Mood Swings

Bill Caster was standing in front of a mirror, debating on which shirt to wear to the bar tonight. He had narrowed it down to either his trusty black and gold bowling shirt or a more tropical number that he had picked up from his last vacation. While his wardrobe was never very extensive, it was an important decision to make, mostly so that he didn't look like a schlub. As he was debating the merits of either upper torso covering, his phone buzzed, indicating that he had received a new text message. When he saw that it was from Andy, he felt his stomach drop. There was only one reason that his best friend Andy would be texting him twenty minutes before their usual bar hangout night, and he knew damn well what it was.

Looking at his phone, his suspicions were confirmed as he read, `Sorry man, had to cancel at the last minute, I forgot me and Bailey had dinner plans tonight. Rain check.' A kind of dull anger throbbed throughout Bill's head. This was the forth time in as many weeks that Andy had dumped their usual plans to go hang out with his new girlfriend. It was infuriating! The man had only been dating her for, what, a couple of months, and already it seemed like she had him completely wrapped around her little finger. She beckoned and he came calling, every damn time.

Well, if she thought Bill was going to roll over and let her steal his best damn friend in the whole world, that bitch had another thing coming. He furiously punched in Andy's number and called his friend back, intending to demand that he honor their long standing beer and darts hangout session. But the call went straight to voicemail. Enraged now, he quickly punched up his friend's landline, determined to talk some sense into the man at all costs. It rang five times and went to voicemail, but Bill just hung up and tried again. And again. And again. Finally after the fifth round of calling, Andy picked up.

"Hello..." His voice sounded tight and annoyed, angering Bill further.

"What the fuck is the bullshit?" Bill spat into the phone. He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice but he just couldn't help it. He cringed at the slightly whiny tone of words but plowed on nonetheless. "You can just ditch me at the last minute like this man! We've been going out like this since for fucking ever! It's a goddamn tradition at this point!"

"Look man, I'm sorry for the last minute cancellation. I legit forgot about the dinner plans. Come on, cut me some slack here." Andy's tired and defeated voice only seemed to confirm Bill's worst fears about that bitch Bailey. Clearly she was running him ragged and keeping Andy away from all his friends!

Bill took a deep breath and tried to express his concerns to his long-time buddy. What he meant to say, "I think you're spending an unhealthy amount of time with this girl and that she may be dominating your time in a very controlling way. I'm just worried about you, old friend." What he actually said was, "That fucking bitch has you pussy whipped! Man the fuck up!"

Needless to say, the rest of the conversation devolved into shouts and cursing, eventually ending with Andy terminating the call and Bill throwing his phone against the wall, both breaking the device and leaving a rectangular shaped divot in the wall. Bill spent several more minutes shouting curses into the air and making his neighbors worry about his mental state. All of this over a woman he had never even met face to face yet.

After Bill finally managed to rein his temper back in somewhat. He then became determined to just go over to Andy's place and beat some sense into him, verbally preferably. As he hastened his departure, he slipped on a crystal necklace that Andy had gotten for him two months ago. Feeling the weight and texture of the crystal on his skin seemed to calm him down immensely. As he stepped over to the door, the crystal started to glow a deep purple hue. He suddenly lost the urge to fly out the door and stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts.

Yeah, it sucked that his best friend was spending less and less time with him, but isn't that just part of life, he wondered? Am I really going to deprive a man his happiness just because I'm jealous that he's in love with someone?

As these thoughts criss crossed in his mind, the crystal glowed even more brightly. As it did, his hair started to grow, trickling down his back in glossy waves. His body shrank a foot in height but his legs seemed to stretch out, his calves and thighs reshaping as the hair dropped away from them. His shoulders collapsed inward and stomach shrunk, his waist tapering inward. Bill thought about all the good times they had together and about just how much Andy meant to him. He had always been more than a friend to him, but...

Bill's chest pushed out as breasts began to form, heavy and pendulous. His arms began to reform, thinning out as his fingers lengthed slightly and became more delicate looking. As his face started to change, so did his mind. Bailey opened her eyes as the last of the changes slid into place. Andy was so wonderful and understanding, but poor Bill was running him ragged! Bailey did think that maybe Bill did have a point about her bogarting all their shared time together but... she couldn't help it, she was in love with the man!

As the changes finished, Bailey sighed. Bill's little temper tantrum will have put Andy in a sour mood, she was sure of it. An off start to what she hoped was going to be another wonderful evening. She quickly moved over to the closet, where her spectacular wardrobe had appeared in place of Bill's dull collection of tacky shirts. As she picked out a dress that was the right amount of both cute and sexy, she frowned as her mind once again turned to Bill. She knew she had been created as a result of his deep unspoken love for Andy and his hidden desire to be more than just friends. But now he was getting to be more than just an annoyance. He was actively affecting her relationship with the man she was destined to be with. Not for the first time, she turned her thoughts towards the possibility of finding a way to remain here always. As it stood now, she could only exist for a scant twenty four hours before the magic of the necklaces wore off. But, she knew it was much more than the eight hours of time she had when she first came into being. She wondered if the extra time she was getting was due to Andy falling in love with her? Would there be a time when Bill slipped on the necklace and didn't change back?

Bailey knew so little about her existence. Only that she was created by the power of the mysterious crystal, that she appears whenever he puts it on and that Bill is oblivious to the transformation. It was excessively frustrating how little she knew. But she had a theory that the less time Andy spent with Bill and the deeper he fell in love with her, the more time she would have to remain here. She had no proof of this one way or the other however. But it was something she would have to find out more about the next time Bill slipped on the crystal unwittingly.

For now, Andy was waiting for her and she wasn't going to disappoint her lover. As she finished the final touches of her outfit, she smiled as she thought about all the naughty things she and Andy would be doing later tonight. With some savagery, she wondered if she should buy a cheep phone and taunt Bill with pictures of there sexual encounter. Maybe. Something to consider if her theory proves to be true. But for the time being, she scooped up a purse that contained all her ID's and strutted out the door, eager to spend every second she could with the love of her life.