---

“But… aren’t you, weren’t you dating Arnold?”

She laughed. “Arnold? That meathead? Baby did you hit your head getting out of bed this morning?”

“I dunno,” I answered softly. “I had this really weird dream that I was a girl.”

“Were you a pretty girl?” she teased.

---

“Ngh,” I awoke with a groan, my head positively splitting. That was some dream, though. It felt so absolutely real. I cast my gaze around my room. My old NBA basketball poster hung by the window, and a pile of dirty laundry, all boys’ clothes, lay at the foot of my bed. I stared bewildered at the clothing pile for a moment. This was my room, my house, but it wasn’t the room in my dreams. I know I moved to Alpine Springs, didn’t I?

“Morning sweetie,” Mom chimed cheerfully as I stepped into the hallway. “I’ve got breakfast on the table. You need to bulk up if you’re going to win tonight.”

“Win?” I asked as I stared blankly back at her.

“You’re still on the basketball team aren’t you?”

“Mom, girls’ basketball ended a couple of weeks ago,” I blurted without thinking. She furrowed her brow.

“Honey, are you feeling alright? Thanks to you and Arnold you’re going to the playoffs, remember? Oh, and Andrea called already. She wanted to know if you could swing by her house on the way to school.”

“Um, sure Mom,” I answered slowly. None of this made any sense. Was it really all a dream?

~oOo~

Outside I found my bright yellow convertible waiting for me. At least THAT hadn’t changed, but the Hawaiian hula girl bobblehead Jennifer had put on the dashboard was conspicuously absent.

I sat down in the driver’s seat, staring ahead at our house for several seconds before finally pulling away to head for Andrea’s.

“There you are,” Andrea practically leapt into my arms after opening the door, though her energetic kiss took me off guard even more. She was wearing her blue and white cheer uniform with her hair pulled into a high ponytail with a matched blue ribbon. She frowned at me.

“You’re not happy to see your girlfriend?” she pouted.

“But… aren’t you, weren’t you dating Arnold?”

She laughed. “Arnold? That meathead? Baby did you hit your head getting out of bed this morning?”

“I dunno,” I answered softly. “I had this really weird dream that I was a girl.”

“Were you a pretty girl?” she teased. “Hang on a sec. Just let me get my books. I need a ride to school because Mom’s car’s in the shop and Dad’s out of town.”

I waited patiently for her to return, walking her to the car without saying anything. As she slid into the passenger seat, she seemed to be watching me walk around to the driver’s side. She frowned.

“You’re moving differently. Are you sure you’re okay?”

I shook my head slowly, for the first time realizing I didn’t feel my long hair tickle the back of my neck. I breathed a long, steady sigh. “No, I’m not. In my dream I was just so happy. I had these amazing friends and this cute goth girlfriend.” I paused to laugh at that. “Can you imagine it? Me, dating a goth. It just felt so real though. It’s kind of unsettling.”

“Yeah, really. Just warn me if you decide you want to go putting on a skirt or something, ‘k? I want time to break up with you so it doesn’t look like that’s why we’re breaking up.”

We both laughed, but I knew she was serious. She was my trophy girlfriend as much as I was her trophy boyfriend.

As we cruised on to school, though, a strange thought crossed my mind.

Wouldn’t it be weird if this was the dream?

~ April Fool’s! ~