30 uncomfortably long minutes later, Jenny was standing in front of the school with Nadine, watching Laura drive her little sedan off into the distance. It was a moment that couldn't have come soon enough, in Jenny's opinion.
"Jesus Christ, Nadine, is your mom always like that?" Jenny vented now that Laura was finally out of the picture for a moment.
Nadine, in the response, just slugged Jenny, square in the chest. "Okay, so first of all, don't ever take the Lord's name in vain!"
I'll take that as a yes, then, Jenny thought miserably. Like mother, like daughter.
"And second of all, I don't see what you're complaining about. We've quite literally given you a shirt off our backs, mister! What more are you expecting?" It was only slightly an exaggeration; Laura had swiftly and adamantly made up her mind that the pajamas the body of Jon Gibson had been wearing were entirely unsuitable for an appearance at school, and then nothing would do but that they raid Mr. Ferguson's wardrobe (he had already left for work) for an outfit Jenny could borrow until something more permanent was figured out for her. What she ended up with was a button-up and slacks that just about captured the "nerdy computer salesman" aesthetic, and were both about a size too big for Jon's body. Changing into them would have been awkward enough for mentally female, physically male Jenny, but the task was made about thrice as awkward by the Fergusons' simultaneous refusal to enter the room and help her change out of modesty, and refusal to abandon their post outside her door guarding against possible sin she might be tempted to commit.
"Yes, and I appreciate all the help," Jenny began with a cold anger, "but look, I could really use a bit more... understanding? This is really freakin' scary for me, gal! I have no flipping clue what I'm doing here, and I'm doing my best not to just freak out constantly about all of this! Could you at least pretend like you don't think I'm full of shit?" Jenny pleaded.
Nadine sighed. "It's not my place to decide or judge men for these things; only our Lord above has that right," Nadine said, to Jenny's instant disbelief. "All I'm to do is give aid to those most in need of it, and that, I'll do to my utmost with you today." She seemed to be dreading it. Jenny wasn't particularly looking forward to it, either.
"Look, Nadine, if you don't want to do this, I understand. I can figure something out on my own and get these clothes back to your mom as soon as I can, and you can just wash your hands of this whole affair right now. That seem okay?"
A look of temptation flashed on her face, but Nadine shook her head. "I told mom I was going to help you out today, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Whether we like it or not."
"You don't have to just do everything your mom tells you to do, Nadine," Jenny said, out of a genuine concern she'd been developing. "It's no bad thing to think for yourself."
"I'd like to think I'm a good kid, John," Nadine replied condemningly. "I know my place."
I'm sure you do, Jenny thought pityingly, but said nothing. When the silence got long and eager for a change of subject, Jenny finally interjected "Well, uh... you wouldn't happen to know where John's first period class is, would you?"
"I don't, but I know who to ask," Nadine said, apparently just as eager to get this show on the road. "Mrs. Finch, our librarian. She'll get you a copy of your class schedule, and then I can show you around the school to the classroom. It's this way; follow me."
Jenny didn't really need any guidance finding the library, and on reflection should've guessed she could get a copy of her schedule from the librarian; neither of those aspects of school had changed in decades. The school as a whole had hardly changed at all since the fifties, besides to cycle through faculty and students, and even then the faculty had a habit of sticking around longer than the fully-female Jenny had been alive. If there was one thing out there she could expect would resist change across the eras, it'd be her high school; Jenny wasn't sure whether or not to be comforted by that.
Anyway, she politely followed Nadine to the library regardless, and soon enough met the school's notoriously sour old grape of a librarian for the first time. "Mrs. Finch?" Jenny called out to get her attention.
"Quiet in the library, please. What is it?" She asked in a tone that reminded Jenny too much of Laura.
"I'd like a copy of my class schedule, please," Jenny asked, quieter this time.
"Hm." Mrs. Finch took a seat and started typing away at a device so thin and sleek that it took a very long moment for Jenny to recognize it as a computer. That was new; the library's fanciest technology back in 1986 was a copy machine students would get chewed out for so much as looking at funny. "What's your student ID number?"
"I, uh..." don't know it at all. "... don't have it memorized," Jenny replied sheepishly.
"Do you have your ID card?"
"... I lost it?" Jenny lied, nervously. It was dawning on her that she hadn't thought this through at all, and might end up getting caught out here of all places.
If looks could kill, Mrs. Finch would have just murdered Jenny right there. She wasn't buying that lie at all. But thankfully, she didn't call her out on it yet. "What's your name, son?"
"John."
"Your full name, boy!" Mrs. Finch asked impatiently.
"My f-full name?" Jenny gulped. What's John's last name? I don't know his last name! Did the Fergusons say my last name!? Jenny thought in contained panic. She looked over to Nadine in a silent cry for help, but Nadine just shook her head; she didn't know it, either. "W-well, my last name, it's, um... it's..."
"You aren't funny, boy!" Mrs. Finch menaced to a now literally sweating Jenny. "Give me your full name or get out of my library!" she hissed.
"Jon? Jon Madson!?" a voice called to the trio at the librarian's counter. Turning, Jenny saw a blonde and very, very surprised-looking tomboy staring at her, wide-eyed. "Oh my God, Jon! Where have you been!?" she said as she ran up to throw her arms around a very confused Jenny Pierce.
Karyn had been expecting some kind of message to appear in the book when she flipped through it at first; maybe Jon had known she'd find this specific copy all those years later and written something in it just for her? But a lot of page-flipping later, Karyn had to conclude there was no message, or at least no message that had appeared yet.
What little skimming of the story she did, though, made clear why Jon might be wanting to draw attention to that specific book: Marlys Millhiser's The Mirror was a novel about time travel, specifically time travel wherein the characters sometimes switch lives with characters from other time periods, and ignite plenty of family drama in doing so. The obvious resemblance to Jon's own probable situation was enough to grab Karyn's attention and hold it, and she'd just about settled into giving the book a proper read-through when she heard Jon's name, said by his own voice.
"Your full name, boy!" Karyn heard as she turned to see what was going on. Standing there, dressed in some very unfitting clothes and stammering at a librarian that looked about ready to bite his head off, was Jon! With... Nadine Ferguson? Since when has Jon ever hung out with that prick? Karyn wondered, before swiftly realizing she didn't care. Jon was back!
"Jon? Jon Madison!?" She called to him as she ran up to hug him. "Oh my God, Jon! Where have you been!?" She cried, not noticing Nadine's cringe at her swearing.
"Uh... hi?" Jon stammered, blushing profusely and in obvious confusion. "Who is this!?" he silently mouthed to Nadine over Karyn's shoulder.
"Hey Karyn," Nadine said in response. "I'm guessing Jon's officially your boyfriend now?" She said with a bit of a snicker.
Jon's eyes went wide and his face went even redder, and Karyn just rolled her eyes at Nadine after releasing Jon from the hug. "Oh, shut up, Nadine, it's not like that. Things have just... Look, Jon, we need to talk. It's about the you-know-what, huh?"
"Huh?" Jon replied with absolutely no look of understanding on his face.
"Ahem." All eyes went to Mrs. Finch immediately. "I don't know what you kids are up to, but I'll have none of it in my library. Finish your business here, and continue this elsewhere," she instructed.
The three of them exchanged glances, and then Karyn shrugged. "There's a long talk we're needing to have anyway. Let me buy this book, and we'll go," she said, fishing in her pockets for a quarter. It didn't take much longer to print out Jon's schedule printed out now that Karyn had supplied the name, and soon enough the three were leaving the library up a schedule and an old copy of The Mirror.
