Billy had hit puberty and his body was changing-but not in the expected way.
The first sign was when one of his classmates asked why he was always grinning. Billy didn’t think he was, until he looked in a mirror. He got asked about it again, and again, until he finally realized that, although he could consciously make other expressions whenever his face relaxed it would automatically revert to a wide, inane smile.
As he looked at himself in the mirror every morning Billy noticed other changes too. As well as impulsively grinning Billy’s lips looked redder, as if he were wearing lipstick. He tried to cover it with his mother’s foundation, but then his cheeks began to redden as well as the end of his nose. In contrast, despite being outside a lot his skin actually seemed to be getting paler.
The weeks went by and even more changes were happening. He had always been somewhat clumsy but now it seemed every day he was making unexpected tumbles and pratfalls, especially in gym class. His voice, instead of getting deeper, was getting, well, funnier, sort of high pitched and squeaky, with a goofy lilt and involuntary jolliness that crept in whenever he got excited. He’d even punctuate his sentences with impulsive giggling and chuckles which made it almost impossible for anyone to take him seriously. Billy’s skin kept getting paler while his nose, lips and cheeks got redder. His nose also seemed to be swelling up as well.
The most dramatic change was his hair. It was fading from it’s usual light brown to an almost orange color. Around the edges it was becoming thick and curly but on top-whenever he brushed his hair Billy saw massive chunks come out, to where he could almost see his pale scalp underneath what remained. Billy’s father was bald and so were both his grandfathers so he knew it might happen to him but hadn’t expected it so soon.
Billy suspected his family knew what was happening but didn’t say anything-although his brother Craig, who had always made fun of Billy for being so afraid, tittered whenever his back was turned.
But one morning Billy knew he couldn’t keep quiet anymore. The day before in gym class, one of his unexpected tumbles ruined the basketball game he was in. After complaining about how his feet were hurting, the school nurse sent Billy home.
When Billy woke up the next day, his feet were three times as long.
He was also aware of a touch of red right beneath his eyes. Gingerly, Billy touched his nose. It was a perfect sphere, round, rubbery, and nearly the size of a tennis ball. He took a deep breath and gave it a poke.
HONK!
Billy heard a knock at his door. “Billy?” his mother’s voice called out. “Billy, what’s going on?”
Giving a small sigh, Billy called out, “C’mon in.”
The door opened. Billy’s mother, father, and older brother walked into the room-and laughed at the sight of Billy.
When he finally caught a hold of himself, Craig said, “But you’ve always been afraid of clowns, bro.”
“Puberty is a funny thing,” Billy said, then held up one of his canoe-paddle sized toes. “Anyway, I’m going to need new shoes.”