A Wish Unwanted – Part 7
by Limbo’s Mistress

Over the next forty-five minutes, Charlie ran me through a series of basic cheer maneuvers. Each one apparently had its own name, and a specific order, in the routine. In addition to a back handspring, I learned I could do a handstand, a round off, a forward flip, a hurdler, a toe-touch, and a pike without much more than simply thinking about it in my head.

“I’ll text you the routines tonight. You’ll just need to memorize which moves go with which numbers. Then it’s just a matter of making sure everyone is in synch and puts in maximum effort.”

“Maximum effort?” I asked, smirking. “You channeling Deadpool now?”

“More like channeling Jen. She’s a hard ass when it comes to everyone moving and performing perfectly. Though, I doubt Pee-Jay is the kind of co-captain that screams in Kara’s face when she gets confused and lags a half-second behind the rest.”

I blinked. “She did that?”

Charlie shook his head. “No. Not did. Does. She does that.”

I sighed. “I can’t believe you put up with that crap.” Then I shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m going to put up with that crap.”

“Well, she never really got pissy with Tabitha, strange as it may sound. As for me, I mean, Cindy, she only tried jumping down my throat once. But apologized afterwards. I guess because she knew I was better than her. And she knew I knew it.”

I nodded, then looked at him silently for a moment.

“What?” he asked, looking down at himself before running his hand around his mouth. “Do I have crap on my face?”

I shook my head. “No. Just … looking.”

A smirk formed on his face and he cocked his hip to the side, planting a hand there. It was eerily identical to how Cindy used to stand. Especially when she was about to be overly dramatic.

“Like what you’re looking at?”

I made an exaggerated show of looking him over. Then I walked around him in a circle, humming softly to myself. When I was back in front of him again, I shrugged.

“Well, you’re alright. I mean, you’re certainly no Lee Taylor.”

He snorted and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “As wacky as this all is, me like this and you like that. The thing between you and Lee … it blows my mind.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. As soon as I did, I realized it was another Cindy move.

“Why? The wish made me a girl. Why wouldn’t I be attracted to guys now?” I arched a brow. “Are you telling me that you haven’t had the least bit of stirring down below because of some girl?”

I took a step forward, letting my hips roll with the motion. Then I took another, really focusing on accenting my feminine curves.

His eyes dropped down to my waist, then came back up to my chest for a moment. After staring for more than a few seconds, he blinked several times, brought his gaze back up to my face, and held out his hand as he took a step back.

“Okay. Cut it out. You’ve proved your point.”

I giggled, dropping back into a more relaxed, less seductive pose. “We are prisoners of what the magic made us, my friend.”

He cleared his throat, then turned his back to me as he reached down and adjusted himself. I knew the move without having to see. Hell, I’d done it myself a thousand times. Probably more. When you’re a dateless dork, you tend to get spontaneous erections.

When he turned back around, his cheeks were red. “Not sure I will actually get used to that. Being aroused as a girl is a lot less … obvious.”

I nodded. “That’s the honest truth.”

I walked over to the patio set and grabbed one of the metal seats. Charlie walked over and took another.

“Thanks for helping me out tonight. I was starting to freak a little, no lie.” I shrugged. “I honestly had no idea how involved being a girl really was. I barely got by as a guy.”

He laughed. “You were a great guy, Sammy. I always thought so. Even when I didn’t act like it.” He frowned, glancing away. “I still feel bad for doing that to you.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Cin. Really.” When he turned back to me, I smiled a real smile at him. “I’ve been thinking of it as an adventure of sorts.”

“Of course you would,” he said with a grin.

“Now that I know I have the athletic skills as some sort of pre-installed software, I just need to work on the non-physical stuff. Like clothes and makeup and stuff.”

“That’s where the internet comes in handy. Pretty much everything you want to know about fashion or makeup is there. Just match something that compliments your skin and hair and you’ll be golden.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Anything a former guy can help you with?”

His face dropped into a neutral expression for a moment. Then he shrugged. “Physically, I think I’m okay. Except the new equipment sometimes behaves outside of established parameters.” His face reddened again. “Did you, you know, ever have to … oh god … take care of it?”

Take care of it? Like a pet? It took me a second, but then I realized what he was asking. Having had a similar train of thought in the showers earlier, I nearly laughed out loud. Which, I was sure, would have been a terrible thing to do.

I nodded. “Sometimes. Okay, quite a lot of times.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Teenage guys are pretty much perpetually horny. So, unless we’re getting regular sex, we’re handling it ourselves on an as-needed basis.”

“Wow,” he said, shaking his head. “I never had any clue. Did you, like, do it all the time?”

“Not all the time. Just most days that ended in ‘y’.”

“Perv!” he said, before breaking out into laugh.

I joined in. Why? Because the entire situation was absurd, if you stopped to think about it. Here I was, confessing to my former best friend that I’d masturbated on a daily basis while she was guiding me through a whole new world of being a girl. The reversal had provided us with the opportunity to see into the other’s life without the normal boy-girl barriers.

Honestly, if she had leaned sideways right then and ripped a loud one, I wouldn’t have been offended in the least.

The back door opened, and mom stuck her head out. She looked over to the patio and cleared her throat.

“Penelope, it’s time for dinner. It was nice seeing you again, Charles,” she said, sounding more sincere than not. “Tell your mother I said hello.”

“I will. Thanks.” Then he turned to look at me. “I’ll text you later. Tomorrow we can go over the ballet moves. Of course, if tonight is any indication, you’ll be able to pirouette, grande jeté, and plié like a seasoned pro.”

I laughed. “I have no idea what you even said. You know, other than the actual French translation.”

“No worries,” he said. “Save it for tomorrow. Night.” He walked out through the gate next to the house.

I started walking toward the house. Then, about twenty feet from the porch, I did two cartwheels and a round off. Jumping Catfish, Boy Wonder! I’m a cheerleader!

Dinner was a really strange affair.

Sam usually sat down, scooped a massive amount of food into his mouth, then retreated back to his Fortress of Solitude. However, I knew dinner with Penny’s family was going to be a completely different beast. Even before my father beamed at me and said, in a perfectly normal voice.

“How was your day, Pumpkin?”

Pumpkin? Was I round, orange, and stuffed with a candle? Nope. This was just one of those wonderful new things the wishing stone had added to my life.

A father who gave a damn.

“It was good,” I said, sitting down in my usual spot. “Uh, how was work?”

“Work was work. The Miller account came through splendidly. There’s a good chance they’ll bring the rest of their holdings on board.” He winked at me, then looked across the table at my mother. “I was thinking maybe we’d use my bonus to take a little vacation. How does Hawaii sound to my two favorite ladies?”

Okay, hold the phone. Normally dad only offered to take mom to new and exciting places. I mean, not that I really cared. Having the two of them gone for a long weekend meant I could log into the net and game around the clock. Without anyone opening my door at three in the morning to yell at me to go to bed.

“Sounds like heaven to me,” my mom said. Then she looked at me. “Guess that means we’ll need to go shopping for some new bikinis, huh?”

I was taking a drink of water when she said that. The next thing I knew, I was bent over choking on the liquid that had shot down into my lungs while my father pounded lightly on my back. It was freaking déjà vu from lunch. With me starring in Tabitha’s role.

“I’m okay,” I croaked. “Just went down the wrong pipe.”

“You need to be more careful, Pumpkin,” dad said, cutting into his chicken. “Anyway, I had such a good day that I thought perhaps I would show a little leniency.” He popped the piece of meat into his mouth, chewing slowly for a few minutes while looking at me. Then he swallowed and pointed at me with his fork.

“Do you understand why I was so angry about what you did?”

No, not a clue. About what I’d done or why you were angry. But, just for the heck of it, let’s pretend like I’ve always been your perfect little girl.

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He stared at me for a moment, then went back to cutting his dinner. “I know that you have a big circle of friends, and that you don’t want to be that uncool girl. However, ‘home by ten’ means ‘home by ten’. Not eleven. Not midnight. And most certainly, not one in the morning.”

Okay, so that’s what it was. Precious Penelope had broken her curfew. Sam hadn’t had a real curfew since turning fifteen. So long as I didn’t make a ton of noise and wake anyone up when I came in, neither of them really cared what time I came home at night.

I nodded. “I know. I’m sorry …. Daddy.” I put a little extra sugar in my voice. I’m an adorable girl, sue me for using it to my advantage.

He sighed, glanced over at mom, then looked back at me. After a moment, he leaned sideways and put his hand into his pants pocket. When it reemerged, there was a car key held tightly in its fingers.

“I’m ending your punishment four days early.” He handed the key to me. “Just remember that we are tough on you because we care.”

Ugh. More Hallmark card stuff. I honestly believed I could handle being attracted to a guy easier than I could a set of parents who actually wanted to be a part of my life.

When dinner was over, I discovered the Penny was also the kind of daughter who helped out with cleanup. While dad went into his study for a post-meal relaxation session, mom and I cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher, and put the leftovers away.

Of course, she used it as an opportunity to get more detailed information on Lee without my father overhearing.

“Are you going to go out with him again? I mean, first a date on Saturday. Then you were practically glued to the phone on Sunday. Today it was a ride home from school.” She closed the fridge and gave me a sassy wink. “Sounds like it’s getting serious.”

I didn’t say anything at first. Sam and his mother had never had any conversations about his relationship with the opposite sex. Sure, she really liked Cindy, but even she knew the pretty cheerleader was out of her son’s league. I think her acceptance of Cindy was compensation for not having a daughter.

Something the wishing stone had rectified.

When I realized the Silent Treatment wasn’t going to fly, I sighed. “Mom, I don’t know yet. Yes, I like Lee. Yes, he said he likes me. But there is a whole ton of baggage and we’re trying to take it slow.”

“Slow is good,” she said. “I definitely think you two should take it slow.” She rinsed her hands and dried them on a towel. “What sort of baggage?”

I rolled my eyes. “He used to date Jen.”

She nodded. “I think you mentioned that on Saturday.”

“I did?”

“Yes. You also said something along the lines of ‘she was the dummy who broke up with him’ and ‘it’s not my fault he felt like a girlfriend upgrade’.”

Wow! So Penny really could be a clawed kitty when she wanted to be. I think my respect for my feminine side just doubled. Of course, it was likely that her mean side was reserved only for Jen. I could live with that.

I managed to shrug off most of the other motherly inquiries, then announced that I had more homework to finish before bed. Escaping upstairs, I grabbed the laptop off the desk, flopped on the bed, and pulled up YouTube.

Just for the record, typing in “makeup tutorial for beginners” in the search bar will come back with about a bazillion results. Super helpful. Luckily, halfway down the page I found a video done by a girl who didn’t look too differently than Penny. Same hair color, same complexion, and approximately the same age.

The video was around eighteen minutes long and was a step by step tutorial on how to apply foundation, blush, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow and lipstick. The end result was the highlighting of the girl’s already pretty face without turning her into a clown wannabe. I watched the video twice, then saved it in my favorites. The plan was to bring it back up in the morning and follow the instructions to the letter.

Hopefully that muscle memory trick would be of assistance with that as well.

My phone dinged with a text message from Charlie. In it, he listed the most recent routines Jen had devised and reminded me to focus on everyone being in step. I thanked him for helping me out and promised that I would do what I could to get him some relief from the teasing.

I spent the next hour standing in front of my closet, phone in hand. I was using the web to put names with all the different types of clothing jammed inside. To my absolute not-surprise, a skirt just wasn’t a “skirt”. There were A-lines, asymmetrical, pencil, mermaid, circle, pleated, box pleated, and mini. Shirts weren’t any better. Crop tops, blouses, tunics, peplums, tube tops, camis, off-shoulder, and wraps.

It was a logistical nightmare. I mean, as a guy I could just grab a t-shirt, pair it with some jeans, and I was dressed. As a girl, I needed a quantum computer capable of cracking a Pentagon-level security code just to know which items could be paired with which.

Once again, the interwebs was my friend. I punched in a couple of celebrities that had my hair color and skin tone, then scrolled through their Instagram feeds to see if they showcased anything that looked remotely similar to what I owned. Fortunately, I had moderate success and immediately pulled those items from my closet and put them on the bed in their suggested groups.

After a few minutes, I finally had my wardrobe picked out for the next three days. Friday was game day, so that meant I would go to school already dressed in the cheer outfit hanging on the inside of the closet door. If fate was truly kind, an asteroid would crash into the earth and kill everyone before I faced the music of actually having to wear the damned tiny thing.

As I was putting my clothing selections back into the closet, I heard a chirp come from the laptop on the bed. Bouncing over, I flopped down and pulled up Skype.

The username requesting a connection was “LT49”.

Lee Taylor. Jersey number forty-nine.

Unable to not smile, because of … things, I clicked to accept the call and turned the volume on the computer down low. A second later, the screen filled with Lee’s image. At least, the part of him above the waist, that is.

He was sitting at a desk, obviously in his bedroom. You know, based on the bed visible behind him. He had on a light gray t-shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide how well-defined his chest was. His hair looked a bit damp, like he’d just gotten out of the shower.

Stop it! You are totally not going to sit here and think about Lee being wet and naked in his shower. It’s humiliating.

“Hey,” he said as he leaned closer to the screen. “Is this a bad time?”

Of course it is. I don’t need you calling me and making me think about you and me during off-hours. What are you trying to do to me?

I shook my head. “Nope. Just deciding what to wear tomorrow before I get ready for bed. How about you?”

“Pretty much the same. Just got out of the shower.”

Oh, believe me, I noticed. Dammit! Down, girl! Behave!

“Cool,” I said. “Thanks again for the ride home. Oh, and the, uh, whole asking me to homecoming thing.”

His smile widened. “Thank you as well.”

We chatted for another fifteen minutes about nothing at all of importance. As much as I really didn’t want to admit it, just hearing him talk about anything was entertaining. He had this habit of looking off to the right whenever he was thinking about an answer to a question. When he laughed, he followed up by capturing his bottom lip with his teeth for a second after stopping.

A yawn, real and genuine, slipped out of my mouth. Almost immediately, I clamped my hand over my lips. Lee just laughed and did the teeth thing again.

“Why don’t you go to bed, Pee-Jay? I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he leaned closer to the camera. “If you want, I can pick you up. Save Sarah the trip.”

Now it was my turn to giggle. “Yeah, right. She texted me a little while ago and asked if I had a nice trip home. When I confirmed that I did, she warned me that she was going to pry all the juicy details from me on the way to school. As much as I would like to ride with you, I better not.”

He nodded. “Yeah, the last thing I want to have is Sarah mad at me.”

“You and me both.” I reached toward the disconnect button. “Good night, Lee.”

“Good night, Pee-Jay. Sweet dreams.” Then the feed on his end terminated.

I closed the app, then the laptop, and rolled over onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. The whirlwind inside my mind was fighting the urge to go to sleep. I had awakened that morning to find my whole life, as well as the lives of many others, completely changed from what I was used to. Changing gender was really just the tip of the iceberg. It wasn’t as if Sam had vanished, replaced by Penelope. The propagation waves branching out from that single point affected everything.

My parents were more involved with my life. Something that Penny apparently liked happening. It wasn’t that they cared more for their daughter than they had their son. It was more the fact that I’d put up a wall between us and they’d simply let me. I had the feeling they wouldn’t have been so complacent if Penny tried that.

Then there was the friendship between Penny and Sarah. It wasn’t a relationship that had simply transferred over with the wish. Since Cindy and Sarah hadn’t been closer than being on the same squad. Which begged the question: who was Sarah’s best friend before Pee-Jay existed? I had no idea, except to acknowledge that they were not in that particular position any longer.

Maybe Tracy would know.

Speaking of Tracy, there was Tabitha. She knew I’d used the stone. Knew I used to be a guy named Sam Davenport. Not that she could really do anything about it. The first person she tried to sell that story to would think she was off her rocker. However, until that morning, she had been the co-captain under Jen. Now she wasn’t. That particular wave also affected the rest of the squad. Tabitha was probably not as big a bitch as Jen, but from what Cindy used to say, she ran a really close second.

Now that Penny was the co-captain, I suspected the drills were a little more pleasant. The girl I was now did not seem to be the type to jump down someone’s throat for a simple mistake. I had the feeling that being a Raiderette was a more enjoyable experience now than it had been.

Not that the rest of the girls would know any different.

I planted my hands on either side of my head, forcing myself to abandon the quest to find the bottom of the rabbit hole. For that way lies madness. The only thing I needed to concentrate on was accepting the fact that I was going to be Penelope for the rest of my life, and doing my best to make it a good life.

It was like getting a second chance. Or maybe more like the opportunity to prove you could do the job better than the other guy. Or, in this case, girl. Cindy had made being a female out to be this big roadblock keeping her from doing the things she wanted and avoiding the things she didn’t. Now, she was finding out that being a male wasn’t all wine and roses.

As for me, I was going to show her that it was possible to be a beautiful girl and get what you wanted. I decided I was going to be the best version of Penelope Davenport I could possibly be.

I picked the laptop up and set it back on the desk, plugging it in. Then I went down the hall to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. As I cleaned the day’s meals from my molars, I studied the girl in the mirror. She looked, first and foremost, like she was ready to hit the sack. However, she also looked determined. Confident. Assured. Things Sam would have admitted to being, though he knew it was a lie.

Back in my room, I went ahead and put my books into my backpack. As well as a fresh pair of gym clothes in the smaller bag. Then I stripped out of the sweatpants, tossed them on the back of the chair, and climbed into bed.

I lay in the dark for a few minutes, just staring up at the posters barely illuminated by the streetlights outside. I worried that all the noise in my brain was going to end with me tossing and turning until dawn.

However, I was asleep before I even realized it.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

When the Batman theme dragged me back to consciousness, the first thing I thought was that it couldn’t possibly be time to get up. It was still dark outside my window, meaning it wasn’t even seven o’clock yet.

I fumbled around until my hand found the pointy ears of the Dark Knight’s cowl. Between them was a button that, when pressed, would buy me another fifteen minutes of blissful slumber. However, just as my fingers brushed the raised square of plastic (well, my fingernails, technically), a flood of memories surged into my half-awake brain.

I sat up, glancing around quickly to confirm that, yes, I was still in Penelope’s room. Which, de facto, meant that I was still Penelope. The previous day had been a totally real thing and not some weird-ass dream. Slapping my hand down on the superhero’s head to silence the alarm, I flopped back onto my pillow and sighed.

“You need to get up,” I said to myself. “You set the alarm super early because you knew you’d need the extra time to get ready.”

I allowed the fifteen minutes to pass. Then, when the alarm started again, I groaned, turned it off, and climbed out of bed.

After turning on the lights, I went down the hall to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Even though I still felt I was relatively clean from the bath I took after gym, I figured the water would help energize me. Plus, I could feel the stubble that had appeared on my legs and under my arms. Amazingly, I managed to remove the hair from both areas with not a single cut.

Muscle memory strikes again.

Of course, having put it off for nearly twenty-four hours, I finally took the time to inspect my new equipment. Funny enough, despite watching more than my share of porn, I wasn’t sure what constituted a normal vagina. To me, the little mound above my pelvis and the slightly puffy folds between my legs looked ordinary The hair just above the opening was trimmed into a little thin line.

Wonderful. Penny had a landing strip. I wondered if any guy’s fighter jet had ever made a touchdown? Sam had been a hopelessly pathetic virgin who wasn’t likely to get laid any time before he went off to college. If even then.

Of course, he also hadn’t been a really hot girl who was hella flexible. Penny didn’t seem like the kind of girl who might be quick to “put out” as it were. I was pretty sure she might have done other things, but not the Big One.

Realizing that the clock was ticking, I derailed that train of thought and got out of the bath. Wrapping my towel around me, I pulled a hairdryer from under the sink and used a round bush with a zillion hard spikes on it. I used them in concert to turn what little wave my hair had into a perfectly straight fall. Then I clipped the sides back as I’d done day before, this time using a pair that were peach in color.

Once I was back in my room, I plopped my booty in the chair in front of the desk. In my after-school exploration of the room, I had discovered Penny’s Makeup Warehouse.

The large bottom drawer of the desk contained a folding mirror on a tripod stand that had a light circle around the edge and a side with double magnification. It also was home to a freaking toolbox with what I could only assume was about fifty-thousand dollars’ worth of cosmetics.

I’d been smart enough to jot down the colors and products the girl in the video had used. I pulled these out, put everything else away, then fired up the laptop and navigated back to the tutorial.

The next thirty minutes were a tragedy worthy of a Greek chorus.

It was kind of my own fault, really. I’d been lulled into a false sense of ability by how easy performing the cheer moves had been. Apparently, putting on cosmetics correctly didn’t require muscle memory. It required actual practice. At least to get right the first time.

I had to pause and rewind the video nearly a hundred times. As well as stomp down the hall to wash three horrific disasters off my face. Fortunately, the fourth try was the charm and I was finally able to appear like a beautiful, fresh-faced high schooler. Rather than one of the less wholesome girls who worked the street corners in the seedier parts of downtown.

My success so far left me with a giddy feeling. Hopping up from the desk, I practically bounced (in more ways than one) across the room to the closet. I pulled out the ensemble I’d chosen for the day and placed it on the bed. Then I skipped over to the dresser and pulled out an off-white bra with little strips of lace around the tops of the cups, and a pair of peach thong panties.

Yeah, I know. However, considering the sheer number of them that Penny had, I figured they couldn’t be that uncomfortable, right? Besides, when in Rome and all that.

Funny enough, once I had them on, they weren’t really all that bad. At first, the sensation of something wedged between my butt cheeks was really noticeable. However, after walking around for about five minutes, I didn’t even register it anymore. Talk about weird.

I picked up the peach chiffon skirt and stepped into it. The zipper was conveniently placed on the side, and the soft pleated hem fell to just above my knee. As Cindy would have said, “Cute and flashy, without being trashy”. Then I slipped my arms into the short sleeved blue denim blouse with a scooped neck. Once the front was buttoned closed, the top fit snugly enough to show a tiny bit of cleavage. Just enough to be eye-catching.

To the delightful outfit I added a pearl bangle bracelet, slipped my feet into a pair of peach ankle socks, then topped it off with a pair of light tan ankle boots.

Once I was finished, I stood in front of the mirror for a good five minutes, turning back and forth as I stared at myself. Okay, so all my previous assessments were wrong. I wasn’t just cute. Or pretty. Or beautiful.

The girl looking back at me with the goofy smile was fracking gorgeous.

I grabbed my phone off the charger, shooting Sarah a quick text to tell her she could leave the Eco-Mobile at home. I would be picking her up today. Then I dropped the phone into a side pocket on the backpack, shoved my purse inside with my books, and pranced down the stairs.

Mom was in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee and scrolling through her tablet. She glanced up as I came in, a little sly smile appearing when she saw my attire.

“Looks like someone was feeling especially pretty this morning.”

I paused for a second as I rolled that around in my head. Yeah, I guess I did feel pretty. Which was a thousand times better than feeling ordinary.

“It’s not a big deal,” I said, grabbing a piece of bacon from a platter next to the stove. “I just wanted to wear something nice. Before it gets so cold I’m stuck with sweaters and parkas.”

“Sweetie, you’d be beautiful in a burlap sack. Now, sit down and have a decent breakfast. I’ve made spinach and eggs to go with that bacon you’re munching.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “You have plenty of time.”

I grabbed a plate from the cabinet and scooped some of the eggs from the pan still sitting on one of the burners. I never really ate breakfast as Sam. More likely to grab a cold pastry, if anything. And I certainly didn’t eat with my mom.

When I sat down at the table across from her, a mug of coffee added to the meal, she turned off her tablet and peered at me.

“So, is this nice outfit you’re wearing designed to, perhaps, catch the attention of a certain guy?”

Warmth spread across my face, and I had to stop chewing before I sprayed my mother with half-eaten eggs. I swallowed the lump and chased it with a sip from the mug before daring to answer.

“Mom!” I shook my head. “For your information, I picked this out last night because I through it would really look good on me.” As well as really girly, which was the point. “I didn’t wear it in the hopes that Lee would think it looked good on me.

You know, I think it was the Bard who once said something about a chick protesting way too much.

“Well, if he doesn’t, then his coach needs to pull him off the team, because he would have to be blind.” She laughed and leaned back in her chair. “On a completely different note, you will be on your own for dinner tonight. Your father has to give a speech to the Board of Directors. Something about the second quarter earnings or something. Anyway, the whole event is a dinner and cocktail party.”

I nodded slowly, chewing another bite of eggs. There was something in her voice, like the tale she was telling wasn’t really the whole story. Or even the purpose of the story.

“O….kay?” I said, arching a brow.

“It’s at the country club over in Rockland. Lord only knows why they’re having it all the way over there, but they are. So, chances are that it’ll be at least eleven-thirty or later by the time we got home.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll manage to fend for myself.”

The little smile on her face widened a bit. “You do understand what I’m telling you. Don’t you, Penelope?”

I crinkled up my brow. Mom was definitely acting a little strange. Or maybe not. Perhaps she always talked in cryptic sentences.

“Uh … I guess?”

She laughed, gave me a little wink, then picked up her tablet again. “Just remember, we will be home at eleven-thirty at the earliest. Definitely not before then.”

I forked the last bit of eggs into my mouth, drained the coffee cup, then put everything in the dishwasher. Grabbing my backpack, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed my car keys from the peg on the wall.

“I gotta go, mom. Love you.”

She nodded. “I love you, too, dear. Don’t forget that your father and I won’t be home until …”

“Eleven-thirty,” I said, trying not to roll my eyes. “Got it.”

I went outside and over to the Jeep. It took a minute for me to get over my jealousy. Penny had obviously been better at cajoling dear old dad into getting her a relatively new, really nice, ride. The unfairness of it wanted to itch at my skin like a burr.

Duh, dummy. You are Penny now. Which means that’s your car.

Climbing in behind the wheel, I glanced over to see that it was a five-speed manual. Rather than an automatic.

“Bonus points to you, Pee-Jay,” I murmured. “You might be a bouncy bimbo, but you are woman enough to drive stick.”

I backed out of the driveway, shifted into first, and rolled off down the street. It wasn’t until I was two blocks from my house that I realized that I had absolutely, positively no fracking clue where Sarah’s house was. I’m sure Penny had been there so many times she could drive it blindfolded. Sam, however, could not.

I pulled over to the curb and shut off the engine. Pulling my phone out of the backpack, I started to dial Sarah’s number.

Slow down, genius. What are you going to say? Hey best friend, I can’t remember where you live so could you text me the address? Thanks!

I sighed and tapped on the screen impatiently. I could always call her and say that something had come up and ask her to drive herself to school. Though, that would only delay the problem. At some point, I was going to be expected to navigate between our two residences. Better to figure out the details now, before I try to do it with Sarah in the passenger seat.

Turning on my phone, I entered Sarah’s number into a Google search. Nada. Then I tried searching the name “Strand” along with our town’s name. Wow! Only ten results. Which would be easier to narrow down if I knew her parents’ names. Jesus, how could I be best friends with someone I didn’t really know?

Cindy! I pulled up Penny’s contact list, hoping Charlie’s number was still in the directory. There, among all the “M” entries was his name. I pressed the call button and put the phone to my ear.

He answered on the third ring. “Well, this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Knock it off. I need help,” I said, wincing at the annoyance in my voice. “Uh, sorry. Inner Bitch slipped out.”

There was a slight pause before he said anything. “No problem. What’s wrong?”

“I’m supposed to pick Sarah Strand up this morning and drive us both to school. However …”

He laughed. It was a kind of loud, barking thing. Not at all like the little musical laugh Cindy used to have. “You don’t know where she lives, do you?”

“Ha-ha. Please help me.” Then I grinned. “You’re my only hope.”

“Really, Pee-Jay? Star Wars quotes at seven-thirty in the morning?”

“I’m desperate.”

“I can imagine.” Then he sighed. “I didn’t hang out with Sarah a lot. She was cool and all, but I think she thought I was going to make a move on Chad or something. We had a Raiderette party at her house last summer.”

“Great story!” I said. “Do you remember the address?”

I drove off toward the neighborhood Charlie had told me Sarah lived in. He couldn’t remember the exact address, but he did remember the street name. He also said that he knew the Force would be with me and had no doubts I would find it.

When I turned down the alleged street, I began to sweep my gaze back and forth at the driveways on either side of the road, looking for her Prius. I wasn’t even about to entertain the possible notion she might be parked inside the garage that every one of the giant houses seemed to have.

Then, right when I feared I was going to have to bite the bullet and call her, I spotted the car. It was parked on the street in front of a large three-story brick house. I pulled the Jeep into the driveway and killed the engine.

Before I could climb out, Sarah came out the side door, waving as she pranced her way over to get in on the passenger side.

“Hey,” she said, closing the door and pulling on her seatbelt. “I thought you would have been here fifteen minutes ago. What’s the matter? Get lost?”

You have no idea, girlfriend. No idea at all.

“Just being fashionably tardy,” I said with a giggle as I reversed back into the road and drove off toward the school.

Sarah tilted her head, looking me up and down before whistling. “Fashionable is definitely the right word. You look smoking, Peej. Is that a new skirt?”

I had the feeling that Sarah was well aware of every article of clothing in Penny’s closet. Hell, she’d probably been with her for the purchase of most of the wardrobe. So, either she was being ironic, or this really was a new acquisition.

“Yeah. Felt like giving it a debut run today.”

“Well, Lee is going to love it.”

Ugh. What did it matter what Lee thought of my clothes? I mean, yeah, I wanted him to notice me. But that’s not the reason I picked this particular outfit.

Or was it? Did I subconsciously choose something super flirty to wear with the hope that he would like it? Surely my descent into girldom hadn’t dropped that far, right?

I turned the corner, slowing down a bit when I saw a police car coming the other way. A little nervous wave rolled through me, landed in my belly, and hung out until the cruiser vanished from my rear-view mirror.

“My mom was acting totally weird this morning,” I said to her before rehashing the entire conversation that had taken place at the breakfast table.

I felt like she’d been trying to convey some sort of secret message she fully expected her daughter to understand. However, the guy portion of my brain had disrupted the signal, and I optimistically hoped a real female would be able to solve it.

Turns out, I was right.

“That’s awesome,” she said, grinning. “You’re mom is the coolest.”

Great. So Sarah did understand what mom was trying to tell me. Problem was, she thought I already understood as well.

“You don’t think that was a bit weird?” I asked. “Maybe even cryptic?”

Objection, Your Honor. Leading the witness.

Sarah shook her head. “Well, she really couldn’t just come right out and tell you to be home before eleven-thirty, could she? Then she could be considered an accomplice.”

I blinked, nearly missing a rapidly approaching stop sign. I jammed on the brakes, decreasing our speed rapidly. Sarah threw her hand on the dash, her eyes wide.

“Sorry,” I said. “Take a couple of days off driving and you get totally rusty.”

So. Mom and Dad were going to be out late. Mom had been telling me that if I didn’t want to come home right after cheer practice, then I needed to at least be there before the two of them returned. Otherwise, I would likely be grounded again.

Sarah was right. My mother was pretty cool.

When we got to school, I pulled into the parking spot Sarah’s car had taken the previous day. Interestingly enough, there was a dark red Mustang parked five spaces down. Even more intriguing was the fellow in the blue and white letterman’s jacket leaning against the hood talking with Chad.

Lee’s face seemed to light up when he saw me climb out of the Jeep. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I strolled to him. Trying to come off as more casual than I felt. Each step made my pulse a little quicker. The decreasing distance only seeming to increase the pull of attraction.

Sarah, on the other hand, blew past me like it was the last lap in a race and practically tackled Chad against the side of Lee’s car. Their mouths met a half-second later, leading into a kiss so intense you would have thought they hadn’t seen each other in years. Rather than just last night.

When I stopped next to the car, Lee looked from me, to them, and shook his head.

“Alright, you two. Chill out or go get a room.”

Chad reluctantly pulled him tongue out of Sarah’s mouth. “I vote for the room.”

Sarah laughed and slapped him on the arm. “Behave.”

“Hey,” I said, looking up at Lee.

He turned back around, his eyes seeming to drink me in again. Funny thing was, it wasn’t a creepy stare. Or even a leering one. It wasn’t like he was sitting next to the stage at Hard Bodies ogling the stripper in front of him. It was more like a pensive, appreciative look. Like you might find on someone standing in front of a Monet at the Louvre.

It made my heart flutter wildly.

“Morning,” he said. “You look really nice.”

I smiled, feeling a bit of the determined boldness I’d thought about before bed surging to the forefront of my thoughts. “Nice enough to kiss, perhaps?”

He looked momentarily taken aback. Like he wasn’t sure what he’d just heard. Then he slipped his arm around me and leaned down to press his lips against mine. That electricity I’d come to expect from being in contact with him returned, tingling my toes.

Among other, more intimate, places.

My lips parted on their own and I felt his tongue slide between them, rolling around as it sought out my own. The heat of the moment rushed between us, my pulse throbbing in my ears. After what seemed to be far too short a time, he withdrew from my mouth and pulled his head back an inch or two.

“Wow,” he said in a slightly breathless tone. “That was … wow.”

Sarah, who had been watching the display of affection, giggled. “That was beautiful.”

Chad grinned, shaking his head. “I haven’t see my boy that stunned since the time that defensive end from Central clocked him from behind.”

I stuck my tongue out at the both of them before looking back at Lee His face was just as flushed and bright red as I was sure mine was. After a few seconds of silence, he smiled down at me.

“Good morning,” I said with a little giggle. Then I pulled back from him, looped my arm in around Sarah’s, and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, boys. We don’t want to be late.”

The four of us walked across the campus toward the school’s entrance. Along the way, it seemed that everyone we passed (or passed us) said hello. While we all generally received some type of greeting, I couldn’t help but notice that my name was called more than any of the other three’s. Once we were up the steps and inside, we had to split up.

Sarah and Lee went down one hallway, my best friend whispering something I was pretty sure could be considered “devious” to the boy whose mouth I could still taste. Chad and I went down another, but the rugged football player stopped to talk to some of his friends.

I went to my locker, pulled open the door, and tossed my little gym bag inside. Tilting the door a bit, I preened into the little mirror affixed there. Checking to make sure I still looked as fresh as I had when I left the house.

Satisfied with my reflection, I flicked the door closed … only to find Tabitha standing there glaring at me.

Before I could respond, she moved closer, until our chests were nearly touching.

“You’re a disgusting pervert,” she hissed, almost snarling. “I always knew you were some kind of creepy freak, but I never would have thought you to be so desperate to touch a woman you’d turn yourself into one.”

I leaned back, partially afraid she was going to follow up with fangs flashing as she buried them into my exposed neck.

“I didn’t do this to me,” I retorted, keeping my voice just as low as hers. “This wasn’t my wish.”

“Well, you seem to be getting along fabulously.” Her eyes narrowed with malicious glee. “Maybe you really wanted it, but just didn’t know.”

“Screw you,” I spat. “At least I can honestly claim my changes were accidental. How did it feel, dicking over your friend like a spiteful bitch?”

Her hard stare immediately widened as her cheeks went flush with obvious embarrassment. Was she ashamed about what she had done to Tracy? Or the fact that I knew about it? Regardless, she quickly recovered from her initial dismay and returned to her predatory mode.

“Don’t get too comfortable in your new position, Davenport. You might be the Bitch Princess now, but when the Queen gets back, she’s going to throw you out with the rest of the trash. When she’s done with you, you’ll be lucky if even those dorks you used to jerk off with will have anything to do with you.”

I smirked, cocking my hip to the side. “Color me scared. News flash, Tabby. I’m the second-most popular girl at Benson High. I could ruin you by the end of the day, if I was so inclined. Jennifer might not like me, but since she tapped Pee-Jay to be her co-captain, rather than you, I think it’s fair to say I think I’ll be okay.”

She laughed, a merciless bark that brought the momentary attention of more than one set of eyes. “You are so stupid. You’re only co-captain because of that wish. Jen’s going to throw you off the squad the second she returns.”

“Why would she?” I asked her, trying to sound bold. However, there was something in the blonde’s eyes. Something that I found worrisome. “What are you going to do, huh? Run to Jen and tell her I used to be some loser nerd guy she and her sycophants used to torment?” I gestured down at my adorable self. “Going to try to persuade her that Pee-Jay didn’t exist before yesterday? She’ll laugh in your face and say that you’ve lost your mind.”

She snorted softly, then leaned in again.

“I don’t have to tell her shit, doofus. She already knows who you really are.”

I felt my heart seize in mid-beat. “What?”

Tabitha rolled her eyes, grinning like a madwoman. “The wishing stone, Penelope.” She sounded out each syllable like it was a curse word. “Jennifer’s already used it.”