After she'd made her suggestion, Natalie squealed out, "That's totally the thing I put forth, before you came back from the bathroom, but Lucy and Tanya shot it down," and sharing a grin with Jennifer, she commented, "I say that's two votes in favour now."
"Okay, okay," Lucy said, giggling. "We have two votes for something mythical. But we still haven’t decided what, it at all, we’re going to use the Chronivac for," which was followed by a number of proposals all hurled at once, with Tanya suggesting they all become plush toys, Felicity offering they could become animals, and Lucy saying, "I think we ought to wait and plan this whole thing out. You know. Make it a full weekend thing, instead of a couple hours or one day."
The movie forgotten for the moment, the group of girls continued their talk about the Chronivac for a bit longer before it was decided to table the discussion when Lucy's aunt came to find them and tell them the pizzas had arrived. Each of them getting up from where they were sitting on the floor, all but Jennifer hurried out of the room. Taking her time, thinking about the Chronivac, questioning her own uses versus what her memories were telling her, she wondered, "What will happen if we use it with the others. Will I transform back to who I am now? Or, if we change, will I become fully female, a girl?" Having no way to answer this, thinking the answer lie with using the computer programme, she was drawn out of her thoughts by Diana calling out, "Hurry up, Jennifer. Or else Felicity, Lucy, and Natalie will eat everything themselves."
This followed by a chorus of, "No we shan't," and, "Oh, puh-leeze," Jennifer hurried into the kitchen to join the others.
As she took a slice and helped herself to some knots, she couldn't help but notice the way Aunt Ginny was looking at her. Wanting to know why, as the look was kind of disturbing, she tried to not let it bother her as she headed to the table, where it was revealed Lucy's aunt has also left several cans of pop. Sitting down, listening to the conversation, which was now on what they'd do for the rest of the evening, with the general consensus to continue watching movies, each began to ask about a title, which Lucy either confirmed or denied having it. Joining in, Jennifer asked, "Do you have the movie Ponyo?"
"I've never heard that one," Lucy replied before inquiring to know what it was about.
Several voices, including Jennifer’s, calling out descriptions, the conversation turned and they began discussing the best Studio Ghibli movies, none of which Lucy admitted to having seen. Conversation shifting again and again as the group leapt from one topic to the next, they soon finished dinner, stood and headed back to the living room. Following after them, Jennifer was stopped by Ginny, who stated, "I want to talk to you," then added the words which froze her in place, "Young man."
Not sure what she should do, Jennifer listened as the woman said, "Come with me," and having no choice but to go with, as the woman grabbed her by the arm, she was all but dragged to the back of the house and into the bedroom. Indicating the bed, Ginny commanded, "Take a seat," and when Jennifer did, she demanded, "What is your real name?"
"It's Jennifer."
"Don't give me that nonsense," Ginny spat. "You may hide the truth from the others, but I can see the truth, which is, really, you're a boy wearing girls’ clothes. What? Did you think it'd be funny to steal some of your sister's clothes, lie to my niece and her friends, crash their sleep over. I bet you're even wearing a wig," and starting to get worked up, she stepped forward, lifted Jennifer's skirt, and spat, "The one thing you can't hide, is this," as she revealed the slight bulge in her shorts, and pointing at, she said, "I thought I saw this earlier, when you sat down and your skirt went a little too high. I was going to advise you to fix your skirt, to not expose yourself. But then, when I saw what I thought I saw, I kept quiet until, a bit ago, when it happened again. I do not know if you are doing it intentionally, though I am likely to believe you are, but upon seeing what I saw, I had confirmation you are a boy. A disgusting, perverted little boy."
"I'm not," Jennifer replied, starting to cry, and ashamed, embarrassed, wanting to run away, she sniffed out, "Okay, I was born a boy. But I am not. I'm Jennifer. I'm a girl. Have been since," but before she could get any further, Ginny hissed, "Don't give me that. Don’t you dare sit there and lie to me, mister."
The situation spiralling out of control, Lucy's aunt snapped, "I do not think your prank is funny, young man. I think it is sick, perverted, and if I had my way, you'd be locked away. Now, here's what is going to happen. You are going to go and collect your things. You are not going to say another word to Lucy or her friends, and instead, you are going to go wait outside whilst I phone your parents to come get you. And from here out, you shan’t have any contact with my niece, or her friends. Do I make myself clear, young man?"
Hating how the woman kept referring to her as a boy, Jennifer sniffed and nodded. Regretting her choice in using the Chronivac, she stood when Ginny motioned her to do so, and feeling numb, she allowed herself to be directed out of the room. Collecting her pack from Lucy's room, under Ginny's watchful eye, she was then escorted through the house. Hearing the happy conversation coming from the living room, she felt her spirits sink even more as she longed to be a part of it, and was instead made to get her coat, at which point she was shoved out the front door. Standing on the sidewalk, sniffing, hating Ginny, how badly things had turned out, Jennifer tried to sort out what she could do.