Walking into Lakeview that day had been like walking into the Twilight Zone for Zoe; everything was familiar but at the same time strange. For one set of memories, the set belonging to Zoe Madison, it was a pretty typical first day back at school, but for the set belonging to the Zoe Gibson of the old reality, it was incredibly freaky. Really the strangeness had started well before she actually got to school, with her mom, Jen, gently nudging her awake as opposed to how Linda would just yell through the door at her. It was a small difference, but felt emblematic of how much closer her relationship was with her mother in this world compared to her mother in the old one. Her old mother was still there, naturally, but now she was Aunt Linda, and Zoe was grateful to not be a part of the loud argument that broke out between her aunt and her cousin Mike over breakfast.
Her mom had made her favorite flapjacks for her first day back at school, and given her a hug before sending her off; it wasn't like Jen had any more time to do these small things than Linda had. Her mom was in her scrubs before Zoe was even up and had to dash off to the hospital, but she made the time for Zoe. She made Zoe a priority and that felt huge to the former goth.
Speaking of goths, Zoe's wardrobe and makeup had been thoroughly de-gothified. She'd let her new memories guide her clothes choice that morning, choosing to wear a cute red plaid pleated skirt along with a thin white turtleneck sweater and tall soft grey boots with a low heel. She added a pair of simple stud earrings and two silver bangle bracelets to finish the outfit. Her makeup was conventional and light, a bit of peach toned lipstick, a bit of blush and just a light brush of mascara. Looking at herself in the mirror she marveled at how different she was from the all black wearing, heavily caked, almost theatrically made up Zoe she'd been before the wish. Her memories warred within her but she couldn't deny liking this new look, she felt pretty in a way that she never really had as Zoe Gibson. She also noticed how much she took after her new mother looks wise, and felt warm and tingly to look like her favorite person, compared to her old memories of resenting the physical similarities between her and Linda.
She grabbed her purse, a simple white leather affair instead of her old knitted black one, and backpack, before heading off to school. It was a short walk, but part way through she met up with someone she'd actively avoided in the old world, Alexis 'Lexi' Starr.
"Oh my god, Zee, I missed you so much!" Lexi declared before sweeping Zoe into a hug. Lexi had shoulder length blonde hair, a bit shorter than Zoe's brunette, which fell to her middle back. She had a cute button nose and mischievous green eyes above a light dusting of freckles on her dimples. Lexi was obviously athletic, and today was wearing a green tie front blouse and skinny jeans, her sports bag held over her back next to her backpack.
"You saw me like five days ago, Lex" Zoe said fondly, her new memories supplying the fact that Lexi had gone on a brief vacation to Florida over the break. And she was fond of Lexi; this was a case where her new memories of Lexi, who she'd been friends with since she was four in this world, overwhelmed Zoe Gibson's former animosity for the sporty girl. It was one of several factors that made the Zoe Madison part of her critical of the Zoe Gibson part of her, as she'd told her mother the previous evening.
With that the two girls fell into a familiar banter as the made the walk to Lakeview. The school day itself was another mixture of the familiar and the bizarre. While it was still largely dominated by classtime, those classes had changed a bit. For one, where Zoe Gibson was on-level and mostly a C-B student, Zoe Madison was in all honors courses and pretty much a straight A student. She didn't really feel any smarter, but apparently in a world where she wasn't acting out as much, and had a more supportive home life, she was able to thrive a lot more academically. The other major change was in her electives; where previously she'd filled the two slots with home ec and woodworking for easy As, she discovered Zoe Madison instead took Art and Orchestra. While painting was apparently just a fun hobby, the other class proved to be more momentous.
The moment she walked into the classroom, she nearly fell into the wall as her brain seared with new information, and the sensation seemed to spread from her head down to her fingertips, which twitched with new muscle memory. Zoe Madison didn't merely play violin in the school's orchestra, she was good at it. Like first chair of the Freshman good. She was the one who got the solos, and she was fantastic at them. She didn't just play the violin, she played the piano and the guitar as well. Last night had been enough of a blur that she hadn't questioned the instruments in her room, but now they made perfect sense. Music was Zoe Madison's passion and something she was genuinely considering as a career.
Zoe blushed as she found her seat after retrieving her school violin. Normally in this world she would have brought her personal one from home, but the memory to do so hadn't come by that morning. The thing was, Zoe Gibson had never really been good at anything; she'd never been the center of attention for her accomplishments, and the memories of having a talent like that were making her feel all gooey inside. It confused her for a moment, because her wish shouldn't have just given her a new talent, but the memories of the divergence slowly filtered in.
Zoe Gibson hardly remembered it, but when she'd been five, she asked her dad, Roger, for piano lessons only to be rebuffed. He'd said she'd never stick with it, and that had been that. It was only a few years later that the man had abandoned the family, accelerating her descent into Gothhood and rebellion. In this new world though, Jennifer had encouraged her daughter's interest in music, allowing her talent to thrive and bloom, rather than wither on the vine. She felt a renewed rush of affection for her new mother.
Eventually she arrived at lunchtime, to discover she sat with Lexi and a host of other friends. Sakura, Penny, Charlotte and Mara were four girls Zoe Gibson had written off as posers or idiots without really ever getting to know them, where they were now close friends of Zoe Madison. In general, she realized with growing stupefaction that she was actually popular in this world. She wasn't suddenly a mini-Sarah McMillan or Lily Vanderfield, but she was rather well liked by the majority of students and had a thriving circle of friends that crossed over many of the cliques she'd previously viewed hostilely. Really the only clique she wasn't at least on friendly terms with at least one member of, was the Goths themselves.
That brought a moment of brief sadness, as she realized her wish had erased her friendships with Athena, Zelda, Sabrina and more, even if they were replaced with her new non-Goth friends. However that sadness was quickly dissipated by Charlotte reaching over to give her a side hug as she sat down. She returned the squeeze and partially turned to really look at her new friend, memories rapidly sorting themselves in her brain as she did so.
Charlotte had wavy auburn hair of a similar length to Zoe's own, today done up in an elegant mermaid braid. She was easily one of the prettiest girls Zoe had ever med, with elegant cheek bones, sculpted eyebrows, doelike hazel eyes, a perfect pert nose, and full lips painted a lovely light matte red. Lotte had chosen to wear a green halter dress, embroidered with flowers and ladybugs around the bottom hem. She was a tad shorter than Zoe, particularly since she was wearing ballet flats that day to Zoe's low heel. However Zoe wasn't merely taking in her physical appearance, however lovely it was, she was rapidly learning a few key facts about the other girl as well.
Firstly, Charlotte Callahan was the younger sister of Elizabeth Callahan, the captain of the school's swim team. Both sisters had moved to Lakeview over the previous school year when their father was transferred for work, and were originally from the UK. As such, Charlotte was the newest addition to Zoe's friend group, though she'd fit right in. She was a cheerleader, the captain of the JV squad, and generally a very positive person. However, the most important fact Zoe assimilated as she tried desperately not to stare unblushingly at her friend's chest, was that Zoe Madison had a massive crush on Charlotte Callahan.
