It was only after Zoey and Mikayla went off to different parts of the school and he had been wandering down crowded hallways that Jon realised she had no clue of where she was supposed to go.
He stood in the middle of a hall with multiple exits and stairs feeling like an anime character on their first day at magical school. Quickly, her eyes darted around the room, trying to find one that looked like a bathroom sign. All bathrooms would be unisex in this world, right?
“Hey, Jonatha,” A cheerleader in blues nodded at him, friendly, and then kept going.
Jon’s heart calmed down. It hadn’t been a friend he would have had no memory of, bur rather a casual acquaintance. In fact, now that Jon was looking around, he noted that a couple of cheerleaders kept nodding and waving, friendly smiles whenever he looked at them.
Am I… no, is Jonataha popular in this reality? He wondered. He had thought that a world of cheerleaders would mean that everyone was popular but, of course, that wasn’t a realistic possibility. Even when magic had been involved, humans would create a hierarchy, with people at the top and people at the bottom. And one that was more vicious than what Jon was used to, if what had happened outside was any indication. Jon dreaded to imagine what would happen in places that had real stakes like what adults did; offices and banks and the like. Jon shook that useless line of thought off.
Well, nothing to gain just waiting around. Without much to lose, Jon just walked in a random direction where the flow of people was thinner. Up a flight of stairs to the left, then following behind a Squad of four cheerleaders who looked remotely familiar to Jonatha. Down the hall he went until, finally, he saw a bathroom sign.
Thankfully, it seemed empty. He locked himself in a stall and sat down. At the very least all the plumbing was still familiar. He dreaded to imagine how badly he would be coping with this reality if he had been made a girl all over rather than just having big breasts. Not for the first time, Jon wondered how come he now was blonde and had big breasts. It was kind of like Karyn’s first wish had rubbed on him somehow.
He frowned.
“Karyn…” He mumbled. Yes, Karyn. Of course! He smacked his forehead a little too loud. Jon couldn’t believe he had forgotten all about her. She had not heard his wish at all, but she knew of the Stone. If his wish for something interesting to happen took place overnight, then, it was possible that Karyn still knew about the Stone being in play and would still be curious about that. Yet, how come he hadn’t heard from her – well, that was obvious, she had not heard the wish, meaning this world was normal to her – and, most importantly, why was it so difficult to even… think about her at all? It was like just trying to remember her name was like sifting through tar. Even trying to remember to pull his phone out and look for her number was starting to give him a headache. Maybe it was mental fatigue – Jon was finding it increasingly difficult to navigate this new world, remember how things used to be, and having sudden bursts of memories flash before him like someone was swinging a firework in his face.
“Where are you? Got something to show you, babes,” He saw a message from Sarah McMillan and immediately forgot everything about Karyn.
“Oh, yeah… I am supposed to investigate that,” Jon mumbled.
Then he felt a tingle pass through him, and giggled happily. “Like, maybe Sarah wants me to join her Squad!” Jonatha giggled quietly “I do look the part, so I would fit right in.” Jonatha frowned. “But… why do I look like Sarah… shouldn’t I look more like my family? We’re not even blondes.”
And then it felt like Jon had been punched in the amygdala.
“Aaargh!” He groaned loudly, kind of harming his voice.
The water tap squeaked shut. Jon hadn’t noticed that it was running until he couldn’t hear the sound of water rushing.
“Hey,” Someone called. “You okay in there?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry, got…” Jon paused. Yeah, that was a safe option. “Got a sudden headache.”
Silence. “I got painkillers if you need?”
You know what, that would be nice, Jon thought. Wish I had thought of that at some point.
He got up, tidied her uniform, caught himself being so fastidious about it, and grimaced at the change in personality. He took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“That would be nice, thank you,” He said without looking.
By the sink, drying her face, was Sandra.
Sandra reached for a little black handbag she had off to the side, and pulled a packet of foil-wrapped pills.
“Period pain? Headache? Cramps? Pulled muscle?”
Jon stared for a moment, then realised she had asked a question. “What? Sorry, yes. Headache,” Jon stammered, his voice rising. He could feel colour coming to his cheeks.
“Just because these are kind of strong. Take half for a headache, unless it is migrane levels,” Sandra said, pulling one pill out and giving it to Jon.
“Thanks, Sandra,” Jon said, a smile trying to pull at his lips despite his embarrasment and awkwardness.
Sandra frowned and her eyes narrowed. She pulled back slightly as her lips curled downwards ever so slightly.
“How do you know my name?” Sandra said, voice dropping menacingly, crossing her arms protectively.
Damn it, damn it! This would be a good time for a Jonatha flashback, Jon thought, blinking. He looked at the pill in his hand, and suddenly downed the whole thing. He swallwed hard, then leaned forward on the sink, his blonde hair shifting weight on his back, and drank from the tap.
At that moment, Jon felt a jolt go down his spine, and his vision sparked in pretty pink patterns. Hands rested on the sink, hard.
“Well?” Sandra said, lifting an eyelid.
Jonatha looked at Sandra and smiled
