Chapter 4
1417 Words
Emily
I stiffened and silently begged the moon goddess to fix this mess immediately, because there was no way in hell's chance that I could survive pretending to like Ethan Sparrow.
And what if he asked for a kiss?
Because that’s what couples did, right?
“Mary Saint Laurent?” He said, the words leaving his mouth like prickles. “Is something wrong?”
Abso-f*****g yes!
“Yes!” I blurted before my brain could process an answer. My eyes darted into the locker and landed on a tube. “Pimple! I have a terrible pimple.”
He laughed.
Ethan Sparrow laughed. That was new.
I blinked.
Who knew he even had a sense of humor?
“It’s just a pimple, babe.”
“No,” I insisted, panic rising fast. “It’s a very big, ugly pimple.”
“Mary?”
I bit my lip.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded too quickly. “Let’s meet after recess. No, during recess. The pimple should be… gone by then.”
That made no sense. A pimple didn't just up and went like it was going on a vacation. But technically, it was Mary saying it. Not me. So I didn't care.
“Okay,” he said easily.
Good. That should have been the end of it. But it wasn’t. It was never simple with Ethan Sparrow.
I felt his hand slide lower…to my ass. My virgin, untouched —Oh right. It wasn't mine.
But that was it.
I jerked forward so fast I hit my head against the locker again. Laughter broke out across the corridor before Ethan’s sharp glare shut it down.
I didn’t wait. I didn’t even care if they laughed to death. I grabbed the nearest book and held it up like a shield. “I have to go.”
I walked off quickly, heart racing, Mary's dignity hanging by a thread.
I needed a plan and I needed my body back before Ethan came ten feet near me.
By the time I got to class, I was barely listening to anything the teacher was saying—which was a first, given that my mind couldn't settle.
Who wouldn't be disturbed being in my shoes?
While he droned on, I pulled out Mary’s phone. It was sleek and expensive and probably cost more than what our house would sell on a good day.
I glanced up briefly.
Mary—no, my body—was not acting like me at all. She wasn’t sitting with Grace. Grace kept stealing confused looks at her, and Mary just sat there, head slightly bowed, smirking at something on my phone like she was reading something she shouldn't have.
Bitch.
I unlocked the phone, not even curious about whatever nonsense she had been doing.
I typed:
How do you swap back to your body?
The results popped up.
Astral projection.
Okay.
Mindful wishing.
Even better..
Now I just had to survive until recess. I leaned back slightly, already imagining it. Getting my body back, getting out of this madness, and most importantly eating a proper hamburger I would have to sneak into class.
Actually, three.
After everything I had been through today, I deserved it.
And never again will I wish to be someone else.
Not even Albert Einstein.
***
Somehow, I survived the morning lectures.
I avoided the butterflies. I avoided attention. And most importantly, I avoided Ethan Sparrow like my life depended on it. The moment the break bell rang, I was out of my seat before the sound even finished echoing.
I headed straight for the abandoned classroom we had agreed to meet in.
“Ugh,” Mary groaned the second she walked in. “I can’t wait to be back in my body. One more minute as you and I might actually lose my mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s nothing special about being you either.”
“Please,” she said, dropping into a chair. “Miss Genius, have you figured out how to fix this?”
“Mindful wishing,” I replied.
She blinked. “What does that even mean?”
“Sit.” I pointed to the space in front of me. “And beg the moon goddess to return you to your body.”
“And you?”
“I’ll do the same.”
She hesitated for a second, then sighed. “Fine.”
We sat facing each other, something we'd never do in a normal world. But this wasn't normal, this was one step closer to disaster. I took a deep breath.
Moon goddess, please. Dear benevolent, very beautiful moon goddess, you know how much I love my life. I have chemistry practical today. I cannot spend another second in her body. I can't have Ethan touching me the way he did this morning. Please give me my body back.
Lesson learned.
Absolutely learned.
Whatever this is, I will never wish to be rich again. I will work, get my scholarship, and become successful the normal way. Then maybe, just maybe, I will fall in love with an Alpha wolf. A rich, Alpha wolf had to count after everything.
So be it.
I exhaled and slowly opened one eye. My body was still sitting in front of me.
I pressed my lips together and shut my eyes again.
So be it, I repeated.
I waited, my heart racing. When I opened them the second time, nothing had changed.
Mary was still there.
Nothing happened. Not even a little change…and that was when it started feeling serious. And scary.
Was this effing permanent?
She stood up abruptly. “It’s not working. What did you do?”
My breath caught. “Me?”
“Yes, you. If you wanted an extracurricular so badly, you could have chosen anything but cheerleading. And if you really wanted it, you could have asked properly.”
I stared at her. She had to be joking. And I did ask correctly, before she dared me to do a stunt that sent both of us falling.
“Do you think I need cheerleading more than passing my exams?”
Her expression hardened. “Are you calling me dull?”
At least she caught that.
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. “Whatever this is, we have to figure it out. Maybe we should tell our parents—”
“No.” She stepped forward immediately. “No one is finding out. No one.” She straightened, trying to regain control. “We’ll handle it ourselves. We’re supposed to be… independent.”
I crossed my arms. “So what exactly are we going to do?”
“We research,” she said. “We figure out why it happened and how to reverse it.”
“And while we’re doing that, what do I do about living your life?”
She gave me a look like I should be grateful for the opportunity. “You can’t kiss Ethan.”
I scoffed. That wasn’t even a concern. “You can’t fail any of my tests,” I told her back.
She rolled her eyes. “You must never embarrass me.”
“Same goes for you.”
“You have to learn how to cheerlead. I’m the best in school. That reputation stays intact.”
“You’ll teach me.”
She sighed like I had asked for her inheritance. “Fine. And you can’t fall in love.”
“You can’t fall in love.”
We both said it at the same time.
“Good,” she said. “You don’t even have a love life.”
“And I’m fine with that until I meet my Alpha.”
She laughed. “You have very big dreams for someone like you.”
I dug my nails into my palm. It was technically her hand, so I didn’t care.
“You can’t talk to Grace,” she added.
“Then you can’t talk to your friends.”
She thought about it. “Fine. We can talk to them. But we report everything. You tell me what you say, and I’ll tell you what to say.”
“Dirty secrets much?”
“Unlike you, I understand privacy.”
I glanced at the wall clock. We were running out of time.
“We have chemistry next,” I said. “You watch everything I do. Do not mess this up for me. If you do…” I met her eyes. “I will ruin your life.”
- Writer
