Fades 2: Daddy, Please! (Chapter 3) (Patreon)

Chapter 3.

It was a normal day at school. Melissa was dying to tell her friends about her new power. She hadn't tried it out yet, but she knew it would work. When she saw her friends during lunch, she decided she would tell them.

When Melissa caught up with Janet she was with Deanna and another girl. They were already in the middle of a conversation.

“I tell you, I can't take it,” Deanna vented to Janet.

“Take what?” Melissa questioned.

“Matthew, I can't get rid of him. He keeps calling.”

“He is?”

“Yeah, he asked me out. I said 'No' but he won't stop.

“He's cute you should go out with him.”

“I don't like him.”

“Oh.”

“But he won't stop calling. At first, I let him down easily. But now I told him more directly. It isn't working.”

“He's cute.”

“I don't think so.”

“I wish someone would want to go out with me that much.”

“You want him? You can have him.”

“I wish I could,” Melissa thought. She didn't know how to make a swap like that. Was she swapping something with Deanna? She couldn't make Matthew feel for her like he was feeling for Deanna. Melissa thought that she could swap their entire social life, that would make everyone feel for Melissa what they felt for Deanna. That was much too much though.  All she wanted was for Matthew to ask her out. She already kind of like Matthew. She didn't know him very well, but what difference could one date make? Melissa didn't want Deanna's entire dating history and whatever was considered her social life. Just this one thing.

Deanna continued to tell how Matthew was 'stalking' her.

“The boy must truly love her to be so adamant about her,” Melissa believed

“Hey, if you don't want him, let me have him.”

“Sure, but I don't think it's up to you.”

“Maybe not. I was telling Janet on the way to school that I have this power. I can trade any trait with someone as long as I have their permission.”

“So?”

“So, give me your boyfriend.  I mean trade him to me.”

“Sure, you can have him.”

“I'll take him.”

After a few seconds, Deanna asked, “Did it work?”

“I don't know.”

“How do we check?”

As if on cue, the answer was given. Deanna's phone dinged again. It was another message from Matthew. She had started to avoid his messages, but she hadn't blocked him. Deanna could see the scores of messages left by Matthew.

“I guess it didn't work.”

“I didn't think it would.”

“I think we have to word it right. Matthew isn't a trait of yours that can be traded.”

“So, what do you think? I would love for you to take him off my hands.”

“I could swap everything that Matthew likes about you.”

“No way! That sounds like way too much. I don't want to give you any of myself. I just want Matthew to leave me alone!”

“Hmm, I don't know.  What do you think Janet?”

“I haven't a clue. Don't get me involved in this. I'm just watching what happens.”

“Let me think. What can we trade to make Matthew want me instead of you?”

“When you figure it out tell me.”

“What if you accepted the date?”

“I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT?”

“No, hear me out. If you accept that date, then you can swap that date with me.”

“Why would that work?”

“Because we are trading something you have. We would be trading your date with Matthew.”

“I have to accept the date and then I don't have to see him again?”

“Yeah, I think that will work.”

“What if it doesn't?”

“Then we can trade back, and nothing has changed.”

“It doesn't make any sense. I have to accept a date with him just to get rid of him?”

“Just do it.”

“I don't know, then I'll have to go out with him.”

“It will work.”

“I have to see a swap work with my own eyes to believe it. Swap something.”

“What would you like to swap with me?”

“Something that is easy to tell. How about heights?”

“OK, just as a test, but we'll swap it right back after.”

“I want to see this.”

You ready to swap heights with me, Janet?”

“I'm ready? What do I do?”

“I'll make a wish and you agree to it. I think that is how it works. I have never tried it before.”

“Alright.”

“I wish to trade heights with Janet.”

“Now what? Nothing happened.”

“You have to agree.”

“I agree.”

Melissa lost three inches. She shrunk down to five foot three and Janet grew to five foot six.”

It wasn't easy to tell the change as they were both sitting, although they were sure it happened.”

“Did it work?”

“See for yourself.” Melissa stood up.

“I don't see any difference.”

“I'm shorter now.”

“You've always been short.”

“No, Janet was short.”

“She wasn't.”

Janet, tell her it worked.”

Janet stood up to her new height. “It worked.”

“You guys are just messing with me.”

“No, we're not. It worked.  Oh, I get it, it changed reality, so, you think it's always been this way.”

“But I was right here. If there was a change, I would have seen it.”

“You did see it. You just didn't know it.”

“No, nothing happened.”

“Let's swap back.”

“Can't I be tall for a little while?”

“No, you agree to swap right back.”

“A deal is a deal.'

The pair reversed the swap. Both Janet and Melissa remembered the swap. This was the first swap that anyone involved remembered. That was because it was reversed before the memory of it faded.

“Are you sure it worked?”

“I am.”

“OK, I believe you. But I didn't see anything.”

“That's what happens.  No one can tell.”

“I'll make the date with Matthew as long as you you go for me.”

“I promise.”

“One other thing?”

“What?”

“You can't give him back. When you take him, you take him forever?”

“If I make a swap, I can't return reverse it without your permission.” Melissa knew she was lying. She could swap anything back she wanted. There wasn't any reason to tell Janet that though.

“How should I accept the date? Do I call him?”

“I think you can just answer one of his messages. Say you'll go out with him. He should accept in a second.”

“I don't know about this.”

“It'll work.”

Deanna activated her phone. She found the last message from Matthew. It was a plea for her to talk to him.

“OK,” she typed, “we can go out.”  Before sending the message, she added out of an abundance of caution, “but only once.”

“OK, I did it.”

“As soon as he accepts, we'll swap dates.”

“Knowing him that should take 5...4...3...2...1”

It wasn't that quick, but a short while later, there was a new message on Deanna's phone. “Great, let's go out tonight.”

“OK, tonight," Deanna typed without much enthusiasm. Deanna and Matthew officially had a date

“I'll pick you up at six.”

“Sure, fine. Whatever.”

“Now, what do we do?” Deanna asked.

“I want to swap Deanna's date with Matthew,” Melissa stated out loud.

“Is that all?”

“No, you have to agree to the swap.”

“Melissa can have all my dates with Matthew and everything else.”

On Melissa's phone, all of the messages from Matthew appeared. Matthew and Melissa were in the middle of a text conversation.

Looking at her phone, Melissa texted Matthew. “Where are you going to take me?”

“Umm, I guess to dinner. Where would you like to go?”

“Ullbello's?” Melissa replied mentioning the Italian restaurant.

“OK, I'll be at your house at 6:00,” Matthew repeated.

“Looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

“Good luck,” Deanna told her.

Pretty soon lunch was over, and the girls go up to go to their next class.

“Hey, Melissa,” Janet asked.

“Yeah.”

“Can we swap heights again? I want to find out what it's like to be tall.”

“I'm not tall. I'm only five foot six.”

“That's better than my height.”

“Not tonight, I have a date.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

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