Scott slammed the front door behind him, fuming as he stormed into the house. School had been a nightmare—just not for the reasons he expected.
He’d walked in, bracing himself for the worst, assuming that Luke’s friends would be just as awful as the boy himself had been. But instead, they were… fine. Actually, they were fun, if he was being honest with himself. They’d played baseball during lunch, and Scott had forgotten, even for a little while, the hell he was living through. His new body’s athleticism was a pleasant surprise. It had been years since he’d felt so light on his feet, so quick with a bat. And yeah, a lot of their conversations were cringeworthy and full of middle school nonsense, but there was a weird kind of relief in that too. They were kids, just like he was now, and it was surprisingly easy to fit in once he let go of his adult self for a moment.
But the teachers. They had made his day unbearable.
Every one of them seemed to take sick pleasure in bossing him around now. There were the shit-eating grins when they told him to be quiet in their classrooms, and the pointed, almost smug way they enforced the rules. Scott could practically hear the glee in their voices when they barked orders at him, making him feel small and powerless. It was like payback for all the years he’d been their boss, and they were loving it.
And then there was Mr. Higgs. The man had been a thorn in Scott’s side for years, constantly challenging his authority when Scott was principal. Today, Scott had finally snapped. When Mr. Higgs gave him an unfair detention for talking out of turn—something that would have been laughed off if he was still in his old body—Scott had shouted, "Fuck off!" at him. Of course, that only earned him more punishment. Mr. Higgs made him clean the floors of the classroom after school, smugly watching over him, clearly enjoying every moment of Scott’s humiliation.
Still, Scott was grateful that none of the teachers had told the other students who he really was. If Luke’s friends found out they were hanging out with the former principal, he’d never live it down. He’d be a walking target for bullying. For now, at least, he was just Luke, the mischievous 8th grader.
But by the time he got home, all the frustration he’d bottled up over the day exploded out of him. The moment he saw his—no, Luke’s mom—he snapped.
“This is bullshit!” Scott yelled, throwing his backpack down. “I’m not a fucking kid! I’m not your son, and you’re just some lazy bitch who married into money so you wouldn’t have to work!”
His new mom’s face fell, her usual bubbly demeanor vanishing in an instant. Before she could respond, though, Scott felt a presence behind him. He turned around slowly, dread filling his gut as he saw Luke’s dad standing in the doorway, his face a mask of cold, stern authority.
“What did you just say?” The deep, rumbling voice cut through the room like a knife.
Scott froze. He hadn’t realized the man was home, and now his heart was pounding. Luke’s dad wasn’t someone to mess with. Scott had seen firsthand how imposing and powerful he was, both physically and in the way he carried himself. The man seemed to radiate an aura of control, and Scott suddenly felt very, very small.
“I—uh—” Scott stammered, but it was too late.
Luke’s dad didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, he grabbed Scott by the arm and dragged him to the living room. Before Scott could even process what was happening, he was pulled over the man’s knee, and the next thing he knew, he was getting spanked.
Hard.
The first strike made Scott’s eyes widen in shock, but by the second, he was already choking back tears. It hurt. It hurt so much more than he expected. Each hit sent waves of pain through his small body, and before long, he was crying—really crying, like the kid he now looked like. His new body couldn’t handle it, and he was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to stop.
“I expect respect in this house,” Luke’s dad growled as he continued. “You will not speak to your mother that way. Do you understand?”
Scott could only nod through his tears, barely able to get the words out. “Y-yes! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the spanking stopped. Scott was left sniffling and shaking, his face wet with tears as he lay there, humiliated and hurt. He’d never felt so powerless in his entire life.
When it was over, Luke’s dad stood up, leaving Scott trembling on the couch. His new mom came over, kneeling beside him. Her expression was soft again, full of concern and warmth, despite what he’d said to her earlier.
“It’s okay, honey,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. “I know this is hard, but we’ll get through it together.”
Scott didn’t want to let her comfort him. He wanted to push her away, to remind himself that he wasn’t her son, that this wasn’t his life. But his body betrayed him. He found himself clinging to her, hugging her tightly as he cried into her shoulder. Despite everything, he felt a strange sense of safety in her arms, like somehow everything might be okay as long as she was there.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his voice muffled against her shirt.
“I know,” she said softly, stroking his hair. “It’s okay. You’ll be fine.”
Scott hated it. He hated how good it felt to be comforted like this. He hated how small and vulnerable he was. But he couldn’t stop himself. The spanking had shaken him to his core, and for the first time since the body swap, he felt like he truly had no control. He was at the mercy of these people—Luke’s parents. And whether he liked it or not, they were his parents now.
After a few more moments, his new mom pulled away gently, wiping the tears from his face. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up for bed,” she said, leading him back upstairs.
Scott followed her, feeling defeated and drained. His mind was racing with thoughts of what his life had become. He might be cute and rich, but none of that mattered if he had no freedom, no autonomy. He was stuck in this nightmare, and he had no idea how to escape it.
As he climbed into his too-small bed, the dragon plush waiting for him, he hugged it tight, feeling its soft fabric against his cheek. He hated that he found comfort in something so childish, but it was all he had right now.
Tomorrow was another day at school. Another day pretending to be Luke. Another day of humiliation. And as much as he hated it, his young body was already pulling him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
But this time, even in sleep, there was no escape from the reality of his new life.