Ralph adjusted the hem of his floral skirt as he stepped through the front gates of the high school, trying to ignore the way the morning breeze brushed against his tights. The sensation still felt wrong-too light, too exposed-but also disturbingly natural, like his body had already accepted something his mind was still fighting.

“Okay, like, just act normal,” he muttered to himself, his voice slipping automatically into a bright, teenage cadence. “You got this, babe. Totally fine.”

He winced.

Even his thoughts sounded like that now.

The campus buzzed with students-laughing, chatting, checking phones-and Ralph felt a strange pull of familiarity. He knew this place. He knew where to go, who to look for. But layered underneath that was panic, the memory of a completely different life-an office, a desk, coworkers his own age... his daughter.

Patricia.

His hand instinctively brushed against his purse as he searched the courtyard. For a moment, he considered ducking into the bathroom to fix his lipstick-he could feel it fading-but he shook his head.

“No, no, focus. Priorities,” he whispered. “Ugh, makeup can wait.”

Then he spotted her.

“Barbara!”

She turned, smiling instantly, like she’d been expecting him.

“Ralph! Oh my gosh, hi!” Barbara hurried over, giving him a quick hug. “Wait-okay, I love your outfit. That skirt? So cute.”

Ralph waved a hand dismissively, though a reflexive smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, yeah, it’s like, super cute or whatever, but listen, I seriously need to talk to you.”

Barbara blinked. “Whoa, okay. What’s up? You’re being kinda intense.”

Ralph glanced around, then leaned closer. “This is gonna sound, like, completely insane, but you have to hear me out, okay? My daughter-Patricia-she used this... magic amulet thing and swapped stuff with me.”

Barbara stared at him.

“Like, not just clothes,” Ralph rushed on. “She swapped my life. My job, my education, my friends-you. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m forty. I have a career. Bills. A mortgage!”

Barbara frowned, clearly confused. “Ralph... what are you talking about? We’ve literally been friends since middle school. You sit next to me in English. You helped me study for bio, like, last week.”

“That’s the point!” Ralph said, his voice rising. “Those are her memories now. Or-no-mine, but they shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t even know what bio homework we had!”

Barbara crossed her arms, looking half skeptical, half concerned. “Okay, you’re kinda freaking me out.”

“I’m serious!” Ralph insisted. “Think about it-why would I, a forty-year-old man, be here? Hanging out with you? Going to high school? That’s not normal!”

Barbara hesitated. “I mean... when you say it like that, yeah, it sounds weird, but-”

A couple of their friends wandered over, curious.

“What’s going on?” one of them asked.