Doug left the bathroom and walked back over to his desk and picked up the golden coin to examine it, but as he did, he felt that warming sensation ripple through him one more time.
For a moment, he panicked, was he still getting younger? He hadn't put any kind of limit on how young to get when he'd made the wish, he suddenly realized in terror. His panic subsided however when he felt it was his clothes shifting around his body, transforming his suit from a clearly oversized business attire that he no longer fit anymore into a pair of sneakers, black cushioned socks, a pair of jeans that looked decent on him--not too tight and not too baggy, a t-shirt with the image of a faded Batman symbol on it--when he'd been 17 the first time around he'd been a complete comic book nerd when it hadn't been too popular to be one, though now that it was popular to be one, it seems he was far more willing to advertise the affection he had. Over top his t-shirt his suit jacket thinned and transformed into a plaid short-sleeved buttoned shirt that he left open in a manner meant to evoke a style that'd been popular just after he was through with school, but now was coming back in fashion. When the ripples were through, gone were the ill-fitting adult clothes, and now they were replaced with age-appropriate wear. His briefcase shifted and transformed into a backpack that now sat leaning against the desk. The desk also rippled, with his nameplate shifting, changing from his name to that of Nancy Page.
Shocked by the changes to the office around him, Doug sat down in the chair facing the now more neatly organized desk that was changing to appear more like what Ms. Page's desk out front had appeared like: orderly and well-kept. A moment later, Ms--Principal Page came into the office, dressed in a nicer looking business attire than she had a few minutes ago. Her hair was now bobbed instead of kept in a tight bun, and she carried herself with an air of confidence and ease that she hadn't had as the school librarian.
"Ahh, Mr. Savage, I'm glad to see you found my office. I wanted to speak to you alone about a situation that's recently come to my attention concerning your guardians."
"M-my guardians?" asked Doug, confused as to why she would say guardians instead of parents before he felt another wave hit him and he felt a dull headache cause him to wince as he felt memories from this new life suddenly cram into his head, while memories of his old life begin to fade--not disappear, just fall back and become less important. And one of those new memories was telling him that he had been one of the first frozen embryo babies that had been frozen decades ago by his biological parents as an experiment for science, and then implanted into his new parents years after his biological parents had... well, had died. He was a baby out of time, a remnant from another era, and his new parents hadn't lived too long until they too had died while he was still in Elementary School. He had reacted badly, ending up in Child Protective Services until his parents' wills had been read where they'd denoted that he should be looked after by close friends of theirs should they both perish before he'd grown up--friends who his old life vaguely remembered as being his old high school friends from his first life, now they were his guardians in this one--and rather good ones and parents of their own kids as well that he'd been adopted into the family of rather quickly, becoming the oldest boy, though second eldest of their family as he now had an older "stepsister" who had just started college and two little twin "stepbrothers" who were about to leave Elementary School. Siblings hadn't been a feature of his life before, and memories of his growing up with these new step-siblings had been a blast in comparison.
"Yes, don't worry they're all right, but I was told that their plane has been delayed due to the hurricane down there and that they're staying overnight until the weather's cleared," explained Principal Page calmly.
That of course meant he'd have to entertain his little brothers another night, maybe two, but it's not like he hadn't been doing that for the last two weeks or so already.
"Oh, okay, thanks," said Doug, relief instantly flowing through him, as a worry of his guardians' safety passed from him--something he hadn't ever considered worrying about in his original life all that much.
"Do you have adults checking in on you and your brothers Mr. Savage?" asked Principal Page in a manner that the old Principal Savage would have recognized. Teenage Doug felt a little indignant at the suggestion that he, a seventeen year old young man needed to be looked after while his guardians were away, but this was when the old memories of Principal Savage recognized the clear attempt to make sure child neglect and the need to determine if a call for CPS was needed--after all she was a mandated reporter, as anyone remotely involved with children were these days. Principal Page was just doing her job, and so it took a lot to bite back the indignant rebuke his younger self wanted to snap back with, and instead respond rather maturely.
"I mean, my sister Emma has checked in twice, and Mom and Dad have called almost as well to make sure Nick and Ollie haven't burned the place down... and I'm sure they told Old Mrs. Rodriguez to keep an eye on us as she's been a bit nosier than normal."
"Good, that's all then Mr. Savage, I believe you're study hall will be about over by the time you get back to the cafeteria, let me write you a hall pass so you can just go to your locker and get ready for your next class early," offered Principal Page, and Doug had to give her credit--that's something he'd never thought of doing for his students when he'd been Principal. He'd always just told them to hurry along and get back to wherever they'd come from and only write a hall pass if they'd thought enough to ask for one.
"Thanks," said Doug, and suddenly as she pulled the standardized hall pass pad out of her desk to fill it out, Doug felt the gold coin in his fingers and began wondering if just a change of job could really change Principal Page's behavior so wildly... what might a change of age do?