Stopping at the corner, knowing for some reason that he normally caught the bus here, Drake breathed deeply and hoped that he hadn't missed the bus. Looking down the street, he absently took the Zulo's Necklace out from under his shirt and not seeing the bus, he glanced down and began to once again study the different sides, thinking, "Maybe it doesn't change a man's sex and gender. Maybe it just makes them younger. Perhaps what I saw only works if a woman uses the amulet."
The sound of an approaching auto distracted him and looking, Drake saw that the bus was a couple houses down. Stuffing the medallion into one of the side pockets on his backpack, he board the bus when it had stopped and quickly scanning, seeing nobody trying to get his attention, he choose an empty seat. Ignoring the loud noises around him, he tried to sort out what was going on.
He knew that it was something to do with Zulo's Necklace, as that was the only thing that truly made sense. What he couldn't figure out was why it left him still looking like a thirty six year old man and transported him back in time to what he thought might be around the time he went to either junior high or possible high school. Glancing around, taking in the loud children around him, Drake figured that it must probably be junior high as the bus lurched to a stop, nearly throwing Drake forward as it did so.
Looking out the window, still trying to figuring out why the amulet had taken him back in time, but thinking that that was what it was supposed to do when a male used it, he was completely caught off guard when a girl sat down next to him. And then began to talk to him, "Almost as if we're best friends or something," he thought as the girl, who he suddenly knew to be called Cecilia.
"Are you all right?" the Cecilia asked without warning and nodding, Drake commented, "Just having an off morning," as Cecilia continued on.
Finding that he could easily following the conversation, but unsure as to how, Drake soon found himself chatting away with Cecilia as if they had been best friends all their life and when she asked him, "You still coming over tonight after dinner," he answered in the most casual of tones, "I'll probably be over sooner, if that is all right. Mom says she has to work tonight and that I am on my own for dinner," without giving a second thought as to what he was saying.
As she nodded in response, Cecilia replied, "My mother was expecting that you would be, especially since you volunteered to help Sunday when my cousin gets married. God. I hope this time she actually goes through with it and doesn't she leave her fiancé at the altar, like the last couple times. She is so flighty sometimes and most of the time has her head in the clouds."
Finding himself at a total loss at what he should say and how he was supposed to be helping, Drake nodded and without missing a beat, said, "I'm sure she will. John seems like the right one for her this time," and before long, the two were back to talking about one thing after another.
When they arrived at the junior high, for a moment Drake wondered where it was he was supposed to be going. And then he remembered that first period of the day was gym class and suddenly dreaded what was to come he hesitated. As he did so, Cecilia looked at him and once again asked, "Are you all right?" to which he just shook his head and repeated what he told her earlier about having an off morning and following her into the school, he wondered how he could get out of gym class, which surely meant going into the girl's locker room, which would mean that he would have to get undressed.
"Hey, I understand," Cecilia said, breaking into his thoughts and before Drake could respond, she said, "When I first got my monthly, everything seemed off. And even now, everything still feels off."
Wondering what she was talking about, Drake stopped and realising that Cecilia was talking about her period, he shook his head and smiling, he commented, "No. It's not that. It's just..." and trailing off, he wondered how he should explain.
"This is about what Diana said, isn't it?" Cecilia asked, and wondering what Diana had said, Drake started walking again as Cecilia began to explain how this Diana was just jealous that she wasn't as pretty.
Inside, the two quickly made their way toward the gym and locker rooms and as they got closer, Drake thought of more and more excuses that would allow to either change in private or get out of doing gym class. Entering the locker room, he quickly looked away, feeling like a pervert as the gym teacher, Ms Donaldson, announced that they were using the pool and that they would need to change into their swimsuits.
Hoping that he had forgotten to bring a swimsuit, Drake walked with Cecilia over to a bank of lockers and setting his backpack down, he sat down next to it and unzipped it. Poking through the contents, Drake located a one-piece swimsuit and a beach towel in a Ziploc bag. Pulling the contents out, he gazed at the garment, taking in the light blue that made up most up and how it was a slightly darker blue down around the crotch region and across the butt. Peering closer, he saw what appeared to be a white, floral print that reminded him of flowers native to Hawaii and other tropical places.
"Hey," Cecilia announced. "Just forget about Diana and her comments. It doesn't matter that you are smaller in stature then she is."
Nodding, unsure fully what Cecilia was talking about, but feeling that it sounded familiar, Drake stared at the swimsuit for a bit longer before taking the beach towel of the Ziploc bag and saying, "Will anyone feel less of me if I go and change somewhere more private?" as he did so.
"Only if you want to give that smug bitch something else for her arsenal," Cecilia retorted as she pulled off her shirt.
Feeling like a pervert, wanting to leave, Drake continued to stare at the garment as Cecilia took off her own bra and then started working on removing her pants and underwear. Sighing, thinking, "Might as well get this over with," Drake stood and slowly began to undress, sure that at any moment somebody would start to scream about there being a pervert in the girl's locker room.
Behind him and a couple lockers down, a snide voice commented, “And she doesn’t even wear a bikini. Can you imagine still wearing something you wore when you were a baby?” and wondering about this, Drake paused in what he was doing and glancing over, he saw a group of girls, some partially clothed, other fully naked and working on pulling on one section of their bikinis or another, huddled together, watching him.
Turning away, Drake stood as Cecilia said, “Ignore them,” as she began putting on her own swimsuit, which Drake noted was a one piece.
Shucking off his clothes as quickly as he could, no longer really caring, he started to pull on the swimsuit he had found his backpack, not sure that it would fit at all and sure that he was going to rip it, no matter how elastic the fabric was.
Surprised that he had actually been able to wear such a garment, Drake adjusted himself as he thought moodily about how the garment was rather tight around the shoulders and in the crotch region. Stuffing his backpack and clothes in the locker and following Cecilia’s example, he wrapped his beach towel around his torso and slipped his feet into a pair of shower sandals. As he did this, the group of girls that he had seen huddled together continued to make comments, most about how only babies wore one piece swimsuits and that mature girls wore bikinis.
“And if that were the case,” Cecilia announced suddenly. “Then the three of you would not only need one piece bathing suits, but a couple of diapers to go with your immaturity.”
Feeling like he was suddenly the centre of attention, Drake muttered, “Let’s go,” and pushing past the girls, knowing that they were glaring at both him and Cecilia, he wondered how much weirder this day was going to get and whether he or Cecilia would pay in some way for the outburst.