The Swap

Chapter 16 Jack

"I don't get it," I say.

Actually, I keep saying it over and over again. "I don't get it. I don't get it."

I'm pacing across the small nurse's room, from one cot to the other, back and forth, like that is somehow going to change things.

Worse, Freckles is starting to cry like a total girl, except-

She's me.

I have never seen myself cry.

This is unreal.

"Freckles!" I say, realizing I don't even know this girl's name. "Dude, you've got to stop crying, you know? You're freaking me out!"

"Yeah, well, your nose is killing me!" she says, snorting back sobs. "What did you even so to your face?"

I look back at her, I mean-spirited

I look back at me. I look pretty banged up. "This is unreal," I say, staring back into the mirror. "It's like I'm living in a movie!"

"We should get someone, right?" Freckles manages to stop the tears long enough to blurt this out. She's looking right at me. "We should, like, go get Ms. Dean, or-"

"No way!" I cut her off. "They'll think we're totally nuts! Who is going to believe this? What would we even tell them?"

"We'll just tell them what happened!" Freckles answers, as if it's all as simple as that.

"Yeah, great." I almost laugh. "We can tell them we fell asleep, and we woke up in each other's bodies?"

Freckles looks mad. "Well? Do you have any better ideas?"

She plops down on the cot. "Oh, my head," she whines.

I hand Freckles my old ice pack and sit down next to her. Honestly? For the first time in my life, I really don't know what to do.

Think, Jack. Think

When was the last time I remember actually being in my own body?

"That wacky nurse!" I look at her empty desk across the room. "She must have, like-"

"Put some sort of spell on us?" finishes Freckles. She looks as freaked as I feel. "What are we going to do?" She crying again. "We have to find the nurse, right?"

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, just breathe, okay? Calm down," I say. Every time I talk, I nearly die. My voice sounds so soft and-girly!

I feel dizzy. I flop back on the flimsy mattress. And yeah, if you're thinking this must be weird, it is! I glance down at my-i mean, Freckles'-tight blue gym shorts and punny girlie legs, and look, I'm not going to even say it, like, out loud, but I am in a body that is 100 percent female. Including the upper half and the lower half, and the everything-in-between half!"

Oh, god.

I shut my eyes, but only for a second, because the door suddenly opens and in walks the guidance counselor, Ms. Buchanan.

"You kids doing okay? Feeling any better?"

I bolt upright. I say nothing.

"Thank goodness it's Friday, right?" She grins at the two of us sitting next to each other. "Y'all can go now and get your stuff. The bells going to ring in ten minutes or so and-" Ms. Buchanan stops. "Ellie, are you okay?"

"Ellie?" Ms. Buchanan repeats, staring at me, which is weird because she's talking to-

Oh.

Freckles elbows me in the gut.

"Oh, um-" I start, my first official conversation as Ellie. "I guess?"

"You guess, huh?" Me. Buchanan stands in front of us. She crosses her arms and looks down at us both. "What exactly was going on in here before I walked in?" she asks, suddenly suspicious.

Ellie jumps up. "Nothing!" she says, sounding totally mortified, except it's my voice and my body that moves across the room and straps on my backpack and looks back at me. I feel a little bit panicked. Where is she going?

"Wait!" I call after Freckles in my new squeaky girl voice, and jump too.

Ms. Buchanan walks toward to the door. "You two get yourselves together. As I said, the be is about to ring. And leave the door open. No funny business. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answer. "We understand, ma'am."

"Well, thank you, Ellie, I appreciate the respectful tone."

I glance over at Ellie-I mean, me- and notice how much my own eyes looks completely relieved when Ms. Buchanan finally leaves.