SRU - State Of Being free porn video

SRU: State of Being by Rugal High school sophomore Sam sees himself as a nobody. Sure he's got his best friend but nobody else really seems to pay him much mind and even his former bully's stopped paying attention to him. After being stood up by the girl he likes Sam's feeling like even more of a zero but the old proprietor of a certain mystical store may have just the thing Sam needs. * * * * * * I grumbled in frustration, kicking at an errant can that lay on the sidewalk. A can that had been crumpled up and then thoughtlessly tossed onto the ground. From another car? From someone who had been walking or biking down this sidewalk? Either way it was someone who couldn't wait to get home and toss it away then. Someone who probably didn't pay attention to where he was tossing it and hell, probably someone who was only half-paying attention to the fact he was tossing the can out in the first place. It's a dumb thing to notice for sure; a can tossed out onto the sidewalk is something most people would overlook and not even think twice about. But not me, I notice things like that. I'm not some kind of environmentalist out to save nature, rather I relate to the soda can: something you toss aside without a second thought. Something you don't really pay much attention to. Sure you might get something out of it but once you've gotten it you stop thinking about it. That's me: Sam the soda can. I'm not someone who stands out. I'm not particularly tall, my personality isn't large, I don't have any discernible skills. I guess I'm kind of bright because when lazy people want to copy homework it's always mine they copy, but I'm not the smartest kid around. It's more like I'm the biggest pushover, the one that actually will let people copy my homework. Maybe I think that they'll think I'm cool because of it but like the humble soda can, once they've gotten their use out of me they chuck me aside. "Look, dude, I'll tell you again that I'm sorry she did that to you but man you don't have to be such a downer about it. It's not the end of the world you know?" Sam is the one person who's never chucked me aside and maybe that's who I got the thought of homework from because I'd let Sam copy some of my work back in third grade and we've been best friends ever since which is something people have found amusing. If I'm known for any one thing it's being the other half of the Sams; the far less outgoing one that mistakenly thinks he's the one who's being referred to. It happens often enough that Sam will tease me, telling me that my nickname should be Not You. But nothing malicious is meant by it because that's just how she is. She's a very upbeat tomboy who I don't think has a hateful bone in her body. Well okay, maybe towards anyone who's an asshole but even then I'm not sure if she hates people like that... maybe more annoyed, then she's right back to her easygoing self. "I appreciate it but that doesn't make it not suck any more than it already does," I replied sullenly. Like a lot of people my age, the source of my problem was a girl. Not just a girl though, this was someone that I'd long grown accustomed to seeing. That I liked seeing. The circumstances of our meetings had always been a little... odd, to most people, and in the beginning I hadn't liked it at all but eventually something clicked and, in a weird way, I really liked those meetings. I anticipated them eagerly you could say. But then I entered high school and since I was a grade ahead of her our meetings became less frequent, only happening if we passed each other at the apartment complex we both lived in. Eventually they stopped altogether. I would still see her around school but she'd never acknowledge me, acting as if we'd never held those meetings. It was crushing and Sam, despite all of her assurances, wasn't really the consolation I was looking for because the only consolation I wanted was at least one more meeting with the girl and that wasn't anything Sam could give me. This was largely because the two were not friends and in fact this girl may have been the one person that Sam came close to outright disliking. But she knew how I felt so when I told her that the girl I liked had actually talked to me, had said we would hold a little meeting out by the portables I naturally had to tell her. She wasn't happy of course but she was still supportive, even offering to hang around and keep a watch on things. But after a half hour of standing by the portables without her ever showing up, I realized that the girl had played me for a fool. The buses had long since left so it meant having to hoof it home. Well, not my home but Sam's since she lives closer to the school. We hung out for a bit at her place before I got a ride home. That was Friday and even today, on Sunday, I was still smarting over it. That's why she'd borrowed her mom's car to come and grab me - her birthday happens during the summer so she was able to get her license - so we could hang out. We did that at her house for a bit before deciding to just go outside and walk... where to we didn't know, we just wanted to find something to do. We walked in relative silence. She would occasionally mention something about her day but I didn't have the heart to offer more than half-hearted responses. As we walked past the small strip mall that that was a few blocks from her place something seemed to catch her eye. "Sam, we've been by here a thousand times," I said rolling my eyes. She'd stopped so I turned back to see her looking at something with suspicion. I then watched as she dashed up to the window of a store that, now that I saw it, I'd never seen before. "You know what store this is?" I asked. "Not a clue!" she exclaimed as she looked through the window. "Must've opened up recently though because I haven't walked by here in a few days and I definitely don't remember seeing it the last time I did." "Well it's a strip mall store so it's not like there's anything inter--HEY!" I called out. I could hear a bell chime as Sam opened the door. "Sam, wait!" I exclaimed as I dashed after her. I wasn't in the best shape so even expending that much energy, running as fast as I could, left me huffing as I grabbed the door right before it closed. For her part Sam didn't say anything to me and I simply watched her look around the store in amazement. At what I wasn't really sure. Everything looked old and there was a certain mustiness to the place though maybe that was in my head. "What's up?" I finally asked her. "I didn't know you were into..." I picked up something, a book that claimed to be some kind of magic spellbook, "well, whatever this stuff is. Maybe it's for those guys who dress up as wizards in the park." "Nah, I'm not into this kind of stuff really," she replied as I followed her down an aisle. "But all of it looks so old. It's kind of neat." "It is very neat if I do say so myself." The both of us turned to the voice to see an old man standing at the end of the aisle. His beard was long and white, his face aged but there was something about it and especially about his eyes that was very... welcoming, I guess? He kind of reminded me of my grandpa though grandpa was a hardened old war veteran who probably would've looked at a place like this with confusion and probably disapproval. None of that was odd but what was odd was his choice of clothing: he was decked out in a long gray bath robe. Or something that looked like a bath robe. "Oh indeed it is a robe, young Samuel. You'll never find more comfortable clothing," he said with a chuckle that was as welcoming as his eyes. "Well, I mean, I guess," is all I could mutter before Sam jumped in. "How'd you know his name?" she asked with suspicion. "You're not, like, some weirdo creepy stalker are you?" "Sam!" I hissed at her. For his part the old man simply laughed once more. "My, aren't you a spirited one miss Samantha?" he said. "I am not but I assure you that it has a very logical explanation: magic. I can read minds." Sam and I looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him. Sam couldn't contain herself. "Oh man, a mind reader?!" she laughed. "Okay! So what's this guy got going on inside his head Mr. Mind Reader?" she asked in amusement as she jerked her thumb in my direction. The old man sized me up for a second before speaking. "It has to do with a girl of course. Someone whom you hold a great deal of affection for, whom you were supposed to meet but did not," he said to my shock. "Am I close?" "Uh... yeah, something like that," I said. "So if you know then what's it about? What are the specifics?" "I would like to hear it straight from you, young man. Though if you wanted a bit of further proof, I will simply offer a name: Kacy, I believe it is?" My jaw hit the floor. I looked over at Sam and she was picking hers up as well. How could this old guy have ever gotten her name right? Either it was a really lucky guess or... "Well, it's a lucky guess I'll give you that," I said not wanting to admit that he was right about his magic trick. "Yeah, I was supposed to meet her but she kind of... stood me up." "And I told you it was going to happen, too!" Sam jumped in. "It's not just that she stood me up though," I added. "It's just another example of how I'm a zero. I don't really have a lot of friends aside from Sam, my existence isn't really acknowledged. I'm not even on anyone's radar enough to get bullied." "But he wants to be," Sam added in that tone of voice which meant she was going to start getting at me. "I don't!" I insisted. "Nobody wants to be bullied!" "You want it because you're a weirdo who has a crush on the girl that bullied him," she teased. "You're a total sub." "I'm not a--dammit, Sam!" I exclaimed feeling myself beginning to turn red with embarrassment. "A boy with a crush on his bully," the old man stated wistfully. "I can say that is not something I have come across before." "Yeah, well," I muttered. "It wasn't really bullying. Like she wasn't stuffing me into lockers or something. She didn't really do anything to embarrass me. It was just a lot of teasing and a lot of picking at me." I couldn't gauge the old man's reaction very well while Sam's snickering said everything about what she was thinking. I wasn't sure why I was telling this guy all of this, maybe something about his grandfatherly appearance put me at ease, but whatever the case I pressed on. "It wasn't really affectionate teasing because I saw her do it to a lot of people. I think she was just bored and looking for a way to pass time," I explained. "But, well, she's pretty or at least I think she's pretty and it's just... nobody really pays me much attention and I guess that I liked that it was a pretty girl giving me attention even if it wasn't the friendliest." At that point Sam's snickering exploded into full blown laughter. "Oh man!" she howled. As she did she grabbed my wrists and spun me around to face her. "What, I don't give you enough attention Sammy?" she asked while affecting a cutesy pout. She then dragged me in close and, being shorter than me (and not exactly a tall girl in general), stood up on her toes, her face close to mine. "Am I not cute enough? Are my tits not big enough? I could give you all kinds of attention you know." We stood like this for a few seconds before the both of us began to crack smiles. "I said a cute girl, Sam. You don't really qualify for that last part," I said shoving her away while she giggled. It was the kind of friendly ribbing from her that I was used to by now. That she'd engage in when she felt I was being a little too down in the dumps. It's why I was glad that she was my best friend; even if it took her a while she knew what buttons to press to get me to stop being such a grouch. "Ahem," came the old man's voice. The two of us turned back to him though he looked more amused than annoyed. "It seems that if nothing else you have yourself a wonderful friend there," he said while looking in my direction. "Yeah but still, I'd just like to be noticed by others too," I said now feeling a little more loosened up. "I just want to stand out a little more." "Very understandable," the old man replied, "and if you follow me I believe I may have something that will help you." I wasn't really sure how a bunch of LARPing accessories would help me stand out. Well I guess they would, just not in the way that I'd want. It definitely would get me attention from bullies... the type of bullies who would stuff me into a locker. Still I didn't really have much of anything to lose so Sam and I followed him through the store and down another aisle. The old man stopped to paw through one shelf, muttering to himself as he did so. Finally though he seemed to find what he was looking for. "Aha! Here we go," he said as he turned around and handed me what appeared to be a handheld mirror. "I believe that this should be sufficient for helping you with your problem." It was the type of thing that my grandmother might've owned, a dulled bronze with ornate designs adorning the back of it. The actual mirror itself, however, was cloudy as if something had been smeared all over it. I tried using my shirt to wipe it off but that didn't seem to any sort of effect as the mirror still looked cloudy. "I think your mirror's defective," Sam said while I attempted to hand it back to him. He merely shook his head and refused to take the mirror back however. "I assure you that it is not. The person who had created this mirror and what they had truly intended it for has been lost to time but what it does, that has not." His eyes were alight once more as he continued to speak. "To use it is quite simple really. You need only focus on it intently for a certain amount of time. It will uncloud and you will see a face, not your own I assure you, in the reflection and then you shall become whoever that face belongs to." "Uh huh. That doesn't really sound plausible you know," I replied while looking over the mirror once more. "Most people think like you but they are soon to be won over," stated the old man. "This is not my first location nor am I a rookie in this business. Were you to purchase it and test it for yourself you would as well be made a believer." "I sales pitch?!" I asked incredulously. "Well, I mean, this is a store," Sam stated. "Not like there's any harm in buying it. Hey dude," she called to him, "how much?" "Ah, now normally something like this would indeed be priceless but I live to make my customers happy," he stated. More sympathetically he then added, "Believe it or not an old man like myself has been victim to the feelings of the heart once or twice and since I can sympathize... ten dollars should suffice." "Ten?! That's it?!" Sam asked in surprise. "C'mon Sammy, we've gotta try it. If nothing else then at least you've got a mirror you can use for when you don't style your hair." "I'm broke, remember? I used up the last bit of the money from my summer job." Sam could only roll her eyes at that. "Man, I've got a job so it's cool. Consider it an early birthday present." "My birthday's not for another three months," I countered. "Also a cheap birthday present? I'm regretting getting you those running shoes you wanted." She didn't say anything, merely stuck her tongue out at me before turning back to the old man. "We'll take it," she said to the man's pleasure. "Not that I believe it but talking hypotheticals here," I started as the three of us walked up to the counter to purchase, "do I even have any control over this thing? If it was random what's to stop me from getting booted to France? And how would I even go back to being myself?" "All important questions," stated the old man. "To answer your first, it is random so of that you have no control. However you have nothing to fear about moving halfway across the globe for as far as I've ever been aware its magics only work locally so any effects would be limited to the town. As for going back, you will return to yourself after one day." Again, not that I believed him but he was a friendly old geezer so I figured it was best to at least partially play along. He rung us up, Sam paid and then we were on our way. We hung out back at her place for a bit not doing anything more than talking and playing video games before she gave me a ride back to my place. "I still say you should've tried it out," she said as we approached my apartment complex. "It wouldn't have worked," I said. "Anyway what's with you? I can't imagine you actually believe this stuff." "Nah, I don't but, like, there's a part of me going 'maybe'?" she replied. "Can't really hurt to try can it?" But I wasn't going to try and I said as much as we said goodbyes and stepped out of the car. True to my word I didn't either. I ate dinner with the family, did homework, took a shower and went to bed. Tomorrow was a school day so I didn't have time to worry about so- called "magic" mirrors. But that night I dreamed about her, the girl that I had such a crush on that it was eating me up inside. I woke up vastly disappointed, with that feeling you get after a dream that brings to you such a high only to crash into the ground when it's over. I wanted to not be the guy nobody thought of. I wanted people to notice me. I wanted her to notice me. So only just awake I grabbed the mirror and looked at it. It was still clouded of course but I had remembered what the old man had said, about focusing on it and that it would uncloud to show another face. A face that wouldn't be mine. So I did just that. Instead of merely looking at the mirror I focused. I focused as intently as I could. To my shock the mirror did indeed begin to clear up and, within second, revealed a face. It was a girl's face and something about it was familiar but I couldn't quite place it. What was it he had said? That who it showed was who I would become? Then did that mean... But my thoughts were stopped by a twisting sensation. I suddenly felt dizzy as the room began to spin. Lights began to swirl and spin as well and for just a second I may have blacked out. I at least know that I closed my eyes because when I opened them I was shocked to see a room that was definitely not mine. It was a room that was much pinker in color, much more feminine than my own. More than that I felt weird. For one I was wearing a long, dark pink night shirt when I never had worn any sort of night shirt before. And I felt much skinnier yet at the same time much stronger and in much better shape. In general I just felt much more feminine but I guess if what the old guy had said was true - and apparently it was - then I definitely would be a girl right now. The mirror no longer being in my hand, I groggily pulled myself out of bed. I stumbled down the hallway and headed towards the bathroom. Not that I should've known where it was but something about it felt instinctual, like I'd gone to this bathroom too many times to keep count. Flipping the light on I looked in the mirror and what I saw woke me up quick. It was a girl, of course, and a pretty one at that. Her eyes were a sparkling emerald color, her face dotted with freckles and her hair - she was a natural redhead - fell down to her shoulders in soft curls. No, I knew who this was. I know who I was. This was... I was Sophie Higgins, a cheerleader and one of the more popular girls at school. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Being Sophie Higgins * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Oh god, I'm beat!" I exclaimed as I changed out of the t-shirt and shorts I had worn for practice and into the clothes I intended to wear for the rest of the day. The cheerleaders practiced before first period so most of them simply came to school in whatever they'd wear for practice that day since it was far less of a hassle than having to change from normal clothes to practice clothes and then back. I was lucky not to have made the same mistake myself not because of a correct guess but because of something the old man from the store hadn't mentioned. When I became another person it seems that I really did become them. It didn't take more than a few minutes after discovering I was Sophie to begin thinking like her, getting dressed and laying things out the way she did. Making the same breakfast she'd make for herself each morning. Taking the same route to school she did and going through practice with no issues. It was a weird feeling. I still knew myself but I also knew Sophie as well, like the two of us existed in perfect harmony with one another. Simultaneously everything felt knew to me and yet intimately familiar as well. Completely unconsciously I passed myself off as her but at the same time there was a feeling I wasn't passing, I simply was. That's why, when taking a shower earlier, I'd passed on the opportunity to really check things out and even while hanging around in the locker room I wasn't ogling. Sure I'd sneak peeks but that was it because somehow nothing about it felt like anything I hadn't seen before. "Maybe you wouldn't feel like that if you'd slow down once in a while," the head cheerleader, Jessie Whitman, said. I could note the tone of gentle chastisement in her voice which wasn't surprising. Jessie was a senior and had always acted in the role of everyone's older sister, even among the other seniors. It was something that could wear on you at times but she didn't mean any harm. Besides, there could always be worse. I, well that is to say Sophie, has heard horror stories about some of the other squads at other schools in the area so to say ours got lucky is an understatement. "I can't though, you know that," I replied which was at least partly true. Years of gymnastics had left Sophie one of the most physically gifted of the squad and also its most competitive member. "Yeah, I know," Jessie sighed. "I just don't want you pushing too hard and hurting yourself." I told her that she was worrying over nothing, a conversation that Sophie and Jessie had had too many times to count, and once the bell rang I said goodbye to her and the other cheerleaders as the group split to go to whatever classes they had. As I walked to Sophie's first class I would get greetings tossed my way and respond in kind. Not even one class into being her and I could already feel the difference in being popular, in being acknowledged. The way everyone's faces beamed when they saw me, the ecstatic looks when I would give them a response. To Sophie all of this was second nature but to me it was exhilarating. It was something completely alien. By the time I got to the door to Sophie's first class - a class I also had normally - my heart started beating which I think might have been a response from me and not her. That was because of just who she shared the class with, who she sat next to actually. My own eyes lit up this as I saw her. "Hey Sam," I greeted her as I took my seat. Sam wasn't exactly popular in the traditional sense but her personality was such that she got along with lots of different people fairly easily. Sophie was one of them and I know that the two have hung out together outside of school. Sophie's own readings of her were similar to my own: nice girl, very spirited but at times she was maybe a little too spirited for Sophie. "You have a good weekend?" I asked. "Yeah, it was good," she said as she looked in my direction. "Hung out with--" She stopped and eyed me for a second or two before shaking her head, "with my friend. We wound up at this neat little store down the street from my house." "Oh wow, really?" I asked snickering internally a bit at that. "What'd it have?" "Well just... you know..." Sam's answer trailed off as she shrugged. "Uh, like antiques and shit? It was pretty cool." "Oooh, sounds nice! I should check it out some time," I answered. "Huh?" I asked when Sam muttered something under her breath. "Uh, no, just that I was saying that yeah, you'd probably like it. We should really go there together some time." Class went through the way it normally did... or any class did I guess. That is to say it was largely boring and I drifted in and out of paying attention. Unfortunately the teacher was notorious for never giving the class a second of downtime so I didn't get any sort of chance to talk any more with Sam until class ended. When it did though, I'd barely gathered everything up when Sam grabbed me by the wrist and marched me down the hall and into a slightly more private little nook. "What the hell, man? You actually used it?" she asked me. I could only look at her with confusion. "I really don't have any idea what you're talking about," I told her. "Sammy, you doofus, I know that's you!" she said sharply and to my surprise. "Holy shit so it actually works?! And you ended up as Sophie?!" She started snickering at that. "How hell did you know?" I asked. "Pfft," Sam rolled her eyes, "first you weren't in class and if you weren't coming to school you would've said something to me. But more importantly, I dunno, I just knew. Like I looked at you and I mean I saw Sophie but I also saw you." "That doesn't make any sense." "Don't ask me to explain it. It's just... you. I'd recognize you no matter what you looked like." She shrugged her shoulders at that. "We're not friends for nothing." I don't think I understood but I guess I couldn't really expect a better explanation anyway so I simply nodded and moved on. "What do you mean about me not being here?" "In class?" she responded. "You sit a few seats over but the seat was empty. You didn't notice? "I... you know, I actually didn't. I never even thought to check." That was also the truth and after a moment I started laughing quietly, more to myself than anything. There was something darkly humorous, I thought, about the fact that not even I recognized my own absence. "Well, I don't know if this thing puts my body to sleep or transforms me or what," I added. "It's not weird, like I have everything I need to be Sophie and being her doesn't feel like it's unnatural or anything. I'm still me but, I don't know. I don't really know how to put it. I guess you'd have to do it to understand." "So, like, you haven't been grabbing your tits or anything?" Sam grinned. "They just don't feel like a novelty," I shrugged. "But it's still kind of cool at the same time. I don't know, want to give it a go?" "I'll pass," she said, the amusement showing all over her face. "You have fun though Sophie and I'll talk to you later." And have fun I did. Sophie's a bright girl, not in terms of brains (though she's no dummy) but in personality. Lighting up any room or having attention gravitate towards me as the day went on, even ignoring the fact of her looks it was easy to see why someone like Sophie was popular. She knew how to get peoples' attention and keep it and knew how to make a situation a little more fun. Not to the degree Sam could, I don't think anyone could measure up to her there, but she was no slouch. But that was the first half of the day. The second half... I can't say that I hated it because anything was an improvement over my normal self but it became exhausting. Unsurprisingly, Sophie Higgins is a very social creature and keeping up with all the gossip, all the different cliques, all of her social media got overwhelming. And there was the boys. A damn near constant all day, at least once or twice every hour getting hit on, flirted with, confessed to. I sure as hell had no interest in sucking face with a boy and neither, it seems, did Sophie. Not that she was against dating, she'd had boyfriends before, but right now she was perfectly happy being single. Even after school it didn't let up. I'd wanted to try getting in touch with Sam so we could talk about this a little more but I was getting pulled in twenty different directions at once and eventually had to settle for a group of a few of the cheerleaders who wanted to do a little after school shopping which meant Sam was a no go. Shopping was, to be quite honest, something I zoned out on. Sophie loved doing it but me? Not so much. Even at home it felt like I didn't get much of a chance to rest as my phone would buzz too often for my liking. Between it, having to help prepare dinner and homework I was completely worn out by the time I was getting ready for bed. Popularity has its downsides, I guess. After changing I laid down and closed my eyes. I don't remember what I dreamed about but I remember being woken up around seven by the alarm in a room that was very familiar... in a body that was very familiar. It took me a moment or two to adjust but it soon became apparent that I was myself once more. Grabbing my phone to shut off the alarm I was surprised to see that the time and date showed that it was the next morning. That meant that whatever time passed while I was someone else wasn't going to be repeated. No endless time loops for me. And while on one hand it was a bit relieving being myself once more it was also a bit disappointing. As tiring as it ultimately wound up, being Sophie was fun. Sophie's a nice, popular and fun girl and it was honestly great being someone like that. Maybe if I was her for a week or a month or eternity my tune might change but for a day or two? I'd definitely do it again. In fact, I kind of wanted to do it again. Funny considering how resistant I was to the idea of magic even existing in the first place, yet here I was caught by the bug and ready to give it another go. The mirror was on the nightstand and anxiously I grabbed it and focused. The mirror began to uncloud once more and a face appeared. I wondered if I would get to be Sophie again but the face was definitely did not belong to her. I couldn't really trace who it was at all to be honest although something about it did look vaguely familiar. Within seconds the dizzying sensation from yesterday was repeated and seconds after that I was in new surroundings. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Being Lydia Whitaker * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I was not as happy about my current placement as I'd been yesterday. Not being Sophie Higgins was one thing but Lydia Whitaker was something else; for everything Sophie was, Lydia wasn't. While Sophie was pretty and meticulously maintained, Lydia certainly was not. Neither was Lydia in the type of shape that Sophie was in. Now Lydia was not ugly by any means but she gave the impression of not caring much for her appearance. The makeup she wore was minimal, her hair wasn't at all styled and the clothes she wore were largely plain: jeans and t-shirts and hoodies. She's someone who would definitely look better with some actual care put into trying to look good but there was nothing I could do as the thing that made it so easy to be Sophie was, here, my downfall. When I become someone else I really do become them as I mentioned earlier, retaining my mind and personality but working in concert with their own. The problem then is that if the person I'm becoming has no real fashion sense or knows how to style their hair or apply makeup for example then it's not like I'd have a clue of how to do any of that. Lydia was also not the most popular person around. She had a group of nerdy friends but all of them were definitely low on the social pecking order. So throughout the day I would was recognized sure but in a way that was a complete one-eighty from how it was as Sophie. "Hey there, Shittia," was a common one I'd get from some of the bitchier girls. Some of the asshole guys might come up to me and chat me up, almost like they were taking part in a dare by one of their friends. It could've been worse than a few insults here and there but coming from being the Sophie the social queen, it was quite an adjustment. Lunch with Lydia's friends wasn't much better. Not that they were terrible people but they were just... nerds of the highest order. I was always one to an extent but never quite on their level. They spent a lot of time holding conversations about anime they had seen and other things, things which I didn't know much about and if not for Lydia's own instincts I never would've been able to navigate. It was during a lull in conversation that the topic wound up getting changed though. "Hey Lydia," one of them, a rather skinny and dweebish boy whose name escaped me, said, "you've started hanging around Sam right?" "Um, not really," I replied. Thanks to Lydia I knew where this conversation was going and neither I nor her were happy about it. "I just talk to her a little because we've got eighth." "Oh," he replied rather nervously. "Well, uh, I was just wondering if you'd ever said anything about me to her because, uh, you know..." I rolled my eyes. This kid - Tim might've been his name - was fairly open about his own crush on her and when Lydia and Sam started talking a couple of weeks ago he probably saw it as his way to get an in with her. But even without being Lydia I knew Sam well enough to know that as friendly as she was this kid had no shot with her. Actually I'd never really seen Sam express much of an interest in any boys and if she did then she'd kept it all very quiet from me and damn near everyone else. I once had the thought that maybe she was a lesbian but I realized if that were the case she'd have said something about it a long time ago. So she wasn't really on the market. All I could do was tell him sorry, that it wasn't really my place to try and set him up and that reiterated that she was (in Lydia's words) really cool and if he liked her so much that he should just talk to her himself. Soon after that interlude talk went back to various nerd hobbies and I went back into turning my brain off and letting Lydia's on instincts take the wheel. There was one other thing about lunch that was making me dread the rest of the day but I did what I could to put it out of my mind for now. Instead I went through the day in much the same manner Lydia normally did: quietly. I kept my head down and did what I could not to draw attention to myself. Some times attention would find me but most of the time I was successful. Even during the last period of the day, the one that I shared with Sam, I kept to myself. By the time the bell rang I tried to get out of class as quickly as I could. I just wanted to get home, go through the rest of the day in blessed boredom and get to sleep. Whether I'd use the mirror again tomorrow I wasn't sure but being Lydia wasn't anywhere near as enjoyable as being Sophie. Sam, however, seemed to have different plans as she caught me when I was no more than a few steps down the hall. "A lot different from being Sophie, huh?" she asked as she draped an arm on my shoulder. "Sam, Jesus!" I exclaimed in surprise. "How'd you know?" "Duh, like I told you yesterday," she rolled her eyes. "You're you. You just have that... that Sammy quality. The way you carry yourself and all of that. You could look like my own mom and I'd see right through you." All I could really do is sigh in frustration. "Well, okay, yeah you're right. It's a lot different. Being Sophie was tiring but it was at least fun! Being Lydia though... it's not really any fun." Uncomfortable, I shifted my backpack to the opposite shoulder. "Lydia's just a bore though. Her friends are nice but boring. She doesn't put the work into her appearance so she looks boring. Her personality's boring." "Sounds boring." I groaned at that, fucking Sam. "Well she's your friend, you should know," I shot back. "Hold up, man! Friends is going a little too far," she protested. "Friendly acquaintances. I spoke up for her a few weeks back when I heard some other people trying to talk shit to her." "Yeah? Well tell her that then because she definitely thinks you're friends," I told her. "I don't wanna," she whined. "Besides, I'm not saying I don't want to be friends with her. Just that I don't think we're at that stage yet." "Well whatever," I shrugged. "She thinks you're cool. All of her friends do too. One of them has a thing for you." Sam's eyes went wide with surprised and an amused grin spread on her face. "Really now? Which one?" "I dunno," I deflected. "I think Lydia's got a thing for one of your guy friends too. I can't really think of which one. I know I didn't see him today though." "That so?" Sam's eyes narrowed but try as I might I couldn't really get a clear picture of who It was that Lydia liked. Then again, Lydia liked a lot of guys so it was probably a couple of them swirling in my head and muddying things up. Maybe if I' saw him I'd know but I hadn't. "Maybe just ask her about it some time?" I finally said. "Or just let her tell you." "Lydia!" I froze up at the calling out of the name of the person I now was. I didn't even need to turn to see who it was: Dylan Gerber, one of Lydia's friends from lunch but more importantly... "Shit," I muttered to Sam, "it's her boyfriend. I was kind of hoping to avoid him." "Her boyfriend?" Sam asked before her face lit up and it took every ounce of willpower to not laugh. Instead all she did was clap me on the shoulder. "Good look then. You gonna be you tomorrow? Ah, well, doesn't matter I guess. I'll see ya." "Wait!" I called out as she dashed off. Fucking Sam. So doing the only thing I could, I put on my best smile and turned towards the voice. "Dylan, hey!" I called out as excitedly as I could manage. "You ready to get out of here?" he asked. "Sure, yeah, uh so where are we going? Are we gonna get something to eat?" "Ah, no, I was thinking back to my place maybe?" Oh god. Dylan's parents would be at work and he's an only child so when he wanted to go back to his place after school... well I know what he wanted. The worst part was that there was nothing I could really do because Lydia wanted it as well. Sure Lydia had guys that she crushed on, even while being in a relationship, but she still liked Dylan and liked what she got from him. Then I realized that I felt kind of pathetic. Lydia Whitaker, an unpopular and kind of picked on geek had a better social life and love life than I did. Dylan wasn't exactly a prize. He wasn't ugly per se but he was a little taller and with a nose that made him look kind of like a bird. But he was big where it counted, at least in Lydia's estimation, and a nice guy who she liked being with. I didn't want to, I really didn't want to, but if I'm stuck being Lydia Whitaker for the day... "Oh yeah! That sounds great!" I giggled as craned up and gave him a quick peck. From there we clasped hands as we walked out to the school parking lot to get both of our cars. Another quick peck and we agreed to meet back at his house. Lydia was so goddamn excited but I was dreading it. * * * * * * Why did she hide these things? That was the question that sprung to mind that evening as I sat naked, getting ready to change into her sleepwear, in Lydia's room cradling her breasts. Her large, wonderful breasts. Why did she hide any of her body? Large where it needed to be, wonderfully curvy, a slight bit of chub but it served to make her softer and easier to grab. That's what Dylan always told her he liked and after this afternoon I couldn't agree more. If Lydia actually put some effort into her appearance, styled herself and got clothes that flattered her she would be a much more popular girl. But maybe that was a good thing because I couldn't help but think that with more attention and more popularity Lydia might be out of control. That afternoon I decided I would largely turn myself over to Lydia's instincts and just go along for the ride. And what a ride it turned out to be. This was certainly not the first time the two of them had gone at it and Lydia especially seemed well practiced as I, she, did everything that could be done to please Dylan. Oral on the both of us and managing to go two rounds. I didn't want to admit it, I hated to admit it, I felt a bit disgusted to admit it... but it felt great. A plain, unassuming nerd girl with a nice curvy body and a rather killer sexual appetite. She really was a far cry from Sophie. It was a surprise to me. Much as I'd hated being in here at the start of the day, now at the end my opinion had completely flipped. I was a bit disappointed to be going to sleep and to lose out on being Lydia. I decided that I would use the mirror again tomorrow and part of me hoped I'd get her again. But it was late and it was still a school day so sleep is something I needed. Reluctantly I finished changing, washed up a bit at the bathroom sink and turned in for the night wondering just what, and who, tomorrow would bring. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Being Phoebe Emmett * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If Sophie Higgins was the popular and pretty cheerleader and Lydia Whitaker was the unpopular and plain nerd, then Phoebe Emmett was somewhere between the two. Like Lydia she could qualify as a nerd: smart, taking a lot of AP classes, on track probably to graduate valedictorian and go on to a good college. But like Sophie she was attractive - in a cute nerdy librarian sort of way - and popular. After all you have to have some level of popularity to be elected senior class president. An overachiever of the highest order, I'd gone far past the top of the totem pole as Phoebe. To my great surprise though, being her was nowhere near as tiring as being Sophie had been. I guess being someone was organized as Phoebe, who was as used to anyone at all of this played a big difference. But not everything was sunshine and roses as Phoebe. Largely it was because of her sister, a freshman at the school. Phoebe loved her little sister dearly and did everything she could to look out for her which is why it always frustrated her that her sister turned out like she had: a troublemaker. In fact it was because of her that I was missing the later half of the school day which was something that the studious Phoebe did not like at all. I, on the other hand, was excited about it. The one complaint I'd really have with being Sophie and Lydia is that the old man from the store had said this would help me out regarding Kacy and yet I'd spent no time with her at all; never even really saw her. But becoming her older sister? That's a completely different story. And being asked to take the rest of the day off to take her home and keep an eye on her to make sure she's not getting into trouble? Well, I practically jumped at it. But I still needed to play the part of the disappointed big sister. "Smoking," I said as we walked into the house. I took my glasses off for minute to wipe them. "Uh huh," Kacy replied as she flopped onto the couch. "I didn't do shit though." "You were smoking, Kacy. On school grounds," I said. "First, you know that's going to get you in trouble. Second, you're under eighteen. Third, don't smoke. It's gross." "Pfft," she replied dismissively. "It wasn't even my idea to smoke in the first place. It was Emily's." "Emily?!" I asked stunned. "When did you start hanging out with her again?" For her part Kacy just shrugged. Who she hung out with wasn't a concern of mine but it was definitely a concern of Phoebe's. Emily Pratchett had once been Kacy's best friend and at some point a few years ago the two had a falling out. That's when Kacy started getting more... rebellious to put it nicely. But why, Phoebe wanted t know, would the two be hanging out again? "So what got you guys back together?" I asked as I took a seat on the couch next to her. Again another shrug. This was going to be frustrating. "Well you two had been on the outs for a long time. You started picking on her," I said before quickly adding, "picking on a lot of people. I just hope that it's happening for good reasons and you're not trying to get her in trouble." "I'm not trying to do anything!" she exclaimed in frustration. "Emily's going through some shit and came to me. I don't know why but if she felt like she had to then I figured what the fuck? Why not?" "So you're not still bullying her?" I asked. "I'm not bullying anyone!" she cried out. I decided to press my luck a little. "Nobody else?" I asked. "Weren't there a few? I remember one boy..." "I don't even know who you're talking about," she said. "But no, I'm not fucking with anybody. I've outgrown that. What's so fucking hard to understand?" I didn't get a chance to say anything else as Kacy immediately hopped off the couch and trudged to her room. I was integrated with Phoebe well enough to know that trying to talk to her any more would get me nowhere. That was frustrating for Phoebe but it was frustrating for me as well. I'd hope that being her sister I'd be able to get Kacy to open up more, get to know her a little better and see what she thought about me. But it seems like she didn't think of me at all and that was about all I could get. Phoebe, for as much as she loved her sister, didn't know as much about her as would be expected which is something that distressed her. She liked the studying, she liked where she was but often she worried that she may have focused on it to the detriment of her sister and with graduation approaching and the likelihood that she would be moving out of state trying to bridge the gap between them was something that Phoebe thought about a lot. But she had no idea how and neither did I so deeming it a lost cause I decided to head back to Phoebe's own room and spend the rest of the day browsing the internet and reading a book she'd been making her way through. I fought back the urge to do anything with her, especially after what I'd done the previous day as Lydia. Phoebe, by contrast, was rather virginal and loveless. Not that she wasn't pretty because she was and not that she didn't want a boyfriend because she did. But much like with her sister, so much time was spent with a focus on academics that by the time she realized that she'd wanted companionship high school had almost completely passed her by. On top of it her status had, she felt, left her with an aura of being unobtainable. That a lot of boys saw her as being above them and felt intimidated. She wasn't though and she often lamented that as long as the guy was nice enough she didn't really care who she went out with. She just wanted someone that would make up for years of overlooked and lost companionship. So despite what I may have wnted to do, part of me felt that actually doing so would be very wrong. Better for her to find someone on her own and enjoy herself. In this manner I passed the rest of the day. Any attempts at talking to Kacy were fruitless and so a day that had started with the highest of hopes had amounted to nothing. This was not a good way to end things I figured so I'd give it another shot tomorrow and hope for better lucky. * * * * * * * * * * * * Being Jamie Carr * * * * * * * * * * * * Thursday seemed like it would definitely be promising. I had no idea at first of who the girl was that I had woken up as but once I got integrated with her I got excited. Her name was Jamie Carr and she was a freshman which might not seem like much but more importantly to me she was one of Kacy's closest friends. Of course Kacy was suspended but none of that mattered to Jamie. For one thing she didn't take school seriously anyway so what did she care if she skipped? For another, her parents had left on vacation yesterday morning leaving her with her nineteen-year-old sister who cared largely about partying, not her sister's education. So better to enjoy herself hanging out with Kacy than sitting around bored all day at school. It was a prospect I was excited about myself. That meant, however, wasting the first few hours of the morning doing a whole lot of nothing before finally getting ready. It took a while but I was eventually able to find something that I, and Jamie, liked. Largely a pair of short dark cutoff shorts and a loose fitting shirt with the sides cut opened showing plenty of sideboob. Not that Jamie really would have much to show off as she's a small, skinny girl with the chest to match. But she felt it made her look good and she liked the overall image so who was I to argue? Between her outfit (including the large pair of boots she usually wears) and her hair - wavy, dyed a dark purple and styled into an undercut - she was someone who was great at getting attention though, to my surprise, she really only cared about getting attention from one person. Unfortunately Jamie wasn't quite at driving age and no way would her sister give her a ride anywhere so that meant having to haul her bike from the side of the house and ride it. Thankfully Kacy didn't live too far so it didn't take me long to get there. I waited anxiously after knocking on the door and when it opened my heart skipped a beat. There she stood, in loose loose fitting and ratty pajama pants and a t-shirt but she'd already filled out more than a lot of girls. Her hair - blonde and shaggy - hung down to the point of nearly hiding her eyes. I'd never really noticed just how pretty she was but more than that I, that is myself and Jamie, was drawn to the sort of disinterested and disaffected way she carried herself. It was very nonchalant the way she carried herself and that made her pretty damn cool. "So you cut?" she asked as she moved aside to allow me in. "Fuck yeah," I replied as I flopped onto the couch much as I'd seen Kacy do it yesterday. "Shit would've been boring without you." "Uh huh," Kacy said half-heartedly as she took her own seat. We didn't say much of anything for a little bit beyond idle chit chat but somehow, just being around her like this, this close to her, it made me very happy. But it wasn't just making me happy, it was making Jamie happy as well. She'd never met anyone as cool as Kacy was in her eyes. That's why she also couldn't help getting burned up about certain things and people. "Yeah, why the fuck are you hanging out with her again anyway?" I asked with barely disguised disgust when talk shifted to Kacy's hanging around her old friend Emily Pratchett. "I dunno, because?" she responded flippantly. "The fuck does it matter to you." "Well because you said she's a bitch, duh," I stated. "Like you said that's why you stopped hanging out with her, 'cause she turned into a huge bitch." Kacy could only give me her sleepy-eyed stare before shaking her head. "Look, some times things change okay? She's the one who came to me in the first place since she's got shit she's dealing with and I guess was feeling nostalgic or something." All she could do was shrug. "She was my best friend and I'm over holding dumb grudges so I figured what the fuck?" "What's happening with her?" "None of your business," Kacy shot back with uncharacteristic venom before quickly regrouping, "or it's just not my place to tell you about her shit. You planning on throwing any parties while your folks are gone?" "My sister's probably making a booze run tomorrow so if I can jack some of her stuff then sure," I answered. "Or we'll hang out at one of the haunts." "Then I'll tell Emily and if she comes you can ask her if it's that important to you." "Ugh," I grumbled. This was definitely getting me hot. "Why the fuck are we talking about her anyway? Hanging out with some old friend 'cause you're feeling sentimental. Shit, it's like you're getting soft." "Whoever said I was hard?" she asked. "I sure as hell never said it." "Yeah but you act--" "Like me. I act like me," Kacy said with a surprising amount of seriousness and sternness. "Shit, you should know that. I am what I am, you and everyone else can think whatever you want." "Yeah but like, you used to bully people right? There was some boy or something." "You sound like my fucking sister," she grumbled. "I never fucking bullied anyone, okay? And I don't remember any boy either." Now I was getting really worked up. Was I that insignificant to her? To everyone? She'd spent the year or so we were in middle school making fun of me and doing other dumb things and she doesn't remember any of it? Stupidly, I'd wondered a few times since she'd stopped if maybe she did it because secretly she liked me. But it wasn't just me, the talk about Emily stung at Jamie as well. All of a sudden she was feeling second rate compared to that Kacy's twerpy bitch of an old friend and it was beginning to cause her some distress. And that Jamie part of me had been seeing today as an opportunity but with talk of Emily floating around... "So what, you fucking like her or something?" "The fuck? Like do I want to be her friend?" she asked in confusion. "Because I mean I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to but--" "No!" I interrupted, "I mean, I guess, I mean..." Kacy could only give me that neutral expression. She had ano idea what I was talking about and quite frankly neither did I. Both myself and the Jamie part of me were upset now and I was just sputtering pointlessly. But a thought kept coming into my head, one that surprised me. Giving all of that thought to this Emily girl, this bitch, but why not... why not... "Why not me?!" I blurted out to my own horror. But as the revelation of even saying it and the deep place of hurting it came from dawned on me, it continued charging ahead like an unstoppable freight train. "I just... I want that attention! From you!" My emotions a tempest inside of me now, I started to sniffle and could feel tears welling up in my eyes. That finally caused a change in Kacy's otherwise permanently flippant expression. She leaned in close to grab me by the arms in an actual friendly attempt to be comforting. "Hey, you okay?" Still being controlled by the combination of emotions now worked up into a steaming boil, I impulsively closed my now wet eyes, grabbed her shoulders and pulled my face up to hers planting a large kiss on her lips. Almost as quickly I pulled away, feeling myself get hot not just emotionally but physically. "I'm not okay," I muttered pathetically as I hopped off of the couch. "Just forget I even came over today." Whether Kacy actually made any attempt to stop me I'm not sure because at that point I wasn't paying attention. I just dashed to the door and got the hell out of Dodge as quick as I could. I'd made an ass out of not just myself but this girl, Jamie, too. But it was to my surprise that I realized that a lot of that was coming from her and not me. That's when I realized that I wasn't the only one that had things bad when it came to Kacy and that maybe other people had it worse. * * * * * * Back at home, all I could do was sulk for most of the afternoon. It took a while but I eventually cooled down and by that time school was getting out. I somehow felt more insignificant than ever and desperately wanted someone to talk to. Even though it wasn't in Jamie's phone, I knew Sam's number by heart so I shot a task asking her to meet up. I didn't want to reveal everything in text though so I just asked if we could meet somewhere neutral. She said sure and I mentioned the fast food place that was close to here though leaving out that it's because it was in easy biking distance and she agreed. She asked how she'd know who I was and all I could say is that she seemed to have no problem recognizing me so she'd probably know. And know she did. It took her approximately five seconds of scanning the fast food restaurant after she walked in to find me. "So who's this?" she asked with a smile as she took her across from me in the booth. "Jamie Carr, you don't know her. She's a freshman," I told her. "I'm actually wondering, when you look at me do you see me or do you see this girl?" "Uh, well you duh?" "Well that question just made it seem like you were seeing her." "Oh, I am. I totally am," she replied. Her face got very thoughtful. "I don't really know the best way to put it. Like I don't see you as in, like, I see your face plastered on her body or something which is kind of disappointing because that'd be really, really funny." "Sounds creepy," I said as she giggled. "It's more like... a sense? Like I'm looking at you and I totally see this Jamie girl but I just kind of know, like deep in my gut, that it's really you." All she could do is shrug. "I dunno, it's dumb to think about so I don't. So what's the story with her?" "She's a friend of Kacy's," I explained. "Actually Kacy'd gotten suspended so I decided to skip since it's what she would've done so I could hang out with her." "Nice! Sammy got to hang out with his dream girl," Sam grinned. "Not so nice," I slumped. "I accidentally blurted out that I liked her but that's not the crazy part. Like, both me and Jamie exist in here right? Well a lot of that was coming from her." "Coming from..." Sam trailed off as it dawned on her. "Oh my god, you mean like... this girl likes her?!" "And she's got no chance and knows she has no chance." "Oh man, that really fucking sucks. I actually feel really bad for her," she said as she grabbed my hand. "Sorry freshman girl I don't know but maybe you'll find someone else." With that she let go and gave me a look that was a little more serious. "What about you though? The actual you?" "I don't even rate," I said with a laugh. "She doesn't remember me at all." "Doesn't remember... but she's the one one who approached you on Friday," said Sam. "If she didn't know you then why did she even do that?" That... was actually a good question. But I wasn't about to tell Sam that. "Hell if I know, could be she just wants to put the bully thing behind her or is trying to be too cool for school." I sat there for a couple more minutes chatting with Sam, getting caught up on how things had been going with her and joked about how I hoped I didn't get into any trouble for my absences. Sam, for once, didn't joke back and when I asked her if something was up all she did was shake her head and wave it off. I told her I was going to give the mirror one more try tomorrow to see if it could help me make any breakthroughs with Kacy. Sam, though a little quieter, was supportive and jokingly said that if I was lucky maybe I'd be Kacy tomorrow. Later, when back in my own room and body I tried going to sleep again as it was still somewhat early - around three in the morning - and I didn't know what would happen if I went back to sleep right after getting a new body. I didn't want to get Kacy's body and then lose it five minutes later when I nodded off. I didn't know if that would happen but I figured it wasn't worth the risk. But anticipation at the thought of being Kacy made me so anxious that I couldn't get back to sleep and after an hour and a half I decided screw it. Kacy wasn't going to be in school so if going back to sleep before the day was up lost me her body I didn't see any harm in getting what I could out of it beforehand. I had no shot with her. I knew that now. This wasn't about a romantic desire to get to know Kacy better. Honestly, it was entirely about lust and maybe a little bit of revenge on my part. Like she doesn't remember I exist but I'm in total control of her. So I focused on the mirror and watched it uncloud. I saw the face, it was a face I had seen many times before but seeing it still shocked me. When the spinning had finished I was still in shock. In my new room there was a mirror set against the wall in the corner. I hopped out of bed and looked at the face, pinched it, trying to make sure that it was all real. Because it wasn't Kacy's face that stared back at me. It was Sam's. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Being Sam Matthews * * * * * * * * * * * * * It just didn't seem real. The face in the mirror, the face that I was now wearing, was the face that belonged to my best friend. A face that I'd seen almost every day since the third grade, that I'd watched change and fill out as... I gulped. That I'd watched change and fill out as Sam changed and filled out. I'd actually seen Sam naked once before, when we were thirteen. It wasn't by design mind you. I'd come over in the late morning to hang out and Sam, being a late sleeper on the weekends, had just woken up and was in the process of getting changed. The door had been open a bit so I assumed she was normal but instead I saw, well, everything. Quickly I'd turned away and shut the door as fast as I could and figured I'd probably hear it from her but Sam, of course, just had a good laugh about it and from then on if I was down or feeling mopey about Kacy or another girl that I might've had crushes on she'd always joke that maybe if she flashed me I'd cheer up. I, of course, would just tell her that I'd see better tits by taking off my won shirt. Then we'd laugh and go back to doing whatever we would be doing. That's just the kind of girl is, the way she'd always been. No, not girl. I flopped across the bed, reached out and flipped on the lamp on the nightstand, then pushed myself back into a standing position in front of the mirror. Definitely not a girl anymore but a young woman. Sure her chest wasn't really that big but that didn't matter. Ever the tomboy, Sam had been playing soccer since around the time we'd first became friends. She wasn't playing or practicing now since the season wasn't close to starting but the effect of a lifetime of playing a sport were visible in the subtle but well sculpted musculature that showed itself in her arms, her stomach and most definitely in her legs. Her face... I'd never really noticed just how it had changed. It was probably the most feminine part of her appearance. Not made up but with an inherently pixieish quality to it. And on top of it all was brown hair that, because Sam never met a styling product that she liked, was always worn shaggy. I examined that face, that hair, the well toned stomach and arms, even the small breasts. The more I saw, the more I examined, the more I wanted to kick myself. How had I never seen it? How had I never recognized it? "Oh god, Sam, I never realized..." I said as I laid back onto the bed. Of course as usual Sam herself was there with me to guide me. She'd done this so many times in the past though, I doubt, ever having thought of herself when she did. But I certainly did and with my own borrowed hands I brought my best friend to orgasm. It was a surreal experience to say the least. Doing that as Lydia had been one thing, I didn't really know her. As Sam though? Thoughts and emotions were racing through me and I wasn't really sure how to even start sorting them. It was all overwhelming and, now feeling worn out, I drifted off to sleep. * * * * * * I woke up with the alarm going off. It took me a minute to get my bearings but when I did I realized that this was still Sam's room and when I looked down at my body it was still Sam's body that I saw. That was that question answered I suppose. I guess I had to go through a day as someone before it would put me back to my own body. So a day spent as Sam. I could do it. I'd done it with four others so far and sure Sam was my best friend but that didn't mean I couldn't still do it. In fact for someone like her who seemed to get a long with so many people that experience and perspective would be valuable. Just think of it like that and all would be good, right? Still it was a shock every time I passed the mirror or went into the bathroom. Seeing Sam's face, knowing that I was in complete control of her was a mindfuck on a level that I can't even begin to explain, nothing that I'd experienced as any of the others. So I decided that, while I'd let her own mind and personality guide me I wouldn't try to pry too deeply into her head. I figured I owed at least that much to her. At school I made her usual greetings to the people she'd greet or chit chat with the ones she'd talk to. Nothing seemed all that out of the ordinary until first period. I was, of course, missing from my seat but it was to my surprise that the teacher didn't even bother to call my name when taking attendance. Where I expected it he simply skipped over it. Was I that insignificant that even the teachers would overlook me? So I asked Lydia if she'd seen, well, me. That only got a blank stare as if to ask "literally who" and the response from Sophie was similar. Throughout the day I'd ask others who shared classes with me, that is the normal me, if they'd seen me. The response was the same. In the end, that was the the weirdest, most perplexing thing about the entire day. Once the initial shock of being Sam wore off it was that nobody knew where ol' Not You was or even, it seems, who Not You was. By the time I'd gotten home and back to my Sam's room I was still at a loss. It was like not only was I overlooked but that I didn't exist in the first place. That was something of a eureka moment for me. I couldn't really confirm it of course but it did make allow me to come up with a theory that at least made sense to me. I assumed I was just possessing these girls or something and everything was normal but what if when the room would spin, when I'd feel sick, what if that was reality rewriting itself? When I used the mirror it was altering reality in such a way that I was effectively replacing whoever I became which would've meant that who I normally was ceased to exist and probably when I went to sleep at the end of the day and went back to myself that was just reality shifting again, putting myself and the real person back in our proper places. Like I said, it wasn't something that I could prove but it seemed as sound a theory as anything else I could come up with. And that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. These reality shifts, nobody knew I existed because I didn't exist. All but one person. No matter who I looked like, she was able to recognize me. Nobody noticed I was gone... nobody, that is, except for one person. Sam always noticed. She noticed when I wasn't there and noticed who I was. I could've looked like her own mother, played the part perfectly and she would've known. Nobody recognized I was gone, nobody knew or really even cared. But Sam did. Sam knew and nothing, not even reality rewriting itself, could change that. I honestly wanted to start crying but Sam, I knew, didn't cry. So as I went to sleep that night I instead made a vow to myself. With her friendship, with always being there, with always noticing me she'd done so much and I figured I needed to return the favor. * * * * * * That Saturday morning I was back in my own body, heading out the door of my home as myself for the first time in nearly a week. Out in the driveway I saw the car that belong to Sam's mom and hopped in. We made it back to her house and into her bedroom just as we'd done countless times in the past. "Hey, so did you get Kacy yesterday?" she asked as she sat down on her bed. I simply shook my head. "You don't remember?" I asked in return. "Nuh uh," she said. "Yesterday's kind of a blur really." "Guess we were both busy then," I told her. A lie of course, I just didn't want to tell her that I'd been her. "We didn't get the chance to run into each other or talk." "So who was it then?" she asked excitedly but I demured saying it was nobody important. "Aww, you're no fun." "I guess not but I think I've got something fun up my sleeve every so often," I said as I took a seat beside her on the bed. "Want to know something that sounds fun to me? Us going to see a movie." "Uh, we do that all the time dude," she said rolling her eyes. I simply shook my head. "No, I mean us going to see a movie together if you catch my drift," I said but that just earned another confused stare. "Sam, the last few days have really made me take stock of things. To think about myself, how others get noticed and how others notice me and everything and just..." I took a breath. I wasn't going to ask her. I was going to tell her exactly what I wanted. "Sam, let's go out," I said and somehow the moment didn't feel quite as momentous and epic as I thought. "I realized that what I thought I was important and what I thought I wanted weren't really all that important or what I wanted. But I realized what was. You're my best friend, the person who knows me best and as a friend I love you but I realized..." "Oh shut up you fucking idiot," Sam said in, to my surprise, a sniffling voice. "I've been... I've been waiting so fucking long for you to..." She trailed off into hiccuping and blubbering but it didn't sound sad; I guess she cried after all. "So let's do it then. I want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend. What do you say?" My response was Sam pulling me into a long, deep kiss. It was badly done, sloppy and awkward on both of our parts and I loved it. We would have plenty of time in the future to practice and get better. I might not be popular and I might not get a lot of attention but I from now on I didn't care. I was going to be getting attention from the one person whose attention really mattered and that was all the attention that I needed. THE END