Sadly, Jon didn't get to lounge around studying up on his fashion magazines as he had hoped. As soon as his mother had returned from her bedroom, she told Jon to be "a good girl" and help her out with dinner.
What could he do? His mother had worked hard all day at her job, and the more he thought about it, the more he knew that she needed all the help she could get. Sure, he didn't like being called a girl, but every time he meant to bring it up, something would distract him and he'd forget about it.
His mother had a spare apron which he gladly wore over his short purple dress. Even though he had a magical closet that could provide him with any article of clothing that he desired, that didn't mean he wanted to ruin the dress. After all, Cosmo said that you can "transform what you already have into the trendiest looks of the season." And being on trend was very important to Jon.
So engrossed was Jon in peeling the potatoes that he didn't hear his little sister Zoe walk into the kitchen until she was right beside him.
"Hey Jon," she said, leaning against the counter, "finally decided to join the 'Prep Squad', eh?"
"Zoe, leave your sister alone!" Jon's mother chided, "Just because she's finally decided to explore her feminine side doesn't mean that you can tease her."
Zoe rolled her eyes at the rebuke, then, in a lower voice, spat, "You're not fooling anyone, bitch. You girlie-girls are all the same. You should just admit it to yourself that all you care about is clothes, make-up and impressing boys." then turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Jon was dumbfounded. Why was his sister so cruel to him? He was, after all, helping prepare a meal for her. The least she could do was be grateful!
Then there was what she had said. Clothes? Make-up? Impressing boys? Sure, his exposure to fashion magazines had shown him life in a new light, but was that all he cared about? He made a mental note of all the things he cared about in his life. Family, school, friends, even video games made the list. He was, after all, a teenage boy, and those things were important.
Although, when he made the list, each one of those items seem to lose their sheen. It wasn't as if they weren't good, it was as if he didn't seem to care so much about them anymore. He put down the peeler and wiped his hands on his apron, being careful not to stain his dress. Now that dress, on the other hand, was beautiful. The more he looked at it, the more he knew that it was important, that he cared about it. In fact, he loved it.
Jon looked up and looked at the window in front of him. Since it had grown dark outside, he could see his reflection on it's surface, which brought a smile to his face. The make-up that he wore was wonderful. He couldn't believe how good he had ended up looking, and all it took was a little practice. And with a little more practice he'd look even better! Maybe he could convince Karyn to wish him up a magical make-up box with an endless supply of whatever he wanted...
Okay, he had to admit it. Zoe had been dead right about two things. Clothes and make-up were pretty much the only things that he cared about. But impressing boys? No way! He was a red-blooded heterosexual male! There was no way that he cared about that!
Then again...
The more Jon thought about it, the more he knew that impressing the boys wasn't just a sexual thing. It went far beyond that. Sure, sexuality was part if it, and he couldn't help it if the boys at school turned their heads every time he walked by, and it wasn't his fault if he would accidentally rub up against one or two of them at a school dance, but impressing the boys was so much more than that! Each boy was different, as anyone knew. Some boys were impressed with cleverness, some with submissiveness, some even with something as base as hemlines. The idea of finding out what impressed each boy was exciting, tantalizing, but most of all, important.
Jon sighed and began to peel the potato again. His sister was dead on. He couldn't help it, it was who he was, but he had to admit it to himself. The only things he cared about WERE clothes, make-up, and impressing boys. He smiled. So what? You can't change who you are, after all!
