The Switch [COMPLETED]

Chapter 29

Asher Halen:

I woke up the next morning in a bad mood. 

I should have been thrilled. Today was the day that we were finally going to confront the creep that had made me and Paisley switch bodies and hopefully make him change us back. Instead of feeling happiness or relief, however, all I felt was slight annoyance mixed with a weird, regretful feeling that I didn't quite understand.  

I was annoyed with Paisley. I knew that much. But I was also annoyed with myself because of WHY I was annoyed with Paisley. 

She had seemed a little TOO eager to switch back, and, as loathe as I was to admit it...it had kind of hurt my feelings. 

Was she really that miserable with the band?

Was she really that miserable with ME?

I shook my head in irritation and pulled the bed covers up over my head. I was being ridiculous. Of COURSE she was excited to get her body back. That didn't have anything to do with me. And just because we changed back didn't mean she would leave, right? She could still come on tour with us. And even if she DID decide to leave, then why should I care? I was Asher Halen, international rockstar and world-renown ladies man. I didn't need Paisley.  

My internal pep talk didn't do much to cheer me up. If anything, I just felt more irritated. 

I wanted my body back, of course. I was tired of managing Paisley's super long hair and changing my clothing under her strict watch every time to ensure that I wasn't "peeking." I missed my own hands and my comfortable t-shirts and my tall frame that allowed me to get peanut butter off of the top shelf WITHOUT climbing up on the counter like a child. 

Yeah, I wanted my body back. 

But I also wanted to keep Paisley. 

I groaned and flopped over dramatically in bed, my irritatingly long hair sprawling out over my shoulder and across my neck. I swatted at it angrily before sitting bolt upright and growling loudly. My confusing feelings were looking for a way out, and unfortunately for Paisley, who was sleeping soundly on the bunk above me, they were deciding to unleash themselves on her. 

"I'm so SICK of all of your freaking HAIR!" I yelled, punching the underside of Paisley's bunk. The blow hurt my fist more than it disturbed Paisley, but the impact was still enough to wake her.

"What?" she asked sleepily. I heard her shift on the bunk and yawn before her face suddenly appeared above me, leaning over the side of the bunk. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were tired, and for some reason that annoyed me even more. 

"Your hair," I snapped, yanking the long locks over my shoulder and shaking it angrily up at Paisley. "Why do you have so much damn hair? It's annoying."

I was being completely irrational, but I couldn't seem to corral my bad attitude. 

Paisley quirked an eyebrow in confusion and stared at me through blurry eyes still glazed over with sleep.

"Well, you only have to deal with it for a few more hours and then me AND my hair will be out of your hair." She laughed softly at her lame joke before pulling her head back and disappearing back into the warmth of her bunk. "What time is it?" she mumbled from out of view.

"Like...ten," I grumbled, wrestling the unruly hair in my hands into a sloppy knot at the base of my neck. Paisley would fix it later, like she had been doing almost every morning for weeks now. I was kinda going to miss her playing with my hair. She was much more gentle than Ellie, and her soft movements across my scalp were soothing.

I shook the thought out of my head. 

Get a grip, dude. You're acting like you actually CARE about her or something. 

I paused for a moment to ponder what my inner monologue was saying. I didn't care about Paisley. I was Asher Halen. Caring about women wasn't exactly my thing anymore. I just wanted her around because I felt sorry for her. Yeah...that was it. After all, what did she have to go back to after making the switch back? Nothing. She had been kicked out of her house, for crying out loud. I was just doing her a favor in letting her stick around. Yeah...

Feeling a bit better about my feelings after I had rationalized them in my mind, I swung my legs out of bed and padded into the kitchenette to get something to eat. 

I wasn't surprised to see that Leo was already sitting at the small table with a plate of eggs and a tall glass of orange juice. He had always been an earlier riser than the rest of us, something that just helped contribute to his "dad" status within the band. 

"Morning," I mumbled, opening a cabinet and reaching for a box of cereal. I had to stand on the very tips of my toes before I was finally able to grab it, which just added to my irritation when I discovered that it was Mini Wheats instead of something actually edible. "Ellie's been meddling in our pantry again, hasn't she?" I groaned, staring disdainfully at the smiling Wheaties mascot on the box. 

"She just wants us to stay healthy," Leo said reasonably. "Besides, today is a big day. You don't want to start it off with a stomach full of sugar-covered garbage."

"Yes, father," I hissed with more venom than I had intended.

Leo glanced up from his breakfast and hit me with a questioning gaze. It was annoying how calm he was sometimes. He never reacted to even my nastiest attitudes. 

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he commented dryly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Just ready to find this jerk and finally put an end to this nightmare."

I shook the box of cereal over an empty bowl with more force than I had realized, and a mountain of Mini Wheats flooded over the edges and onto the floor. 

"Awesome," I mumbled under my breath. It was going to be a long day.

"Speaking of nightmares," Leo began in a light, conversational tone, "the press has been snooping around again. They're starting to catch on that Paisley is with us. Her picture - well...your picture, I guess - has already been posted on a couple of gossip rags' social media sites. They're all really blurry and far away so you can't tell who it is, but we're going to have to tell them something before too long if this whole switch thing doesn't go down today like it's supposed to."

I took a bite of the offensive cereal and attempted to chew it while I mulled over what Leo was saying. It had the taste and texture of straw covered with wet cement. I finally swallowed the lumpy mess and frowned. I had known from the beginning that the paparazzi were going to be an issue, but I hadn't quite anticipated having to deal with them so soon. I started to brainstorm possible excuses for having a girl on tour with us when I once again remembered Paisley's giddy attitude from yesterday. My mood instantly soured. Whatever. We didn't need an excuse. In a few short hours, Paisley and I would be back in our own bodies and going our separate ways. And good riddance. 

"The switch will go down," I said monotonously while dumping the overflowing bowl of soggy cereal in the trash.

"But if it doesn't," Leo hedged, "we really need a story. You know how Tucker and Zack can be under pressure - they just blurt the first thing that comes to mind without thinking about the -"

"I said the switch will go down," I snapped, effectively cutting him off.

Leo stared at me with a disapproving frown on his lips, but said nothing. 

"The switch will go down," I said again, more gently this time, "and Paisley will be gone. Problem solved.

Before Leo could say anything else, I grabbed a banana off of the counter and walked away to get ready.

Today was going to be a big day, alright, whether I liked it or not...

-

A/N: Hello, lovelies! 

I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while. I was literally having a baby. Woo! 

As always, thank you for the reads and support! 

Xo, Adrienna <3