"Where is she?"
"I don't know. You think she'd ditch school?"
"Maybe. Keep looking."
Jon and Karyn were waiting in front of the school, scanning the crowd of passing students for any sign of Sarah. But there was nothing, not even the usual gaggle of jocks that followed her around. Karyn had been worried for Jon. What would people at school say when they saw him? Of course, they said nothing. They didn't even notice anything was different about him, and Karyn was even surprised when some of the girls (girls that normally never even gave Jon the time of day) complimented his nails, or his earrings. Jon just blushed and smiled at the compliments, returning them in kind.
"OMG, Karyn," Jon said. "I can't wait out here all day. I've got a test first period."
Did Jon really just say "OMG?" Karyn tried to ignore it.
"We have to get the stone back, Jon. Who knows what else she could do with it!"
"Assuming she's made any wishes so far. Everything seems fine. Besides, you think she'd be dumb enough to bring the rock back here?" Jon gestured to the crowded campus. Karyn thought Jon's tone seemed a bit condescending, but she brushed it off. Just then, the first bell of the day rang.
"Sorry Karyn. I can't miss Mr. Gilmore's test. We'll meet up at lunch, k?"
Karyn sighed. "Sure." Jon turned and hustled into the school, and Karyn hoped he wouldn't be too drastically different by lunchtime. She turned again to start scanning the crowd, only to come face to face with exactly the person she'd been looking for.
"Did Jon already go to class?" Sarah said, her voice dripping with knowing sarcasm. Karyn tried not to sneer at Sarah's outfit: wedge heeled sandals, skimpy denim shorts, and a fuschia camisole that showed off plenty of cleavage. She had no idea how Sarah got away with blatantly violating the school's dress code almost every day.
"Where's the stone, you bitch!" Karyn said, trying not to raise her voice too much.
"Karyn... You think I'd be dumb enough to bring the rock back here?" she gestured to the busy school grounds. "Trust me. It's safe."
"Why should I trust you? What are you doing to him?"
"Shouldn't it be obvious by now?" Sarah said as she brought one hand up to her shoulder. That's when Karyn recognized it. The nails, the jewelry... the tan.
"You are. You're turning him into you? God, you really are vain."
"OMG Karyn, don't be such a drama queen. It's not about me. I knew that the best way to get into your head was to get into his head, so to speak. Besides, I'm not changing everything. You'll see. But you might as well make the most of your friendship now, because... well, by the end of the week..."
Karyn clenched her fists, trying to hold back the rage that was inside her.
"You won't get away with this." Karyn said through gritted teeth.
Sarah rolled her eyes and cocked her hip. "I already have. I don't have to do anything else. And there's nothing you can do to stop it." Sarah walked past Karyn and into the school, not even looking behind her to see the tears of anguish building in Karyn's eyes.
