Classes resumed after the 4 day holiday and most students and teachers returned to fill the halls. The school didn't hesitate jumping back in and loading Steve down with homework and, if we're being honest, grunt work to keep him busy...
Steve's appetite was endless while food was available, and normal when not... Sugary snacks were still in constant demand and he still noticed no change in his body mass for all the extra calories consumed. Finally, outside of work, his activity level was roughly the same...
Steven couldn't resist the urge while going through the halls, he'd make eye contact, smile, and say "Hi" or possibly wave. Like at work, simply acknowledging other people existed had fascinating effects. Some blossomed needing the reassurance, others shrunk away feeling exposed and unsure what to do in the sudden spotlight of a random kid's smile.
Like before, Steve occasionally felt compelled to do something else after seeing someone. There were a few kids that he offered some snacks too and lucky for him, he happened to be carrying several boxes worth of toaster pastries hidden across various pockets. One kid he just sat down with and like his banter with Trixie, the words just came... without realizing what he said the conversation was ending and the other kid was in tears. "... so you're never alone. There's always someone who will see you and you're worth being seen. I recommend you talk to the guidance counselor whenever you feel this way." There was a hug and then Steve was on his way. It felt good but it was only for 5 minutes between classes which were never enough to engage with everyone.
Wednesday came and by the end of the day, Steve found that he wasn't inundated with homework. He dropped his school supplies off at home and gleefully made his way to work. Getting in by 330 he saw Mr. Wright locking his door and leaving for the day.
"Are you here every day?" Steve asked with a light chuckle.
"Feels that way sometimes, but no. Weekends and Wednesdays..." Mr. Wright turned and gave Steve a once over with a heavy sigh... "I'm sorry Steve, I was heading out but I'll get this sorted for you straight away. You've been with us for over a week and we're into December for Peat's sake!"
"What? No, I'm good... What's the matter?" Steve was left calling as Mr. Wright stormed off in a fit grumbling to himself.
Steve dressed and did his Santa thing which was beginning to feel more and more like a stress reliever than a job. He went about his day interacting with patrons and especially the children which were always a delight. Once the crowds began to die down he felt the urge to leave.
Steve had a long day but felt like watching tv... He was kept just entertained enough to not notice how tired he was, and before he knew it, it was 1am on a school night. "Ugh no! Crap." He turned off the TV and rolled over almost immediately drifting off to sleep...
Steve woke slowly as the light of mid-morning filtered into his bedroom. Like a trail of dominos slowly hitting all the switches, the pieces came together and suddenly a torrent of connections all fired at once. LATE! Clothes were flung on, the cell phone was grabbed confirming it was 8:45, "Mom? Are you here?" Steve cried in alarm...
"In the study dear." came the reply.
Steve raced to the study where mom worked from home. "Why'd you let me oversleep? I missed the first period!"
"Wait. I thought you didn't have any classes until 10! You were gloating about your schedule the whole beginning of the semester!"
"10? School starts at like, 8 and goes till 2:30."
Steve's mom stared at him as if he had just grown 3 additional heads before a surprised but knowing smile broke onto her face. "Steve honey, you're still asleep or remembering a dream. Go splash some water on your face."
Steve had no idea what she was referring to, but not wanting to make a fool of himself he complied. The cold water hit his face, he rubbed his eyes, looked in the mirror, and saw a weird-looking version of his face.
The first and most obvious difference was the full beard worth of beard stubble. no longer just his chin and jawline. Second, the face was proportioned differently like the muscle and fat under the skin had shifted. Third, his hair was longer.
Then Steve noticed he didn't recognize the clothes he was wearing, it was his style, but not his. Finally, lifting his shirt and viewing his body, he was taller, leaner, more muscular, and hairier. This time the scale showed he had gained around 40 lbs.
His mom noticed him, she took a good hard look and saw nothing out of place... he must still be dreaming. Splash. Still the same. On a whim, he reached for his wallet... He has a credit card now, but more importantly, his birth year was listed as 2 years earlier... making him 19. He's in community college, not high school
Vague memories crept in from this new reality, and Steve knew he could play his new role well enough. Thursday... Thursday is his elective class, Intro to Art Appreciation at 2 pm.
Steve wandered back to the study, "Sorry mom, Don't know what got into me."
"It's fine, you always do keep me on my toes." She looked directly at Steve and smiled.
Like all the other out-of-the-ordinary things, this too was dismissed as normal...
At this point, Steve is beyond his depth and is just accepting the feeling of relief of not being late to school. As he was getting used to it, he enjoyed three or four bowls of cereal and followed his ritual of going to the bathroom and checking his weight, this time, however, it showed he had gained several lbs from the meal...
Extra agitated by everything that's happening Steve got in this car ready to go to work. a place he could be someone else who happens to be the embodiment of mirth and kindness... he grabbed a handful of doughnut holes out of habit and shoved them into his mouth, checking his phone contacts and not finding any of his friends... 'Dan would have been a sophomore as I graduated. We probably never met.' Steve pieced together... 4 more doughnut holes disappeared with urgency as habitual snacking gave way to stress eating.
The work gave him a chance to calm down and his deeper voice worked better for the role which gave him a sense of peace over the situation. If nothing else, there is that. He didn't run into Trixie, the only employee other than Mr. Wright who had any interaction with him. He wanted to ask if either of them remembered him younger. Deep down he knew a short shift until 1 pm left him enough time to get to class while stopping for a heavy lunch at one of several food establishments, which he was a regular of.
The class was boring but thankfully some answers came to him as though he had been going to class and paying partial attention. Returned home at 3:30 and was torn about what to do. He could, and kind of wanted to work another shift, but seeing if his dad noticed what happened to him seemed more important.
Steve was faking it till he made it and he spent the time 'cleaning up' his room, and getting to know the person he had become overnight.
His dad was just as oblivious as his mom and Steve didn't want to be around them for fear of saying something out of the wrong reality. He went to his room early and watched TV, making sure he went to bed at what was a good hour to wake up for high school, in case this is just a one-day thing...