ok, I can do this, I can do this”, she said to herself, turning back to Jon with that same old defiance of old, “Jon, I’m a lesbian”, she said finally.
Jon was stunned, not exactly the reaction he expected, not what he wanted to hear either, but at least it was out there in the wild.
“Oh, is that all?” Jon replied, trying to lighten the mood.
“That all?” Emily scoffed, tears in her eyes, “You know how hard that is to say? To you of all people?”
“Me?” Jon replied, “what about me?”
“I love you, you fucking moron!” Emily said angrily, tears in her eyes. Jon hoped that she hadn’t woken anyone else up, “I fucking love you more, than anything in the world, I have for years, but I am just not attracted to guys.”
She continued pacing, “I’ve tried dating guys while I was gone, and I thought that it might have been just me being hung up on you all these years. But it wasn’t, it was more than that. It took me a long time, until Charlie to realize it”
“Charlie? Wasn’t he your ex boy-“, Jon asked, being cut off mid-sentence.
“...Girlfriend. Yes”, Emily corrected, “My first one, Charlotte her name was. We broke up just before I moved back here. But she made me realize that despite the fact that you could very well be my soul mate, I just don’t find you physically attractive in that way”
Emily was sobbing softly now, “Do you know how hard that is? To be in such total love with someone but not able to do anything about it?”
Emily tried to compose herself, but it didn’t work that well, “Fuck, I swore I was going to be cool about this. God what’s wrong with me...” she muttered, trying to straighten herself up.
Jon wasn’t sure what to do now, all he could do was walk over to her and embrace her, comfort her in the only way he could, same as he’d always done. Jon was blaming himself for this mess, he knew the swapping and the reality alteration had done something but he didn’t’ expect it to basically torpedo one of his oldest friendships.
“God, you don’t know what it’s like, to be so in sync. Liking the same foods, playing the same games, watching the same shows, thinking the same thing.” she said, “We were best friends, the three of us, but i always felt closer to you somehow. And it just never worked – it never could work”
Emily turned around, bracing herself against Jon’s chest, “And then today you go and reveal that magic rock, and the body swapping stuff. You had Karyn’s boobs and something sorta changed. I really liked seeing you like that in your boardies with breasts, it just worked for me. I thought maybe...” she trailed off, “and then it was gone again, like in an instant”.
Jon realized what Emily was after, “You wanted to use the wishing rock?”
“No”
“Then what?”
“I thought that if you were able to make those kinds of changes to yourself for fun or to help others... maybe you’d make some changes... for me”, she said softly.
