The four of them spent a lazy day at the lake. Rani joined only when George promised to wear his boxers where they were meant to go. The day passed uneventfully, until sunrise the next morning.
You broke into George’s room. “Wake up, dumbass,” you announced, shaking him.
“Ugh, wha--” George startled awake, rubbing his eyes. “Wha’ time’s it?”
“The perfect time to go for a run with me. C’mon. And you’re wearing these,” you said, tossing him a pair of tight pink shorts, landing on his face.
George sat up and looked at the pink nut-hugger shorts. “What?! Why do I gotta wear these? They won’t fit.”
“Exactly. Put ‘em on.” You rip the sheets off George’s bed, then quickly return them when you see George had been sleeping in the buff. “Ugh, what is wrong with you?”
“I didn’t invite you in here. What are you doing?” George asked again.
“Remember? We agreed I would control what you’d wear all day.” You look away as George squeezes his muscular body into the gym shorts way too small for him. “All right, put on your shoes and let’s go.”
“What?! Can’t I at least put on a shirt? Or underwear?”
“Nope, come on.” You took George by the hand and pulled him out of his bedroom. You both padded down the stairs and out the front door, off on your morning run. Before you even made it a block, George was wheezing and falling behind. You look back at George with a cocked eyebrow. “The hell? I thought that body of yours was supposed to be in shape,” you tell George.
“It’s not my fault! These shorts are crushing my balls,” George whined, hitching his legs. “Where the hell did you get these, anyway?”
“I went to town yesterday to get some things. Mostly for vegetables, cause we have nothing but junk back at the house. By the way, I stole some of your cash.”
George rolled his eyes. “Swear to God, you keep being a health nut and I’m tying you down and putting lady shoes on you. Don’t you touch my cheese puffs.” The two completed a lap around the block. “Are we done?”
“Done? We just started!” you exclaim. “Yesterday I did three laps around the entire neighborhood.” A pickup truck slowly passed the two running men, and beeped its horn. “Nice shorts, beautiful!” the driver called out to George. George groaned.
**
A couple hours later, Rani and Colby look up as you jog in the front door. “Hey! Another run?” Rani asked.
“Yeah, and I had a guest this time,” you said, taking a seat at the table. A minute later, George dragged himself inside, red-faced and wheezing. He plodded straight past the three and collapsed with a moan onto the couch over the armrest.
“Looks like he enjoyed that. What is he wearing?!” Colby asked.
“His punishment,” you said. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
“I dunno. Rani and I were thinking of going to town and catching a movie. Sound good, Rani?” Rani’s gaze was fixed on the muscular, nearly nude figure sprawled on the couch. “Rani,” Colby said sharply, waving his hand in front of her face.
“Oh! Yeah, uh, a movie,” Rani said, snapped back to attention. “Did you want to come with?”
“No, I’ve got plans with George this afternoon,” you said, getting up to make yourself a bowl of granola.
“You wha-?” George asked, picking his head up slightly from the couch.
“Don’t worry about it. We’re going to the bar down the road.” George put his head back down.
“That’s adorable. Have a good time, lovebirds,” Colby said. Rani slapped Colby’s hand.
**
Later that day, after George had recovered and Colby and Rani had gotten dressed to go out, they all stood in the kitchen.
“So, did you guys want a ride to the bar?” Colby asked, jingling his keys.
“Sure, that’s--” George began.
“No, we’ll walk, it’s just down the road,” you interrupted. George glared at you. “How did that body get in that good shape if you’re so lazy?” you ask George.
George shrugged. “Steroids?”
“Whatever. Catch you later, guys,” you said as Rani and Colby left together. “Oh, hang on, George, I have to grab something.”
You ran upstairs and grabbed the socks and the work boots George wore previously. George’s face fell upon seeing the boots. “You gotta be kidding me, you want me to change back into that guy?”
You nod. “We’re going to a bar, you’ll have to look older. You’ll get carded if you go as that, and we don’t have IDs.”
George cocked his head. “I mean, I don’t have to drink anything. I had a lot of beer the last few nights, and…”
“Socks. Shoes. Now.” you said, once again trying to sound intimidating.
“All right, all right, jeez,” George muttered, taking the socks and boots into the other room. You walked outside and began stretching, waiting for George. Soon, George as the portly construction worker walked down the front steps, wearing a shirt now very tight on him. You snorted. “You look great,” you say.
“I’m assuming you wouldn’t let me change out of this,” George said, slapping his once-again flabby stomach and causing it to jiggle wildly. “Let’s go. I definitely need a beer today.”
“Hang on,” you mutter, running past George back into the house. You picked up the socks, discarded onto the living room floor by George, roll them up as tight as you could, and stick them in your pocket. With a mischievous grin on your face, you jog out the door.
**
You took mercy on George and walked instead of ran the half-mile to The Rusty Mule. This bar had an outdoor seating area; it was a beautiful mid-August day without a cloud in the sky, so you took a seat at a picnic table as George went to buy a pitcher of beer. Gazing at a group of people playing horseshoes across the way, you stretch as the sun’s rays hit your toned body. “Should have worn sunscreen,” you remark to George as he walked up with the pitcher.
“Yeah, too bad summer’s almost over,” he said, pouring beer into a plastic cup and handing it over to you. You look at the beer then look back at George with a cocked eyebrow. His pour of beer was two-thirds foam. George sighed. “Haven’t gotten that down yet,” he said. “Almost like we’re both secretly way too young to be drinking.”
“Mmm,” you say, taking a sip of the suds and bitter liquid. You wince. “Ugh, I can’t believe adults like this crap,” you say.
George frowned. “OK, so it’s not just me. I think beer tastes horrible.” He took another sip. “Yeah, summer’s almost over. I’m never gonna forget this year. I don’t really want to go back to school as...myself.”
“I know. I don’t plan on getting rid of these socks anytime soon, though. I wonder if we can all buy a pair.” The two of you chatted more, and the topic eventually turned to Rani and Colby.
“Do you think there’s...anything going on there?” you ask. “Think he’s ever going to show Rani the real him?”
George looked thoughtful. “Either way, I think it’s kinda creepy. He’s both way too old and way too young for her,” he said with a chuckle. “As long as they’re both happy, though.” George finished off the rest of the pitcher. “Another?” he asked, pointing at the bar.
“What happened to thinking beer tasted horrible?”
George shrugged as he stood up. “I dunno, I guess I got used to the taste.”
You realized over the course of the day that George is a much nicer person when not around the rest of your friends. Today he was less of a blowhard and much more of a friend. Still, though, it was time to put your “prank” into action. It made you feel somewhat bad, but at this point you were more curious to see what would happen. “Alright, you go buy it. I’ll be by the horseshoes.”
A few minutes later, George walked over with a full pitcher of beer. “Let’s play,” you tell George. After teaching George the game, you both grabbed some horseshoes from the nearby tub and began the game. Unfortunately for George, you pretty much wiped the floor with him, the final score was 21-4.
“I mean, I did just have a full pitcher of beer,” George said, beginning to put his horseshoes back in the tub and walk away.
“Hang on, George,” you called, walking up to him. “Those are some nice horseshoes, huh?”
The horseshoes were metal and kind of worn, looking they were at one point used by real horses. “Yeah, I guess?” George said, looking down at them and you, confused.
“I mean, they’re nice horse...shoes… aren’t they?” You said with a grin, putting emphasis on “shoes”.
After a few seconds, George’s eyes popped open wide. He looked up at you, as you held the magic socks in your left hand. “You’re kidding,” he said quietly.
“I bought you a nice saddle this morning,” you said.