The campers stared at each other in silence. Amanda sat there sucking on her frozen popsicle and watched each one of them timidly try to not draw attention to themselves.  When everyone turned to look at her.  She removed the popsicle from her mouth.  “I guess you all want me to go first?  Sure, I can break the ice.”

After a few nods, she finished her popsicle and tossed the stick into the fire. Stella thought it odd that the stick burned with a green flame but said nothing.  

Amanda then stood up and opened the Yeti cooler she was sitting on.  She pulled out a box of popsicles and passed them around the campfire.  

After each camper had started licking their popsicle, Amanda sat back down on her cooler and explained, “This story is about gender transforming popsicles.”

Everyone stopped licking their lollipops and suddenly just looked at them in their hands.

“Is this an interactive story?” Jose asked.

“Only if you want it to be,” Amanda said with a wink and nod.

“Done!” Evan said, biting into his popsicle and tossing the stick into the fire.

The other campers laughed at Evan’s eagerness.   

“It was a dark and stormy night!” Amanda grinned maliciously.

“Seriously?” Jose interrupted.

“You’re right.  It was quite the opposite.” Amanda replied.  “It was a bright and oppressively hot summer morning…”

---

Staying Cool by tfes8 and Elron

“Ethan, wake up,” Mom said. “I’m leaving for work now.”

Ethan groaned, “But it’s summer break.”

“I know,” she said. “I left a list of chores for you to do today. When you’re done with them you can go hang out with your friend.” 

“But, Mom…” he whined.

“Ethan, If you’d rather get a job than do household chores, go ahead. Especially if you want to buy a car next year. We can talk about this more tonight. I need to get going.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Have a good day, honey.”

Ethan sat up, wiping sweat off his forehead. The A/C must be broken again. He wished his parents would just buy a new unit. 

He got up to see just how hot it was. The thermostat was set to 69 Fahrenheit but the actual temperature was 75 and climbing. As his mom opened the door they were blasted with hot arid air. “Gonna be a scorcher today,” he thought.

Ethan was a 17-year-old high school senior. Summer break had just begun and all he wanted to do was hang out with Jacob, play video games, and find a girlfriend. 

Grumbling, he looked over the list of chores his mom had left. This was not what he wanted to be doing today.

Ethan picked up his cellphone and texted Jacob. “Dude, mom gave me chores. Can’t hang until done.”

As Ethan ate breakfast, Jacob responded. “Sux dude. Want help?”

That was nice of Jacob. He was a few months younger than Ethan, and too good of a friend sometimes. “Awesome!” He replied.

Soon, there was a knock at the door, and Jacob walked in. 

“Wow,” Jacob observed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “It’s friggin’ hot outside - and inside.”

“Our A/C is broken,” Ethan apologized.

“So what chores need to be done?”

“Clean the living room, trash, laundry, and a grocery run.”

“We can get that done in no time. Then we’ll have the rest of the day to ourselves.”

“Sweet.” 

Over the next hour Ethan and Jacob did the chores. All that was left was trash and groceries.

Ethan carried the trash outside. As he walked to the curb, he saw his neighbor and school jock, Connor, with his friend, Dylan, grabbing cases of soda from a car. 

“What are you guys doing?” Ethan asked curiously. He and Connor used to be friends when they were younger. Now they barely tolerated each other. Connor was on the JV football team, and Ethan would rather play Dungeons and Dragons with Jacob.

Connor scoffed at his awkward neighbor pretending they were friends. “What does it look like, dork? We’re having a pool party.”

“A sick pool party,” Dylan added. “We invited the whole school.”

A pool sounded great to Ethan. “That’s funny,” he said. “I wasn’t invited.”

“Dweebs aren’t invited.” Connor smirked. “You’ll scare the girls away.”

Ethan rolled his eyes at the childish comment. “Whatever, I didn’t want to go to your lame-ass party anyway.”

The boys parted without saying another word. Ethan walked back towards his house. 

Jacob was waiting inside. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. We go to school with jerks.”

“Don’t let them get to you, Eeth. One more year and we can both go off to college and meet more civilized people.” 

“Yeah,” Ethan said, shrugging it off. “Damn, it’s hot!”

Jacob whined. “Can we really hang out in this sweatbox?”

“Well, we still have to go to the grocery store. It’s air conditioned.”

“Good call.”

Ethan and Jacob rode their bikes to the grocery store. 

It was so nice inside that both boys just stood around for a few minutes taking in the cold air. 

They took their time getting the groceries Ethan’s mom wanted. 

Ethan overheard familiar voices from the next aisle. It was Connor and Dylan again. 

“Who else is coming today?” Dylan asked.

“You know that hot cheerleader, Grace? Well she’s bringing half of the squad with her.” Connor boasted.

Ethan was taken aback. “Grace is going to Connor’s party?” He'd had the biggest crush on Grace since freshman year. He’d been trying to work his way up to actually saying more than hi to her. Now she’s going to be right across the street!

Ethan met up with Jacob in the checkout line. He watched as Connor and Dylan left the store carrying bags of ice. “I wish we were going to that party,” he said to Jacob while putting groceries on the belt. “Grace will be there.”

“We’d have to get invited first,” Jacob reminded him.

“Did you find everything you were looking for?” the cashier asked. She had matching green hair and lipstick, and a friendly smile. 

Ethan looked longingly at the door where the other boys exited. “Well, not everything.”

“We’re having a sale on popsicles.” the cashier said. “I’ll bet those would make today more bearable.”

“I dunno.” 

“Definitely!” Jacob chimed in. “Where are they? I’ll get them.”

“Frozen desserts aisle,” the cashier replied. “Next to the other popsicles. Bottom shelf in the back.”

Jacob ran to the frozen food section. He found the aisle with frozen treats, opened the freezer door, and peered at the bottom shelf in the back. He found two pink boxes. He grabbed one and examined it. It had foreign writing on it with an image of a cute anime girl eating a popsicle. “This must be it.” 

He ran back to the checkout where Ethan was waiting to pay. “Is this it?” he asked the cashier as he showed her the box.

“That’s it.” She said with a smile and a wink. She scanned and bagged the popsicles.

Ethan paid with his mom’s credit card and the boys returned to Ethan’s house with the groceries. They quickly put everything away and opened the popsicles.

Ethan pulled one out. “What are these?”

“I dunno.”

Ethan ripped the wrapper and licked it. “Mmm, cherry.”

Jacob tried his. “These are good. And cold!”

“Now what?” Ethan asked. “Watch TV?”

“Sure.” 

They sat on the couch and watched TV while they consumed their pops. Ethan started to feel an itch on his chest and scratched at it.

Before they knew it, the pops were done and Jacob got up to throw away the trash. When he returned, Ethan’s hair looked longer. “Dude, you need a haircut.”

“What? I got one last week.” Ethen felt the top of his head, and pulled at a lock of hair that seemed to be growing in front of his eyes. “What the hell?” He turned to Jacob and saw that he now sported chin-length hair. “Your hair is growing too.”

Jacob ran a hand through his hair. “This is so weird,” he said. “I gotta see this in the mirror.” He took a few steps towards the bathroom and hesitated. “Wait. I’m shorter. I’m shrinking!”

Ethan stood up and noticed he too was shrinking. He looked at his hand as the fingers became thinner. “Dude, what was in those popsicles?”

“I don’t know.” Jacob ran back to the freezer and looked at the box, but nothing was in English. He returned to the living room holding up his shorts. He looked again at Ethan. “You look like a girl.”

“Don’t say that.” Ethan replied, his voice rising in pitch. He had a shocked look on his face as he heard his higher voice. He looked down, watching his T-shirt push away from his chest. “Oh, no. I'm growing tits!”

Jacob looked down too and put his hands on his chest. Slowly, like twin balloons inflating, his chest swelled up into his palms. He looked scared.

Suddenly Ethan felt a tug at his penis. “No, please no.” He crossed his legs as he felt his genitals get sucked up inside him.

Ethan looked in his shorts. “It’s gone!” He cried.

Jacob let out a feminine moan as the same thing happened to him. He checked his shorts. “This can’t be happening! What are my parents going to say? What are people at school going to say?”

“We’ll figure this out, Jake,” Ethan tried to sound hopeful.

“I… I gotta go home!” Jacob said, running out the door.

As Jacob ran to his bike, he held up his shorts and boxers.

He saw two girls in front of Connor’s house. They looked at Jacob with disgust.

“What is she wearing?” one girl asked the other.

“I didn’t know hobo chic was back.” The other girl said condescendingly.

“She’s not even wearing a bra.”

“So trashy.”

Jacob stood there and embarrassingly crossed his arms over his chest.

Ethan finally caught up to Jacob. They were a sight. Two girls wearing baggy boy clothes that draped over them with T-shirts hanging off their thin shoulders and cargo shorts threatening to fall to the ground.

Connor came out from his backyard to greet his guests and noticed Ethan and Jacob standing there. “Hi, ladies, I’m Connor. I don't think we’ve met.”

Ethan looked at Jacob who was on the verge of tears, then to Connor. He had to think fast. “I’m Ethan’s cousin, um, Emma. And this is J-”

“Hailey,” Jacob cut in.

Ethan flashed a look of surprise at Jacob for already having a girl’s name picked out.

“Why are you dressed like boys?” Connor asked.

“My cousin played an epic prank on us. Our clothes are in the wash.”

“Oh. Well, I’m having a party if you’re interested in escaping from your dorky cousin. You two beauties should be hanging out here.”

Ethan barely contained his laughter. 

Jacob, concern on his face, looked at Ethan and shook his head.

Connor introduced the girls. “Emma and Hailey, this is Olivia and Ashley.” 

Everyone said hi.

“So, grab your bathing suits and come on over!” Connor invited. “My pool is perfect!”

Connor and his guests walked into his backyard leaving Ethan and Jacob standing in the street.

“Ethan,” Jacob panicked. “I’m starting to freak out. We can’t do this.”

“Jake, I really want to go.”

“We can’t go looking like this.”

“But Grace is going to be there.”

“Um, you do realize we’re both girls right now. Shouldn't we be trying to fix this instead of worrying about a party?”

“Maybe I can use this to my advantage. I can put in a good word for me with Grace.”

Jacob sighed. ”Fine. But I’m only doing this for you.”

“Thank you, Hailey.”

Jacob frowned.

“We'll need to get used to our new names if we’re going to this party.”

“Fine… Emma. Now where are we going to get bathing suits? Unless you’re planning on going skinny dipping.”

“Valerie’s old room.” Ethan replied. “I’ll bet she left some clothes in there.”

The new girls returned to the house and entered Valerie’s room. Ethan’s older sister, Valerie, moved out last year, but she left behind lots of clothing.

Ethan searched Valerie’s dresser and found some bathing suits. He picked up two sets and tossed one to Jacob. “I’ll change in the bathroom,” he said, as he walked out and shut the door.

Ethan looked at his reflection. He kinda looked like Valerie. His hair was down to the middle of his back. 

He eagerly pulled off his T-shirt and looked at his chest. He’d never had a girlfriend and hadn’t ever seen a naked woman, except online. “These are so much better than internet porn!” he exclaimed. He cupped them and played with his nipples. “That feels good,” as his “high beams” came on.

He pulled the bikini top over his head and boobs, adjusting them in the mirror.

Then he dropped his shorts and boxers. He was amazed to see only a small mound where his penis had always been. He was upset his penis was gone, but he had other things on his mind. He could mourn his dick later. He pulled on the bikini bottoms.

Meanwhile, Jacob was still in Valerie’s room. He was afraid to look at his altered body. “This is so embarrassing,” he thought. He kept reminding himself that nobody would know it was him. He let go of his shorts and boxers and they dropped to the floor. He then removed his shirt and looked in a mirror.

Standing in front of him was a cute and curvy naked girl. He bit his lip. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. He grabbed the bikini Ethan gave him, pulled the top over his head and adjusted it on his new breasts. The top was tight, as Jacob was now bustier than Valerie. 

“Are you decent?” Ethan called.

“Hang on,” Jacob said, pulling the bottoms up. At least those fit nicely on his wide hips. “OK.”

Ethan walked into Valerie’s room holding beach towels. They looked at each other, blushed, and looked away. They found each other attractive, but were speechless.

Ethan walked into the closet and grabbed sandals for him and Jacob. 

Jacob put his T-shirt back on. It completely covered his bikini. 

Ethan did the same. “Hailey, we should get going.”

“Ok, Emma.”

🌡️

Dressed in bikinis, Ethan and Jacob walked over to Connor’s house. Jacob noticed how his boobs bounced and his hips swayed. He worried if he would be able to change back, or was he stuck this way.

Music was playing. Teens were running around. Around 20 classmates from high school. No adults. Ethan wondered if Connor’s parents even knew about the party.

As they entered the backyard they could see a group of teens playing in the in-ground pool. There was a lot of splashing, yelling, and diving. Ethan had swum in this pool when he was still friends with Connor. But that was years ago. 

Jacob’s anxiety was building upon seeing the chaos around him. 

“Ethan, I’m really starting to worry about this idea of yours. I think we should just go back to the store and talk to them about those popsicles. What if the change is permanent? What if there is an antidote, but we only have so long to take it? I don’t want to be stuck like this. I don’t think it’s worth the risk just so you can talk to Grace.”

“Look, Hailey, I changed too. First, we have to stay in character. Call me Emma, even when we’re alone. And remember, we don’t know anyone and we’ve never been here. Second, I don’t want to get stuck this way either. Let’s just stay a few minutes so I can meet Grace and talk up Ethan. Then we’ll head back to the store. In the meantime, try to have fun. Cool off in the pool while I talk to Grace.”

Ethan’s pep talk and promise seemed to calm down Jacob. He took a deep breath, relaxed, and tried to have a positive outlook. 

Ethan and Jacob removed their T-shirts and continued towards the pool. Now Jacob felt naked in front of all of these classmates.

Just then, Connor came up to them. “Hi ladies, welcome to my party. Emma and Hailey, right?” 

They nodded. 

“Let me say you both look gorgeous in those swimsuits.” Connor flirted.

They both gulped at hearing Connor’s praise. Like they had just walked into the lion’s den.

“Thank you. You’re Connor, right?” Ethan asked, pretending he didn’t know his own neighbor. “We really don’t know anyone. Could you show us around and introduce us?"

Connor was preoccupied with checking them out and almost ignored what Ethan had said. “Oh, um, sure, I’d love to.” He smiled at Ethan. “Come with me, ladies." 

Connor took Ethan’s hand and led them around his backyard pointing out all of his party's amenities. Then Connor introduced them to some of his friends. Ethan felt awkward holding Connor’s hand, but knew he had to play along.

Ethan was looking for Grace. He didn’t see her anywhere. “Connor, this is a lot of people. Are any more coming?”

“Oh, yeah, there is a group of cheerleaders on their way. Everyone knows I have the best parties!” Connor bragged.

Ethan rolled his eyes, but Connor wasn't looking at Ethan's eyes. “Whew, Connor, it’s pretty hot out here. Would you mind if we cooled off in the pool before we meet the rest of your friends?” 

“Oh sure, go ahead and dive right in. Could I bring you some sodas?”

“Yes, please.”

Connor left to get the drinks.

Ethan and Jacob sat down at the edge of the pool. They dangled their legs in the cold water. It felt refreshing, and lifted their spirits. 

“See, Hailey, this is what we came for. Finally mingling with our classmates. Dangling our legs in a pool on a hot day.” 

Jacob nodded. 

Sure, Ethan had a point about the hot day. Jacob, however, had no desire to mingle. 

"I dunno, Emma, I saw the way Connor was looking at you. I think you’re playing with fire."

Soon, Connor returned with cans of Coke. “Drink up, ladies, I’ve got plenty.” Connor’s eye’s lingered on Ethan’s bikini as he handed them the sodas. Then he left to tend to his other guests.

As classmates swam by and introduced themselves, Ethan and Jacob recited their backstory. Emma is Ethan’s cousin. Hailey is Emma’s best friend. They are both visiting from Edison.

A girl sat down next to Jacob. “Hi, I’m Taylor.”

“Hi, Taylor, I’m Hailey.” 

“I like your swimsuit, Hailey, but it looks a little tight on you.”

“I actually forgot mine, so I borrowed this.”

“I could adjust the ties, if you’d like.”

“That would be great. It’s so hard to reach back there.”

“I know what you mean.”

Taylor retied Jacob’s straps a little looser. He felt immediate relief.

“Oh, thank you, that feels so much better.”

Jacob and Taylor continued to talk. Jacob had sisters, so he wasn’t totally clueless about life on the female side of the fence. The more Jacob talked with Taylor, the more relaxed he felt.

With Jacob occupied, Ethan saw an opportunity to join a group of guys diving off the board. When it was his turn, he yelled “Cannonball!” then executed a perfect jump and tuck. The resulting splash got quite a few people around the pool soaking wet, including Taylor.

Taylor didn’t like being splashed, so she got up to leave. “Hailey, it’s been nice chatting with you, but I want to dry off and get a snack.” 

Jacob was annoyed that Ethan had chased away his new friend. But, he didn’t want to be alone, so he headed over to the diving board to join him. 

Ethan’s next jump was at an angle. The cannonball landed right in front of Olivia and Ashley, completely soaking them, their towels, and their snacks. Both girls shrieked at the cold dousing. By the time Ethan popped back up the mean girls had left the pool area muttering obscenities.

“Oops,” Ethan laughed, “Sorry.”

When it was Jacob’s turn he walked out to the edge of the diving board and jumped. He came down feet first. As he went under, the force of the water stripped his bikini top clean off.

When he came up for air he felt his breasts moving all over. He looked down and saw that his bikini top was missing. He covered his breasts with one arm and frantically began searching all around himself for the missing top.

Suddenly, Ethan popped up next to Jacob, holding his bikini top.

“Oh, God, thank you Eth- Emma,” Jacob gushed. “I was starting to freak out.”

“No problem,” Ethan replied. “Here, let me help you. And no more diving for you today. Your boobs are kinda big for jumping in. You almost put on a real show for everyone.”

“In the event of a water landing, I can be used as a floatation device,” Jacob giggled.

“I’m glad your sense of humor is returning.” Ethan laughed.

“And your aim is impeccable, buddy.” Jacob replied. “I saw what you did to the girls who called me trashy.”

“Hey, nobody calls my best friend trashy.”

Jacob resisted a sudden urge to hug Ethan for his protective comment.

After fixing Jacob’s top they got out of the pool and dried off. Then they headed over to the snack table. Nothing fancy; it was chips, pretzels, and sodas. They grabbed some chips and soda.

They walked around together, Ethan still looking for Grace. Soon they encountered a few boys who wanted to know who the new girls were. They all made introductions and started chatting.

Jacob was busy reciting their backstory when Ethan noticed a new group of girls entering the yard. Grace was with them. 

“Hey, guys, I see someone I need to talk to. Would you excuse me?” Ethan asked the group. He then walked off in Grace’s direction.

Jacob and the boys headed over to the covered deck to sit in the shade. Jacob nervously eyed Ethan walking away. “Fine, leave me with the sharks,” he thought.

Before Ethan could get to Grace, Connor intercepted him. “Hey, gorgeous, are you having a good time?”

“Shit!” thought Ethan. “Maybe Jacob was right about Connor.” 

“It’s pretty nice, I’ve met a lot of really cool people. And the water feels great. Thank you for inviting us.”

“Hey, Emma, your bikini top looks like it’s coming loose, how about I fix it for you?”

“Oh, um, OK. Thanks.” Ethan’s top didn’t feel loose, but he couldn’t see the back. Plus, Hailey’s top really had come off earlier.

Ethan turned around. Connor came up behind him, close enough for Ethan to feel an erection poking him. After Connor untied the perfectly tight bikini straps he retied them. Then he reached around and softly caressed Ethan's boobs through his bikini, while whispering, “Would you like to see my room?” Ethan was afraid to make a scene and spoil his chance to talk to Grace. He just cringed and shook his head. “All set, nice and tight.” Then he patted Ethan’s behind.

Ethan turned around and stared up at Connor with a mixture of fear and anger. He had never felt so powerless and dirty. He silently wished Connor could feel his humiliation. However, Connor just carried on like nothing was wrong.

“So, how long are you in town for?”

Ethan was all flustered from Connor’s advances. “U-Um, all week.”

“Well, Emma, would you like to go out sometime before you leave? I could show you the town. And I know this nice, secluded spot where we can get to know each other.

“Y-You mean like on a date?” Ethan choked. He certainly didn’t want to go out with Connor, so he used the excuse of not leaving Hailey behind. “I can’t leave Hailey alone. I’m sorry, Connor.” 

“Oh, yeah, Hailey. Hey, I’m sure Dylan would love to double date with us. He seems to be hitting it off with her.”

Ethan glanced in their direction. Dylan looked enamored with Jacob and was trying hard to win his attention. Ethan felt conflicted. “Hailey could do better,” he thought. “Um, let me talk it over with Hailey and I’ll let you know, OK?”

“Sure, take your time, babe. You know where to find me.” 

“Babe? Ick!” Ethan thought. He practically ran over to Grace to escape Connor. Before he got there he took a minute to let his heart slow down and put Connor out of his mind. “So what do girls talk about?” Then he remembered Taylor meeting Jacob. That was a good introduction. 

Grace had finished chatting with the other cheerleaders and was now alone. This was Ethan’s chance.

“Hi, there, I’m Emma. Where did you get that gorgeous swimsuit?”

“Oh, why thank you, Emma. I’m Grace. I bought it online.” She beamed.

“Well, you have such a killer bod, you can make any swimsuit look good.” Ethan laid it on thick. “It’s pretty hot out here. Would you like to get something to drink?”

“Sure,” Grace replied. So they headed over to the snack table.

On the way to the snacks, Grace noticed Hailey surrounded by the group of boys on the deck. “Boys that should be paying attention to me,” she thought. “And my ex, Dylan, is crawling all over that bitch. I’ll scratch her eyes out.” Grace composed herself and pointed at Jacob. “Hey, Emma, do you know that girl over there on the deck?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s my friend Hailey,” Ethan replied, now noticing for himself the attention Jacob was getting from the boys. Jacob was all smiles and appeared to be flirting back. “Now who’s playing with fire,” thought Ethan.

“Well, it looks like Hailey is making new friends.” Grace said icily. She made a mental note to deal with Hailey and Dylan later. “So, Emma, I don’t recognize you. Do you go to our school?” 

“No, I’m from Edison. Hailey and I are visiting my cousin, Ethan. He lives across the street.”

Grace was relieved to hear Emma and Hailey were only visiting. The competition was only temporary. “Hmm, I think Ethan is in my history class.” Grace looked around. “I don’t see him here, though.”

“Well, Ethan is, um, doing charity work today. He’s at a soup kitchen feeding the homeless.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet. So, how did you and Hailey wind up here?”

“Hailey and I were out for a walk and ran into Connor. He invited us.”

Grace and Ethan had arrived at the snack table. All of a sudden Ethan felt a familiar tingle in his hand. He grunted and started shaking his arm.

“Are you OK?” asked Grace. “Let me see your arm.”

Ethan held out his arm, and was shocked to see that his original male hand had returned. “Shit!” thought Ethan.

“Wow, what happened to your hand, Emma?”

Ethan jerked his arm back, “I must have been stung by a bee. I’m allergic to bee stings. Can you excuse me while I go get my medicine?”

“Sure. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, that’s OK. I’m going to get Hailey and I’ll be right back. 

Ethan approached Jacob and whispered in his ear. “We need to hide. Now.” He kept his arm out of sight.

“Sorry guys, gotta run!” Jacob jumped out of his seat and quickly walked off with Ethan.

They headed inside the house, and into the bathroom. Jacob was starting to get taller. Ethan’s hair was getting shorter. The popsicle’s effects had obviously started to wear off. 

Jacob’s boobs deflated and his bikini top hung loosely around him. He suddenly felt conflicted. Did he want to be Jacob or Hailey?

“I didn’t get a chance to tell Grace about me,” Ethan complained. “How long were we girls?”

“Um, maybe two hours? What do we do now?”

“We need more popsicles.” Ethan reasoned.

“Really?” Jacob asked, trying to hide his enthusiasm at being Hailey again. “But how do we get more? They’re in your freezer back home. Right now we’re boys in bikinis.”

Ethan looked around the bathroom and “borrowed” a set of boy’s clothes that were lying on a shelf with some towels.

“Here, get dressed, run back to my house, and grab us another two popsicles.”

“Why me?” Jacob whined.

“‘Cause if anyone recognizes me, I’ll get my ass beat. You know Connor and his friends hate me.”

Jacob pulled the clothes on over his bikini. “Ok, Eeth. I’ll be right back.” He left the bathroom, ran through the house, and darted out the front door.

👙

Jacob quickly ran to Ethan’s house, and to his freezer. He grabbed the remaining popsicles, unwrapping and licking one.

The moment the cherry flavor hit his tongue he could feel himself change back into Hailey. 

He ran to the bathroom, lifted up the shirt and readjusted the bikini so it sat right. “That’s so much better,” he thought, smiling. 

“I wonder…” he thought as he walked back into Valerie’s room. The drawer with the bathing suits was still open. In there he found a cute bathing suit coverup. He took off the t-shirt and shorts, put the cover up on, and looked at his reflection. “Now, I’m ready to return.”

With the last of his own popsicle in his mouth, Jacob grabbed Ethan’s popsicle and the borrowed clothes, and headed back across the street.

As Jacob crossed the street a large dog approached him, growling and baring his fangs. Jacob panicked, dropping Ethan’s popsicle. As soon as the popsicle hit the ground the dog jumped on it and devoured it, leaving only the wrapper and stick behind. Then the dog ran off.

Jacob just stood there dismayed at the loss of Ethan’s popsicle. He was going to have to explain what happened. He then continued towards Connor’s house. Back in the bathroom, Jacob broke the bad news to Ethan.

“What do you mean a dog ate it? That wasn’t your math homework, Jacob, that was my only shot with Grace! Now what are we going to do?” Ethan whined.

“You could just - talk to her,” Jacob suggested.

“As Ethan?”

“Sure. You’ll have to eventually. You were doing a great job of it as Emma. What did you talk to her about?”

“It was only for a minute. I think she was jealous of you.” Suddenly Ethan smiled devilishly.

“Oh no… I don’t like that look.”

“You can be my girlfriend.”

“Wait, what? How is that going to get you a date with Grace; or stop you from running into Connor?”

“It’ll show everyone I’m not some dweeb and I can get a hot girl.”

“Wait, you think I’m hot?” Jacob asked, excitedly.

“Please pretend to be my date?”

“I don’t know, Eeth.”

“Please, Hailey.” 

Jacob giggled. “I do like it when you beg. Fine, let’s do this!”

“Thank you!”

Jacob handed Ethan the borrowed clothes and walked out to the pool where he retrieved Ethan’s shirt. He returned to the bathroom and gave it to Ethan.

They left the bathroom together. 

“Now what?” Jacob asked.

“Let’s hold hands,” Ethan said, taking Jacob’s hand.

Jacob felt a warm tingle. Not the same tingle as the transformation. A nice one. It felt good holding Ethan’s hand.

Connor saw them walk out of his house. “You weren’t invited, dork!”

Ethan squeezed Jacob’s hand tighter in fear.

“He’s with me,” Jacob said, clutching Ethan’s arm and leaning into him.

“He can’t possibly be with you. You’re cool and he’s… not.”

“Look, Connor, if he leaves, then I leave.”

“Dude, let them stay,” Dylan chimed in, ogling Jacob.

Connor looked conflicted. “Ok, fine.” He looked at Ethan. “What happened to your cousin?”

“She got stung by a bee,” Ethan said. “She’s still at my house.”

Now Connor was scheming. “Does she need someone to keep her company?”

“No, she is taking a nap right now. But she’ll be back later.” Ethan lied.

Connor sighed. He would wait for Emma. Then as he walked away he gave Jacob’s butt cheek a quick pinch.  

Jacob’s eyes snapped to Connor, who winked back at him; then to Ethan, who was focused on Grace.

“She’s looking at us.” Ethan observed.

“Good, that’s what you wanted, right?” Jacob responded.

Just then, Taylor and a guy came up to them. “Hi Hailey, do you two want to play a pool game?”

“Sure,” Jacob said following Taylor to the pool.

“What about Grace?” Ethan asked.

“You owe me this.” Jacob firmly stated.

They all jumped in the pool. Taylor’s friend swam between her legs and lifted her up on his shoulders. 

Ethan repeated the move and raised Jacob up on his shoulders. Soon, other girls were rising up out of the water and a game of chicken began.

There was plenty of bumping, splashing, and tipping. Ethan and Jacob made a great team, knocking over three pairs in rapid succession. Then only one other couple remained. They saw Grace sitting on Dylan’s shoulders with absolute hatred in her eyes. 

“Shit!” Ethan thought. “This is not going the way I hoped.”

The two couples headed straight for each other, colliding in a big splash. The girls were pushing, shoving, and slapping each other in an effort to unseat the other.

Grace was not used to being challenged and started screaming obscenities at Jacob. “You bitch!” She raged. 

“Wow, that escalated quickly,” Jacob thought. He figured he’d have fun with it. Come and get me, skank!” Jacob taunted. He beckoned them forward.

Grace tried grabbing Jacob’s bikini top in order to knock him off and to remove it, embarrassing her. 

“What kind of girl does this to another?” Jacob wondered. “Ethan deserves better. Someone who will treat him better. Someone more like… me.”

At that moment Hailey acknowledged her feelings for Ethan. This made her even more determined to topple Grace and win Ethan’s affections. The symbolism of toppling Grace only fueled her desire. 

Grace was so focused on grabbing Hailey’s top, she never saw Hailey take a big swing at Grace, toppling her and Dylan.

Taylor began clapping and cheering. Other spectators joined in. Grace had a reputation as a real diva and her classmates were happy to see someone take her down a peg. Grace came up out of the water angry. She screamed at Hailey, to which Hailey responded with laughter. Grace lunged for Hailey, still perched on Ethan’s shoulders, taunting her. Only Dylan grabbing Grace’s arm and holding her back prevented a physical fight.

“Hailey, Grace, stop!” Ethan commanded.

“Get out of my sight!” Grace seethed.

Ethan carried Hailey to the other side of the pool and let her down.

“What the hell, Jacob?,” Ethan growled, his dreams of ever dating Grace rapidly crumbling. “You ruined everything!”

“Remember, Ethan, I’m Hailey,” she whispered, feeling hurt.”

“Sorry.”

“I didn’t ruin anything. She was being a total bitch and wasn’t playing nice.”

“But that was my only chance at finally dating my crush.”

“You can do better, Ethan.”

“Oh yeah, who?”

“I don’t know, Eeth. But I’ve done everything you’ve asked. And this obsession with trying to date a girl that doesn’t deserve you…”

“You don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like to be pining over someone for years. Never finding the courage to say something.”

“Yeah… I do know that feeling.” 

Before Ethan knew what hit him, Hailey wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck. Then she locked her lips with his with a passion that had started long before Jacob became Hailey.

Ethan looked at his best friend in shock, then at a fuming Grace. “What was that? You don’t have to act any more, Jake.”

Hailey was crushed. “I-I wasn’t acting, you ass.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m leaving. Good luck with Grace.” She climbed out and started walking towards the gate, head lowered.

Ethan stood there dumbfounded. What just happened? Should he chase after his best friend? Then he saw his crush. Should he apologize?

Before Hailey got to the gate, she saw Taylor and stopped.

“I just wanted to say goodbye,” she managed a weak smile, “It was so nice to meet you…”

Taylor returned Hailey’s smile. “Yeah, it was good meeting you, Hailey,” she said, winking. “Can we stay in touch?”

Hailey blushed. “I’m not sure I’ll still be around tomorrow. But I’d like to keep in touch.” They hugged. 

“What about your boyfriend?” Taylor asked.

Hailey looked back at Ethan who was with Grace. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she sobbed.

“He needs time,” Taylor said, placing her hand on Hailey’s shoulder to calm her.

Meanwhile, Ethan finally mustered the courage to talk to Grace. “Grace, I’m so sorry.”

“Tell your girlfriend she better watch herself.” Grace warned.

“She’s just a friend.” Ethan responded, looking back at Hailey who was now watching them.

“Oh really?” Grace said. Then she grabbed Ethan and gave him a kiss.

Grace’s kiss caught Ethan by surprise. But something was wrong. This wasn’t what he wanted. He pulled away and glanced back at Hailey, but she was gone.

Grace chuckled and walked away.

Just then Connor came up to Ethan. “Now that your girlfriend is gone, it’s time you left.”

“Fine.” Ethan said, collecting his things. 

As he was walking to the gate, Taylor confronted him.  “What’s wrong with you?” 

“I-I don’t know. I’m confused.”

“Clearly. You know Hailey is in love with you, right?”

“How can she be in love with me? We’re best friends. We do everything together. Hailey is always there for me. She does everything I want to do without question. Honestly, I don’t deserve-” Ethan paused. “Oh my God, my best friend is in love with me.”

“Duh! Now, go get your girl.”

Ethan nodded and started running back towards his house. When he got there, Jacob was gone.

☀️ 

Once back inside his house, Ethan called Jacob. He heard a ring from Valerie's room and found Jacob’s phone there. He picked it up and looked at it. The wallpaper was a picture of Ethan and Jacob on a camping trip last year.

Ethan sat there in silence for a long while, holding both phones.

There was a knock at the front door and he rushed to get it. Hailey was standing there with a grocery bag. “I forgot my phone,” she said, sadly.

“I’m sorry, Jake. I was an idiot.”

“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t being honest with you.”

“It’s fine. Let’s talk about it. Please. I’m ready to listen. What’s in the bag?”

Hailey held up the bag. “More popsicles. I got the last box. For you.”

“You did that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you Ethan.”

“I don’t deserve you as a friend. Come in. What should we do with them?”

“Maybe we could go back to the party as Emma and Hailey?”

“Nah, I am so over that bunch of ignorant jerks.”

“But what about Grace?”

“Today, thanks to you, Hailey, I got to see what Grace was really like.” I don’t know what I ever saw in her in the first place.”

“It was probably these,” giggled Hailey as she jiggled her boobs.

“You’re probably right,” Ethan laughed.

“I mean, they are awesome,” Hailey admitted, still playing with herself.

Ethan smiled at Hailey who was clearly very happy to have her own pair.

“Seriously, I wish we could make those jerks be more respectful of others. Maybe see what life is like from our perspective.” 

“That’s it!” Ethan shouted. “Let’s give them the popsicles and see what happens! Quick, Hailey, grab those Solo cups out of that cabinet,” he said, pointing across the kitchen. “We can melt down the popsicles and serve them in those cups.”

“But what if nobody wants to drink it?” Hailey asked, playing devil’s advocate.

“We’ll tell them it’s spiked,” Ethan reasoned. “Nobody will turn down a spiked drink!”

Hailey opened a popsicle and put it into her mouth. Ethan looked at her and smiled at the girl in front of him.

“Hailey.” Ethan asked tenderly. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Hailey was silent for a moment. “Is this it?” she thought. “Is this the moment she comes out to her best friend?” “Ethan,” she said. “I, um, have been having these feelings. For a while. I always thought that boys had to be strong and masculine. But I’m none of those things.”

“Everyone is different. You don’t have to be those things. Especially around me. Just be yourself.”

“I like being Hailey, Ethan.”

“I’m finally noticing.”

“When the popsicles first changed us I was scared. I was afraid I might like it. I was worried you’d learn my secret. But I did like it. A lot. But then I realized that I am Hailey. I’ve always been. Those popsicles were a dream come true. Now, I want you to know my secret. I hope this doesn’t ruin anything between us. I love you, Ethan.” She looked down at her sandal-clad feet.

“Hailey,” Ethan said, lifting her chin up. “I love you too.” He moved closer as their eyes closed and they kissed.

“What if I change back to Jacob?” 

“Now that I know, you’ll always be Hailey to me.”

Hailey smiled and wiped a happy tear from her cheek. “Let’s finish this up.”

They placed the popsicles in a bowl and microwaved them until they melted. Then they poured the liquid into a pitcher and added Sprite and ice to fill it up. Finally, they poured some “spiked” punch in each cup and put the pitcher in the fridge.

“OK, Hailey, let’s head back over there and have some fun!” Ethan wore his swim trunks, while Hailey raided Valerie’s room again and found a cute sundress to wear over her bikini.

They walked back over to Connor’s party with a tray of cups. Connor met them as they entered. “You two again? You really caused a commotion in the pool.”

Ethan spoke up. “I know, Connor, things got out of hand earlier. We’re sorry about that.” Ethan put on his most humble face.

By now, several of Connor’s friends had wandered over to where Connor was to see what was going on.

Hailey noticed the group and added, “We wanted this to be a peace offering and a toast to you, Connor, for throwing such a great party. So we made up this spiked punch to celebrate with everyone.”

Connor and his friends heard “spiked” and immediately thought “alcohol”.

“Boy, are they gonna be surprised,” thought Ethan.

The crowd started chanting, “Con-nor! Con-nor!” which finally drew the attention of Dylan and Grace, who joined the group.

Ethan and Hailey started passing out the cups, with the warning not to drink anything until the toast.

When everyone had a cup, Ethan raised his and called out, “Here’s to Connor.”

Hailey finished with, “He always has the best parties!”

A few people “hell, yeahed” their agreement, then everyone downed their punch. While that was happening, Ethan and Hailey stood back and waited for the show to begin. Well, Ethan waited. Hailey downed her punch so she could remain Hailey as long as possible. She even took Ethan’s cup from him, supposedly to dispose of it, then drank his too on the way to the trash can. She wondered how long she could stay Hailey now.

If Connor thought there was commotion before, this could only be thought of as utter chaos. Apparently, melting the popsicles sped up the transformation rate. Within seconds, the boys and girls completely changed sexes. They started running around and yelling. Clothing was falling off or being torn off by changes in size.

Ethan and Hailey just stood there, laughing, holding hands, until a very buxom topless girl ran up, wearing Connor’s swim trunks, her boobs bouncing wildly. Her swim trunks fell to the ground.

“What did you do to us?” Connor cried in a very feminine voice.

“Just a little payback for the way you and your friends have treated us all these years, Connor!” Ethan shouted back. “Plus for groping and forcing yourself on me, you douche.”

“I didn’t touch you!”

“You touched Emma.” Ethan had a devilish grin.

Connor realized then that Ethan was Emma and shrank away in disgust, until he bumped into his jock friends who were now girls as well. “What’s going on, Dude? Are we gonna change back?” They asked. 

“I don’t know,” cried Connor, “hopefully, we’ll all be back to normal by morning.”

“Dude, we all have football camp in the morning. Coach is gonna kill us!”

“Or make us cheerleaders!”

Grace was the only one so far to embrace her changes. She became a muscle-bound guy with eyes on the now diminutive female Dylan. “Dylan, the whole time we were together you treated me like less of a person, just because I was a girl, and you were a big strong jock. Well now I’m big and strong, and you’re gonna learn what it’s like to be called small and weak. 

“Should we tell them this only lasts a few hours?” Hailey whispered.

“Nah, let them squirm.”

As Ethan and Hailey turned to leave, a very male Taylor came up to them holding hands with her guy friend from earlier, who was now all girl. It appears they both exchanged bathing suits during the commotion. 

“Hi, Hailey, or is it Jacob?” Taylor spoke. 

“It’s um - Hailey now. I think. How did you know?”

“I’ve seen the two of you around school. I was surprised to see Ethan with a girl and without Jacob. When we all changed - I put two and two together. Also, the way you both look at each other.  Oh, this is my friend, Alex.”

“Hi, Alex. We met in the pool.” Ethan said.

Ethan and Hailey looked at each other, then curiously at Alex who hadn’t said a word. He was too busy playing with his boobs.

Taylor noticed this and playfully swatted at Alex’s hand. “Down, girl!”

Ethan apologized to them. “Look, I’m really sorry about this. I was pissed at Connor for always putting me down. Always giving me a hard time because I’m not a jock. I didn’t mean to get you caught up in this. If it makes you feel any better, the change only lasted a couple of hours when we tried it.”

Taylor chuckled. “Oh, we’re not upset. We don’t get hung up on labels. Male, female doesn’t matter. In fact, you’ve given us a perfect opportunity to see things from a different perspective. I’m glad we got to meet you two.” 

“We usually keep to ourselves, because we don’t really have many friends.” Ethan timidly confessed.

“That’s too bad. You two are so much more than your reputations say. And now you have two more friends! I think we all had a great time today. Why don’t we all meet for lunch tomorrow and get to know each other better.”

After making plans with Taylor and Alex, Ethan and Hailey headed home holding hands.

Once they got inside, Hailey turned to Ethan. “So, now what? Can we still be friends?” 

“Well,” Ethan said. “After all that has happened today, I was kinda hoping… that maybe… we could be boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Really?” Hailey said excitedly.

“Really. But first,” started Ethan. “I need to apologize to you for the way I behaved today. I’ve been chasing after a dream for so long I never realized my dream girl was right in front of me.”

Hailey whispered into Ethan’s ear. “You had me at ‘dream girl.’” Purred Hailey. “But we’re going to need to find more of those popsicles.”

“Even if we don’t.” he said, looking his girlfriend in the eyes. “It won’t change anything.”

“I just mean - I thought Emma was cute too. Maybe she could come by for a visit.”

They both laughed and then were kissing when Ethan’s mom walked in on them.

“Ahem,” Ethan’s mom coughed. “Oh, Ethan! Hi. Who’s your friend?”

Hailey blushed.

“This is Hailey, Mom.”

“Nice to meet you Hailey.”

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." 

“Ethan, I hope Jacob is OK with you spending time with a girl.”

Hailey giggled. “Jacob approves.”

🕶️

Later that night, Ethan's parents arrived home from their own date night. Ethan’s mom stopped by the den where Ethan was playing a game on the computer.

“Hi, honey, how was your evening?” Mom asked.

“Oh, um, hi Mom.” Ethan paused his game. “Hailey and I watched a movie. Then I walked her home.”

“That was really sweet of you, honey. She seems like such a nice girl. And a real cutie!”

Ethan just blushed.

“It seems cooler in here, is the A/C working again?”

“Oh, yeah, I checked it out and it was just a loose wire. I was actually thinking maybe I could get a summer job with an A/C repair service. I’ll bet they’re really busy now.”

“That sounds wonderful Ethan. You’ll have the money to buy a car in no time! Oh, and we stopped at a grocery store on the way home to get you a cool treat, but they were out of everything but popsicles. I hope you like them.”

Ethan’s eyes went wide. “Did you say ‘popsicles’, Mom? Um, what flavor are they?”

“I think they’re lime. The box was green. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.” Ethan calmed down. “Lime sounds great. Thanks.”

“OK, goodnight honey.” Mom headed upstairs to get ready for bed. 

Ethan's dad was looking through the fridge when he spied the pitcher of punch.

“This should hit the spot,” thought Ethan’s dad. “Then it’s upstairs for a little playtime. That little black dress has always been her ‘come get me’ invitation.”

 

---

 

“So what happened to Hailey?” Flora asked. “Did she get more popsicles?”

“Did she stay a girl permanently due to too many popsicles?” Stella asked.

“I'll leave that to your imagination,” said Amanda, winking.

“So which one are you?” Evan asked, their marshmallow engulfed in flames.

“What do you mean?” Amanda cautiously asked.

“Rumor has it that all of Amanda’s stories are autobiographical.”

Amanda chuckled.

“Are you Hailey?”

“No.”

“Ethan?”

“No.” Amanda laughed.

"Grace?" 

"God, I hope you don’t think I’m anything like Grace," Amanda pouted. 

“She’s Connor!” Stella said.  “This is a cautionary tale of being a douchebag.”

“Ha. Ha. Not. Funny.”

“But you were at that party.” Flora said, convinced she knew the truth.

Amanda grinned, reopened her cooler, and pulled out another popsicle for herself. “Let’s just move on. Who’s next?”

 

---

TF Emily aka tfes8 writes fluffy gender transformation stories.  Her first novel, Second Chances can be found on Kindle Unlimited. Her other novels and a growing collection of short stories can be found on TGStoryTime, FictionMania, and her website tfemily.com.