Soul Swap: Straight-A Student or Bad Boy?

CHAPTER 4: INSANE

RIVER

Mrs. Wilson jumped and looked at me before quickly turning toward the door, just as Lexi stumbled in, and my heart dropped. She looked wrecked.

She was soaked in sweat, barefoot, and dressed only in a pair of swim trunks and my wrinkled T-shirt that clung to her like she'd slept in the gutter.

Her wide, wild eyes locked on her mother's, and before we could react, she threw herself into Mrs. Wilson's arms and sobbed.

“It’s me! Mom. It’s me! It’s Lexi!”

Mrs. Wilson just stood there, arms stiff at her sides. She didn’t hug her back. She looked stunned, like someone had hit pause on her brain, while I sat frozen, staring at the girl who was supposed to be me.

Lexi drew back, her words stumbling and frantic. “Something happened. I don’t know how but I woke up and I wasn’t in my body anymore. I’m in his! I’m River-I mean-I’m not, but I am-Mom, please!”

Mrs. Wilson blinked, her mouth falling open, and her eyes flicked to me and that’s when Lexi turned and saw me. She lost it.

"You!" she screamed, lunging for me. "Give my body back!"

I couldn’t move or breathe, and Mrs. Wilson jumped between us, her arm stretched out to block Lexi, but she grabbed me by my top, and that’s when Mrs. Wilson lost it. “Get out of my house!” she snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you? Trying to attack my daughter?”

“I am your daughter!” Lexi cried, her voice cracking, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Please-just listen-please-Mom, you have to believe me—”

“I don’t want to hear another word!” Mrs. Wilson barked, backing away and slamming her hand against a nearby alarm panel on the wall. A shrill beep echoed throughout the house, and Lexi continued to reach out for me, furious.

“Tell her the truth! I don’t belong in your body! Tell her!”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out; my throat was clogged with guilt. I should have said something. I wanted to. But I just sat there, paralyzed.

Less than a minute later, security burst through the front door. Lexi thrashed in their arms, screaming, kicking, and begging as they dragged her outside.

“No! You don’t understand. He’s me! He’s ME!”

The door slammed shut, and the silence that followed was louder than the screaming. Mrs. Wilson turned to me, pale and shaken. “Sweetheart… are you okay?”

I nodded, still mute. My heart was like a wrecking ball in my chest. We were late and had no time for breakfast after the commotion. “Where are your glasses? And car keys?” Glasses... right. Lexi wore glasses.

I figured they must be in her room and rushed upstairs to get them. Searching, I found them quickly and put them on and I couldn’t help but sigh. I could see better and I didn’t even realize I couldn’t before.

I grabbed her backpack and just then, I saw her car keys. Snatching them, I returned downstairs, where Mrs. Wilson was still standing by the door. She was still shaken by what had just happened, and she did not want to leave until she was certain I had also left.

There were two cars in the driveway and I had no idea which one was mine. They were the same brand but different models, and I pressed the keys so the right one would open, and it did.

Mrs. Wilson checked on me again, asking if I was okay, and I assured her that I was. I took off after sliding inside the car.

But I drove past the exit I was supposed to take because I wanted to go to my house. After a ten-minute drive, I arrived at my house just as Mom got into her car, looking hurried, and I knew she had been called about what had happened.

I didn’t stop for long and headed to school. I was late, so I rushed to class, reminding myself to attend Lexi's class. As I entered, I could see the shock in the teacher's eyes.

This must have been the first time Lexi was ever late, and I didn’t miss the once-over she gave me. But she quickly told me to sit down and gave me my exam paper.

It dawned on him at that point. “What the hell am I going to write?” I went through the paper, but I was completely blank, and the more I tried to figure out the answers, the more frustrated I became. So, feeling I couldn’t take it anymore, I got up, handed in my paper, and headed out.

I had no idea what had happened or how long it would last. Maybe I was given the chance to be her for a day, and I was definitely not going to spend it stressing and trying to figure out her things. I went to the ice.

I knew there’d be no one during class. The team already practiced early this morning because of the exams. I was going to enjoy this break.

••••

LEXI

“Honey, it’s alright.” Mrs. Lane attempted to hold me, and I broke down in her arms. I was at the police station and had spent the previous hour trying to persuade her to listen to me. I needed someone to listen to me, and I felt like I was going insane.

Just then, a man in a white coat entered and asked to speak with Mrs. Lane. She stood up, her eyes red from crying, and I noticed her wince as if she was in pain. I was also in pain; this disgusting body hurt like hell, and I was certain I had bruises beneath this shirt.

Mrs. Lane returned after a moment and sat next to me, and my heart raced when she told me what the man in the white coat had suggested. "I am not crazy!" I screamed, and her voice broke as she explained that she knew, but what I was saying did not make sense.

“Please, let's go home. "Stop talking like this or they will take you away from me." I broke down in the chair. She held me, but I felt suffocated; I did not want to be held and pushed her away, shaking with sobs.

Why is this happening to me? I asked and it was then, as everything came crashing back. The roof, my thoughts, and how I wished I were born into a different family. The meteor.

“No, no, no,” I never said I wished. I was just thinking aloud. I wanted my life back. I would die in this body.

My sobs grew louder, and the man in the white coat returned, and I caught his glance at my mother. Her eyes were pleading, and my inner voice rose to the surface.

It said I had to pull myself together. It warned me that this man would lock me up and declare me insane, and how would I get my body back?

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. My inner voice was right. I tried to tell my mother it was me, but she did not believe me. I needed to get a grip.

Mrs. Lane approached me as soon as she saw me wipe my tears and hugged me, and I let her. After that, she said she was taking me home, and I agreed.

Getting up, she thanked the officers and the man for their help and for informing her. We set out and walked towards an old, battered Mercedes. She opened my door and slid in, and we drove in silence.

Tears still burned the back of my eyes but I didn’t cry; I held myself together.