The first place Jon looked was behind the lockers and under the benches. The stone could have just been knocked aside by accident. Or maybe someone had rummaged through his locker for other things and just knocked the stone aside. It didn't look important, after all.
There wasn't a stone there, though. But Jon did start to notice some other things. Things were slightly different. Just slightly. Even in ways that had nothing to do with anatomy. A locker broken where one hadn't been, a sign painted a different color. An old movie poster someone had used for decoration... same movie, same actors (except for the lower part of their bodies)... but the pose was completely different.
Why? He should ask the stone... but that wasn't an option. He was starting to guess, though. All sorts of differences could exist in this world that he'd have no way to trace back to the change in anatomy. There could even be huge ones: someone has a period, is late for school, misses a test, gets bad grades, doesn't get into the right college, and doesn't start up some big company... of course those were pretty unlikely. And what if someone just chose differently, not for any reason at all, but just because the same person might not always make the same choice?, like whoever designed the movie poster? Things could be really different. The stone would have to pick an unusually similar world for it to be as similar as it was.
Jon gave up and left the locker room, remembering to be sure his locker was locked--a little too late.
Outside was standing Sarah McMillan. Or at least, the local version of Sarah. Looking just like before, except that she had a guy's lower half in a skirt, and was wearing high heels on feet that looked too big. Which was normal here. She was also holding the stone. "I see you've finally arrived," she said.
Jon grabbed for the stone.
"No, you're not getting this. Stand back or you're a toad. I saw what you and your girlfriend did with this thing to that tree the other morning. You didn't think I could figure it out? This thing grants wishes. I'm sick and tired of you guys harassing me."
"Wait, Sarah!"
"Don't 'wait, Sarah'. I already asked it if you used it on me. Reducing the size of my penis... god, that's sick, Jon. What should I do to you? Maybe I should turn you into a girl so you have to deal with penis size."
"But, umm, you kept bragging about it and..."
"I made a joke about it once."
Jon saw movement in the corner of his eye and looked up. There was a boy on a parachute. It looked like... himself. Yeah, it must be. Because he had messed up the wish. The closest place where there aren't any people in 20 miles (or whatever distance) is... 20 miles straight up.
"Look at me when I'm talking, or do you want me to make you using this pretty thing?"
"Uhh, what?" Jon needed to stall. The other Jon--the one with his body, since they had swapped--hit the ground. He must have made a wish that nobody else pay any attention to his landing. If Jon could stall long enough for the other Jon to get to him and handle Sarah....
"Maybe I shouldn't do that," said Sarah. "That would be as bad as you. I could force you to go to the police and confess to sexual assault. It's not just girls that sexually assault guys, you know."
"What makes you think that that's sexual assault?"
"Give me a break. It's assault and it's sexual. Ever since you and your girlfriend were in the fifth grade, you...."
Jon really didn't care what Sarah was saying. Just as long as she kept talking. He waited and waited, and finally he saw himself... more like himself than he was, since his body shape was familiar--walk up behind Sarah holding a large piece of parachute fabric and throw it over her head. At that moment, Jon ran and tried to grab the stone.
