Jennifer, fearing she would be stopped by a hall monitor, waited until the period bell rang. Then she slipped into the hallway among the crowd of students and walked outside. The sun was hot and the walk was long as she trekked to her house.
She was panting non-stop as she entered the house. Drool from her tongue was all down her cheerleading top, which she quickly took off half out of disgust and half because she was so hot. Her tail was beginning to feel cramped inside her skirt, so she took that off as well. She noticed it had grown to a full foot. Sighing, she plopped on the couch and turned on the television.
Her mother came home a few hours later. "How did school go?" she asked, putting groceries on the counter. Jennifer simply grumbled.
"Oh heavens, put something on, Jennifer!" she scolded. "Just because it's a hot day is no excuse to be running around in your underwear!" She picked up her discarded skirt. "Oh, I see the problem." Her mom got a pair of shears from the kitchen and carefully cut a hole in the fabric. "Here you go, sweetheart. This should be more comfortable."
Jennifer took the skirt and noticed the hole. She looked at her mom, puzzled, but quickly figured it out. She slipped the skirt back on, pulling her tail through the hole. It felt much better now that it could freely wag around.
"That's an interesting collar," her mom said. Jennifer frowned. How much more of this humiliation would she face in the next week?
"Mom, don't take this the wrong way, but I really shouldn't talk about it."
Her mother wasn't about to quit, however. "Don't you think you ought to tell me before you start putting some noisy jewelry on?"
Jennifer scratched herself, watching the line of hair on her chest spread inches wider. She looked back at her mother, who apparently was oblivious to her transformation. She continued staring at Jennifer with hands on her hips.
"Okay, I'll tell you just this once, but you can't ask me about it anymore okay?" she pleaded. "A friend gave it to me, and made me promise to wear it for one week. I couldn't say no. Believe me, it's only for a week. I don't even like this thing!" She hoped that siding with her mother on the issue would make it easier for her in the long run.
Jennifer's mostly truthful explanation seemed to work. "Okay, honey. I don't really understand why someone would make you wear bells around your neck like some pet, but I believe you did it for a good reason. That must be some friend."
"You have no idea," Jennifer scowled as her mom turned her back.
"Come on, help me put away the groceries. And put a shirt on, for heaven's sake!"
Although she had ignored her mother's command the first time, now Jennifer felt that she should do as she was told. She went upstairs to get a lighter shirt than her cheerleading top. She stopped to look in her mirror at the changes. The fur on her chest had spread a couple inches wider, and her tail was even longer now. Along with her large dog ears and nose, her eyes had changed. Her irises had turned a deep brown, blending in with her pupils, and grew so wide she could barely see the white parts.
Jennifer spent the afternoon helping her mom prepare dinner. It was a Monday, their usual day for a large meal to kick off the week.
When her father came home, he asked immediately about the clattering collar, but Jennifer's mom unexpectedly took him aside and explained how she was uncomfortable talking about it. He remained completely silent through dinner, which was unusual. Meanwhile, Jennifer's mom talked on and on about an event some people at her office were organizing.
"...So then Beatrice asked, 'Why not turn it into a costume party?' We all agreed it needed a theme, and so we're going for it. We're half a year from Halloween, so everyone is itching to dress up again. You'd have a good time, Jennifer. You could dress up like a princess like you used to years ago. Or even a human."
The remark, though completely unintentional, cut Jennifer deep. She realized that her entire reality was being altered along with her body. Would this be how her friends see her from now on? As someone completely different? Was she even part of her group anymore? She continued eating, noticing her fingernails were thicker and sharper than usual.
She didn't speak to her parents again, other than to say goodnight. When she closed the door to her room, she flopped onto the bed, clutching the pillow her head rested on. The bells pressed into her neck, but she didn't care. Her ears tickled against her cheeks. She let out a quiet whine as she wondered what she was going to do the next day, and for every day that followed, to keep from turning even more into a dog.