Susan glanced to the sides of Jennifer's head. "So, you gonna tell us why you're wearing those big cow ears? I thought you hated cows?"
"Yeah, I do. Had to clean up after them every time I spent time with my uncle until I was allowed to stay home alone during summers." Jennifer raised her hands to where Susan was looking, only to abruptly stop as she touched a part of her ear, but it was several inches too far out. "I- Uh-" She quickly guided her hand along this growth of unknown flesh sticking out of her hair, until her fingers met the base. They were firmly anchored to where her normal ears used to be.
Susan noticed the delay. "Is something wrong?"
Her mind was reeling with what to say. Was it the curse? Was all that crazy stuff Kyle said actually going to happen? "N-no. Just some weird headband I found. It's been a lot of years since the farm visits, and these ones looked too realistic to pass up on."
Susan scrunched her face, clearly trying to read her friend. "Well, okay. I'd have personally left that at home, or maybe you can stick them in your backpack or locker after lunch. They look a bit weird on you."
"Hah, yeah. I should've probably looked at how I looked in a mirror before getting them. In fact, I think I'll do that now."
Jennifer tried to push down her panic as much as possible. Over just the course of the conversation, her rear had been itching like mad, and now she was acutely aware of her altered ears. She could feel the air push against them as she turned her head, almost flopping about if she moved too much. She slowly stood up from the lunch table, and made a direct line to the girl's restroom. Every step was accentuated by her ears bowing a little further than her head. She felt like everyone was watching her, and though some surely were with her ridiculous ears, she hoped it was more in her head.
As she closed the door behind her, she immediately moved to one of the mirrors. To her horror, it was exactly as she had felt. A large pair of cow ears stuck out from her hair on both sides of her head. They were black, reminding her of those awful dairy cows she'd had to deal with in her youth. She gave an experimental yank, and the resulting pain confirmed that they were both hers and they were not coming off any time soon. More distressing is that she's started to gain control over the new ears. It would be very hard to explain away these fleshy growths if they moved around like real cow ears.
As she pondered her situation, the tugging within her pants became more and more bothersome. She was lucky no other girls were at the sinks, but she wasn't sure how long her luck would remain. She dove into an open stall to collect herself and check what was bothering her.
She slipped her pants off, and felt something pull itself off her rear. Behind her, laying on the back of the toiler seat, was a small cow tail. It was a mixture of black and white, with a tuft of black fur at the end. Like the ears, she could feel it and even issue commands to move it.
There was no question about it. The curse was beyond reasonable doubt, real. This was apparently a virus, and it was finished, unless mutations occurred. Kyle had said up to three could occur, but she could be lucky and get zero after the ears and tail. Also, maybe they would go away once her body fought off the virus, right? She got chills, thinking about what she'd do if these were permanent.
Just then, the lunch bell rang. As she got up and stuffed her new tail down a pant leg, she wondered how long it would take to clarify she'd receive no mutations, or how long this would last. It was both fast and subtle, seeing as she hadn't even felt her ears change. Hopefully, it'd all be done by the end of the day.