Jon and Karen waited at Sarah's block as usual, but curiously she never came. They deliberated a while, then carried on with their day. They spent the walk to school encouraging one another and coaching one another on how to make it through the more awkward parts of each encounter.
Sarah walked to school alone. She walked with her face scrunched up and her jaw locked. She walked briskly and with none of the feminine sway to her hips that she was known for. She walked with long gangly steps rather than the cute mincing things that allowed her to glide across the ground with attitude. And, she walked gingerly as every step reminded her of what she now had tucked beneath her panties.
He family still treated her the same, more or less, she still wore her usual clothes, and as she had applied her makeup in the mirror that morning she was pleased to find that she still looked decidedly feminine... if slightly lesser so than before. But she still struggled with this looming sense of discomfort. Everything about her body just felt a bit off, and every time she brushed up against her crotch the wrong way, she wanted to go running back to her room. The morning had greeted her kindly enough, and she felt somewhat recharged from her anguish, sadness, and fury from the previous night.
After a bit of snooping through her facebook, she had clued in on the fact that she'd been on hormones since early puberty. It was small consolation, but it was still consolation. Her body was still recognizably female, and she didn't have to worry about any awkward surprises in the morning. When she inspected herself more closely she was resigned to find that her braces were rainbow patterned. She wondered if this version of her was trying to make some sort of statement, but the thought did not persist. In fact her exploration did not go much further than that. It was immediately too discouraging, and she had NO interest in inspecting that ugly thing dangling between her legs.
If she could help it, she would undo it all by the end of the day, ending this magical attrition once and for all. She'd been playing with those two. She felt invincible, and like teasing of some nerd with the promise of her affections, she liked the sensation of giving those pair the illusion of chance. But she'd been careless, and their hope had turned into a real chance. With fury she imagined what she'd do to those wretched dorks once she got the stone for herself. Maybe she would have changed them back before, but now it was personal. She reached the school early, plans already ripe on her mind, and sought out Biff hoping that it wasn't to late to leverage his muscle.
She found him hanging out at the weight room with some friends, and was slightly depressed to find that he didn't offer her a kiss. "Morning Sarah." His voice was warm and comforting to her, but was the greeting of a friend, not a lover.
"Morning." She responded curtly, trying to hide her disappointment at his casualness.
Biff glanced back and forth between his friends, then gave his full attention to Sarah. "Everything ok?" he crossed his arms. "Anybody giving you a hard time about... it?"
She smirked. Maybe she could still leverage what she needed though. "Yes!" She began suddenly, playing up her distress slightly. "That bitch Aggie, and Karen stole something of mine, and won't give it back... I know it's stupid, but my grandma gave it to me and now they won't return it."
Biff tilted his head skeptically. "Whhaaat? I thought you three were pretty close..."
Sarah tried to hide her disdain, but played along. "We were until they started stealing my stuff! Please Biff, could you please get it back from them?"
He shuffles his feet uncomfortably. "Sarah, I guess I get it if you and Karen are having a rough patch, but that's Marie you're talking about. I couldn't do that to her..."
Sarah balls up her fists. "W-why not? Just take it from her! She'll be fine!"
He holds up his hands. "Look, she's a team player. Hell, even coach likes her. He says we haven't had a mascot like her in a decade."
Sarah clenches her teeth and growls. "Biff! She's just some dork in a bear costume, I'm cheer captain!"
Impatience grows on his face, and he snaps at her. "What the hell's wrong with you? Even if I cared, I'm not about to steal something from Marie. She's been supporting this team since you were still Tyler." Sarah staggers backwards at that comment. Her hands drop limply to her side as the reality check forces its way into her mind. His voice starts to loose some of his gusto at seeing her deflate, but he doesn't stop. "Besides, you're just assistant cheer captain."
Sarah's face drops to the floor, letting her golden locks hang over her eyes.
Biff scratches his head, and looks away. "Look, I... I shouldn't have said that. But seriously, leave Marie alone. If you've got a problem with her, take it up with Montanna. I don't want anything to do with it." He screws up his face then huffs his frustration and leaves.
Sarah stood there dumbly. her skin was numb... Her face was numb... And her vision was blurry. It took her a moment to realize that the last one was because tears were forming in her eyes. She turned around sharply, and took off for the girls locker room...
