"Transform," Kyle said as he closed his eyes. He was clearly relieved that his robbed life was about to return to him.
"You will change back to the way you looked and acted before your grandmother cursed you. Everyone except you and me will believe that life has gone on just as it would have if you had never been cursed. You will also have memories of what happened to you in this last year since being cursed, although you will still remember being cursed. And you'll remember me too."
Hearing those last words caused Kyle to open his eyes again. He looked into Jennifer's with a subtle glimpse of understanding. He didn't show it, but inside he was truly surprised Jennifer showed signs of actually caring about him.
Kyle's body began to grow. His muscle tone increased and his height grew over a foot. Pasty skin tanned and mousy hair gained body and shine. His clothes changed to fit his new form, and he now wore a red and white football jacket. Jen didn't think there was a single player in the entire high school that could beat Kyle's looks now.
"Wow," she squeaked. "I was kind of hoping, but...didn't really expect..."
It's so strange," Kyle said, looking his body over. "I remember being that little jerk, but I also have memories of my first year in college...and winning the homecoming game for my team. And those memories seem even more real than the others."
"The curse at work," Jen mused. "But what are we going to do about it? Keep it to ourselves? Pass it on?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "Nobody deserves to be degraded or insulted by its power anymore. I want to change Liz back to normal and call the whole situation even."
But she'll just use it for her own gain again," Jennifer argued.
"Trust me, she won't. Just tell her not to respond to the curse until the minute is up."
Liz returned, looking even more cross than before. Jennifer knew that the cheerleading team meant as much to Liz as it did to her. "Welcome back, Liz."
"Who's he?" she asked, ogling the jock. Liz had been mind-wiped by the curse, as Jennifer expected.
"Liz, meet Kyle Perkins. A very talented, very nice friend of mine. He has a question to ask you."
"Transform or Dare?" Kyle said.
"Don't say a word, Liz," Jennifer quickly commanded. The three of them stood there in silence for a minute, and Kyle continued.
"You will get both transform and dare. You will change back into a human, just as you were before getting the curse. I dare you to stop following our orders, unless you agree to them yourself of course. And you will forget everything about Transform or Dare, especially the fact that you now possess the curse."
Liz stood there for a moment, staring blankly at them. Her long fur and tail shrank back into her body. Her hair shortened back to its original length. Life eventually returned to her eyes, and she faltered for a moment, putting a hand to her head.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have blanked for a moment. Who are you again?"
"Kyle. Kyle Perkins. I go to State Tech, and I just came to revisit my old high school. And to catch up with a good friend," he glanced over and smiled at Jennifer. He watched her blush.
"I'm Liz," she brought out her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said with the usual tone of false politeness. Jennifer knew it was her style to warm up to the jocks before trying to date them.
Liz looked at her watch. "Oh, look at the time! I should be home by now. See you tomorrow, Jennifer." With that, she walked off the field toward the school building.
"I guess this is it, then," Jennifer said.
"It doesn't have to be," Kyle responded. "The university's only an hour from here. Maybe we could get together sometime. Really get to know each other."
"Yeah, maybe," Jennifer said. She hardly could believe this was the same guy she had teased and looked down upon a week earlier.
"Just do me one favor," Kyle said. "The next time you're about to pick on some dweeb, think of me. You never know, with that curse...it just might BE me."
They both laughed. Now the whole day seemed like some crazy hallucination. Sheep-girls and catwomen...nobody would ever believe them.
"I'm sorry. About everything."
"Don't worry about it," Kyle said. "After all, it never really happened, did it?" He smiled and started walking to the parking lot. After just a few steps, he stopped and looked back. "Good luck with the squad. Hope you guys take the trophy."
"Thanks," she called back.
Jennifer stood on the field for a moment, watching Kyle shrink to the size of a paper clip. Then she turned to join her squad-mates, hoping this would be the last day she'd ever hear the phrase "Transform or Dare."