The rest of the day dragged on as Jen tried to navigate her classes while still processing her bizarre new reality. Each subject seemed to emphasize the differences between the world she knew and the one she was in now.
In science class, the teacher brought up famous historical scientists—names Jen recognized, but their contributions were altered. In this world, the great advancements in technology and medicine were attributed to Black inventors, with white inventors playing a secondary or forgotten role. Jen watched in silence as her classmates accepted these versions of history without question, but it only deepened her confusion and isolation.
In gym class, she noticed the same thing: the white students were relegated to the sidelines, and the Black students were seen as natural athletes, encouraged to participate in the more competitive sports. Jen felt the weight of judgment from both sides. The white kids either avoided her or looked at her with curiosity, while the Black students seemed to think she didn’t belong among them.
When the final bell rang, she was relieved to be done for the day. She gathered her things and headed toward the door, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone. The thought of interacting with more people exhausted her. She just wanted to get home and figure out what had happened to her, but before she could escape, she heard a familiar voice.
“Yo, Jen! Wait up!”
Jen turned to see Britt making her way down the hall, her long nails tapping against her phone as she hustled to catch up.
“You thought you could just run off without sayin’ bye?” Britt said, her tone playful, but her eyes sharp.
Jen forced a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t know we were supposed to meet up after school.”
Britt waved her off. “It’s cool, it’s cool. So, you gettin’ used to this place yet?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess. It’s still a lot to take in.”
Britt laughed. “Girl, I feel you. But don’t sweat it. You stick with me, I’ll show you how to get through this mess.”
As they walked together, Britt leaned in closer. “Hey, a couple of us are hittin’ up the mall later. You should come. Might as well have some fun while you’re gettin’ your bearings, right?”
Jen hesitated. On one hand, hanging out with Britt might help her figure out more about this world and its strange dynamics. On the other hand, Britt’s crowd still made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to dive deeper into their world, especially after the tense lunch conversation.
“Uh, maybe.” Jen said, hedging her bets. “I’m still pretty wiped from today.”
Britt smirked, clearly seeing through Jen’s hesitation. “You’re playin’ it safe, huh? That’s cool. But don’t get too comfy in your little bubble. Ain’t nobody gonna look out for you if you don’t start takin’ care of yourself.”
Jen didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor as they walked.
Britt sighed and shook her head. “You’ll learn. Anyway, I’ll catch you tomorrow. Just don’t be too much of a stranger, aight? Here, let me get yo’ number.”
“Yeah, sure.” Jen mumbled, exchanging numbers before Britt waved and sauntered off down the hall, her loud voice echoing through the corridor as she caught up with a group of friends.
Jen stood outside the school, watching as the line of school buses revved their engines and prepared to depart. She felt a gnawing dread in her stomach as she made her way toward her bus. It was strange, but after everything she had gone through today, the idea of taking the bus home seemed like the final indignity in a day filled with endless surprises.
She boarded the bus, avoiding eye contact with the other students as she made her way to an empty seat near the back. The same odd feeling washed over her as earlier in the day—the weight of curious glances and the awkward silence as she passed by. The bus was once again mostly filled with Black students, their conversations buzzing around her in a lively hum, but it only made Jen feel more out of place.
She slid into her seat, dropping her backpack beside her, and stared out the window. The bus pulled away from the school, and Jen watched the affluent, well-maintained neighborhood pass by, the manicured lawns and sleek cars a stark reminder of the power reversal in this strange world.
As the bus rolled through the city, Jen's thoughts wandered. Her mind raced, thinking about everything that had happened today: the history lesson on the European slave trade, Britt’s strange behavior, and how the world was structured so differently from her own. In this place, white people were the marginalized group, living in poverty, facing suspicion and prejudice. The realization that her life had been flipped in this cruel way weighed heavily on her.
The bus rumbled on, eventually crossing the familiar train tracks that marked the boundary between the wealthier part of town and the rundown neighborhood where she now lived. The houses here were small, old, and worn down, with peeling paint and sagging porches. It wasn’t just her house—it was the whole neighborhood that seemed trapped in a state of disrepair.
As the bus pulled up to her stop, Jen grabbed her backpack and stepped off. The moment her feet hit the pavement, she felt a sense of alienation. She had grown up in privilege, with every comfort and luxury, and now she was in a world where she had none of that. The street was littered with potholes, and the air felt thick with the musty scent of decay.
She walked up the short path to her house, feeling exhausted. The door creaked as she pushed it open, and the musty smell of her home hit her all over again. The small, cramped house was a far cry from the mansion she had once lived in, and she still hadn’t fully adjusted to the lack of space—or the fact that her family was now poor.
Jen tossed her backpack on the couch and headed to the kitchen. The dim light flickered overhead as she opened the fridge, scanning its meager contents. A carton of milk, a few leftovers, and a half-empty jar of peanut butter stared back at her. She grimaced and shut the fridge door.
She couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in her gut—the need to understand what had happened to her and how this world had come to be. She had to find a way back to her own life, her own world. But for now, she was stuck here, and the only thing she could do was survive.
Jen decided to go to her room to clear her head. As she walked down the hall, she heard her mother’s voice from the other room.
“Honey, dinner’s in a couple of hours. Did you have a good day at school?” her mom called.
“Yeah, it was fine.” Jen lied, not wanting to get into it.
Her mom didn’t push, just called out a simple, “Alright, let me know if you need anything.”
Jen slipped into her room and closed the door behind her, sinking onto her bed. The small, sparsely decorated room felt like a prison. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages, but there was nothing new. She opened TikTok, and again, her feed was filled with content that reflected the strange reality she was in now—Black creators living in luxury, while the white creators seemed to embrace a rougher, more street-inspired style. It all felt wrong, like she had been dropped into a parallel universe.
Jen sighed and put her phone down, lying back on her bed. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of everything. How had this happened? Why her? And most importantly, how could she fix it?
She stared up at the ceiling, determined to find a way out of this world. Suddenly, her phone rang.