Rebound Sister

"Dude, can you please stop breathing so loud?" I glanced up from my laptop at my younger brother Kevin, who was sprawled across his twin XL bed in his Summer City University dorm room, somehow managing to both mouth-breathe and crunch Doritos simultaneously. The sound was driving me insane.

"I have a deviated septum," Kevin whined, sending orange crumbs cascading down his anime t-shirt. "Mom says it's medical."

"Mom says a lot of things," I muttered, trying to focus on my work emails. I was only crashing here for a few days while apartment hunting in the city, and already I was remembering why I'd been so happy when this twerp went off to college. The dorm room felt impossibly small with both of us in it.

The door burst open, and my mood instantly lifted. "Sup losers!" Sarah bounced in, tossing her gym bag onto her bed. Kevin's roommate was honestly the only thing making this stay bearable. She was the kind of cool that made you wonder how the housing algorithm had screwed up badly enough to pair her with my brother -- all tatted up, with an undercut that somehow looked elegant instead of try-hard, and the kind of confidence that made her SCU Warriors basketball jersey look like high fashion.

"Hey Sarah," I said, probably a bit too eagerly. "How was practice?"

"Brutal. Coach is on some power trip because we lost to Riverside last week." She collapsed into her desk chair and spun around to face us. "But whatever. You guys want to order pizza? I'm starving and the dining hall is serving that mystery casserole again."

"I already ate," Kevin announced, rattling his nearly empty Doritos bag for emphasis.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "That's not food, dude. That's basically orange-flavored sadness."

I couldn't help but laugh. In the three days I'd been here, I'd seen Sarah verbally dunk on my brother at least twenty times, and it never got old. She caught my eye and winked, and I felt that familiar little twist in my stomach. The same one I'd been trying to ignore since I got here.

"I'm down for pizza," I said, closing my laptop. "As long as we don't get pineapple like last time."

"Hey!" Kevin protested. "Pineapple on pizza is actually really sophisticated--"

"Vetoed," Sarah and I said in unison.

Kevin flopped back on his bed. "This is literally oppression."

"Everything is literally oppression to you," Sarah said, pulling up the delivery app on her phone. Her pride flag phone case caught the light, and I felt that twist again. I pulled out my phone and opened Discord, trying to look casual while my heart raced.

@SwoleBro: dude you're not gonna believe this girl

@MidnightRunner: the hot roommate again?

@SwoleBro: sarah yeah. fuck man. she just got back from basketball practice and i swear to god

@SwoleBro: like picture the hottest alt girl you've ever seen but also she can dunk

@MidnightRunner: lmao you're down BAD

@SwoleBro: shut up. but yes. those practice shorts should be illegal

@SwoleBro: and her tits are like... honestly ridiculous. but she carries herself like she doesn't even notice

@MidnightRunner: didn't you say she shot you down already?

@SwoleBro: yeah last month when i visited kev. tried to ask her out all smooth and she just laughed

@SwoleBro: "oh honey, that's sweet but i'm gay as fuck"

@SwoleBro: most humiliating moment of my life

@MidnightRunner: F

"Extra cheese okay with everyone?" Sarah asked, looking up from her phone. I nodded quickly, minimizing Discord.

"As long as there's no pineapple," I said, trying to sound normal. She laughed that laugh that made my stomach flip.

"You're never letting that go, are you?" She grinned and went back to ordering.

@SwoleBro: but here's the thing

@SwoleBro: you know those x-change ads everywhere?

@MidnightRunner: oh no

@SwoleBro: oh YES

@SwoleBro: hear me out. i've got that week between moving in and starting the new job

@MidnightRunner: bro.

@SwoleBro: i saw her on HER the other day when she was showing kev something on her phone

@SwoleBro: what if...

@MidnightRunner: you're actually insane

@SwoleBro: most guys who take it try to hook up with dudes which is weird af

@SwoleBro: but like... wouldn't it be hot to experience being with her as a girl?

@MidnightRunner: you're going to hell and i'm going to hell for enabling this

@SwoleBro: it's just for fun! and like... have you SEEN her? those tattoos? that undercut?

@SwoleBro: and her rack is just... god tier. literally perfect

@MidnightRunner: you're objectifying lesbians now. fantastic

@SwoleBro: it's not just that! she's so fucking cool. like actually the coolest person

@SwoleBro: you should hear her roast my brother. she's brilliant

@MidnightRunner: so your plan is to... catfish her? with your own gender-swapped body?

@SwoleBro: when you put it that way it sounds bad

"Pizza's ordered," Sarah announced. "Forty minutes."

I looked up to say something witty, but the words died in my throat. Kevin was staring at my phone screen, his head tilted at an angle from his bed that gave him a perfect view. His eyes met mine, and I saw something I'd never seen in my annoying little brother's face before: calculation.

@SwoleBro: shit

@SwoleBro: SHIT

@SwoleBro: i think kev saw my phone

@MidnightRunner: rip

Sarah stretched. "I'm gonna shower before the food gets here. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone?"

As soon as the door closed behind her, Kevin sat up. The Dorito bag crinkled ominously.

"So," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "What would Mom think about her perfect oldest son being such a creep?"

"What are you talking about?" I closed Discord so fast I nearly dropped my phone. But Kevin just kept grinning that weird grin.

"You were totally creeping on her Instagram, weren't you?"

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I wasn't--"

"Don't worry, I won't tell her," Kevin said, reaching for a fresh bag of Doritos. "But like, she's way out of your league anyway. She's out of everyone's league."

I rolled my eyes, playing it cool while my heart rate slowly returned to normal. "Whatever, twerp. I was just checking work emails."

"Sure you were." He smirked, but there was something in his expression I couldn't quite read.

---

The pink pill sat on my bathroom counter like a tiny piece of future. My new apartment was still mostly boxes -- the echo of emptiness broken only by my mattress on the floor and the gentle hum of Summer City traffic outside. Through the window, I could see the X-Change Tower glowing in the distance, its massive screens cycling through ads for different pill variants.

I refreshed r/XChangeTips for the hundredth time:

"First Time Tips for MTF X-Change Dating?"

Hey all! About to take my first Basic Pink. Planning to hit the lesbian dating scene. Any tips for not totally giving myself away as an X-Change tourist?

Edit: YES I know about the "no tourists" thing in most lesbian bios. I'm not trying to be creepy, I promise! Just... curious.

[152 comments]

> TopComment [837 upvotes]

> Protip: Don't try to create your dating profile BEFORE you change. You have no idea what you'll look like or how you'll feel. Seriously. Wait until after.

>> Reply: THIS. My dumb ass made a whole profile with AI-generated pics that looked nothing like me. Super awkward convo with my date later.

> SecondComment [623 upvotes]

> Speaking as a cis lesbian in Summer City - we can usually tell X-Change tourists right away. The ones who:

> - Immediately talk about their boobs

> - Don't know basic lesbian culture

> - Think lesbian dates are just straight dates but with two girls

> Just be honest about being new to this. Most of us don't mind X-Change girls IF YOU'RE UPFRONT.

> ThirdComment [419 upvotes]

> DON'T:

> - Use the term "pillow princess" if you don't know what it means

> - Talk about your "former life as a guy"

> DO:

> - Take it slow

> - Be yourself (your new self)

I minimized Reddit and pulled up HER again. Sarah's profile was still there, that same photo of her at the court, basketball tucked under one arm, tattoos on full display. Her bio made me a little nervous; "Tattooed hooper seeking same. If you can't beat me in HORSE, swipe left 😘"

My blank profile stared back at me. Username: "MindyHoops." Bio: still empty. No photos yet.

I opened Discord:

@SwoleBro: okay last chance to talk me out of this

@MidnightRunner: you're really doing it huh

@SwoleBro: got the pill and everything

@SwoleBro: apartment's all set up. got some clothes. watched like 50 makeup tutorials

@MidnightRunner: you know this is insane right?

@SwoleBro: it's Summer City baby! everyone experiments here

@SwoleBro:...right?

@MidnightRunner: just don't be a creep about it

@SwoleBro: too late, already peak creep. but i'll try to be respectful?

@MidnightRunner: that's... something i guess

@SwoleBro: wish me luck. going dark for 24 hours

@MidnightRunner: don't do anything I wouldn't do

@SwoleBro: that leaves like everything on the table lmao

I looked in the mirror one last time. Plain old Mike stared back -- not ugly, but definitely not Sarah's type.

"Well," I said to my reflection, picking up the pill. "Here's to doing the stupidest and most ill-advised thing ever."

Or, you know, maybe just getting a date with the hottest girl in Summer City. Either way.

I popped the pill in my mouth, and swallowed.

For about 30 seconds, nothing happened. Then I felt it. A full body charlie-horse, starting at my toes and moving up. "Oh FUCK," I groaned, gripping the counter. My voice cracked on 'fuck' - and kept cracking, like I was going through reverse puberty.

The first real change I noticed was my shoulders literally shrinking. It felt like someone was squeezing me from both sides, but not painfully - more like that feeling when you finally stretch after being cramped on an airplane. I watched in the mirror as my frame just... compressed. My height started dropping too, and that was the weirdest part - like being in an elevator going down, but the elevator was my skeleton.

"Holy shit," I whispered, my voice already noticeably higher. "Holy actual shit."

Then my hips started. And holy fuck, did they start.

You know that feeling when you crack your back? Imagine that, but it's your entire pelvis, and it keeps going. I felt my hipbones literally spreading wider, wider, WIDER. My sweatpants, which had been loose, started to get tight around my ass and thighs. In the mirror, I watched my entire lower body just... expand. My butt was growing, but not in a fake Instagram way - it was like my entire skeletal structure was being rebuilt from the waist down.

"This is not what I expected," I said to my reflection, voice now definitely feminine. My face was changing too, softening around the edges. My red hair was growing out, past my ears now, the color staying the same but the texture getting finer.

I kept waiting for the big moment - for my chest to start growing. That's what I'd been hoping for, if I'm being honest. But instead, my ribcage just kept getting smaller, my waist pinching in dramatically. I did get breasts, but they were... modest. Barely an A-cup.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said to the mirror. "I wanted to be stacked!"

Then the last change hit, and holy shit. It felt like someone had grabbed everything between my legs and was slowly pulling it inside out. Not painful, but the most intense sensation I've ever felt. I grabbed the counter, legs shaking, as everything... rearranged.

When it was done, I stared at my reflection. I was 5'7" now, way shorter than before. But my proportions... holy fuck. My hips had to be at least 45 inches around, my waist tiny in comparison. I looked like a fucking fertility goddess from the waist down, but up top I was built like a runway model.

"Well," I said, my new voice sweet and clear. "This is... not what I planned for."

I picked up my phone:

@SwoleBro: dude

@SwoleBro: DUDE

@SwoleBro: what the actual fuck

@MidnightRunner: it worked??

@SwoleBro: yeah but not how i expected

@SwoleBro: remember how i wanted to be stacked?

@MidnightRunner: yeah?

@SwoleBro: well instead i got an ass that won't quit

@SwoleBro: like... REALLY won't quit

@SwoleBro: i look like pixar mom

@MidnightRunner: lmaooooo

@SwoleBro: this is not funny! how am i supposed to play basketball looking like this??

@MidnightRunner: maybe sarah likes booties?

@SwoleBro:...

@SwoleBro: you know what

@SwoleBro: that's actually a good point

@MidnightRunner: told you not all lesbians are into huge racks

@SwoleBro: yeah yeah you're very wise

@SwoleBro: gtg figure out how to walk with this center of gravity

@MidnightRunner: good luck thicc queen

I tried taking my first steps and immediately stumbled sideways into the bathroom door. It was like someone had strapped a weighted backpack around my hips - every movement had this wild pendulum effect I wasn't ready for. My center of gravity felt like it had dropped about a foot lower and two inches behind where it should be.

"Jesus," I muttered, catching myself on the doorframe. "How do people live like this?"

I made my way to the bedroom where I'd laid out clothes I'd ordered online. The jeans I'd bought - which I'd thought were way too big - now looked comically small compared to my new proportions. After ten minutes of jumping, wiggling, and swearing, I gave up and put my old men's sweatpants back on. They hung loose around my newly tiny waist but at least they fit over my hips.

"This is fine," I said to nobody in particular, rolling the waistband over three times. "This is totally fine."

I grabbed my phone to try taking some selfies and immediately dropped it on my face while trying to find a good angle. The basketball shorts and tank top I'd bought thinking I'd have an athletic build were just... wrong. The tank top hung weirdly loose where I'd expected to need more fabric up top.

@SwoleBro: update: clothes don't fit

@SwoleBro: and i just hit my hip on every piece of furniture in this apartment

@SwoleBro: why does everything in here have corners??

@MidnightRunner: welcome to life as a woman

@SwoleBro: this is ridiculous. my bathroom counter is suddenly at boob height

@SwoleBro: which wouldn't be a problem if i HAD ANY

@MidnightRunner: pics or it didn't happen

@SwoleBro: working on it but selfies are HARD

@SwoleBro: how do girls make this look so easy??

I needed good profile pictures if I was going to have any chance with Sarah. The court behind my apartment building seemed like the obvious choice - show off some basketball skills, right? I grabbed a ball and headed down.

First shot hit the rim and bounced directly into my face.

"Mother FUCKER," I yelped, my new voice making it sound more like a squeak. I'd played varsity in high school, but that body might as well have been from another planet. My arms felt too short, my balance was all wrong, and every jump made my new proportions feel like they were fighting physics itself.

After twenty minutes of practice, I finally managed to sink a few shots. My phone balanced precariously on a bench, I recorded myself making a three-pointer. It looked... okay. Even kind of graceful, if you ignored the part where I nearly ate shit on the landing.

Back in the apartment, I finally opened HER and started working on my profile:

*Mindy, 23. New to Summer City, looking to explore the court and the city. Former hooper trying to get back in the game. Coffee?*

I added the basketball video and a slightly blurry mirror selfie where you couldn't quite tell that my clothes didn't fit right. Then, before I could chicken out, I found Sarah's profile and swiped right.

The match was instant.

*Sarah: Nice shot! But your form needs work* 😉

*Sarah: So you're new in town?*

I stared at the message for a full minute, hit my hip on the kitchen counter turning too fast, swore, and finally replied:

*Mindy: Thanks! And yeah, just moved here. Still getting my bearings. And my basketball legs back apparently* 😅

*Sarah: Cute! Want some practice? I know a good court. Promise I'll go easy on you*

Holy shit. This was actually working.

*THUNK*

"Ow fuck!" I'd done it again - hip, corner, pain. Note to self: wider turning radius required.

But hey, at least I had a date.

"You can do this," I told my reflection, trying not to notice how the new black thong disappeared entirely between my big, fat, aobbly ass-globes. "You're a strong, independent woman who... can't easily put on pants!"

My phone buzzed on the bathroom counter.

*Sarah: Just finished morning practice. Ready to get schooled later?*

Attached was a selfie that made my knees weak - her in a sports bra, tits glistening with sweat, that undercut somehow still looking perfect.

*Mindy: Looking good! And hey, I was team captain in high school*

(This was technically true - JV team, sophomore year, before I quit to focus on debate club)

*Sarah: Oh really? What position?*

*Mindy: Point guard. Quick on my feet*

(I was actually center, but given my new height...)

*Sarah: Prove it then. Winner buys coffee* 😘

I nearly dropped my phone in the toilet. Was this actually working?

"Focus," I muttered, returning to the nightmare that was trying on clothes. The new shorts I'd bought were technically my size, but they seemed designed for someone with normal human proportions. No matter how I adjusted them, they either showed half my ass or gave me the world's worst camel toe.

I pulled up r/XChangeTips again:

"Help! Dressing for a date with a lesbian hottie???"

> Just be yourself! But also here's a 47-point guide to lesbian fashion signals including but not limited to: cuffed sleeves, docs vs vans, septum piercings, and the subtle art of the sports bra...

[read more]

"Yeah, not happening," I said, settling for the least obscene shorts I could find and a plain black t-shirt that actually fit pretty well. I'd managed some basic makeup following YouTube tutorials - just enough to not look completely clueless.

Moving boxes still lined the walls of my apartment, making it feel like a maze. I'd hip-checked three of them already this morning. My phone buzzed again.

Sarah: Fair warning - I play dirty

Sarah: In basketball, I mean 😏

Mindy: That a promise?

Sarah: Guess you'll find out. Send me a fit check tho

I was trying to figure out how to take a mirror selfie that showed off my assets (namely, my massive asset) without looking desperate when the doorbell rang.

"Package delivery!"

"Just a sec!" I called back, grabbing my wallet. Probably those high-waisted shorts I panic-ordered last night.

I opened the door without checking the peephole.

Kevin stood there, phone already recording, wearing the smuggest grin I'd ever seen on his stupid face. "Hey sis," he said. "Looking good! Mom and Dad are gonna love these family photos."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. The world went sideways. My new center of gravity betrayed me one final time as I stumbled backward into a stack of moving boxes.

"I can explain," I squeaked.

"Oh, I know you can," Kevin said, stepping into the apartment. "And you're going to."

"How did you--"

"Dude, your Discord password is still password123," He held up his phone, showing the chat logs.

I slid down the wall to sit on the floor, my impossible hips making even that simple motion awkward.

"Let's review what I've got," Kevin said, scrolling through his phone while perched on my kitchen counter like some kind of malevolent desk gargoyle. "One: your Discord logs thirsting over my roommate. Two: video evidence of your..." He gestured vaguely at my whole situation. "Three: about fifty creepy Reddit comments about 'learning to be a lesbian.' Ooooohhhh hoooo... this is good..."