"Start explaining Jon. Why did you make such a stupid fucking wish?" Stephanie crossed her arms, the look on her face telling Jon that there was no escaping this conversation.
Jon took a deep breath and exhaled. If he was honest with himself he was actually somewhat happy. Fear had welled up in him, and he didn't know Stephanie well, but he could finally talk about everything openly.
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody. If I knew my wish was going to be reinterpreted everyday and cause all this chaos I would have rethought it." Jon sighed.
"But you'd have still made the wish?" Stephanie asked in disgust.
"I don't know." Jon replied simply. "I'll be honest, on some level I appreciate getting to know more people. They don't deserve what is happening to them, and no matter how remorseful I feel it wouldn't make what I did right. For now I just don't know what to do."
"Do you have any idea what I had to deal with because of you? I was a teen mom Jon! Do you have any clue how terrifying it is to expect being a single mother when you're just a child yourself? I can't believe I thought you were mature when we drove home tonight!" Stephanie berated the boy who had become her son.
As Stephanie looked at Jon she felt a pang in her heart. He looked so defeated and sad. She tried to push down her motherly instincts, reminding herself he wasn't truly her son, but it was a struggle. He was still her little boy. She had carried and birthed him. She knew days ago she had just been a classmate of Jon and barely knew him, but now he was her son.
For a moment Jon was confused. He thought Stephanie had been made aware of everything related to his wish regarding the family swaps. It took a few moments to remember the Palimpsest wish had been separate.
"I didn't know who would switch with who. I never expected our parents or teachers to switch too. You're right, it must have been horrifying. It's not the same but can you imagine how hard it was for me to see my best friend look at me without any recognition in her eyes? To see my sister so fat I'm not sure she'll be able to move on her own soon? To know her friends are worse off because of me? Athena is a fat slut in a trailer park, and could be all week." Jon began shaking as he felt his self loathing boil over. "And the only way to potentially help them is either wish something and risk them being stuck since wishes can't be reversed, or somehow get them to school and hope they change. Even if they do it's just condemning someone else to those lives, or seeing them change even more!"
Stephanie couldn't help thinking of Karyn and Tiffany. Karyn was in the same boat as her, a mother to a family she hadn't been a part of days ago. It wasn't fair to either of them that they had lost all those years. She could remember this lifetime, but being aware she was supposed to be a teen didn't make that easier to accept.
Then there was Tiffany. Stephanie had actually found herself in the school slut's life. Before all this she thought Tiffany would just spread her legs easily without a thought. Now she knew it was in part a need to be loved and seen. Tiffany was in a healthier place now, but her deep love of Jon as his girlfriend was likely formed from him treating her how she'd always hoped as someone with a duller mind and higher libido before. Stephanie knew just how overpowering that sex drive in Tiffany's life was now.
Stephanie didn't want to let Jon off easy, but it was impossible to ignore his struggling. He obviously felt remorse, and Stephanie couldn't fathom having everyone change around you everyday. To be a stranger in the world everyday. To be the world's biggest loner everyday. She could understand feeling like an outsider.
"How do you even know about Athena's change?" Stephanie asked after a moment of contemplation.
"I made a wish for an app on my phone that lets me know who people were before, and who they currently are. It's one of the reasons I'm desperate to get my phone back. The swaps started getting more complex, and I wasn't sure who people had been, or were becoming."
Jon resolved to hold nothing back. He would accept any punishment or scolding, but the glimmer of hope that Stephanie could be an ally through this spurred him on. To not be alone in this mess was something he hadn't known how much he wanted until he had made his wish in front of Karyn.
"You really fucked up Jon. Even if you reverse every change when this is over it still won't fix all the damage you did." Stephanie told him in an even tone.
"I know, and I won't run from that. I'll always know what I did. And now you'll know and hold me accountable. Wishes can't be reversed after all."
"You can bet I will." Stephanie relaxed a little. "Look Jon, as much as I want to kick your ass it won't do me any good right now. It doesn't help that I keep seeing you as my baby when you're tearing up like that."
Jon hadn't been aware he was crying, but once Stephanie told him he was all too aware of how wet his cheeks were.
"I understand if you want nothing to do with me. I can't guarantee you'd change if you went to the school when the swap happened, but you could find yourself better off." Jon offered.
"Or I could find myself one of Zoe's daughters and be stuffing myself silly." Stephanie joked. "I'm not sure what I want to do next. It could be because I'm your mom right now, but I can't help worrying about you. If you keep going it alone you'll go crazy."
"Are you willing to help me then? It's up to you if you want to stay my mom, but just having someone to talk to who knows what I'm dealing with would mean the world. I need help trying to help my friends and family." Jon pleaded.
"I don't know if it's for the best you interfere further. I know you don't want to see Zoe stuck how she is, and you feel guilty about Athena. Zelda is baby obsessed too, right? You really did a number on the goth crowd." Stephanie teased.
"I don't know why you all got singled out. You were made pregnant too." Jon allowed himself to chuckle.
"Your stone may have had something against us that day. I know you want to help your mom and Karyn too." Stephanie considered her fellow goths. Athena absolutely needed help. Zelda and Zoe were pretty happy in their current lives, but only because they didn't know better. They weren't the closest, but they had been friends.
Stephanie couldn't help blushing at memories of Zoe. Her current life memories of nights exploring her sexuality with the blob like woman floated up causing her to blush.
"I'll help you Jon. You're my little boy after all. Someone needs to hold you responsible and make sure you don't make a bigger mess of things." Stephanie noticed the grin on Jon's face and couldn't help teasing him further. "At the very least I can't let your sister and my other friends suffer because you're a horny idiot."
"Love you too mom." Jon rolled his eyes.
Stephanie felt her heart flutter. She couldn't help it. Hearing her son say he loved her always melted her heart.
"I will admit seeing Sarah with a schoolgirl crush on you is adorable. She and her mom are much easier to handle this way. Are you sure we can't let them stay that way?" Stephanie said quickly to change the subject and hide how emotional she felt.
