Christina—no, Chris, she mentally corrected herself—stared at her reflection in the hallway mirror, disbelief etched across her face. Here she was, a girl. A beautiful girl with short, tousled hair framing her delicate features, blue eyes that sparkled brightly, and a physique that radiated a blend of athleticism and femininity. The fitted athletic wear she had donned for school clung to her in a way that felt both strange and uncomfortable, accentuating curves she had never known.
“What the hell is happening?” she whispered to her reflection, her heart racing as she took in her new appearance. As much as she tried to adjust to her new identity, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something fundamental had shifted overnight. She was still Chris in her mind—a guy who played soccer, cracked jokes, and lived for the thrill of competition, not Christina, the "tomboy" girl her family thought she had always been.
The familiar sound of the front door creaking caught her attention, and her younger brother, Max, dashed in, backpack bouncing on his back. “Hey, Christina! Ready for school?”
“Yeah, just—just give me a minute,” she responded, trying to feign confidence even as anxiety bubbled beneath the surface. As she smoothed a hand over her new top, she silently cursed the reality of it all. How could she face everyone, especially James?
Only last night, they had been hanging out, goofing around, and now she worried how he would react to this bizarre twist of fate. Would he see the same Christina he had known all his life? The thought of facing him sent a wave of nausea crashing over her.