Coming Apart: Fooled by Cleo Kraft The Fraz was happening tonight, as usual. Hip Hop came full circle, bringing back the breakdance revival and now I had to criticize the wanna-bees for doing the same old footwork. If these cheeseheads thought for a minute that what they had was original, they had another thing coming. "Stop!" I yelled. "That ninety-nine's outa style and your flare is dead." Then a few of the punks walked up to me and I shut up fast. "You talkn' ta ME?" one of them asked shoving me back into the crowd. "Look," I said. "Sorry..." I didn't feel the knife until it was coming back out of my gut. "Hell, yah!" the guy said bringing the bloody knife up to my face. "Hell, yah, you're sorry!" Damn. If this was eighty-four I'd have shown 'em up like old times. "Shit," I said and dropped to my knees as the pain seared through me. Damn. If only I'd shown 'em my handspin instead of my temper. "You allright?" I heard someone say as I rolled over and blacked out on the dance floor. ...-------... I woke up in the hospital and a strange woman was standing there to my left but on my right was my wife, Jenny. Jenny was a real classy woman. Good job, great cooking, and she sure knew how to put up with my foolishness. I loved her but lately I'd been taking her for granted and going solo to the clubs in search of more action. "Hi," I said weakly. Jenny gave me an angry glare with her green eyes. "Just what in blazes have you done this time, Jake?" Jenny demanded. "I saw a wack move and I let 'em know it," I said with a dry throat. "Damn, I'm thirsty." "Who's your girlfriend?" Jenny asked indicating the blonde. "Oh, I don't know," I said with honesty. "Yeah, right," Jenny said and stormed out of the room. Her long brunette hair nearly caught in the door on the way out. "She didn't have to slam the door like that," the other woman said. "Just who are you anyway?" I asked. She looked like some college girl I met years ago. Kind of short, too. She had to wear six inch heels just to reach an acceptable height. I bet she was only four foot tall in flats. "I'm Nicki," she said in a pleasant voice, then she broke out the baddest smurfwalk I'd ever seen. "Damn," I said gazing at her red stockings the whole time. "I'm Jake and I'd sure like to see you do that again in some low dogs." She tipped her purse upside down and out fell a pair of red sneakers. "Step off!" I said. "That's wack. What're ya doin' followin' me around for anyway?" "Don't use that old slang with me," Nicki said. "It's as out of style as what those gangsters were doing to the dance floor." "Sorry," I said shifting back to regular talk. "So you're an old breaker like me, huh?" She nodded with a smile. "What ever happened back in eighty-five anyway?" I asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I mean, one day breaking was in, and the next, it was gone," I said remembering how every Friday after school me and the crew would be battling it out on the concrete. I had a backspin that you had to see to believe but that was then and this was thirteen years later. I was washed up for breaking. "Do you ever do it anymore?" she asked. "Nah," I said. "Last time I did that stuff was in an old villa in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. It helped pass the time while the Scuds were exploding overhead." I remember the green checkered, surplus overcoats that were issued the winter prior to the Iraq attack. I got the best backspin ever out of that glossy material. I sure freaked out the troops that time. I guess they called it shell shock but why hold back good style just because you're stuck in some bomb shelter? "You're crazy," she said and sat down on the edge of the bed. I had to agree with her on that one. I was out of my mind. "So you saved me," I said looking at her features with more interest. "How can I ever repay you?" She leaned over and kissed me on the lips. It was just a teasing kind of kiss but something that hinted of more if I played my cards right. "Meet me at the Fraz next Friday night and I'll think of something," she said with a wink. Then she got up and walked out of the room, swaying sassily out the door. Minutes later, my wife came in the room. Her face was full of jealousy and rage. "What's wrong honey?" I asked. She held out her talisman that she carried with her everywhere. It was a symbol of female magic or something. I didn't know or care why she had that strange amulet. All I was concerned about at the moment was her anger. She could be a real bitch when she was mad at me. "I'm going to fix it so you'll never cheat on me again," she said waving that silver talisman in my face. "But I didn't cheat!" I protested. "Sure," she snapped and took out a scalpel from a tray nearby. "Okay," I said in a panic. "I'll admit it. I've been messing around on the side. Please don't stab me with that thing." She lunged forward with the scalpel and I closed my eyes. Then I felt a large clump of my hair being sliced off. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked. She put the wad of hair into her purse. "Preparation," she said and stormed out of the room. I looked across the room and saw my messed up hair style in the wall mirror. I looked like the barber from hell had just given me a haircut. "The stupid bitch," I said regarding my situation as nothing less than ridiculous. Then I found out my knife wound only hurt when I laughed. "Damn," I groaned, clutching my stomach in pain. ...-------... I spent the rest of the week ignoring my wife and trying to recover from my injury. Sure enough, though, I was back at the Fraz that Friday. No wife, and no worries. Well, no worries except for running into any members of that gang again. "Hi," Nicki said tapping me on the shoulder from behind. "Oh, hey there," I managed after giving her the once-over. She had a bright pink skirt, a glossy white blouse, and those red hi-tops. "What's with the shoes?" I asked. "You're never too old if you have the spirit," she said and pulled me out onto the dance floor. The crowd began to chant and a circle formed. "I can't do this," I said trying to back away. "Just step off," she said shoving me like it was a challenge. "Step off?" I asked shocked. "Look, don't talk to me that way." She spun around and did a backflip, landing perfectly on one foot. Then she did what I feared most. She pointed at me. That did it. Hell, how was I to know that I'd be back in the hospital from a failed back flip? ...-------... I had a bandage on my skull. It was more of a bump than anything serious. "You know what, Nicki? You're going to get me killed," I complained as a nurse gave me another pain killer in the arm. When the nurse left, Nicki came over and climbed up onto the bed. She sat in my lap. "What are ya gonna do now?" I asked. "Crush me?" "No," she said leaning forward,"Kiss you." Damn. I'm glad my wife wasn't here. I'd die if she walked in right now. After the kiss, Nicki walked over to the door and wedged a chair under the handle. Then she turned off the lights. "Barricades?" I asked. "Now, what are you up to, Nicki?" She climbed back into bed with me and fumbled with my hospital gown. "You know," I said and reminded her. "This is a first date." "Shhhhhhhhhh," she whispered, lifting up her skirt and lowering herself over my dick. Well, I had to hand it to her. She was experienced. She rode me for quite awhile and then it happened. ...-------... I didn't really remember the orgasm. One moment I was lying on my back, and the next, things had changed unimaginably. It was still pretty dark in the room but I knew I was no longer myself. Let's just say I knew right away what had happened. How could my mind deny the odd feelings down in my crotch? My penis felt like it was shoved inside upon itself and molded to a wet, fleshy tunnel. Currently that tunnel was pleasantly gripping onto a tube of flesh that was separate from my body. Gripping with muscles I never known existed before. I was on top of someone. My shins rested on the mattress and my knees were bent so that I maintained an awkward sitting position. My arms were folded back behind my head, nestled under a tangle of long, silky hair. I had my back slightly arched backwards in such a manner that I realized the pressure of large breasts pushing tightly against a stretchy, soft cloth. "A bra?" I asked myself aloud in a voice much different than I was used to. No one answered. I could tell my legs were bare and hairless as was most of the rest of my body, save the hair on my head. Gentle material rested on my upper thighs. "A skirt?" I asked in wonder. It was too dark to tell. I heard a man snoring below me now. "Who is it?" I asked. "Hello? What's going on?" I reached down with my hands and pushed myself up and off the mattress. That tube of flesh slid out of me, leaving a tingle of pleasure behind. I misjudged my center of balance and fell backwards off the bed. "Damn," I said from the floor. I had landed flat on my back and bumped my head for the second time today. IF this was my head, that is. I must have made a loud enough noise because someone was fiddling with the door, trying to open it. I don't know what made me do it but I quickly crawled under the bed to hide just as the nurse came in and turned on the lights. I was crouched down on my hands and knees in the shadows under the bed. I could see my female arms now and the delicate fingers of my smooth hands. The nurse walked around the room and set the chair back where it belonged. Then she headed for the door and shut the lights out. The next moment, she was gone. ...-------... I remained hidden under the bed for quite some time. I was trying to figure out what to do next. Some time later the door opened up, the lights came on, and my wife strutted in the room with a doctor. "Revive him," Jenny demanded angrily. "Yes ma'am," the doctor said. The mattress above me shook for a moment and there was a groggy,"Huh? What happened?" "Give him another pain killer," Jenny said and added. "Then bill me later. I'm taking him home with me." A few moments later the doctor said,"Okay, but are you certain? He's had quite a bump. Don't you think he should stay her until morning at least?" "Sorry, doctor," Jenny said with determination in her voice. "I just want my husband back home with me. I can take better care of him than you people." "Okay," the doctor said. "But I'm against it. He did have a minor concussion, you know, and that's not to be taken lightly. There is chance of brain damage and our test results aren't in yet." "Trust me," Jenny said. "I know what's good for my own husband. He's going home with me this instant." A few minutes later a nurse came in pushing an empty wheelchair. I watched in horror as the body being put into the wheelchair turned out to be my own, or at least my former body anyway. "Thanks doctor," Jenny said signing some paper work. "Just check out at the front desk," the doctor said. "You mean just like last week?" Jenny asked. The doctor laughed,"Yes, your husband is accident prone, isn't he?" I watched them walk out of the room, pushing my old body out with them. Then I crawled out from under the bed and ran to the door. I peered around the corner and saw my wife pushing my former body into the elevator. He looked like he was half out of it. It certainly was my old body allright Same dirty brown hair, same beat up sneakers. Yep, that was me. I walked back in the room and found a purse on the counter. I guess it was mine because I was Nicki now and this was her stuff. I fumbled through the purse and found a drivers license, car keys, tons of lipstick and makeup, and a few tampons among other feminine things. There was a full-sized mirror nearby and I looked in it. I was Nicki allright A blue eyed, blonde. Kind of short, too. I guess I was just under five feet tall. I was wearing a silky, pink skirt that ended just above the knees. Underneath I was wearing some sort of tight, cotton panties that made me fully aware of my female status. How would I describe it down there? Well, I'd compare it to how the tip of my dick felt when it was all hard and excited, only now the tip was spread out over more crotch area and flush with my abdomen. Everything was all tight and compacted in a way I can't begin to describe and there was a wetness down there that made everything seem....well - right. So I lost my penis. Big deal. If I'd known girls felt like this, I'd have gotten a sex change years ago. I was smaller in height and lighter in weight than I could ever remember being. Though, I might compare this feeling to how I felt as a child when I couldn't reach the cookie jar. I shrunk over two feet in height and lost at least fifety pounds or more in weight. The room seemed proportioned all different than before. Counters seemed higher and shelves that were previously reachable were now far beyond reach for my dainty, little body. I felt my arms. Before, I had large, strong arms but now I had skinny, girls arms. I had become a weakling. The legs were strong though, or at least I remembered they were because Nicki had done a good backflip with them. Plus, walking around in high heels had to take some strength. I looked down at my feet and saw the red sneakers that Nicki was wearing to the club. They looked silly on me but they served their purpose. I saw in the mirror a beautiful, young woman in a pink skirt, white blouse, and red hi-tops. My heart seemed to beat faster in my chest and a feeling of elation filled my being. Through some fantastic circumstance, I had become a woman! I walked to the door and realized I couldn't help but sway my hips. The lack of a penis also made it easier for me to walk with my feet closer together. I felt my bare knees rub against each other as I strutted down the hallway. My arms were swaying as only a woman does when she walks and the fabric of my blouse was rubbing against a bra underneath. My breasts seemed to jiggle and sway slightly while I continued to walk towards the elevator. Men turned to stare at me while I walked past and I gave a few of them a brief, nervous smile. I got in the elevator and rode down to the main lobby. My wife was standing at the counter, filling out some paper work. My old body sat in the wheelchair with a dazed look on his face. I waited for Jenny to finish up what she was doing. When she waved goodbye to the nurse at the counter, I made my move. "Hi Jenny," I said approaching her. Damn. She was a bit taller than me now. "Do I know you?" she asked in annoyance. "I don't know how you did it, Jenny," I said looking from her and then down at my old, sleepy body sitting there. "But this is great!" "What are you talking about?" she asked in a tone that hinted of disbelief. "You know," I said and crossed my fingers. "Criss-cross?" She looked at me with building anger and then took a hard look into my eyes, followed by another hard look into the eyes of the man in the wheelchair. "Switch-a-rooney?" I asked but she only glared down at me. She shook the man for a moment. "Huh? What?" he asked. "Who are you?" Jenny turned and slapped me. "Hey! What's that for?" I asked. She wheeled my old body around and pushed him towards the exit. "Hey, wait up!" I called running after her. She stopped outside on the sidewalk. It was dark out. "What did you expect?" she asked in a hurt tone. "What do you mean?" I shrugged. She poked me in the chest and I could tell that there would be a bruise on my left breast from the force of her action. "OW!" I cried. "You cheated on me and now you get what you deserve," she said turning to push the wheelchair towards the car. I followed after her. She wasn't going to stop for idle conversation with me at this point. I knew how she handled her arguments. "Hey, I'm sorry." She unlocked the passenger side of the car and struggled to lift my old body inside. "I'll help," I offered. "No!" she called back. "Now get away from my husband before I scream." I backed away. "Come on, Jenny," I pleaded. "Don't be this way. We can talk this over. I've learned my lesson." She buckled in my old body and shut the door. Then she walked around the front of the car and got in the drivers side. She started the car and backed up so fast I had to leap out of the way. Then she rolled down her window. "I'm sorry," I said again. She looked at me with a wicked grin. "I'm really sorry," I offered. "I'm a zillion times sorry." Then Jenny did something completely out of character. She puckered her lips and made kissy-kissy noises. "Huh?" I spoke in shock. She waved at me and gave me a wink. Then she pointed to her watch. "You've got twenty-four hours," she said with satisfaction. "Then you begin to loose all will to change back. Have fun, honey. I know you'll find some use for that new body of yours. Bye-bye!" She rolled up the window and drove away. The breeze ruffled my skirt against my thighs, tickling me though I wasn't laughing. I threw my purse down in anger and screamed at the top of my little lungs. ...-------... Awhile later I regained my senses, picked up my purse, and started to walk out of the parking lot and down the street. Twenty-four hours. When was that? April first. April Fools day. Just perfect. So at the stoke of midnight tomorrow, I'll be so much a part of this character that I'll never desire to change back? Whoop-de-do. I don't care if I ever go back. This body's better anyway. I've got so much built-in to this new package that my old body was like a Yugo compared to this luxury model sports car. I picked up my pace and strutted down the street with more confidence in myself now. I'm a beautiful woman now, damn it, and nothing else makes any difference. I suddenly stopped and remembered something. I reached in my purse and pulled out a set of keys. "What the hell am I walking for when I've got a car?" I said slapping myself on the face. The walk back to the parking lot did me some good. I felt more at ease with my new situation than before. After all, Nicki seemed like a bright young girl. She must have an apartment or something and a job somewhere. Memory is a funny thing. You don't realize you've forgotten something unless you try to remember what it was you forgot. I realized with each passing moment that I could draw upon the memories of the girl I had become. That's how I found her little, red car. I wondered why so many girls seemed to love little bug convertibles. Then it dawned on me that the car was, indeed, cute. I sat down in the drivers seat and realized how tiny my new body was. I nearly was eye level with the dashboard. The seat was pulled almost all the way up to the steering wheel, otherwise my small legs would never have been able to reach the pedals. The leather seat felt cold under my thighs and I remembered I hadn't slid my hand under my skirt as I sat. I had to lift myself up off the seat to fold my skirt under me properly. I hadn't realized all the little things women have to do just to make it in this world. I sat there for a moment and thought about where I, Nicki, lived. A flash of memory told me to head to the west side of town. ...-------... The driveway was enormous, and the mansion even bigger. "Who AM I?" I pondered looking at the great estate. Obviously I was wealthy, or hung out with wealthy people. Then I wondered why I was driving this pathetic little car if I had so much money. I guess girls spend their money on other things, guys spend it on cars and stuff. I parked the car and walked up the large stairs to the porch. A double column of pillars stretched out above me to the roof. Instead of ringing the doorbell, I tried my keys. To my surprise, one of the keys worked! I walked inside and shut the door. A saint bernard leapt out of nowhere and toppled me to the floor. I was on my back and the damn dog was on top of me with his face in mine. "Get off me!" I complained under slimy, wet licks. Try as I might, the dog was just too heavy to move. "Come on, get off!" I demanded, kicking my legs under the mass of hair. Finally the dog relented and climbed off me. He gave me a look that told me he was boss around here - at least as far as I was concerned. I never felt so helpless in all my life. I'd have to be more careful and look after myself so people - or animals - stronger than me would not take advantage of me. I walked upstairs and found what had to be my room. "Yuck," I said looking around at all the pink around me. Pink walls, pink bed, pink dresser. Everything was pink. There were some pictures on my dresser. I walked over to have a look. "Ah...mom and dad," I said and remembered they were out of town and I had the whole place to myself. I picked up another photo. "Ah...Erik!" I said kissing the photo on an impulse that sent shivers down my spine. Erik was my boyfriend, or at least Nickis' boyfriend anyway. Why I was so keen on kissing that photo was beyond my comprehension. I guess being Nicki was taking me to whole new levels of female understanding. I took a quick shower and went gratefully to bed. No playtime for me tonight. I'd have to experiment with this new body when I was less tired. Sleep came fast and I dreamed the most vivid dreams ever. Horses, cats, unicorns, knights in shining armor. All these wonderful, crisp images filled my dreams. Then came the nightmare. I sat in my dreamworld in a gray mist. I was on a rocking chair and began to sway to and fro. With each gentle rock, I felt my chest tighten more and more. My breasts! My wonderful breasts were shrinking. "No!" I cried out in my sleep. "No! This can't be!" I woke up hugging my still ample breasts and cried. I did not want to loose being a woman. ...-------... The next morning, I woke up and heard noises downstairs. I pulled on a pink (yuk!) bathrobe and headed down to see who was home. "Erik!" I exclaimed holding my arms out wide. He set his coffee down on the counter and walked over to me. "Nicki," he said wrapping his arms around me and drawing me close. My breasts squished up against his warm chest and I felt a tingle of excitement down inside me somewhere. He kissed me and didn't break off until I pushed him away. After all, a girl's got to have air sometime. He tried to kiss me again and I stopped him. "Come on, Erik," I said panting for breath. "You're smothering me." Damn, but he was tall. He could force himself on me if he wanted but I was more interested in other activity besides sex. I guess I wanted to make him beg or something. Funny how women can be like that. Oh well, at least I had this wonderful female power over men. I wonder if I could make him do stuff for me... I looked in the refrigerator to see if there was something missing. "Uh, we're out of ketchup," I said and looked at him. "Would you run to the store for me and get some?" He hesitated and was about to ask what for. We certainly didn't need ketchup for breakfast but he didn't question it. "Oh, sorry," he apologized and grabbed his keys off the table. He looked like he couldn't wait to do this for me. "Ketchup, right. Okay. Be right back." He just about ran for the door and when he was gone I fell to the floor laughing. ...-------... Sometime later, I was out by the pool in my little white bikini when Erik came dashing across the patio. "Here you go, darling," he said and tripped over himself. His bag of groceries flew out all over the place. "Damn!" he cursed. "The mints." He scrambled to pick up everything and then came over to sit beside me. "I got some mints too," he said taking my hand and patting it. "That's quite okay, Erik," I said pulling down my sun glasses to look him in the eye. "You really are crazy about me, aren't you?" "Nuts," he admitted with a nod. "I got three bottles of ketchup. I hope it lasts. So, are we gonna eat breakfast?" I put my shades back on and leaned back into my chair,"No. I'm afraid I'm on a bit of a diet. Won't you go walk the dog or something? I'd like to sunbathe alone if you don't mind." He looked hurt but left to go do his new assigned duty for me. I smiled when he left. "I've got the power," I grinned looking down at my oiled, smooth legs. Feeling a bit brave, I pulled off my top, exposing my mounds of wonderful tits. The sun began to bake them with tender care. "This is the life," I said to myself and drifted off to sleep. ...-------... I woke up and put my top back on. Then I dived in the pool and marveled at how easily and gracefully I swam through the water. I got out and dried myself with a big, pink towl. Erik seemed to have given up on me and left or something. I guess I was too harsh on the poor guy. "He'll be back," I said with confidence and held my breasts in my hands,"Oh, he'll be back." ...-------... I got dressed for an evening out on the town. I chose an identical outfit to what I had worn the previous night. Pink skirt, white blouse, and red sneakers. I got all dolled up, locked the house, and went out to my car. I headed out for some fast food and drove to the Fraz. Hot-Legs was back. ...-------... The same old punks tried to show off but I put them in their place. "Damn, girl, you got the moves!" one of the gangsters said from the other side of the circle. "Check her out! Damn that's glass!" When I was through, nobody in the whole place claimed to be a breaker. I was it. I was the master of the dance floor. Fastest backspin in the world and baddest flip-rock anyone would ever live to see. I looked up at the clock. Midnight. Some guy in the crowd yelled out,"April Fools!" There was laughter and the music played on. "What's your name, babe?" some guy asked me. He was the punk who stabbed my old body but that didn't matter now because the twenty-four hours was up and I was all woman. "Nicki." "Yours or mine?" he asked boldly. "Yours," I said and let him take me by the arm. Yep, I was all woman now. No fooling.