SWAPPED

Crossing Lines

As the weeks gone by, I've grown more worried to where my parents are all the time. Occasionally they'll leave notes on the fridge informing me that they'll be out but this really isn't like them.

Lately, I've just been spending most of my time with Lucas, and by most, I mean all. We're together all the time. We eat lunch together, we go to the movies together, arcades, parks, we even study together. I guess I'd even call him my best friend.

The situation at school hasn't changed at all. I have been having to go to cheer practices just to find out that, I'm actually pretty good at it, although it's really scary most of the time.

While I'm at cheer practice, Lucas goes to his soccer practice. He easily made the team since he was the captain at his old school. They've been doing really well in all their games, never lost a single one yet.

Enzo isn't part of the football team anymore. I guess they kicked him out or something. Ever since that day, he's become the polar opposite of what he used to be, and whenever we ask people about it, they act clueless like as if it's always been like that.

The bell rings and it's now time for lunch. Me and Lucas sit at the same 2 person table by the windows like we've always have.

"We don't have practice today, what's the plan?" He asks after taking a bite out of a tuna sandwich.

"We have midterms coming up and I think we should study for it." I tell him.

He groans as he rolls his eyes. "That's boring."

"Not everyone is naturally smart like you, Einstein. I'm going to study, you can come if you want." I state.

As we get up to throw our things away I almost bump into someone. "I'm sor-" but then I look up and I'm met with the brown eyes I dread to see the most.

He looks at me with a look I've never seen before. "We need to talk."

He doesn't have his typical smug face on, something's off.

He actually waits for me to respond this time. I take a deep sigh and give in.

"Fine." I tell him. Lucas looks at me with disbelief for a second. "I'll be right back."

Enzo trails me off far away from the cafeteria. We find an empty classroom down the hall and decide to talk in there.

As soon as we enter Enzo immediately says, "I don't know how you did this, but you better fucking explain yourself right now."

I roll my eyes. "You seriously still think I had something to do with this?"

"Don't act like you don't enjoy seeing me getting beat up by my own friends!" He yells. He begins taking steps towards me.

"Can we talk about this like civilized human beings?" I say, taking steps back. He stops in his tracks.

"Think." I tell him. "Did anything else happen these past few weeks."

He blankly stares at me for a second, as if he zoned out. "No." He finally spits out.

I glance at him suspiciously then decide to tell him my side of the story. "Look, if you want the truth, I'll tell you." I take a deep breath. "I went to go to sleep one night, well, it didn't really feel like a typical night, then woke up the next morning with my parents gone..." I swallow hard. "And I haven't seen them at all this whole time, and it really freaks me out."

He goes still for a minute then continues, "What the fuck does that have to do with the fact that you're suddenly Ms. Cheerleader?" He asks.

I take a seat on top of a desk, "I came to school and they just started talking to me like as if I had always been part of the team. I've been going to freaking cheer practice ever since."

His jaw goes tense. "That sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me."

I shrug, "Believe me if you want, I'm telling the-"

But before I can finish he grabs me by the collar and shoves me down against the desk I'm sitting so that my back is against it.

"No!" He yells. "I'm not a fucking 5 year old! The world doesn't just magically change!" He yells and throws me off the desk. I wince in pain as I make contact with the hard, cold, floor.

He's never gone this far before.

He takes steps closer to where I landed. I yell desperately, "Th-that's the truth!" I grunt. "I k-know it sounds insane b-"

"It is insane!" He yells even louder than before. I'm surprised no one has found us yet.

I shift around, "You think I don't want to see my parents!" I yell at him. "They're all I have!"

"And my friends were all I had!" He yells but his voice breaks mid sentence. "Everything I worked for..."

He shakes his head, slides his hand down his face and stares at me. "Fuck..." He looks away and heads for the door.

I wince as I make pull myself to my feet.

He looks back at me for a moment, then leaves.

Throughout all these years, Enzo always did the most he could to to humiliate me. He'd always go to the extreme lengths. Never, in my life, did I ever think he would lay his hands on me.