Despite wanting to avoid thinking of his impending feminization, the next day found him trudging through the mall with his friends to prepare for Monday. His eyes scanned the different stores, recognizing the ones he had frequented throughout the recent years: that sports store where he had bought his most recent pair of running shoes for track, various places for men's wear, that old game shop where he knew the owner by name. Would he still be visiting them in a year's time?
"Hey, you alright?" Brooke asked, coming up beside him.
"Yeah. Just saying goodbye to my old life, that's all."
Brooke gave his shoulder a comforting rub. "Aw, c'mon. It's not like you'll have to leave everything behind. There's plenty of female athletes and gamers."
"Not from Currie College, there aren't," Jason chuckled. He had already studied the school's website earlier, heckling every detail of course. "You should see how they brag about making every student a 'shining beacon of femininity in the modern world.' Who even talks like that? Sounds like you're in for a world of short skirts and high heels, dude."
"Ugh," Brooke grunted, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "C'mon, Jason.
Beacons of femininity can be athletes and gamers, too. Could you take this seriously for once?"
"I am serious," Jason shrugged, his mirth subsiding a little. "But you don't know what it's like for us guys. You know how many of us keep our junk till graduation? Less than twenty percent, and even less than that till we leave college. Every one of us is aware we could be next, and laughing is how I cope."
"Well, cope later. We're here."
The three friends looked up at the elegantly designed front of the women's underwear store. Josh shuddered at the sight of the window mannequins dressed in frilly lingerie. "Do we really have to do this now? I haven't even been changed yet."
"I told you, Josh," Brooke sighed, knowing he was just trying to procrastinate. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him inside towards a kiosk in the corner. "Getting a Gen card will make things easier later, especially if you sign up before the switch. I'm actually surprised your mom hasn't gotten you one already. Most parents do as soon as their kid is born, just in case."
"I always said no, and until now, she actually listened to me," Josh grumbled. The Gen card, short for Gender obviously, was supposed to lighten the financial burden of switching sexes, providing plenty of discounts and freebies from participating businesses.
Jason nodded. "It's a conspiracy anyway. All these 'perks' are just there to ease more parents into the idea of making their boys into girls. It's a war against boys."
Josh and Brooke rolled their eyes. Jason had some pretty odd ideas, mostly heard from his rich father who chose to keep his son as he was, a rare attitude among the upper crust. Most of the wealthy stuck to the tradition of making their sons into daughters in time for their debut at sixteen, since a debutante was seen as more glamorous. Nothing said "status" like coming of age wrapped in thousands of dollars in silk and jewelry. However, Jason's dad chose to buck the trend, though it meant that Jason had never had a debut. This suited both father and son just fine.
"Anyway," Brooke said to change the subject. "Let's get this over with. And if it makes you feel better, Josh, we can stop by your usual stores, too."
"Fine," Josh sighed, walking up to the kiosk. A series of touchscreen prompts later, and he had his card. Now, he just had to have it scanned at any store he wanted an account with. It was simple. Too simple.
Was losing his manhood, his entire life as a male, nothing more than a couple of days of preparation? Get a card, choose off a menu, visit the Transition Center, and go back to school? Maybe Jason's dad was right. It really did seem like the system had been designed for just this outcome.
But that was ridiculous, right? Just the sort of thing conspiracy theorists talked about. And everyone knew those kinds of people were crazy. All the news outlets said so. Frequently. Every day, in fact.
A few hours later, Josh and company left the mall with a few freebies in hand. To his relief, both the sports and game stores were both in the Gen card network. From the former, he got a complimentary sports bra, which he only reluctantly accepted with Brooke's urging. He much preferred the free headset he got from the latter, even if it came with built in glowing cat ears that moved according to his mood. Oh well, could be worse.
So, the rest of the evening passed quickly, and Josh was another day closer to womanhood.