Jared sat at his desk, hunched over his algebra homework. The room was quiet, except for the faint hum of the computer and the occasional rustle of paper. His lanky frame seemed to disappear into the chair, and his thin chest barely made a dent in the fabric of his T-shirt. At 5-foot-6, he was used to being the shorter one among his friends, especially Drew.
Drew, on the other hand, was a force of nature. Athletic, outgoing, and always ready for adventure, he towered over Jared at 5-foot-9. They were an odd pair, but somehow their friendship worked. Drew's magical powers, bestowed upon him by an alien being during a particularly strange encounter in the woods, only added to the uniqueness of their bond.
As Jared scribbled equations, he felt a strange sensation. It started in his chest—a fluttering, like a thousand butterflies taking flight. He glanced down, expecting to see his pencil moving on its own, but instead, he saw something even more bizarre.
His pectorals—those tiny, almost nonexistent muscles—were swelling. Like helium balloons, they expanded, pushing against the fabric of his shirt. Jared's eyes widened as he watched his chest transform. Within seconds, he had two large mounds sticking out from his frame. His bony shoulders widened, and he felt the added weight on his chest.
"What the—" Jared whispered, touching the firm muscle. It was like someone had replaced his chest with that of a teenage bodybuilder. He flexed experimentally, and the sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying. Drew's magical powers were at work again, but this time, they'd taken a detour through the gym.
Jared stood up, and his chair skidded backward. His flat stomach followed suit, developing two columns of rock-hard abdominal muscles. It was as if someone had chiseled a washboard into his formerly soft midsection. His T-shirt strained to contain the newfound bulk, and he wondered if he'd accidentally stumbled into a superhero origin story.
"Drew!" Jared called out, half-expecting his friend to materialize out of thin air. "What did you do?"
No response. Drew was probably out skateboarding or saving the world from alien invasions. Meanwhile, Jared flexed his biceps, marveling at the definition. His skinny arms now boasted actual muscle, and he wondered if he could lift the desk with his newfound strength.
He glanced at the mirror on the wall. The reflection staring back at him was absurd—a teenage bodybuilder with glasses perched on his nose. His brown hair stuck out in all directions, and he looked like a science experiment gone wrong.
Jared's phone buzzed, and he fumbled to answer it. It was a text from Drew: "Hey, buddy! Just wanted to let you know—I've upgraded your physique. You're welcome!"
Upgraded? More like overhauled. Jared sighed. He'd always wanted to be stronger, but this was ridiculous. How was he supposed to explain this to his parents? And what if his algebra teacher noticed the sudden transformation during the next Zoom class?
As he flexed his biceps again, Jared realized that maybe being a teenage bodybuilder wasn't so bad. Perhaps he could use his newfound strength to impress Superboy at the next high school event. After all, who wouldn't be impressed by a math whiz with biceps like these?
And so, Jared adjusted his glasses, squared his shoulders, and decided that maybe—just maybe—Drew's magical powers weren't such a curse after all. As long as he didn't accidentally burst out of his T-shirt during gym class, everything would be fine.
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