2 1/2 WEEKS LATER
CURRENT AGE - 23 YEARS 10 MONTHS
It was Thanksgiving, and Jeff was thankful that he had a long weekend away from school. Taking part in Movember was a fine idea at the time but thanks to his speedy facial hair, he had a whopper of a 'stache that threatened to overtake his upper lip entirely. He used moustache wax to keep it tidy but hairs were still finding their way into his mouth. If that wasn't bad enough, people around school were noticing his record growing moustache and mocking him behind his back. Or directly to his face. On the bright side, he'd managed to raise a lot of money for charity...
At least he wasn't the only guy in school with facial hair since Bryan joined him with Movember. After he kept moping about his own beard, or rather lack of it, Jeff decided to give him a little motivation with the help of his Chronivac. He upped the density and growth of Bryan's facial hair just enough to assume it was natural and not cause suspicion. Now Bryan had grown an impressive moustache and goatee combo for an 18 year old, and seemed all the happier for it. It had Jeff wondering if he should give a beard a try once the month was up. Winter was coming, after all.
In some places, Winter had well and truly arrived. Which was unfortunate for Jeff and his parents, as a powerful storm up north coincided with Thanksgiving weekend and grounded all flights to their extended family's home. Not that he particularly minded, his family reunions were a bit much at times. Everyone was nosy, wanting to know what he had been up to, if he was dating, what his plans were for the future. It was a little much. At least with only the three of them at home, Jeff would escape the probing. Or so he thought...
"So Jeff, have you thought more about college?"
Jeff choked on his turkey on hearing the question his mom asked. The truth was that he didn't want to go to college. Not yet anyway. He coughed and cleared his throat, saying "Kind of? I looked at some things. I was also thinking of maybe taking a gap year to..."
"A gap year!?" Mom interrupted with a gasp. "Sweetie, you don't want to waste your time trekking round god knows where doing lord knows what. I'd be worried sick!"
Jeff rolled his eyes, nobody would mess with him now he looked like a Norse god. He replied "I was thinking more like getting a job to earn some money, or maybe an apprenticeship. James' dad is always hiring"
"Rob the Builder??" Dad groaned. "Be serious, Jeff. Your future depends on you having a good education. What was the point of skipping a grade otherwise?"
"I skipped 6th grade, that's bascially nothing. Besides, I'd be learning how to do valuable skills that could help me down the line. It's literally education but I'd get paid for it!"
Mom nagged "But construction? Really? You're a smart boy, you could be doing great things with that big brain of yours like working for NASA or as a doctor. Not palling about with some oafish handymen"
His dad shook his head and sighed. "You've spent too long exercising your body recently and not enough exercising your mind."
"I'm sorry, is a healthy body not something I should have? Coach Peterson is thrilled at how much muscle I've gained. He thinks I can single-handedly win the school its first wrestling championship. Is that not something to be proud of? Because according to you, it's worthless if it's not educational"
"Calm down Jeff. You're getting worked up over nothing..."
"Nothing!? You keep belittling me and my choices, I can't stand it! Why should I do what you say? I'm an adult, damn it!" Jeff slammed a fist on the table, making his parents jump in fright.
Jeff hated how they treated him like a kid. He was a grown-ass man. He took up half the table with his bulk and towered over the two of them, yet they still think they can tell him how to live his life? Then Jeff noticed his mom. She was close to breaking out in tears. He became aware of how threatening he looked. He immediately softened his stance and fondled his moustache in frustration. He had to remind himself that he may physically be in this twenties, but he was still 16. Yet the damage was done.
Dad put down his cutlery and jabbed a finger in Jeff's face. He spoke with a quiet fury that was scarier than if he screamed at the top of his lungs. "I don't know what's got into you lately, but I won't stand for this kind of behaviour! You're not an adult, no matter how mature you look." There was a slight hesitation before he continued "We only want what's best for you, and we know you'll go on to do great things, as long as you go to college! Please, just take this seriously and look into it."
Jeff sighed, wishing his parents weren't so hung up on college. It just wasn't his style. He'd prefer to do practical work like carpentry or construction, but it was clear that they would never approve of their gifted child having a blue collar job over something more intelligent and elite. He hung his head over his dinner plate and mumbled "I'll look into it tonight."
That seemed to settle things as his parents moved onto questioning his facial hair, and just how long was he keeping the moustache, and did it have to be a full month because they miss their handsome clean-shaven boy. He briefly wondered how his parents would react if they knew he was almost his brother's age now, but one thanksgiving argument was more than enough.
8 DAYS LATER
CURRENT AGE - 24 YEARS 6 MONTHS
"I really appreciate you staying behind to help with this winter fair"
Jeff smiled as he set down a long table. "No problem, coach! Always happy to help." He moved the last giant prop candy cane with little effort, then stood back and admired his handiwork. He always thought he had an eye for design, and it showed in his layout.
His coach came over and slapped him on the back. "Good job, kid! The faculty'll be thrilled with this set-up. All that's left is the tree, though I reckon they'll want to decorate it themselves tomorrow morning. You know how finicky those PTA moms can be"
"Does that mean I'm free to go?"
Coach nodded his head. "There's not much more you can do. Go on, head home". As Jeff said goodbye and headed for the exit, Coach shouted "And do something about that scruff on your face, you're starting to look like a tramp!"
Now that Movember had finished, Jeff had happily gotten rid of his walrus-like moustache. Yet with December's arrival, he felt lost without some sort of facial hair. And he was getting real tired of shaving multiple times a day to keep his cheeks stubble free. He figured now it was getting cold outside, he'd throw caution to the wind and stop shaving. Four days later, he already had a beautiful, glossy beard that looked like he'd grown it in a month. He admired how rugged it made him look, although apparently not everyone felt the same.
As Jeff walked back to his car, he noticed someone sat alone at the front gates. It was Bryan, waiting for a bus. Jeff smiled, he'd barely had a chance to hang with Bryan in weeks. Recently, it was like they were too busy with after school stuff and exam revision. He was glad to see that even after Movember, Bryan kept the neatly trimmed circle beard he'd grown. It suited him perfectly.
Jeff walked up to the gates and called out "Hey, Bry!"
Bryan looked back towards him with slight confusion until his eyes widened in surprise. "Jeff!? Wh-what are you still doing here?"
"I stayed to help Coach Peterson set up for the winter fair tomorrow. Since I'm here, do you need a ride?"
"Well I was waiting for a bus..." A cold breeze blew past, chilling the two of them to their bones. Bryan checked his phone, then the road for any sign of a bus, before sighing "But if you insist. Lead the way, Jeffy..."
After bundling up in his car, Jeff turned on the radio and settled in for an awkward journey. You'd imagine weeks of separation would give them plenty to catch up with, yet nobody said a word until Jeff felt inclined to break the silence. As the radio entered its commercial break, he said "So I noticed you didn't shave in the end. Your goatee's coming in nicely. I said you'd be a natural if you gave it some time!"
Bryan twiddled his fingers, trying not to look at Jeff. "I noticed you exchanged the moustache for a beard. I barely recognised you back there... Must be nice to be able to grow a full beard in a single day..."
Jeff gulped. Clearly that was the wrong thing to talk about. Hoping to relieve the tension, he quickly switched topic to the latest video games conference. Yet he couldn't help but notice Bryan's lack of enthusiasm for anything. It was worrying. As Jeff eventually pulled up outside Bryan's house, Bryan yanked off his seat belt and scrambled for the car door. He frowned and joked "Wow, the first time we've had a chat in ages and you're already trying to get away? It's almost like you're avoiding me."
Bryan didn't laugh. He closed the door and turned to his friend. "Well... it's difficult to explain..."
Jeff was hurt... Bryan really was avoiding him? He knew that he was envious of how much he'd changed since September, that was clear to everyone around him. "Look, if it's about the growing up thing, I can-"
"No, it's not that! Well, it's partially that but that's not why I've been hiding". Bryan tapped on his phone, hesitated, gulped, then handed it over to Jeff.
Jeff flicked through the folder of images, a little confused. It was of him and Bryan at the Halloween party. Bryan had a mix of selfies and snapshots showing him passed out in the guest room, his shirt was taken off. Some solo, some with Bryan resting his head on his bare chest, stroking his abs... It was a lot to take in. "What... Is all this? Why do you have these pictures?"
Bryan snatched his phone back from Jeff and slunk into himself. "I dunno... I guess we drank too much at that party, and I took advantage of you passing out to get a little closer... I'm so sorry, Jeff! I wanted to say something sooner, but you brought up Chloe and I was afraid this would ruin our friendship. You mean a lot to me, dude. And I hate that I couldn't bring myself to tell you..."
Jeff placed a hand on Bryan's shoulder. "So it's not because you're jealous of how I look?" Bryan shook his head, and Jeff fell into a laughing fit. Bryan was confused, why was he laughing about this? Jeff managed to contain himself and said "Oh that's a relief! I can't say I appreciate what you did, and you're definitely deleting those pics immediately. But you owned up to it and that's what matters in my eyes. Plus, I miss hanging with you, know? So of course I forgive you, dude!"
Bryan smiled in relief, his friend didn't hate him! But then he felt a little sad. He sighed and said "No, you shouldn't. I have a problem, Jeff. Every time we're around each other, I always feel so inferior to you, wishing I could be like you. But I also kind of admire you, have... feelings for you, and I don't know if we can hang if I'm constantly battling my emotions over you."
Jeff paused. Bryan really was hurting... He hadn't told anyone about the Chronivac yet, he didn't want people to know what he was doing. But Bryan was his best friend, and he was losing him over its use. Jeff heard a click as Bryan reached for the car door. Jeff grabbed onto Bryan's arm. "Wait!" he cried. "I have something that can help you."
Bryan shook off Jeff's grip. "No, you don't. I don't think anything can help." Jeff stared sorrowfully at Bryan. "Thanks for the ride home. I guess I'll see you at school..." He left the car and hurried up to his front door without looking back. Jeff stared at the house for several moments. What was he going to do...