Jesse’s heart raced as he made his way out of the lunchroom, still reeling from the surreal shift in reality. The world around him seemed familiar yet twisted, like an alternate version of his life that he had stumbled into without warning. The walls of the school, the faces of his classmates—all the same, yet not. Everything was wrong, and he had no idea how or why. Still, he was determined to survive the rest of the day without causing more of a scene. Sam had gone off to study hall, leaving Jesse to face his next class, Chemistry, alone.
As he approached the classroom, Jesse struggled to make sense of his new appearance. The tight jean shorts clung uncomfortably to his hips, the loose sandals kept slipping as he walked, and every step made him acutely aware of the new breasts on his chest. He caught a glimpse of himself in the polished glass of a nearby classroom window: his reflection showed a pretty, slender girl with long blonde hair and an anxious expression. He felt disconnected from the image, as if staring at a stranger. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Taking a deep breath, Jesse pushed open the door to the Chemistry classroom just as the bell rang. Ms. Harper, the teacher, was already standing at the front of the room, but even she wasn’t the person Jesse remembered. The stern, older woman who had once intimidated the class was now a taller, more imposing figure. Her graying hair was cropped short, and her sharp, angular features made her look even more severe. She exuded an air of confidence that made Jesse shrink a little as he found his usual seat at the back of the room.
The awkwardness of his situation settled heavily on his shoulders. The pink backpack he set on the floor felt like a symbol of how out of place he was in this version of his life. He opened his notebook, hoping to lose himself in the lesson, but even the handwriting inside wasn’t his. Where there should have been his familiar, messy scrawl, he found neat, curly letters in bright pink ink. The notebook was filled with a girl’s handwriting—Jessica’s handwriting.
Jesse quickly shut the notebook, feeling a rising sense of panic. This was too much. The way his life had been flipped upside down left him feeling disoriented, like he was trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from. But he couldn’t afford to panic, not in front of the entire class. He needed to hold it together, at least for now.
“Alright, everyone, we’re starting a new lab today. I’ve already assigned your partners. Find your partner, and we’ll get started.” Ms. Harper began calling out lab partners. Jesse’s stomach tightened with dread. The last thing he wanted was to interact with someone right now, especially in his current state.
“Jessica Faber, you’ll be working with Anthony Tanner.” Ms. Harper announced.
Jesse’s heart sank. He didn’t know who Anthony was, and he wasn’t ready to face another person who might recognize the strangeness of his situation. The boy sitting in front of him turned and whispered with a smirk, “Ouch, sorry.”
What was that supposed to mean? Jesse’s anxiety spiked as he realized everyone was finding their partners, and he was about to be stuck with a stranger in this bizarre new reality.
When he spotted his partner, his discomfort grew. Anthony Tanner was sitting alone at a lab station, a girl with messy brown hair wearing a worn hoodie and ragged jeans. She looked nervous, her eyes darting around the room as if she was hoping to disappear. Jesse approached reluctantly, his sandals slipping slightly as he moved.
“Hey…” he greeted awkwardly, cringing at the sound of his own voice—a soft, high-pitched tone that still didn’t feel like his.
Anthony glanced up at him, her face turning red almost immediately. “Hi.” she mumbled, barely audible. She quickly looked back down at the lab equipment in front of her, avoiding his gaze.
Jesse could sense her discomfort. Anthony seemed anxious, possibly shy, but it went deeper than that. Jesse had the unsettling feeling that his presence was making her uncomfortable, as though just being near him was enough to rattle her nerves. He wasn’t used to this kind of reaction. Before all of this, he had never been someone who commanded attention or made anyone nervous.
They worked in silence, each focusing on their task as the minutes ticked by. Jesse was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to strike up a conversation, and Anthony seemed content to avoid any interaction. Occasionally, Jesse would catch her sneaking glances at him, only for her to quickly look away whenever he noticed.
As Jesse glanced around the room, the weight of his new reality pressed down harder with every observation. A pair of girls near the windows were laughing hysterically, not even pretending to pay attention to their lab work. One of them, a lean brunette with a baggy sweatshirt, was gesturing animatedly, while the other, taller and with a fauxhawk, mimicked her with exaggerated expressions. They were in their own world, completely detached from the assignment at hand.
A few tables over, two boys sat hunched together, meticulously following the lab instructions. One had sandy blond hair and glasses, the other a dark-haired boy with a concentrated frown as they worked on carefully measuring out the chemicals. Their focus was impressive, and they barely exchanged words, communicating mostly through nods or the occasional tap on the shoulder. They seemed completely absorbed in the task, but something about their dynamic felt off to Jesse. They seemed quieter, more submissive than he would’ve expected from the boys he knew in his old reality.
And then there was the flirty couple sitting just a few seats away. The girl, with toned biceps flexing in her tight shirt, leaned in close to her partner, laughing at every little thing he said. Her fingers brushed lightly over his arm as she talked, and the boy—Jesse’s stomach twisted at the sight—twirled a lock of his hair between his fingers, giggling like he was absolutely smitten by her attention. His bright smile and flushed cheeks reminded Jesse of how girls used to act around boys back in his old world. Now, that dynamic was completely flipped. The boys were bashful, seeking approval from their female partners, while the girls held the power, teasing and toying with them.
Jesse’s heart sank further. Everything felt so backwards, so wrong. He struggled to reconcile the subtle power shifts he was witnessing. It wasn’t just about his body—it was the entire world that had changed, warping gender dynamics in ways that made his head spin.
His thoughts were interrupted by the realization that everyone was occupied with their own lab partners, too distracted to notice him. Anthony had her head down, nervously scribbling notes. She was clearly too shy to say anything, even though Jesse had barely contributed to their assignment.
Seeing his opportunity, Jesse quietly slipped back to his desk and retrieved his phone from his backpack. He glanced around once more to ensure no one was watching—except for Anthony, who briefly glanced at him before quickly looking away again. Jesse couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance. She wouldn’t dare call him out, and she wouldn’t stand up for herself. In his old life, he would’ve been the one feeling like Anthony, self-conscious and nervous, but now… things were different.
"Hey, I need to check something real quick. You can handle this yourself, right?" he said casually, not bothering to hide the dismissive tone in his voice. Anthony mumbled something unintelligible, her face growing even redder, but she didn’t object. Jesse turned away from her and unlocked his phone.
He had expected there to be some sort of clue—a flood of texts, maybe, or some news story to explain this surreal shift in his reality. But there was nothing. The texts from his friends were ordinary, filled with typical banter. He ignored the group chat notifications and opened his parents' message thread instead, typing out a quick text: "Hey, do you notice anything odd today?"
As he waited for a response, he scrolled through his contacts, feeling a deep cringe settle in as he realized how he had labeled his friends. Emojis. Everywhere. Hearts, smiley faces, even stars and sparkles. The name "Bestie" stood out the most—he couldn't even remember who that was supposed to be. This was not him. None of this was him.
He opened a browser and skimmed through the headlines. Politics, sports, world news—it all seemed normal, yet entirely unfamiliar. The faces of the politicians plastered across the screen were mostly women, none of whom he recognized. There were no explanations, no breaking news reports about a sudden shift in reality.
Frustrated, he opened Instagram next and soon realized that his follower count had jumped significantly—more than double what he had in his old life. Against his better judgment, he clicked on his profile, immediately hit with photos of himself. Not Jesse, but Jessica—a slim, blonde figure dressed in a series of cute outfits, posing confidently in front of mirrors, in front of cafes, even on a beach. He felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him and quickly exited the app.
Snapchat wasn’t much better. He had received several messages responding to a snap he had posted earlier that morning: a mirror selfie, tongue sticking out playfully, with the caption “OOTD 💖✨”. The comments made him wince. His male friends had left comments like “slay boy” and “who’s that cutie?” while some of the girls had gone further, dropping more forward, even vulgar remarks that sent a shiver down his spine.
Shutting off his phone, Jesse shoved it back into his backpack, his face burning with shame. Was this his life now? To be ogled, commented on, and judged for his appearance? To be praised for how cute or attractive he was instead of for anything that mattered?
His gaze flicked to Anthony, who was still scribbling away at the lab notes, her posture hunched as if she were trying to make herself smaller. Jesse watched her for a moment, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her wrist lightly, just to see her reaction. Anthony froze, her pen hovering above the paper. Her eyes shot up to meet his, wide and startled. Her cheeks flushed pink as she quickly averted her gaze, too nervous to speak up. Jesse let go, a strange feeling settling in his chest. He had power over her—over people like her—in ways that he had never experienced before.
In his old life, he could barely get a girl to notice him, let alone make one uncomfortable with just a touch. But here? Here, he was the one who held the power. Anthony’s nervousness, her reluctance to speak up, all of it fed into a growing realization: in this world, boys like him had a different kind of influence.
Jesse looked around the room again, watching the boys in their lab groups. One boy twirled his hair, giggling at something his partner had said, while another blushed furiously as his female partner whispered something in his ear. The boys all seemed… happy. Content in their submissive roles, even enjoying the attention they were getting. But Jesse wasn’t. He felt conflicted, trapped in a reality that seemed to offer him privileges he wasn’t sure he wanted.
Leaning in closer to Anthony, Jesse whispered, “Hey, I’m just going to catch up on what I missed.” He could feel the girl beside him tense up, her hand shaking slightly as she nodded.
“Sure.” she muttered, not daring to look at him.
Jesse smirked slightly as he copied her notes, still struggling with his new, neatly styled handwriting. When he finished, he turned to her, locking eyes with her once more.
“Thanks.” he said, smiling and adding a small wink.
Anthony’s face flushed a deep crimson. “N-no problem.” she stammered, her voice barely audible.
By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of class, they had finished their lab and cleaned up the station in silence. Anthony hurriedly packed up her things, still avoiding eye contact.
“Um, it was nice working with you… see you tomorrow.” she said quietly, her voice so soft Jesse had to strain to hear it.
Jesse stifled a laugh, finding amusement in her awkwardness. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.” he replied with a smirk.
Anthony nodded once before hurrying out of the room, her shoulders hunched as though she couldn’t escape fast enough. Jesse watched her go, a strange mix of satisfaction and unease swirling inside him.
The world had changed, and he still had no idea how or why. But for now, he had survived another class, and that was enough. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he headed for the door, bracing himself for the next class.