Jen and Lisa gave Audrey a final hug, and Audrey gave her daughter one hard look. Jen knew she was scrutinizing her face, as she had noticed these less than stealthy glances throughout the day. Finally, just as Lisa turned to the house, Audrey thrust her hand forward and gently caressed her daughter's cheek in a way that both concluded her search and also expressed a gentleness for her daughter that Jen had never felt from her before.
"You know this doesn't change the way I feel, don't you?" she asked once again. In all truth, Audrey cared about Jen, but no mother wants to watch as their child suffers, and no mother wants to find their child's appearance so drastically changing. She was aware that Jen knew, however good at pretending she was, that she could have just as easily transfered her schedule, but just couldn't bring herself to watch Jen's transformation.
"I know," Jen said at last. With a final embrace, she joined Lisa at the front door. At the very least, the day had been fantasic, and both girls would always have fond memories of it.
Audrey's car pulled away and the girls entered the house to find Carol on the phone with a rather sad, or resigned, look on her face. She hung up and turned to the girls.
"You all tested positive for BHGHC-12," she explained, "and are now producing the hormone naturally."
Carol seemed more upset than the girls. Lisa had already figured as much, and it didn't change her plan of action any. Despite what Jen had said about the curse being an old wives tale didn't nullify her sincerity when talking about it earlier, thought Lisa. If she didn't want to talk about it, or couldn't talk about it, then that was fine. However, Lisa knew deep within herself that an escape route still existed.
"We understand," Lisa said. "Dr. Perkins suspected that much."
Carol hugged them both once again before sending them off to bathe and to bed, and reminding them that school would be starting again in the morning.
"This news is probably all over the school by now," Carol said, "but hold your heads high and ignore whatever anyone might say. If you need to come home early, just give me a call."
The girls immediately retreated to the bathroom, intent on bathing together in order to examine each other for new hair. Jen could've sworn she felt her face feel almost scratchy against her mother's smooth palms, and she noticed some fuzz coming in around Lisa's chin earlier.
The pair eagerly undressed and peered keenly into the mirror.
"Jen," Lisa said, rubbing her chin with her fingertips, "I think you'll be able to hide it better than I. Even if I bleach this, it won't be long before the hairs are just too dark and noticeable. You're so lucky being a blonde."
Jen had never heard Lisa say anything good about her blonde hair. She was normally joking with her because of it. But she was right. With black hair, Lisa was going to have a difficult time hiding her hair, as she had the darkest hair on the cheerleading squad. Mary was the second darkest, with light brown hair.
Jen could also see the dismal look on Lisa's face as she noticed her legs. The hair was definately thicker and longer, and her feet were also now covered with fuzz. Her pubic hair was also coming in again, with numerous hairs sprouting up all over.
Jen's legs were also very hairy, considering that she never had much body hair to begin with. Long pants were definately in order now.
Upon closer examination, the girls could see that they were both getting hair in on their chests, and soon their breasts would be entirely covered in it.
"I wonder how the other girls are doing?" Lisa asked.
Jen didn't really want to know, and she knew that Lisa wasn't going to call them and ask them, being the most reserved of the group. Jen had always wondered what Lisa was like before moving to town. She once had an opportunity to speak with one of her old classmates from her old school, and she painted Lisa as being a genuine nerd.
Apparently, according to this one source, Lisa was a bookworm, and had a million nicknames to go with it. One of the reasons her family decided to move was because the teasing got so bad, and a new start at a new school is what she needed the most. Her parents expected her to shed her withdrawn ways, and while she had joined the cheerleading squad, she stayed relatively withdrawn in all other areas of her life. The way Lisa had been described made her think of Kyle, and perhaps that was the reason Lisa had shown such disdain when Jen led him on and subsequently left him high and dry on prom night. Those two would have been a good pair, Jen thought.
As for Lisa, she had always thought of Jen as a good friend who saw her as more than someone whose homework she could copy when she didn't finish her own. She was always there to make Lisa feel welcome in the cheerleading squad, and as Audrey said, the two were like sisters, despite their polar temperments.
"Tomorrow isn't going to be fun," Jen commented, now examining her eyebrows.
Lisa sighed and glanced at Jen. "I think we'll be shampooing each other's backs before long."
Unable to see her own back in Lisa's tiny little private bathroom, Jen just took a look at her friend's back, noticing the little hairs on it.
The bath itself was quite boring. Lisa couldn't help but notice how scratchy her thighs were feeling, and Jen was trying, in vain, to shave it off one last time. She finally relinquished the razor, seeing as how it was never going to work, and tossed it casually into the wastebasket.
"It's not like you're ever going to get it off anyway," Jen retorted in response to Lisa's shocked face. At least, not unless we can find someone, Jen mentally added.
When they piled into bed, they were exhausted and dreaded the following day.