“I won’t lose to you again, you grungy tomboy!” Chase shouted as he tried to keep up with his rival. Cheers of encouragement rose from the semi-circle of guys around the DDR machine, the music lost in the cacophony of the slapping of shoes on the dance pads. ‘WINNER, PLAYER 2!’ the machine announced as the round came to an end.

“Haha… gotcha again, Chase.” She said, grinning.

“Agh, no fair, Hannah. Girls are more flexible, that’s the only reason you nailed that double criss cross switch!” he complained, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah yeah, whine all you want. You lost the bet, so I get to choose your punishment.” She noticed a group of stunning girls walk past, each carrying bags from Miraculous, the new boutique that had just opened a few days ago. Girls around school and all over the net were raving about it. Hannah had wanted to check it out, but she didn’t exactly have any girl friends to ask. “Y'know what I think I have the perfect idea, too.” She said, grinning.

“I have a bad feeling about this….” Chase said.

The pack of five guys and a girl, composed of Hannah and her friends, stood outside of the store. Groups of women entered and departed in a steady flow. “Here we are,” Hannah said, “your punishment is having to come in here with me… and try on one thing I pick for you!” she grinned malevolently at Chase.

“What? No way, that’s going too far, Han!” he argued. “Come on, back me up here Dex… Zane?”

“Sorry, dude.” Dex said with a shrug.

“You made the bet, so…” Zane glanced at Hannah. She grinned.

“Come on- Bryan? Toby?” he asked, looking at the other two.

“No way, I’m not getting beat up by Hannah for saving you.” Toby said. Bryan nodded in agreement with the sentiment.

“Fuuuuuck…” Chase groaned. “You guys are the worst, won’t even bail a brother out…”

“Move it, Chase! We’ve got some outfits to look at! Don’t worry, even a “grungy tomboy” like me will make sure you look pretty in your outfit.” She grabbed his arm and started dragging him inside, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to back down now, not after losing the bet in front of all their friends. The guys were all on the football team together, and as the starting quarterback, Chase was their de-facto ringleader.

“Oh come on Han, you’re taking this too far, come on-” he passed through the entryway to the store, getting a few glances from women inside shopping. “Please let’s just go, I’ll do anything but this…”

“Sorry, Chase. Next time you’ll think twice before you challenge me so carelessly, huh?” She grinned.

“Man, all the chicks shopping here are like… solid 8s or higher.” Dex observed as they walked through the aisles. A girl nearby made a disgusted noise at his observation.

“My girlfriend was saying she wanted to check this place out with her friends.” Bryan said. “Maybe I’ll tell them that Chase wants to join them?” he laughed, and the other guys (excluding Chase) joined in.

“Suck my dick, Bry.” He said spitefully.

“Hey hey, language, there’s ladies present.” Hannah said, grinning and pulling him along further. “You know, there’s a rumor that the clothes here will bring out your inner beauty. I’ve been curious to try, but I think I’ll have you tell me if it’s true or not, Chase.” She stopped at one of the racks, pulling out a bodycon black dress with lattice sleeves. She held it up to Chase, who immediately went from upset to scared. “Perfect… this should be about your size!” she grinned.

“Oh no, oh hell no I am not putting that--”

“You are, or I’ll pick something even more revealing~” Hannah said with a cruel grin. “Now take this and go try it on. Don’t forget to step out of the changing room once it’s done, so we can all see.”

“This is bullshit, I’m not doing thi-” He was cut off by the guys grabbing his arms. “Hey what the hell?”

“You lost the bet, Chase, so time to take your punishment. Don’t worry, we won’t tell the team.” Bryan said, helping Dex to guide him towards the dressing rooms.

“Thanks guys. I’ll treat you to pizza in the food court after this~” Hannah laughed, following them as they shoved Chase along. When they finally stuffed him into a dressing room, Hannah tossed the dress in after him. “Be sure to call if you need a hand putting it on, Chase!” she teased. “And don’t try to escape, we'll be out here waiting!”

‘This is ridiculous!’ Chase thought, staring at the dress. He looked in the mirror and saw himself staring back, looking disheveled and put out by this whole stupid bet. ‘So they add some glitter or something to the mirror and that’s supposed to make women think these clothes show their ‘inner beauty?' Women are so stupid.’ he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t hear changing in there, Chase.” Hannah said from beyond the curtain.

“Yeah yeah… don’t get your panties in a twist, Man-nah…” He grumbled and started stripping down to his boxers. The dress didn’t have any zippers or anything, so he figured he just had to pull it on over his head like a long t-shirt. He bunched it all up and shoved his arms through the sleeves, fingers snagging in the weird criss-crossing strips of fabric across the gaps in the sleeves. ‘Who the heck even designs clothes like this? Your arms would be cold anyway so what’s the point?’ With his arms through he tugged it down over his head, the conservative neckline hiding his broad, flat chest and almost giving it the suggestion of cleavage from where he was looking. He pulled it down until it was fully unbunched, the hem of the skirt just coming past his boxers. He looked at himself in the mirror, and had to do a double take. Standing in the reflection was a sexy, athletic girl- same height as him, with the same short, spiky dark brown hair. The eyes were the real striking part- one brown, one green- just like his. He reached out a hand to touch the mirror, only to see his hand was much more slender, short nails clicking against the surface of the mirror just before his fingers could reach it. “What the…?” he started to ask, his voice cracking sharply. “What the he-'' his voice sounded higher- softer. “What the hell is going on?!” he demanded of nobody in particular, his voice settling into this higher register.

“What’s taking so long, Chase?” Hannah asked, her phone at the ready to take pictures. The guys had their phones prepared as well.

“I-I can’t come out.” Chase said.

“Wow, how tight is that dress? Did it crush your balls? Sure sounds like it. Get out here!”

“Yeah, come on man, we’re hungry for pizza!” Zane said.

“Fine…” Chase said, grabbing the curtain and stepping out. Immediately the phones started clicking as pictures were snapped.

“Ohhhh my god,” Hannah said, bursting out laughing. “Woowwww, those clothes really are amazing, you actually look like a girl in that!”

The guys were laughing and taking pictures, and all Chase could do was turn more and more red. He grabbed the curtain and yanked it open, stepping back inside. He looked at the small bench where he’d tossed his clothes- they were gone. “Hey what the fuck? My clothes are missing!” he said.

“What?” Hannah asked through her subsiding laughter.

“This isn’t fucking funny, where are my clothes?” he demanded. “My wallet and phone were in my jeans pockets!”

“Hey, just look around, there’s no way anyone got them while we were all here in front of the booth.

“I’m telling you there’s nothing in here!” he said, pulling the curtain back across so they could see inside. The guys had to fight another wave of laughter. Hannah didn’t fight it. But she did notice something hanging on the hook on the wall. A small black purse, perfect for the outfit.

She laughed harder. “Ah, are you accessorizing, Chase?” She asked, snagging it and taking it down. To her surprise there was weight to it. She opened it to reveal the phone and a women's wallet, filled with all of Chase’s ID and money. “Wowwww, you’re really taking this to the next level!”

“Shut up, Hannah!” Chase shouted, before immediately regretting his choice as his higher voice didn’t sound nearly as intimidating as his old deep one did. “Just… go get me some cheap jeans and a shirt from H&M or something!” he insisted.

“Ohhh no, you’re coming with us if you want clothes.” Hannah teased. “Don’t worry, I’ll even loan you the money for that cute dress and purse.”

“Fuck you, Ha-”

“Attention shoppers, the mall will be closing in 15 minutes. Please make your final purchases and exit the building. Thank you.” the intercoms echoed across the mall.

“Shit! I need to get over to H&M and get stuff NOW!

“Guess you’d better hurry up then, the line for the registers is going to fill up fast!” Hannah said, motioning towards them.

“Fuuuuuck you guys!” Chase said quickly shoving past them towards the registers.

“Hey don’t forget your purse! And here’s the money for the dress!” Hannah said, grinning as she handed him both.

“Just wait, the next bet you lose, I’ll fucking remember this, Han. You better be ready to go streaking or something just as embarrassing as this.” He stormed up towards the counters, getting caught in a line of women with arms laden in clothing and accessories.

“Attention shoppers, the mall will be closing in 5 minutes. Please make your final purchases and exit the building. Thank you.” the intercom announced as they were finally exiting the store.

“Hurry! We need to get over to the other side of the mall for H&M!” Chase said, trying to run. “Fuuuuck this is hard to run in!”

Hannah and the guys were behind him losing it. A prank gone too far? Maybe. But they were loving getting to see the cocky QB get some shame of his own for once. As they approached the doors to H&M through the throngs of last minute mall shoppers making their way to the exits, he saw the gates rattling closed. “Tough luck, Chase.” Dex said, laughing.

“No! Hey, fuck, you gotta let me in there, man!” Chase said to the beleaguered employee on the other side, locking up so they could count registers for the night.

“Sorry, miss. We’re closed for the night. We’ll be open tomorrow at 7am. Thank you for your interest in H&M.”

“The fuck are you calling miss!” Chase shouted, “I need to grab some jeans and a shirt! Let me in!”

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed.” he said, turning his back and walking back into the store proper.

“This is… bullshit.” Chase said, slamming a hand against the cage. Tears overflowed his eyes and he clung to the cage for a moment before he was pulled back by a man in a Mall Security uniform.

“Sorry, miss.. But you’re going to have to go, the mall is closing.” he said sternly.

“The fuck…” he said, wiping his eyes angrily. “This is fucked up.”

“I’ll ask one more time to leave calmly, and if you don’t comply I’ll have to escort you out.” he said.

“Let’s just go, Chase.” Zane said.

“Fine, whatever, fuck you guys…” he shoved past the security guard and started walking. The others quickly caught up.

“Hey, we can’t let him go back to the dorms like this, he’ll get eaten alive.” Bryan said.

“Yeah. Hey, Hannah, you and your friend have an apartment off campus right? Can he stay there until we grab him a change of clothes from the dorms?”

“As much as I wanna say no and send him into the lion’s den, I’m not that cruel. Sure.” she nodded. “I’ll give him a ride to my place. You guys can swing by with a change of clothes.”

Chase sat with his arms folded on the couch in Hannah and her roommate Jessica’s apartment. Hannah came back into the room with a cup of tea for herself and him, setting his on the coffee table in front of him. “It’s just a store bought green, so it’s nothing fancy… but it might help calm down a bit. Zane said he’d bring over a change of clothes from you guys’ dorm. It won’t take long.” Hannah said.

“Yeah. Real fucking hero, Zane… Too bad he didn’t step in to help me, or go to H&M to get me clothes while you guys were all laughing at me standing in line.”

“I’m sorry, Chase. I took it too far. I just wanted you to get a taste of your own medicine since you’re always dishing out harsh punishments when you win bets.”

“Yeah?” Chase asked. “Well was this harsh enough for you?” he asked, his voice cracking, tears threatening again.

“Uh… You okay?” Hannah asked, offering him a tissue.

“No I’m not fucking okay!” Chase said, wiping his eyes and then blowing his nose. “This is so fucked up, Han!” He said, gesturing at himself.

“Ah…” She moved to sit beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. ‘Were they always this slender?’ she wondered. “I’m sorry. Really. You can give me any punishment you want after this.”

“You bet I’m going to give you something harsh!” he said, leaning against her, resting his head on her shoulder.

‘Okay, this is definitely weird.’ Hannah thought, torn between shoving him away and hugging him comfortingly. Eventually the latter won out, and she shifted to hug him. She felt his tears dampening her shoulder. ‘Shit… What the hell?’

A series of knocks came at the door ten minutes later- by which time Chase had stopped crying, so Hannah released him to get up and head to the door. “Hey. I got his clothes.” Zane said.

“Great. Come in.” Hannah said, taking a step back to let him in, before closing and re-locking the door.

“Hey Cha-....” Zane said, fading off as he saw the mess that was Chase on the sofa. “The hell?”

Hannah smacked his arm. “He’s having a shitty evening… Just give him the clothes, okay?” she said.

“Ow- yeah, fine.” He walked over and held out the bag to Chase. “Here you go man. GO get changed.” he said.

Chase took the bag carefully and stood. “Th-thank you, Zane… You’re not so bad, I guess.” he said.

“Uh. Thanks?” he said, taking a step back.

“You can change in the bathroom if you want, Chase.” Hannah said, indicating the door to it.

“Thanks, Han.” Chase said, heading into the bathroom to change. He pulled the dress off, and caught his reflection in the mirror. “WH-WHAT THE HELL?” he screamed, staggering backwards into the door with a thud.

“You okay in there, Chase?” Hannah asked, leaning on the door slightly.

“N-no I’m not all-fucking-right!” he shouted back, and pulled the door open. Hannah fell inwards, colliding with him and driving him to the floor, where she had him pinned. Looking down at him she gasped.

“Are those… do you have…?” she asked, reaching down to touch one.

“Y-aah!” he gasped. “Don’t touch them!”

“Sorry!” she said, quickly pulling her hands back.

“What’s going on? I heard a bang.” Zane said, returning from the kitchen where he’d been raiding the fridge.

“Nothing! Stay away!” Hannah shouted back at him.

“Ooookay then.” Zane said, turning around and heading back to the kitchen.

“Sh-shit, what am I supposed to do about this?” Chase asked, fresh tears falling.

“I- I don’t know… Is it just some kind of allergic reaction to the dress maybe? Some swelling?” she asked getting up and helping him to his feet. “Let me get you some antihistamine lotion to put on it.”

“I just… I just want to go back to my room and rest.” he said, wiping his eyes aggressively, as if trying to shove the tears back in.

“Alright… I’ll step out and let you change, then…” she said, standing and leaving him in the bathroom.

She stood in the kitchen, watching Zane eat a PB&J he had helped himself to from their pantry supplies. There was a soft click as the bathroom door opened, and the sound of slow footsteps up the hall. Hannah gasped as Chase entered the kitchen. His hair was longer- about shoulder length, and he was absolutely drowning in the baggy clothes Zane had brought, with the collar hanging off his left shoulder.

“I- I don’t think it’s… an allergic reaction…” he said.

“What the hell happened?” Hannah asked.

“I don’t know… It just ended up like this while I was changing... “ he said timidly.

“But you look like…” Zane started.

“A girl.” Hannah finished.

Chase nodded. “Yeah… everywhere.”

“Even….?” Hannah asked, glancing down below his waist. He nodded.

“Woah.” Zane added, “Can I see?”

“No!” Hannah and Chase said in unison.

“Hey, just asking….” Zane said with a shrug.

“Wh-what do I do now? How am I supposed to go back to the dorms like this? Go to classes? Play football? Live my life!?” Chase asked.

“Hey, we’ll figure this out, I promise. We’ll get you fixed, Chase.”

“Chloe.” Chase said.

“What?” Hannah asked, dumbfounded.

“...It’s what I thought would be good.”

“....Okay… uh, ‘Chloe’... How about you just crash on our couch tonight until we can figure this shit out?”

Chloe nodded. “Okay.” she said, turning and walking away into the living room.

“....The fuck?” Zane asked, looking at Hannah and then after Chase-- or Chloe. “What was THAT?”

“I- I have no idea, man…” Hannah said. “I’m as weirded out as you.”

“What do we even do with this?” Zane asked, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know! This is new to me too! People don’t just… don’t just… change sex because they crossdressed once!” Hannah said.

“So… what do we do until we fix him?”

“Just… support him-- or her? I guess…” Hannah said, sighing heavily. “He- uh, she? Can sleep on our couch for a few days, but I don’t know how to handle Chase missing classes…”

“Yeah, if his grades slip he won’t be able to play in the next game.” Zane said.

“...If we can’t fix this he won’t be playing in any football games.” Hannah said.

“Shit… You’re right.” Zane sighed. “I’m… going to go make sure he’s okay.”

“Yeah. I’ll call Jess and let her know we have a guest so she doesn’t freak out when she comes home from work... “

“Hey.” Zane said as he entered the living room and took a seat next to Chase on the couch. “You gonna be okay, Chase?”

“Chloe.” she corrected. “...and yeah. I think so.” She smiled weakly.

“Ah.. right… ‘Chloe’....” He sighed. “Well… we’re all going to work hard to get you back to normal. So just hang tight for us, okay man?”

“Yeah…” Chloe said, leaning against Zane. “Thanks, Zane… You’re pretty nice, you know?”

“Ah- uh, thanks?” he said, looking down to see his friend practically snuggling up against him.

“You’re really warm, too.” she said.

“Oooookay….” he said, reaching down to grab her shoulders and hold her at arm's length.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, looking up at Zane. He realized how small she seemed in his hands, compared to his body.

“No… uh. Nothing.” he said, letting her go. She immediately pressed against him again, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. ‘Shit, this is bad…’ he thought.

“Hey… Zane?” she asked after a quiet moment of listening to his heartbeat passed.

“Yeah?” he asked nervously. ‘Relax. He’s a guy. He’s a guy. He’s a guy. God dammit he’s really effective as a girl though…’

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” she asked.

“Wh-what the hell kind of question is that?” Zane asked, pushing her away again.

“....You don’t, then? She asked, looking hurt.

“Ah- shit.. I didn’t say that… I just… What the fuck is going on, man? Are you trying to prank me back for today?”

“Prank?” he said, shaking his head. “No… I just wanted to know if you liked how I look…”

He blushed and ran a hand over the back of his head. “Uh… s-sure I do, uh.. ‘Chloe’.”

“Good.” She smiled, moving back in and hugging him. “I like how you look too…” she said, looking up at him, her chin against his chest.

“Okay, this is getting too weird, you gotta stop this before I do something really gross.”

“Gross?” she asked. “You think… I’m gross?” She pulled back and looked away, frowning.

“Ahhhhhhhh shiiiiit, no I don’t think you’re gross but you’re one of my friends and I can’t kiss you- especially because you’re a guy!”

“....But I’m not, now.” she said, leaning in closer. “...and I want you to.”

‘God, are you testing me?’ Zane thought, leaning away. “Cha-Chloe-- I can’t…”

She leaned in closer, crawling into his lap, moving her face inches away from his. “Not even like this? Do you still see me as a guy?”

“N-no…..shit... “ he said, straining to keep his composure. ‘Please don’t get a boner, please don’t get a boner…’

“Mm… I feel you pressing against me…” she said, grinning as she shifted, whispering in his ear. “Do you want me, Zane?”

He bit his lip for a moment. ‘I’m sorry, God… Look away…’ “Yes…” he said quietly.

There was a pause, and then a laugh. Chloe got up off his lap, looking down at him. “Gotcha. There’s no way I’d do it with you, Zane.”

“F-fuck!? Were you just messing with me, Chase!? You asshole!”

“Of course I was. I had to get you back for being a jerk at the mall. Oh, and it’s Chloe. Don’t make me tell you again.” she said, turning and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Hannah asked, stepping out of the kitchen doorway where she’d been watching everything up until just then.

“Back to my dorm. I’m tired… Thanks for offering a place, and for listening earlier, Han.” She said with a smile.

“...But you can’t go back to the guys dorm… not like that.” she said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just put that blockhead Zane in front of the door so nobody gets in. I’ll transfer to the girls dorms asap. Come on Zane. You’re driving me back to the dorms.”

Zane let out a defeated sigh. “I feel like my life just got very complicated…”

Hannah nodded. “Yeah…. Me too…” she looked at the bag sitting in the bathroom. “....Well, you might as well take that with you too.”

“Why?”

“Because she might want her dress in the morning…”