Valedictorian
By: Light Clark
Synopsis: Charlie was all but guaranteed to be valedictorian until his
rival Brian decides try something to fix the race.
Note: This is a rerelease of an older work, so it may seem familiar.
However, it has been heavily edited since its first publishing, so it
is substantially different from its original release.
"How did things go with your dad?" Charlie asked as his best friend
Ethan arrived at school.
"Fine, I guess. You know how he is, man. Work is everything," Ethan
answered, sitting down next to Charlie. "I'm just glad your parents
offered to let me stay with them. It would've sucked to have to
graduate at another school."
Ethan and Charlie had been best friends since Ethan moved to town at
the start of high school for his dad's work. Ethan's dad was some kind
of big wig corporate consultant, and four years was a long time for him
to stay in one city, so when his current job was finished he was
immediately packing for his next one. Fortunately for the friends,
Charlie's parents had agreed to handle Ethan for a couple months while
he finished out his senior year.
"It just wouldn't have been the same without you around," Charlie
replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
"So what do we have planned? Now that we are going to live together,
we can basically hang out all the time," Ethan asked. "Late night
video game parties?"
Charlie shrugged. "I have a lot of class work this semester still."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "You have your best friend living in your house
and all you can think about is school. You're a shoe-in for
valedictorian anyway. You basically just have to turn in your homework
for the rest of the semester to keep your perfect grades."
"I can't get complacent," Charlie responded. "You know Brian, ever
since he got that one B sophomore year, he's been trying to sabotage me
every chance he gets. He once got into a group project with me just so
he could intentionally bomb the presentation. Then there was the time
he burned my backpack so I couldn't turn in my homework ..."
Ethan shook his head sadly. "Who would have thought the title of
biggest nerd would be so coveted?"
"It's best student, not biggest nerd," Charlie pointed out in
annoyance.
"Same difference," Ethan replied with a shrug. "You should have just
done what I did."
"You mean slack off and waste my intellect rather than try?" Charlie
asked facetiously.
Ethan grinned. "Exactly! You have no idea how liberating it is to
just not care about anything."
"Good morning, chumps," a male voice called, drawing the friends from
their conversation. Approaching their table was a chubby, brown haired
boy with glasses and a nasally voice - Brian Spielmann.
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Brian? Hoping some brains
will rub off on you if you stand close enough?"
"Ha, ha, ha. You are just so hilarious, Ethan," Brian deadpanned. "I
am here to match wits with a real intellect, not some dimwitted clown
like yourself." The insult got Ethan moving to stand up threateningly.
"Ethan, excuse us please," Charlie requested, not wanting his friend to
do something that he'd regret. It wouldn't be the first time that
Brian had goaded Ethan into a detention inducing outburst.
"Fine," Ethan hissed, turning and storming away.
Once Ethan was gone, Briant took his abandoned seat. "Well done
controlling your lap dog."
"He's my friend, not a pet," Charlie corrected. "Now what do you want,
Brian?"
Brian sighed. "Such hostility is very rude, Charles. I merely came to
ask to see your notes from calculus. I missed one of the example
problems."
"Okay," Charlie answered uncertainly, bending down to dig into his
backpack for his notebook. As he did, he missed Brian, dumping a
little packet of powder into his coffee. "Here you go," Charlie said
handing the notebook to Brian, who quickly copied down one of the
problems.
"Thank you, Charles," Brian said graciously once he was done, handing
back the notebook. "Have a wonderful day."
With that handled, Brian departed, leaving Charlie to look at his back
suspiciously. Brian was only ever courteous when he was being evil.
That made Charlie wonder what the other boy had done this time, as he
quickly checked over his notes. He couldn't find anything amiss,
though, so he supposed that maybe it had been a legitimate request.
"So what did the asshole try this time?" Ethan asked as he came back.
"I don't know ..." Charlie answered, taking a drink of his coffee.
"Well at least, we filled our asshole quota for the day," Ethan
replied.
Charlie shook his head and pointed. "It would seem not."
Approaching their table this time was a group instead of an individual.
At the lead was Ty, a tall, handsome blonde and generally considered
the school's king. Flanking him were his two buddies Chris, a shorter,
brown haired version of Ty, and Tod, a hulking linebacker.
"Well if it isn't Westridge's most nerdy couple. When are you two
finally planning to tie the knot?" Ty teased.
"We're not gay," Charlie pointed out.
"Stay out of this, professor, we're here for your life partner," Chris
shot back, causing Charlie to bristle at the nickname. "Isn't that
right, Ethan?"
"What imagined slight have I inflicted on you three this time?" Ethan
inquired rudely.
"It's not imagined! You were staring at my girl!" Tod shouted angrily,
slamming his fist on the table for emphasis. Tod was the current lucky
boy-toy of Crystal Meyers, a bleach blonde airhead known predominately
for her large breasts and sexual appetites.
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked innocently. "I mean, why would I ever want
to stare at the wonderful, tanned cleavage that she was displaying in
her cute, little, pink, tank top yesterday?"
Taunting bullies was one of Ethan's worst habits. Like usual, it
didn't work out for him this time either. Tod's fist went from the
table to Ethan's face in the blink of an eye, knocking the smaller boy
from his chair.
"Let's see how much looking you do with your eyes swollen shut!" Tod
spat at Ethan, before kicking the nerd in the ribs. "I better not have
to come back."
"Message received," Ethan wheezed through the pain.
Charlie got up the moment the three bullies left, and helped Ethan back
into his chair. "You really shouldn't antagonize them like that."
"Psh, as if they weren't just going to hit me anyway," Ethan replied.
"The worst part is at least two teachers saw them do it, but they're
both gym teachers. No way are they are going to punish some star
football players for hitting someone like me."
"They wouldn't bother you, if you just stayed out of their way,"
Charlie pointed out.
"Probably, but then how would I show I'm a rebel?" Ethan joked with a
shrug, earning an exasperated look from Charlie.
***********************************************
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Classes started off the same as usual for Charlie. The bell would ring
and he and the rest of the students would scurry off to their classes.
In spite of his slacking nature, Ethan was smart enough to still be in
the advanced classes with Charlie. One might think that would result
in to the two of them spending the classes chatting and goofing off,
but while Ethan wished they would, Charlie took his studies very
seriously. Charlie's school days were full of intent listening and
note taking, and efforts by Ethan to distract him were not tolerated at
all.
That day did prove a bit different, however. By third period, calculus
with the hated Brian, Charlie was having trouble focusing. He felt
flush as he struggled to keep up with the teacher. At the same time,
the board seemed to go in and out of focus, causing Charlie to try to
wipe his glasses repeatedly.
Ethan was sitting there twiddling his pencil when he noticed Charlie
wiping sweat from his brow. Given that the AC was up high enough to
make the room a bit chill, he found it strange to see his friend
sweatin. Furrowing his brow in concern he peered at his friend more
closely. As he did, he could see Charlie's head bob and sway about
dizzily as the boy worked at his notes.
"Charlie?" Ethan whispered.
"Quiet, Ethan, I'm trying to listen," Charlie scolded quietly, not
wanting his friend to distract him when he was already struggling to
focus.
"I'm not goofing off. You don't look so good," Ethan hissed back in
concern.
Charlie shook his head. "I'm fi ..." Charlie trailed off as his vision
blurred. He tried to shake his head again, but, instead of clearing,
his vision started to spin.
"Mr. Conroy!" Ethan called out just before Charlie's head thumped
against his desk.
***********************************************
***********************************************
When consciousness next found Charlie, he was definitely not in a
classroom. The white walls and plethora of machines spoke of a
hospital. Looking around at the room, he wondered just how long he'd
been out for.
Inspecting his body, or at least what he could see of it through the
hospital gown and sheets, Charlie couldn't see any visible injury. He
felt a little flushed but nowhere near as bad as he had before he
passed out. His inspection did reveal one thing to him, a small pad of
buttons, one of which was labeled 'Call Nurse'.
A press of the button was remarkably unspectacular, resulting in
Charlie sitting there with nothing to do for a minute or so before a
man in pink scrubs entered the room. He wasn't in there long, just
enough time to inform Charlie he would be right back with a doctor and
his mother. It took a few minutes until finally everyone made it to
the room.
Charlie's mom, Kathleen Harris, looked the part of the mother of a high
school senior. She was in her mid forties, five-five, with a few too
many pounds and gray hairs for her liking. Charlie bore a strong
resemblance to his mother, only five-eight and thin, and sporting the
same brown hair, brown eyes, and need for glasses.
The doctor, Daniel Mueller, was a short, plump, balding man in his
early sixties. What little hair he had left was entirely gray, and he
made the room three for three in wearing glasses. He had an annoying
tendency to not call people by their names, but one thing he did have
going for him was an easy smile.
"Alright, sport, I went over this a bit with mom earlier when we got
the tests back but she wanted me to explain it to you too. It seems
you have an unusual hormonal imbalance going on. It's not uncommon in
teenage boys to have significant hormone fluxes like this," Dr. Mueller
explained.
"What kind of hormone flux?" Charlie asked. He was a smart boy and new
Dr. Mueller was downplaying this. There were a lot of very
embarrassing things that could be caused by hormone problems.
Dr. Mueller coughed uncomfortably. "Ah well you seem to have unusually
low testosterone levels and very high estrogen levels."
"How low and high?" Charlie pressed.
"Well if I only had your hormone results to go off of ... I would have
assumed you were a girl, not a boy," Dr. Mueller answered. "Of course,
it's probably temporary and very treatable. I've already given you mom
some prescriptions to inhibit estrogen and if things don't level out in
a few days we'll see about doing more."
Sagging back in the hospital bed, Charlie groaned inwardly at the news.
Kids at school already had enough to tease him about without something
like this. Plus, he'd fainted in the middle of class. It was such a
mess.
"It's really not that bad, honey. The doctor told me it should go away
on its own. You'll just have to take some pills for a few weeks is
all," Charlie's mother tried to comfort him.
"Is there anything I need to be looking for?" Charlie asked.
Dr. Mueller nodded. "I don't expect anything drastic but any nipple
tenderness or discomfort would be a sign that the medication isn't
strong enough."
"I'll keep that in mind," Charlie replied.
After talking with the doctor, it took a few hours to get Charlie
released from the hospital, his drugs picked up, and back to his house.
Even that minor amount of exertion managed to wear him out. In spite
of it having been morning when Charlie fainted, it was already night by
the time he got home.
"You alright, man?" Ethan asked as Charlie and his mom came through the
door.
"Just great," Charlie grumbled sarcastically as he walked past his
friend.
"What's up with him, Mrs. Harris?" Ethan questioned.
Charlie's mom sighed. "Oh, nothing serious. He's just embarrassed."
"Mom, not another word!" Charlie shouted before he swallowed his new
pills.
"Embarrassed huh? Hmm, what embarrassing things could he have.
Explosive flatulence? STD? Oh or maybe he has that thing that makes
boys grow boobs!" Ethan started rattling off ideas. The last one
though earned a wince from Charlie. "Oh my god, it's the boob thing,
isn't it?!"
"You shouldn't harass him like that, Ethan," Charlie's mother scolded.
"Well, he might as well know, now. It's better than him trying to find
out if I have boobs or not," Charlie grumbled. "It's just some weird
hormone thing that will be fixed soon, so drop it."
Ethan sighed in disappointment. "That's sucks. If you'd grown boobs I
could have made you show them to me."
"Well I didn't ... jerk," Charlie huffed. "Now if we are done with
humiliating me for the day, I'm going to get some sleep."
***********************************************
***********************************************
Charlie awoke groggy and alone, the sun shining in his westward facing
window. That fact had him sleepily wondering how long he'd slept as he
blinked sleep from his eyes. Sitting up in his bed, Charlie's body
felt odd, feverish, and tired, in spite the long rest.
"Hey Charlie!" Ethan's voice called from the hallway as the doorknob to
Charlie's room turned. "Your mom asked me to take notes for you while
you were - holy shit!" Ethan exclaimed as he opened the door, wide-
eyed and slack jawed.
"Huh?" Charlie muttered, looking down at himself in confusion to see
what had prompted the outburst. "Holy shit!" he gasped in mirror of
his friend's reaction.
There, tenting out the front of his t-shirt, were two mounds. They
weren't exactly huge, but they weren't small either. If Charlie had to
guess they were probably average sized for a teen - a teen girl that
is.
Charlie's hands flew to his chest to grab his new breasts, immediately
regretting the decision. "Ow!" he hissed, wincing in pain from the
rough treatment of the tender mounds.
"You've got tits, man ... tits," Ethan said in disbelief as he watched
his friend groping himself.
"I can see that!" Charlie shot back angrily. He pushed himself out of
bed and ran past Ethan to the bathroom. His reflection was noticeably
different, a shaggy haircut that was almost to his cheeks instead of
its usual short length, a slightly thinner looking body, and of course
the pair of breasts that had magically sprung from his chest overnight.
A quick check confirmed that Charlie was still a guy where it counted,
and other than the breasts, he didn't really look that different. He
was more androgynous than girly, but the changes implied a
disconcerting trend. If only one day of his little 'imbalance' had
managed to do all of that, he shuddered to think what he would look
like by the time it was corrected.
"Honey, I heard yelling is everything alr ..." Charlie's mom trailed off
as she entered the bathroom. "W-What happened?"
"I don't know, Mom. I just woke up like this," Charlie explained
trying to remain calm and rational.
"We need to get you to the doctor. Clearly they made some kind of
mistake," Mrs. Harris told him. Relieved to have a course of action,
Charlie immediately followed his mom down to the car.
It didn't take long before Charlie was once again in the same room as
Dr. Mueller. This time was far more uncomfortable than before. He was
sitting there shirtless while Dr. Mueller poked and prodded at his
chest. Sometimes the doctor would be too rough and elicit a hiss of
pain from Charlie.
"This isn't possible," Dr. Mueller mused aloud, sounding more intrigued
than concerned.
"Oh re-ally?" Charlie asked sarcastically, his voice cracking
embarrassingly as he spoke. Clearing his throat returned his normal
voice but it was not a good sign. His voice hadn't cracked like that
in years.
"You had absolutely no breast tissue when I examined you yesterday, and
now you have development that would have to have taken at least months
if not years," Dr. Mueller explained.
"I appreciate the oddity of the situation, but what can you do for my
son, doctor?" Mrs. Harris demanded.
Dr. Mueller looked at Charlie's chest for a few moments in thought.
"We can run some tests to see if we can find a cause, but I've never
seen anything like this. No one just wakes up with breasts like this."
"Well, then maybe you should do a little less gawking at my son's chest
like an idiot and a little more research to figure this thing out!"
Mrs. Harris chided angrily.
Dr. Mueller blushed and looked away from Charlie's chest. "I'll have a
nurse come by for some samples. You can go ahead and put your shirt
back on, son."
Putting his clothes back on helped Charlie to relax some. The material
was a little rough against his nipples, but it was better than the cold
air, and at least it partially concealed his embarrassing development.
Looking down at them, he couldn't help but think that Ethan had proven
to be correct. He'd grown boobs.
Charlie's mom sat down on the examination table next to him. "Don't
worry, Honey, they'll figure this out," she assured him, wrapping an
arm around his shoulder. Charlie hated to admit it but the empty
promise did make him feel a little better.
After a few hours of waiting Dr. Mueller returned, once more sporting
his easy smile. "Good news! I've figured out the problem. It was
quite tough, but we started to run some genetic tests looking for
specific markers ..." the doctor started blathering on, using a bunch of
latin words. Charlie had thought himself pretty knowledgeable in
scientific areas, but he quickly grew lost in the archaic terms.
"Doctor, english please," Charlie's mom suggested, much to Charlie's
relief.
"Oh ... of course, sorry. It's just absolutely fascinating. Charlie
has two completely distinct genetic structures in his body, one male
and one female which seem to be fighting against each other. Likely,
this has always been true, but one of them lay dormant until some kind
of triggering effect, maybe the end of puberty, woke it up," Dr.
Mueller explained. "It really is remarkable, and the rates at which
his body seems to be capable of changing is nothing short of
extraordinary."
"That's all well and good, doctor, but what can you do about it?" Mrs.
Harris said in an exasperated tone.
Dr. Mueller's eyes widened a bit as he was put on the spot. "Well ...
uhm ... nothing really."
"Nothing?!" Charlie shouted, his voice cracking into a rather shrill
pitch right in the middle of the word.
"Well it's a genetic disorder unlike anything I've ever seen that
doesn't have any apparent cause. Something like this is really beyond
the scope of modern medicine. I wouldn't even know where to start.
Whatever it's going to do, it's going to do," Dr. Mueller told them.
"On the bright side, other than the mild fever nothing seems to be
wrong or life threatening about it, so there's a good chance that
you'll be perfectly healthy once it finishes."
Emotions swirled through Charlie, rage, fear, doubt. He wanted to just
punch that man, but he restrained himself. Eventually the storm of
emotion calmed and his shoulders slumped in defeat. Whatever this did
to him he was just going to have to accept.
"Honey?" Mrs. Harris asked, clearly concerned.
"Can we go home now?" Charlie asked despondently .
Mrs. Harris looked at the doctor who nodded. "Sure, sweetie."
Charlie didn't say another word the entire way home. Once he was there
he walked straight up to his room and closed the door, collapsing on
the bed. The doctor had told him two things were fighting inside him a
man a woman. It was easy to see just by looking down which was
winning.
***********************************************
***********************************************
Waking up the next morning was no more pleasant for Charlie than the
last. He still felt sick, the same exhaustion and fever that had
plagued him since this whole nightmare had begun. Those issues, he
could have dealt with easily. The other sensations from his body were
far more pervasive.
The moment he awoke, Charlie was assaulted by the sensation of his
chest. The mounds there were clearly much larger, pressing against his
biceps as he lay on his side. They also ached slightly, and were if
anything even more tender than the day before. Even rolling onto his
back caused him to wince in pain.
Breasts weren't the only thing causing Charlie problems this time. As
he sat up, hair that was even longer than the day before fell into
face, easily reaching past his chin, and clearly the wrong color even
in the dimly lit room. He'd always had dark brown hair, almost black,
but this was a light sandy brown that was bordering on blonde.
Shoving himself from his bed, Charlie hurried to the bathroom on
unsteady feet. His muscles felt weak and ached with stiffness. What
awaited him in the bathroom, though, made him wish that he hadn't woken
up that morning.
Between his legs, Charlie found a laughable excuse for his manhood.
The thing was tiny, almost like a child's. It was so small that it
should have been lost in the hair down there, but mysteriously, that
hair had diminished overnight as well, becoming much shorter and finer.
All Charlie could do was laugh at his predicament.
"I look ridiculous," Charlie muttered to himself as he glanced past the
large breasts to the tiny little dick between his legs.
After taken care of the morning bladder issues, Charlie moved over in
front of the bathroom mirror to assess his new appearance. Androgyny
had given way to femininity, with a softening of his features, and
slight swell to his hips. Of course the breasts were a giant neon sign
of womanhood, large and perky, probably as big as the ones Ethan got
punched for staring at. As he stared at his reflection, there came a
knock on the door.
"Charlie?" Ethan called out.
"What do you want, Ethan?" Charlie answered, treated to the sound of a
voice that was noticeably higher and more girly than he was used to.
"I left the notes and homework from yesterday and today on your desk.
You mom also wanted me to tell you dinner's almost ready," Ethan told
him.
Charlie sighed at his reflection. He didn't want to eat dinner, or
even go out where Ethan or his mom might see him. "Tell her that I'll
eat later."
The sounds of Ethan moving away gave Charlie an opportunity to leave
the bathroom and get back to his room. For the first time since this
all began, Charlie had time to himself where he wasn't too tired to do
anything. In search of something to distract him from his predicament,
his gaze fell on the notebooks Ethan had left on his desk. That would
certainly help get his mind of things.
Walking over to the desk, Charlie sat down. Even such a simple act
proved frustrating for him, though. For one, he was now a little too
short for his desk, requiring him to adjust the chair up a couple of
inches. Secondly, every time he leaned over the desk to write, his new
sore breasts would bump painfully against the edge, earning frequent
sighs in pain and frustration.
As annoying as everything was, eventually, it all faded into the
background enough for Charlie to begin his work. He started with
calculus, the class that he had passed out in, going through the notes
to try to learn the material that he'd missed. It proved hard to
follow, as he constantly had to go back to his own notes to check
things that he had already learned. It took far longer than it should
have to get through the first lesson and start on the practice
problems.
Charlie's frustration only grew worse as he worked. The numbers
refused to click like they usually did for him. He managed to finish a
few problems, only to check the answers in the back to find that he had
done them incorrectly. Furious with himself, he went back, reworking
the problems over and over as he struggled to find the correct answers
and even went back to past assignments, his anger building the entire
time. Suddenly, Charlie snapped, rising from his desk, and throwing
his textbook at the wall, where it crashed with a thud. He was
standing there panting in frustration, when a concerned Ethan burst
into the room.
"What just happened?" Ethan asked, as he took in the scene.
"I can't do it," Charlie whispered, staring at the textbook.
"Can't do what?" Ethan questioned.
"The homework. I can't do the problems. I can't follow the notes,"
Charlie mumbled.
Ethan looked confused. "I'm sure it's nothing, probably just a
combination of bad notes and stress."
"No!" Charlie shouted in rage, glaring at his friend with tear filled
eyes. "I went back. I tried to do the lessons that I'd already
learned, that I'd already done perfectly before all this. I couldn't
remember how to do them. I'm losing everything."
"Charlie ..." Ethan struggled to find something to say as he reached out
to his friend.
Charlie recoiled from the touch. "Just leave me alone."
Ethan's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, I -"
"I said leave!" Charlie shrieked, lunging forward to shove Ethan toward
the door. It was a pretty weak shove, barely moving the boy. It
actually proved more significant for Charlie as he dropped to his knees
after doing it, tears forming his eyes. "This thing ... it's taking
everything. It's taking me."
Ethan knelt down in front of Charlie and placed his hands on his
friend's shoulders. "I'll help you through this. I promise you won't
lose who you are."
"How can you promise me that? Just look at me!" Charlie questioned
through his tears.
"Because I'm your friend, and I always will be no matter what happens,"
Ethan answered pulling his sobbing friend into an embrace.
It was weird for Ethan, holding Charlie like that. He felt a sobbing
girl in his arms, not the calm intellectual boy he knew as his friend.
He had to remind himself that it didn't matter what he felt like. He
had to help his friend regardless.
***********************************************
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The next day was mostly some kind of hazy dream to Charlie. He only
got up to use the restroom, an embarrassing activity given the loss of
his usual equipment. He tried his best not to dwell on his changing
body, but the busty, blonde girl he saw every time that he had to use
the restroom made it hard to ignore.
Throughout the day, Charlie refused any visitors, demanding his mom
leave food outside and go away. Ethan walked by several times,
intending to talk, but every time that he stopped to hover in front of
Charlie's door, the soft sounds of sobs or angry mutterings would get
him to back off. As he left, he would tell himself that Charlie didn't
want his help - at least not yet. There was other work that he needed
to do.
With Charlie out of school, Ethan was working harder than he had for a
long time. He was taking thorough notes in all the classes, mastering
every detail with the knowledge that he would have to help Charlie with
it. He didn't know what his friend would be like after the changes
were over, but he knew that he had to be ready for the worst.
School provided other problems as well. With all the stress from
Charlie, Ethan had grown even more snarky during the day, earning an
increased hatred from Ty's little gang. They or their girlfriends
would now go out of their way to harass him. Charlie had warned him to
not provoke them and now he was paying the price for ignoring that
advice.
"Mrs. Harris?" Ethan asked, sitting down next to Charlie's mother,
while Charlie was hiding in his room.
Mrs. Harris looked up, wiping at her red, puffy eyes. "Oh, hi Ethan.
Do you need help with something?"
Ethan shook his head. "No, not exactly. I'm just wondering what we
are planning to do about Charlie, once whatever this is finishes."
"I don't know, Ethan. I've been talking to my husband about it while
he's on his trip, but we are stumped. The doctor recommended some
therapists, but I doubt Charlie will want to go. He also promised to
write up some documentation for Charlie to prove his identity and
gender change to the authorities. I'll guess we'll have to get him all
new ID at some point," Mrs. Harris explained.
"I'll help however I can," Ethan offered. "I'm doing everything I can
about school already."
Mrs. Harris smiled sadly. "It's good that he has a friend to stick by
him through this. A lot of kids your age probably wouldn't."
"Well, I'm hardly a kid," Ethan replied defensively.
Mrs. Harris managed a weak chuckle. "Ah the teenage dream of being
considered an adult. Trust me, it's overrated."
With that, the conversation trailed into silence. Eventually the two
parted ways again, Mrs. Harris to drop off another snack for Charlie,
and Ethan back to his room to work on some schoolwork. All they could
do was stay busy while they waited for Charlie to finally come back out
into the world. It wouldn't be until the next day that Charlie finally
left his room.
***********************************************
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Waking up on the fourth day after his change began was a little
different for Charlie. For once, he no longer felt sick. The fever
and exhaustion seemed to have fled along with his former gender. He
finally had energy, and with energy, a willingness to start trying to
figure out what he was going to do.
Even something as simple as sitting up in bed assaulted Charlie with
just how much he had changed. He was still dressed in nothing but a t-
shirt and a pair of boxers, his usual sleep clothes, but those two
things were having a hell of a time with his new anatomy. While the
rest of him had shrunk, growing short and slender, his hips and breasts
had grown significantly and now stretched the previously baggy clothes
around them. Charlie couldn't even see passed the massive boobs that
he was now sporting. They were far bigger than any other set that he'd
seen before in real life. With them blocking his vision, he couldn't
exactly see the hips that were stretching out his boxers below, but he
could feel the uncomfortable tightness that they were creating down
there. Looking down also showed him something else, a tangled mess of
long blonde hair, the near white color usually associated with
something gotten from a bottle.
"I must look like a bimbo," Charlie muttered, wincing at the voice that
came out. It was very high, soft, and feminine. The pitch made it
sound a little more cute than sexy, just right to complete the bimbo
effect.
Sighing, Charlie pushed himself from the bed onto unsteady feet. His
legs felt a bit weak, and his body had a very different balance
compared to his old one. Still, he had been adjusting over the days of
changing, so it didn't prove that hard to move across his room, open
the door, and cut across the hall to the bathroom. Once inside though,
Charlie had to face the mirror.
Seeing his reflection almost buckled Charlie's legs, making him lean on
the counter for support. There was absolutely no trace in the mirror
of the boy that he had been just a few days before, or even any
resemblance to his family. The girl that had replaced him there was
certainly beautiful, though, with cute delicate features and big blue
eyes. Her body, however, looked like it belonged in a cartoon with
massive breasts on a thin frame, a tiny waist, and full rounded hips.
Sticking out below the t-shirt was a pair of smooth, creamy legs,
looking long and well shaped in spite of her at best average height.
Raising his now small and delicate hands, Charlie let his fingers trace
along what he saw in the mirror. He ran them over the cute little
arched nose, delicate cheekbones, and full lips. He hesitated as his
hands drifted downward, afraid to touch the mounds on his chest.
Finally he cupped them, the soft flesh overflowing his hands. He
refused to linger there, though, instead tracing along the curve of his
waist to where it flared out into his hips. There, he grabbed the
boxers and forced them down.
Removal of the underwear served two purposes. The more urgent was that
Charlie really needed to pee. The second, though, was too see what was
now there. Charlie gave the vertical slit in the mirror only a brief
glance, noting that the change had decided to leave the area hairless.
Once he had given that part its look as well, he turned from the mirror
and took care of business.
For a while after finishing, Charlie just sat on the toilet wondering
what he was supposed to do now. It seemed likely that he was done
changing. Being any girlier didn't seem possibly, and he no longer
felt so sore and tired. That didn't tell him what to do next, though.
How could he face his mother and best friend looking he did? What
would his dad think when he came home in a few days and saw his 'son'.
Those fear filled thoughts roiled through his mind right up until a
knock on the door distracted him from them.
"Honey, are you alright in there?" Charlie's mom called with obvious
concern.
"Here it goes," Charlie whispered getting up his nerve. He quickly
forced his boxers back up, walked to the door. Before he could chicken
out, he pulled the door open. "Hi, Mom."
Mrs. Harris eyes widened in shock at the sight of her son. She hadn't
seen any of his changes for a couple of days, and he was a far cry from
the slim brunette that she had last seen him as. The look in her eyes
cut into Charlie like a knife. Tears started to well up in his eyes at
the knowledge that even his own mother didn't recognize him.
Seeing the growing tears, Mrs. Harris stepped forward to hug her
distraught son. "It's alright, honey," she whispered. The words
didn't stop the tears from coming, but Charlie appreciated them just
the same. After a few minutes, Charlie's sobs finally quieted, and his
mother pulled back a bit to ask, "Would you like something to eat?"
Charlie just nodded in response, letting his mom lead him downstairs.
Ethan was sitting in the living room, when the puffy eyed blonde
entered the room. "Calm down, "Mrs. Harris mouthed at him, when she
saw his wide-eyed look.
Shaking his head briefly to clear it, Ethan nodded at Mrs. Harris. He
knew that he needed to say even tempered for his friend. In an effect
to do exactly that, he tried to sound as casual as possible as he
greeted the blonde with a "Hey, Charlie."
"Hi, Ethan," Charlie whispered, blushing a bit in embarrassment.
"How are you feeling?" Ethan inquired, trying to keep the conversation
light.
"I don't feel sick anymore. How has school been?" Charlie replied.
The tension in the small talk was palpable.
Ethan shrugged. "It's school. I've been making sure to keep up with
everything, so we can get you all caught up."
"Thanks," Charlie responded quietly. Talk about school reminded him
that the changes were not only physical but mental as well.
Being aware that he was now less intelligent, was an odd feeling for
Charlie. He didn't feel stupid or anything. His brain still worked.
He still had thoughts, made decisions, came to conclusions. It's
wasn't like he suddenly just couldn't understand what people were
saying either. It was much more subtle than that.
The three of them chatted while Charlie ate, going over the things that
had happened and what needed to be done. It was during that
conversation that Charlie got his first feel of how the difference in
his mental faculties would affect daily life. He was slow to follow
things, now, often requiring explanation for why something would be
necessary. It made him feel helpless and pathetic, causing him to
spend most of the conversation with his eyes downcast. He spoke as
little as possible to not draw attention to his limited understanding.
"We need to get started on the paperwork for your new ID, so tomorrow
we'll handle that and pick up some clothes for you," Mrs. Harris
explained.
"Clothes?" Charlie questioned.
Mrs. Harris nodded. "Yes. Clearly nothing you own will fit you now
and girls need different kinds of clothes anyway."
"I don't want to wear girl clothes, Mom," Charlie stated.
"I know, sweetie. For outer clothes we can get stuff like you wear
now, shorts and t-shirts, but your uhm ... chest is going to need
support. We'll have to get you some female undergarments," Mrs.
Harris.
"Support? Undergarments? You mean bras don't you?!" Charlie demanded
as his mind slowly managed to put it together.
Mrs. Harris nodded. "Yes, dear, I mean bras."
Charlie shook his head fervently. "I'm not wearing a bra."
Mrs. Harris sighed. "You are too ... developed to go without one, honey.
It wouldn't be proper ... or comfortable."
"Oh ... " Charlie mumbled quietly, conceding the point in the face of
that logic. If her mom said he needed one, she was probably right.
Looking down at his chest, he couldn't help but think that he was all
boobs and no brains.
"Anyway, we can worry about that stuff tomorrow when we go to the
mall," Mrs. Harris said.
Charlie's eyes widened in fear. "Wait I have to go out in public like
this?!"
"Well, of course," Mrs. Harris answered in surprise.
Charlie shook his head rapidly. "I can't go out like this. People
will stare at me like I'm some kind of freak."
Looking Charlie over, Ethan silently agreed with his friend. It was
clear that people would stare at Charlie, but not for the reason the
newly changed girl thought. To an onlooker, they would see nothing but
a very pretty girl - and that was exactly why they would stare.
"Charlie, you'll have to try the clothes on for size, and you'll need
to sign things for your new ID," Mrs. Harris pointed out, managing to
make things worse.
Still shaking his head, Charlie stood up. "I can't do this. I just ...
" he muttered before racing out of the kitchen and back up to his room.
"That could've gone better," Mrs. Harris sighed.
"I'll go talk to her ... er him," Ethan offered, following after Charlie.
Once he was upstairs, Ethan walked quickly over to the door. After
knocking quietly, Ethan cracked the door open. Inside, Charlie was
sitting on his bed looking down at the floor, where his feet dangled
just shy of ground.
"Charlie?" Ethan began uncertainly.
Charlie looked up, eyes full of fear and self-loathing. "I ... I can't
do it, Ethan."
"Sure you can," Ethan assured him as he sat down next to his friend.
"You always figure out a way."
"I'm not that guy anymore. I'm not even a guy at all," Charlie
replied. "Once I go out there everyone will see that. They'll all
know."
"You never cared what people thought of you before," Ethan pointed out.
"That's because I liked what they thought!" Charlie blurted. "I liked
being a nerd. I liked the respect I got from teachers. I liked that
people left me alone. Now though they're all going to see ... this."
Charlie gestured down at his body.
Ethan wasn't sure how to argue with that. "Well if you like being a
nerd so much just keep being one. No one is saying you have to stop
reading, playing video games, and worrying about your school work."
"People are going to laugh at me," Charlie said.
"If they do, I'll beat them up for you, okay?" Ethan offered.
Charlie laughed, though it managed to come out as more of a sad little
giggle. "You're too weak to beat anyone up, Ethan."
"Well then I'll get beat up so they laugh at me instead of you!" Ethan
countered, eliciting another giggle from Charlie.
The jokes and support actually got Charlie to smile a little. "Thanks,
Ethan."
***********************************************
***********************************************
"Ow! Stop it!" Charlie wailed in pain as his mom yanked a brush
through her hair working out the knots from sleeping for days.
"Sorry, sweetie, but four days of bed head isn't easy to untangle,"
Charlie's mom informed her son.
"You should have just cut it off," Charlie grumbled.
Mrs. Harris rolled her eyes. "We've been through this. You need to at
least try it out before we cut it. You might like long hair and it's a
lot harder to grow out than it is to cut, trust me. Besides, I'm
almost done."
"Fine," Charlie sighed in defeat, wincing as another knot was
discovered. Long hair wasn't winning any points with him currently,
that was for sure.
"We almost ready?" Ethan asked, poking his head into Charlie's room.
The boy had insisted on taking the day off from school to accompany
them on their errands. It was a gesture that Charlie was definitely
glad for, wanting any extra support around that she could get for what
lay ahead.
With a final stroke of the brush, the last knot untangled itself. "All
done," Mrs. Harris said with a smile. "Now let's get a move on."
Trepidation filled Charlie's stomach as he followed his mom and Ethan
out to the car. He really didn't want to go outside, wishing that he
could just hide under his covers for the rest of his life. Even just
walking around the house in his new body embarrassed him. He could
only imagine how bad he was going to feel in public.
Not even the drive was comfortable for Charlie. The seat belt fit
awkwardly between his boobs, and every pothole and bump in the road set
the fleshy mounds bouncing. Eventually he just crossed his arms around
his chest in embarrassment and hung his head in shame.
As Charlie suffered, Ethan watched quietly. It was weird for him to
see Charlie the way he was now. Outwardly it all seemed very cute, a
pretty blonde who was always blushing and pouting in a way that Ethan
found very endearing. However inside that cute exterior his friend was
suffering and he had no idea how to help him. It made him feel like a
terrible friend.
With neither teen happy, the entire drive passed in uncomfortable
silence. Once the car arrived at its destination, Charlie followed
along behind his mother and Ethan, using them to shield himself from
view until he was inside. Then he found a chair in a corner, and did
her best to hide there, while his mom took care of what she could
without him.
"How are you holding up?" Ethan asked, sitting down next to Charlie.
Charlie shifted in his seat, moving closer to Ethan to use him as a
shield. "Awful. People are staring," he said, nodding across the
room, to where a mother and son waited. The son appeared to be about
thirteen and his eyes were glued to Charlie.
Seeing what appeared to be Charlie's first admirer, Ethan didn't know
whether to smirk in amusement or worry about his friend. In the end,
he just shifted slightly to put himself in the boy's way and shot him a
menacing glare. Caught staring, the boy quickly averted his eyes.
"Look he's stopped," Ethan told Charlie. Glancing around Ethan,
Charlie saw the boy had turned away and sighed in relief.
Shortly after the staring was taken care of, Mrs. Harris walked back
from the counter and handed Charlie a clipboard. "You need to sign
this for your new name."
"New name?" Charlie muttered uncertainly. He didn't remember anyone
telling him about a new name.
Ethan reached over her shoulder to point at a spot on the clipboard.
"It's right there, Charlie."
Embarrassed at having it pointed out to him, Charlie followed Ethan's
finger. There was a series of boxes, filled out in his mother's
handwriting that read 'Charlene Elizabeth Harris' with the female box
checked. "Charlene?"
"I thought you might like it since you can still just go by Charlie,"
Charlie's mother told him. "We can always go with something else,
though, if you want."
Charlie shook his head. "No, it's fine." he replied. Charlie grabbed
the pen from the top of the clipboard and signed his male name. It
would be the last time he'd ever be Charles Eli Harris, the last time
he would be male.
With shaky hands, Charlie handed the clipboard back to her mom, letting
go of her past self. "There," she said, her voice barely above a
whisper.
Ethan put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remember, you're still
Charlie. That hasn't changed." Charlie managed a slight nod in reply.
With the paperwork handled, the group moved on toward their next
errand. Getting back to the car and away from prying eyes was a relief
for Charlie. As she buckled in, she hoped that the fact that it was a
school day would mean that the mall would be mostly empty.
The mall was definitely not empty, but instead full of off-work parents
getting shopping done, kids skipping school, and the occasional elderly
person just out for a stroll. Even the short trip to the department
store required passing several people, all of whom at least glanced at
Charlie, who had tucked herself in between her mother and Ethan in an
effort to hide. While her efforts to hide failed, they did cause some
problems for Ethan.
As part of her efforts to control her fear, Charlie had grabbed Ethan's
arm, holding it tightly. Of course for Ethan this meant his arm was
squished up against his friend's new, and rather soft, assets. Best
friends or not, Ethan was still a teenage boy, and such a situation was
more than a bit stimulating. He ended up joining Charlie in her
discomfort as they walked around the mall like that. Fortunately the
group soon arrived at a department store, and Mrs. Harris led them
quickly to the lingerie section.
"Excuse me, do you still offer bra fittings?" Mrs. Harris asked one of
the attendants, an older lady, with curly gray hair.
"We sure do," the woman replied with a pleasant smile.
Mrs. Harris sighed in relief. "Ah good. You see my daughter has been
growing like a weed and I have no idea what size she is anymore," she
told the clerk, turning to grab Charlie's hand and pulled her forward
to stand where the lady could see her better.
Charlie winced at the way the clerk's eyes widened at the sight of her
chest. Blushing, Charlie could only think about how embarrassing this
all was. That, and wishing that she'd never let her mother take her
here.
"Well ... I can try to size her for you, but I can tell you right now
she's not going to fit in anything we have here. We only carry up to
DD's and your daughter is clearly beyond that by at least a couple
sizes," the clerk told them, while Charlie wondered if it was possible
to die from embarrassment.
"I see. Where do I go for larger sizes then?" Mrs. Harris asked. Her
own chest was only a bit above average, so she had never even realized
that this was a potential problem.
The sales clerk thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly there's
a specialty store on the corner of Lake and Fueller that handles larger
busts. One of the girls here has to shop there for her bras. If you
have some other shopping to do, I can go get you the name of the place
and a phone number."
"That would be great, thank you. We'll be in the junior section," Mrs.
Harris replied.
Charlie was so relieved to finally be walking away from the lingerie
section. As her mother led the way, she drifted along beside her,
looking at nothing but the floor. This whole thing was already feeling
like a nightmare made real.
From behind, Ethan placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "That was
awkward, huh?" he whispered in her ear, getting a nod from Charlie.
"Well at least she was trying to be helpful, and wasn't mean or
anything."
Trying to force herself to be a little more positive, Charlie nodded in
agreement. Ethan was right in a sense. The attendant hadn't been
making fun of her or anything. She couldn't help it that the story
didn't carry the blonde's size.
In the junior's section, Charlie's mom, moved around the racks eagerly,
grabbing a few sets of shorts and t-shirts. "Alright, honey, I need
you to try these on for size. Everything is going to fit a little
tighter than you are used to, though, so don't let that bother you,"
she instructed before handing her daughter the clothes and leading her
to a changing room.
Ethan had to wait outside while the two girls went into the changing
area and got Charlie a room. Inside, Charlie stripped out of her ill
fitting male clothes, trying not to look at the girl in the mirror as
she fumbled with the stuff her mom picked out for her. Some of the
stuff wouldn't fit over her hips or boobs, and some of the rest was too
loose around her shoulders and waist. Charlie didn't mind the baggier
look, especially on the shorts which were all far too short and tight
for her tastes, but her mom was less than pleased by it. Apparently
off the rack clothing wasn't exactly designed for girls that looked
like Charlie, and Mrs. Harris didn't like the idea of buying poorly
fitting clothes.
"Some of the shorts aren't bad, but we are going to need to find some
tops for you that have some stretch in them. I'll be right back," Mrs.
Harris finally declared in exasperation.
"Some stretch?" Charlie mused aloud, looking at the mirror while she
waited. She was currently in one of the looser fitting t-shirts her
mom had given her and it was definitely already stretching a bit around
her chest. Of course, it also practically hung off her slim shoulders,
and it was impossible to even tell that she had a waist. She reached up
and bunched the extra cloth at the waist behind her back. The effect
emphasized just how large her chest was in contrast to the rest of her,
causing her to sigh. That was the last thing she wanted to emphasize.
Sure enough, the next set of tops Charlie's mom gave her did exactly
what she didn't want them to. They were mostly tank tops, a few even
sporting low necklines that showed off some cleavage, and every last
one of them was made out of a material that stretched to accommodate
her chest, while remaining fairly snug around her waist.
"I don't like this, Mom," Charlie stated firmly as she stood in front
of her mom in a pale blue scoop neck tank top.
"I know it's a bit girly, but it fits and it looks good," Mrs. Harris
explained.
"I just don't like it. Can't I please just go with some of the t-
shirts?" Charlie practically begged.
Charlie's mom, smiled sympathetically. "Sure, sweetie. Is it okay if
we buy a few of each?" Eager for any deal that got her out of this
top, Charlie nodded. "Alright, get changed back into your own clothes
while I sort through the pile for the stuff that fit the best."
"Thanks, Mom," Charlie told her, glad that her mom was here to help.
To round out her day, Charlie found herself at the specialty bra shop
that catered to larger busted girls. This was by far the most
embarrassing experience of an already very embarrassing day. She was
required to stand topless in the changing room, while a stranger buzzed
around her, taking measurements and prodding at her breasts.
With every 'hmm' the woman uttered or new measurement that she took,
Charlie thought she was going to do something terrible. She stood
there trembling after the woman finished, half expecting her to return
and consign her to some overly frilly, pink, lace, nightie thing. When
the woman actually came back, she just offered Charlie a plain, white,
cotton bra.
"Here, try this on," the shop attendant instructed.
Charlie took the bra, shyly and stared at it for a moment. Looking at
the array of straps and hooks that it consisted of, she realized that
she had no idea she was supposed to get it on properly. The best she
could guess was that she needed to slide her arms through the straps
then, maybe, hook it in the back. Trying that was less effective than
it sounded in her head. Her boobs refused to stay in the cups while
she tried to work the hooks.
"Let me help, dear," the woman offered sweetly, causing Charlie to
blush bright red. The woman shifted Charlie's chest into the cups and
then hooked the bra with practiced ease. Then her fingers started
trailing around the bra, adjusting the straps and cups until it felt
surprisingly comfortable to Charlie. "This is a pretty good fit for
you."
Charlie looked in the mirror. The bra was snug, full of soft, creamy
flesh that it did an excellent job of supporting. As bras went it
wasn't particularly girly, plain white, without any lace or frills. It
was a little tight and constrictive compared to clothes that she was
used to wearing, but, judging by the obnoxious bounce and sway that
she'd put up with all day, that was probably part of the point. If she
was going to be stuck wearing a bra, this one didn't seem so bad.
"Do you want your mom to see?" the woman asked.
"Uhm ... yes please," Charlie mumbled, still uncomfortable around the
saleswoman.
The woman left and a few moments later, Mrs. Harris entered the
dressing room. "So, Mom ... how does it look?" Charlie asked nervously,
hands fidgeting at her sides.
"It looks wonderful," Mrs. Harris said with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Now, that you have an idea what it feels like to wear one, is it still
bothering you?"
Charlie shrugged. "A little, but it's not as bad as I originally
thought it would be."
"I remember thinking my first bra felt weird, too," Mrs. Harris told
her with smile, causing Charlie to blush a little bit.
After trying on a few more bras they were finally finished, Charlie
wearing one of the bras out at her mom's request. It proved its worth
just on the trip home, providing some much needed support and comfort.
By the time they made it back home, Charlie was really glad the day was
over.
***********************************************
***********************************************
"Damn it!" Charlie shouted, throwing her controller in anger.
"Charlie, no swearing!" Charlie's mom chastised from the kitchen.
"Sorry, Mom!" Charlie called out in reply. She flopped against the
back of the couch, folding her arms in frustration. "This sucks."
Ethan looked at his friend for a moment. The pout Charlie was pulling
off was doing a better job of being adorable than it was of conveying
anger. "Come on, Charlie, you aren't doing that bad."
"Are you kidding me?! I'm awful!" Charlie huffed. She and Ethan had
been playing video games for the last hour to take Charlie's mind off
her father's impending return home later that day. Unfortunately the
games hadn't improved her mood any. She had spent the entire time
struggling to do well and failing at it. It wasn't that she had
forgotten how to play, it was just that her reactions and decision
making had diminished and her hands no longer seemed to have the muscle
memory necessary for the precise controls. The overall effect had
taken her from being a skilled gamer to mediocre at best.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "You aren't awful. You still went positive
that last match," Ethan pointed out. Charlie just huffed. "With a
little practice you'll get that rust off and be back to kicking ass
just like you always have."
"Whatever," Charlie muttered, her anger wearing down under Ethan's
relentlessly positive attitude. "Let's just watch a movie or
something. I can't suck at that."
Ethan was about to get up to pick out a move for them when the rattle
of garage door opening began. Hearing that sound, Charlie smacked her
head against the couch back. That sound meant her dad was home.
Sure enough a few moments later Charlie's dad, Roger Harris, came
through the door into the kitchen. Dr. Harris was, like his wife, a
fairly average looking person. He was in his early fifties, with a bit
of a gut and more gray hair than brown in his receding hairline.
Before Charlie's change, he was an inch taller than his son, at five-
nine, however, that gap had increased to five inches now. Dr. Harris
was also a renowned physics professor and a graduate of MIT.
"I'm home!" Dr. Harris called, walking over to where his wife was
working on dinner to give her a kiss. "I missed you, dear."
Noticing Charlie scrunched up in hiding behind the couch, Ethan grabbed
her hand and whispered, "Come on, you need to go say hi to your dad."
Charlie shook her head rapidly. "I don't wanna."
Ethan gave her an exasperated look. "He's going to see you eventually,
Charlie. Now get a move on before I drag you out there."
"Fine ..." Charlie grumbled, getting up and walking into the kitchen.
There she stopped, playing with the hem of her t-shirt nervously. "Uhm
... hi, Dad."
Dr. Harris's eyes widened slightly as he blinked a couple of times.
"Hello ... Charlie?" he replied, his tone making it sound more like a
question than statement. He looked at his wife for confirmation and
she nodded.
"H-How was your trip?" Charlie stammered a bit, growing only more
nervous and ashamed at her father's reaction.
"Oh ... uhm ... good," Dr. Harris answered with obvious awkwardness and
trepidation. "Can you excuse me for a bit? I need to talk to you
mother ... in private."
Charlie nodded as his dad hurried from the room his mom in tow. It was
easy to see how uncomfortable he was with being around her. Thinking
about the look on his face made her eyes burn on the verge of tears.
That fact only made her feel worse.
"Charlie?" Ethan asked carefully, coming up behind her to rest a hand
on her shoulders.
"My dad thinks I'm a freak," Charlie replied.
"I doubt that," Ethan tried to argue.
Shaking her head, Charlie pulled away from him. "I'll be in my room,"
she said quietly before walking away.
"What the hell is going on, Kathy?" Roger demanded once he and his wife
were in their bedroom.
"I explained this to you over the phone," Kathy answered, angry at her
husband's reaction.
Roger shook his head vigorously. "No, you said Charlie had some kind
of genetic thing that was making him female. You didn't say anything
about it turning him into ... that."
"I'll admit it's a bit more than I told you, but -" Kathy tried to
explain.
"A bit more?! That ... person doesn't look anything like Charlie or us.
She looks like some kind of bimbo!" Roger shouted incredulously.
"Roger keep your voice down!" Kathy hissed. "Besides, she may not be a
genius anymore, but she's hardly a bimbo."
Roger's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"There were apparently some mental changes as well," Kathy told him.
"So Charlie is gone then," Roger reasoned.
Kathy shook her head. "Charlie is that girl out there, and she's
probably pretty upset that her dad is reacting like a jerk."
"That isn't Charlie!" Roger growled angrily as he pointed back into the
house. "That is a stranger."
Kathy slapped Roger hard. "I can't believe you. Charlie needs us and
you're acting like a selfish, close minded, asshole. You aren't
welcome in this house if you're going to keep it up," Kathy admonished,
her voice full of anger. There were the beginning of tears in her
eyes.
"That's not Charlie," Roger insisted, turning and walking out of the
room. A few moments later, the house shook as the door to the garage
slammed shut, followed by the sound of a car speeding away, then just
silence.
***********************************************
***********************************************
Sunday passed with hardly a word shared between the three people in the
house. Charlie didn't want to leave her room. Mrs. Harris was dealing
with her husband leaving. Ethan spent the day playing video games
alone, hoping the noise would draw Charlie from her room, but it never
did. Monday, though, proved plenty noisy.
"Do I really have to go?" Charlie whined petulantly.
"Yes, sweetie," Mrs. Harris answered firmly. "You're not sick anymore,
so putting off your return to school would only make you fall further
behind. I know you don't want to face your classmates like this, but
waiting won't make it any easier."
"Fine ..."Charlie grumbled in annoyance.
Ethan patted her on the back. "Look on the bright side. Once you get
through today, the rest of the year will be easy."
"And if I don't get through today?" Charlie asked.
"I won't let that happen!" Ethan assured her.
Charlie laughed. "You're an idiot."
"Only when it suits me," Ethan replied as he started out to the car.
"Now hurry up or I'm leaving you behind!"
"Alright I'm coming," Charlie told him, grunting as she picked up her
backpack. Judging by the weight of it, carrying all of her books with
her all the time like she used to wasn't going to be an option anymore.
Technically it was Charlie's car but without legal ID for her current
identity yet, she wasn't supposed to drive it, meaning Ethan was
responsible for taking her places. She didn't like having to rely on
him, it was just another thing she couldn't do for herself, but Ethan
was eager to be helpful. She couldn't really feel too bad about it.
What Charlie could feel bad about was school. She was absolutely
dreading it. Her mom had taken care of things with the principal and
her teachers, letting them know what had happened with Charlie and what
she looked like now. To its credit, the school was being very
accommodating, handling it all on faith that the paperwork would come
through later. Of course Charlie knew that while the staff would
probably be professional, her fellow students definitely wouldn't be.
Walking into school put the embarrassment of shopping to shame. From
the moment that Charlie stepped inside the doors, eyes were glued to
her. There was absolutely nothing she could do to hide from that.
Boys were especially obvious with it, but even girls gawked as she
walked toward the commons. It made the poor girl wish that she would
just turn invisible - or flat out die. Either option would've worked
for her.
The day also had an added problem for Charlie. As she and Ethan had
arrived much later than they normally did, much of the commons was
already filled, most notably the nearby table that they would have to
walk passed to get to their usual seats. This table was used by a
particular crowd that Charlie had hoped to avoid - Ty's trio, and their
current girlfriends occupied the seats.
"Holy shit, look at the tits on that chick!" Chris exclaimed as Charlie
came into view, plenty loud enough for her to hear him. The words
caused the entire table to look straight at Charlie.
"They're probably fake," Crystal critiqued dismissively,
"No way, look at how they bounce," Chris countered, earning lazy nods
from his two, still staring friends.
"Even if they're real, she's just an overdeveloped cow," the other girl
at the table, Ty's girlfriend Jen, shot back.
Ethan chuckled. "Seems like you two are jealous," he called out,
hoping to draw attention from Charlie. It worked. The three boys
stood up immediately.
"Did you just insult my girl, asswipe?" Ty demanded threateningly.
"Insult? No. I insinuated that she was jealous because her tits were
so small," Ethan answered smoothly. Jen's chest was definitely on the
large side of things and saying otherwise was pretty much guaranteed to
earn him a fist to the face. Ty lunged forward to provide exactly
that, when Charlie thrust herself between the two.
"Leave him alone. It's not his fault your girlfriend can't compete,"
Charlie declared. Everything ground to a halt asTy blinked in
confusion at the busty blonde in front of him.
"Why would a girl like that stick up for a nerd like Ethan?" Tod
muttered in the background.
Ethan was equally confused. He'd done this to get attention off
Charlie and here the girl had gone and thrust herself right into the
spotlight. He couldn't figure out why she'd do something like that.
"She's probably his cousin or something," Chris answered Tod's
question.
Ty didn't know what to do. Charlie was just standing there glaring at
him as if daring him to try something. It was one thing to beat up on
some male nerd, that kind of thing was expected, but if he laid a hand
o