Idly, Dennis tapped his pencil on the notebook a bit before he asked, "When we're done, you mind if we go over to my place so I get somethings?"
Her concentration fully on her homework, Rachel didn't even look up as she shrugged in response, then slide a piece of paper across the table and inquired, "What do you think is the correct way to answer number 2?" as she stood and moved closer to where he was sitting.
Dennis, his mind on getting home and finding his sister, took the assignment sheet and at first didn't comprehend what he was looking at. Glancing down at the take-home assignments he had, he quickly located the same one and trying to focus on the problem, he tapped his pencil on his notebook some more as he re-read the question. Next to him, Rachel had open one of her notebook and was also studying the question. After a bit, Dennis started to explain, "I think it is asking for," marked something on the sheet, then continued saying what he thought was being asked for.
An hour or so later, Dennis set aside the last bit of homework and began to re-pack his school bag. As he did this, and Rachel rinsed off the glasses in the sink, Rachel's mom came back into the kitchen. Heading for the ice box, where she took a pop from within, she asked, "You girls done with all your homework."
Not happy with being addressed as so, Dennis bristled, but kept his peace whilst Rachel replied, "Yes ma'am."
"So, where are you two off to now?" her mom inquired as she popped the tab of the soda a couple times before opening the can.
A shrug from Rachel. Returning to the kitchen table, where she put the last of her notebooks into her bag, she said, "We're first going over to Denise's place. After that, I guess will figure it out as we go."
"Just make sure you stay out of trouble," her mom replied, then added, "Oh. And Denise. Make sure you have something appropriate to wear tonight. Rachel will be wearing her uniform, of course. But you'll probably need something like a dress or a skirt. Something nice, but not overly formal."
Not happy with the idea of wearing any more girl's clothes then he had to, Dennis pulled on his coat and hat for something to do. Noting that Rachel was taking her school bag somewhere, "Probably to her room," he guessed, he glanced at Rachel's mom and replied, "Yes, ma'am. I'll see what I can find to wear when I get home," and quickly following after Rachel, he wanted to ask her what he should wear and where he'd get whatever he was supposed to wear.
To his dismay he never got the chance, as Rachel, upon coming back from wherever she'd been, announced, "I'm looking forward tonight. We'll have so much fun. And you love the Den Mother, Miss Leery. And the other girl's are fun," and going off into a tangent, she began describing all the things that she did at meetings and the things she did with the rest of her troupe.
A need to point out that she was acting like he was a girl, Dennis never got the chance as he shouldered his book bag and followed her out of the house. Sticking with noncommittal answers, letting her go on, Dennis thought about what he'd say to his sister and the ways he could make her undo whatever it was she'd done to turn him into a girl. The blocks slipping by, it came as a surprise when he suddenly saw that they had walked the two and half blocks to his house. Approaching it, Dennis wondered how he was going to ask Rachel to wait outside and was relieved when she exclaimed, "Hey, there's Darlene. She's in my my troupe," and hailing the girl, Rachel, "I'll catch up with you in a bit, okay."
"All right," Dennis said quietly and watching Rachel run over and begin talking to the girl, he breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to make up something to keep her outside.
Inside his house, he dumped his bag where he normally left it in the front hall, kicked off his shoes and headed for the kitchen. Not finding a note from his parents, he checked the patio out back. Not seeing Jenny, he turned and headed toward the back of the house. Hearing what he thought was a radio coming from his sister's room, Dennis didn't even bothering knocking as he forcefully opened the door. Seeing his sister sitting on her bed, barely registering that of two of her friends were also in the room, Dennis cried out, "I demand you undo what you did."
Jenny, nearly leaping off her bed, dropped her magazine, looked wildly in his direction, then screamed out, "What the hell is your problem, spaz," the instant she saw him and was able to comprehend what was going on.
"You know what you did," Dennis cried shrilly in high-pitched girly voice. "And I demand you undo it now."
"Listen, spaz," Jenny shouted at him. "I don't know what you are talking about. You're such a weirdo. Have you been watching those stupid, poorly subtitled Spanish-Chicano-English late-night movies again. You know mom doesn't like you do that and be up past eleven."
Not sure what she was on about, Dennis felt like he was going to start crying at any moment. Frustrated that Jenny was being dense, he huffed, "No," then added, "I don't know what you're talking about," in a defensive tone before crossing his arms and snarled, "You did this to me. You know what you did. Now I demand you undo it," as he glared at Jenny.
A look of confusion crossing her face, Jenny looked at Tracy and Nicky who shrugged. Looking back at Dennis, Jenny copied his stance by crossing her arms then stated, "I don't know what I did to you. Or what I even supposedly did to you. But I am going to do something to you if you don't get out of my room. I am going to call mom over at Mrs Prichards' and tell her not only did you barge into my room without asking, but you are bothering me and my friends, and that you have been watching those stupid late-night movies again."
Dennis, seeing and hearing that she truthfully did not know what he was talking about experienced a moment of doubt. Glaring at Jenny, wanting to argue the point, he abruptly spun around and stormed out of his sister's room. Heading for his room, he listened as Nicky commented, "Gah. Your little sister is such a spaz and so weird sometimes," as Jenny closed her bedroom door.
Confused, frightened, frustrated, Dennis stomped into his room and flopped down on his bed. Staring up at his ceiling, missing that it was now painted a shade of pastel orange, more emotions that he was sure he'd ever felt in one time washing over him, he grumbled about what had just happened. Sure that it had been his sister who had changed him into a girl, believing she would have found the whole idea of having a sister better than having a brother, Dennis asked himself, "If she didn't do this to me, how did it happen?"
No answer coming to him right away, he squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to figure out how it had happened. Flashing briefly to Rachel, he wondered if she had done something, but then decided that if Jenny hadn't, the ten-year-old girl most likely hadn't either. Failing to come up with a solution, he opened his eyes and sat up. Slowly looking about his room, suddenly realising that it looked different, he whispered, "What the hell is going on?"