The next day, Rachael woke easily and instantly began her new routine. First she checked out her body in her mirror to see what new changes the day had brought. She was relieved to see that her breasts weren't any bigger, at least, they didn't seem to be. At the rate they'd been growing she was starting to lose track. Her back ached from having to support the large cups, but at least her clothes somehow fit them.
Her hair had grown some more overnight. Though days had gone by since her mysterious changes started, she was still amazed at how much more gorgeous it looked, just when she thought it couldn't get any better. It now fell to the floor in shiny copper waves that looked more like the strands belonged in an exotic fabrics shop than on her head. Her first urge was to cut it, but she resisted. She gathered it in halves, bringing the ends up to her neck and clamping it with pins to the hair there. This created two delicate loops that draped down her back, a simple but stunning arrangement.
School went well the next day, with more cat-calls and wolf whistles. If she hadn't longed for this kind of attention most of her life, she would probably be annoyed by the boys' behavior, but secretly she was loving the attention.
At lunch, she had spotted Kyle and was carrying her tray over to sit with him when she noticed a blinding glint of gold coming from another section of the cafeteria. There sat Jennifer, the cheerleader brat who made fun of her on a constant basis. She sat with her cheerleader friends, her enormous waterfall of golden hair constrained by a large scrunchie and her perfect breasts making a clear impression in her cheerleader top. Just the other day she called Rachael "ugly." What would she think of her now that she had hair that competed with hers and breasts that clearly dominated the school?
Mustering up her courage, she trotted over to their table. When Jennifer noticed the girl she motioned for her posse to be quiet.
"Um, hello," Rachael said. "I just wanted to talk to Jennifer for a minute."
Jennifer looked puzzled. She cocked her head, causing her thick bunched-up hair to slide across her back and glimmer in the light from the window. Her hair looked even more beautiful than ever before. In the back of her mind, something told her a change had occurred just recently, but her memories of Jennifer were always of a girl with such a stunning mane.
She put those contradicting thoughts aside for the moment. "You might not recognize me. I'm Rachael."
Jennifer's eyes were as wide as saucers. She stared at the girl from head to toe, double-checking Rachael's bust size. "Rachael from English class?! Ugl--uhh...Rachael?!"
Rachael simply smiled. "Yes, 'Ugly Rachael.' I just wanted to say, your hair is looking lovely today."
"See, Jenn?" one of the other cheerleaders said. "I told you you two should meet. Together you've got the best hair in the school. The town, even!"
Jennifer looked less than pleased to be talked to like that. Still, she retained her composure. "Rachael, please let me apologize for insulting you for so long. I've just recently come to understand how cruel I've been to you, and others, and I really want to put the past behind us." She stood up and hesitantly extended her hand.
Rachael smiled a coy victory smile as they shook. Jennifer's eyes betrayed a glare for just an instant, but she caught herself quickly. Now she looked nervous for some reason, and patted her hair with one hand as she sat down.
"Aaaaand?" said another cheerleader.
Jennifer glared at that girl now. "And...well, if you want to apply for the cheerleading squad, a lot of us want to support you."
A black-haired girl perked up. "I was the one who pointed you out yesterday. I told Jenn to ask you on the team! My name's Karen!"
She and Rachael shook hands. Karen jostled her arm quite eagerly.
"Thanks everybody. I'll think about it and let you know." She turned and started walking away.
"Sit with us!" Karen called.
"Sorry, I already told someone else I'd sit with them."
"But we're so much cooler than whoever you're sitting with!"
"Karen," Jennifer said quietly and with no attempt to hide annoyance. "If Rachael wants to sit with someone else, she is perfectly welcome to do so."
Rachael continued walking away from the cheerleaders. The stupid cheerleaders. How dare they ask only the prettiest girls to join the squad. What did she have five days ago aside from a lousy complexion that disqualified her? If anything, she was less than able to perform gymnastics now that her hair was so long and her breasts were enormous.
She was still scowling when she sat down across the table from Kyle.
"What's wrong?" He asked when he saw her face. "What did they say to you? Did they insult you?"
"Worse. They invited me to join the squad."
Kyle looked surprised. "They did? That's amazing!" Rachael didn't look up from her mashed potatoes. "Oh. I see. They only asked you to join because of your looks."
"What was wrong with the old me?" Rachael asked. "Why didn't anyone respect me before? Now I feel like some kind of trophy. Everybody's paying attention to me. Everybody wants me."
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"I thought I did. But now I don't think they deserve to know me. They can't see past my looks. I hate this new body. I don't understand how it's happening, but I want it to stop!"
She didn't expect Kyle to understand what she was talking about, but somehow, his eyes told her he knew even better than she did. She put down her fork and looked at him.
Kyle shifted his eyes and cleared his throat. "Rachael, I've got something to confess..."