The Shift

Chapter Three

The Shift

'So I was thinking after you get back from your hangout, we could go car shopping' My dad said as I entered the kitchen, waiting for Bethany to come downstairs. 'Really?' I asked him. 'I told you we would, so why not' He asked and I smiled. 'Thank you dad' I said as a pair of flip flops slapped against the marble floor.

'Am I ruining a moment?' Bethany asked. 'Of course not Bethany' My dad said and she smiled. 'Alright, well. We'll see you later Alex, and don't worry I'll bring  back in one piece' She said before she pulled on my arm. 'Have a nice time ladies' He said as we walked to the foyer. 'Alright, so Kent's coming with some of the guys' She said and I sighed.

'So just keep being normal. You did great yesterday. I recorded that with your change you had a new sense of confidence' She said and I nodded. 'I guess I do' I said and she nodded. 'Play with it, have fun. No one knows anything about you, so you can do and be whatever want. Just, keep it realistic' She said as she unlocked her slick black Audi. 'Ok' I said. 'Stop saying ok, it makes me feel like I'm telling you what to do. I need you to go off on your own with this experiment' She said and I nodded. 'O- I'll stop' I said, making her sigh.

'So we're on our way to Andrea's house. We call her Andy, but you can call her Andrea until you're comfortable with her. She's my best friend, and she's the most loyal person you will ever meet. She could keep a secret for years. Then, there's Catherine. Cat's more blunt, but she still is a nice girl. She'll definitely have questions for you about Arizona and stuff, but just tell her when she's going too far and she'll stop' She said.

'Any others?' I asked her. 'Lastly, there's Allison, who cheers with me. She's from Tennessee, and hasn't lost the accent one bit. You might relate with her a bit on moving and stuff. Her parents are in the military, so it's more frequent for her. She's an absolute sweetheart, and she's dating Sam whom you met yesterday' She continued. 'Doesn't sound too bad' I said. 'I think you'll fit in fine' She said.

'Oh I almost forgot to ask you, what'd Justin want last night?' She asked, reminding me of the short conversation I had with him last night. 'He wanted me to watch the game with them' I said. 'Really?' She asked. 'Yeah, sort of weird' I said. 'Do you think he's attractive?' She asked me. 'He's definitely not unattractive' I said. 'Well is he your type?' She asked. 'I don't know if I even have a type' I said. 'Why is that?' She asked.

'I've never had a boyfriend before' I said and she scoffed. 'You haven't?' She asked. 'No' I said. 'Well at least tell me you've had your first kiss' She said. 'Yeah, I've been kissed before, but never dated anyone. I guess I just wasn't their type' I said. 'Well by the way some of the guys were looking at you yesterday, you might be more people's type than you can handle' She said.

'You actually think so?' I asked her. 'Look, I know you said you feel like you're impersonating someone, but this is still you. It's just you with some embellishments. So, you need to own this new you and stop being so nervous. Do you think you can do that?' She asked and I nodded. 'I can, I mean I did wear the victoria secret bikini' I said and she let out a laugh.

'That's my sister' She said. 'Trust me Chan, by the time school starts, everyone's going to know who you are' She said.

~~~~~~

I had never been much of a swimmer, but the one thing I did know was at these sorts of things, the girls didn't usually swim. They were more on the basis of dipping their feet in and then tanning until the sun went down.

I ran my fingers through my hair, which felt so soft, like silky soft. Trudging closely behind Bethany, who was opening a gate by the side of the house, we soon were welcomed to a spacious backyard with a beautiful pool. 'Hey' Bethany said, turning the heads towards us. I can be whatever Chandler I want to, alright calling confident Chandler, please pick up.