Jon passes the threshold of her home out of breath, partly because of her brisk pace, though just as likely because of her excitement. Today's the day she returns to normal! Today's the day she gets the stone back. She's beaming happily as she grabs some fruit from the fridge, and plops into the lazyboy opposite her sister.
"Hey Zoe." Jon chirps. She plucks the remote from the table and flips the TV over to SciFi. "Hope you weren't watching that." She states as she chomps into the peach. Juice gets all over her face, though she just wipes it from her cheeks boyishly.
"Oh... Hey Allison. Not really." she raises her eyebrow. "Since when have you liked the Scifi channel?"
"Longer than you know." She laughs. "Besides, I'm looking to see if a show's on that Joshua told me about."
"Joshua? Is he on the football team?"
"Nah, he's just some guy that's helping me with algebra."
Zoe laughs. So that's why she likes scifi now. At least he's someone helping her with class instead of just another meathead. She leans back and looks more closely at the stone in her hand. She's still apprehensive about holding it, much less wishing on it, though as things are looking better with Allison she finds herself more and more content with its power.
John takes another bite, then looks to her sister. "How was your day?"
"Huh? Oh, well... It was pretty good. I got a lot done." She smiles. "Ms.Brooke asked me to be the chemistry teachers aid next year, and she's the AP teacher!"
Jon smiles and looks to her sister. "That's great!" She gasps as she spies the stone in Zoe's hand. "Zoe."
"I know, I worked so hard to even pass, but apparently I have the best grade in class."
"Zoe..."
"I didn't think I had it in me."
"ZOE!" Zoe's taken aback.
"What?"
"Where'd you get that?"
"Get what..." Zoe clutches the stone defensively
"That stone."
"Grandpa gave it to me..."
"Zoe..." Jon begins to laugh freely. "You have no idea how happy I am to see that stone."
"What are you talking about?"
"Zoe. That's mine! Karen and I looked everywhere for it."
"Uhh... No. Grandpa gave this to me. He trusted it with me." Her face screwed up in a knot. "You even teased me that you got Grandpa's old ring, and I got this rock."
"I..." Jon huffs her frustration at the differences in reality. "You're probably right... I'm sorry if I did that, but please, do you mind if I just look at it for a second?" Zoe eyes Allison cautiously. "I promise I'll give it right back."
"Ok." Zoe relents. "It's not like Allison know's what it does anyway" she consideres. Slowly she passes the stone.
John nods, then looks at the innocuous thing in her hands. It's so much bigger in her hand now... It nearly fills her whole fist where previously it sat in her palm. "Zoe... There's something I need to tell you."
Zoe mutters "What?", right as the front door opens.
Without a second thought John declares. "Karen! Zoe has the wishing stone. We can wish everything back to..." The figure in the door isn't Karen. Jon realized it a second too late.
"Wishing stone?" Ryder scoffs. He strides over to Allison, and deftly plucks the item from her trembling had before she has time to react. "Dammit, Allie I told you not to listen to this freak. She's got you believing in fairy tails."
"Fuck you Ryder." Zoe snaps. "Give it back. It was grandpa's."
He grasps the rock a little tighter. "Buzz off. You're always getting between me and Allie. Why should I?"
John rises to her feet and faces Ryder. "G-give it back Ryder." she manages to stammer.
Ryder throws up his hands. "You're taking her side now? You've giving me the cold shoulder all week, but now I'm the bad guy?"
"All week...?" John mutters softly.
"Are you cheating?" He snaps
"What?"
"I saw you flirting with that guy in the library. That's your thing now? Nerd? You've worked your way through the athletes, and now you're toying with some dork?"
John can only stammer in response. "N-no! It's not like that."
"Oh come off it. You know, half the guys on the team warned me about you, said you'd be sleeping around within a month."
"I'm not sleeping around Ryder!" John shouted, practically retching as she did.
"Maybe not yet."
John shouts. "Arrgh! You've got it all wrong." she takes a step closer, and shakes her head as if to clear away the thoughts. "Please Ryder, just calm down. I need to study today, then tomorrow we can go back to normal. W-We'll do anything you want." The lie caught in her throat, and the words barely squeaked out. She wretched at her promise, but it seemed to work. His shoulders relaxed, his breathing slowed, and he turned his eyes away from the pair.
He sighed, then muttered. "Yeah, I wish that were true."
Jon's heart leapt in her chest, and Zoe cursed under her breath. "FINE!" Zoe shouts. "It's all back to normal. Good for you. Now give me grandpa's stone and get the hell out asshole." She holds out her hand.
"Can't you see we're going through some stuff? And you're still a little bitch about it?"
"You want me to go away? Give me back grandpa's stone." Zoe takes another step closer, and holds out her hands.
"Fuck you."
"Ryder!" John shouted.
He simply glares at her, then snaps. "We'll talk tomorrow... good luck studying, or whatever your doing."
Zoe shouts again, but the slamming of the door is the only response.
The pair run out to the front, just in time to see Ryder getting in his car and speeding off. Karen stands bewildered by the street, a clunky all-in-on in one computer in her hands.
