Kenny Brooks was your average boy living his best life in highschool, slogging through lessons in the morning, hanging out with friends in the afternoon and then having a hearty dinner at home before a quick round of games in the evening after studying and doing homework. It was a simple routine common to many a student and one adults looked fondly back at after having reached that fabled point in life many youngsters dreamed of attaining themselves, only to have their souls crushed when they realize working a full time job and barely having the time to do what they used to do everyday wasn't something to be hyped up about.

But aside from future struggles and thoughts of existentialism, Kenny was comfortable…more or less. A punk unrestrained by rules and free of the burdens of responsibility.

Being a boy and reaching the age where thoughts of romance and girls started floating into mind, Kenny had initially been blind to the concepts of 'love' and 'girlfriends'. Until one of his closest friends; Daniels, started hanging out less frequently with their tight knit circle. Not even bothering to send a message telling them what he was up to when he never showed, even skipping out entirely on their recess gatherings.

And the reason? He had gotten together with Amelia from the next class over. And it wasn't as if the guy was trying to keep it secret from his friends when all it took was an accidental encounter outside class one week later with the strapping young girl walking hand in hand with him.

That left Kenny conflicted with how easily his 'buddy' had turned on him and their group, while he did still drop by on occasion to say hi, he always did so with Amelia by his side. It annoyed Kenny to no end, arguably the most and only one in their group that seemed affected by the change with the other guys congratulating him for the occasion.

To the young teen, it was confusing to no end. And he didn't want to hear a lick of an excuse. So what if he got a girlfriend, surely he could still spend his free time with them? And what was so great about it anyway? It sounded like a hassle having a girl tagging along wherever you went.

Not long after, Kenny's other friends seemed to get the hint Daniel had dropped for them, going out of their way to try and snag a girlfriend of their own, leaving Kenny alone and in the dust he just wanted to keep hanging out after school with his friends. But now that they were all scrounging around looking for love, he was on his own.

Instead of trying to talk and get together with his friends though, Kenny had chosen to isolate himself from them, thinking them to be cretins who were never his friends in the first place, keeping his emotions bottled up while Daniels and the rest moved on with their own lives and budding relationships as each one found a soul mate to be with. Acting like the young adults they now were while Kenny continued to wallow in his own self-contained thoughts; an infant in his echo chamber.

Although his concerns weren’t entirely without reason, catching wind of break up tales caused by less than faithful partners, he’d noticed Amelia stealing glances at the older students in the grade above theirs even when she was together with her supposed boyfriend Daniels, with the lovestruck man remaining oblivious to his girlfriends lustful gaze towards other men.

But he never bothered to give his former best friend the heads up, preferring instead to sit and wait till he inevitably got ditched by Amelia for some other hunk that caught her attention.

After that day, he would go home alone, convinced he could tough it as he spent his afternoons gaming and reading comics. But it all served to make him feel more isolated than before.

"What's so good about having a girlfriend anyway…" he'd mutter to himself sometimes whenever he saw a couple walking down the street or when he was having lunch at the cafeteria. With his social life slowly creeping towards ruin after isolating himself from both former friends and family, Kenny had resorted to spending more time alone in his room with only his games to keep him company. Only ever leaving to go to school or to catch a quick potty break.

Going to sleep after yet another boring day at school, Kenny gave one last look at his contacts list as he saw his friends online, the thought of texting them passing by as he scoffs, turning it off before switching the lights off and tucking in the sheets.

"Jerks are probably too busy messaging their girls or whatever else they're doing…"

But somewhere out there, something had been watching the young man curse his friends for abandoning him as they moved on with their lives. Refusing to see things differently or mend the bridges he'd burned himself while blaming the opposing side. It was a pitiable sight, yet the being could feel no such thing for the arrogant boy, who saw no happiness in watching others fall in love.

Yet, the being was not a cruel one by nature. For even the most blind and arrogant soul could always be brought back on the right path. Whether they liked it or not.

And so, as Kenny slept peacefully, the being slips in through the window, a wispy pale silhouette composed of smoke phasing through solid brick and glass as it floats over to the sleeping boy. Exhaling a long string of ghostly air that floats around the room like a flying serpent before it seems to take note of the human, descending and performing three slow circles around Kenny's head like a predator waiting for its chance to pounce.

Seemingly satisfied, the smoke makes for Kenny's ears, slipping in silently as it worms its way down his ear canal and into his brain, encapsulating it before being absorbed into his very being. Eliciting a quick sneeze from the unwary teen as he turns in bed, still fast asleep and not noticing anything off. A satisfied nod from the being as it too, fades away under the cover of night.

But come tomorrow, Kenny's world would soon be flipped upside down. And he'd even if he noticed, he’d still be none the wiser to the fate that awaited him by the time the day would come to a close…

–

Blaring noisily in the cool morning air, Kenny's hand groggily flails around the nightstand in search of the alarm clock to silence its incessant noise. Finding purchase as the room falls silent once more, rising off the sheets as he stretches his arms, feeling a strange sense of euphoria and excitement washing over him with the long strands of his significantly smoother fringe tickling his brow.

"Strange…I haven't felt this…good…in so long!"

But of course he would, since this was probably the first morning in weeks where he hadn't immediately thought of his former buddies and their girlfriends straight after waking up, souring the mood with negativity.

Washing up in the toilet, Kenny checks himself out in the mirror as he brushes idly away at his teeth, gurgling the minty broth in his mouth with his thoughts elsewhere. Unaware of how his skin seemed a tad bit more radiant today than it had been the night before. The early stubble of a beard whisked away in an instant as the tiny pricks recede and vanish, leaving behind skin as smooth as the rest that covered his slender body, pausing for a moment midway through bending over to splash water at his face. Inspecting the sleek lashes that adorned his small, sharp eyes.

While Kenny certainly was no chiselled beefcake, there was something slightly off with how effeminate his face was this morning…

'Hmm, Did I always look like this….probably just overthinking what a good night's sleep can do for you!' Kenny certainly did have more important things to worry about though, like getting out early if he wanted to reach school on time.

Moving on down the hallway after changing into his uniform, Kenny walks out the door with his bag in hand, turning round as he hears the familiar flip flaps of his mother’s sandals across the floorboards, waving her goodbye with a foot already well outside the door. “Morning Ma, I’m heading out now!”

It took awhile for her to respond, spinning round with a look of disbelief on her face like it was unusual for her own son to greet her in the morning, almost as if she hadn’t been expecting him to say anything. “B-But I thought…nevermind, be a dear and stay safe out there Ken!” Maybe she was down with something, but Kenny knew better than to question his mother. After all, this wasn’t the first time she had goofed up on something. But forgetting her morning routine so quickly? He’d been greeting every morning now for as far as he could remember!

Making a mental note to bring her out this weekend to the mall for some R&R, Kenny makes his way off to school with a pep in his step, with each bounce of his heels pumping lean muscle into his bony calves as fat creeps up his thighs, forming a natural layer of buoyant yet firm flesh, further accentuated by the smooth hide that covered it all up in one tantalizing package.

By the time he crossed the boundary separating the outside from the school, the former twigs for legs he once sported had been remodelled into a healthy pair of sensual pillars tipped with dainty feet free of calluses, grunge slick nails cleaned and polished beneath the socks. All of it connected to hips that were starting to lose their lean silhouette with a gentle curve coming into being as his waist tightens inward with all that extra mass redistributing across his body; flowing pale tendrils that settled into his rear and bosom, blessing him with a subtle sway to his gait with the added girth of his rear that would only grow more tantalizing once he grew older.

Although ‘he’ was beginning to sound like an ill-suited term to refer to the changing teen with how feminine his body had become by the time he had sat down for homeroom, a hearty cushion providing some comfort as prepared for first period, tugging at the baggy sleeves of his uniform with neatly trimmed nails after noticing the sizeable gap between the cloth and his slender forearms. But if Kenny had just looked down a bit more, he might have noticed the tiny nubs beginning to form a gentle rise in his chest right above a delectably smooth navel…

That is, if he could see past the thick fog clouding his and the rest of the world’s view of what the young man was going through. Unable to even think of Daniels and the rest of his former friends that

“Should get a new set later…funny though, have I been losing weight?”

With attendance taking over and done with, the first two hours of the day would fly by in relative peace and silence with Kenny taking notes and devoting a hundred percent of his mind towards retaining the bits of knowledge and tips his teacher dropped on the whiteboard. All while slowly dipping in height and overall mass as his shoulders popped inward into carefully crafted joints reminiscent of a doll. Leaving Kenny looking very much like a girl now with how his messy hair had begun to style itself into a cute bob cut that curled inward around the nape of his neck, atop which sits the attentive face of a young girl.

And before she knew it, the time for PE had arrived, sighing in a feminine tone as she stretched her weary limbs from writing so much without stopping to rest. Flexing dainty digits as she rose from her chair, getting ready to head off with the rest of her classmates to the changing rooms. Trailing behind the others after noticing how loose her pants were, constantly slipping off her waist despite her best efforts to keep them on.

“Hey uhh, Kendra? This is the boys locker…girls on the other?”

In her rush to keep her modesty hidden, Kendra hadn’t realized her error until she was one foot inside the boys changing room, looking up to find the familiar visage of Daniels staring down at her awkwardly. Feeling something within her belly tingle the longer she stared into his dreamy face with the sparks of something more firing up in her eyes, a literal green glow emanating from starstruck irises as she gazed into Daniels’ empty brown eyes, beneath which hung a noticeable eyebag.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be, should’ve told you earlier when you weren’t looking.”

Skittering off to join her friends on the proper side of the hall, Kendra pops open her locker before pulling out her school-issue swimsuit, unbuttoning her loose uniform with a pout of embarrassment for that earlier confrontation. Staring at her own reflection on the mirror in her locker as she changed fully out of her clothes before depositing the loose set into her locker, standing in the nude with her nubile young body on full display as a sudden irksome sensation runs through her at the sight of it, planting a hand over her breast in response to the alien sting.

Which only served to deepen her feeling of inadequacy as she gazed down at her less than modest assets. None the wiser to the last vestiges of the boy she once was squirming as he stared at a girl’s naked body…a body that was once his own.

“Hey, you alright there Ken? I saw that thing you pulled earlier with Daniels~”

Turning towards the voice to meet the mischievous face of her long time friend; Sammy. Shaking off the strange notion that she hadn’t quite seen her face before as she took to changing into her swimsuit while engaging in idle chatter. “W-What the heck does that mean?! I didn’t pull anything with him! And you know he’s already got a girlfriend right?”

“Ahh~ So you haven't heard…”

“Heard wh-” Unable to finish her sentence as the fierce voice of the swim coach rings out for them to huddle in for the usual safety brief, the two girls finish slipping on their swimsuits before rushing for the doors. With Kendra noticing nothing off with how there wasn’t anything rubbing between her thighs anymore. No long fleshy thing hanging down where the smooth incline of her groin leading down to a luscious thigh gap now sat squeezed by the rubbery material of her swimsuit as it rode up deep between her modest rear.

“Damn, Ms Birkins never rests…i’ll fill you in during lunch break later!”

Left with curiosity burning in her mind, Kendra would spend the rest of the lesson mired in thought as she swam laps around the pool with practiced strokes of and meanuevering with her lithe flexible body. Cutting through the waters like an arrowhead with her hair beginning to flow down and around her body like a mesmerizing black curtain that refracted the flow of light all around her, drawing the attention of more than a few of the boys on the other end of the swimming hall, with some beginning to catcall the fair maiden as she tucked her long hair back under her swimming cap before starting with her fifth lap under the watchful eye of Ms Birkins.

“Kendra! Mind telling me why you haven’t been such a dear and signed on for the swim team yet?!”

“I'm sorry ma’am! I don’t think I’m cut out for it!”

“Hrmph! That’s a lie and you know it!”

By the time Kendra had started on her sixth lap, the girl was barely the same person who dived head first into the waters fifteen minutes ago, gaining extra curves in her torso region with how buoyant her breasts had become, inflating from a measly A-cup into the generous set of C’s that bounced slightly with each movement as she hits the other end of the pool in record time, stunning her classmates as some cheered her on while others watched in silent envy.

While the world may have forgotten Kenny’s existence, in his place stood a young beauty beloved by the people who knew her for being an understanding girl who never shied away from conversation. Always willing to lend a helping hand to those who needed it. And as she heaves herself from the pool with water dripping off her well-sculpted figure, that fact cements itself into her brain with the timid girl she was now fully embracing her new memories and position in life, undoing her cap and setting free her voluminous head of raven black hair as she starts for the locker rooms at the sound of Ms Berkins’ whistle, all while the rowdy boys from the other side cheered and whooped at her, turning around with an awkward wave until she noticed Daniels staring from out of the corner of her eye, meeting his intense gaze as the world seemed to come to a halt around her. Unaware of the fatal mistake she’d made with her leg twinging in pain halfway through a grail, sending her toppling forward as her vision spins round before darkness consumes her momentarily

The next few moments were a haze of blurred images and faint sensations with a dull ache pounding away at the back of her head before she felt the cold embrace of the water touch her all over with the panicked cries of her classmates fading with her head now completely underwater, the slight tingle of a panic attack  building in her chest when she felt the nauseating sensation of water filling her nostrils and lungs.

She was going to drown.

Until she feels something warm break through the cold, sturdy muscles braced against her shoulders with a gentle grip around her waist and legs. She could feel how strong their leg muscles were as her rescuer kicked off the floor of the pool. But with her added baggage, the swimmer's speed was impeded, unable to break the surface of the water in time before Kendra’s consciousness faded away entirely…

–

“Unn…where am I?”

Awakening from her deep sleep to find herself in an unusually humid room surrounded by familiar curtains, Kendra slowly pushes off the stiff bedding beneath her, surprised by the fresh set of the girls uniform draped over her body with the notable absence of her stockings which had been tucked away alongside her shoes by the foot of the bed; a bed only found in the nurse’s office for students in need of care.

“You’re finally awake! How’re you feelin’? Hopefully not too groggy with the meds I pumped in ya! Gotta say though, haven't had a concussion come in through those doors for years now! How’d you even manage that? Wait, don't answer, s’posed to be resting, not talking!”

And there was the resident eccentric nurse herself; Velma, tuning herself off to the deluge of words the woman was known for regurgitating over everyone she met. While she was certainly a capable nurse and self-professed doctor, her ‘vibrant’ personality was something many took awhile to grow accustomed to.

But still, a concussion? Raising her hand to test the back of her head, Kendra could indeed feel a dull sting just by pressing down gingerly on the afflicted area she remembered bearing the brunt of the impact…against the floor of the swimming hall.

“Thanks Ms Velma…I’d…better get going or I'll miss class.”

“Oh don’t mention it my dear, but i’m’fraid it’s a tad too late for that, take a look!”

Peering at the screen of the nurse’s phone, Kendra’s eyes widened at the display as it shot the numbers ‘1549’ back at her. That explained why it was so hot and there was barely any noise outside. The curriculum had already ended for the day, and since it was a Friday, the sports clubs had the day off.

She’d ended up sleeping through the entire day barely having done anything!

“What’re you lookin’ so shocked for sweety? Earning some cozy time in bed while skimping out on lessons’ a win in my book! And it’s not like you went and bonked yourself on purpose right? At least, I hope not, dear me I'm rambling again aren't I? Well, If you're feeling peppy enough to ignore me then you’re good to go, then there's someone outside waiting to fetch you home alright?”

“I-Is it Ma-I mean, my mum?”

“Oh you’ll see, he was so insistent I don't tell you, it’s been nice having you Kendra!”

Now that perked her ears up at the mention of the word; ‘he’. Was it her father? But he hadn't been home in awhile since his last business trip abroad. Deep in her drug addled, concussion afflicted brain, Kendra struggled to think up of any possible volunteers that could be waiting outside that door as she slipped her stockings up her shapely legs before tightening the straps of her leather shoes, rising to her feet slowly before looking down at the stand by the bed for her belongings before slowly heading for the doors while waving goodbye to Ms Velma.

That was when the thought drifted by in her head. Out of all the possible friends she had that were boys, only one face remained that cared enough, or at least that was what she had assumed until a week ago, to stay behind and wait till she woke up. Making it all the more harder to twist the handle to face the person on the other side.

‘I-It can’t be him right? But why?’

By the time she had mustered up the courage to open the door, a few minutes had already passed as she steps out from the nurse’s office sheepishly with a downtrodden look on her face, shutting the door behind her before hesitantly looking up into the familiar face of Daniels, the eyebags she recalled earlier today looking worse off than earlier.

The pair stood there for a bit, neither staring into the other’s eyes directly despite their faces meeting each other.

“Walk with me would you?”

“Huh? W-Wait up!”

Before she could even get a word out, Daniels had already turned tail and begun walking off down the empty halls of the school, leaving her to follow along as best she could without tripping over with how strange it felt to be dosed up on what she could only assume were heavy duty anesthetics to alleviate the pain of the concussion.

It didn’t take long for her to realize where they were headed as Daniel turned the corner leading to the rec area of the school, where the massive maple tree that overshadowed the stone benches were already in full autumn bloom with red tri tipped leaves colored a fiery orange fluttered all over the place, blending with the warm midday sun into a stunning display fit for a painting as the pair settled down awkwardly on a bench.

“How’re you feeling? Damn near scared everyone half to death back there when you fell into the water…”

“Fine I guess…Ms Velma said it was a concussion but I think her meds are worse…can’t think straight at all…”

“Heh no kidding…good to hear you’re alright though…”

And with that awkward cutoff, the pair falls back into silence again. With an emotionless stare on Daniel’s face and a furrowed look of unease on Kendra’s, from a bystanders viewpoint, it looked like a breakup was about to happen.

After a few minutes of palpable silence had come and gone with neither one having said a thing besides Daniel fidgeting at times before settling back to stony silence as if he felt conflicted about wanting to say something. Kendra had risen off her seat before walking in front of Daniels, plopping down on the grass and finally meeting his gaze, the sorrow and fear in his eyes clearly reflected in her own.

“So…what did you call me out here for? You’ve been looking kinda…down since this morning. I thought you were-”

“-Happy with Amelia? Yeah, I thought so too…”

‘...’

It was something she’d known all along ever since Kendra had come to class last week before noticing Daniels strolling outside the hallway before slinking into an unused storage room rushing after him to say hello until she heard strange sounds coming from within that made her spin tingle in disgust and anger, creeping up to the doors and peering in to find him mingling with Amelia. A girl from a grade above that she had heard nasty rumours about for being a salacious vixen that used her looks to get her way in both trifling matters and test scores. It had come as a shock to her that Daniels, her long time best friend and the man she had her heart set on, had chosen some skank over her.

Then again, she knew she couldn’t deflect all the blame. Since she never had the courage to confess first, Daniels going after another girl was bound to happen sooner or later with Kendra not making a single move. Their relationship since then had become cold, with both parties distancing themselves from the other, it had left Kendra enraged whenever she bumped into the pair with ‘that poisonous bitch’ whispering venom down her former friend's ears. But even then, she still couldn’t bring herself to hate him.

She’d cried herself to sleep many times over since then, unable to move on and get over it. Awakening each morning with a false sense of security and excitement to get through the day, only to have it all burn out the instant she was reminded of what had gone down between them.

But the last bit had Kendra’s ears perk up, frowning in a mix of anger and confusion as she stared Daniels in the eyes, her angry voice cracking mid-way through her delivery. “W-What do you mean by ‘you thought so’? You were literally fucking her on day one!”

The guilty man raised his brow at that, probably wondering what else Kendra had seen behind his back as he sheepishly rubs his weary face in the palms of his hands before sighing in a long drawn out breath. But despite her anger towards Daniels, she still pitied the look of regret on his face that told her he truly was wracked on the inside over what he had done…at what he had allowed Amelia to do to him. “I’m sorry…she…took me for an idiot-”

“-Which you are…and ran off with your virginity ticket afterward back to her boy toys while ruining your social life…am I right?”

“...down to a T…but how did you know?”

“It didn’t take much to piece things together y’know…and I guess Sammy was going to break the news to me during lunch…and you weren’t the only one feeling down I guess!”

Cracking a smile as best she could, it didn’t take much for Daniels to start sobbing a little as he stared into her sincere jade green eyes after realizing what his friend was implying as Kendra stumbles and falls back to the ground after trying to move over to comfort Daniels, feeling the effects of the anesthetic start to really kick in as the feeling in her limbs begins to go numb.

But before her head could hit the floor, Daniels pushes off the bench, using his body to soften the impact as he cradles Kendra’s head in his arms, a warm blush on her face with her breathing come out in short raspy breaths. Not because she was ill, but because of how fast he moved to catch her in his arms, holding her so close to him she almost thought she was dreaming.

“K-Kenny?! You okay?”

“!...Y…Y-You have no idea…how g-good it feels to hear that…”

In truth it was only for at most two weeks, but to Kendra, hearing Daniels call her by the nickname she only ever let him use struck a chord in her heart as she laid there in his arms feeling like she’d just hit cloud nine.

“Say…D-Daniel?”

“Y-Yeah? What is it Kenny?”

“I love you, y’know that…”

That left the teary eyed teen stunned for a moment, he had suspected as much from her words earlier, but having Kendra’s confession thrown out before him was another matter entirely. But by the time he turned his attention back on Kendra, the girl had already fallen fast asleep while lying limp in his grip, a peaceful look of serenity on her face as she slept.

Slumping onto the grass as he laid there with Kendra lying on his chest, Daniels’ shuts his eyes while thinking of what to do now that they were in this position. He’d expected her to run off the moment he tried to explain himself, but he never quite expected her wily personality and tongue-in-cheek quips to come into play. Maybe it was the concussion speaking, but it had certainly helped lighten the heavy mood he felt would finally rend their relationship apart, stroking her soft cheek with a finger as she laid there unmoving.

She was kind in her own way and beautiful to boot…he almost couldn’t believe how he’d failed to notice her affection after so long.

‘Hngg…not so rough there Danny…”

‘What the hell is she dreaming of…god, I really don’t deserve her..’

With the newly bonded friends and soon to be couple lying out on the gardens, the school nurse; Ms Velma, watches from the third floor of the building with a wistful look on her face, right before something smoky leaves her body, the happy smile on her face blinking away as she looks around startled before catching sight of Daniels and Kendra lying together under the maple tree.

“Now isn’t that an interesting sight this late into the lonely afternoon! Ah, the vigors of youth can be such a wonderful thing to experience~”

And to that, the smoky entity floating in the skies could only agree as it continues on its way after having since its work to the end, wishing the newly sworn couple a long and happy life together…

THE END