Ivy McCall, James's girlfriend

James dropped his jaw to the floor when he saw Ivy walk in. His girlfriend was volunteering?!

Ivy was a cute girl, with blonde hair and bangs that framed her face--likely done so the Ascend receiver would be barely visible. She was part of the journalism club, a bit of a nerd like James and Lucas had been, but still pretty in that bookworm sort of way. She had been bullied for being a scrawny kid through junior high, but by the time she became friends with James, she'd gained a figure that even some of the popular kids envied. Her body wasn't overly shapely, just well-proportioned, with perky C-cups that she usually kept contained within a jacket or sweater. Despite all that, James and Ivy hadn't ever done more than kissing, as Ivy wanted to set some boundaries before college when something more real could form. Until then, James just had to fantasize...

Ivy blushed, wriggling some fingers at James in greeting before she sat down. "I, uh... sorry I didn't tell you last night when we talked on the phone. But they said it could help my grades if I did this." She wouldn't even look at James, not sure how he would react.

James looked like he wanted to smash that Ascend receiver. "No way! No way. You can't just do that! Ivy, c'mon, you're gonna let Luke move you around? He's gonna--"

"Watch it, Mr. Hunter," the principal was quick to say. "Don't make her feel bad, she's trying to be helpful. The grades benefit her, Lucas gets to keep working on maintaining that GPA, and then life goes on. You should think of it as being able to spend time with two different friends at the same time. Besides, Lucas can disconnect at the end of the school day, and then everything's back to normal."

James huffed again, and then looked at Ivy again. He was clearly jealous that Lucas was going to be in that body, though he had no idea why it bothered him so much. Maybe because Lucas would be able to feel James's girlfriend whenever he wanted, or make her do or say anything... this felt like a raw deal to him. "Why couldn't Beth do this instead? or Cameron? Are you really sure?"

Ivy grabbed the mask, squinted at it for a bit, and then turned to James with a nod. "Yes, I'm fine with it. If Lucas becomes a problem during the day, we'll disconnect. You don't trust your best friend AND your girlfriend to make a decision without you?"

James stewed in his seat while Ivy flipped her hair back, pressing the mask to her face. The mask instantly began to calibrate, taking on the exact shape of the wearer, such that the white plastic-looking mask had re-contoured to look exactly like Ivy's face. Had you not known any better, you would've sworn that nothing was different, except that strange black band that ran along the outline of her face. Her hair naturally fell back into place, hiding most of it just as was intended. Ivy's eyes closed as she slumped in her seat.

A moment later, a twitch, then another, before her eyes fluttered open.

"Whoa," Ivy said, looking down at herself, then up at the principal. "I really am a chick now, just like dad said."

That sounded nothing like Ivy! Well, the voice was a match, but the way Ivy spoke was all off. It sounded like she was doing a Lucas impression. Ivy turned towards you, wide-eyed, before suddenly she grinned. "Hey man, this isn't so bad! You're always splitting time with Ivy and me anyway, now we don't even need to do that! Feels weird, though."

Ivy's hands were about to come up to touch her body, but the principal cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but Mr. Grisham, while you are borrowing Ms. McCall's form I expect the utmost discretion in acting properly. Don't make me regret allowing you to try out this little experiment, I'm only allowing it because your father helped me get a good deal on that new Yabusa SUV. The moment you leave this office, Lucas is not in this building, only Ivy, and everyone is to believe that Lucas is keeping up with his studies from the hospital. Got it?"

Ivy's hands stopped, as she froze in place, before looking back at Mr. Iverson. "Yes sir," she said meekly. James nodded as well.

"Good. You've got a few minutes before classes, so I recommend looking over the user manual a bit more just in case something happens and you need to remove it," the principal said, before turning to his computer. "Have a good day, you two, I'll be checking in later."

James and Ivy both hurried to leave the office, walking out to the main hall where only a few students had gathered before the wave of a school rush began. Ivy was grinning, but she stopped smiling when she turned to James and saw him still scowling. "Hey, c'mon man. It's for a couple hours a day. It's not a big deal if you don't let it be."

With a turn, James looked Ivy in the eyes. He knew he was looking at her actual eyes, even though little cameras were embedded right where the tear ducts would be. "Well, it kind of is, 'Ivy'. Are you really gonna play the girlfriend role? Because right before we split for class, we always kiss goodbye. And people see it and know it. So are you gonna be like Ivy, or do I have to deal with basically losing my girlfriend for the next few months while school's in session?"

Ivy fidgeted, looking down. It seems like she--well, that Lucas--was contemplating something.