Jess sat cross-legged on the couch, sipping a soda Macy had brought her. Her long fingers played absently with a lock of her hair as she flipped through a few apps on Macy’s tablet. She was quiet for a moment, lips pursed in a way that Macy could only describe as… dainty.
It was such a small thing—but Jeff never sat like that. Jeff never twirled his hair, or tilted his head like he was listening for gossip. Jess, on the other hand, had done all three in the span of two minutes.
Macy was trying not to stare. But it was hard not to.
“So,” Jess said, breaking the silence, “do you think my mom is gonna freak out when she sees me like this?”
Her tone was playful, but not sarcastic—not the way Jeff would have said it.
Macy shrugged, forcing a smile. “I… don’t know. I think she’ll be more relieved you’re not crawling in circles and crying every time you need a change.”
Jess giggled. A real giggle. Not an embarrassed chuckle or a snort. It was light, natural. Even her smile seemed more at ease, more… open.
Macy’s brows furrowed as she watched her.
Jess caught the look. “What?” she asked, gently nudging Macy with her foot. “You’re staring.”
“You’re just… different,” Macy said quietly.
Jess tilted her head. “Different how?”
“I mean,” Macy hesitated, “you’re not really acting like Jeff.”
Jess leaned back on her hands, blinking up at the ceiling. “Yeah. I noticed that too.”
“And it’s not just how you look,” Macy added quickly. “It’s the way you talk. The way you sit. Even the way you’re holding that soda—Jeff would be gripping it like he was about to crush the can.”
Jess laughed again, but it was softer this time. Almost thoughtful.
“I think it’s because of how I was brought back,” she said after a pause. “Like… I didn’t just get turned into a girl and aged up. It filled in all the years I was supposed to have. As Jess. And I guess… she’s not just Jeff in a girl’s body. She’s someone who had a whole different set of experiences.”
“You remember being Jeff though, right?”
“Yeah. Totally. I remember using the device, pranking Mason, getting punished…” she trailed off. “But it’s like those memories are kind of far away now. Like they’re from a dream I woke up from. And Jess’s memories are right here, fresh.”
Macy leaned forward, eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you feel like Jeff?”
Jess thought about it. Really thought about it.
“I feel… like Jess. I know who Jeff was. I still know that was me. But it’s not who I feel like right now.”
Macy leaned back, stunned by the honesty of the answer.
Jeff was still in there. But Jess wasn’t just Jeff in disguise.
Jess was something new.
Something—or someone—becoming real.