The first of many dates

"What do you mean you're going out like that?!" exclaimed Rita, still baffled as she watched son inhabiting her daughter body — getting ready to leave. The sight was surreal: her confident posture and the chosen clothes all made it obvious that the person inside wasn’t really her.

Oscar, in Janice's body, rolled his eyes. "Mom, relax. We don’t know how long it’s going to take for Dad to fix the machine. And, look, Janice called me — she had this super important date with a guy from the university that she couldn’t miss. Like, it’s the guy! So, she asked me to go in her place and just... you know, hold down the fort until we switch back."

"Hold down the fort?" Rita repeated, incredulous. "You don’t even know what that means on a date! Besides, what are you going to do if he... well, tries to kiss you?"

Oscar hesitated, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. "Oh, Mom, it’s just a matter of pretending I’m Janice. I’ll figure it out... I’ll improvise!"

Rita crossed her arms, visibly concerned. "Improvise? You can barely walk in heels, and now you want to improvise on a date? What if you ruin her reputation?"

"Mom, I can walk in heels, I’ve been practicing since this happened!" Oscar said, pointing to Janice's shoes, which he was awkwardly wearing. He took a few steps to prove his point, stumbling slightly. "Okay, maybe I need more practice... But Janice trusts me! It’s only for a few hours until Dad fixes the machine."

Rita sighed, massaging her temples. "I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You’re seriously about to go on a date with a stranger, in your sister’s body, like it’s the most normal thing in the world."

Oscar shrugged. "Look, it’s college, right? These things happen. And, let’s be real, he won’t even notice the difference. I’ll just go, act nice, say some cute things about classes, about... I don’t know, books she reads, whatever. Before long, we’re back and swapping bodies again. End of story."

Rita stared at him, skepticism written all over her face. "And what if the machine doesn’t work? Have you thought about that?"

Oscar paused for a moment, his confidence wavering. "Of course it’s going to work, Mom. Dad’s a genius. He said it was just a short-circuit."

"A short-circuit?" Rita’s voice sharpened. "Oscar, the machine caused an electrical surge so strong it blacked out the entire city for two minutes. What if it never works again?"

That possibility made Oscar’s stomach flip. He hadn’t seriously considered that. But before he could respond, the doorbell rang.

"Oh my God, he’s here!" Oscar whispered in panic, nervously adjusting his skirt and hair. "Mom, help me!"

Rita shook her head, exasperated. "You’re walking into a mess you don’t even know how to get out of."

Oscar looked at his mother with a forced smile. "I’ll manage. Just... wish me luck, okay?"

"Luck for what? That he doesn’t notice Janice isn’t... Janice? Or that you don’t blow it and wreck her social life?"

Swallowing hard, Oscar took a deep breath and opened the door.

On the other side stood a tall, handsome guy, smiling. "Hey, Janice! You look amazing."

Oscar tried to smile confidently. "Hey... you too."

Little did he know that this would be the first of many dates. What they didn’t know yet was that the electrical surge had caused irreversible damage to the body-swapping machine, and it would never work again.