SRU: High School Reunion free porn video

This is written for the third anniversary of the SRU universe. It's a little late, but somethings can't be helped. The first story specifically designated as SRU (although I spelled it all out the first couple of posts) was posted to the TSA-TALK mailing list on October 8, 1996. At first, I wasn't sure if I would have the time to write an anniversary story. There was the crossover series with the Altered Fates universe to consider, although that project now looks dead. And I didn't have an idea. But then, after a busy October 2nd (an ARRL SW Regional Conference in the morning and afternoon, following by my 30-year high school reunion in the evening and early morning), I was driving home and had an idea. Although I had the story fairly well plotted out by the anniversary date, it obviously wasn't ready to be posted. This may very well be the final story I post to Mindy's TG-Fiction list. It's not because I want it to be the last story; it's just that I don't generally write fast enough to write another before the list itself joins its progenitor Fictionmania in our memories. But for now, it's still there, and I have a story to post. As always, enjoy. Or not. It's your choice, just as it's always been, regardless of what others may try to tell you. SRU: High School Reunion By Bill Hart Mark Russell sat at the desk right alongside the one occupied by his longtime best friend Ralph Jackson. They'd known each other since they were little boys, just barely able to walk. Including the four years they'd spent at the State University, they had attended school together since kindergarten. Shortly after their graduation from the university, both of them had applied to and subsequently received job offers from the same small company. For the best friends, it was a dream come true; not only did they share an apartment, they were able to work together, drive into work together, and their desks sat side by side. They worked long hours without a single complaint, which greatly pleased their boss and the company's owner, Mr. Willerson, whose one wish was that his own sons would work as hard as his two best employees had done since he'd hired them six years earlier. But tonight was their ten-year high school reunion. After ten years, both of them were still single, and, at this moment, neither of them had any serious attachments. That wasn't very unusual for Ralph, who had never seemed overly serious about any of the girls he'd ever dated. But Mark was a little distraught - just two days ago, he had broken up with Laurel Traylor. Mark had been dating Laurel fairly steadily over the past year. He'd been thinking of asking her to marry him, but every time he'd tried something unexpected had always prevented him from popping the question. She was just a few years younger than he was. He'd asked her to go with him to his reunion tonight, and she'd readily accepted. However, that was before their big fight and breakup. And now, having already paid out the $176 per couple fee required by the reunion committee, he was stuck with an extra ticket. As he'd discussed his situation with his good friend Ralph, who had, as a student, never been much of a joiner or expressed much school spirit, he'd still been surprised to discover his friend hadn't sent his money back. Ralph had simply decided that he wasn't going. He had seen no reason, good, bad, or indifferent, to pay good money to attend some social function with either the snobs who had ignored him or any of those other assholes who had made his life hell throughout four very long years of high school. When lunchtime arrived, Mark and Ralph headed across the street to the little sandwich shop in the mall, as they habitually did every Friday for lunch. "Do you want to go with me to the reunion tonight, Ralph?" "What the hell for, Mark? All of those snobs and assholes never gave us the time of day ten years ago. What makes you think they'll give a shit whether or not either of us shows up tonight?" "I know," replied Mark with a sigh. "But I already spent the money on two tickets. And it's non-refundable. I really hate seeing the $88 I spent for Laurel going to waste." "You're still going? I can't believe you're serious." "Didn't I just tell you I already paid out all that money to go. If I wasn't thrilled about seeing half of what I paid going to waste, what the hell makes you think I'd willingly throw the whole damn amount away?" "I guess that's true; I hadn't thought about it like that. It's a shame that money doesn't grow on trees," smiled Ralph. "But, let's say I decide to go with you tonight; do I have to pay you back?" "Only if you want to, Ralph." "Okay, then I guess I'll go - just to keep you company. If I have a good time, which I really doubt is possible, then I'll pay you back." ***** As they reached the mall, they entered, as they usually did, through the seldom-used side entrance. "You know something, Ralph, I don't really feel like having a sandwich today," said Mark. "What else would you like to have for lunch?" "I don't know," replied Ralph with a smile. "How about pizza?" "Again?" "What's wrong with eating pizza? I love pizza." "But everyday? And for all three meals?" "Look Mark, if we have pizza today, then I'll pick up the tab." Ralph began to laugh. "It's the least I can do for someone who's taking little old me to our ten-year reunion tonight." Mark laughed. "Okay, then we'll have pizza for lunch. But no anchovies, or the deal's off." But as they made their way across the mall towards the pizza shop, Ralph caught sight of a small shop tucked away in an out-of-the-way, nearly unnoticeable, nook next to the Hallmark store. Considering how often he was in the mall, Ralph thought it odd that he'd never seen that place before. "Say Mark, do you have any idea when that odd little place over there opened up?" "What odd little place?" "That strange looking place over there; the one squeezed between the Hallmark store and the Kinko's." "There's nothing between those two stores," said Mark. "There can't be; they share a wall." But as he looked across in that direction, he was surprised to see that a small shop had actually been wedged in between the other two stores somehow. "Spells R Us," he read from the old- fashioned sign hanging above the door. "I've never heard of them before. I wonder what kind of stuff they sell." "Why don't we go and take a quick peek inside?" suggested Ralph, as he began walking towards the door of little shop. "What? And miss having your pizza?" "I think the pizza will keep for a few more minutes," replied Ralph. "I'm just curious." "They say curiosity killed the cat," chided Mark. "That's just some old wives' tale," smiled Ralph, "which means you and I should be perfectly safe. The last time I checked, we were neither old nor wives." As they reached the door of the shop, they inexplicably paused in front of it for a moment. "Do you still want to go inside?" asked Mark hesitantly. "Or should we just forget the whole thing and go have that pizza instead?" "We're going inside." Ralph reached for the door, then turned the knob and slowly opened it. Overhead, a little bell tinkled to announce their arrival. And as soon as Mark and Ralph had stepped across the threshold, the door slowly swung shut behind them. "This is a really odd place," said Mark, as he quickly scanned the nearly empty shelves of the shop. "There's next to nothing inside this place to buy." "You're right, this is really weird," agreed Ralph. "You know, I've heard the rents for even the smallest stores in this mall are really outlandish. I wonder how whoever runs this place makes any money without having much stock on hand?" "It sure looks like we wasted our time coming in here. I don't think there's much sense in wasting any more time sticking around here any longer." "I guess not." However, before they had time to turn towards door, a wizened old man, huffing and puffing, wearing an equally worn, almost ancient looking bathrobe, entered from the back storeroom. "I'm terribly sorry about being a few minutes late, as well as not being here to greet you on your arrival, Ralph and Mark," he apologized. "But I was otherwise occupied with a minor, but still quite important matter I've been working on for quite some time now." Ralph and Mark looked at each other with surprise. In near unison they asked the old man, "How did you know our names?" The old man sighed. "Do you two have any idea just how many times I've answered that very question in my life?" The boys shook their heads. "I thought not. I've answered that particular question more times than you could possibly imagine. I'd guess the answer at - in the words of Carl Sagan - billions and billions of times, at least." He glanced towards the counter. "No wonder you asked how I knew your names, my sign is missing. But, as it's lunchtime, I suppose it must have gone out for a quick bite to eat," he mumbled. "But none of that really answers your question; does it?" The boys simply nodded. "It's really quite simple; I know your names because I'm a wizard." The old man beamed. "You're a wizard?" they asked in disbelief. Ralph looked at Mark, and Mark looked back at Ralph. "I am not - to use your vernacular - 'a loony tune'," proclaimed the old man. The boys were once again stunned. "How did you know I was thinking that?" they asked, still in near unison. "I told you, I'm a wizard," he replied, knowing he didn't want to try and explain to them how many people assumed him mad and jumped to their same incorrect conclusion; it was bad for the mystique and ambiance he tried to present to his clientele. "Welcome to my humble little shop of things arcane." "What are we doing here?" asked Ralph. Mark gave his friend a puzzled look. "We're here because you got curious about what was being sold in this shop." "That's reasonably close, Mark," replied the wizard. "But you're actually here because you need something from me. Otherwise you wouldn't have found my store." "Just what do you think we need from you?" "Actually, it's more what you need from me, Mark. However, Ralph will also have to help out as well," smiled the old man. "High school reunions can often be a traumatic pain in the ass. Don't you think?" "You can say that again," replied Ralph absently. "How did you know about our high school reunion?" "Really, Mark. Haven't we just been through all of that," said the old man. "Just how skeptical can you be? And just how many times must I tell you I'm a wizard before you finally believe me?" He pointed towards the counter. "Now that it has returned from lunch, just look at that sign over there." Both of them turned towards the counter. A small sign, which hadn't been there before, read "He knows all these things because he's a wizard". "I don't believe in wizards or magic," stated Mark. "But I do," added Ralph. "You know, this is really way cool." The old man smiled, but he'd already known Ralph was the believer of these two. "What can I do to convince you, Mark?" "There's nothing you can do to make me believe in magic, or that you're a wizard." "Hmm. That sounds like a challenge - I love a challenge, you know," replied the old man. "And, if I'm not mistaken, I think I have the perfect item with which to convince you of the truth of my words." The old man went over to the counter, where the cash register sat. After opening the register drawer, he removed what appeared to be a copper, possibly even brass, coin roughly the size of a half-dollar. "What's that?" asked Mark, his curiosity waxing. "It's the instrument of your convincement, of course." "What's it supposed to do?" asked Ralph in awe. "It's an enchanted coin. It grants wishes to whoever holds it and makes a wish." "Yeah, right," replied the still doubtful Mark. "Do we get just one wish?" asked Ralph. "Or do we get three wishes like they always get in all the stories I've read?" "Neither, Ralph. This is reality, not some fantasy," replied the old man. "You get as many wishes as you need." Ralph stared at the coin. "Are you saying there's no limit to the number of wishes we can have." "Of course not," replied the wizard. "All things have limits. Once whoever holds the coin has no further need of wishes, then the coin ceases having the power to grant its bearer any more wishes. But you must make certain never to wish to limit or in any way alter the manner in which the coin works. If you do, it has been known to become irritable and cranky, and subsequently fulfill your wants unpredictably." "And just what are we supposed to wish for, old man?" asked Mark. The old man smiled. As he expected, it appeared he might have found the necessary chink in the unbeliever's armor. "You can wish for anything you want. Use your imagination. For example, do you really want to take your best friend Ralph here to your reunion tonight?" "Not really. I'd rather be taking a girl - a really pretty one. I'd really like to show up at the reunion with a foxy babe on my arm, just so I could watch all the faces of everyone there drop open with surprise." The old man looked towards Ralph, and then held out the coin to Mark. "Whatever you want is possible, Mark. All you have to do is make a wish, and it will be true." "But this doesn't sound very fair to Ralph," objected Mark. "What does he get out of all this, while I'm getting all my wishes granted?" "The coin will grant the wishes of whomever holds it," replied the old man. "You could let Ralph make a few wishes of his own with the coin. How it's used is totally at the discretion of the one holding it." "And just how much is this little wish granting coin going to cost?" asked Mark. "My arm? His leg? Maybe even, our immortal souls?" "Nothing like that," smiled the old man. "I don't do souls anyway. In fact, you're in luck today; we're having a special today. It's our big anniversary special. It's hard to imagine we've been in this, more or less, same location for three years, but time certainly flies whenever you're having fun. Today, every item in my shop is absolutely free." He held out the coin to Mark again. Mark still hesitated. "You drive a mighty hard bargain, Mark," said the wizard. "I know I said it was free, but in order to seal our deal, I'll also give you a money back guarantee. If you aren't a happier person after using this coin for the next twenty-four hours, you can return the coin to me and I'll refund to you the full price you would have ordinarily paid for it - no questions asked." "It's a deal." Mark took the coin, then shoved it quickly into his pocket. "Let's go, Ralph." "Can't we look around for a little bit?" "No. We have to leave," replied Mark. "If this coin works as this old guy said it would, we have plans to make." "Okay, I suppose we can go." "And what other thing you should be aware of, boys," said the wizard, "the pizza place is closed for remodeling." The two young men hurried out of the old man's shop and out into the surrounding mall, barely hearing the little bell over the door tinkle to announce their exit. But when they turned back a moment later, they were surprised that the Kinko's once again shared the wall with the Hallmark store. "What happened to that strange old man's store?" asked Ralph. "I don't know," replied Mark. He shoved his hand cautiously into his pocket and pulled out its contents. He stared at the item he held in his hand. "But wherever it went off to, it must have been here before. And whatever we think just happened inside there must have also been real." He held up the bronze colored coin. "I still have this strange coin the old man gave me." "Maybe you ought to test it out," suggested Ralph. "What do you mean?" "He told you that it could grant wishes - as many as you like." "Yeah, but you can also make wishes," replied Mark. "The old man said whoever holds this thing can do all the wishing he wants." "Then you ought to make a test wish," proposed Ralph. "What could I wish for?" "I don't know. The old man said you should use your imagination." At that moment, a pair of pretty young women, who worked for one of the other companies on the street, walked by them. They were wearing pants suits, and each of them was carrying a load of papers to be copied at the Kinko's. He and Ralph had often seen both of them in the mall before, and generally, once they'd both returned to their desks, they'd just as often wondered... Suddenly Mark had an inspiration, as well as a simple test of the coin's power. As he held it tightly in his hand, he made his first wish, still not totally convinced anything would happen. "I wish those two girls were wearing string bikinis." Almost instantly, both girls were wearing string bikinis, instead of the more concealing pants suits they'd been wearing. Both Mark, the skeptic, and Ralph, the believer, were amazed; the coin had actually granted his wish. Not only that, but in addition each of the girls possessed an even better figure than either Mark or Ralph had previously imagined. And even more interesting, neither of the girls seemed to notice they were now wearing something far different from what they'd been wearing a moment earlier. Just as they had been doing before Mark's wish, the girls were chatting back and forth between themselves and casually strolling, the papers to be copied still in their hands, towards the Kinko's. It almost seemed to them as if the girls believed they always dressed this way before coming to the mall every day. "I guess that coin really works," muttered Ralph. "And I think I've just come up with the perfect plan for tonight." ***** The remainder of the day seemed to drag on forever. In as much as they weren't totally certain how long it would take to implement the plan Mark had formulated and they'd discussed and finally agreed upon, they went to Mr. Willerson and asked if they could leave work early. Their boss was somewhat surprised by their request - they'd never asked to leave work early before - but, since they were his best workers, he didn't object. After arriving at their shared apartment, they both changed into more comfortable clothes - blue jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers. After all, what they wore while making their wishes was unimportant; they were going to wish up suitable attire for themselves using the coin. "I'm not certain I really want to do this after all, Mark," said Ralph nervously. "I almost wish what the old man had said to us hadn't given you this idea. Even if I am a little curious about how it would feel, what's going to happen to me, if we don't get any more wishes afterwards?" "Just relax, Ralph. I'm sure this coin will grant us more than just one additional wish. And besides, how can that one simple little test wish redressing those two young women in string bikinis even count?" "But what happens to me if you change me, and then you can't change me back afterwards?" asked Ralph again. "I'd be stuck that way forever. I've already admitted to being kind of curious about how it will feel being one, but I really don't want to spend the rest of my life as one." "Would you just chill out, Ralph," replied Mark. "Everything should work out exactly as we've planned. What could possibly go wrong? Our plan is pure simplicity. Before we leave for the reunion, I'll use this little magical doohickey the old man gave us to change you into a pretty girl our age. Can you just imagine some of the stunned expressions of surprise I'll get from those snobs we went to school with when they see I've arrived at the reunion with the righteous looking babe I've wished you into being? That'll definitely be well worth the effort." "And all you're going to do is make me look like a girl?" asked Ralph with concern. "That was what we agreed on. Isn't that right?" "We've already been through this a dozen times, Ralph. In addition to looking like a girl, you're also going have to act more feminine. It wouldn't work very well having the fox I'm with walking around like she was you, you know." "And just what's wrong with the way I walk?" "Nothing ... that is, nothing, if you're a truck driver, which you aren't. And you should also remember that no one looking at you will see you; you'll appear to be a girl to everyone." "I'm not going to have to kiss you, am I?" Ralph made a face. "Being curious about them is one thing, but I'm not that curious. I could never kiss a guy, even if he were my best friend in the whole wide world." Mark smiled. "You won't have to kiss me, unless you want to kiss me. And you'd better not want to. Does that make you feel better? You might look and act like an attractive woman to everyone else, but I'll still know exactly who you really are." "That's good," replied Ralph. "And just when in our plan will we swap our roles?" "Sometime after dinner, I'd guess," replied Mark. "That should be the best time. We'll either go outside or find some secluded place. Then I'll give you the coin. Once you're holding the coin, you can make your wishes that will restore you to yourself again and then turn me into the total babe you brought as your date." "That part should be a lot of fun," grinned Ralph. "It should be, but I don't want you getting any strange ideas while I'm your date," replied Mark. "You know, I've often wondered what it would be like to be a girl - they've always seemed to have everything so easy. It'll be a real hoot showing up some of those snobs tonight. I can't wait to get started." Both boys laughed. "But just remember the one cardinal rule of the evening, Ralph. There will be absolutely no touchie-feelie stuff allowed while I'm a girl." "That's not going to be a problem, Mark. I'll still know you're really you," said Ralph. "I'm still a little nervous about this being transformed into a girl thing, but I've been thinking that the sooner we get started and I'm actually transformed, the more comfortable I'll probably feel about the whole thing." "Then I suppose we should get started. And if you still have any misgivings being a girl, then we'll deal with them before we leave for the reunion. There's definitely no time like the present to experience a minor reversal of your existing gender." Mark took the coin from his pocket. As he held it in his hand, he looked directly into Ralph's dark eyes. "I wish that my friend Ralph would now assume the form and likeness of an incredibly sexy and beautiful blue-eyed blonde woman the same age as me." Nothing happened... immediately. But then as Mark continued watching, Ralph's body slowly began shrinking and reforming. His short dark hair lengthened and lightened to a light golden blonde, as it wound its way down to the middle of his back. Mark watched his best friend's old male shape being totally redefined. Ralph's hips and buttocks expanded and rounded, even while his pudgy waist contracted. It became so uncomfortable for him that finally he had to undo the fastening of his jeans, which had become far too tight about his hips and ass. His face also softened, as it easily remolded, as if formed from the finest of clays, into a very feminine and pleasingly attractive visage. Twin nubs began pushing out from under his T-shirt, and, within a few moments, his chest supported two new full and firm breasts, which had swiftly expanded into quite ample proportions. His T-shirt strained, but somehow held, against the mounting pressures from his expanded breasts. And, beneath the thinly stretched material, his new and larger nipples were clearly outlined. Ralph felt embarrassed by Mark's constant stare. He wondered how real girls put up with being ogled endlessly this way by guys. Although Ralph was still clothed in the jeans and T-shirt he'd been wearing, they no longer fit him well at all. Not only were his unsnapped jeans too long, they fit far too tightly across his hips and ass. At the same time, he had no idea what was keeping his T-shirt from being reduced to simple rags. Ralph gasped, as he began noticing all the changes that his friend's wish had made in his body. He ran his newly delicate feminine hands with their slender fingers first through his long silky blonde hair and then across his reformed and softened face. Not feeling any beard stubble on his face for the first time in several years surprised him. That is, until he realized there weren't many girls capable of growing beards. His smaller hands deftly fingered his new and ample female breasts, and he couldn't believe how sensational it felt just touching them. One of his hands strayed downwards in subconscious exploration. And even though he'd been fully expecting what his hand had discovered missing, it was still somewhat unnerving to realize it was actually gone. "Wow!" exclaimed Ralph in his own unchanged masculine voice that sounded totally incongruous coming from the mouth of the beautiful girl he'd become. "I really wish you sounded more like a girl, Ralph." "What do you mean?" asked Ralph in his now soft and melodiously sexy soprano voice. "Nothing, Ralph. I mean, you sound just fine now," replied Mark. "But I really wish you were dressed in something that showed off that incredibly sexy new figure of yours." Once again Mark watched as Ralph's too large and otherwise ill-fitting male clothing was rewoven by magic into a more perfect fit for his new feminine frame. His jeans and T-shirt fused into a tube, and the material of which it was made altered into some kind of metallic blue fabric. As the bottom hem of the newly formed tube had begun to rise, exposing Ralph's smooth and slender feminine legs, the top had plunged correspondingly in order to highlight his ample cleavage. And then, what little remained of the older material was as quickly rewoven, not only becoming the perfect fit for Ralph's newly altered contours, but further showcasing his friend's now decidedly feminine charms. "Wow," whispered Mark as he continued staring at Ralph. "I sure wish I could see what you looked like with bigger tits," he remarked absently. "Mark!" exclaimed Ralph. "Cut that out!" But it was too late; the wish had been made. Ralph's breasts began tingling again, just scant moments before they began their new expansion. He felt himself fortunate that the new metallic material of which his new tube dress was composed was up to the task, as it easily stretched to cover his newly expanded mammaries. "Sorry about that," replied Mark sheepishly. "I didn't mean to do that; I just got caught up in the moment. I'll make another wish and put them back the way they were before." "Oh no, you don't," objected Ralph, as his small feminine hand cupped one of his just enlarged breasts. "If I let you change them back now, then you'll probably just subconsciously wish them back to this size, or even larger, later tonight. That could prove to be embarrassing." It sounded like a good reason, but Ralph wasn't altogether certain he could tell his longtime best friend that he actually liked this way his bigger breasts felt. Wanting to see how he would appear to everyone else, Ralph turned towards the mirror, intent on observing his altered form. But as he took his first step towards it, he stumbled, almost falling flat on his face. Ralph looked down at his feet. "It's no wonder I can't walk. Where the hell did these things come from?" He couldn't believe he was wearing two-inch platform shoes with what must have easily been four-inch heels. "Would you do something about these damn shoes I'm wearing? I'll never survive the night wearing these atrocious heels." "Sure thing, pal," replied Mark. "I wish Ralph's bodily mannerisms were fully and completely reflective of his present female form with no residual physical traces of his having ever been male remaining. As an additional part of this wish, he should be fully capable of easily and effortlessly walking in the high heels he now enjoys wearing, just as if he were this girl he now appears to be." "Well?" Ralph put had a hand on his waist and stared expectantly at his friend. "Just try a couple of little steps, Ralph." "Okay. But you'd better be ready to pick me up off the floor." And yet, Ralph obviously no longer needed any assistance, as he strolled gracefully over to the mirror as if he'd been walking on heels his entire life. "What a really great looking ass you've got, Ralph," remarked Mark casually. Ralph angrily spun around. "If you're going to say shit like that all night long, you can just change me back right now and go to the goddamn reunion all by yourself." Obviously upset, he stared at his friend. "Do I make myself perfectly clear. Mr. Russell?" "I'm sorry, Ralph. I didn't mean anything by it," replied Mark. "I know I shouldn't have said it, but I sure wish you could chill out a little bit about your being a girl, Ralph." Ralph shivered momentarily. "No problem, I didn't mean to react like some enraged bitch," replied Ralph. "It must have been because my body is still getting used to all these strange new female hormones that are now coursing through me. Besides, I guess if you say I've got a great looking ass, then I must have a really great looking ass." Ralph smiled oddly. "I suppose I'll just have to get used to those kinds of senseless remarks while I'm supposed to be a girl." But then, a puzzled expression spread across Ralph's face. He looked towards his friend. "You want to know something important, Mark?" "What's that, Ralph?" "That!" he replied. "You really can't keep calling me Ralph, you know." With apparent practiced ease, Ralph slipped one of his hands onto his waist, used the other to sweep his blonde hair away from the front of his face, and struck a seductive pose in front of the mirror. "If you consider that I'm supposed to be this very attractive girl right now," he smiled at himself in the mirror, "and the equally incredible way I look at the moment, then Ralph just no longer seems a very appropriate name for me." Ralph sighed. "However, even if we can agree on some female name more suitable to call me, I'm afraid one of us will slip up and call me Ralph at the worst possible time. That might really mess things up." "You're absolutely right, Ralph. I hadn't even thought about that," agreed Mark. He scratched his head for a moment. "But I've just thought of the perfect solution to that problem. I wish that for as long as you look like a girl, you will think of yourself and only answer to, and I will think of you and only refer to as, Rachel Jensen." "I wonder if it worked, Mark. I don't feel any different than I did before." "Then we'd better test it out before we leave, Rachel," replied Mark. "Would you please tell me your name?" "My name is Rachel Jensen," he replied without even thinking about it, or batting an eyelash. "I don't know why you asked, but I suppose whatever you did to fix that potential problem we were discussing must have worked, since you know my name almost as well as I do, Mark." Mark smiled. "Then I think we're ready to go to our reunion, Rachel." "I don't think so, Mr. Russell," replied Rachel, shaking his head. "What's wrong now?" "You aren't taking me to our reunion dressed like that," said Rachel in a huffy tone. "You must first change into something a little less casual for our big evening out." "You're right, Rachel, I forgot. Sorry about that," replied Mark. "I wish I were suitably attired in a manner consistent with being Rachel's date for our reunion." There was a sudden shimmering in the air around Mark, and when every returned into focus around him, Mark was clothed in a fashionable Armani suit worth more than he made in several months - before taxes. And, even though he always steadfastly refused to wear one, an equally expensive silk tie hung down from around his collar. "Now, that's much better," complimented Rachel. "Now you may take me to our reunion, Mr. Russell." But first, both of them looked themselves over in the mirror. "You know, Rachel. I think you and I make a pretty good looking couple." "You know, Mark," smiled Rachel in response, "I think you're absolutely correct in your assessment." ***** Mark and Rachel's drive from their apartment to the hotel, the plush Sheratilton Northgate across town, where the reunion was being staged, was dull and uneventful. Mark grumbled about the five-dollar parking fee being charged, but he no choice other than paying it. "Why couldn't they have simply included the damn parking as part of the whole package?" he scowled. "Or better yet, why couldn't they have taken five out of the already exorbitant amount I've already paid?" But at least the attendant in the booth taking his money had been friendly - more or less. He'd told them the best place to park, as well as them instructions how to find the hall where their reunion was being held. And he hadn't even asked for a tip, not that Mark would have considered giving him one. But one thing Mark was certain he didn't like was the way that the young man had continually stared at Rachel, while talking to him. Mark hadn't mentioned anything about the attendant's steady gaze to his friend, since Rachel still seemed a little self-conscious about being an attractive girl. But the guy, at least as far as Mark was concerned, had been so obvious. And he was absolutely certain Rachel hadn't liked being ogled that way at all, because, if he were a girl, he just knew he wouldn't like being ogled like that. On their way in from the parking lot to the hall, Mark took Rachel's hand. It was a purely instinctive gesture on his part, nothing more. But he received mixed impressions from his friend, even though Mark thought his friend should have been distinctly annoyed with him for holding his hand. However, Mark knew that in order for him and Rachel to successfully pull off their little charade of him dating a fox like Rachel as they'd planned, there were some sacrifices both of them needed to make. And, he decided, Rachel letting him hold his hand without complaint was just one of them. As they entered the hall, they were quickly greeted by one of several girls sitting behind a long table. Even though she smiled at them as if she might know them, Mark didn't recognize her. But he didn't consider her being unknown to him as overly unusual, given their graduating class had been, and still was, the largest in the school's history. However, Mark had the feeling - he couldn't explain where it had originated - that all the girls manning these tables had probably been hired by the company that had planned the reunion just to watch the entry tables. "What's your name?" she asked without much expression. "Russell. Mark Russell," he replied. "And guest." The girl shifted over a seat, then started shuffling through the file box labeled "P-R". Finally, she removed an unsealed envelope from the box and opened it, before handing it and its contents to Mark. "These are your dinner tickets," she said with little emotion. "One of the two stubs attached to each ticket is for your door prize drawing, and the other one is for your dinner. And these are your reunion badges." Mark looked at the badges and winced. His badge had his awful senior picture encased in plastic wrap on it. But after considering how bad his own picture had been, he wondered if Rachel truly minded his badge just having "Reunion Guest" printed in big block letters where his equally awful picture would have otherwise been. "Please take the envelope over there for your picture," smiled the girl. "The picture is for inclusion into your memory album, which you'll be receiving in about two months. After you've completed having your pictures taken, please remove the backing from your badges' adhesive strips and put them on before you enter the dining area." "Thank you." Mark and Rachel walked over and stood in the short line the girl had indicated. They were glad it wasn't a long line; only one lone guy was waiting ahead of them, but as before, he was someone neither of them recognized. But once again, neither of them considered his being unknown to them overly unusual, simply because their graduating class had been so large. There might have been thirty to fifty people each of them had hung around with and knew quite well and possibly up to another hundred or so they were reasonably acquainted with or knew on sight. But with close to eight hundred members comprising their graduating class, nobody could have possibly known everyone. As they entered the line, another couple was already sitting before the camera. The photographer had to keep telling the guy to look towards the camera, but his roving eyes kept wandering back to Rachel. From the look in his eyes, it was clearly obvious to Rachel and Mark exactly what thoughts had been running about in his mind from the moment he'd first seem them enter the line. Mark wondered if the guy's wife - if that were who she actually was - knew that her husband - or companion, or whatever - kept lustfully staring at Rachel. Almost instinctively, Rachel tried hiding from the man's leering gaze behind Mark. But even that wasn't quite enough to make him stop; he continued staring as if Mark wasn't there. And if that guy ogling his shapely form weren't bad enough, the guy, who was ahead of them in the line, kept brushing up against him and trying to pinch him. Rachel wasn't altogether certain that he liked the way his unwanted touch made him feel. Mark was certain Rachel wanted to scream; he had that kind of look in his eyes. But as he thought more about it, he considered it much more likely that she would rather do the guy having his picture taken some really serious and permanent harm. Mark never noticed the wandering hands of the guy in front of them. Before Rachel could do anything too drastic, the photographer finally finished with the couple. He was noticeably relieved, as the couple left the area, and was replaced in front of the camera by the obnoxious man ahead of them. "You shouldn't let Tom bother you," said a girl from behind them. "Tom?" asked Rachel. "Tom Wilson," replied the girl, as she pointed towards the guy having his picture taken. "He was a dumbshit and a real asshole when we were in school. It certainly appears as if he hasn't changed a bit. Or if he has, it has definitely been for the worse." "Thank you," replied Rachel, as she noted that two additional couples now stood in the line behind them. He'd been so preoccupied trying to figure out what he should do about Tom Wilson's unwanted attentions that he hadn't even noticed them entering the line. Once Tom Wilson, although Rachel would always think of him as that obnoxious ass who'd been in front of them, had finished having his picture taken, he'd quickly left without saying another word to anyone. "Just how do all the real girls in the world manage to put up with weenies like that?" he mumbled. As Rachel and Mark sat down to have their picture taken, the pose in which the photographer had them sit irritated Rachel and really made him unhappy. He would have been much happier if the pose hadn't required his being touched so much by Mark as it had. But Rachel also knew, for the sake of the images they were trying to project, he really couldn't complain about it. But if he'd been his real self, he was certain he would have punched the photographer out. And yet, it wouldn't be so much for staring at his huge breasts as he'd done continually once they'd sat down, which surprisingly didn't seem to bother him as much as it had when the parking attendant had stared at him earlier, as it was for mentally undressing him. As soon as the photographer had finished with them and they'd left his area, a woman suddenly appeared alongside them, asking for their raffle tickets. Mark held out both dinner tickets to her. She took them, and, after quickly tearing off the outer stubs she wanted and handing the tickets back to Mark, disappeared as suddenly as she'd appeared. They entered the dining room. As they'd been expecting, there were several dozen tables inside, but all of them seemed to be totally occupied. Not unexpectedly, everyone appeared perfectly content in totally ignoring Mark, just as had always been the case in their high school days. Except for everybody now being ten years older, nothing had really changed for Mark. On the other hand, Rachel's experience was totally unlike anything that had ever happened to him before. Several guys, who had never before paid him any attention, had looked up as they'd passed the tables, where they were seated. Quite obviously, like every other guy they'd encountered this evening, the only real reason they had even bothered to look up was to try and catch a better glimpse of Rachel. And yet, Mark couldn't blame any of them for being attracted to his best friend; after all, it was his wish that had transformed his best friend into the attractive and desirable young woman he now appeared to be. When they finally reached the last of the tables set up against the far wall of the room, they found one with several vacant seats. But it was unquestionably clear why few others had decided to sit at this particular table. If they'd had another choice, Mark and Rachel would have quickly taken it, since neither of them was overly excited at the unenviable prospect of sitting down to dinner at the same table with Jeff Marshall and his sidekick Steve Layton. To Mark and Rachel's way of thinking, it had always seemed that Jeff and Steve must have considered it their principal responsibility and sole mission of their miserable lives to turn Mark and Rachel's high school years into living hells. Neither of them had seen nor had they wanted to see either one of them since the grad night party. Neither Mark nor Rachel wanted to think about or remember what the terrible twosome had done to them that night; it hadn't been pretty. And except for those few months about six years earlier centered around Jeff's highly publicized arrest, trial, and subsequent release, neither of them would have wasted any time thinking about the dubious duo over the past ten years. However, there was one thing about which they were certain - Jeff wouldn't be walking the streets today if his friend Steve hadn't committed perjury to protect him. If they could have only managed to avoid seeing either of them this night, then they would have been overjoyed. "Do we have to sit here... with them?" asked Rachel. Mark didn't have time to even open his mouth to respond. "Hey, Russell!" shouted Jeff Marshall. "How the hell did you ever get such a hot looking babe like this to go out with a miserable loser like you?" He leered hungrily at Rachel. Rachel, feeling very uncomfortable with both Jeff's remarks and his constant leer, nervously blushed brightly. "With that fine red color of hers, she must be awfully shy, Jeff," remarked Steve Layton, who stared at Rachel with the same hungry look in his eyes his friend had. "It's more likely, she's just ashamed to be seen with such a fucked up loser as Russell here. How'd you like to spend some time with a real man, babe?" Jeff and Steve laughed. It had been ten years - far too long - since they'd been able to put down one of their most favorite subjects. And they considered this attractive girl with him a harvestable bonus. ***** As their dinner dragged along, Mark and Rachel knew without a doubt they'd been unjustly sentenced to hell without any possibility of parole. Just as they'd both expected, Mark took the full brunt of nearly every joke those clowns Marshall and Layton had to offer. It almost seemed as if they had been fallen through a warp in time and space that had returned them to a typical day of high school. And when the jokers weren't slicing and dicing Mark, they alternated between giving Rachel the once over without attempting to disguise their obvious lusts and making snide sexual references that made him blush. More than once, Mark wondered what they'd do if they ever found out that Rachel hadn't been a girl all that long. And Rachel was frightened as well. For once, he was really glad they lacked imagination and had no idea who he really was. What they were saying and doing to him now was bad enough, but Rachel was scared they might kill him if they ever found out he'd only been a girl for a few hours. Or, even worse, they might just decide he needed to be taught what it meant to be a girl, like all those other poor girls Jeff had raped. Rachel found neither eventuality overly pleasant or comforting in any way. But finally, and quite mercifully, dinner, such as it had been, came to an end. For what he'd paid, there hadn't been very much food, nor had it been all that good. However, something good had finally happened for them, as Jeff and Steve had left their table - presumably to seek out fresh prey. Rachel looked over in Mark's direction and sighed. "Can we go home now, Mark? I don't want to be anywhere near this place when those two jerkoffs come back." Mark looked at his friend with surprise. "You mean, you don't want your chance to be seen here with an attractive young woman draped on your arm?" "Not if it means having to deal with those two assholes the rest of the night. All the time I've known them, they never frightened me before now. Right now, I'm more scared than I ever thought it was possible to be." "You're just over-reacting," replied Mark. "It's probably all your pent up girl hormones finally kicking in." Mark suddenly smiled. "I'll tell you what, Rachel. I suspect you'll probably feel more like kicking some ass after you've become physically male again. So, after you make your wish that swaps our genders, why don't you toss in a couple more wishes using them as the original subject matter? Your wishes won't have to be anything fancy or complicated, you know, but it might prove very interesting if they could only find out how something a little more human lives." "That's an interesting idea," Rachel grinned, beginning to feel a little better than he had. "But what could I change them into?" "I don't know. But as that old man told us earlier, 'use your imagination'. I'm sure you'll think of something very interesting." "I'll think about it," replied Rachel. "By the way, as long as we're talking about it, do you want to make the swap of our roles and genders now?" "Sure, I guess so," said Mark. "It has been a long night already. I'm sick and tired of having been the butt of those two yahoos' jokes all evening. I would have I'd already been subjected to more than my fair share of their crap when we were back in high school. You know, Rachel, now that I think about it, it'll be really nice to become the girl of this couple for a while. I'll be able to kick back and take things easy the rest of the night." Rachel looked at Mark for a long minute with a puzzled expression. He wondered whether or not he should inform Mark that being a girl wasn't all that soft and cushy as he thought. But after briefly considering the idea, he decided his friend most likely wouldn't believe him. Even though Rachel now knew better himself, he recalled having almost those same thoughts Mark was now having earlier this evening. It was likely that Mark wouldn't listen to him anyway; if someone had told him what he'd thought about telling Mark, then Rachel knew he wouldn't have listened. Just as Rachel had himself discovered, he knew Mark would also have to learn everything for himself. Rachel and Mark walked out of the dining area and into the entry hall. They were both surprised their longtime tormentors hadn't returned in time to follow them. Maybe when those two jerks returned and couldn't find either of them to torment further, they'd simply think they'd run Mark and his date off. In need of some out of the way place where Rachel could make his wishes with a little privacy, Mark discovered a small, unused room not far from the main hall. Finding a room like this so near the main hall seemed a little peculiar, since neither of them had expected finding a suitable place as close as this room. But after they'd peeked inside and found it empty, Rachel quickly decided it would be the perfect place for what they had in mind. After going inside the room, they cautiously shut and locked the door behind them. Mark reached into his pocket, pulled out the coin, and handed it to Rachel. "It's all up to you, Rachel," he said as his friend took the coin. "I wish you well." Rachel looked at his friend sheepishly. If not for Steve Layton and Jeff Marshall, being a girl would not have been all that bad of an experience, he thought, provided, of course, you didn't have to stay one forever. But on the other hand, even after totally disregarding the behavior of those two idiots, being a girl had been totally unlike anything that he'd expected being a girl would be like. It was decidedly tougher being a girl, he decided, then he'd ever thought it would be. Although it had been fun in its own way, it was definitely not all fun and games as he'd been expecting. Rachel held the coin tightly in his slender female hand. "I wish I was returned to my true male self again, and that my best friend Mark would assume a pleasing female form with long ebony hair and green eyes, as well as a similar voice and all the mannerisms I possessed while I was a girl." In less than a heartbeat, Ralph stood, restored to his manhood, next to a beautiful, green-eyed young woman with long raven-hued tresses. "Are you all right, Ralph?" asked Mark, marveling at the sound of his new light and airy soprano voice, which, although it sounded slightly different in his ears than Ralph's voice had sounded as Rachel, was equally as sexy and sultry as Rachel's had been. He hadn't even realized that with Ralph's manhood restored, he could think of his friend as either Ralph or Rachel depending on who he been at the time. "I'm just fine, Mark." He ceased speaking abruptly and studied his friend for an instant. "But I do think we'd better do something about that before we leave this room." "Do something about what?" asked Mark, not knowing exactly what his friend was talking about. Ralph looked his friend squarely in the eye. "I wish that for as long as you remain a girl, you will think of yourself and only answer to, and I will think of you and only call you, Melissa Richards." He grinned at his friend. "Now, please tell me your name, Melissa." "Melissa Richards, of course," replied Melissa with a smile, although she felt somewhat confused. "But I really have no idea why you just asked me my name. I mean, you've known my name for as long as I've known you, Ralph." Ralph smiled back at his transformed friend. "There's nothing for you to worry about now, Melissa. It was just a little test that you passed with flying colors." But then, as he saw Melissa's badge, his grin grew even wider. It was Melissa's badge that now read "Reunion Guest". His badge had also altered to reflect the changes his wish had made; it now read "Ralph Jackson" under _his_ terrible looking senior picture. ***** When Ralph and Melissa returned to their reunion, not a single soul in the hall even raised an eyebrow in surprise that it was they, not Rachel and Mark, who had returned. However, with everything that that had changed about them in the last few minutes, there were still many things that were essentially the same as they had always been. Only now, everything had been re-directed in accordance with Ralph's wish. Melissa was now garnering all the attention and adulation from the crowd, while Ralph was the one being completely ignored. Well... almost ignored. "Well, well, well," came a familiar male voice from behind them. "If it isn't my old buddy Jackson. "I've been wondering where you might have squirreled yourself away. I knew you couldn't be very far away if Russell was here." "Look at the babe with him, Jeff." Steve Layton leered at Melissa. "I think she's even hotter than the one who was with Russell." Ralph kept quiet, as did Melissa, but it was very obvious that he felt extremely uncomfortable, under Steve's continually appraising gaze. "You know, this is just fucking unbelievable," said Jeff. "First Russell arrives with some blonde babe as his date. And now you've shown up with this hot fox in tow. Just how is it possible that two losers like you have managed to find babes who'd actually date either one of you." Jeff turned to Melissa. "You don't look you're in need of a seeing eye dog," he snarled, "and neither did that one with Russell earlier. What gives?" "It's probably just our good looks and sparkling personalities," said Ralph, as Melissa grinned. Jeff stared at Melissa. "All right babe. Why don't you tell me just what's going on here?" "Wouldn't you like to know?" replied Ralph, not waiting for Melissa to answer. He slid his hand into his pocket, and pulled out the coin. Ralph had finally decided it was time to do something about these assholes; he wasn't about to let them continue badgering Melissa like they had him while he'd been Rachel. He knew exactly what his wish upon his longtime tormentors would be. He hoped both of them would enjoy suffering through all of the same things they'd made so many others suffer throughout the years. "What have you got there, Jackson?" "Yeah. What is it?" echoed Steve Layton. "Wouldn't you like to know," smiled Ralph. "Damnit Ralph!" swore Melissa. "Hurry up! Just do it, before something..." Without warning, Jeff grabbed Ralph's hand, then easily took the coin away from him. "Oh shit!" swore Melissa. "That's not very lady-like, you know," said Steve, as he continued leering at Melissa. Melissa stared back at him contemptuously. "Would you just shut the fuck up, you little shithead!" "What did you say to me?" asked Steve, unable to believe that this mere slip of a girl had dared speak back to him. "You heard me," replied Melissa. "Or were you too busy diddling with yourself again?" "What?!" In shock, Steve turned to Jeff. "Did you hear all those nasty things she said to me?" "I heard her." He turned his attention to Melissa. "I think you owe my friend an apology." "Fuck you, turd breath!" "My, my, it sounds like you have a really bad attitude problem, bitch. It must come from dating someone like him," replied Jeff. "But I can't remember ever meeting as foxy babe as you, who possessed such a filthy potty mouth." He smiled at Melissa. "Unless, of course, she wanted a little something extra from me. You know, babe, most of the girls I date know that being a potty mouth is a real turn on for me." He smiled at Melissa. "You know, I think we could actually become really good friends. If you know what I mean?" Melissa shook his head. "But, for your sake, I'd really hate to start off such a promising new relationship on such bad terms," his smile widened, "so I really wish you'd be a lady and apologize to my friend here." Melissa shivered slightly. As a very surprised Ralph watched on, Melissa turned to Steve, and smiled sweetly. "I'm really sorry about all those nasty things I said to you earlier, Steve. I really, really am." Melissa's own smile widened. "I just don't know what could have possibly come over me. Can you ever forgive me?" "That's much better," smiled Steve. "I accept your apology." But Jeff couldn't quite believe what he'd just observed and heard. "All right, what gives? No one, especially not some dumb foul-mouthed bimbo bitch, ever changes their mind about anything that quickly. Something smells awfully fishy around here. And I, for one, sure wish I knew exactly what was going on around here." Jeff shivered briefly. And he knew... everything. He looked down at the coin, now known by him to be magical, he held in his hand. "Would you imagine that? This little coin grants wishes to whoever holds it. And it will let me have anything I want, just by wishing for it. How very, very interesting. "You picked it for free in that weird little shop in the mall. That stupid old man who runs the place even gave you a money-back guarantee on something he just let you for nothing. What a fucking idiot! You know, I've seen that odd little place myself a couple of times when I've been in the mall, but it never looked all that interesting to me. Had I only known you could pick up cool wish-granting shit like this for free, I would have gone inside and cleaned that old fool out the first time I saw the place." He turned to Steve. "Remind me tomorrow that we have to visit that old fool's place." "Sure thing, Jeff." Jeff returned his attention to Melissa, looking over the apparent girl carefully. He smiled knowingly. "You know, you've certainly changed a lot over the last ten minutes, Mark." He looked over the girl's nubile frame again. "But if I'm any judge, then I must say it's a very definite improvement in your overall appearance. I approve wholeheartedly." Melissa looked at him curiously. "What are you talking about now, Jeff?" he asked. "And who is Mark? My name is Melissa - Melissa Richards." "Of course it is, 'Melissa'." Jeff turned back to Ralph. "Now that was a clever little touch, not to mention an excellent idea. I would have never guessed either of you had the smarts to think about using a wish to keep yourselves from slipping up. While Mark looks like a girl as he now does, you must call him Melissa, just as he must think of himself as Melissa. I'm almost impressed." "I don't know what you're talking about either," said Ralph in equal confusion. "I've always known you were rather dense, but even you should know his name is actually Melissa, just as it has always been." "You also need to call and think of him as Melissa," smiled Jeff. He looked back at Melissa again. "Well, If that's what you two want everyone to believe, then I can certainly live with it. Besides, it will provide an excellent test of whether or not this magical coin will grant my wishes as well as it obviously granted yours." He smiled again at Melissa, making him more nervous and uncomfortable. "I wish that everyone within the hall remembers you only as Melissa Richards, one of the cutest and most popular cheerleaders of our senior class." Nothing seemed to change. "What happened?" asked Ralph. "What did you do to him?" "Did you do something to me?" asked Melissa with concern. "I don't feel any different. Nothing seems any different about me." "I don't think we'll notice much out here." Steve gave them both a cryptic grin. Ralph suddenly gasped. Melissa's badge had altered once again. Instead of having "Reunion Guest" printed where his picture should be, there was now a picture of a pretty teenage girl that was captioned "Melissa Richards". Strangely, the picture of the girl on his altered badge could have easily passed as the girl Melissa would have been if Melissa had actually been the dark-haired girl he now appeared to be at the time their senior pictures had been taken. Jeff turned to his friend Steve. "Why don't you escort Melissa back inside? I'm certain there are a plenty of her old friends inside that can't wait to talk to her again." Melissa cringed at the "her" pronoun reference. He stared at Steve indignantly. However, with Jeff now having the knowledge that he could use the coin to wish for anything he wanted, it no longer made much sense to anger him unnecessarily - at least, while he was still in possession of the coin. Consequently, Melissa allowed Steve to lead him quietly off to the other room. "What did you do to him?" "Haven't you guessed yet?" smiled Jeff. "Who's a little dense now? I just perfected what the two of you started, Jackson. You wanted everybody at the reunion to think he was really Melissa Richards, and now, that's exactly who everyone thinks that pretty young woman with Steve not only is, but has always been." "How could you do that to him?" Jeff smiled wickedly. "Because I could, that's how. I really can't help it if you're too stupid and clumsy to hang onto something as important and valuable as this wish-granting coin." He held up the coin for Ralph to see. But even as Ralph made his expected quick lunge for the coin, Jeff easily snatched it away from his grasping hand. "Maybe we should join Melissa and Steve inside instead of staying out here by ourselves, Jackson. Wouldn't you like that better?" "I'm not going any place with you." Jeff's broadening grin made Ralph nervous. "And when did I say it would be you going inside with me, Jackson?" He held the coin in his hand. "I wish Jackson here would regain that simply gorgeous female form along with all the sensual mannerisms he possessed when I first saw him earlier this evening." As Jeff watched, Ralph's male body quickly remolded into the shapely and pretty blonde he'd been as Mark's date. "Now, that's much better. Don't you agree?" But Rachel said nothing. Jeff looked at the badge being worn by the apparent girl. As it had earlier, the badge once again identified him only as "Reunion Guest". Jeff shook his head. "We definitely can't have that. What did you say your name was again?" Rachel, who having regained his previous female form, could only think of himself as Rachel once again, looked at Jeff suspiciously. What could he be up to now? "You know my name, as well as I do," he replied in his soft and sexy feminine voice. "Of course I do," replied Jeff, although for some unknown reason he didn't know, or remember, Ralph's name as a girl. "Just play along and humor me." Rachel wondered why not tell him? What harm can he possibly do to me if I only tell him something he has already known for years? "My name is Rachel," he replied. "Rachel Jensen." Jeff grinned at him again. It was the kind of grin that made Rachel increasingly nervous. And suddenly, Rachel was aware that he'd somehow made a big mistake telling Jeff his name. "With the exception of Steve and Melissa, already within the hall," began Jeff, "I wish that every person currently in the hall should remember Jackson here as only having been Rachel Jensen. In addition to being the best friend of Melissa Richards, I further wish Rachel had been another member of our very popular cheerleader squad of which every member of our class was always so proud." Rachel shivered slightly. He'd heard Jeff make his wish. He realized something about him must have been changed, but as hard as he tried to determine what Jeff's wish had altered, he couldn't find different about himself. Neither did he have any ideas or clues of what he'd been trying to change. In light of the simple fact that he didn't really feel any different than how he'd ever felt, he wondered what Jeff's wish could have possibly done to him. "I think that's much better. Don't you, dear?" said Jeff. Once again he looked at Rachel's badge. It now featured the picture of a very pretty teenaged blonde girl over the name "Rachel Jensen". "Are you ready to join Steve and Melissa inside, Rachel?" Rachel stared daggers at Jeff. "I told you before, I'm not going anywhere with you. Don't you ever listen when people talk to you?" "Have it your way, Rachel," smiled Jeff. "But you can either enter with me willingly, or I can make another wish." He held the coin in his hand so Rachel could see it. "I really don't believe you'll like how I'll phrase that wish." He grinned at Rachel, knowing he'd won. "Now... are you ready to go back inside with me, Rachel? "I guess so," Rachel answered in total resignation. "It seems I no longer have any other choice in the matter." ***** Rachel was nearly overcome with shock, as Jeff led him back into the larger hall. He just couldn't believe what was happening to him. He'd gone to school with all these guys, and none of them had ever bothered to learn his name. They'd virtually ignored him and, until tonight, never paid him even the slightest bit of attention. Now every one of them was inexplicably coming over and talking to him a