Daniel groaned as she tried to shift her heavy, rooted body, her enormous breasts swaying slightly with the movement. The sunlight filtering through the glass dome above warmed her orange skin, and the rich soil beneath her pulsed with nutrients that sent little thrills of pleasure through her roots. She was still adjusting to the strange sensations when the door to the greenhouse creaked open.
Her ears—now more leaf-like than before—perked up at the sound of familiar voices.
"Okay, no way. No way he actually went through with it," came Jake’s disbelieving mutter.
"Dude, I told you he handed in the form," replied Marcus, though his voice lacked its usual confidence. "But like... permanently?"
A third voice, higher-pitched and nervous, chimed in—probably Eli. "I-I mean, it was just a dumb dare, right? He could’ve backed out anytime!"
Then, silence.
Daniel—no, she now, she supposed—twisted as much as her rooted form would allow, peering over her shoulder. There they were: her three friends, frozen in the doorway, jaws slack, eyes wide.
Jake was the first to break the silence with a strangled, "DAN?!"
She blinked, then gave a weak, sheepish smile. "Uh... hey, guys."
Marcus took a hesitant step forward, then another, circling her with a mix of horror and fascination. "Holy shit, man. You—you’re a pumpkin."
"Pumpkin girl," Eli corrected, though his voice was thin with disbelief.
Daniel’s cheeks—already a deep orange—darkened further. "Yeeeeah. Kinda... really went for it, huh?"
Jake ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Dude. Dude. We were joking. Like, ‘haha, wouldn’t it be funny if—’ and you just went for it?!"
She shrugged, or tried to, but her shoulders barely moved—her arms were too rooted now. "I mean... yeah? It sounded fun at the time."
"Fun?!" Marcus sputtered. "You’re stuck like this!"
Daniel wiggled slightly, her roots shifting in the soil. "I mean... not stuck stuck. I can still move a little. And it’s... actually kinda nice?" She sighed, her enormous chest rising and falling. "The sunlight feels amazing. And the soil—mmph—it’s like... I dunno. Like a warm bath that never ends."
Eli, ever the nervous one, inched closer, poking one of the leaves sprouting from her hair. "Do you... like it?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I think I do."
Jake groaned, rubbing his temples. "We are never daring you to do anything again."
Marcus, though, was grinning now. "Okay, but—look at her. She’s got, like, world-record pumpkins going on here." He gestured broadly at her swollen belly and massive chest.
Daniel rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Shut up."
Eli bit his lip. "So... what now?"
She shifted again, feeling the weight of her body, the way her roots stretched and drank in the earth. "Now... I guess I grow." She tilted her face up toward the sunlight, sighing contentedly. "And you guys bring me snacks or something. I did just turn into a plant for a dare, after all."
Jake snorted. "Unbelievable."
But as they stood there, the initial shock fading, something settled between them—an understanding, maybe. A dumb joke had gone further than any of them expected, but Daniel didn’t seem unhappy. And really, that was all that mattered.
Marcus clapped his hands together. "Alright, pumpkin princess. What’s first? Watering? Pruning? Do we, like... pollinate you?"
Daniel’s eyes went wide. "MARCUS—"
Laughter filled the greenhouse, warm and bright, just like the sun above.