As we made our way out of the gym, the surreal feeling of being in Mr. Krebs’ body hit me in waves. The power, the strength, the sheer physical presence was intoxicating. I could tell Mr. Krebs—now in my body—was struggling to process everything. His usual authoritative stride had been replaced with my awkward shuffle.
"Jake," Mr. Krebs—no, I mean me—said in a tone that sounded strange coming from my own voice. "What do we do now?"
"We need to get to your apartment," I replied, my deep voice rumbling with confidence I’d never felt before. "We need to figure this out away from school."
Mr. Krebs reluctantly agreed, and we hurried out into the snow, making our way to the parking lot where his car was parked. Driving was a strange experience; the car felt smaller, my movements more precise and controlled with these powerful muscles. Mr. Krebs stayed quiet, stealing glances at me—his former self—with a mix of apprehension and disbelief.
We arrived at his apartment, and I could barely contain my excitement as I grabbed the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. The apartment was neat and sparse, filled with typical gym gear and a few personal items. The first thing I did was head straight for the full-length mirror in his bedroom.
"Jake, what are you doing?" Mr. Krebs asked, trailing behind me.
"Just checking something out," I said, peeling off the tight polo shirt that was clinging to my body. The moment it was off, I stared in awe at the reflection in the mirror. Mr. Krebs' muscles were even more impressive than I had imagined. Broad shoulders, a massive chest, and rippling abs that looked like they were chiseled from stone. "Wow," I breathed, running my hands over the hard, defined muscles. "No wonder you work out all the time."
"Jake, this is serious!" Mr. Krebs said, his voice—a higher-pitched version of mine—tinged with panic. "Stop messing around."
But I couldn't stop. I dropped my pants and stood there in just the boxer briefs, turning this way and that to admire the powerful physique. My curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked inside the boxers. "Holy—" I exclaimed, taken aback. "Dude, you’re packing!" I glanced over at Mr. Krebs, who was now turning bright red. "No wonder you’re so confident."
"Jake, enough!" he snapped. "This isn’t funny. We need to figure out how to switch back."
Ignoring him, I flexed my biceps and struck a few poses, feeling the muscles swell under my skin. "This is awesome," I said, grinning widely. "You know, I think I’m going to like being a teacher. The power, the respect... it’s going to be great!" I strutted around the room, reveling in the strength of each movement.
Mr. Krebs stood there, looking utterly defeated in my scrawny body. "This isn’t happening," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "How can this be real?"
"Lighten up, will you?" I said, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder, though I held back to avoid hurting him. "You’re going to enjoy being a kid again. No responsibilities, no pressure. You get to live life all over. Isn’t that what everyone dreams of?"
"I don’t want to live life all over," Mr. Krebs retorted. "I like my life. I like being an adult."
I shrugged, unbothered by his distress. "Well, for now, you’re stuck as me. So we might as well make the best of it." I grabbed a fresh shirt from his closet and put it on, though it was still a tight fit over his massive chest. "Let’s go upstairs. I want to see how these muscles look under proper lighting."
Mr. Krebs followed me reluctantly. Once upstairs, I stood in front of the mirror again and ripped the shirt off. The light in the bathroom highlighted every ridge and contour of Mr. Krebs' physique. I flexed my pecs, watched the muscles ripple, and felt a surge of pride. "These abs are insane," I said, running my fingers over the six-pack. "How do you even get like this?"
"Years of hard work," Mr. Krebs replied, sounding miserable. "And a lot of discipline."
I grinned at my reflection. "Well, I’ve got all that now." I turned to Mr. Krebs, who was standing there with my slouched posture, looking utterly lost. "You should be happy for me. I’ve never felt so good in my life."
"Jake, this isn’t right," he said, shaking his head. "You can’t just take my life."
"I’m not taking it," I said, flexing my biceps again and admiring the way they bulged. "I’m just borrowing it for a while. Besides, you always said I needed to take life more seriously. Maybe this is what I need to get my act together."
Mr. Krebs sighed, clearly defeated. "We need to find a way to fix this."
"Sure, sure," I said, though I wasn’t in any hurry to switch back. "But first, let’s just enjoy it for a bit. You know, get used to things."
Mr. Krebs didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t argue. I spent the next hour exploring my new body, experimenting with the strength and flexibility that came with it. Every movement felt powerful and controlled. I could lift weights I’d never dreamed of before, and every flex of my muscles sent a thrill through me.
"This is incredible," I said, as I finished another set of bicep curls, feeling the burn in my arms. "I could get used to this."
Mr. Krebs sat on the edge of the bed, looking utterly dejected. "We need to call Mr. Dirksen," he said again, his voice small and defeated. "He might know how to fix this."
"Alright, alright," I said, finally relenting. "But just one more thing." I struck one last pose in front of the mirror, admiring the way my muscles glistened with sweat. "You’ve got to admit, I make a pretty good Mr. Krebs."
Mr. Krebs didn’t reply. He just watched me with a look of sadness and frustration. I could tell he was struggling to accept what had happened. But for me, it was an adventure—a chance to experience life in a way I’d never imagined.
"Let’s give Mr. Dirksen a call," I said, finally reaching for the phone. "But remember, this might take some time to fix. So let’s just make the best of it, okay?"
Mr. Krebs nodded reluctantly, and I dialed the number. As the phone rang, I couldn't help but flex one more time, feeling the power surge through my veins. This was going to be an interesting experience, and I was determined to enjoy every moment of it.