Friends are Family, Part 8 (Asian MILF & Hot Sister TG/RC/AP) (Patreon)

Only one part this month! But this part is double length, so it all works out : D

Summary: When Tim learns that his lonely dad is making him move away from his beloved hometown in hopes of finding a family elsewhere, he makes a wish upon a strange stone that his best friends David and Matthew could always remain part of ‘his family.’ Soon, all three are shocked when the metaphor of the wish becomes literal and David and Matthew find themselves becoming Tim’s hot older sister Naomi and MILFy new Asian tiger mom Amy. Now all three must navigate their strange new relationships to one another.

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Part Eight: Growing Together, Growing Apart

The next day was strange for Matthew. First of all, because he wasn’t Matthew anymore: he was Amy Liu. Second of all because he couldn’t even think of himself as a he. He was a she. Thirdly, of course, because her mind was already abuzz with a number of chores that needed getting done, from the kitchen cleaning to various bill payments to getting all the garbage out of her car and making it spick and span. But mainly it was the fourth thing. The fact that she had a goddamn vagina and big pair of D-cup tits which felt oddly sore, and oddly sensitive too.

Fuck. I was hoping it was a dream. I’m a full woman now. I’m Amy. Ew, that’s the same name as Timothy’s mom. Poor Timothy, he didn’t mean for this to happen. But good God, he deserves a grounding for causing it! I’m meant to be setting off fireworks, not worrying about taxes and work and two big tits. God, they have a weight, don’t they? I wonder what they feel like if I just . . .

“Mhmmm,” she moaned as she began to caress her breasts. “Ahhh, oh shit. Those nipples are sensitive. Ahhh. Maybe just a l-little more.”

She continued to squeeze them, rub them, and soon she was removing her feminine silky pyjama top and pants, and stroking her venus mound as well. It didn’t take long for a strange heat to build in the emptiness between her thighs, or for the first tingling moistness she had ever felt there to also build. It was enticing. She knew she should stop, but what guy hadn’t imagined waking up as a woman and feeling her hot body? So she continued, pulling her panties down to rub hervagina and tease her sensitive lips. It took her a moment to find her swollen, throbbing clit, but when she did, everything changed.

“Oooohhhh. Mhmm! Yes!”

She continued to rub it, even inserting her dainty fingers into her tunnel. It was strange, it was wrong, it was wondrous. She gained speed, squeezing her right breasts and making it jiggle, playing with its glorious roundness as she rubbed and rubbed. She closed her eyes, sighing with her new feminine voice, biting her lip happily as jolts of pleasure radiated from her breasts and opening both. It felt amazing, and in that calmness of mind and growing sexual excitement her mind took her places. She imagined a naked stranger ploughing into her, a male one with a thick, heavy shaft that parted her outer lips and plunged deep into her. His strong arms were around her, his tongue was on her breasts. He was cumming, and they were not wearing protection. It was a risk, one that could leave her pregnant. The taboo made it all the sexier.

“F-fuck me!” she cried, finally able to swear in this one, specific, sexual context. “Fuck me harder! Fuck me till I c-cummmmm!! NNGHH!!!”

She came. She came hard. She nearly tore a stomach muscle from how quickly her body shuddered, forcing her nearly into a sitting position before she flopped back, breasts wobbling heavily on her naked chest.

It was only in the slowly fading luxuriousness of the aftermath that Amy, formerly Matthew, realised what she had just imagined.

Oh God, I’m straight. I’m straight for men. This is a f-freakin’ disaster!

Worse, her alarm on her phone went off, and when she looked at it she saw a reminder that she hadn’t remembered setting:

‘Start Work 9:00am with Anthony.’

“Shoot,” she said. “I barely have time to shower and change, let alone clean! When did I start working in the morning? Oh right, when I turned freakin’ twenty nine! I’ve lost ten years of my life!”

She had no idea she wasn’t too far from losing even more, or that other changes were around the corner. Big ones.

***

David was similarly going through a set of changes, albeit his/hers were not as radical or terrifying to him/her as they were for Matthew/Amy. For one, the new woman named Naomi may have been fully female, but she was ‘only’ twenty one. As far as she was concerned, that was merely an upgrade, not a detractor. For two, while she now identified as female due to some mental changes, her own were less invasive than Matthew’s had been, as the older woman (sister?) had gone from a trickster and rebel to a neat-minded responsible woman, while David/Amy at least still possessed her love of the outdoors, or exercise, of escape. It just so happened that she was now popular as hell to boot, and a cheerleading champion. Before she’d even woken up in her new room at Tony and Timothy’s place her phone was blowing up with messages from the most popular guys and girls on campus, with her at the centre of this popularity web.

And why shouldn’t I be popular? I’m fucking hot as all hell after these changes. My new bras say ‘C-cup’ on them. C-cups!

And what lovely C-cups they were, too. Whereas ‘Amy’ had taken some time to try out her new body, ‘Naomi’ had laid awake that night pleasuring herself several times over. She considered it an experiment of sorts, or at least that was how she justified the fact that she was touching herself and imagining cute guys and girls on top of her and beneath her, her thighs parts over them, or legs wrapped around them. God knows, her libido was stronger now, but more than that, her definition of ‘experiment’ had widened. The only truly painful part of this transformation now was that her nerdy personality traits were dimming, reconfiguring so that they were aimed more towards her newfound popularity and cheerleading.

At least I still totally want to be a ranger, he thought to himself. I’d be a totally hot one too. Could probably be on a calendar. Wait, this is a strange thought process to be following. Is there not a way to retain my own fastidiousness? Am I doomed to become some kind of outgoing, peppy cheerleader type? And would I even mind that? Food for philosophical thought.

The new woman smiled to herself as she entered the shower, thinking over that problem. She hadn’t lost her propensity for overthinking things, at least. Nor for exploration. Though as she entered the hot shower and took in her cute, athletic, and dynamite form, she was also more than happy for a bit of self-exploration too.

***

Timothy felt lonelier at school than he had in a long time. Both of his best friends were no longer there - well, Matthew had already left even before transforming, but David was still meant to be there - and that left him on an island of one. It was humiliating, going back to being a shy, nerdy sixteen year old who didn’t know quite what his place was in the world anymore. He had already caused so much damage with the wishing stone, and the damage only seemed to be extending: he’d received a text from Matthew - now Amy - indicated that she was heading to work for the day with his father. Clearly, her shifts were longer, though at least better paying now. David/Naomi, meanwhile, was off to college and living a surprisingly popular life, now that she was the head cheerleader. Timothy tried not to think too much on his friend’s form: she was his stepsister now, after all. Amy was a harder matter: she was now Amy Liu, the same name as his runaway deadbeat mother, and the assumption had been that she was meant to be his eldest sister or something.

But she was too old now. Twenty nine years old, in fact. His mom would have had to have been like thirteen or something to have been pregnant with this second Amy, and given how Naomi had been made a stepsister to allow for such ‘continuity errors as the new cheerleader put it, it was highly doubtful that a similar workaround would be ignored for Amy. And yet, none had appeared, leaving her role ambiguous and undefined.

And Tim all alone again.

“Hey, why are you so glum?” came a voice as he headed out to lunch.

He turned, not recognising the teen girl it had come from. She was quite pretty, with vibrant red hair and a thick smattering of freckles across her face.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t meant to be.”

She laughed. “I didn’t ask you to apologise. I asked why are you glum? You were staring at the ground like you were hoping to faceplant it. Or make out with it. I don’t know.”

His cheeks went red. “No, I was just . . . I had two friends at this school, but they both left this year, kinda. So I’m just kind of by myself right now.”

“Great!”

“Great?”

She gave a toothy grin and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Because I’m new here, and I’m by myself right now as well. Let’s be lonely together, shall we? I’m Meredith, but my theoretical friends would call me Mel, because I prefer it.”

Timothy blinked. “Oh, uh, my name is Timothy. My friends call me Tim.”

“Tim! I like it. What were you planning to do during lunch, Tim?”

He grinned a little nervously. “Well, I was planning on moping about by myself, kick some rocks, and generally feel sad. But I guess I could get something nice to eat at the cafeteria and then try to snag the nice shade in the yard before all the popular kids try to take it.”

Mel snorted. “That sounds like a plan. Tell me about yourself, Timothy. I want the goss on this place. I’m from out of town, after all. Just got here with my folks and already looking to make trouble.”

“You know,” he said. “Making trouble is something my friends are also good at.”

“Then I’m in good company already!”

He walked with Meredith/Mel to the cafeteria, already feeling a bit more buoyant. He hadn’t expected to make a new friend today, nor one so pretty. It was hard not to look at her, even if she was taller than him. But when she walked ahead of him, talking about how weird their little town was, but also how much she wanted to explore the surrounding mountain forests, he couldn’t help but notice a tiny flash of rainbow-coloured light emanating from her.

Did my wish also bring her here? She can’t have been transformed, otherwise she would remember. But . . . is she going to be someone important to me?

He didn’t want to dwell upon it too deeply. Still, he smiled, a warmth rushing through him. Things were looking up.

***

The week passed with not much in the way of further physical changes for either of the former men, but there were certainly a great number of mental and emotional changes, as well as lifestyle ones, that was for certain. Naomi and Amy both got more used to their names, finding it increasingly hard to even consider their old ones in a natural sense. More than that, they got used to their bodies, Naomi especially. Having always been a remarkably small, scrawny individual, the new fit beauty was loving her athleticism, and using it to explore the wilds and chart them with all her survivalist skills from her previous life. That was, when she wasn’t falling prey to her new mental instincts to get her makeup just right, her nails painted properly, and composing the right outfit for her days at college and even around the home. She felt quite sheepish about it all, but it was difficult not to accessorise, and even her hiking trips had a certain fashion chic about it, particularly since her new hiking shorts clung tightly to her nice derriere. She was bursting with energy, and was more than happy to use it, but the appeal of cheerleading was growing, especially since she was pampered with compliments, kind stares, and even flirty comments when she led the team.

I’m an actual leader. I know all the moves. It’s like a lot of my experiences, my rule sets, my need to gamify and quantify and collate everything has shifted into the realm of cheerleading. I . . . I don’t mind it so much. I mean, I’m really cute! And showing off my midriff actually feels kinda nice.

It felt especially nice when the gals and guys stared at her fit abdominal muscles, and she grinned back. She had already come to terms with the fact that her new body was very much attracted to men and women. The latter made it easier to bear the former, but she had always been adaptable. And the men were looking rather nice. Her new friends Natalie and Pari were awesome, but she hadn’t forgotten her old ones either. It just felt a little . . . odd to be hanging out with Timothy now that he was about five years younger than her, and now her new younger brother on top of that.

Not that we’re actually siblings. Except genetically. But with these mental changes, it’s hard not to see him as a little brother now. I used to be the smallest, but now I’m the tough older sister. Will that be forever?

She tried not to think about it, or at least not to dwell about it. Already, she was working on her studies in psychology, working out and cheerleading at school, and spending time with her popular girlfriends, as well as the cute boys who also joined them. One in particular was named Nathan Hayes, and there was something about him that just drew her in. He was a footballer, but not a total blunt-headed moron like others on the college team. Instead, he had quite the intelligent eyes, which suited his handsome face and blonde hair well.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit here?” he asked once in a shared law studies lecture.

She assented, feeling weird. Once, she’d wondered what it would be like to be popular with the top guys in her school. Now she was a girl, and literally in college, and popular guys were often finding reasons to be around her. The reasons were just not what she expected.

“So, do you enjoy law studies?” he asked as they waited for their professor to arrive.

“Not really. It’s not my thing.”

“Yeah, same for me. I thought it would be cool, but I think I’m enjoying physical development more.”

She grinned. “I have that too, just on a different line.”

“Damn, I could have copied your work. Everyone says you’re pretty brilliant.”

“Do they?”

God, he’s got great fucking muscles. I love the way he looks at me.

She blushed, trying not to be obvious in her attraction, despite the fact that her new body was just built for flirting, among other things.

“Of course. You’re Naomi Liu-Johnson, everyone knows you.”

“Yeah, yeah, head of the cheer group, I know. Real popular. That doesn’t make me smart.”

“You take notes in class and get good grades, right? I’d say that was smart.”

She giggled, happy at the compliment. She hadn’t lived the kind of life that led to many compliments. Just one more reason why, as weird as it was having Tim’s dad Tony as her new dad, she still considered it a major upgrade from her former deadbeat abusive dick of a dad.

“Well, that’s pretty rad of you to say. I gotta be honest though, I haven’t heard the same of you. Most people just talk about your football skills. I only just found out that you’re top of this class a few days ago - but you hate it!”

They shared a laugh, one that made her chest jiggle a little, even sat down. The fact that her top was rather tight around her bust only made his eyes glance down for a moment. It was embarrassing, but it was also nice.

“Yeah, my old man pushes me hard,” he said.

“Mine too.”

“Really? My dad knew yours growing up, and he said he was pretty chill.”

“Oh, I was talking about my other dad. Uh, my first one.”

“Ah, that’s right. You’re a stepkid too, right?”

“We don’t have to talk about it.”

There was a moment of silence as the professor entered the lecture theatre, late as always. Naomi could feel something electric in the air that was hard to deny. An attraction to this handsome footballer. More than that, she felt more daring. More willing to take a chance and be a bit naughty. Hell, she had the body built for it, right?

“Hey,” she said, mirroring his opening, “do you like hiking?”

“I don’t mind it,” he said.

“You’ll love it with me,” she said, more easily than she would have imagined. “Why don’t you come on a walk through the wilderness with me on Saturday? I promise it’ll be fun.”

She didn’t intend for the word fun to sound so suggestive, but once it was said, she didn’t regret it either. Nathan grinned slowly.

“I’d really love that, Naomi. Just you and me?”

“Just you and me. You can tell me if my new sports bra looks nice or not.”

Okay, that was going too far. There are most definitely strong mental changes impacting my decision making right now! And I don’t care! The wishing stone has me wanting to go out with this hot dude!

Her stomach was doing practised somersaults. It was all she could think about when she got back to her new home. She almost ignored Tony asking how her day had been, she was still feeling those butterflies.

“Earth to my daughter!” Tony exclaimed playfully. “How was your day, petal?”

“It was awesome, Dad. Really awesome.”

“Good lecture?”

“Great lecture.”

“Well, before you run off into the wilds or, worse, listen to that boppy pop music that’s getting stuck in my head lately, can you help your father clean these dishes?”

She sighed. “But dishes are the worst!”

“Well, it’s either that or work for real, kiddo.”

She got to work, mumbling all the while. “I should be studying right now, or at least practising my dance moves for the cheer squad.”

Tony kissed her on the top of the head. “Plenty of time for that petal. Besides, Tim’s been doing the dishes for a while. I figure we give him a break, huh?”

She looked over, noticing that her friend was on the couch, looking a little dreamy and happy himself. In fact, for once he wasn’t looking at her weirdly, and she in turn didn’t feel so strange to consider her friend on the couch as her nerdy, shy little brother.

“What’s got you so excited?” she asked him when she was done.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Don’t give me that. Just because I’m your big sister and I’m talking way more confident - and colloquial too, when it comes to my speech patterns - doesn’t mean you’re not still my friend. Did something happen in your search for a stone?”

Timothy gave a sheepish grin. “Not exactly, sis. I mean, Naomi. Sorry, it’s hard to say your actual name.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed too.”

“Well . . . I think I made a friend today. A new one.”

She gave in to her new athletic impulse and punched him playfully on the arm. He recoiled: she’d used more force than intended.

“Get out of town! Really? Who is he?”

“Um, he is a she. Her name is Meredith, but she goes by Mel.”

“I’m going to ask the question that Amy would ask if she were here and not stuck as a twenty nine year old on her own: is this Mel hot?”

His grin told her everything.

“Look at you, younger brother. Suddenly popular!”

“Yeah, but I’m not your younger brother. This is all just the wishing stone.”

Naomi fell silent, and for a moment they just watched the TV. She had more height on Timothy now, and she was acutely aware of his plain, boring style for the first time in her life.

“I know man,” she finally said. “It’s fucking weird. I’m still me, but I’m also more aggressive and active, and I feel easier talking to people. I don’t . . . I don’t feel like I really need a Matthew in my life anymore. I wouldn’t tell Amy that - I don’t know what role she’s meant to have. But it’s like I’ve finally absorbed those lessons. I know this is crazy for you too, but the fact is that I don’t have a shithead of a dad either. Your dad is actually awesome, now that he’s happier.”

Tim looked over at Tony, who was happily humming as he started dinner.

“He really is, isn’t he? He keeps wanting to do another group barbecue, and have Amy along. She’s now just his employee, but he’s insistent that she’s ‘practically a member of the family.’”

“That would be her new life then. ‘Friend of the family.’ Makes sense, I guess. Look, I’m just saying that I’m still getting used to this, but it’s not all bad. So don’t feel guilty. I’m glad you’ve found a friend.”

She patted his arm, and he thanked her.

“Don’t thank me yet, dude. Now that I’m no longer a total nerd - even if I am still a total survivalist nut - I’ve got a great knowledge of style. And I am going to show my new little brother how to style himself for his first date with Mel.”

“What?” He stood up. “That’s - that’s too weird!”

“Not at all,” she replied, grinning. “Just look at me! I’m a hot cheerleader now. I’m the popular girl. It would be remiss of me not to use my new powers of both deduction and stylistic awareness - literally combine David and Naomi’s knowledges - to help you out. I mean, I’ve got a date this weekend, so why not you?”

Timothy could scarcely believe it. She just chuckled, went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, shaking it in his view while Tony rolled his eyes.

“Just one!”

“Yes, Dad!”

She only realised later, as she experimented with makeup and outfits in her room while listening to boy band music, that she had so easily called Tony ‘Dad.’

It felt right.

***

While Naomi was thriving, and even coming to really appreciate her new body (it was, after all, perfect for being an athletic future park ranger), Amy was having more struggles. Her mental changes were contrary to Naomi’s: rather than being freeing, they were restricting her. The new woman felt an innate and intense desire to clean and maintain her apartment, and even small spills gave her fits of anxiety unless they were defeated. The same went for old crumbs behind the couch, as well as clogged drains and stains on the toilet. She had never been a greatly dirty individual, but her new compulsions were borderline personality disorders. And yet nothing beat the incredible rush of having a lovely, sparkling clean apartment.

This is just s-snapping ridiculous! God, how is ‘snapping’ even a replacement swear word? I swear I’ll have a heart attack if . . . ugh. I’m sounding like my mother. She would always say ‘I swear Matthew, I’ll have a heart attack if you keep getting low grades and detentions!

She tensed her knuckles. The only time she really felt truly ‘free’ was when she was masturbating these days, as she had quite frequently over the week. She couldn’t believe what a strong libido she had, nor how it manifested. Unlike what Naomi had texted to her in quite a strangely boastful way, Amy was not bisexual. No, she didn’t have even that good fortune.

No, she was straight for me. Men that were now in her age bracket.

She knew this because when she touched herself, played with her large D-cup breasts, and moaned in ecstasy, swearing like a sailor finally during the act of self-coitus, she couldn’t help but imagine being ploughed by a gorgeous, rugged man with a big dick. It was utterly humiliating, and even more so when she went into town or headed to work at Anthony’s tool store, because she kept finding her eyes wander to the vicinity of cute men in their twenties and thirties.

I’ve even got a type. Handymen. Tough guys. Ones with rugged faces and coarse hands, like I used to have! At least I’m not attracted to the exact kind of person I used to be. That would be too damn f-freakin’ weird.

It was weird enough, though, because those men often looked at her appreciatively. She may be twenty-nine, but that was still young - so she told herself - and she had a dynamite figure. Shorter than she would have liked, and with bigger boobs too (she would have preferred no boobs, after all), and her hips were wider than expected. But there was no denying that she was hot as hell, and sometimes she even got a tingle of pride when men recognised that. All of her clothing had become feminine, and the few times she’d tried to rebel like the good old days and purchase male clothing, she’d only ended up wandering out of the store with cute blouses and high-waisted mom jeans and the like.

I’m even styling my hair. Seriously, Tim, you’ve made me a hot Asian future MILF or something. Wait, gah! No, not future MILF. That would require . . . ugh. F-forget that!

Poor Amy continued to feel more and more like an outsider, even as her friends adjusted to this new normal. She felt proud of Naomi for her accomplishments, and even more so of Tim for making a new female friend. In many ways, she was still a sort of ‘team leader’, at least that was the hope, but she was continually being pushed to the edges. She didn’t have her parents anymore - they’d never been close, but now she was just some nice woman to them. She didn’t have her friends anymore, not as it should have been. Hell, she didn’t even have her bicycle anymore. The only major point of connection to Tim’s new family, which now had Naomi as his stepsister, was through ‘their’ father Tony. Through his work.

So, understandably, in a bit to remain tethered to them, she doubled down on work.

“Another shift, Amy?” Tony asked on the Wednesday. “Are you sure? I can’t offer overtime. It’s just be regular pay, I’m afraid.”

“That’s okay Mr . . . Tony. I just feel comfortable working here for a living,” she replied.

She didn’t mention that Tony’s presence was an increasing comfort to her. It gave her closeness to her friends by proximity, and there was something else there too. Something about the older man’s forearms that made her brain pause.

“Thanks for helping out so much, Amy,” he said after the matter was decided. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here at the store.”

She blushed. “Well, I’m the only one keeping it clean, apparently.”

That made him laugh. “I won’t lie, a woman’s touch has been a great boon these past few years. I wouldn’t have as many female customers were it not for you, Amy.”

She rolled her eyes when he wasn’t looking. Yeah, woman’s touch. That’s me all over, alright. Stuck as some ‘family friend’ like Naomi and Timothy think I am. What a fate!

At least working alongside Anthony was fairly nice. Now that this new reality had him no longer depressed, he actually had an easy charm and quiet sensitivity. He was always complimenting her, but not in the creepy way that some of the other men that visited the store did. She had already been called “a real cutie” by one older figure, and another unsavoury individual had spent the entire time in store complaining that there was no man in to help him (Tony had to duck out for an errand), while she was actually offering sage advice on what kits he was looking forward. And with her ample bust and curvaceous figure, she could feel the stares of a number of men, and had to turn down more than one that tried to ask her out.

Meanwhile, Anthony kept his stares to a minimum, even if they did occur. She didn’t mind the lingering of his eyes on her form as much, despite the fact that she should care more about that than for any other man. He respected her ability to sell products, and to chat to customers and engage them, a talent that seemed to be borrowed from her ability to get into all sorts of trouble in her former life as Matthew. Before the week was out, she’d managed to become a damn good hustler, convincing people to buy what they’d never need but certainly wanted, helping tip the scales. And while she wasn’t wanting to do it, she gave in to her new compulsions to dress up a little more showy. Nothing too dramatic of course, not like Naomi, but she wore blouses that were a little tighter on her upper body, and skirts that were just a bit higher up the thigh. The fact that she had a very pretty face with long black silky hair meant that it was quite easy to do up her looks. Customers loved it, and the women enjoyed having someone to talk to, and they even complimented her on her looks.

It was just at one of those moments when Naomi and Timothy entered the store on a late Thursday afternoon. Naomi had clearly come back from college not long ago, as she was still wearing a somewhat skimpy top and skirt that to Amy now looked a bit scandalous.

“Well, well, look who’s a big sensible grown up now?” Naomi teased.

“Oh shush you too. I’d use stronger language, but . . . well.”

“The wishing stone,” Timothy finished, looking guilty.

“Where’s that young woman of yours, Tim?” Amy said. “A lot younger relative to me, now.”

“You’ll get to meet her on Saturday!” he declared. Okay, I said that in a much more excited fashion than I intended.

“Good,” she replied, crossing her arms behind the counter. She wasn’t far from closing up, and there were no more customers. “I’m glad someone is getting a better situation out of this. I only lost ten years of my life.”

Naomi cringed a little. “At least you’re enjoying the compliments, right? That lady seemed nice, and don’t lie and say you weren’t smiling when she complimented your makeup!”

“Oh God, don’t tell me you heard that,” Amy said. She blushed red on her dark olive skin. The gorgeous new Chinese woman rubbed her forehead in embarrassment. “She was actually really nice, actually. It’s the, uh, first day I’ve worn full makeup. And eyeshadow.”

“Well, it’s working for you! You’re like my older sister, or my mom or something.”

Amy cringed. “Please don’t even make that joke. At least you only jumped up a couple of years, and still get all the athleticism.”

“You’ve got bigger boobs.”

“Wait, that’s a good thing?” Tim said.

“No!” Naomi said quickly. “But . . . sorta. I mean, I’m pretty popular at school now.”

“I hear a lot popular,” Amy replied. “At least that’s what Anthony tell me.”

Tim looked up. “Anthony?”

“Yeah, your dad.”

“Yeah, but you called him Anthony.”

“That’s what he tells me to call him!”

“That doesn’t mean you have to!”

Amy sagged against the desk. “Tim, don’t even start this with me. I’m stuck as a twenty-nine old Chinese woman. My parents now just consider me a well-to-do neighbour. The only good part about that is we actually get along now, and that’s because my f-freakin’ mental changes have me acting like some kind of fussy tiger woman! Seriously, have you seen the stains on your trousers, young man?”

Naomi giggled.

“And you, young lady, I’m sure your friends like the way you look, but that is far too much stomach to show!”

Naomi just laughed harder. Even Tim had to giggle. Amy realised what she’d just said. Ughhhh, everything about this sucks. She said as much.

“It might not be all that bad, man. Woman,” Timothy said. “Naomi seems to be adjusting.”

Naomi grinned, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, I’m stronger, faster, more capable of pursuing my dream of being a ranger, and I’m fucking yummy.”

“Language!”

“Not to mention really popular.”

Amy narrowed her eyes. “You’re enjoying all of this a little too much, I think.”

Naomi giggled. “Well, I’m still pretty smart. Just also hot and fit and quite into boys now as well. And girls.”

“Lucky you. I’m . . . not finding women as crash hot these days.”

Timothy blushed, looking around in fear of his dad hearing this conversation, not that he could actually tell when something magical was going on.

“We don’t have to talk about this.”

“Of course we don’t!” Amy exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “After all, I’m not really your friend anymore, am I?”

“Don’t say that,” Naomi said, but there was a hesitation in her voice that Amy pounced on.

“Why not? Because it’s true? I mean, for heaven’s sake Naomi, us both turning into women - Asian woman at that - should have made us even tighter buds! By all rights, even if my new mental state makes me a total stick in the mud at times and unable to swear, we still could have hung out and shot the sh-shoot. I’ve always looked out for you guys. Always! You were alone, on the fringes, and man, I was too. And I think I did a darn good job of helping you find a place, if I can brag about that.”

“You did,” Tim admitted. “I won’t forget that. You’re still my friend, Amy.”

“Am I?” she asked, tears in her eyes. “You guys have been hanging out way more than I’ve been able to. Naomi may have changed, but she’s at least your sister. You have a sibling dynamic, and it’s different from before, but it was always there! And I was like a big brother to you guys. But now I’m just some weird near-thirty year old Chinese chick who works for your Dad and sees you occasionally. In the last couple of weeks I’ve spent less and less time. I mean, what kind of weird excuse can I use now to drop in on you? And now you’re going on a date with a boy, Naomi. And you’ve got this new Mel friend/girlfriend, Tim. What have I got? I’ve got no one but myself, and this shop, and Anthony to have a beer with. Or a wine. God, why do I like freakin’ wine now? This sucks. I can’t even let out my frustration with a firework unless it’s at the appropriate time and place.”

She sagged, more tears flowing. Naomi and Tim approached. It was quite disarming to see their friend, formerly rugged and wild and able to bear anything, now reduced to an emotional mess of a woman.

“Don’t,” she said as Naomi touched her arm. “Please, j-just go. I need some space. Please.”

“Are you sure-”

“Please.”

The two exchanged a glance. Naomi felt quite choked up herself, her more powerful female emotions stirring to the surface. Still, she put a hand on Tim’s shoulder and helped turn him around. The pair left.

“You come see us anytime, Amy,” Tim said as they exited.

Not fucking likely. Oh, great, now I can think in swears! When I’m upset!

She cried a little longer until she managed to get herself under control. She was partway through the process of locking up when Anthony suddenly appeared, having returned from out back where he was restocking.

“Amy? Amy, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him, and tried to be strong. But the caring, gentle look in his eyes made her bust out into tears. Without even thinking, she walked into his arms and embraced him. His arms encircled her, and she felt utterly safe and comfortable in them.

“Oh, Anthony,” she whimpered, pressing her face against his chest.

“Amy,” he whispered back, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

And then the lights started to change. And then she started to change.

To Be Continued . . .