The Other Side of Me – Part 27
by Lily Rasputin

I made it to school in record time, despite having to pause to accommodate the whims of a flock of stupid geese who decided that the side of the street they had been on was not to their satisfaction.

When I finally pulled into my parking spot on campus, I glanced at the time and calculated that a brisk walk should get me to class just before the lecture started. Which was great, since I doubted my quaking abdominals would allow me to move at any faster pace.

Hopping out of the Jeep, I slung my backpack onto my shoulder, locked the vehicle, and managed to take all of five steps in the direction of campus when a vice-like grip encircled my left wrist. Before I could turn around to see who’d grabbed me, my assailant yanked forcefully, causing me to stumble backward.

Instinctively, I stuck out my free hand in a wild attempt to maintain my balance. My palm slammed against something solid, keeping me standing, and my head tilted up to look right into the furious face of Danny Morris.

“Hey, Charlie,” he said in a voice that was hard and dangerous, causing a rippled to run through my unhappy belly. “No need to rush off. Let’s have a little chat?”

I pulled my hand from his muscular chest as if it was touching a hot stove and attempted to twist my arm out of his grip. He responded by squeezing even tighter, bringing a little groan of pain from me as it felt like the bones rubbed together.

“Let me go,” I said. I tried to inject steel into my words, but rush of blood pounding in my ears made my voice sound scared and weak. Which is exactly how I felt. Charles hadn’t been scared of Danny Morris in quite a few years.

Now, in Charlene’s smaller, feminine body, I was terrified of what he had planned.

“Not until we talk.” He shook his head and let out a little chuckle that contained zero mirth. “You really do enjoy fucking me over, don’t you? First, you throw practically yourself at me at the Homecoming Dance, causing Jeannie Stover to break up with me.”

Jeannie Stover? I flipped through my memories, trying to recall if I knew a Jeannie Stover in the other universe. A half a second later, the image of a petite redheaded girl with freckled cheeks and a super friendly smile leapt into my head. Jeannie Stover, member of the Student Council and President of the Glee Club. A super nice girl, according to what I’d heard.

I didn’t know her well enough to know if she and Danny dated, since I long quit being concerned with the actions of my former bully by that time. Though, given their completely opposite natures, I sort of doubted it.

Clenching my jaw, I narrowed my eyes up at him.

“Jeannie was too good for you. You say I ruined your relationship. I prefer to think of it as doing her a favor.”

Danny yanked on my arm, sending a wave of pain rolling up my arm to my shoulder and making cry out again.

“Funny, Charlie. Real funny. I suppose that’s what you were doing when you showed up at the frat house a couple of weeks ago like some bitch in heat? Doing Josie a favor?”

I noticed the way the cords of his neck strained under the ruddy flesh of his thick neck, and the hard set of his jaw. It didn’t matter what I had to say. Or what excuse I tried to spin for why Charlene decided to place herself in his bed. Danny anger wasn’t about to be easily quelled. In his tiny Neanderthal brain, he was the victim of my double’s devious actions.

While I had little doubt Charlene probably instituted both of the referenced sexual liaisons, there was absolutely no way in hell Danny Morris had been her helpless pawn. I would bet my pom-poms it didn’t take Charlene too long to convince him to drop his boxers and take her to bed.

My own wave of fury bubbled up, directed at both my doppelgänger and the ogre assaulting me. My lips began moving before I even thought about what I was going to say.

“Well, considering she dumped your ass when she found out, I’d say that she’s much better off without you.” I shrugged my not-aching shoulder. “Of course, I don’t really expect her to give me a thank you.”

His already mad expression turned absolutely stormy. “You’re the one who came onto me. Seduced me. But just like last time, I’m the one getting the blame. Everyone thinks that I was the one who pressured you into having sex with me.”

I couldn’t stop the surprised expression that swam across my face. “Do what? Who’s blaming you?”

My mind wheeled to who could possibly be on my side in this revelation of boudoir indiscretions. It had to be Shelly. Maybe even with Josie’s help. They knew the truth about who was running the show and were doing what they could to make sure that I didn’t bear the full brunt of Charlene’s just desserts.

“Sure, there are people who think you screwed over Josie. But there’s just as many saying that you wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t taken advantage of you.” He let out a short, humorless bark of a laugh. “However, I ain’t going down like that, Charlie. You’re the one who deserves to be scorned. You were the one who came onto me. That knife that got stuck in your friend’s back has your fucking fingerprints all over it.”

His snarl turned into a malicious grin as he brought up his other hand. In it was his phone.

“Well, you’re not dancing away, smelling like a rose and playing the poor innocent girl this time, Charlene.” He waggled the phone teasingly. “I’m going to send these videos to the football team, the cheer squad, and the Kappas. Rachel may be grooming you to take her place, but I think high-definition videos of you getting railed, and absolutely loving it, might make her decide you’re not really Kappa material after all.”

My face ignited with shame and anger. I’d forgotten about the videos he’d taken of him and I having sex. Part of me wanted to giggle and dare him to light that candle. Maybe let Charlene deal with the results of her shitty actions for once. It would really serve her right to swap back in and discover that her indiscretions had completely derailed her life.

Only … I had started to think of it more as my life. Not hers. And while I had already altered its trajectory in ways that Charlene probably didn’t plan, the last thing I wanted was for it to completely crash and burn.

Especially if I was the one who ended up staying here.

“You wouldn’t.” I said, though the tremor apparent in my voice revealed just how unsure of that statement I was. Not matter which dimension, Danny Morris was the exact type of person who absolutely would.

“You bet that sweet ass of yours I would. Since I’m already going down, might as well take you along with me.” Grinning wider, his thumb slid across the screen, unlocking the phone. “If you wanna save your rep, Charlie, all you have to do is convince me not to send it out?” He laughed again while giving my wrist another squeeze. “Go on. Beg. Show me that mouth of yours has other skills.”

My stomach roiled. It killed me to beg anything from the creep. But what else could I do? Not only would that video completely torpedo my school and social lives, I feared it would also end up screwing with Katie’s life as well.

I looked into his eyes, willing tears to flow. A task made easier by the pulses of agony coursing through my arm. “Please don’t do this, Danny. Please. I’m begging you.”

He shook his head. “Gotta be more convincing than that, Charlie.”

“I … I’ll tell everyone that I came onto you while you were drunk. That everything that happened between us was all my fault. That I’m just a slutty whore who was jealous of what my friend had.” I nodded my head emphatically, hoping I sounded sincere in my promise. “Just please don’t send that video out.”

His response consisted of a laugh so callous and hateful that it practically stabbed me in my already churning gut. My heart sank as my knees wobbled and threatened to dump me on my ass.

No matter how much I tried to be the best version of Charlene, her actions ended up costing me.

Why?

His eyes narrowed into a pair of greedy, baleful points and he opened his mouth, probably to add another horribly cruel insult. However, before any sound left his lips, another voice chimed in, interrupting him and bringing a surging tsunami of hope rolling through me.

“Is there a problem here?” Mike North said as he stepped around the corner of a Subaru to stop next to me. His eyes glanced from my face to the meaty hand strangling my wrist, then over to Danny. “Right now, you would do well to let go of Charlie’s arm, friend.”

Danny blinked, frowning at the interloper who had dared come to my rescue. Tilting his head to the side, he studied Mike for a moment before flashing that malicious grin, still as nefarious as his days ruling the hallways at Wingate High.

“Is that so? Well, unless you want your ass kicked, friend, you would do well to move on and mind your own fucking business.” Danny squeezed my wrist again, harder than before, and locked eyes with Mike. “I’m just trying to convince this bitch to be reasonable.”

I let out another pathetic whimper at the fresh wave of pain, drawing Danny’s smug smile back my way. Which, it turned out, was a huge mistake.

Mike didn’t say another word as he took two steps toward my assailant and lashed out with the toe of one foot, catching the larger boy right below the knee of his left leg. The joint crumpled and Danny let out a shrill yell while simultaneously releasing his hold on both my arm … and the phone.

The device hit the asphalt and bounced a few feet away while its owner cradled his injured knee with both hands and leaned against the passenger side of the Subaru. No longer being supported, I collapsed as well, landing on my ass with a painful thud.

Mike took another step closer, now lording over his opponent. “You come around Charlie again, asshole, and I’ll make sure you never play football again, or walk without a cane, ever again. You got me?”

I’m not sure anyone had ever talked to Danny Morris like that before. At least, not back in my universe. Judging from the stunned expression on his face, I was leaning toward it being an extremely rare occurrence in this dimension as well.

Danny, still holding onto his leg, shot eye-daggers at Mike. However, he refrained from commenting back. I guess even a brain as tiny as his knew when a bad situation could get a whole lot worse.

My gaze drifted from the two boys squaring off to the glint of sunlight reflecting off the phone lying a few feet away. It didn’t seem like its fall to the pavement had done any damage to it. Without hesitating a moment, I leaned over and scooped it up, holding it tightly in both hands.

Mike shot me a curious look, but Danny’s face shifted from rage to something resembling panic.

“That’s mine, Charlene.” He pulled one hand off his injured leg and held it out in my direction, flexing his fingers back and forth. “Give it to me.”

I shook my head. “No. Not until I delete some shit first. Then maybe you can have it back.”

Danny’s upper lip curled, but when his eyes glanced up at Mike again, I knew he wasn’t going to try and take it back by force.

Mike extended one hand in my direction. I took it and allowed him to help me back onto my feet. As soon as I was upright again, he slipped the arm around my waist, his hand loosely resting on my hip. I wasn’t sure if it was to make sure I didn’t fall back down, or if he was sending some sort of signal of possession to the other boy.

Danny watched the action with a confused expression. Then he looked directly a me. “This isn’t over, you bitch,” he spat, wincing as he rubbed his knee.

Mike pointed at him with his free hand. “Call Charlene a bitch, or any other slur, just one more time. I dare you.”

I had heard the expression “murder in their voice” before, but never had I expected to actually experience it in real life. However, I had no doubt that Mike was fully prepared –and probably able–to thrash Danny to the edge of needing hospitalization.

Probably even beyond that.

I shook my head and put one hand on Mike’s arm. “Let’s just go,” I said, my voice still shaking from fear and adrenaline. “I’ve got what I needed.”

“You’re a fucking whore, Charlie!” Danny yelled after we were several yards away.

Mike’s arm tensed under my fingers in response, but I pulled lightly to encourage him to ignore the screaming asshole. He relented and we traveled down the pathway toward campus. We stopped at the first bench we found.

Which I realized, coincidentally, was only a few feet from where we’d first met.

It was hard to believe it was less than a week since my hectic first morning as Charlene.

Giving once last glance back toward the parking lot, Mike pulled his hand off my waist and gestured for me to sit. Then he plopped down on the edge of the seat next to me and reached out to lightly lift my injured arm up for inspection.

“Are you okay?” He asked, carefully turning the limb over. The places where Danny’s fingers had pressed into the soft flesh were already starting to turn a dull yellow color. They’d be full-on bruises in a couple of hours.

“Yeah. I’m fine now. Thank you.” I tried to smile but considering that my heart rate was still in the high four hundreds, I’m sure it was more of a strained grimace.

After another couple of moments of examination, he released my arm. “Guess your boyfriend was a bit upset about us going out Saturday?”

I blinked, trying to figure out how Jackson landed in the middle of the conversation. Then I understood he was referring to Danny.

“Oh, that wasn’t my boyfriend. He’s a … mistake ... a big mistake a part of me made.” I sighed and leaned back against the bench’s seat. “Twice.”

He gave me a look which seemed to indicate he needed more of the story to fully understand it but wasn’t willing to push. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“What is? That he is just a mistake I made, or that he’s not my boyfriend?”

“Both.” Then he flashed me a smile that caused my pulse, which had been slowly returning to normal, speed up again.

I placed Danny’s phone in my lap and lightly massaged my wrist. “How did you know I needed help?”

“I didn’t. I was here,” he patted the bench. “Waiting for you to come by on your way to class. I wasn’t sure which building you would be going to, or what time your class was, but I figured hanging out somewhere close to where you nearly ran me over was the best option.” He frowned. “Then I heard you cry out and went to go investigate.”

“Oh.” I released my wrist, letting my hands drop down to rest on Danny’s phone. “Thank you. I’m glad you were nearby.”

Mike nodded. Then he looked at me without speaking for several long seconds. The anger had washed out of his face, replaced by confusion and maybe more than a little bit of hurt.

“Charlie, did I upset you on Saturday? I mean, I didn’t think you were mad. Not with the way you, uh, kissed me after I took you home. And I know you said you were in a complicated relationship with someone. I just didn’t expect you to, you know, suddenly ghost me.”

My mouth dropped open. “What? I didn’t ghost you?”

He shrugged. “We had a great time at the carnival. Then an even better time on your front stoop. After that, you ignored every one of my texts yesterday. That’s literally the definition of ghosting, Charlie.”

I frowned, looking away as my cheeks burned. I wished I could tell him the complete truth about why I hadn’t responded. Explain that my silence all day had nothing to do with him or my feelings for him. That it was a matter of a science experiment that had gone out of control and left me bouncing between parallel dimensions.

It wasn’t that I was completely sure he wouldn’t believe me. Hell, Josie had been the most resistant to accepting the truth, and she had eventually come around when presented with proof. What scared me the most was fear that Mike would believe it. Every bit. And then decide that he couldn’t be attracted to a girl who was really a guy inside.

But … was that what I was? Just a guy trapped in the body of his girl version? Less than a week ago, I might have said yes. When I was confused and felt like a complete imposter. Now, though, when I was in Charlene’s body, I didn’t feel that way. I just felt like … well, a girl.

“I’m sorry,” I said, finally looking back over at Mike. I reached out and took one of his hands in mine. “I had the best time Saturday. The whole evening, not just the bit there at the end.” I managed a smile and squeezed his hand. “And I want to go out with you again. I really, really do.”

His smile appeared with my own. However, it turned a bit tense as he arched a brow and studied me. “But? Because I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

I drew in a breath and sighed, giving a little nod of my head. “There is a lot of things going on in my life right now. Some of which is completely out of my control. There are a few things, though, that I’m finally getting control over.” I pointed at Danny’s phone. “This is just one.”

Mike’s curious gaze dropped to the device for a moment, then came back up to my face. “So, the aspect of starting a new relationship is not something you think you can handle right now?” He nodded, smile dropping into a seemingly hurt frown. “I completely understand. I’m sorry if it felt like I was pressuring you.”

I blinked and shook my head. “That’s not what I’m saying at all, Mike.” I sighed again, still holding onto him. “I want to explore this. My feelings for you, I mean. I’m just trying to say that if I suddenly seem distant, act strangely, or don’t respond quite like you’re expecting, it has nothing to do with you. Okay?”

He stared at me for another couple of seconds, then flashed me a tiny smirk. “So, you do have feelings for me?”

I couldn’t repress the giggle. “Really? That’s your takeaway from my confession?” I shook my head. “I should punch you.”

“Just don’t do it with your injured hand.”

I rolled my eyes and let out another small laugh. “Stop being so wonderful, okay?”

“I’ll try. But make zero promises.”

I glanced back toward the parking lot again. “Also, keep a watch on your back. Danny’s the kind of asshole who both holds a grudge and doesn’t like to fight fair. He’s liable to come at you when you’re not expecting it.”

Mike shrugged. “I’m not worried about his plans for retaliation. A few of the guys on the basketball team are Sigmas. I’m sure they would severely frown about one of their star players being sidelined for the season because a Brother couldn’t keep his hands to himself.”

“Still, be careful.”

Mile’s smile widened into that flirty expression I saw multiple times on Saturday. “I mean, it might be worth getting beat up if you’ll be the one nursing me back to health. You wouldn’t even need to wear the uniform. Not that you wouldn’t look great in it.”

My face ignited again as I looked away and shook my head. “Stop it. I’d rather you not get pummeled to the point of needing medical care. Even the amateur type.” Heart hammering, I slowly turned back to him and gave a little smile. “Though, I guess if you wanted to see me in that uniform, that might possibly be arranged.”

His smile widened. “Interesting.” Then he leaned forward, and before I could even think about what I was doing, I met him halfway.

Unfortunately, the sound of my phone dinging three times interrupted the kiss before it really got started. Grumbling, I apologized and pulled the device out of my bag. Glancing at the screen, I saw the messages were from Shelly.

“J said that you came back this morning.” “Said you were pretty mad.” “Where are you????”

I checked the time at the top of the screen. The class I was rushing to get to started ten minutes ago. Even if I hopped up and ran full speed, the lecture would be half over before I got in the hall. Plus, I’d likely draw my professor’s ire for the interruption.

I tapped on the message and sent Shelly a quick response.

“Boy trouble this morning. Can you meet in the Quad at 10?”

Turning to Mike, I shrugged. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Should we, uh, continue?”

I looked at his mouth and nodded. “Please.”

His lips enveloped mine, our tongues swirling in an intricate dance of passion, and I felt his hand move up to my neck, fingers gliding carefully through my hair as he did his absolute best to taste every portion of my mouth. My own hand slipped under the inside flap of his jacket, seeing out the warmth of his side and the impressive muscles of his back.

As he kissed me, my thoughts drifted to everything I’d experienced since grabbing that loose wire in front of the dimensional window. Despite everything that Charlene had done, and was likely to do, I suddenly realized that I no longer felt she was one hundred percent in the wrong.

Because the more Mike North kissed me, the more I thought being stuck on this side might not be all that bad.