Kevin woke up feeling calmer and more rested, nestled perfectly in his bed. But still, something was wrong. He was…soft, barely making a divot in his bed. And something was on his chest like a pillow. He reached up and unexpectedly touched his breasts. His eyes went wide as he squeezed them. They were his soft, pillow breasts. Or rather, hers.

She jumped out of bed, needing to confirm, to see. Everything about Kevin had changed overnight. She was soft as plush. No, she was plush, not a bone in her body, and dressed in clothes and cute tights that were her skin, with lush hair and permanent glasses.

“Oh, that bitch!” She shouted, startled by the new girlish pitch to her voice. Kevin grabbed her phone from her nightstand and fumbled to make her cloth and plush hands call her.

“What did you do to me?!” Kevin shouted when Lucy picked up.

The voice on the other end was perfectly calm, a lilt of amusement in her voice. “Why, whatever do you mean, Kelly?”

“I’m…I’m a doll! And a chick! And a…a nerd like you.”

Lucy tsked. “And what makes you think that I—”

“I know it was you! You wear those…those lucky charm necklaces and hang out with those weirdo horoscope chicks. You’re a magic freak.”

The girl, who had been assigned to Kelly to be her tutor, sighed. “You know, dolly, maybe it was that kind of attitude that got you into this mess. To say nothing of all the bullying you’ve done for our entire lives. So maybe don’t talk like that to the person who just turned you into a cute girl toy.”

“Cute? I’m a nerd!”

“Yes, a cute nerd.”

“You can’t do this to me! You were assigned to me by the Principal to tutor me so I could start in the playoffs. I can’t play when I’m like this!” Kelly said. Lucy needed to learn that she was the school’s star player; she was literally more important than her.

“I know, and I tried, I really, really tried. For a month I tried, and ignored all the little put downs and the way you treated people, just to get it all over with. But nothing stuck in that pigheaded brain of yours because you couldn’t stop nerding out about sportsball stats and plays.” Lucy said, and Kelly heard the tinge of manic in her voice. “So, yeah, I turned you into a doll. And I emptied out your head of all those pointless stats. And I put a little glamour on you so that people will want to play with you.”

“Play with me?” Kelly asked, her brow furrowing.

“Yes, because you’re a plaything.”

Kelly gulped. She instantly had a vision of herself in class, students crowded around her, laughing, as Lucy sat her on a desk and posed her. Or Annie Graeber chatting with her cheerleader friends while styling Kelly’s hair. Or Kelly’s best friend Grant pushing her against a locker, leaning over her, not letting her out until he got a kiss.

“Just turn me back! You’ve had your fun and I’ve learned my lessons and I’ll stop being such a dick to people and I’ll—”

Lucy cut her off. “You wanna be a real boy again? You wanna show me you’ve learned your lesson? Prove it. You’ve got a test coming up that I’ve been trying to get you to study for for weeks. Pass it, and I’ll turn you back.”

“But that’s days away!”

“Which will give also you time to prove you’ve learned your lesson about not being a bully.”

“That’s not fair!” Kelly pouted, flopping back into her bed. She still couldn’t believe Lucy would do this to her, of all people. The most popular girl in school.

“Well, tough shit, doll. Isn’t that what you said to me last night, after I complained that I didn’t want to be your tutor?”

Kelly nodded. It is what she had said last night, back when she was still a he. And a jock. And a person. She was none of those things now. “Fine. When are you going to be here for our study session?”

Lucy laughed. “Oh, dolly. You’ve had your chance. I’ve given you all the flashcards, books, and study guides you need; you’re on your own now. Oh, and I would avoid toy stores if I were you.”

Kelly was confused. “What’s wrong with toy stores.”

“Well, toys are bought in stores.”

“I still don’t—”

“If you go to a toy store, people will treat you like a toy and want to buy you. If someone does, the spell becomes permanent.” Lucy said, exacerbated.

“But I just got a job at a toy store!”

“Oh. Oops. I actually didn’t know that.” Lucy paused, the silence hanging for too long as Kelly’s plush stomach churned with worry. “Well, Good luck!”