"Come on, we should be having fun, man," Wes said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, "Not l-l-loitering around here near this defective machine!"
"Wes, you just don't get it. I heard this thing really works! Seen the testimonies online!" Bryan kept trying to get the little wizard in the machine to activate.
Wes and Bryan were a pair of friends at the local high school, seniors, but they hadn't ever really found their place there at any rate. Wes was a young man whose build wavered between fat and muscular, though he'd never been coordinated enough to be popular. His wavy, long blond hair framed his hefty features - it was often said Wes could've been handsome if he was a little less heavy set and took better care of himself. His grayish blue eyes were often covered a bit by a bang or two. The acne didn't help, and his glasses - he told himself often - were the death blow to his popularity chances. He presently wore a jacket, a t-shirt, jeans and sneaker shoes.
Bryan on the other hand was too thin and skinny to really be very appealing looking. His hair was often styled and restyled, but never into anything currently "in". His current look was a fauxhawk that he probably did himself, which contributed to its shabby look. His black hair was often greasy just as well owing to a natural issue with his body's sweat - he tended to sweat a lot. Bryan was paler than the naturally tanned Wes, and hairier across his body, though never on his face. Bryan's icy blue eyes were regarded often as somewhat eerie. He currently wore a white long sleeved shirt, black jeans, and boots.
And right now, they were making one last try at some kind of play for popularity. Wes was not having it out here at the traveling festival, but Bryan had heard this place's "wishing machine" had real results attached to it. And he was not going to let this go. He remembered watching an old friend of his, Ross Jansen, grow into a muscular frame and get all the popularity with the girls...and resented it bitterly. It was like being cheated, as far as Bryan was concerned.
The African American had become really, really good looking, enough that when Football wasn't in season he did some modeling according to some people. Ross was the focus of Bryan's envy and Wes' loneliness. Having skin with a light caramel hue, Ross had his hair cut short. His eyes were light almond colored, and his build was outstanding. Standing six foot four inches tall, Ross had easily 230 lbs of muscle on him - and despite that, was easy on his feet and apt on the field.
And Wes went along with it, because a common thing with these two was "Bryan gets an idea. Wes follows along to keep his friend from getting into trouble".
"Dude, it does. Not. Work." Wes said in a concerned tone. "Don't worry, man. We can work out after high school's over, and you'll have a big glow up when you go to college. The jocks aren't as bad there."
"Jock apologist." Bryan bitterly retorted, and then heard a jagged slamming noise from inside the machine he was still standing in front of that made him almost jump into the air at once! He turned and saw that the machine was now active. Inside of the machine was a wavering, bobbing figure of a mechanical wizard-like figure with indeterminate features. The more Bryan looked at it, the more uncanny it looked. Like something trying for being human looking, but getting an F at it.
"TELL ME YOUR WISHES, GENTLEMEN", the machine blurted out in monotone.
"I don't...like this, Bryan." Wes looked around as if waiting for some prank to happen. Or for something worse. He really did not feel the best vibes from this.
"Shut it," Bryan whispered, and then turned to look at the wizard-like figure in there, "Oh great and powerful one, we would...we would uhh..."
Wes didn't want this to go on. He remembered what Bryan was always ranting on about, and seeing that it seemed Bryan was choking up, Wes made the conscious decision to cut things now. Moving forward, Wes shouted, "We wish we were popular and buff like Ross is!" Bryan gulped and looked around before nodding furiously, "Y-Yeah, what he said!"
The machine seemed to emit an odd musical cue and the uncanny wizard bobbed up and down, "YOUR WISH WILL BE GRANTED, SOONER OR LATER."
"Well, that's fucking promising." Bryan snarked.
"NEXT GUEST PLEASE." The wizard announced, and both young men took that as their cue to move on. Wes feeling rather spooked by how interactive and seemingly knowing this thing was, and Bryan feeling rather let down. As the two of them walked off, they would both feel a strange gust of wind at their backs. Wes and Bryan both shivered from the sensation. Neither of them knew it, but the changes that were due to come as a result of their wish would start a wave of wishes and changes that would shake up the high school as they knew it...