TheXtra Path

Larry peeked into the bookstore. Left, right, left again. He breathed a sigh of relief. No girls. The bookstore was mostly empty except for a male worker stocking the shelves near the front. He bolted inside before the situation could change. Step one, complete.

He made his way to the back of the store where his favorite books were kept—the nerdy kind that most girls avoided. His perfect plan failed immediately. Deep in an aisle, a girl sat on the floor, completely absorbed in a book she had taken from the shelf. He groaned inwardly. Still, he was patient. He could wait her out.

Thirty minutes later, Larry grumbled in frustration. Why wouldn’t she leave? Was she going to read the entire thing? He paced past the aisle again. She was reading a different book now! He supposed he could just come back another day—

“Can I help you?” a voice said from behind him.

Larry shrieked and spun around. A guy wearing a store uniform was staring at him, his nametag reading ‘Rick’. Larry let out another shaky sigh of relief. “What? Oh, um, no. I’m fine.” He glanced nervously toward the aisle, then quickly looked away.

Rick’s gaze followed his. “I’ve seen you come in here often,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “You always look so anxious, and it spikes whenever a girl is nearby. Why is that?”

Larry froze like a deer in headlights. He stared at his feet and mumbled, “It’s… complicated.”

“Try me,” Rick pressed gently. “I’m curious. I might even be able to help.”

Larry sighed, the story tumbling out of him. “Two years ago, when I was still in high school, I confessed to a girl in my class. She laughed. Told her friends. They all made fun of me for months. Now, every time I see a girl, my stomach flips like a dying fish and my skin crawls like they are covered with ants. I thought it’d get better after graduating and with therapy, but it only got worse.”

Rick nodded slowly, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. “That’s rough, man. Girls can be vicious.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “You know, I think I have the perfect book for you.”

Before Larry could protest, Rick grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the self-help section in the very back corner of the store. Larry groaned. He hated these kinds of books; they always felt preachy and inadequate. Rick reached to the top shelf and pulled out a book with a bright pink cover; the book seemed to shine for a second, but it was probably just reflecting the overhead lights. The title read: Everything You Need to Know about Girls.

Larry gave him an annoyed look. “This is the last thing I want to read.”

Rick just grinned. “Humor me. Just read a little.”

“Fine,” Larry said, resigning himself to it. He sat on the floor and opened the book as Rick walked away. The first few pages were just as he expected: boring, self-important, and condescending. And yet… he felt himself getting drawn in. Maybe girls aren’t so bad. They have their own challenges… it’s impossible to group half the world’s population into one group. He shook his head and slammed the book shut. He wasn’t going to fall for that. Never again!

Larry stood and went to put the book back, but his fingers brushed against empty air just below the shelf. Odd. He was tall, and he’d been in this bookstore countless times, always able to reach any shelf without a problem. He rose onto his tiptoes, stretching, but the shelf seemed to actively pull away from him. A wave of vertigo washed over him as the floor suddenly felt much closer. A jolt of fear shot through him as he looked around. The bookshelves towered over him. Everything was so much… larger.

“What’s going on?” he breathed. The words felt alien in his own mouth, and his voice scraped against his throat before cracking.

A deep shiver started in his chest and flowed through the rest of his body. It receded, then crashed over him again, stronger this time. And again. Each wave was a pulse spread through his limbs, making his muscles feel pliable and soft. A tight pressure began to build in his chest. The skin around his torso grew tighter and tighter, stretching so thin it felt like it might tear.

With a final, overwhelming surge, something gave. Larry arched his back, a silent scream locked in his throat, as the pressure in his chest bloomed outward. Two soft, sensitive mounds swelled from his chest and forcefully pressed against his shirt. A button from his shirt gave way with a soft pop. Larry gasped in relief and pain. The sensation was a bizarre mix of sharp pain and a sudden tenderness. Breasts?! The new weight on his chest was undeniable. His loose shirt rubbed against his enlarged bosom. A new feeling of deep sensitivity made his mind go blank with. . . not quite pain or pleasure, but it could definitely produce those feelings with just a little more . . . pressure. Larry shook his head. That was . . . distracting.

He tried to straighten up, to reclaim his balance, but he overcorrected when the strange shiver focused on his hips. A grinding feeling spread through his pelvis as his bones shifted with an audible creak. His center of gravity plummeted. Larry stumbled forward into an awkward position as his hips flared out, his rear swelled and plumped up. A shift between his legs sent another wave of not-pleasure, not-pain flowing through him.

It took all his concentration not to fall on his face. As he leaned forward, his shirt slipped off of his shoulder; the missing button and slender frame could no longer be contained by the shirt. The cool air of the bookstore A/C blew across his newly exposed chest, raising goosebumps. Despite having larger hips, his jeans started to slip off and would have fallen completely off if he hadn’t grabbed them. At the same time, a silky tickle danced across his cheeks and the nape of his neck. He could feel the weight of his hair now, a soft curtain that brushed against his jawline with every panicked turn of his head.

When the changes finally stopped, Larry used a nearby shelf to steady himself and take stock. He looked down. Deep cleavage filled his vision where he couldn’t even see his feet. He touched the new flesh gingerly, goosebumps crawling up his arms. He grabbed the mounds more forcefully, and a dizzying wave of pleasure and nausea crashed over him. A frantic check between his legs confirmed his manhood was gone.

Larry started to hyperventilate. The edges of his vision darkened, and his mouth felt like sandpaper. I’m a girl? I can’t be a girl! Had that book done this to him? He snatched it up, but it looked perfectly ordinary. Why had Rick given it to him?

Rick! That jerk! Where is he?

Rallying his courage, Larry half-stumbled, half-shuffled out of the aisle, acutely aware of how every part of his new body moved and jiggled. He scanned the store. No sign of him. He looked toward the checkout, and his heart nearly stopped. The clerks were all women. Worse, a flood of new customers was pouring into the store, most of them girls. The store would be submerged. There was nowhere to hide. He had to go. Now.

He clutched the book and forced himself toward the checkout, feeling dozens of eyes on him. Most people looked away quickly. Some of the girls smirked. Some of the guys’ stares… lingered. Larry felt dirty. He tried to pull his shirt closed, but the motion only pressed his hands against his bouncing chest. He felt sick and excited at the same time.

When he finally reached the front, he opened his mouth to ask for Rick, but the words died in his throat. The cashier was staring at his disheveled clothes, one eyebrow raised.

“Just the book?” she asked.

Larry looked down at the pink book he’d forgotten he was holding. No! I don’t want this cursed thing! he wanted to scream, but he managed a weak nod.

The cashier took the book, scanned it, ran his credit card, and handed it back with professional ease. Before Larry could protest, the pressure of the crowd behind him ushered him toward the exit. He fled from the bookstore before anything else could go wrong.

Out in the parking lot, he felt completely exposed. He muttered frantically, “Why, why, why is this happening?” A high cute voice escaped his mouth. He felt bile build in his throat. He turned to go back inside, but his body seized up at the sight of all the girls. Not even becoming one had cured his fear. A horrifying thought struck him. Had Rick done this on purpose, to “help” him overcome his fear? If so, that was seriously messed up.

Resolving to come back tomorrow to find Rick, Larry made his way to his car. Luckily, he lived alone and worked from home. Otherwise, he’d have a very hard time explaining this. He hoped he’d be able to resolve this before his mom checked in on him.

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Rick watched Larry from the top of the bookstore roof and smiled. He had done a good job. He took out a piece of paper and crossed a name off of the list. One more down. Time for his next target. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.