The day's classes were abysmal. Not only did she not have any homework to turn in for history or math, but in Science she was called on to answer a question and totally bombed. Like Math the day before, she hadn't been paying full attention. The teacher had written some terms on the board that the class had learned the week before, but Jennifer could only recognize half of them. She was caught flipping through the glossary in the back of her textbook when the teacher asked her to define "equilibrium."
"And please close your book to answer," the teacher said, peering at her though thin spectacles.
Taken by surprise, Jennifer slammed her book so forcefully that she hurt the hand that was resting on the page. "OW!"
A couple nearby students chuckled as she rubbed her hand. The teacher leered at her.
"Jennifer?" she asked.
"Huh?" Jennifer responded. The shock of injuring her hand made her forget the question.
"Equilibrium." The teacher spoke with patience, sounding out the word to make sure it stuck with Jennifer.
"Umm..." Jennifer tried hard to think. She wished she had done her homework last night instead of coming onto Nathan so forcefully. But as much as she wished that, she found herself wishing to be with him again tonight even more.
"Jennifer Smith!"
Jennifer bolted back to reality. "Sorry! Sorry, it's...it's when two things are the same, right? They balance each other out."
The teacher frowned. "An accurate, but simple way of putting it. Balance is only achieved through two or more systems' interactions..." The teacher went on to describe the term in more detail. Jennifer paid close attention to her description. It all sounded familiar, but strange at the same time. She knew she'd learned the word in class a week ago, and that wasn't even the first time she'd ever heard it before. It was a simple word to figure out if she thought hard enough about it...yet she was having trouble not only recalling its definition, but her mind kept wandering to Nathan and an awareness that she was slowly becoming more aroused with each passing minute.
She continued having slips of concentration in each class, though fortunately she was never called on again. The end of the day came with great relief, and she went back to her locker to reorganize her things.
"19...44...," she whispered to herself, trying to remember the third number again. There was something she had used to remember it before. Some kind of trick."
"Hey, Jen!" Claire said, joining her. "Some of us are going for ice cream. Want to join?"
"Just a sec," Jennifer said. She needed to keep her concentration. "19...44..."
"Forget your combo?"
"Yeah, I'm trying to remember how I kept putting the third number together. It has something to do with the other two. It's like a mem... like a memotic device?"
Claire chuckled. "More like 'moronic device.'"
"This isn't funny!" she said. "The last two days I've felt like such a ditz. I can't even get my damn locker open!"
"Hey, take it easy. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were so bothered."
"14!" Jennifer finally remembered. She opened her locker and started shuffling books.
"Maybe you should write it down."
Jennifer agreed. She tore a slip from a notebook and pulled a pen from the front pouch of her backpack. "19, 44, 14." Then, just to be on the safe side, she wrote "My locker kombo" under it.
"You might be right about that ditz thing," Claire said, noticing what she wrote. "'Combo' doesn't have a 'k'."
Jennifer slammed the locker shut. "It's driving me crazy! And every time I try to concentrate, it's like the memories I need are hiding just out of sight. Not to mention I'm--" she paused. There wasn't any need to tell Claire how increasingly horny she'd been getting.
"You're what?" Claire looked at her, concerned.
Jennifer put on a fake smile. "Nothing, it's nothing. So, ice cream, huh? Mind if Nathan comes along?" She started walking down the hall with Claire in tow.
"Now hang on," Claire said. "We've got time. I want to make sure you're okay." The girls stopped.
"Honestly," Jennifer said. "I'm fine. I just need a rest or something."
"More like you need less distractions. You don't have to come with us. Don't hang out with Nathan, either. Just go home and chill out."
"I'd like to...," Jennifer said. "But..." How could she tell her friend that she had the most incredible urge to have sex? Just one orgasm would do. What was making her feel like this?
"But what? Did something happen yesterday? Is that what's bothering you?"
Jennifer tried to think. Something did happen yesterday. But what was it? "It was...yesterday morning. Before school. I got a phone call." Pieces of the memory were there, but she had to search her brain for the rest.
"From who?"
"I don't remember. But he said something."
"So it was a 'he?' Was it Nathan?"
Jennifer shook her head. "Maybe. I don't think so. He said..."
"Said what?"
The picture was slowly, ever so slowly, coming into focus. "He said things would happen to me. That...that I'd get stupider."
"Pshh! seriously?"
"It's weird, I know. But he was right! I've had trouble remembering things and concentrating."
"How could that possibly be happening?" Claire asked. "It was just some jerk on a phone."
There was something important that Jennifer still couldn't remember. She needed to remember. Something about...a curse? Was it the town curse she was told about as a kid?
"It was Transform or Dare! The Transform or Dare curse!"
Claire's face fell. "No way."
Jennifer nodded rapidly. "He cursed me. I don't remember who he was, but he cursed me to get stupider and--"
Claire gasped. "Wait! If he cursed you, that means you have the curse now!"
Jennifer looked at her blankly.
"The curse gets transferred to whoever receives it. That'd be you. Which means...oh crap...uh...DARE!"
Jennifer continued to stare at Claire, not quite following her train of thought. The curse was passed on...but why would Claire be so nervous about that?
"You said 'T or D' just now," Claire explained, noticing her friend's confusion. "That means you passed it onto me. I had to pick one or the other before a minute went by. So...I guess you have to dare me."
"So you believe in the curse?" Jennifer asked.
"Not totally, but better safe than sorry."
"Okay...," Jennifer tried to think of a harmless dare. Her mind started to drift again, however, to the feeling that was growing stronger and stronger inside her. She wanted a release. She needed a release. She glimpsed at the bathroom door just across the hall from them. "I need help. Can you help me?" Jennifer asked meekly.
"Anything," Claire said. "Just make sure you say it as a Dare so we can get this curse over with."
"I dare you...," Jennifer began...