Chapter 2
Tori's first day at Hollywood Arts was an awe-inspiring experience. She stepped through the school's entrance, taking in the impressive architecture and the vibrant atmosphere that surrounded her. As she navigated the bustling corridors, her sense of wonder only grew.
Suddenly, she rounded a corner and bumped into a girl with bright, crimson hair. Startled, they both stepped back. The girl, offered a friendly smile and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Cat!"
Tori, still taken aback by the encounter, replied with a slightly embarrassed chuckle, "Oh, Cat, like the animal, right?"
Cat raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion in her voice, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, I like cats," Tori said, hoping to dispel any lingering awkwardness.
Cat immediately lit up and said, "Me too!" They shared a brief moment of feline appreciation before Cat, seemingly in her own world, continued on her way.
Tori, however, still needed help finding her way to class. She spotted a peculiar student with a puppet and approached them, inquiring, "Hey, do you know where Sikowitz's class is?"
Cat left abruptly, not lingering. The puppet-wielding student, Robbie, nodded and with a kind smile, gave her straightforward directions, "Sure, just go down the hall, hang a left, and it's the second door on the right."
Tori thanked him for his help and followed the given directions.
Tori navigated the bustling hallways of Hollywood Arts, still marveling at the vibrant atmosphere when she suddenly collided with a tall, handsome boy, spilling his coffee all over him.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Tori exclaimed, immediately wishing the amulet could make her disappear. Instead, she hastily began to clean him off, patting at the coffee stains with her sleeve.
The boy, Beck, flashed a charming smile, clearly amused by her flustered attempts to help. "It's okay, really. Accidents happen." He seemed to enjoy the attention, his eyes lingering on her.
As Tori continued to dab at his shirt, she noticed his appreciative gaze and felt a flutter of nervous excitement. Just then, a voice cut through the air.
"What's going on here?" Jade, Beck's girlfriend, appeared behind him, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene. From her vantage point, it looked far more intimate than it was, with Tori kneeling and her face close to Beck's midsection.
Beck quickly intervened, "Jade, it's nothing. She just spilled some coffee. It's fine." He gently pulled Jade towards the classroom, leaving a frazzled Tori behind. Tori couldn't help but notice that Beck had been checking her out, and she realized Jade had every reason to be jealous.
Inside the classroom, the eccentric teacher, Sikowitz, greeted everyone with his usual flair. "Class, we have a new student today. Meet Tori Vega!"
All eyes turned to Tori as she took a deep breath and waved shyly. Andre gave her a reassuring smile.
Sikowitz then announced an improv exercise. Jade, chosen as the improv captain, selected her team members with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"Eli, Cat, Beck... and Tori," Jade called out.
Tori's nerves skyrocketed as she joined the group. The improv scenario began, and Jade, under the guise of the lesson, had decided to humiliate Tori by making her the Family dog. And while Tori crouched helplessly on all fours, Jade deliberately dumped a cup of iced coffee over Tori's head.
The cold liquid soaked through Tori's clothes, and she felt humiliated as the class laughed. Unable to bear it, she ran out of the classroom and straight to the girls' bathroom.
Panting and shivering, Tori tried to compose herself. But as she looked in the mirror, she saw her clothes tightening and tearing apart, exposing her underwear. Her heart pounded with panic.
"What the heck? How can coffee make my clothes shrink?" she wondered aloud. Then she saw her wrist glowing. The amulet! It was at work. She stared at the mirror and screamed in shock.
There, looking back at her, was a really hot guy…. Like even hotter than Beck. Tall and muscular , his dark hair long and wavy. Tori had disappeared.
"But how do I come back?" she whispered, bewildered.
At that moment, the bathroom door swung open, and Cat and Jade walked in. They both stopped short, eyes wide, staring at the guy standing in the middle of the girls' bathroom in ripped clothes.
Cat's eyes took a good look at Tori's musculature. "Whoa daddy…"
Tori screamed and held the rags of her clothes close ensuring he wasn't exposing himself.
Jade's face twisted with anger. "Pervert!" she yelled, swinging her bag at him.
Tori—now a boy—ducked and sprinted out of the bathroom, dodging Jade's furious swings. He ran to the boys' locker room.
heart racing, Tori looked around and sighed in relief that it was empty . Tori had no desire to see a naked man… ever.
She looked himself in the mirror and frowned and turned to look around for something. He found some gym clothes to wear. As he changed, he desperately wondered how to return to his original form.
Hidden in the safety of the locker room, Tori, now Vic, pondered, trying to figure out how to reverse the amulet's spell.
"I guess I better get back to Chinatown."
