Episode 𝑻𝒆𝒏 : 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔

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ETHAN WALKER

The next morning, I was up before dawn—definitely not my usual. By the time my alarm buzzed, I'd already showered, dressed, and even packed my bag. All that was left was breakfast. I made my way to the kitchen, where Mom was moving around the stove, humming softly to herself. I grabbed a spatula and joined her, stirring the eggs without a word.

She raised her eyebrows, looking at me in surprise. "Up this early and already dressed? You must've really missed school," she teased, her lips curling into a smile. I laughed, playing along, though the truth was that "missing school" was the last thing on my mind.

Finally, breakfast was ready, and we sat together, eating in comfortable silence. After we finished, Mom told me I should hurry to catch Mr. Hargrove, our neighbor, so I could ride with him and his daughter to school. She glanced at the clock and added, "I'm going to start going to work earlier, so I can drop you off myself soon." I nodded, grateful, even if today I felt a new level of dread about walking into that building.

I needed to act normal—to slip back into my own life without raising any suspicion. No one could know there was a difference between my clone and me. Today, it was me, Ethan Walker, who had to keep everything cool.

When I reached the school gates, the whispers started almost immediately. People were glancing my way, pointing, even nudging each other. They weren't being subtle, either. As I walked past, the whispering turned to hailing, and I felt a surge of attention like never before.

"Ethan! You were a beast on the field yesterday!"

"Yo, Walker, I didn't know you were a football pro!"

A group of girls approached me, their voices a mixture of surprise and admiration. One of them nudged my shoulder playfully, saying, "All this time, you were hiding your football prowess? So sneaky, Ethan!" They all laughed, and I tried to keep my face calm, even though the attention was both thrilling and weird.

Then I saw Jenna. She was sitting near the window, her eyes locked on me, her expression unreadable. I shifted, uncomfortable under her stare, and tried to excuse myself from the crowd of girls, who seemed to be multiplying by the second. Just as I took a step toward Jenna, Mr. Curtis walked into the room.

The classroom went silent, everyone rushing to their seats. Mr. Curtis was the most strict teacher in school, and no one dared test his patience. I slid into my seat, which just happened to be in front of Jenna, and whispered, "Hi."

She didn't respond.

The disappointment gnawed at me as Mr. Curtis launched into his Physics lecture. I struggled to focus, Jenna's silence eating away at me. Maybe the clone's performance yesterday had changed things between us, and not for the better. It didn't sit right. I turned around just enough to glance at her and whispered, "How are you?"

She looked up, finally, and replied, "I'm fine," with a faint smile that seemed forced. A little pang hit me, but then I noticed her cheeks flushing red. It was subtle, but there. Maybe I wasn't the only one feeling the weight of yesterday's events. I thought that maybe the tables had turned, and she was the one feeling shy now. The realization was kind of... thrilling.

"Ethan Walker," Mr. Curtis's voice boomed, snapping me back to reality. "I've heard you're not paying attention in class."

I jumped, feeling my face heat up as every eye in the room turned to me. But before Mr. Curtis could launch into a lecture, the bell rang, signaling the start of the break. Saved by the bell.

I headed to the cafeteria, hoping for a quiet moment to regroup, but peace was the last thing I'd get. The moment I entered, Lana, one of the hottest girls in our class—known for getting what she wanted and leaving a trail of broken hearts—was there, staring me down with a look I could only describe as predatory.

"Ethan," she purred, walking up to me with a plate of food already in her hands. "I got this for you." She gave me a wink, and I could feel my face go red.

Before I could even respond, a few other girls started asking for my contact info, each of them crowding in, eager for a chance to talk. But Lana's friends quickly chased them off, her "gang" securing her lead as she leaned in close to me.

Just then, my eyes found Jake Callahan across the cafeteria. He was watching me, and his face was anything but friendly. His jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed. I had the distinct feeling he was planning something—something that wasn't going to end well for me.

Lana took my phone from my hand without asking, putting her number into my contacts while I was too distracted by Jake's icy glare to stop her. I shifted uncomfortably, looking around, hoping to see Jenna. It was like I was drowning in all this attention and the only person who could pull me out was nowhere to be found. And while Lana's attention was flattering, it didn't feel right. I couldn't explain it, but it was Jenna I wanted to talk to. Lana might be the girl everyone else dreamed of, but Jenna was different. She was the one I cared about.

But even as I thought that, it hit me: I had no idea what my clone had done yesterday. I had no idea what he'd said or how he'd acted around her or any of them. The thought made my stomach twist. I needed to talk to Mr. Krane about how to deal with Jenna and get some advice on keeping things from spinning out of control. And I needed to figure out how to monitor my clone better—to keep him from doing something I couldn't take back.

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