Chapter 4 - New and Improved
Virgil wears an annoyed expression on his face as he walks down the hall. Tiffany walks with him inasmuch that she is dragged around by the dark-haired boy.
"How did you even know it was me?"
"I'm still me inside, so I figured that you might still be you, even with…different packaging. That reminds me, could you have drawn a little more attention to yourself?"
"What do you mean?" The girl sounds a little nervous.
"I caught you staring at your boobs."
"Hey! It's not like I asked for this size." Tiffany puts her hands to her chest, almost like she was framing it. "And you think that something at the museum may have done this to us?"
"I can't think of anything else. Now we just need to go back to the museum and find the thing that changed us. We can go after school. That's the earliest time before any suspicion can be raised."
At these last couple of statements, Tiffany slips her dainty hand out of her companion's grasp. "Hey, where's the fire? There's nothing saying we have to change back so soon, is there?"
"So you like being a girl, Timmy?"
"He" perks up. "I can think of a couple reasons."
Virgil narrows his eyes. "Not funny."
"Come on. A dude would find that hilarious."
"Yeah. Too bad for you I'm not a dude, just like you are not a chick!"
"What's that matter? If you've got it, flaunt it." Tiffany strikes a pose, her hand on her hip.
"Wow." Coming up behind Virgil is Trixie, who brightens at seeing the girl. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."
"Well…I guess we don't run in the same circles."
"I guess we need to change that, don't we?" The rich girl turns to Virgil. "And who's this? This wouldn't happen to be your boyfriend, would it?"
Tiffany glares at him. "No. No it wouldn't." The tone of the girl's voice is cold enough to freeze water.
"Oh." Trixie pats his backside, eliciting a blush from the boy. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." The dark-haired girl strolls away.
"I guess so", Tiffany says to no one in particular. She heads off in the opposite direction.
Virgil gags a little. "He" had wanted to be flirted with, but not like this.
XxXxXxXxX
One situation for which no one can be prepared is becoming a member of the opposite gender, but if one is forced to prepare, it helps for one to have assistance.
"You're gonna teach me what?" The girl is near hysteria with her question.
"How to walk", the boy states matter-of-factly.
"I know how to walk, Tootie."
"Yes, as a man, but you don't exactly fit that category right now. Also, there's a certain way that women carry themselves: graceful, swan-like. You can't just trudge along."
"Who's gonna care how I walk?" The girl puts her hands on her hips. She seems to take this personally.
"People with eyes, for one thing." The boy motions to the people walking in the park. "Now, watch me." Virgil does a feminine stride, waving his arm for emphasis.
Tiffany barely contains a snicker. "You look really g…"
The boy stops suddenly and turns, a finger extended. "Don't say it."
"I was gonna say 'girly'."
"I'm a girl, remember? Now you try."
"Fine." Mimicking Virgil's arm wave, Tiffany walks around. The boy gives a nod of approval…until he sees the girl's hips swaying back and forth. The girl catches him staring. "Like what you see?"
The boy grunts in disgust. "Don't flatter yourself." He bends over a little and groans.
Tiffany runs to his side. "What's wrong?"
"I'm never going to get used to this." Virgil's voice is strained, like he's carrying a great weight.
The girl looks at herself, then at the crouched way he's bent. "Of course." The girl nods her head. "I knew I looked good."
Virgil tries to stand up, pulling his shirt over the front of his pants. "Right. Also, do you really need to have your arm out?"
"You did." Tiffany punctuates the comment with a smug smile.
Virgil groans as he stands before the girl.
"So, how'd I do?"
"Mmmm…not bad."
"That's good enough for me." Tiffany walks toward the cobblestone path.
Virgil chases after her. "Is there anything I need to know about being a guy; using the bathroom and like that?"
"Just let it flow and eyes on your own junk." The attitude of the girl seems strangely casual.
The boy adjusts his glasses. "Gotcha."
"Is there anything I need to know about being a woman?"
"Not much. You ever sit down to pee?" The girl hesitates; inside, she's all man. "Timmy!"
"Once or twice."
"Good, then you're set. Oh, and no feeling yourself up, especially in public. That's the kind of thing that people view as weird."
"What! It's not like this is your body I'm in!"
"I mean it, Timmy. Look, but don't touch…or look."
"Fine. Same goes for you."
"Please. I have some self-control."
Tiffany waves her hand. "Eh. That won't last long."
XxXxXxXxX
Several pointers later, the teens went home. Though she expressed annoyance on more than one occasion, Tiffany had to admit to herself (but not Virgil) that these tips were fairly useful. Virgil, "himself", was annoyed for a different reason: the museum was closed for re-painting. The soonest that they could attempt a switch was two days.
At their respective houses, they glanced at old photo albums. Virgil picked up on the fact that this is how their lives would have gone had they been born the opposite gender. He couldn't help but share this news with Tiffany. He felt it necessary for them to have each other's numbers to update them on any…unusual happenings. She, meanwhile, was shocked at all of her feminine clothing; would she even be wearing all of this in her lifetime?. The two of them slept pretty well, all things considered.
The following morning, they went to school, where things were fairly normal…for the first few hours, at least.
Virgil opened his locker and grabbed a folder. English class was his favorite. Absorbing the literature of so many revered writers allowed him escape from the inanity of his classmates.
As he closed it… "Heads up!"
A football flew into his hands, causing his folder to fall to the floor. He spots a bunch of jocks running toward him. Part of him was thinking, "Good God, I don't want to die.", while another part was thinking, "Jesus, why do seniors get to do whatever the hell they want?"
The older students stop short of slamming the boy into the lockers. One of them steps forward. "Nice catch, bruh. Ever think of going out for football?"
Virgil clears his throat. "N-not really. I need to focus on my studies."
The jocks erupt with laughter. One of them slaps Virgil's back, sending his glasses flying. He reaches up and grabs them before they hit the floor.
The bell rings. The jocks head down the hallway. "Good hands. I'm Pat, by the way."
"Honor's all yours. I'm Virgil."
"Weird name, but you seem like a good guy." Pat runs off. "See you 'round."
Virgil waves half-heartedly. "Yeah…right."
XxXxXxXxX
In the cafeteria, students talk, study, goof off…pretty much everything except eating goes on in the area. With a tray full of food, Tiffany walks around, looking for a space. The student body seems to be even more cliquish than she anticipated. A dainty hand waves in the air.
"Hey!" It's Trixie and she looks very happy to see her.
Tiffany looks behind her from both sides. She puts a hand up and gestures, as if to say, "Who, me?"
Trixie repeats the welcome. Tiffany shrugs and walks over. The brown-haired girl sits down.
"So, what's your name?"
"Ti…ffany."
"I'm Trixie. You know, there's something about you I can't put my finger on."
"Like we've met before?" There is hope in the girl's voice.
"No. Like we could be great friends."
"Oh. I guess that's good." Before she can do anything else, Tiffany feels herself wrapped in a big hug.
"That's better than good." A perpetual burn-out passes by the table and sees the outpour of affection.
"Hey. Get a room."
Tiffany peels Trixie off of her and glares at the offender. "Get bent, loser."
The dark-haired girl was stung by that comment. For some reason, her mind goes right to her friend. Her best friend.
XxXxXxXxX
"Oh, mom, will we ever get back to Dimmsdale?"
A middle-aged woman with blonde locks looks toward her daughter. An uncertain smile is on her face. "It all depends."
Taking a cruise for the weekend was not uncommon in Veronica's family. What was uncommon was that the captain, seventeen years a man of the sea, should miss such an obstacle as an underground hill.
Over two hundred people were on the ship when it went down. Everyone survived, but a good deal of them were upset at having their getaway cut so short. Among the people trying to make contact with rescue…anyone was Veronica's father. Having given up on a cell phone signal long ago, he joined some of the other castaways in forming letters in the sand.
No way a plane is missing the word 'HELP' spelled out in ten-foot letters. Sometimes, the most clichéd methods work best.
XxXxXxXxX
Her best friend who hadn't contacted her in over a week. Trixie's wistful look changes to one of anger. She turns to Tiffany. "Say, how would you feel about a sleepover."
"Sounds nice. When?"
"Tonight."
Tiffany's mouth hangs open. After a moment, she regains her voice. "Tonight tonight?"
"I know it's short notice, but I think we ought to get to know each other. I mean, that's what friends do, right?"
"Um, yeah. Right." The brown-haired girl looks overwhelmed, as well she should be.
"Oh, Tiffany, you're the best." Trixie hugs her friend once again.
"Look at those two over there. They think we're not looking, but we are."
From across the table sits Pat and some of his teammates. Each of them leers at the well-figured freshman embracing. Looking out of place, in terms of behavior and size, is Virgil.
"They look soooo awesome." The younger boy takes a sip of milk.
"Especially the cutie with the brown hair." Pat's comment causes Virgil to cough up the beverage.
"Whoa. You feeling all right?"
Virgil clears his throat. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine." He tries to wipe up the milk spilled on and around his tray.
"I bet you they don't stop at hugging." Another of Pat's crew speaks up, garnering Virgil's attention from the slight mess.
The freshman peers from under his glasses. "Come again?"
"Two fine ladies like that, no boyfriend, spending time together. One could get ideas."
"Wait. How do you know they don't have boyfriends?"
A shrug of manly shoulders. "News travels fast."
At that moment, Lina walks to the table, carrying a tray with a salad on it. Her thinking was 'if I don't watch my figure, then no one else will'. She never cared much for Pat's jock buddies, but couldn't do much about it; they were a package deal. Her expression perks up a bit at the stranger in their midst. "And who is this?"
"Oh, this is Virgil. He's got great hands."
Lina sits across from him, 'I'll bet he does' reverberating in her mind. She notices that the athletes are staring at the girls across the room. She stretches her leg under the table.
Virgil continues to eat. He feels something ruffling his pants. The boy looks up from his meal. He sees Lina, a hungry look on her face. She gives a predatory smile and a wink.
The young man exhales deeply. "I hate high school."