Jon's mouth dropped wide open as he looked at the paper posted on the locker room wall.
"JV?!" He yelled to no one in particular. "There HAS to be some kind of mistake!"
His finger still pressed against the pen strokes, written no longer than twenty minutes earlier.
Under the title that read "Junior Varsity" was the listing:
Paige McMillan: Captain.
But he had worked so hard! Learned all the moves, the cheers and the stunts! How could he not have made the Varsity squad with his sister? Jon had never felt these emotions before. It was like being kicked in the gut. Like finding a run in his nylons. Like not being a McMillan. Even being captain was no consolation. He put his head down and walked out of the locker room slowly, dragging his gym bag behind him.
What was Jon going to do? His whole game plan was based on him making Varsity! Now, there was no hope for him. In Jon's mind, no varsity equaled no stone. Sure, he'd be the only one with "captain" monogrammed over his right breast, but the hand-me-down uniforms were just so ugly!
Jon's plan was contingent on acting the way he should, and getting the stone meant that he'd have to play character until he saw an opening. He felt a pang of despair as the dots slowly connected. He'd have to go through with it. No McMillan ever quit a cheer squad, or didn't give it their all. He was stuck between a rock and a megaphone. That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
####
Karyn still couldn't believe she was doing this. Approaching Paige McMillan right after cheer tryouts? It was like offering yourself up to the firing squad! She had a hunch, though. Her steps were cautious, movements steady. Karyn had heard the mini-tantrum from the hallway. And as Paige shuffled out of the locker room, she felt bad for the younger teen.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll kill on JV." She said as she gingerly touched Paige's shoulder.
Between sobbing , Paige looked back at Karyn, and was able to choke-out, "You really think so? Oh Karyn, I just knew I could count on you."
At that moment, it felt like time had frozen. Did Karyn just hear what she thought she had heard? Paige McMillan, not only called her by name, but was leaning on her for support? She knew! There was something different about this girl, and it wasn't just her name.
####
Sarah poked her head around the corner and smirked as she clutched the ruby red stone in her talons. She loved being in control.
Was Jon dumb enough to think that she didn't know what he was trying to do?
If Sarah had any say, he was going to be Paige for the rest of his life. And she did, being that she was in possession of the most powerful artifact known to man.
Jon wasn't ever going back to being Jon. He would go through high school as Paige. Then college. And his first job. His wedding, divorce, and remarriage. All Paige. The fraternity he dreamed of would be a sorority. 'Dress for success' would mean a blouse, pencil skirt, and heels. Sarah licked her lips in anticipation. It was like the gift that keep on giving. Jon was going to be the sister she could mold into a carbon copy of herself. It was really quite poetic- he hated her, but now he was going to be her.
She made his room bigger, gave him extra room for clothes, and to top it off, the Junior Varsity stunt was all Sarah. She only wished that she could tell other people about her genius. Jon would be stuck all football season, on the sidelines, forcing a wide-toothed smile, jumping up and down, and shaking pom-pons until his arms hurt. He couldn't quit. McMillans never quit. He'd do a great job hiding it, but she could only imagine his embarrassment as he walked down the halls wearing the uniform on game day Thursdays, one full day before her. He'd worn skimpy clothing before, but never had he been forced to confront his fate as much as he would when wearing the school mascot, invitingly pushed out from his chest, with the school colors striped along the border of his pleated "just too-short" skirt. Sarah would wish that Paige's size ran small.
####
Sarah was snapped out of her daydream by what was unfolding in front of her. No. Way. She spied Karyn Black and Paige talking about something, then walking out of the school together. Was it possible that Karyn still knew it was Jon inside of the lithe freshman's body? She couldn't take that risk -- and made a quick wish to make sure that Jon couldn't spill the beans. She hadn't expected anything like this in her wildest dreams. Maybe she'd make a couple small wishes to make sure that Karyn wouldn't be nervous hanging out with Paige anymore. Or maybe she'd just leave it be -- Sarah wanted to see how things would play out.
