Say It Before You Choke

Say It Before You Choke Ch.9&10

Chapter 9

Mr. Solomon carried a collection of files in his arm, and started to pass them out. As he passed me, he set one down, and I immediately opened it.

Inside lay my picture and someone else's name. A list of history and facts about "Mary Osten" was presented to me, and I could already feel myself morph into this person.

"You have a minute to memorize your cover, and then you will have a conversation with your classmates under cover. This conversation would be one that took place, say, in a school setting, such as being paired in a project. And I will know when you break your cover." Mr. Solomon warned, and we all got started.

Mary Osten was a gentle, down to earth person who loved the simplicity of things. She was a great listener, although not the sharpest pitchfork in the barn. She didn't like to talk a lot; she was an introvert.

"This is gonna be fun." I heard Zach say from beside me. I steal a glance at him and he seems to mean that.

I also steal a glance at his cover and almost laugh out loud at it. Zach was now Francis Ferguson, a nerdy, pathetic, and awkward guy who couldn't even talk right to a girl.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the espionage begin." Mr. Solomon said.

I sit in my chair, feeling myself turn into Mary. I was quiet, and observes the commotion around me.

"Uh...um....H-Hi. M-My name is....uh....F-Fr-Francis." I hear Zach say beside me.

I have I admit, he was pretty good. Everything....from his facial expression to his quivering (and high, breaking) voice was convincing. The only problem was that he was too hot to be a geek. (Don't tell him that, though I have a feeling he already knows.)

"Um, hi. I'm Mary." I say shyly and in the manner like I don't want to talk.

Cue awkward silence.

"So, uh..." Zach started, no, Francis. If I thought him as Zach, I would be laughing instead of staying in character.

"I guess we need to discuss when we can get together to work on out project?" I ask, looking at Francis.

"Yeah...um...well. My house is...um...available." He says, and I could feel real awkwardness seep into the situation.

"I guess that's okay." I say, and I here Zach- Francis- say under his breath,

"Nobody will believe I brought home a girl."

Another, very awkward silence.

"Time is up!" Mr. Solomon said, and immediately I face forward away from Zach and blocked him out.

"The point of that, ladies and gentlemen, was for me to access how well your acting skills were. Most of you did okay...but in this field of work..." He paused for effect, "Okay isn't good enough."

Class let out, and beside me Zach moved away to talk to the other Blackthorne boys.

"Yeah, now, if I had some nerd glasses, that would have gone a lot better." He said, and pretended to push glasses up on his face with a sniff.

Idiot.

No, Zach was pretty good. Respect for him was starting to grow a little, but I shook it off.

* * *

"Cammie, we need to talk to you." My mother said. She had ushered me to her office during dinner, and also the rest of my roommates.

"Mr. Solomon, Mrs. Goode, and I discussed our predicament," my mother said. She had told Bex, Liz, and Rosie what had happened only the day before. Liz and Rosie were still in shock, with Rosie about to start hyperventilating, and Bex was quiet. I knew her well enough to know she was mad at me for not telling her.