Switching Sides

I blinked, my vision still fuzzy. I yawned, newly awakened eyes darting about my pink-wallpapered room, the sunlight seeping in through the thin curtains. I smiled, my dry lips cracking. I groaned as I stepped out of bed, stretching again, this time my arms and legs with lunges and small arm-circles.

I passed all of my picture frames hanging on my bedroom wall on my way to the bathroom. Me and my sister at Disneyland. Me and my sister asleep together when we were little. Halloween of 4th grade, me as Cinderella, my sister as a hot dog.

I chuckled as I remembered that Halloween. Nobody knew why my sister had chosen that outfit, and I’m not sure to this day if she even knew her own motives. It was quite funny, really. A little princess next to a hot dog.

I trudged to the bathroom, my bladder feeling as if it was about to burst. I groaned as I opened the door and locked it behind me. As quick as humanly possible, my pants were on the ground, but upon glancing down, I realized that something was off.

I shrieked and shrieked again. I shook in horror. Where the day before I’d been a girl, I now had a...a...

“Is everything alright in there, Jane?” My mother pounded furiously, terror seeping through her tired voice. I almost considered telling her, but that was weird, being that I was 16.

“Y-yup, Mom. Everything’s... good.” I could hear her sigh of relief.

“Okay, honey. Don’t do that again. You woke us all up.” I could hear her grumbling under her breath as her footsteps faded away down the hall.

My heartbeat quickened again as I looked down at the monstrosity attached to me. Unfortunately, I still had to pee, so...

I stumbled out of the bathroom, glad it was over with. That was officially the weirdest experience I’d had in my life. I shuddered, then started to panic again. What had happened? Was this scientifically possible? Was I part of a government experiment?! I tried to calm myself down, but it was no use. What did this mean for me? Was I a boy now? I mean, I had never felt anything against being a girl but... I guess now that I’d changed I missed it? But what did this thing mean to me anyway? Well, that’d be weird to have to explain in relationships...

Okay, okay, I was getting ahead of myself now. All I knew was that I was a girl, and had always been a girl. I would not let this, whatever this was, get the best of me. I would go on as I always did, and if it came to that point, I would explain it to my parents. No matter how weird that conversation would be. No matter how ludicrous I would sound. Ugh.

Then another thought occurred to me: did I still have boobs? I ran a quick hand over my chest, and, to my dismay, they were GONE! I mean, not that I’d had much before, but...

I walked back to my room pulled on my PE uniform, still wearing a bra even though I didn’t need to. I mean, I’d be extremely uncomfortable going to school without one. I needed my PE clothes on so I didn’t have to change. It’d be too... obvious.

I grabbed my school bag and went down to breakfast. My sister was there, reading the back of the LIFE© box, shoveling the cereal into her mouth. Her glasses slid down her nose slowly, and she pushed them back up every few seconds. She nodded hello to me, then went back to the word search. I poured myself some TRIX© and sat down myself, fidgeting with my shorts.

I finished quickly, and dashed out the door, not wanting to wait for the bus today. It was cold outside, most likely in the low 50′s, too cold for shorts and a tee, but I did not want to go back home. So, I braved the cold.

I got to school, wishing I’d just stayed home. I felt uncomfortable walking around, hoping that nobody would notice anything off. you know, besides that I was wearing my PE clothes.

But nobody did. I got through all of my classes without anybody saying anything, and ran home again.

I got into bed that night, wondering what the next day of being male would bring. Another day of wearing PE clothes to school? Ugh, I’d figure it out in the morning. I drifted off into a restless sleep.

The next morning, I woke and promptly visited the bathroom. I dropped my pants and was delighted to find that I was once again me.