Before he knew it, it was daytime! The sun was brightly shining through the windows. He sits upright with a jerk, as he was lying on his side on the couch.
"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!" He said in rapid succession as he bolted to his feet. It hit home that he was still stuck as a 14 year old kid when he saw his thin, hairless, pale legs. Rather than his thick, muscular, tan legs. He was also shorter than he was used to upon waking. He was also more flexible as well.
"Shit, shit, shiiiit! I fell asleep!"
He looked around at the unfamiliar dirty house. The time! He had to know what time it was! If he fell asleep so easily and at a relatively early hour, then maybe it's still early in the morning yet, and still have time!
But first, he had to quickly get changed into something a bit warmer. It's been cold outside lately, as fall is now well underway. He bolted into the master bedroom and opened the closet door. Good. A pair of jeans and a hoodie. He also found a pair of maroon-colored briefs with a gray band at top, among the random pile of clothing in the closet.
Holding the briefs up, he sighed. He wasnt used to wearing briefs. To him, it was barely a step-up from wearing tighty-whities. But it would have to do. The jeans were also smaller than he was used to, and for a moment, wondered if they would even fit.
"Of course they should fit. They're Charlie's jeans. And....I am Charlie....for now...."
It was a little disconcerting to be wearing someone else's clothes, but he had no choice, did he? Whatever germs are in these clothes, came from his current body anyway. That was of little comfort, though. He had to get on with it regardless.
He stripped off the shorts, and was immediately greeted by his shrimpified hairless little white penis that was barely going through puberty. Somehow, looking at this pathetic thin pale little thing attached to him, sorta turned him on. But in a sickening sort of way. The thought that if he doesn't resolve this in the next couple of hours, this is what he would be stuck with.
He thought of the loss of his cute, yet beefy tan body, a twin brother, a son, his job, and all of his property and no way to convince anyone who he used to be. But no. He had to get on with it.
He quickly changed and ran to the bedroom with the computer to check the time. 10:15, it read.
"Quarter after after ten! Shit! I slept for nearly 12 hours!? And we switched.....a good 5 hours before that!? That means....I am within the timeframe, according to that website, to switch back. But I only about 7 hours to do so!"
"Let's see here. Vin's place is about 5 miles from here. Riding that small ass bike should maybe take me.....45 minutes? Leaves me with a little over 6 hours to find that thing. And if it's not there, then the theater downtown is the next choice. But dammit, that takes time to get there. If it's not there, then it's at.....my place. Which is 10 miles outside of town. Uh oh...."
He ran as quickly as he could to the bike in the desparate attempt to be on time. He pedaled furiously for about ten minutes, when the jeans he was wearing, got caught in the gear system on the bike and threw tore it up. He was nearly thrown from the bike. He cursed, hopped off, and had to pull the ripped pantleg up over his thin knee.
"God, these calves are so small. Hardly any definition at all!"
He started pedalling again, and a half hour later, out of breath, he arrived at Vin's place. Dumping the bike that was too small even for his smaller frame, he ran up to the garage and peered in the side window. The SUV! It was gone!
"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Anthony curse. He only had about 6 and a half hours left.
He then pedaled towards downtown, and 20 minutes later, arrived at the theater. Again, dumping the bike, he ran inside. Except that.....the place was closed and wouldn't open until noon! It was already about 11:30, but he didn't know that. He forgot his cell phone. Again. Or rather, Charlie's phone.
"Again?" That would imply he forgot the thing before. But he never forgot it before. But memories of always forgetting his phone began to creep into his mind. The first indication that he wouldn't just be stuck with Charlie's body, but would also be stuck with his memories and filthy habits. He thought about how he didn't even brush his teeth! His mouth felt filthy, now that he thought about it. His new crooked teeth felt slimy to his new tongue. His own teeth were always perfectly aligned, clean, and white. Now, he's stuck with imperfect, yellow teeth!
"Shit! I don't want those, either!"
He stepped back to look at himself in the glass of the building's giant widows. His hair! It's a mess! He wasn't used to having hair. He reached up to smooth it down with his hand. It was wet with sweat. Gross. Not even his sweat! But now it is. He managed to smooth it down since it was wet. Light, dirty-brown hair with long bangs. The sweat beading the bangs up into several long strips covering his forehead. Made him look like a dirty young boy. And nothing like what he was used to seeing in a mirror. His now grayish-blue eyes. So unlike his dark, soft brown eyes. Thin, light brown eyebrows, rather than his thick, dark brows. Long thin face and long this nose. Rather than his pleasing round mutant turtles shaped head.
Charlie was by no means ugly. But he wasn't exactly a chick-magnet like he used to be.
The biggest change he had to get used to, was his lack of physical strength and physical presence. He was a good hundred pounds lighter, with no muscle to speak of. Even a falling of milk would feel heavy in his much thinner, smaller hands!
Speaking of which. He looked at his hands. They're so foreign to him. At least Charlie wasn't a nail-biter. He had pleasing-looking perfect fingernails. His finger, though shorter than his old ones, were even thinner yet. His smaller hands made his fingers look long. Classical piano-player-style fingers, these are.
He pulled his hoof over his head, and thrust his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie. He stood there, looking at himself. Definitely looks like a brooding teenager. Despite how small his jeans were, they were baggy-looking on his thin frame. The hoodie also a bit baggy-looking. His black baseball-style non-cleated shoes with green trim, thin and broken in, but not quite worn out.
Anthony sighed, and decided to wait here for the theater to open. No phone and no watch, so he didn't know how long of a wait he had. He went over to his bike, grabbed it, and sat on the curbing along the base of the building. And waited. Luckily, he didn't have TOO long to wait. A manager came up to unlock the front doors from inside about 20 minutes later.
Noon! It is now 12:00 PM. Which means he still has 5 hours left!
Leaving the bike, he proceeded inside and up to the desk.
"How may I help you, young sir?" He was greeted upon walking up to the front counter. Anthony winced at being called "young sir," especially coming from someone who's SUPPOSED to be younger than him, and still a kid themselves. But ignored it.
He inquired about a gold medallion that may have been lost in the theater.
The person checked the lost-and-found. It was not there!
Anthony asked if he could go into the auditorium and check to see if it's on the floor somewhere. They were accommodating, but not without a little bit of a protest, as the workers always clean up after every show.
He was escorted to the auditorium he was in, and went straight to where he was sitting. He checked all around. Uber the seat, along the sides, and the rear.
He got down onto the dirty floor on his hands and knees ("this isn't actually my body or my clothes anyways, and I'm NOT going to be stuck this way," he thought.) He crawled along, looking underneath every seat. Even though the worker didn't like that very much, the older teen handed him a flash light. Back and forth he went, before he had to admit defeat and give up.
He handed the flashlight back, and sadly trudged his way outside. He quickly walked to where he left his bike.....and it was gone!
"What the fuck? Someone stole my bike! God dammit! Now what!?"
He supposed he could take a bus. But to where, exactly? Maybe to his own house! His PROPER house! But he's never ridden the bus before. "This really, REALLY sucks not having my own car!"
He had to walk the couple of blocks to the central bus station. He looked like nothing but a young, typical brooding teenager with a hoodie over his head, and hands in the front pocket as he walked along. Anthony always dressed with some style as a grown adult. He missed his stylish jeans, his white T-shirt, his white-gold chain with the little boxing gloves as the pendate, but most of all, his perfectly-fitted almost shiny black leather jacket. He looked good wearing that thing. Which was no longer his. At least, not for the to e-being.
He arrived at the bus station. It was almost 1:00 by this point. Four more hours to go! He had to take his time learning which route and busses would take him over to Gino's.
After learning relevant portion of the bus system, he stepped up to the ticket booth and requested one ticket for just bus, with transfer pass. It would be $3.75.
"Oh, CRAP! I forgot. I only have 2 bucks!" Was his horrified thought he he reached to his back pocket for his wallet....only to discover it was empty! No wallet! He left the damn thing in the pocket of his sweats!
"Shit! I don't have any money at all!"
The ticket-taker frowned at him, and said "I'm sorry kid."
Anthony asked if he could ride anyway.
"Son, if I let everyone ride for free, nobody would pay. Sorry."
Dejected, he slowly walked away.
"Great. Just great. NOW what do I do? How do I get over to Gino's now?"
It took him a moment to realize the significance of that thought.
"Wait. GINO'S? Not 'home'!? Great, now I'm REALLY beginning to think like Charlie! What's to become of me?"
Then the idea that Charlie already thinks he is Anthony Michael Salvatore, and that the real Anthony is now just a 14 year old kid on his own that's been abandoned by his parents, and who is confused about his sexuality.
"No! I'm not going to give up without a fight!"
He went back to the ticket-taker, and asked if he could at least use a phone. The ticket guy pointed at an antiquated pay phone.
"But I forgot my wallet. Can I at least borrow like 50 cents or whatever to use it?"
The man frowned at him, and brought a black corded phone to the counter, and set it there.
Anthony started dialing Gino's cell. But halfway through, he started forgetting what it was!
"I always just ride my bike over to his house," was his thought. He didn't notice he thought that, as he started dialing his own number instead. It started ringing, but it went to voicemail. Which identified itself as the voicemail for Charlie's Bennett, and not his own voicemail!
"Wait a second, that isn't MY number! That's......my number.... Maybe I should dial Anthony's? But what was it again? If I were Anthony, what would my number be?
Wait a second....i AM Anthony! The fuck is wrong with me? I'm actually starting to think I'm Charlie?"
He had.to.take a minute to remember his own number.
"Come on, kid, are.you about done?" Asked the guy impatiently at the counter.
But then he remembered Gino's number! That's it!
He dialed you Gino.
"Hello?" Gino answered
"Hey man, whatchoo up to?" (He's even beginning to TALK like Charlie!)
"Oh, hey Charlie! Nothing. Wanna come over?"
Being called Charlie made Anthony winced a little bit.
"Sure, but I'm downtown at the bus station. Someone stole my bike."
"Haha, you left your bike at my place, moron!"
Being spoken to so familiarly by his own son wounded his pride. It was yet another humiliation he had to ignore.
"No, MORON! I mean my brother's old bike!" He felt weirdly.sad and depressed at that thought. And wondered where that even came from.
Charlie may have been Gino's best friend, but Anthony had to admit he didn't know very much about that kid. Or much about any of Gino's friends he ran around with.
"Oh. My bad." Said Gino. "You want my dad to come pick you up?"
"Yeah, sure!" He answered immediately without skipping a beat.
"Hey Dad! Can you go and pick Charlie up from the bus station downtown?"
Anthony then heard his own voice.faintly in the background.
"No, we're going to Nana's house in a bit."
"But he stranded!"
"Well, I guess I can pick him up and.dribe him home."
It was rather disconcerting hearing this. onversation. He was SUPPOSED to be at his own house. He was the one that was supposed to be telling Gino, his son, that they were going to his mother's house. Instead, he's stranded at a bus station downtown, as a 14 year old boy who is always left out of normal family functions.
Gino back back on the phone.
"My dad says we're going to my Nana's house, but he can pick you to take you home."
"Uh, ok. Thanks!
"Aight, man. We'll see you in a bit."
"Ok, cya." Said Anthony.
Crap! It wasn't ok! It was going onto 2:00 in the afternoon, and he only has til five to find that damn medal and get his old life back! Otherwise, he's stuck as a damn kid he knows so very little about! And a very slobby one at that!
Well, there isn't much he can do about it right this moment. He hung up the phone, and found a bench to sit on situated so he can look out the window to see his car arrive, driven by somebody else in his own body, as him.
"I've gotta think up an excuse to hang out with them instead, and get a chance to check out Vin's vehicle."
And he sat there for the next half hour, waiting very impatiently, as time continued counting down.