Heather McGinn had to admit that her friend’s organizational skills were impressive. Making plans for Spirit Week could easily turn into a chaotic mess, but under Heather S.’ leadership, the meeting was smooth and thankfully brief. Soon the trio was stepping back out into the hallway. They were met with a frantic-looking Sophie and her friend, Chloe. Heather sighed inwardly. What new crisis had Sophie brought her?

“You have to take me to the Well,” Sophie said, panicked. “We have to undo the wish.”

“Sophie!” Heather snapped.

“Did you say ‘wish?’” Chloe asked.

Thankfully, Heather S. was there, pulling Chloe aside. “You know, with the softball team doing so well this year I have some ideas that could really…”

With Heather S. distracting Chloe, Heather M. turned to Sophie and hissed. “What is this about? Why do you suddenly want to be a guy again or something?”

“No, not that wish. The other one. The one that makes people see who I really am. It’s affecting Chloe.”

Heather cocked her head. “I don’t see the issue. Do you not want her to see who you really are?”

“No!” Sophie replied, then shook her head. “I mean, yes. But not like this. I didn’t know it would be like mind control.”

“You didn’t seem to mind it when it was your parents and teachers. Why does it matter with her?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie admitted. “It just does.”

Heather exhaled in frustration.  She had to admit she understood where Sophie was coming from. It wasn’t like she had never had to undo a wish before. “Okay, fine. We can undo the wish for Chloe. But remember, the first rule of making wishes is to know what you want. Actually, no, that’s the second rule. The first rule is don’t tell anyone about it. What were you thinking, blabbing about it in front of her?”

“Well, I figured it didn’t matter since we’re going to take her to the Well anyway.”

“What? We are absolutely not taking her to the Well.”

“But I have to make sure the wish works.”

Heather K., who had until this point stood by so quietly that Heather M. had forgotten her, spoke up. “You were already going to tell her about the Well, weren’t you?”

“No I wasn’t,” Sophie replied hastily. “I was just-”

“Yes, you were,” Heather K. interrupted. “She’s your best friend. And you weren’t planning on your wish affecting her, so you were going to have to explain to her how you suddenly became a girl. You were planning to tell her everything.”

“I-I…” Sophie stammered before taking a deep breath, “Okay, I was, it’s just… this amazing thing happened to me. And I tell her everything.” She hung her head. 

Heather M. stared down Sophie, hoping to impress on the girl that she was weighing the decision carefully. Of course, there was only one answer. Sophie was going to tell Chloe no matter what Heather M. said, at least this way she would have control over the situation. She’d have to make absolutely sure that didn’t change.

“Fine,” she said finally. “It’s not like she can do anything without the coin, anyway. But she has to keep it a secret.”

Sophie eagerly led the others back to Chloe and Heather S.

“Hey, Chloe. We’re going to take you somewhere that will explain everything,” Sophie said in a needlessly soothing voice.

Chloe glared suspiciously at Heather M. who returned the look. “Yeah, I guess I have a few questions.”

The group made their way to the parking lot and piled into Heather M.’s SUV.

“Okay, so what is going on?” Chloe asked.

“Er… well… I don’t really know how to explain until we get where we’re going,” Sophie replied nervously.

“Actually, I’m kind of curious now,” said Heather K. “What do you think is going on?”

“Well, for some reason I didn’t recognize Sophie today. I guess it’s just because you gave her a makeover, but…” Chloe paused, shaking her head. “No, that doesn’t make any sense. I had to ask who you were after gym. No makeover is going to make you look that different. Besides, I was thinking you were supposed to look like…”

“I guess it’d be impossible to figure it out based on that,” said Heather S.

“The way this wish works is really interesting, isn’t it, Heather?” Heather K. asked eagerly.

“Yeah, riveting,” Heather M. replied sarcastically. Heather K.’s face sank and she whimpered sadly.

“Did you just say ‘wish?’” Chloe asked.

Everyone fell silent in response.

“Okay, fine, if I can’t ask that yet, can you at least tell me how you all became friends so suddenly? You’ve always paid her about as much attention as an ant. Plus, your boyfriend bullies her.” The last sentence was directed at Heather M.

Heather M. sighed in feigned exasperation. “Yeah, Tyler does cause a lot of boys grief. It’s a real problem. Thankfully, he won’t be giving Sophie any more trouble. After she helped me in the cafeteria the other day I took an interest in her. And the poor girl has never had a chance to be feminine before so of course we were more than happy to help fix that.”

“That was really nice of you.” Chloe sounded sincere, but through the rearview mirror Heather could see the suspicious look in her eyes.

When they reached the woods, Chloe frowned. “Sophie, where are we going?” she asked as they got out of the car.

“I know this is really weird, but I promise it’ll all make sense soon,” Sophie said.

“Okay, fine, as long as you aren’t planning to sacrifice me,” Chloe replied.

From somewhere behind her, Heather M. heard the hiss of Heather K.’s laugh.

“Shut up, Heather.” She received a curt squeak in response.

The group led the reluctant Chloe to the Well and through its caves. When they reached the pool, Chloe stared in wonder at all of the strange artifacts scattered around.

“This is amazing, but it’s not exactly filling in any of the blanks. ?”

Heather M. fished the coin out of her pocket and moved to hand it to Sophie, but held back.

“What are you doing?” Sophie questioned her. 

“Clear and precise,” Heather M. replied sternly. She handed the coin to Sophie.

“Okay,” she said.

Sophie called out “I wish that Chloe Gutierrez was unaffected by my previous wish,” and tossed the coin into the water.

Heather K. sighed as she started tugging off her shoes. “I picked a bad day to wear tights.”

Chloe looked at Sophie and blinked a few times. “Thom- er, Sophie? What in the hell?” She looked around the room as the wish was rescinded from her mind, “Okay, I am so confused right now.”

Sophie shuffled nervously. “So, uh, I’m a girl.”

“Well, yeah, I know that,” Chloe replied.

Sophie tensed. Heather felt herself tense, too. Had the wish not worked?

“But why do you look like one?”

“Wh-what?” Sophie replied.

“And why was I thinking like you’d always looked that way?”

Heather M. decided to jump in before Sophie could launch into an explanation. “Look, you’ve got a lot to explain. Why don’t you do it at home?”

“Oh, I guess that’s a good idea,” Sophie replied. “You can drive us to my house?”

“Fine, I guess I can. But I’m not a taxi service.”

Sophie smiled. “Thanks.” Sophie, Chloe, and Heather S. began making their way out of the cavern before Heather M.’s voice rang out.

“I wish that Chloe Gutierrez was unable to talk about the Well to anyone except the people here now.”

She tossed the coin.

The trio looked back at her as she sneered in their direction. Heather K. was standing to her side, looking just as shocked as them. Somewhere in the cavern a droplet of water could be heard splatting against the stone floor.

“There. Another loose end tied up. Ready to go?”

 

Heather M. was just trying to protect herself.

That was what Sophie told herself as she returned to her house. Heather M. didn’t know Chloe well, and didn’t know she could trust her, so that wish had been perfectly sensible. And anyway, it’s not like it would really affect Chloe since Chloe wouldn’t try to tell anyone else.

Once they had returned to Sophie’s house and settled into her bedroom, Sophie told Chloe everything. About the Heathers testing her, taking her to the Well, the wishes they made, and how they had taught her about being a girl. Afterward, Chloe was silent for several seconds, taking it all in.

Finally she spoke. “So, if I try to tell anyone else about this, what’ll happen?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t really know much about how this all works. I guess maybe you just won’t be able to say the words?”

Chloe nodded, slowly, considering this. “There’s one other thing I’m confused about. Why didn’t you want the second wish to affect me?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie admitted. “It just felt wrong, for some reason. I guess it’s always seemed like you understood me. And I thought that even after I changed that maybe you would understand…”

“...That this is who you really are,” Chloe finished.

“Yeah.” Sophie paused. “Is it okay? That I’m like this?”

“Of course it is. Are you kidding? I’m so happy for you.”

“I guess you misjudged the Heathers, too. They’re actually really cool. They taught me so much about being a girl.”

Chloe rubbed her neck, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah, maybe I did. But you know there are lots of ways to be a girl. You don’t have to take everything they say as gospel.”

“Of course,” Sophie replied, not sounding entirely convinced. “So, how was your weekend?”

“Hey, you’re not getting off that easily,” Chloe said with a smirk.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are we not going to talk about the fact that your ideal body is, ah, distinctly female?”

Sophie’s face turned a scarlet shade normally associated with high-quality rubies. “So, uh, you noticed.”

Chloe chuckled. “Yeah, kind of hard not to. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you look and sound absurdly cute, but I imagine it’s been kind of a shock for you?”

Sophie, already at a maximum level of flustered, ignored the compliment. “Yeah, I mean, at first, but, I don’t know, it feels so right. Like, I wasn’t utterly miserable as Thomas, I guess, but being Sophie is like being able to really breathe for the first time.” She shrugged, and a worried look crossed her face. “You aren’t weirded out by this, are you? I totally get it if you are.”

Chloe gently placed her hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “Of course not. I mean, I was already calling you Sophie before this happened. I’ll admit, the fact that this happened in the first place is pretty weird, and I still don’t really understand it-- like, wishing wells aren’t really a thing that exists in the real world, right?--but I’m glad you’re able to be who you really are. And with how much happier you obviously are, it’d be hard to argue with that.”

Sophie found her body releasing a tension she hadn’t even realized was there--losing Chloe was the one thing that truly scared her. As Chloe withdrew her hand, Sophie felt a fluttering sensation in her chest.

“So--ah, did you want to play a game with me? Maybe some Mario Kart?” Sophie smiled. Chloe couldn’t help but laugh in response. “What?” Sophie frowned.

“Nothing, nothing,” Chloe said as she recomposed herself, “It’s just that the more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.”

“Oh?” Sophie added.

“Yeah, like you’re still probably the biggest nerd I know regardless of your new rack,” Chloe teased. Sophie retaliated by lightly punching her in the shoulder.

“Shut up and try to beat me on Rainbow Road.” They started up Sophie’s old Wii and went to town playing through the dastardly neon track.  For Chloe, playing a video game was a full-body act, and she leaned right and left as she navigated the turns, sometimes threatening to topple on to Sophie.  Meanwhile, Sophie’s precognitive abilities didn’t seem benefit her in the game, alas, though she supposed that would be cheating anyway. 

Soon, Chloe pumped her fist in victory. “Alright, first place! Who’s number one! I’m number one!”

Sophie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but grin. “Wanna go for a rematch?”

The two quickly lost track of the time after that one match became two, and then three, and so on. 

Sophie was delighted to fall back into the old rhythm of their friendship, teasing and all.  It was comforting to know that, as much as things had changed in the past week, there were still some constants in her life.

“Hey, uh, Chloe?” Sophie voiced hesitantly after getting knocked off the track by a rogue green shell.

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to say thanks. I mean, for being so accepting and understanding about all this weirdness. The Well, me being Sophie, all of it.”

“Hey, Soph, you’re my friend and nothing that’s happened will change that. With that said, however,” Chloe said, standing up, “I do have one request.”  

“Oh yeah?” Should I be worried?

“Well, I’ve known you as Thomas since middle school, and while I can’t say I’m entirely surprised by this turn of events, clearly there’s aspects of you that I didn’t know existed. So,” and there was a pause as Chloe took a deep breath, “I’d like to get to know you better as Sophie. Would you be up for coming with me to the State Fair this weekend? I mean, if the Heathers don’t already have plans for you?”

“Oh, what kind of dumb question is that, Chloe?” Sophie grinned. “When have I ever turned down an offer of fried food?”

“I take it that’s a ‘yes’?”

“You bet that’s a ‘yes’!” Sophie raised her hand to high five Chloe, but suddenly that didn’t feel quite right anymore. Nevertheless Chloe met her hand with her own. There was a knock at the door. That’s odd, Sophie thought.

“Sophie, Chloe, would you mind if you two relocated to the living room?” Sophie heard her father’s voice say. “She won’t admit to it, but the two of you, ah, alone in Sophie’s bedroom is making her, uh, mother...nervous.”

“Oh, uh, sure thing, Dad!” It was a strange request, but Sophie didn’t want to come off as ungrateful after all the support her parents had given her. And what could possibly be making her mother nervous?  

I mean, this hasn’t been a problem before, they know Chloe’s a lesbian, and I’m a-

Oh. Oh wait. 

Sophie decided in that moment that she couldn’t begrudge her mother not wanting her potentially lesbian daughter to have too much alone time with Chloe.

The two girls made their way downstairs slowly, stalled by a heated debate over the usefulness of the blue shell item when they reached the door.

“So will you be staying for dinner? Mom is making chicken and rice.” Sophie smiled. Chloe’s expression seemed to falter for a moment.

“I, uh, have a project that I need to finish at home and I promised mom I’d be home earlier tonight,” she sighed. Sophie felt her mood deflate a little--she hadn’t realized how much Chloe’s company meant to her after all the change she had experienced recently. Chloe opened the large interior door and stepped out, stood just past the outer door, stealing a lingering glance back towards Sophie.

“Hey, Chloe?” Sophie called from the stone porch beneath her feet.

“Yeah?” Chloe replied, her voice catching in a whisper.

“Thank you. For… all of this,” Sophie said, tears starting to form at the edges of her eyes, “knowing that you’re still here for me is everything.” Before she could say anything further, Sophie found herself enveloped in a hug, Chloe’s strong arms wrapped tightly around her.

“I’ll always be there for you, Soph. Always,” she whispered. Sophie lost track of the moments she spent there, that warm safe place with Chloe next to her. She moved to hug her back, but found it necessary to stand on her tiptoes to properly return the hug. As she arched her feet, a giddy feeling rose in her chest. This felt right. A feminine cough could be heard behind them, grabbing their attention. Sophie’s mother stood behind them, arms crossed but with a soft smile on her face. The two immediately separated, each blushing furiously.

“See you tomorrow, Soph?” Chloe called out as she moved down the sidewalk.

“Yeah,” Sophie replied, “see you tomorrow.”

* * *

 

The rest of Sophie’s first week of school as a girl was wonderful. Everything felt so much more natural and normal than she had expected. The only difference was that she felt confident like never before. Like a part of her that had never been anchored before was finally secure. Her classes had gone back to normal now that everyone seemed to only have memories of Sophie, and she quickly settled into a rhythm with herself and Chloe laughing their way through chem and into gym class. She had even found that changing with the other girls, despite her apparent unchanged sexuality, was no more tense than changing by herself. She always found herself smiling at how right it all felt. However, there was one problem. She was suddenly so much busier. The Heathers demanded a lot of her time on top of her usual classes and the time she spent with Chloe leaving her little time to herself in which to study and finish her homework, even without her Computer Science class.

On Friday, Heather M. sprung a surprise on Sophie, announcing that she would be throwing a party that night. Sophie, of course, was expected to be there. After a long deliberation she selected a simple A-line dress with blue accents over her hips and onto her bustline, and a pair of two-inch black pumps. She styled her hair with a few of the new products that Heather S. had given her the other day. Noting the temperature outside, she grabbed a dark denim jacket and was ready just in time for Heather S. to pick her up.

Despite Heather S.’ usual cheerful demeanor, Sophie felt very tense during the ride. She had never been to a house party before, and only had a vague image of drunken chaos and loud music in her mind.

“Have you ever been to a party before, Sophie?” Heather S. inquired.

Sophie shrugged, “No, not one like this. Birthday parties, sure, but not a big old house party.”

“Don’t worry, they’re pretty fun. Lots of alcohol, some games, and a bunch of cute boys around. Who knows, maybe someone will finally catch your eye?” she teased, attempting to ease Sophie’s nerves.

“Psh, fat chance,” Sophie giggled. 

Heather S. smiled. “Mark my words, Sophie, we’re going to find you someone who can sweep you off your feet one day.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sophie said, raising her hands in mock defeat. “Call me when that happens, Heather.” 

They pulled up to an absolutely packed curb outside Heather M.’s house; cars lined up and down the street. As they stepped out of the car Heather S. called to Sophie.

“Leave the jacket in the car. You’ve got cute shoulders peeking out of that dress, show them off, girl.” Sophie blushed and dutifully left her jacket in the car as they approached the party.

When they walked in she found that it wasn’t nearly as nightmarish as she had imagined. There were a lot of people around, but they weren’t packed wall-to-wall as she had pictured, and most of them were ones she recognized from school. The music and conversation were noisy, but not overwhelming. The scent of cheap beer intermingled with fruity smell of even cheaper wine. 

As they stepped into the living room, Sophie spotted Heather M. chatting with Tyler and Heather K. Heather noticed her as well and waved her over. As she approached, Heather M. and Tyler both eyed her appraisingly before handing her a plastic cup full of some sort of alcohol. Tyler stared at her with curiosity.

“Looks like you’re finally getting the hang of dressing yourself,” she said with a grin. “You just need to undo the top two buttons.”

“Yeah, this is a party, not a church,” Heather K. added. Heather M. gave her a high five, leaving her beaming.

Sophie carefully undid the buttons with her free hand.

“Now that we’re all here, we can continue our conversation from earlier,” said Heather S.

“What conversation?” asked Sophie.

“Oh, we were just talking about how weird allergies are,” Heather K. explained. “Some allergies are extremely rare, but you take just about any substance and you can find someone allergic to it.”

“Take Margo over there,” Heather M. added, gesturing to a short, round-faced girl. “She has a seaweed allergy. Get her anywhere near a sushi restaurant and she’ll be covered in gross hives. And then there’s Tyler. There’s something about certain brands of lube that--”

“Uh, babe?” Tyler said, his eyes darting between Heather M. and Sophie as his face grew red.

Heather M. rolled her eyes.

Sophie looked around at the party guests enjoying themselves. “So, what exactly do we do here?”

Heather M. gave her a confused look.

“Just have fun,” Heather S. answered. “Talk to people, have a few drinks.”

“So, just like… go up to people and talk to them?

“Exactly,” Heather S. said, patting her on the back. “Go wander around, you’ll figure it out.”

Sophie wandered around the lower floor of the house, trying to figure out how to actually start a conversation with someone. Everyone was already in groups, chatting, or dancing, and she couldn’t figure out how to join in a conversation. What was she supposed to say? She felt her anxiety bubbling up again and wished Heather S. had given her more instruction or that Chloe was there to help her. Unfortunately, Heather M. had left her no time to invite Chloe when she had announced the party.

She passed through several rooms, including the dining room, a rec room, and an office before coming to a kitchen. There were only a couple of guys in here, engaged in a very animated conversation next to a breakfast table, so she continued past them, stepping around the table to avoid the one guy’s wild gestures. Suddenly she felt the pinpricks on the back of her neck. A drink was about to be spilled. Turning to her left she lifted a cup off of the table just as a guy swung his arm wide, passing through where the cup had been.

“Woah! That was smooth!” came a voice to her right. She turned to see Josh Hansen, the guy who had congratulated her for supposedly groping Heather M.

“Uh, thanks,” she replied, and started to walk away.

“Hey wait,” he said, cutting off her path and leaving her trapped between the wall and the table. The guy he was talking with saw that he had lost interest, shrugged, and stepped out of the room.

“Sophie, right?” he asked, scratching at his newly-grown barely present peach fuzz.

“Yeah,” she said, fidgeting nervously.

“You know, you were always pretty plain before, but ever since you started hanging out with those Heathers you've gotten really hot,” he said. It was the rudest attempt at a compliment that she'd ever received.

“Oh. Thanks,” she said unenthusiastically. She felt disgusted with herself for thanking him, but something inside her told her that it was the best way to respond right now.

“So anyway, you probably don't get a lot of guys asking you out,” he said. Did he have to stand over her like that? The smell of beer on his breath was oppressive.

Sophie glanced longingly at the door, desperately hoping that someone would come in and distract Josh. “No, I guess not,” she said.

“Then today's your lucky day,” he said confidently. “Because I think you would love to go out with me.”

Sophie wasn't sure what to say. “Oh, uh, no thanks,” was all she could manage.

Josh frowned. “Listen, I don't think you realize what a great opportunity this is for you,” he said. “I'm a really great guy. I'll treat you better than any of the other guys around here.”

“Actually, the truth is, I'm not really interested in guys,” Sophie said. Surely that would get him to leave her alone.

“How do you know that? Have you ever even been with a guy?” he asked. His voice was raising a bit. Sophie could feel her heart starting to pound.

“I don't need to be with a guy. I just know,” she insisted, with a little more force than before.

“Seriously?” His voice dropped slightly, unnerving Sophie somewhat.

“Y-yeah.  Listen, I have to-” she said, trying to de-escalate, but Josh interrupted her.

“Come on, just give me a chance,” he said, a whine entering his voice. “You probably just think you're a lesbian or something because all the other guys around here are jerks. But I'm not like that. I'll treat you well.”

“Listen,” Sophie said more forcefully as she started to step away, “I have to go.”

Sophie tried to edge around him, but he grabbed her hand. Reflexively, she tried to pull away, but he held firm. 

“Wait for a second, I still want to talk.”

Sophie's eyes snapped to his face. Should she pull away harder? Should she scream? Should she hit him? He was just trying to talk to her, right? So why was she so frightened? She wished he would just go away, but she had no coin to toss and no well in which to toss it.

He must have seen how scared she was because his expression grew angry. “Hey, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I'm a gentleman.”

“What the Hell are you doing?” called a voice from across the room.

For a second, Sophie thought it was Chloe. But when she looked to the door she saw Heather M. standing there instead. She glided forward like a supermodel, flanked by the other Heathers. Josh let Sophie's hand go as Heather M. nudged him out of the way to stand between him and Sophie. The others took position beside her, forming a wall.

“Hey, we were just talking,” said Josh as he stepped back.

Heather M. raised an eyebrow. “Really? It looked to me like you were assaulting her.”

“What? No. I wasn't hurting her,” Josh insisted. “I was gonna ask her out before some creep took advantage of her.”

“Oh, is that all?” said Heather S. in a cheerful tone. “We appreciate your concern, but we've got this taken care of. We can find her a much better partner.”

“Yeah,” Heather K. added with a sneer. “Why would she want to date a guy without skin?”

There was a pause as Josh tried to process what Heather K. had said. “What are you talking about? I have skin.”

“Oh? Don't guys like you usually end up...” Heather K. cocked her head to the side and widened her eyes in a crazed expression as a sadistic grin crossed her mouth, “...flayed alive?” Sophie had never imagined that the spineless girl could be so intimidating.

Josh threw up his hands. “Okay. God. I'll leave her alone.” He turned around and started to walk away. “She's an ugly bitch anyway. I was doing her a favor.”

The three Heathers all shared a glance, then burst out laughing as one. “A favor?” said Heather M. between laughs. “You really think anything you could do for her would be a favor?” She held up her hand with her thumb and index finger spaced a few inches apart, prompting Heather S. and Heather K. to howl with laughter. With a frustrated sound, he stomped out of the room. 

Once again as one, the Heathers all stopped their laughing and turned to Sophie with concerned expressions. “Are you okay?” Heather M. asked in a serious tone.

Sophie nodded. “Good. I'm going to make sure he's really leaving,” said Heather M. She followed Josh out the door.

Sophie was still trying to process it all. She'd known that this kind of thing happened to most girls, in fact, she'd always been surprised that some guys didn't seem aware of how creepy their behavior was, but actually experiencing it was a whole different matter. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't understand why. He hadn't really done anything, just grabbed her hand. He hadn't hurt her or forced her to do anything. Maybe she hadn’t pulled away hard enough. Maybe she hadn’t made it clear that she did not want him to touch her. If she’d pulled harder, he probably wouldn't have pulled back. If she'd run, he probably wouldn't have followed her.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I just froze up. I should have fought harder. Or just left right away instead of letting him talk.”

Heather K. leaned in close and placed a hand on Sophie's shoulder. “Hey. Don't blame yourself. You shouldn't be expected to deal with assholes like that.”

Heather S. nodded. “Heather's right. Besides, you're new to all of this. Guys like that will just follow you if you try to walk away.”

Sophie reached out and pulled the two of them into a hug, which they both returned, squeezing her tight. She hadn't expected it to be so comforting. It didn't matter to them whether or not she'd handled the situation badly, she was just a girl in distress and they were helping her.

As they broke away the hug, Heather M. returned. “He's gone,” she said. “Everything okay here?”

Sophie nodded. “Thanks, all of you.”

“You're welcome,” said Heather M. “But you can't freeze up when you're in a situation like this. You're basically just letting the guy do what he wants.”

“Yeah,” added Heather K. “You really should know how to deal with assholes like that.” Hadn’t she just told her the opposite? Heather K. looked at Heather M. expectantly, but the tall girl ignored her.

“Come on,” Heather M. said, gesturing with her head. “We’ll hang out with you for the rest of the night. No one wants to be alone after something like that.”

True to their word, the Heathers stuck by Sophie and her mood greatly improved. It was oddly relaxing, sipping the ever-refilling alcohol in her cup and chatting while people partied around them. By how people in her vision were starting to become sort of blurry and everything anyone said were the funniest things she’d ever heard she guessed that she must be getting pretty drunk. Heather S. grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her over to the stereo with a similar goofy smile to her own plastered across her face.
“Dance with me, Sophie!” she cheered over the deep base blaring from the speakers. Sophie quickly nodded and started dancing, drawing scores of giggles from Heather S.

“What? Am I doing the move wrong?” she asked, continuing her impression of the running man. Heather S. continued her giggles and shook her head.

“When I said dance I didn’t mean dance like my mom, Sophie! Here, watch me.” She stepped back and began moving to the beat of the song, swaying her hips back and forth earnestly and in a sensual manner. Sophie watched intently as she started to pick it up. She jumped in, joining Heather as they drew eyes in their direction. Before she knew it, Heather K. and Heather M. had also joined in with their own moves. Sophie watched Heather M. moved and found herself entranced, it seemed like every move she made was designed to draw the eye in, it was no wonder most of the guys were watching her. The longer they danced, the deeper Sophie fell into the rhythm of the beat. Suddenly she felt her hip connect with Heather S.’ and found herself tumbling over onto the floor from the impact. She looked back up at the others, clearly expecting her to be hurt or upset. Instead, Sophie let out a loud cackle into the crowd.

“That was awesome, Heather!” she laughed. The trio exchanged a look and joined with her laughter. Heather K. pulled her up.

“Sorry, Sophie! Sometimes I can’t stop moving. You get it,” she apologized. Had Sophie not been plastered, she might’ve disagreed, however any sense of reason had been thoroughly washed out by the alcohol.

“Shots!” she heard a guy call out and found Heather M. handing her a lime, a full shot glass and some salt.

“Okay Sophie, here’s what you do-” she began.

“Wait wait wait,” she interrupted, “I saw other people doing this! So it’s salt, and then lime, and then shot, right?”

“No, it’s salt, then shot, then-” Heather K. attempted to correct before being spoken over by Heather M.

“You’re doing it wrong. It’s salt, shot, then lime. Do as I do,” she instructed before licking some salt off her hand smearing some of her lipstick in the process, downing the shot, and sucking on the lime. Her face scrunched up somewhat before returning to normal. “See? Easy. Now you, Sophie,” she gestured.

Sophie complied as instructed and promptly began coughing as the tequila burned its way down her throat.

“That tastes terrible,” she cried between coughs. “It’s so much worse than the wine. Why can’t it taste like that other stuff?” At the very least, the lime had made the bitterness of the shot almost bearable. Still, she guessed it was worth it just to have the experience.

“What other stuff?” Heather S. replied.

“You know, the juice that was in my cup?” Sophie continued.

“Ohhhhh,” Heather S. murmured.

“The Jungle Juice?” Heather K. added. Sophie cocked her head.

“That’s what it’s called? Who came up with that?” she asked, to which the Heathers promptly shrugged.

“Some senior a few years back probably,” Heather M. said, “there’s so much in there I couldn’t begin to elaborate on the list of different alcohols.” Sophie sighed--there was way too much wrong with that sentence. On some level, she knew the decisions she was making tonight weren’t probably her best, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.  She’d never felt so free before, so accepted, so alive. 

Sophie’s joy came to a sudden end, however, when one by one, the Heathers fell silent. She looked up to find them all staring at a group of classmates who were in the midst of dancing. Tyler was among them, as well as Margo and Josh.

“It seems,” Heather M. started, her voice dripping with venom, “that we need to--”

 

* * *

 

The smell of fresh laundry filled Sophie’s nostrils. Something was covering her face. She reached up and pulled it away. It was her comforter. She was in her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut in the morning light. For some reason, they felt sore.

“What the hell?” she asked herself. Her voice was raspy from thirst.

She glanced around her room, wondering how she had gotten home and into her pajamas. She had heard of people blacking out after drinking. Was that what had happened to her?

And, she thought with a growing sense of unease, what else had she vanished from her memory?