The Unwanted Life
By KentaurosDos
Riley was the kind of girl who lit up a room without even trying. With her wide, sparkling eyes and a laugh that sounded like wind chimes on a summer day, she was the epitome of sunshine. Her long, auburn hair flowed effortlessly over her shoulders, framing a face that could rival any model. But Riley was more than just pretty; she was genuinely kind and possessed a warmth that drew people in like moths to a flame.
Beneath the radiant exterior, however, was a sharp mind and an ambitious spirit. Riley was fiercely intelligent, her quick wit and insightful observations often surprising those who underestimated her. She dreamed of a future where she could use her intellect to make a tangible difference in the world. Yet, the path to achieving her goals was paved with challenges.
As a broke college student with no wealthy benefactors, Riley's reality was a stark contrast to her aspirations. She juggled a demanding course load with two part-time jobs, her days filled with a relentless cycle of lectures, textbooks, coffee, and customer service. Exhaustion was a constant companion, and there were times when the weight of it all threatened to overwhelm her.
The last straw was a particularly irate customer who seemed to believe that the store was responsible for the rain outside, and wouldn’t leave Riley alone for her whole shift. Riley had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, but the incident left her feeling drained and defeated. As she trudged home, the weight of her responsibilities pressing down on her, she realized something had to change. She couldn’t keep up this exhausting pace forever.
Sitting at her tiny, cluttered apartment, Riley scrolled through job boards, her heart sinking with each disappointing result. Most positions required experience she didn’t have or offered wages that barely covered rent. Desperation began to creep in. She needed something, anything, to supplement her income.
A peculiar ad caught her eye. It was for a company called TraitSwap. The headline read, “Rent Your Traits.” Intrigued, she clicked on it. The website explained that TraitSwap was a platform where people could temporarily swap personal traits with others, both physical and mental. It sounded absurd, but the pay rates were surprisingly high.
Riley hesitated. The idea of altering her own appearance or personality was unsettling. But the financial reward was tempting. She had always been told she was a good listener, empathetic, and patient. Maybe those were traits someone would be willing to pay for. Perhaps her long, auburn hair was desirable to someone else.
A flicker of hope ignited within her. Could this be the answer to her problems? A way to escape the endless grind and finally pursue her dreams? With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Riley decided to take a leap of faith.
The idea of renting out her physical attributes was tempting. Her hair, for instance, was often admired. But a pang of unease settled in. What if someone noticed the sudden change? Even if the transformations were temporary, it felt too risky. Riley wasn't overly vain, but she valued her individuality.
Focusing on the mental traits seemed like a safer bet. Her empathy, patience, and listening skills were well-developed, and she was confident in her ability to adapt to different personalities. Besides, it was less likely that anyone would notice a shift in her demeanor.
With a determined nod, Riley decided to focus on renting out her personality traits. It was a less glamorous path, but it felt like a safer and more authentic way to earn extra income. She would start by creating a detailed profile, highlighting her best qualities.
The video call connected with a jarring beep. On the other end, a man in his early thirties stared back at her, his hair a greasy mess and his clothes looking like they hadn't seen a washing machine in years. He was clearly nervous, his eyes darting around. Riley braced herself.
Riley spent the next few hours crafting her TraitSwap profile. She highlighted her empathy, patience, and listening skills, painting a picture of a warm, understanding confidante. A pang of doubt crept in as she clicked the "submit" button. She'd never considered herself particularly marketable, but the desperation in her bank account outweighed her self-doubt.
Within hours, she received her first notification. A video call request. Her heart pounded as she accepted. A grainy image of a man appeared on the screen. He was in his thirties, with a face that seemed permanently etched with exhaustion. His hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes looked like they hadn't seen a washing machine in weeks.
Riley waited for him to say something, but all she heard was his heavy breathing that made her more and more uncomfortable the long it continued.
“Um… You’re Jake, right?” Riley said, reading off the screen.
His apartment was a disaster zone. Empty pizza boxes, discarded clothes, and a thick layer of dust coated every surface. The smell practically wafted through the screen was a potent mix of stale takeout and something indefinable but unpleasant. Riley's stomach churned. She'd expected odd, but this was on another level.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice distorted as he spoke too close to the microphone. “Sorry about not saying anything. I just thought you were so sexy, and had to take you in for a moment.”
Riley was beginning to wonder if she was making a mistake accepting this call. Let alone trying to make money at TraitSwap in the first place.
“Moving on,” Riley said. “You liked my profile, so what trait do you want to rent from me, and how much are you willing to pay?”
Jake ran a hand through his hair, his eyes avoiding the camera. “Well, that’s the thing. I haven’t had a job in forever. I don’t have much money…”
Riley was just about to hang up. Why had this guy wasted her time?
“BUT!” he said loudly. “My parents are tired of me living at home and playing video games all day, so they’re putting up a lot of money to get my foot in the door.”
Riley took her hand off of the button, and decided to at least hear the guy out.
“Okay, so you saw my profile,” Riley said. “What traits of mine do you want to rent?”
“Well…” Jake said, looking with his beady eyes at her, a greediness in them that made her feel dirty. “I’ve got a job interview tomorrow, and my dad thought… That is, I want to make a good impression at the job interview.”
“So, you want my outgoing-ness or something?” Riley said. “That shouldn’t be too bad.”
“No,” Jake said. “I, uh, I don’t think just being outgoing is going to be enough. Even when I do manage to talk to people, I seem to say the wrong thing. And people seem to be disgusted by my personal habits.”
Riley’s face fell. “So you want my extroversion, my social skills, and my personal hygiene then? For one day?”
Silence hung in the air, and Riley began considering hanging up again. Surely, she could find a better client thant this?
Jake blinked forcefully, and his head seemed to bob unnaturaly. “Well, I do want all of those things, but I, uh, I think I have one problem that might make it hard to concentrate during the interview.”
Oh, here we go, Riley thought.
“It’s just that, my interview tomorrow is with this gorgeous woman, and, uh, I’ve stalked her the past few days on all of her social media accounts, and I’m pretty sure if I was in the same room as her, I’d get tongue-tied.”
“Wait,” Riley said. “You’re saying you want to trade your sexuality and libido with mine or something?”
Jake looked down in shame. “Look, I- I’m a mess when I’m around pretty women.”
“But you’re having this conversation just fine!” Riley objected.
“No, you don’t understand,” Jake said. “I, uh, I’m barely keeping it together talking with you right now, and you’re just a picture on my screen. It’s taking all of my self control not to, uh, touch myself right now.”
Riley felt her revulsion for Jake grow.
“So, you want my extraversion, my social skills, my personal hygiene skills and my sexuality?” Riley said. “I don’t think you have enough money for that, even if it’s only for a day.”
She was about to hang up, when Jake said a number.
A large number.
Riley blinked.
Was he serious? That was a life-changing amount of money. She’d be able to finish school! She could probably quit one of her part-time jobs!
“Are you serious right now?” Riley said. “You, your parents, are willing to pay that much just to rent my traits for a day?”
“I’m serious,” Jake said.
“Well, let’s do this then!” Riley said.
A cold dread settled in Riley's stomach as she stared at the blinking "Confirm Swap" button. The number on the screen, a tantalizing promise of financial freedom, danced before her eyes. But the implications of what she was about to do were sinking in. She was about to become someone else, entirely.
With a trembling hand, she clicked the button. The world around her seemed to warp and bend, as if she were being sucked into a vortex. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she clutched her stomach, her vision blurring.
When her senses returned, she was still sitting at her desk, but something was profoundly different. The world seemed muted, the colors less vibrant. Her mind, once a clear and bustling metropolis of thoughts, was now a foggy, desolate wasteland. The weight of the world, once a manageable burden, now crushed her spirit.
The first thing she noticed was the obsessive thoughts. A constant loop of images played in her mind – women, beautiful women, from the coffee shop barista to the girl on the bus. She found herself analyzing their appearance with a critical eye, a hunger she'd never known before consuming her.
Her hands itched to reach out, to touch, to possess. A longing for physical connection, a primal urge, was overwhelming. It was as if a switch had been flipped, turning her into a creature driven by base desires.
Fear gripped her as she realized the extent of the transformation. She was becoming Jake, not just adopting his traits, but inhabiting his mind. The empathy, the patience, the warmth – they were gone, replaced by a cold, calculating focus on gratification.
A cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection was still her, but the eyes that stared back held a darkness she didn't recognize. She was trapped, a prisoner in her own body, and the horrifying realization dawned on her that she had no idea how to reverse this.
A gnawing hunger pang pierced through the fog of desire clouding Riley’s mind. Usually, the thought of cooking would have been a chore she’d gladly tackle, a routine that grounded her. But now, the idea of lifting a finger felt like an insurmountable task. With a few clicks, she ordered a large pizza, extra cheese, and a side of garlic bread. The convenience was intoxicating.
As she waited for the delivery, a new urge consumed her. Her fingers hovered over her laptop, and with a trembling hand, she typed in a search query, “Sexy egirl big tit*.” Riley knew two things in that moment. First, she knew that she had never typed those words before in her life. But second, she knew that right in that moment she was feeling an indescrible itch, a lust that was already starting deep inside of her.
A world of explicit content opened up before her. Images flashed across the screen, a relentless assault on her senses. She felt her hands migrating between her legs, and was almost surprised when her dripping puss* greeted her. God, she was so f*cking horny, but she had never done anything like this before. She sniffed her fingers, sniffed her juices and imagined that they were from the scantily clad girl dancing hypnotically on her screen.
Oh f*ck!
What had once seemed vulgar and repulsive now felt like a siren song. Hours seemed to slip away as she lost herself in a digital fantasyland, her mind a captive to these visual intoxicants.
A knock at the door jolted her back to reality. The pizza had arrived.
Riley almost didn’t want to stop rubbing between her legs, to stop watching all these incredible videos, but she knew she needed to eat. She reluctantly pressed pause, and walked over to the front door.
The pizza delivery guy was clearly a little taken aback to see her answer the door in her underwear and a shirt, but she took the box from him, and shut it.
The greasy smell of the pizza filled her nostrils.
She devoured it with a savage hunger, the once comforting taste now a bland, empty sensation. As the last greasy slice disappeared, a cold dread washed over her as she looked at the clock for the first time in ages. It was only a few minutes from when she normally went to bed, and she hadn’t even done any of her homework!
Panic set in as she realized the enormity of her procrastination. The once diligent student was now a reckless, impulsive mess.
And the worst part was that she was exhausted already from her marathon of p*rn and pizza, and didn’t have the energy to do anything else. For the first time, Riley felt truly sorry for Jake. Was this what it was like for him? No wonder he was still living at home in his 30’s!
Riley was just glad she would only have to have his traits for one more day.
Morning arrived, a harsh and unforgiving mistress. The once vibrant world was now a colorless blur. Riley's body ached, her mind a fog. The thought of showering was an insurmountable task, a battle she couldn't muster the strength to fight. She pulled on the same clothes from yesterday, their stench a silent indictment of her neglect.
With a heavy heart, she forced herself to attend her morning classes. The once familiar lecture hall felt like a hostile environment. The whispers and averted gazes were a constant reminder of her altered state. She tried to focus on the professor's words, but her mind wandered to less academic pursuits.
The afternoon shift at the diner was a nightmare. Once a source of income and social interaction, it was now a gauntlet of disgust and rejection. Customers wrinkled their noses, their eyes darting away as she approached their tables. Orders were met with curt impatience, their tone a stark contrast to the usual pleasantries. The once familiar rhythm of the diner, the clinking of silverware, the chatter of patrons, was now a cacophony of disapproval.
Her attempts at flirtation, once met with smiles and playful banter from the cute guys she spoke to, were now met with cold indifference or outright hostility from the women she stuttered and sputtered before. The realization that her carefully crafted persona had crumbled, revealing the monstrous creature beneath, was a bitter pill to swallow.
As the hours dragged on, Riley felt a growing sense of isolation. The world, once filled with warmth and connection, had become a cold and unforgiving place. She was a pariah, a leper in a society that valued cleanliness and normalcy. The once comforting routine of her job now felt like a constant humiliation.
With each passing minute, the weight of her actions pressed down on her with increasing force. The girl she once was, the girl full of hope and ambition, seemed like a distant memory. In her place was a hollow shell, a creature driven by primal urges and devoid of self-respect.
As the clock ticked closer to the end of her shift, a sense of relief washed over Riley. The ordeal was almost over. Soon, she would be free from this monstrous existence. The thought of regaining her old self, of shedding the skin of this repulsive creature, filled her with a hope she hadn't felt in days.
With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and dialed Jake's number. She needed to initiate the trait swap, to reclaim her life. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. A wave of panic swept over her. Where was he? Had he changed his mind? Was she trapped in this nightmare forever?
Fear gnawed at her as she tried to calm herself. Maybe he was busy, maybe he would call back. But deep down, she knew something was wrong. The thought of being stuck like this, of living the rest of her life as this repulsive shell, was unbearable.
Desperation began to creep in. She tried calling again and again, but there was still no answer. The realization that she was alone in this, that she had no one to turn to, sent a shiver down her spine. She was trapped, a prisoner in her own body, with no way out.
As darkness enveloped the city, Riley wandered the streets, a lost and frightened soul. The once familiar sights now seemed alien and hostile. The world was a harsh and unforgiving place, and she was a mere speck of dust, insignificant and alone.
The weight of her situation was overwhelming. She had made a terrible mistake, a decision that had irrevocably changed her life. And now, as the consequences of her actions unfolded, she was paying a heavy price.
Epilogue: 1 Year Later
Riley’s descent was swift and brutal. Her part-time jobs couldn’t tolerate her dwindling hygiene and erratic behavior, and the university, after several failed attempts to reach her, had no choice but to drop her from all her courses. The once bright-eyed, ambitious girl was now a shadow of her former self, a recluse in her parents’ basem*nt. Days blurred into nights as she indulged in an endless cycle of online gratification. p*rnography and video games became her solace, a digital world where she could escape the harsh realities of her life. The once-vibrant spark in her eyes had been replaced by a vacant, almost predatory glint.
Meanwhile, Jake’s life had taken a dramatic turn. The trait swap had transformed him from a socially inept recluse into a charismatic and confident individual. His job interview had been a resounding success, and he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a star employee. People were drawn to his infectious energy and sharp wit. Surprisingly, his newfound openness about his sexuality didn’t hinder his career; instead, it garnered respect and admiration. He had found love, built a fulfilling career, and was living a life he once thought impossible.
As for Riley, she existed in a perpetual state of twilight. The world outside held no allure, and the digital realm was her sanctuary. She had become a ghost, a haunting reminder of what could happen when ambition is replaced by desire, and when the pursuit of the extraordinary leads to a descent into the ordinary.
The once bright star had burned out, leaving behind only a smoldering ember.
