**A Flip in Reality: The Day Everything Changed**

***Something was Off*** When Marcus awoke, it wasn’t the sunlight that bothered him, or the lingering stiffness of a late practice the night before—it was his blankets. They felt silkier, softer against his skin, sliding almost effortlessly as he stretched. Groggy, he blinked at his surroundings. There was purple—so much purple. The accent wall, his throw pillows, even a plush rug at the foot of his bed glowed in varying violet shades. He sat up sharply. All his stuff was there—framed medals, signed basketball, the messy pile of philosophy textbooks—but behind his desk, the poster of his favorite actress, Natalie Rivers, was bizarrely altered. Instead of her waterfall curls and signature dazzling smile, she now wore a camo jacket, an army crew cut, and carried what might be a bazooka. "I... what?" Rubbing his eyes, Marcus realized something else. He wore flimsy, satiny nightwear, a nowhere-near-his-size camisole with lace trim and—he swore—to matching panties. As he pulled on the hem, tentatively, his hair—now much longer—spilled across his arms. “Okay, this is not a normal Sunday,” he said out loud, voice a little higher pitched than usual. Nervously, he opened his drawers. Neatly folded rows of bras and panties, and little else. His closet held sundresses, skirts, and chic blouses—not a single basketball jersey in sight. There was a small makeup kit on his desk, next to a tray of earrings and necklaces. He exhaled, then grinned. “Well. This is going to be interesting.” With genuine curiosity, Marcus attempted to dress. Underwear first—awkward, but doable. Bra next—he struggled, arms twisting behind his back, finally snapping it closed after three tries. He pulled on a lavender dress, slid his hair back into a neat ponytail, and after a moment’s contemplation, looped a thin silver chain around his neck. In the mirror, he looked...good. Weird, but kind of good. Opening the door to the hallway, the world had changed too. Girls in varsity jackets strutted by, hair cropped short. Boys stood in clusters, comparing pleated skirts or checking their eyeliner. Some sauntered by in tiny shorts, phone cases clutched delicately. The captain of the football team—now a confident, broad-shouldered woman—strode by with a heavy duffle and offered Marcus a nod. A group of guys, giggling, trotted after her in wedge sandals. Marcus stepped into the flow of students, smirking. “At least,” he thought, “this will be entertaining to see.” And with that, Marcus set off to discover this upside-down campus, heart thumping with nervous excitement. Whatever happened next, he was definitely wide awake.