It is lunch break at school and the chaotic chatter of children echo about the cafeteria. Among the crowd of students one particular boy creeps down a row of tables with mischief on his mind and a rubber toy spider in his hand. The boy's name is Alex, a boy with something of a reputation. His target is in sight: a girl from his class. The girl is focused on the food in front of her as Alex gently places the fake spider on to her shoulder. She idly reaches up to brush whatever just tickled her shoulder but then notices it's a spider! Her scream pierces the cacophony of the cafeteria into silence and she jumps up from the table, knocking over a passing student with a plate of food.
Alex just laughs hysterically, "It's only a toy, don't lose your mind!" He yells out loud enjoying the girl's frenzied reaction. She spins around, her fear turning to anger.
"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" The girl screams back at him while shaking off the other kids who are trying to calm her down. She angrily kicks Alex under the table where he was seated before running away screaming. He rubs the spot she kicked and stands up but feels a cold chill as a much very adult presence is looming over him from behind. A teacher has seen everything through the window and quickly grabs Alex by the collar of his shirt and hauls him towards the door.
"Hey that's not fair," He says while still laughing uncontrollably "I didn't even touch her and she kicked me!" But his protests are ignored as Alex is marched down the familiar path to the principal's office.
***
Late that night Alex is sulking in his room after getting grounded by his parents. The dressing down he received was quite familiar, with talk about treating other like he wants to be treated and 'what goes around comes around'. As far as he is concerned it's the girl's fault for not being able to take a joke.
"Stupid girls. They're all so prissy and sensitive. You never see guys get upset about every little thing." He mutters while looking out his window into the distance, feeling somewhat bored. There are many times when he gets so tired of all the rules and restrictions adults seem to put on him. But most of all he hates how girls get so much special treatment and attention. If a girl gets so much as a scraped knee adults come running to help. But if he gets hurt like that they just tell him to walk it off or 'be a man.'
"Girls have it so easy. They can do whatever they want without any consequences. I wish I could live my life as freely as they do." He thinks to himself as he gets ready for bed. As he drifts off to sleep he doesn't even consider the old saying 'Be careful what you wish for.'
***
Morning light shone through the closed curtains of the room as Alex groaned lightly. Though bleary eyes Alex sees a large teddy bear next to his pillow that wasn't there before. Rubbing his eyes Alex sits up in bed and sees a room very different from the one he remembers. The room is adorned in pastel colors, especially pink and cyan. Several stuffed animals are scattered across the floor, some lying in piles, and some sitting on top of the dresser. On the wall hangs a picture of a young girl flanked by two adults Alex recognizes as his parents. In the corner of the room is a small desk covered with papers and books. A vanity stands nearby with a small makeup box and pictures of attractive young male celebrities taped to the edge of the mirror. This is clearly a girl's room!
But that's not all that has changed. Looking down Alex sees a white nightgown adorned with hearts and cupcakes. And instead of black hair he now has long blonde locks. Alex looks at his hands and finds that they are smooth and soft. His fingers are slender and delicate, almost feminine. Even the nails are painted! In a panic Alex throws off the bed covers and runs to the nearby vanity mirror. He gasps in horror seeing the reflection staring back at him.
Alex is a beautiful little girl with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Her skin is pale and flawless, and her lips are full and pouty. Alex screams. In seconds Alex's mother burst into the room. "What's wrong!?" she says anxiously.
"I...I'm a girl!? What happened?! How did I turn into a girl?!" Alex cries desperately.
Mom sighs and looks at Alex incredulously. "Sweetheart, you've always been a girl. You just had a bad dream or something. Now get the cobwebs out of your head and get dressed." She turns and leaves, shutting the door behind her.
Alex is left stunned. She slowly looks back at her reflection and probes her face with her fingertips, touching her cheek and pulling on her eyelashes. It seems real enough. Alex steps closer to the mirror and stares deeply into her own eyes. The look in them is pure innocence. But the fear behind them is obvious. As her eyes trail down her body her gaze stops on the pair of protrusions hidden under her gown