My second chance in a strange reverse world!

In the end, I opted to take a shower first before changing. But before that, I searched for something suitable to wear. Upon a quick inspection, it became evident that the clothes I had worn to school the previous day were among the most comfortable I owned. The rest either seemed too small or appeared extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention the outrageously tiny shorts that covered even less skin than a pair of boxer shorts.

Anyway, I momentarily set aside thoughts about the clothes I was supposed to wear and made my way to the bathroom. Once inside, I focused on carefully examining my body as I bathed.

"An improvement."

That was the conclusion I arrived at after observing myself for a while. Smooth skin, slender figure, although without abs. But I was confident that with some exercise, I could achieve them. Overall, my body was healthy and looked good. I looked good... Wasn't that considered a disadvantage in this world? I had no idea, but I hoped not. I still didn't fully grasp the peculiar beauty standards here, but I assumed they mostly focused on the face.

Not to mention, my tool was still slightly larger than average. I wasn't sure how the size of the cock would be perceived in this reality. Was it a case of less is more, or did the same standards still apply?

I casually wiped off the remaining water droplets from my body and exited the shower, a persistent curiosity lingering in the back of my mind. Returning to my room, I nonchalantly closed the door behind me. Without feeling the need to hurry and change my clothes, I casually discarded the towel onto the floor and picked up my phone. It didn't take long to find a forum where I could ask a question about size.

"For girls: do you prefer big or small?"

The answer with the most votes was quite predictable.

"All of them!”

After shaking my head slightly amused by the response, I looked for more of them, and most agreed that "If it feels, it's ok with me."

Satisfied with the answer, I shrugged and closed the page, but not before leaving my own response to one of the funny comments. Then, I checked my notifications, only to find that they were once again at 99+, with messages from Kevin, Peyton, and a few other groups I was a part of.

Callamemaybe sent you 4 new messages.

I raised an eyebrow at the new notification and tapped on it. Instantly, I was directed to an application with a black padlock symbol. The logo alone didn't instill a sense of confidence in me.

I wanted to get in, but it asked for a password, and the other method of unlocking was by essence recognition, so I couldn't do anything. However, something in the back of my mind recognized or was familiar with this logo. As I was about to look it up, the creaking of the door made me turn around, startled.

"Alex, Peyton's dad just-." Nola's voice cut off abruptly as she gawked at me.

Reacting instinctively to the sudden realization of my vulnerability, my hands quickly moved to protect my crotch. The sight of my swift movement jolted her out of her momentary frozen state, abruptly awakening her from her daze. Her eyes fixed on my defensive stance, and a vivid blush spread across her cheeks like a delicate fire, painting her complexion a rosy hue. Her golden eyes flickered with fear in light of the situation we found ourselves in.

Nola moved like lightning, and the door slammed shut. "I'm sorry!" she said, her voice muffled by the door. "I know I have to knock. Sorry!"

It was a bit of a shock, but I pulled myself together quickly. It wasn't the first time I had been naked in front of a pretty girl... It may sound surprising, but there was a time when I was indeed naked in front of a pretty girl. The only difference was that this time I didn't get slapped.

The memory brought back a sudden anger. "You fucking idiot! Why did you slap me if clearly the two laughing boys behind me pulled down my pants? What was the point of that?!"

Putting aside the sour memory and the reminder to always wear a belt, I quickly responded, "Don't worry! What did you want to tell me?"

Nola responded with a slight delay. "Peyton's dad called to ask if you're feeling better and if you're still going to Peyton's house."

I pondered what she meant until I remembered that I had promised Peyton that I would go to the mall with him today. I grimaced. I thought he would forget, but again my poor social skills showed.

In any case, lying would be bad enough since he seemed to be a good person. "Yes, I feel better," I said.

"Then call Peyton! His dad was saying he was concerned that you weren't returning his calls."

I checked my phone and realized that I actually did have some missed calls. It was my habit to always put my phone on silent when I slept, not wanting to spoil my rest.

"I will!" I said after modifying the notifications to sound.

"Okay. Come down for breakfast when you... get dressed." Nola finished, with her voice getting lower and lower.

I laughed lightly. "Sure."

I quickly changed into a shirt that I found that looked decent. The only downside was that it had the name of a girl band I didn't recognize, but it bore a striking resemblance to One Direction. The only difference was that some of them were beast women, akin to cat women or wolves. Maybe Wolf Direction?

Next, I chose a pair of pants that at least covered my legs, but they didn't stop my butt from feeling uncomfortably tight. However, knowing that my extremely tight butt would likely be noticeable, I grabbed a sweatshirt that was considerably larger in size. I felt more confident now that a roomy, loose-fitting garment concealed the rest of my body.

With that settled, I picked up my phone that I had left propped up on the bed and set out to call Peyton.

After three rings, Peyton's voice echoed through the line, accompanied by faint background music. "Alex! Why weren't you answering my calls?" He asked swiftly, and I could almost envision his pouting, though it seemed peculiar from this distance.

"Sorry, I put my phone on silent at night and forgot to take it off in the morning."

"Mhm... You're not ignoring us, are you Alex?"

"No, I promise."

Peyton chuckled on the other end of the line. "Okay, so, we're still on for going to the mall today, right? Dad offered to take us."

I gave it some thought. I could have easily turned it down, but truth be told, I was even a little curious about what a shopping mall in this world would be like. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to meet more of my 'Friends.' I wasn't sure if I could get along with them, but I could always give it a try.

Having a fake friend is better than having no friends at all in my experience.

"Sure, I'll come to your house then?" I asked, but then I remembered something. I didn't know where he lived. "Oh, right. Um, what's your exact address? I forgot..."

"You forgot?" Peyton asked mildly, "Really?"

I let out a somewhat uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah... since I've been feeling a bit under the weather, my head is a little muddled..."

"That doesn't sound good," Peyton said quickly, sounding concerned. "Maybe you should go to the doctor to get checked out."

"No!" I said quickly, surprising even myself. "I'm fine." I truly didn't want them to examine me and discover that my essence signature had indeed changed. After all, if a mere phone could recognize the essence of its owner, a doctor should be able to do the same.

I didn't want to be experimented or anything like that....

I heard a sigh escape from Peyton through the phone. "Okay... I'll send you my address through our chat." As he finished speaking, his voice turned serious. "But if you continue to forget things, I'm going to tell your mom, Alex. Mental health is not something to be taken lightly."

I smiled a little at Peyton's concern - where was my Peyton in my previous life?  While it might be true that Peyton could be a little strange at times, he certainly cared about me. Weren't girl's friend groups supposed to be all two-faced vipers who talk behind your back? Peyton seemed to be a very nice person so far.

People like that are pretty strange. I just hoped he wasn't keeping some dark secret or something.

But even if that were true, one thing remained certain: everyone needed a Peyton in their life.

"Thank you, Peyton," I could only say after a brief moment.

Peyton let out a melodious laugh. "That's what friends are for!"

(***)

As I left my room, changed and ready to head to Peyton's house, which was not too far from here, I approached my mother's room to see what she was doing. I opened the door slightly and was relieved to see her sleeping peacefully, buried in her blankets.

It was around nine o'clock, but I didn't dare wake her up. I was glad to see that my sisters also understood how tired our mother seemed to be feeling.

I closed the door softly and descended the stairs. In the living room, Nola was engrossed in watching TV, with a bowl of cereal nestled between her legs. It appeared to be a mimicry of a show from my previous world. When she noticed me, she offered an embarrassed wave, to which I responded with a warm smile.

After that, Nola returned to watching her program, featuring women with wolf ears and tails who resided in a snow-covered fortress.

“Next time I see you, you'll be all in black.”

“It was always my color.”

I disregarded the familiar dialogues as the two black-haired women who embraced in TV. I made my way to the dining room. I didn't even feel the urge to pass judgment on their appearance; my mind was already adjusting and didn't pay much attention to looks unless they were truly striking to me.

At the brown wooden table, Luna sat while consuming her bowl of cereal for breakfast. She absentmindedly ate from the spoon, simultaneously checking her phone with one hand and chuckling at whatever she was watching.

"Good morning," Luna said, lifting her head and giving me a smile.

"Good morning," I replied, sitting down. Instead of serving myself cereal since I wasn't hungry, I focused on checking my social media.

Again, lots of message requests. However, I didn't answer them due to the new notification that appeared, again this guy?

Callamemaybe sent you $10

Looking at the familiar blue P logo of a virtual wallet, I remembered something.. At this point in my life, I should have some money in my virtual bank.

I hadn't thought about money until now, but having some would be a good way to start a business or something. I searched all over my phone for my virtual wallet app, but it was nowhere to be found. I checked the app store and found it installed. I tapped the open button and felt relieved that it didn't prompt me for a password or anything.

When I entered and laid my eyes on my cash, I felt a surge of gratitude that I hadn't been eating anything. Had I been, I surely would have spat it out in astonishment at the enormous sum of money I possessed.

"$10,000..." I whispered, my voice barely audible, unable to believe my own eyes.

What the hell did this guy do to accumulate such a fortune?!

"Is something the matter, Alex?" Luna inquired, her gaze fixed on my bewildered expression.

"No... nothing," I replied, my eyes locked in a state of utter disbelief at the screen of my phone.