The bright red Lancer Evo drifted into the parking lot of "Galaxy Zone" with a growl that turned heads. Jon hadn’t meant to drift—he had intended to park carefully between the white lines—but his hands and feet had moved with a rebellious, muscle-memory confidence that belonged entirely to Esme. The car slotted perfectly into a space near the front, the engine revving once before dying into silence.
"That was awesome!" Mikey cheered from the back, scrambling over the center console rather than waiting for the seat to slide forward.
Jon sat behind the wheel for a moment, gripping the leather until his knuckles turned white, trying to ground himself. I am Jon, he told himself frantically. I am a guy. I am not a cool, rally-driving college girl. I am definitely not this flirty sexy sister.
"Coming, E?"
Jon looked up. Karyn had opened the passenger door and was stepping out.
In the car, the seats and the boys had hidden the rest of her outfit. Jon had seen the cropped vintage jersey and the new perfect face carved from Mikey’s errant wish twisting everything. But as she swung her legs out and stood up on the asphalt, Jon got the full picture.
He choked on his own spit.
Karyn—smart, tomboyish Karyn who lived in baggy slacks—was wearing a skirt. If you could call it that. It was a pleated, white tennis skirt that was barely past mid-thigh, with a unnatural tendency to flutter high on her thighs to expose miles of smooth, tanned legs. It was the kind of outfit that would get you sent home from high school in a heartbeat, but on this new, "cool college friend" version of Karyn, it looked terrifyingly natural. She paired it with knee-high athletic socks and battered Converse, completing a look that was equal parts "sorority girl off-duty" and "adolescent fantasy."
She stretched her arms over her head, the motion lifting the hem of her jersey to flash even more of her flat, toned stomach and pushing out her wish-enhanced boobs.
And to think of the girl with short red hair, pale skin and average proportions that was certainly cute and even occasionally pretty had been turned into this from her own and Mikey's wishes.
"God, it feels good to stretch," Karyn groaned, looking down at Jon through the open driver's side window. With the way Karyn's full breasts tented her football "jersey" and from his low angle, Jon could easily see that underside of Karyn's bra and the way it shifted and subtly jiggled with her movements. Karyn grinned, a confident, dazzling expression that belonged on a magazine cover. "You coming or are you gonna make us wait all day?"
Jon stumbled out of the car, the "Esme" programming forcing him to exit with a fluid, hip-rolling grace that made him want to die of embarrassment. He smoothed down his shrunken long-sleeved shirt, which immediately slid off his shoulder again.
"Karyn," Jon hissed, stepping close to her so Mikey and his gawking friends wouldn't hear. "Are you... are you okay?"
Karyn laughed, tossing her blonde mane. "Okay? E, I’m fantastic. I mean, my back kinda hurts a little, but I'm not complaining." She leaned in, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though her eyes danced with amusement. "I still can't believe that wish yesterday actually worked. I mean, I know we were just messing around after that Psych lecture, but..." She gestured vaguely to her chest. "I woke up this morning and they were still here. I thought maybe it was just a crazy dream or the tequila from the frat party, but nope. Actual magic."
Jon stared at her, with mild relief. She still remembered the wish. Karyn remembered wishing for the boobs and the blonde hair. But the context... Psych lecture? Frat party?
Karyn must have thought they were at college yesterday. She thought this reality—where she was Esme's cool, sexy best friend—was how it had always been. The only thing "new" to her were the physical changes she had wished for yesterday. Physical changes she was significantly less broken up about than yesterday’s Karyn. To Karyn, she was just hanging out with her bestie Esme.
"You... you think we were at a frat party?" Jon asked weakly.
"Don't tell me you blacked out," she teased, slapping Jon on the arm. "Anyway, look at us. We're hot, we're here, and we're gonna crush some middle schoolers at laser tag." She winked. "Come on. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet. You used to dominate at this back in freshman year."
Freshman year? Jon had played laser tag exactly twice in his life, and he had finished last both times. But apparently, "Esme" had a history.
Mikey, Jeff, and Ben were already bouncing near the entrance, vibrating with sugar and hormones. Maya stood slightly apart from them, arms crossed over her hoodie, trying to look bored but failing to hide the excitement in her eyes as she checked out the neon signs.
"Hurry up, Esme!" Mikey yelled. "I want to be on your team!"
"Me too!" Maya chimed in, dropping the act. "I'm not playing with Jeff, he sucks."
Karyn seemed to sense an opportunity. Her eyes flicked to the boys, whose jaws were practically on the pavement, and then back to Jon, gleaming with a sudden, reckless mischief.
...would always be so sexy and flirty and a bit of tease, sometimes accidentally...
"Hey, Esme," she murmured, stepping into his personal space. "Let's give the birthday boy a show."
Before Jon could ask what she meant, Karyn’s hand shot out, tangling in the front of his shrunken shirt. She yanked him forward, and before he could even gasp, her lips crashed against his.
It wasn't a peck. It was a deep, confident kiss, tasting of cherry lip gloss and adrenaline. Jon’s eyes went wide for a fraction of a second, his brain screaming, 'This is Karyn! This is my best friend!' But then, his traitorous body reacted. The "Esme" instincts surged up, bypassing his panic. His hands, of their own volition, came up to rest on her waist, his fingers brushing the bare skin above her skirt. He felt himself melting into it, his knees going weak, his mind going completely, blissfully blank under the assault of her perfume and the warmth of her body pressed against his. For a dizzying moment, he forgot about Mikey, the stone, and the fact that he was supposed to be a guy. He just felt... blissful pleasure.
Then, with a soft pop, Karyn pulled back.
Jon stood there, swaying slightly, his lips tingling and swollen. He blinked rapidly, trying to reboot his brain. The boys were dead silent. Even Maya looked impressed.
"Are..." Jon’s voice came out as a breathless squeak. He cleared his throat, trying to find his rich alto. "Are we dating?"
Karyn threw her head back and laughed, a bright, carefree sound that echoed in the parking lot. She patted his cheek, her nails grazing his skin.
"Don't be ridiculous, E," she grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Everyone knows you're straight as they get. But I thought you wanted to give Mikey something he couldn't forget? It's a good start don''t'cha think?" She leaned in close again, her voice dropping to a tease. "Besides, I wouldn't steal you from that boyfriend of yours."
She turned on her heel and sashayed toward the entrance, her hips swinging in a hypnotic rhythm.
"Come on, let's go!" she called over her shoulder.
He chased after her, still not aware of the slim stone in his jeans pocket. After all he had wished to forget making the wish that made him realize he had it on him.
"How is the spell?" Zoe asked, returning to her room from the bathroom. A great pentagram had been carved into the wooden floor.
"Just give me five more minutes," Zelda said.
Little did they know that with Zoe and Esme's mom's wish for Esme to keep the stone with her. Esme was bound to make a wish further enforcing Mikey's, turning the reality stabilization spell away from Zoe's intent and towards Esme and Mikey's.
What could possibly happen in those five minutes?
