“I have to confess.” Leon says flipping his phone face down again. “I cheated in our competition.” Sammy and I snap our eyes back to Leon. Sammy smiles knowingly, “I knew you didn’t cook that. Who made it? Your mom?” Sammy asks, anticipating her rightful title of best cook among our trio. “No I did. Well, physically. But I used the app to swap the part of my brain with digital skills, with my grandma’s part of the brain that’s good at cooking. She makes the best goat.” He says, remembering the meal we all just finished.

Sammy and I both download the app, not quite believing it’s abilities but trusting Leon’s attestment. We flip through its features as Leon continues on, “Of course I switched back! I don’t know what I’d do without being able to use my phone. Grandma also got to set up a few zoom calls to say hi to mum and her siblings. The app works best when you have two people ready to go as opposed to the shop.” Leon says, tipping my phone down on to the table without much resistance. All three of us are looking at the same screen now as he taps on the shop icon.

“It’s sorta like Craig’s list or Kijiji in the shops. People mainly put up parts to earn points. But the parts people are willing to trade, you know....Usually aren’t the finest.” Leon says, shifting around in his seat. I can tell he’s trying to be polite; unsure of how we plan on using the app. I smile because I think he’s being unnecessarily sweet. I’m not sure how I would use this app.

“Thinning hair, short limbs, crooked teeth, for example.” Leon continues. “When a successful trade comes through, you get points! Points allow you to purchase, as opposed to trade. Like buying expandable storage for your computer.  You can buy points with cash too, but nothing costs less than $10,000. It’s crazy!” Leon looks at us for confirmation. Sammy furrows her brows in response, and I know she thinks the app is some sort of scam. “It makes sense though.” I rebuff. “I don’t think this sort of technology is cheap. Running this level of tech just so people can have funky hair for a day-” I say, shaking my head at how frivolously something this amazing is being used. 

“Forget that! $10,000 is pennies for rich people. It’s scary to think how much they can take from everyone else. They’ll be beautiful immortals! Taking organs to live forever--” Sammy says frighteningly. “No way, organs and stuff is never available in the shops. You can’t buy it and you can’t post it. The money that they spend will only be used for their appearance, and they’re already doing that.” Leon says, shrugging. I feel a little more at ease with that thought in mind.

“Anyway as I was saying, when you post, you have to rate the quality of your post on a scale of 1-5 stars. A checklist will drop down when you set up a post to help dummies know that a funky toe is not 5 star worthy.” Leon laughs at his own joke. He can be so lame sometimes. 

“There’s an honor system in place for truthful rankings. An untruthful ranking can get your account revoked for life. And because the app takes so much info from you when you post, there’s no way to make another account. I guess people want access to something like this, so catfishing hasn’t been much of a problem on this app yet. 5 star posts cost more points or higher quality trades than 1 star posts, usually.” Leon says pausing, not sure if he’s being accurate. I like that Leon is so reactive. It’s easy for me to tell what he’s sure about and what he isn’t, and when he’s lying or being truthful. He decides the information isn’t worth struggling over and continues more certainly, 

“The shops are highly regulated with transfer durations and penal consequences for damaged or disturbed items upon return. It’s a nightmare and half to navigate. But this part here is the best part!” Leon says, tapping an icon tab that looks like two arrows intertwined at the base, the heads facing opposite directions. “This is the direct trade. All you have to do is enter a user ID or scan a QR code to open a transfer request. The app uses biometric fingerprints or retinal scans to confirm the transfer. And boom! Transferred!” Leon ends excitedly.

“...So you transferred brains with your grandma? Is that...safe?” Sammy asks suggestively. I smile along, not sure if Sammy was going for lewd or sneaky things Leon might be doing. Leon flusters. “It's not like that! She didn’t see anything! Just gotta be specific when you’re making the trade. Do your research!” Leon says quickly. 

“Okay then lets trade.” Sammy suggests. Leon reaches for his phone, excited by the prospect of another trade. I’m surprised by my own excitement to see the trade in action, since I’m not sure how I feel about the app yet. “Fine, what should we trade?” Leon asks. Sammy wiggles her eyebrows in response, carrying on the suggestive nature of her previous joke. I guess she was thinking lewd. “Stop it.” Leon whines, his face flushing. “Just pick.”

“Okay okay. Hm...lets trade legs!” Sammy says looking off to the side of the table where Leon has his legs sticking out. “You want my hairy legs?” Leon laughs imagining Sammy’s smooth, shiny legs brimming with hair.

“Yeah right, get real. I spend enough time getting rid of mine, I don’t wanna be getting yours too!” Leon shivers at the thought. “I want the shape of your legs. I like how knobly your knees are and how skinny your legs look. But I’m good with my own height.” 

“Good. You need to be specific! This also works out for me because I like how muscular your legs are. It’s impossible for me to gain any muscle there!” Leon paises, not noticing the embarrassment that passed quickly across Sammy’s face. She doesn’t like Leon describing her legs as muscular, but doesn’t say anything about it.

“As if you try.” Sammy teases, pushing the attention back onto Leon, be he doesn’t mind. Typing and choosing through the drop down menu, Sammy and Leon complete the transfer request. As instantly as the app read Sammy and Leon’s biometrics, their bodies changed. Leon reaches down and pulls up his pant leg to see a well muscled calf, and smiles. “This is awesome!” He says excitedly, clenching and unclenching his leg muscles. 

Sammy stands up and feels her legs, “Wow...I wish your legs had a bit of shape to them...” Sammy says twisting herself around to better evaluate herself, although she seems pleased. “It’s kinda hard to tell what something will look like until it’s actually on you... But at least I have a thigh gap!” Sammy says beaming at me and motioning to her thighs. I smile. I don’t like Sammy’s change of attitude. She used to be very vocal about how damaging body dysmorphia can be. I agreed with her. ‘But I suppose in a world where changing body types is possible with people that naturally have it... ‘ My brain starts to trail off. An unformed worry about how Sammy and Leon might change as their bodies change drifts past me, almost as quickly as it had formed. 

‘I wonder if I’ll start changing my mind too… Do people really grow out of insecurity, or do they just stop talking about it to seem more secure?’

“Can we trade too?” Sammy asks me. “Sure” I say, eager to trade just as they have. Although nothing on my body particularly sticks out as being terrible, I do look pretty unremarkable. Plain everywhere. 

“Can we trade hair?” She asks, eyeing my straight black hair. I nod in response. I’ve never had curly hair before since my own hair doesn’t hold styles very well.

 “How long did you set the duration?” I ask, going through the options. It’s true about how much data is collected even with a transfer. Name, gender, place of birth, address, social insurance, age, are just some of the questions I have to fill in. I don’t dare answer dishonestly. Wanting Sammy and I to trade successfully. “1 hour after school ends? That way we can walk around and show our families.” Sammy says, pausing to let me disagree, but I don’t

“Hair is probably the most common post people put up in the shops.” Leon says, still admiring his legs. I have a feeling he’ll want to stop by his house and swap into shorts right after school. I hit transfer and hold my front facing camera to my eye. A light erupts and I resist the urge to blink. It’s only when the retinal scan is complete, do I allow myself to close my eyes. I’m seeing light spots from the intense brightness of the scan. I rub my eye without regret, thinking a retinal scan would be safer than a fingerprint.

My sight returns to normal when I notice from my peripheral vision swirls of locks lying on my shoulders. I smile excitedly that the app worked. I open my camera app and switch options to my front facing camera. I begin making faces and moving my head around, trying to look at myself from different angles. I think I look happier, though I attribute that to the nature of things that bounce. Spring toys, balls, children’s cartoons are all things I think about as I pull at the curls I now have. They snap back into place and I smile.

Sammy seems pleased too, checking herself out on her own phone. “We’re totally switching privates.” Sammy says to Leon playfully, still looking at herself in her camera app. I don’t know how serious she is, but Leon agrees complacently. He is still admiring his new muscles; but I know he is thinking about his next transfer. I’m thinking about it too. What I want from the people I know, who will agree, and what I’ll have to give them in return. 

I reached for another lock to swirl around my finger, watching it bounce pleasantly among the others in my new hairstyle. I feel different. Less in-my-own-head. I think a change is refreshing and I want to show it off. I wonder what others will think. Will they compliment me? Maybe even Mrs. Bernstein will change her tune when she notices how different I am. How different I can be.