The sea of blue and gold erupted in a tidal wave of cheers as Varsity took the field. The bleachers were at their breaking point, with the mob scene on top of it.
The game of the week had just started -- the perfect time for Jon to make his entrance.
The McMillan's always arrived fashionably late.
Luckily for Jon, the rest of the JV squad had held him and Karyn seats -- perfectly positioned in the front row 25-yard line, facing straight to where the Varsity squad hung out in between cheers. They told everyone that they needed those seats to study how the big girls cheered, but really, all of them knew that it was the perfect distance between each entrance. Perfectly placed to see and be seen.
Jon, Captain Paige, got the center seat, flanked to his right side by Karyn, best friend and #2, and on the other, by whoever else he felt deserved it that night.
Tonight, it was Krystie Campbell, who let him borrow her leopard print tank on Monday. Last week, Mandi Valeo had a super awesome party at her house. The week before, Kelli Hobbs found a boy to do her homework. It was such a big competition to sit on his left side, and it always benefitted Jon. Such was the life of a squad Captain, he thought as he idly twirled a white bracelet around his wrist and paid for his ticket.
By now, he was accustomed to the adoring comments and watchful eyes as he walked to his seat:
"Omigod Paige, your dress is so cute! But like, what isn't cute on you?"
"I'd hit that."
"Shut up dude, she's right there "
"Jealous! I could never pull that off."
"Great job last night, Paige -- you really lead the squad! Good luck at regionals."
"Paige, are you going to go to the game's after-party tonight?"
They all loved her. But why not? She was head JV cheerleader, and pretty smoking' hot to boot -- maybe even hotter than Sarah!
_*
Something about that last comment snapped Jon out of his daydream.
After the game!
After the game he wasn't planning on going to any after party.
After the game, he was looking forward to sitting on his old couch, cracking open a cold bottle of Coca-Cola, and settling in for a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
After the game, he was going to be Jon again.
He'd wish to send time back so he could pick up right when Sarah's errant wish turned him into a McMillan. Back to when they were studying quietly in his room.
Maybe he'd wish that whole episode never happened.
Although, he'd probably keep Karyn's blonde hair and big boobs. It was like they really suited her, and, he was being honest, if she didn't have those assets, what else would she do? Her vapid personality was in part so lovable because she was the stereotypical blonde bimbo valley girl type. Wishing her back to how she was before would almost be a punishment. Of course, he could always wish her some more intelligence if she wanted it.
Jon had changed a lot since Sarah made that wish, he reminisced. It had actually been almost three years for him in this gilded cage. He was popular, he was pretty, he looked super hot in a bikini, and knew the difference between boy-cut and french-cut panties, but he wasn't himself. He did wonder about the kinds of things he'd remember when the wish took effect. It would be different for sure. He had gotten so used to always tasting strawberries when licking his glossed up lips, the barely noticeable weight of the makeup on his face, and the slight chill he got across his shaved bare legs whenever the wind picked up. No. He couldn't be nostalgic for this lifestyle -- sure the money was nice, everyone was friends with him, and he received attention with every step, but he was Jon! And at halftime, he was going to tear up Sarah's locker to get that stone back.
*_
As the final seconds ticked out of the 2nd quarter, Jon was more than ready to make his move. He had thought about each step in detail as the football teams duked it out on the field. The best part about being at a packed football game was that because there was so many people, everyone couldn't possibly keep track of him. The worst part, was that being dressed as he was, he stuck out like a sore thumb. If it wasn't a parent asking about his summer plans, or a guy throwing out lame pickup lines, it was some girl wanted to be noticed by him. He checked the delicate watch on his wrist -- just getting away from everyone took almost ten minutes! If he was going to make it in time, he had to ditch the heels.
In normal day-to-day Paige life, he'd never be caught dead running through the parking lot in bare feet. He probably wouldn't have been caught dead running if he didn't have to, either. Jon silently cursed under his breath - why did he think this dress was a good idea? It was severely limiting his movement -- he had to hurry. At least now, he was far enough away from the bright Friday night lights to blend into the dark.
Ugh. He had forgot his purse. It was dark!
The flashlight he carried on his keychain would've helped.
It didn't matter. After a few seconds, he was easily able to get to a light switch and flip it on. The fluorescent gymnasium-type lighting buzzed to life as row after row of green drab lockers sprawled in front of him. He could slow down now -- it was almost over.
100's, 200's, 300's, and halfway down. Jon passed the women's soccer lockers, the basketball team's, and the marching band flag girls on his way to number #342. The Holy Grail. Sarah's locker.
The combination was easy. Sarah had left it out one night when she went to the mall, almost too convenient for Jon to find it. The locker opened with a startling snap. Jon looked both ways to make certain that he was alone. He caught a glance at himself in Sarah's mirror and blew himself a final kiss before digging through the makeup supplies, workout clothes, and rest of the organized chaos that his sister went through every day.
A loud door slam cut through the silence like a knife. He had to get to that stone before whoever it is got to him. His heart was beating, palms were sweaty.
"Uh, Paige. Did you like forget something and stuff?"
Too late. It was Karyn, one hand on her hip, the other holding her leather zebra-print purse by the strap. He cursed himself again for forgetting it. This complicated things.
"Like, why are you pulling everything out from your sister's locker, did she forget her purse, too? Oooh, or is it a scav, shaven, scavengey hunt? I love scavengey hunts."
Karyn just kept babbling on, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. The red ruby-like hue was unmistakable. At that moment, Jon didn't care what Karyn thought. So he lunged for the stone and his freedom. The surge of adrenaline made things move in slow motion. He stood up tall, looked at Karyn and began to utter the words that would make him Jon again.
"I wish "
And that's when he felt Sarah swing a megaphone right into his back.
He crumpled to the ground immediately, but as he collapsed into a heap of pom-pons and sports bras, Jon made out a feint red blur roll directly to Karyn's feet.
