Second Skin

by Jennifer White

 

Shelley looked around her and sighed. The other girls in her class always seemed better than her. She was still a little chunky, not having shed her 'baby fat' yet like they did. Her boobs were slower to fill out than the other girls, particularly the popular ones.

Her parents told her that everyone matures at a different rate, and she too would be a pretty girl one day. But she felt very down on herself. She hated her body. She hated her ugly skin. She hated how slowly she developed.

She didn't look good in fashionable clothes like the popular girls did, so it wasn't any use wearing those. She was so jealous of Sarah, with her perfect hair, her perfect face, her nice figure, and the way a skirt looked so good on her. If only she could be like that!

 

* * *

 

One day, while surfing the internet, Shelley found a product that sounded like it would solve all her problems. It wasn't cheap, so she would need more money. So to her parents surprise and delight, she took a job after work at the local fast food restaurant, where she earned a few extra dollars a week. She didn't spend it like her classmates did on clothes and makeup; she kept it squirreled away until she had amassed enough money to make her purchase, several months later.

 

Shelley went on the web, and found the site for Second Skin. It was like a body suit which a girl could step into. It would attach itself to you, and nobody would ever know that it wasn't your real skin. What it would do in short, was to make you look beautiful. Perfect skin, perfect figure, perfect everything. Your hair was still up to you, but hey, if everything else was perfect, then you could deal with that.

She sent in her money, and had to wait three weeks for it to arrive. While serving customers and mopping the floor at work, it was hard to keep her mind focused. All she could think of was how wonderful her life would be in a few days, when it finally arrived. She looked every day when she got home, but she was disappointed that it wasn't there yet.

 

Finally, after almost 4 weeks of waiting, Shelley got home to find a package for herself! Her stupid brother Jake had brought the package in days ago, and 'forgot' to give it to her. He was always doing stupid mean things like that. Little brothers were such a pain!

She tried not to act too excited, but she couldn't hid it. This was going to solve all her problems. She went into her bedroom, opened the box, read the instructions, and striped down to put it on.

First, she slid her feet into the legs. It was hard to pull it up at first, and it seemed so heavy. How would this fool anyone? But she could feel the suction inside take effect, as it pulled itself taught to her legs. From then on, it was almost easy to put on. It was like the Second Skin *wanted* to be worn.

It attached itself over her, until it covered every inch of skin on her. She stared at herself in the mirror and gasped. It still looked like her, but a beautiful version of herself, perhaps a few years older. She had curves! She had boobs! She had perfect skin! Her face was free of acne! Her legs looked perfect and muscular! It seemed to have reshaped her body fat so that it now worked to her advantage, giving her a perfect hourglass figure, like she had always wanted.

Shelley ran to the closet to get dressed in something nice for the first time in a long time. But nothing in her closet looked appealing to her. She was too pretty now to wear those frumpy clothes. She needed something fashionable, something hot. She gathered the money she had amassed over the past three weeks, and headed out to the mall.

 

* * *

 

When Shelley returned from the mall, she looked completely different than she had just a few hours before. Gone were the modest clothes and the drab colors. Now she exuded sexiness, wearing a short white miniskirt with little red polka dots, and a tight little top which showed off how much larger she was on top, since stepping into her second skin.

Also, she had worn just a bare minimum of makeup before, but now, she wore heavy makeup with vibrant colors, heavy mascara, and the works. She strutted into the house in her new high heel shoes, with a fashionable purse slung over her shoulder. She had transformed from an average girl, to one of the hottest girls in her class.

 

The next day at school, Shelley was suddenly popular. With her stunning looks, her fashionable clothes, her newfound poise, grace and confidence, she suddenly found herself surrounded by the most popular girls in her class.

"Hey Shelley, looking cool" said Amber.

"Nice outfit babe" said Sarah.

"You really fit in with our group now" added Heather.

But hanging with the popular girls meant that her attitude towards her former friends changed too.

"Wow, look at you today" said Amy, one of her close friends.

"Can't talk now" said Shelley, completely blowing her off. Amy stood there hurt that her friend had ditched her, now that she was beautiful and popular.

Shelley was invited over to Amber's house after school. So she called work, and told them that she quit. Who needed a job when you're a popular girl? She wasn't going to go do some job *now*. Now that she was a popular girl, that kind of work was below her.

She looked at her new friends, and felt jealous. She wanted more clothes like they had. She wanted to get her hair done like Heather's. She wanted earrings like Sarah had. If she was going to be one of the popular girls, she needed to dress the part.

Plus, now she'd get boys. They had all ignored her before, so now they would pay. They would all want her, and she would toy with them, as she had seen Amber and Heather do in the past. She'd break their hearts, and that would make them want her all the more. She would be beautiful and unapproachable.

The unpopular boys would die just to get a chance to be with her. And the popular ones? She'd use them up, one by one. Make them buy things for her to please her, only to watch her flit to the next one, like a butterfly going from flower to flower. Or maybe like a bee, because she would sting if they did anything wrong.

Shelley smiled. She would be in control. She plotted out all the wonderful things she would do to them all....

 

* * *

 

Shelley found it hard to take off her Second Skin, even to take a bath. You could keep it on, but she felt like she needed to clean herself. She felt dirty all over. So on Sunday night, reluctantly, she started to peel it off. It was very difficult to get it off of her. It was like the Second Skin wanted to stay on!

With great difficulty, she wrestled with it. Finally, out of breath, she got out of its grip. There were red patches on her skin, where it had attached itself. The last few were painful, as if the Second Skin was starting to fuse to her, trying to become permanent.

As soon as she got it off, Shelley was overcome with a strange feeling: remorse. She had been so mean to people over the course of the week! She had hurt her friend's feelings. She had been rude and impolite, even to her manager at work, leaving him hanging with nobody to fill in at the last moment.

In the mean time, she had been going crazy buying things, using others, and taking without giving. She started to cry. She had been so mean! Why had she done that?

She looked down at the Second Skin and realized: it was only because of this *thing*. She had changed the moment that she put it on. It was all from her Second Skin!

Shelley gasped. She realized that she would never wear it again. Yes, she wanted to be pretty and popular. But she wanted to be *herself*. Not some glamour girl slavishly devoted to fashion and flirting, at the cost of friendship and love. She hadn't even been studying at school anymore! She had expected her stunning looks to earn her a good grade.

She put the Second Skin into a bag, and threw it into the back of her closet. With all she had paid for it, she couldn't bear to just throw it out. She took a long bath, then dressed in her normal clothes, as she laid on the bed and called Amy for a long talk...

 

* * *

 

Shelley and Amy had things patched up, so on Friday she went over to Amy's for a sleepover. Just the two of them, a movie, a bowl of popcorn, and a whole night to themselves, without bratty little brothers to get in the way, like she had at home.

 

Once Shelley was gone, and their parents left to have dinner and a movie, Jake was finally able to go on the prowl. His sister's room was always a place where he could have fun. He would find her diary, read it, and tease her about it. He would find money she had hidden away, and take some of it so he could buy candy at the store.

He went into his sister's room, and smirked at the stupid posters of stupid bands she listened to, and movie hunks. All icky love stories and junk, no action, no explosions. Yuck.

He looked through her desk, but couldn't find her diary. She must have hidden it in the closet. He looked in the closet, and noticed something new since last time he snooped: a big box in the back. He was curious about what might be in there. It looked like the package that had been mailed to her, which he had hidden, and got her all mad. He smiled. That had really gotten her, something good. She had been mad for days at him.

Jake pulled out the box, opened the lid, and dumped it onto the floor. It was this skin colored thing, shaped like a person. There were arms, legs, and a body. Some kind of costume? He wasn't sure.

He held it up to get a better look. It felt soft and warm where he was holding it. He was overcome with an urge to try it on. So Jake put one foot into the hole for the left leg, then put his right foot into the other. It was hard to pull it up at first, and it seemed so heavy. But he could feel the suction inside take effect, as it pulled itself taught to his legs. From then on, it was almost easy to put on. It was like it *wanted* to be worn.

It attached itself over him, until it covered every inch of skin of him. He stared at himself in the mirror and gasped. It still looked like him in the face, but a beautiful *female* version of him, perhaps a few years older. He had curves! He had boobs! He had perfect feminine skin! His legs looked perfect, for a woman! It seemed to have reshaped his body fat, giving him a perfect hourglass figure.

Jake looked like a girl now. Even between his legs, he looked like his sister did. Like a *girl*.

 

Jake was overcome with emotions. He had to....to find something cool to wear. He dug through Shelley's drawers, and found a sexy bra and panty set, which he quickly put on. Having a bra to support his large boobs made him feel better.

Then he went to the closet, where he found the polka dot miniskirt. Perfect! He put it on, and found a tight little top that showed off his boobs. And shoes! He needed cute shoes. He found a pair with heels. Perfect.

He went to the vanity, and began putting on makeup. Lots of it. He looked pretty without any, but he wanted, no he *needed* to look as beautiful as possible. He put it on thick, transforming his pretty face.

His hair seemed longer now too. He brushed it and used hair spray to make it just so. Then he put on jewelry, and did his nails. Finally satisfied, he looked in the mirror and smiled. He would be the cutest girl around now.

He found one of Shelley's purses, the fashionable new one, and put it over his shoulder. He was going out to the mall, and how could a girl go around without a purse?

Jake was overwhelmed with an urge to go out and shop, to buy more new clothes. A black leather miniskirt would be awesome. And a halter top dress. And pantyhose. And more shoes. And makeup. And perfume. And a black dress for dancing in. Oh, how he *needed* them all!

 

* * *

 

Half an hour later, Jake was strutting through the mall. Almost immediately, some of the popular girls had rushed over to say hello. He would be a popular girl, looking like he did. The recognized one of their own.

"Hello, I'm Amber" said the pretty blonde.

The new girl smiled. The name 'Jake' just seemed so silly of a nickname for a girl. How could she use that name anymore?

"Hello Amber. I'm Lauren" she replied. "Nice to meet you."

Amber introduced Lauren to her friends Sarah and Heather. In no time, they were up to their tricks. Lauren flirted with a boy, until she got him to go into a store and buy the black leather miniskirt for her. She had him eating out of her hand in no time.

She joked and laughed with the other popular girls. She was glad that she was one of *them*. Not some frumpy girl like her older sister Shelley. She joined the popular girls, as they teased the ugly loners, flirted with the boys, and amassed more clothes and shoes to add to their collections at home.

 

"Oh look, there's that loser Amy" said Heather, pointing down the aisle way.

"We should trick her" said Amber. "Lauren, go tell her that she's invited to a party at my house next Friday. Tell her to dress up, and bring a date."

"Sure. But why invite her to your party?"

"There is no party. She'll show up, and find that must my brother is home, with his loser friends. She'll die from embarrassment."

"Cool" said Lauren, rubbing her hands. How easy it would be to dupe this overweight nerdy girl. She would teach her a lesson.

 

"Hello Amy" said Lauren.

"Hi" replied Amy, as she browsed through the clothes on the rack. She was embarrassed that the pretty girl who had just approached her was slender and athletic, while she was overweight, because of a glandular problem.

Lauren was about to tell her about the fake party, but she stopped for a second. This girl looked familiar.

"Aren't you my sister's friend?" said Lauren.

"I don't think so" said Amy. "I've never seen you before."

At that moment, Shelley caught up with Amy, returning from the customer service line, where she had been returning some of the clothes she had bought while "under the influence" of the Second Skin.

"Hey Shel, this girl says she knows you" said Amy.

"Who are you?" said Shelley. "I don't remember meeting you before."

"Oh, come on sis. You know me. We only live together. Duh!"

"What kind of joke is this?" said Amy. "I've been to Shelley's house. She doesn't have a sister. Just her bratty brother."

"Watch out who you're calling bratty" responded Lauren, defensively. How dare this *unpopular* girl insult her like that?"

"Jake?" said Shelley.

"Lauren" she replied. Duh! Jake was a boy's name. Her sister was sure messed up.

"Did you find something in my closet, and put it on?" said Shelley.

Lauren nodded.

"Oh my god. It's gotten ahold of you" said Shelley. "We've got to get you home, and get you out of that thing."

"What thing?" said Lauren.

"No time to lose. Come with me. *Now*."

It was hard not to listen to her older sister, so reluctantly, Lauren went with Shelley and nerdy Amy out to the parking lot, and drove over to Amy's house.

"Mom and dad will be home any minute, and I can't let them see you like this" said Shelley.

"Like what?" said Lauren, twirling her long hair with her hand.

"Like a *girl*" replied Shelley.

"What's wrong with you sis?" said Lauren. "What do you mean 'like a girl'? I've always been a girl. What else am I supposed to be?"

"See?" said Shelley. "Its effecting your mind. You're a boy named Jake. You're not a girl!"

"Amy, will you talk some sense into my sister? She says I'm not a girl! What's wrong with her? Of course I'm a girl!"

"Jake, you're a boy" said Amy. "You were a boy today when I saw you before. You're wearing something that's messing with your mind."

Lauren shook her pretty head.

"You are *so* wrong" she said. "I am a girl, and I have always been a girl. I don't know why I'm hanging out with losers like you. I should be back at the mall with the popular girls. Plus, I need some new clothes. What do you think about vinyl boots with six inch heels? Wouldn't those be cool?"

"If you're a hooker" smirked Amy.

"Lay off of her, I mean him!" said Shelley. "This is all my fault. I should have thrown that thing out. Now look at him. He even thinks he's a girl."

"I *am* a girl" corrected Lauren, in a huff.

 

"I told you what it did to my mind" said Shelley. "It brought out all the worst behaviors a girl could have. It's doing the same to him now. And I think he's much weaker, being a boy and all. I was able to get myself out of that thing before it became permanent. We've got to help him. What if he gets stuck like that?"

Lauren was fixing her makeup in the rearview mirror, as they approached Amy's house. She was talking like a girl, acting like a girl, thinking like a girl, and as they walked in, Shelley realized that she was even moving like a girl.

"Were you flirting with the boys at the mall?" she asked.

"Until you interrupted me" said Lauren, with a hurt tone of voice.

"So you're interested in boys now?" said Amy.

"Of course. What girl isn't?" replied Lauren.

"You want to kiss a boy?" asked Shelley.

"If he'd cute."

"Do you like girls? Do you want to be with a girl?" said Amy.

"Ew! I don't go *that* way. You're sick."

 

Amy nodded at Shelley. Jake really thought he was a girl now. In every way. Even the thought of being with a boy didn't scare him. He *wanted* that now. Shelley *had* to get that thing off of him.

She went to his back, and pulled on the nape of the neck, where it sealed.

"Ow!" said Lauren. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of this thing" said Shelley.

"What thing?" was the reply.

Shelley searched, but she couldn't find the opening. How had it sealed over him like that? She tried to pull again, but it was as if she was pulling on his real skin. The Second Skin had attached itself to him so well that he would never get out of it.

Shelley was in a panic.

"Come on, think!" she said to herself. She wondered to what extent it had effected her brother. He had boobs now. What else had it changed?

"Take off my skirt!" she ordered.

"Why?" said Lauren, who used to be her brother Jake.

"Just do it!" screamed Shelley.

Lauren didn't take it off, but she lifted it up. Shelley could see her panties clearly. There was no bulge in front. No indication that it was a boy's body, or had ever been one. He *was* a girl now.

 

"Why don't you call them?" said Amy.

"Who?"

"The company that sold you that contraption."

"Good idea" responded Shelley. She got out her cell phone, and dialed.

"Hello, Second Skin Industries, how may I help you?"

"I need to speak to someone in customer support, right away!" said Shelley.

"Hold on. I'm transferring you" said the receptionist. Shelley wondered if *she* was wearing a Second Skin as she did her job at work. And if she had been a man before she put it on. Had this happened to anyone else?

"Customer support, how can I help you?" said a friendly voice.

"Hello. I purchased your product, and I have a problem with it" said Shelley.

"What's the problem? Aren't you happy at what it did to improve your looks? Don't you want to just run out and buy a new outfit?" said the woman.

"Well, that's why I stopped using it" said Shelley. "It changed me, and made me do things like that which I normally wouldn't. I hurt my friends, and started acting like a b*%$h, so I had to stop using it."

"Oh" said the woman on the phone, surprised to hear that a customer had stopped use of the Second Skin. After getting into it for the first time, it was hard to make yourself get out of. In fact, nobody had ever called her with this particular problem before.

"But that's not all" continued Shelley. "My little brother found it, and put it on. And now...."

"The product is not intended for use by males" said the woman, trying to sound official.

"But it changed him, and now he looks and acts like a girl. How do I get him back?"

"Can you take it off of him?" said the woman.

"No. Its stuck. That's the problem."

"Once dermal bonding has formed, you cannot ever remove the Second Skin. It integrates with you at a biological level. I'm afraid that there is nothing we can do. Sorry."

She hung up on Shelley, who stood there stunned.

"What's up?" said Amy.

"He's stuck that way now, forever" responded Shelley.

"Quit calling me 'he'!!!" said Lauren angrily. "I'm a girl! How would you like it if I went around accusing *you* of being a boy."

"Because I was never a boy. *You* were, until today that is. You're a boy. You're Jake. Snap out of it! Use your mind! Don't let that thing control you Jake. Listen to me!!!"

 

But it was no use. Jake was Lauren now, and she was too busy twirling her hair in her finger, and thinking about what outfit to wear tomorrow to school.

"I can't believe I'm hanging out with losers like you. You're not even popular or anything! Don't embarrass me tomorrow at school by trying to talk to me or anything. Just pretend you don't know me, because I'm not going to stoop to your level, and talk to you."

Shelly and Amy were stunned at this outburst. She was acting just like the popular girls at school. It sent a shiver down Shelley's spine, that she had just thought of her brother as *she*.

"Now you losers go back to doing whatever it is that ugly pathetic unpopular girls like you do when you're alone. I'm going back to see my friends."

She snatched the car keys, and before Shelley could react, she was out the door, heading back to the mall.

 

"Dad's going to kill me when he finds out that Jake's a girl now" said Shelley, sitting on the edge of the bed, trembling. "How am I going to tell him that his son is a girl now, and that she wants to date boys? Its going to kill him."

"At least your mom will have another daughter" said Amy, trying to be helpful.

"Oh yeah, she's going to love it too. Hi mom, how was your day? I accidentally turned Jake into a chick, and he's out wearing a miniskirt now. That will go over big time."

"Yeah, I guess you're pretty much screwed" said Amy.

"Thanks a lot!" said Shelley, angrily.

"Hey, its the truth" said Amy. "If the kick you out or something, you can stay here with me."

"You're a true friend" said Shelley, squeezing her hand. "At least I have you. Jake and I never got along all that great. And now he's become the queen b*$%h, so I doubt we'll be very friendly."

"Don't worry. Most bratty girls like that grow out of it. Maybe by the time he becomes a *woman*, you two will get along better."

"Yeah, I guess I can always hope for that" said Shelley. "I guess I better walk home. Mom and dad will get pissed if I'm out too late. I'll be in enough trouble as it is."

"Good luck" said Amy, as her friend walked out the door...

 

* * *

 

Shelley took a deep breath, then walked in the door. She had rehearsed a million times what she was going to say. But she was shocked to find that Lauren was sitting on the couch, talking to her parents, and they didn't seem upset!

"Shelley, there you are. Why didn't you call? You have a cell phone. We were worried sick about you" said her mom.

"Well, you see...its about Jake, and..."

"Yes, we know that Jake is Lauren now. We're not upset at you" said her father.

"You're not?"

"On the contrary. We're very pleased" said her mom. "Jake was a problem child. He was a handful. But Lauren is a wonderful girl. In fact, I think that you should be more like her."

"How's that?"

"Well, look how pretty she dresses. You always wear such ugly baggy clothes. And look how nice her hair is. You should be more like your sister."

"I don't want to be like that!"

"Well, you're going to be. When we found out that it was the Second Skin that did this to her, we went to the store and bought one for you. And now, you're going to put it on."

"No!" said Shelley. She wasn't going to wear that thing again!

"This is for your own good" said her father, who grabbed her by the arm. "You are going to wear this, and become just like your sister Lauren."

"No! Help me!" said Shelley, as her mother undressed her. Lauren smiled as she unpacked the Second skin, and slid Shelley's left leg into it.

"You're going to be just like me sis" said Lauren. "I can't wait."

"Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

The Second Skin was sealing itself around Shelley, and she felt an electric surge go up and down her neck. She looked down at herself in the Second Skin. Wow, she looked good. But she'd look better if she had something cool to wear like Lauren did. She couldn't go to school looking like some slob or something, like that loser Amy did.

No, she needed to get into some fashionable clothes. She ran into her room, and returned a few minutes later in a little black dress.

"There, that's much better" said her mom.

"Yes, you're like me now" said Lauren.

"And I have the two prettiest girls in the whole town" said her father, proudly.

"I love you sis" said Shelley, giving Lauren a hug, as the kissed each other on the cheeks, so as not to ruin each other's makeup.

"I love you too" said Lauren.

"There, all one big happy family" said her mother, who was never more proud of her daughters, as at that moment.

  

  

  

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