TW: Transphobia

Death is weird..

It certainly wasn’t what I expected.
A little over 2 months ago, I died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I’d convinced my friends that I wasn’t that drunk and that I'd be able to drive home no problem. I never made it.

I don’t know what I expected to happen after that but it certainly wasn’t waking up the very next morning.

I’d woken up halfway across the country in a body I didn't know. In a life I didn’t recognize.
Everywhere but in my head, I was now Paul Nichols and all around me the world carried on like nothing had happened. To the world, Eddie Russo had died late last night at a tragically young age of 21.

To me, I was trapped in another man's body.
It didn’t last however because the very next day, I woke up in another man's body.

I’ve been 67 different men since then and if I’m being honest, it’s not gotten any easier. But I have gotten some understanding. I know how it works. It doesn’t make any sense but I know what to expect.

Everyday I wake up as a different person and everyday I try my best to leave their life how I found it. It’s not an exact science so there have been slip ups but there hasn’t been a worldwide hunt for ‘the body snatcher' so I think I’m doing alright.

=^..^=

When I open my eyes this morning, the first thing I notice is the hair. Personally I’m not a fan but I’ve been a few guys with a decent length hair so I’ve gotten used to it. This guy's hair is even longer than I'd gotten used to.

I wonder where I am. I’ve been so many places, it’s one of the few advantages of whatever this is.

I’m suddenly bothered by the unfamiliar feeling pushing up against my arm. I jerk to my feet. There’s a huge influx of new information. The room is bigger than I thought. It is strangely bare. There’s light chatter coming from downstairs. I have breasts.

I quickly scan the room before rushing to the first mirror I see. It’s a large one on what I assume to be a wardrobe. I play this game where I guess who I’m going to be next. I’m entirely wrong.

She's beautiful. I’m a woman.
My heart's beating. I was sure nothing else could surprise me.

I’m stunned as I stare at my reflection. She’s small but not tiny. Her breasts are barely visible underneath the large t-shirt she’s wearing.

I stare at her face. She’s very pretty. Her hair although messy, frames her face very well. I feel dirty as it finally registers that she's underage. I’ve never been this young before. She can’t be more than 16.

I get uncomfortable again when I feel it. That familiar feeling between my legs. I usually try to avoid this but I have to be sure. My hands wonder and confirm my suspicions. He’s one of those weirdos.

I focus for the first time today. Whatever this kid wants to do to his body is his business. I just have to endure it for 24 hours. I have a system. I stay home all day. It’s trickier when you're living under someone else's roof but I’ve been in high school 3 times before so I know what to do. I practice my sick face.

=^..^=

I smell eggs as I reach the stairs and hunger hits me for the first time. He must not have eaten last night.

The house is fairly modern with polished metal and glass making up most surfaces. The curved staircase is see through which makes me dizzy in the unfamiliar body.

I’d added a pair of shorts to my attire since my realization and I hadn’t looked in the mirror since. It feels wrong. I’ve gotten used to my situation by now. I generally know what to do and how to act around people who know and love me but I have no memory of. But today I'm off. Distracted.

This is around time when I look for the person's phone. If I’m lucky, it’s fingerprint enabled. I’d found his phone, a newer model but I hadn’t touched it yet. Gallery, Facebook, my usual routine. But I didn’t want to look at this freak’s life. No, I’d find a parent and convince them to let me stay home. Lock myself in and wait for this day to end.

Hopefully this doesn’t start a trend. How many of these people can there be anyway?

“In the kitchen, honey" a woman's voice calls.
I take a deep breath before I follow the voice. I can't leave the house wearing whatever weird shit this kid wears.

“Hey mum" I say in the weakest voice I can muster. I usually never assume a relationship but I am desperate. I have to sell the sick angle.

She turns to me worried. “That’s not the voice I’ve grown accustomed to. You okay?”
She has a wrist on her hip as she looks intently in my eyes. She's young. Can’t be more than 40. The two share a lot of features the most prominent being their thick brown hair.

“I’m.. not" My face falls. “I don’t think I can make it in to school today". Playing so many different roles has made me a wonderful actor.

She closes the gap between us. She’s not a tall woman but she’s still taller than I am. She places a hand on my shoulder which falls to rub my arm.

“You said things were better at school. Do we need to go see the principal again?”
Crap. That’s not where I was going with this.

“They are, I’m just not feeling well" I reply with a groan in my voice.

She takes a seat at the kitchen counter and gestures for me to do the same.

“We both knew it wasn’t going to be easy but you can’t just skip school whenever you don’t want to deal with things.”

“Mum, I...” None of this was going the way I planned.

“Now Laura, what’s wrong? You’ve been so happy recently"

He goes by Laura now apparently.

“I just didn't...” I break again. Once again at a loss for words. I don’t know how to salvage this.

The footsteps getting louder by the second draw our attention away from the conversation.

“Mum?” A young boy calls out even though he’s already clearly walking in our direction.
My mother just looks at me. The same worried look on her face but there’s also compassion and care.

When the owner of voice finally reveals himself, mum's expression changes instantly into a bright and cherry one.

“There’s my little man" she says walking to him. He’s around eleven if I had to guess.
She places a hand on his head and rubs it.

“Mum stop!” he laughs. He turns to me. “Hey ‘sis'” I can hear it in his voice.

It’s not aggressive but it’s not genuine either. Who can blame him?

So far, today has not gone according to plan.
“Where’s Dad?” The boy asks.

Mum's expression flickers slightly before returning to that perfect smile. “You know your father. Always working”

“He's coming to watch me play today right?” he looks up at her expectantly.

I can tell mum isn’t sure but she doesn't want to disappoint those pleading eyes.

“Yes honey, we all are" She turns to me and says “Laura's going to be there too even though she hates football"

I don't. I wasn’t pro level but i was pretty good.

“I can't” I say sharply. Last thing I need is to add more events to an already hectic day. I’m still yet to process my strange body. “I have plans"

“Not using your new voice?” The boy asks.

“Hey leave it" Mum comes to my defence but a second later is turning to me “What plans?”

You got a date sis?” The boy asks with a snicker.

“I don't have a date" I am disgusted.

“Is it that Murphy kid? You too have been spending so much time together" mum asks seeming genuinely interested.

“Mum, no" I am so uncomfortable. “Can we drop this?” I hate being so young. A couple days ago, I was 70 years old. I miss that.

“Ok fine" she laughs “Breakfast is almost ready. Go get dressed.” She turns and walks back to the counter.

I stand so I’m right in her face “ Can I please stay home today?” I plead.

“Absolutely not. Go, hurry".

=^..^=

I try and fail to not look at his body while in the shower. I can't believe what he’s done to it. His swollen chest, tiny waist and hairless skin leave me baffled at what he's managed to do to his body. He's so clearly female everywhere except down there. He’s also on the hotter side if I’m being honest.

I remember myself at this age. Had pretty much any girl I wanted. It was a good life. Why any dude would choose this is beyond me.

I don the large pink robe hanging by the bathroom door mostly because I don’t want to look at him any longer.

I shiver as a cool breeze rushes past me when I open the bathroom door. My erect nipples catch me by surprise. I cup my breasts to try to get the uncomfortable feeling to go away and for the first time, I get a sense of their size.

They’re not big. I wouldn’t even consider a girl with this size tits but on me they feel massive. From this spot right outside the bathroom, I’m in full view of the mirror. I look at myself with my hands over my breasts and the uncomfortable feeling returns. He's very feminine. Very delicate.

I walk closer to the mirror to take him in. I pinch my face and pull my lips. Everything is so soft. The exact opposite of how I looked at this age.

For a second, I wish the manly parts weren’t there so as to get a more complete person but I catch myself. I did not just wish for a vagina.

=^..^=

His wardrobes are a juxtaposition. Every underwear is as feminine as possible. Frills and laces, pinks and purples. Every outerwear however is unisex at best. I’m relieved to see so many jeans and t-shirts.

It doesn’t take long for me to have on all my clothes. Finally accepting that I’d have to wear panties was the biggest hurdle but one I eventually overcame when I couldn’t find any briefs.

I never did put on that bra.
The jeans are super tight and my breasts seem pronounced in every shirt I put on but it is cold enough to wear a jacket so that isn't a problem.

=^..^=

He eat breakfast in silence so I use this opportunity to check my phone and subsequently my life. The phone unlocks just by looking at it leaving his entire life at my fingertips.

His Medical ID app is particularly useful in finding out intimate information that's sure to be of use today.

Name: Laura Hill
Medical Conditions: Transgender
Medical Notes: In case of emergency, call MUM
Allergies: Acrylic
Medications: 2mg Proginova twice, 100g Spiro twice
Weight: 119lbs
Height: 5’4.

I find contact info for a Peter Hill(Dad), Susan Hill(Mum), Murphy and others.

When I come across a Voice Notes app, I know this is something I’ll have to look at if today is to go as smoothly as the others.

I ask to be excused already on my feet before waiting for a reply and head upstairs. There are over 50 recordings in the app. I play the most recent one.

The delicate voice that comes from the speakers catch me by surprise. I begin to wonder if this is really him speaking but who else could it be. This recording is from last night.

“I’m not going to make a long entry tonight. I feel horrible. And so sleepy" His voice is even more delicate than he looks which is saying something. “ I feel I may faint any second. The medication makes me tired a lot but this is different. I feel like my consciousness is being pushed aside"

There is a long pause. I can hear him struggling to breathe.

“Mum" he barely manages a whisper “I can’t keep my eyes open."

There is a silence that seems to last indefinitely before the recording stops by itself.

“What was that?” I think to myself. My mind begin to drift but that doesn't last long.

“Laura! The bus!” Lucas yells from downstairs.

=^..^=

The yellow bus is just pulling up as I walk down the stairs. I’m scared. It’s not the first time I’ve had to go out as someone else. I usually find a way to stay home but that doesn’t always work out.

Today though, everything is different. Some days have been fun like that one day I was filthy rich. Today most certainly isn’t. It’s a chore.

“Don’t worry honey, you'll have a great day" my mum says as she meets me at the door. She’s worried. I can tell. So am I.

“Thanks" I reply with little emotion.

“Now who's my little princess?” She asks smiling with an expectant look.

Lucas snickers. I look at mum pleading but she will not be deterred.

I sigh audibly. “I am" I reluctantly reply.

She hugs me tightly.

“The bus...” I remind her. It’s clear she doesn’t want to let me go but she does anyway.

“Bye mum" Lucas says as he jogs for the bus. I’d found out that he’s 12 while looking through the phone but he seems older than I.

“Bye sweetie" She replies in that cheerful tone she always uses with him.
I make my way for the bus knowing that the hard part is yet to come.

=^..^=
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I really appreciate any feedback I receive as I enjoy knowing exactly what the readers think. See you in the comments. Thanks for reading.

When I get on the bus, I don’t know what I expect but hardly anyone pays any attention. These students are in various stages of self entertainment. Most are on their phones. Some have books out.

There are a few empty seats and fewer empty rows. I pick one of the empty rows and settle in. The bus hisses before it’s on it’s way. I haven’t had any time to myself to process and I won’t find that here either because a boy jumps in the seat beside me.

“You ignoring me, Hill?” he asks with a smile

“ What'd I do now?” his expression is carefree.

I remember him from my phone's gallery. Murphy.

“I.. nothing..” He caught me by surprise. I try to imitate this kid’s soft voice which surprisingly comes out very easily. “I’m sorry". I sound like a fucking chick.

“Nah nothing to apologize for" he says as he settles into the seat. “You're being brave today, I like that"

“Huh?” I don't understand.

“Valerie sits here. We sit over there” He gestures to an empty row in the opposite column.

“Right” I say before letting out a soft sigh.

“You more than anyone know that she can be a real bitch" He shifts to get a better look at me “You okay? You seem different"
I smile. “I’m fine"

“You sounded awful last night. Are you ill?”

My mind darts back to the recording. He did sound awful. I begin to wonder whether it has anything to do with me.

I let out my most convincing smile. “I’m fine. I promise".

He doesn’t believe me but he let’s it go. Without warning, he takes my hand and pulls me across the bus to our usual seats. He let’s go as soon as we're sitting but I still feel his hands on mine. I hate feeling so small but I feel protected near him.

“So.. “ he says eventually clearly trying to spark conversation. I turn to him. “Are you going to take Kara up on her offer?”

I have a system. When I’m in conversations I’m not familiar with, I just spam “I don’t know” until I get more information so that’s exactly what I do.

“I don’t know"

The bus climbs over a bump which causes most of us to jump.

“Evening shift at the pool is a sweet gig" he adds.

The bus hadn’t been driving for a long time but I already had a sense of this place. It’s very upscale but also small town at the same time. Most houses seem new and the cars are also modern. There's also a few lots still in the works.

“I think you should take it. Would be nice to work so close together" he bumps me slightly with his elbow.

Every time I turn to look at him, he’s smiling at me. It’s disorienting.

“Maybe” I say simply. Better not make any decisions.

=^..^=

It’s not that long until two girls get on the bus at the same time. They’re hot. They don’t look alike but they’re dressed similarly. A skirt, jacket and tights. They don’t have a lot of makeup but it’s visible enough. The blonde one smirks in my direction as they both walk past us to the seat I’d been sitting in.

Murphy makes a show of shooting himself with his fingers. I chuckle. The bus hisses again before it’s on it’s way.

“You were in my seat, bitch?” a shrill comes from behind me. I don’t turn. I suddenly feel my unkempt hair get yanked from behind.

“I’m talking to you” A voice I’ve decided belongs to Valerie echoes again.

“Sit down" A stern voice belonging to an older woman in the driver's seat rings throughout the bus.

I feel the pressure on my hair dissipate and pain replace it. My shoulder length hair falls back in place.

In a much quieter tone, Valerie says “Don’t you fucking mess with me".

I hear the other girl say as Valerie got back in her seat “Can you believe her?”

The bus is quiet after that. This is the worst day of my extended life.

=^..^=

Murphy taps me as we're stepping off the bus.

“Don’t let Valerie get to you, Laura" he says. He pauses as if waiting for a reply but when he doesn’t get one, he adds “Seriously. She’s not worth it. Now come on"

He turns and begins the short journey to the school entrance.

Unlike most of the buildings I’ve come across so far, the main building is ancient. The new coat of paint does little to hide it’s aging features. Even the ground seems well walked on but that seems normal for school grounds.

There is a much newer building to the right and after that are some trees. To the left however, I can see part of a football pitch with the words “Wolverines" in red and gold on one endzone.

It takes me a second to move. I just take it all in for a moment. It’s a wonderful morning even if on the noisy side.

When I look up, Murphy is gesturing to me. Mum was right, we do spend a lot of time together.

=^..^=

The halls are even louder than it was outside. A hundred kids in various conversations, a thousand footsteps. I’ve actually not been in such an environment since I died so this brings back many memories.

The noisiest group however was a group of boys clad in football jackets discussing loudly. I stopped to look at them. That was me once. It really was a better time.

One of the group, a kid on the younger side is now looking at me. As far as I can tell, he’s the only one there around my age. For a second our eyes lock.

Suddenly he let’s out the creepiest smirk that makes me feel so dirty I turn away, my eyes searching for Murphy. I don’t dare look back.

I see Murphy fumbling with a locker and make my way to him in a hurry.

“Woah there" he says shocked “what’s wrong? You look like something's chasing you" he let’s out a small laugh.

“I...” I begin but my voice cracks “It’s nothing".

Right next to his locker is one that’s clearly mine. A crude writing of the word “TRANNY" probably done by a 4 year old is scrapped at the bottom right corner of the locker. It’s subtle but clear enough to hurt.

Why would anyone want to go through this? I kinda feel bad for the kid but can't help but think that he brought it on himself. Also doesn’t help that he’s so hot.

I’d be upset if I got attracted to a dude that looks like a chick. None of my business though, I’ll be halfway around the world tomorrow if I’m lucky.

Murphy is snapping his fingers in my face. “Earth to Laura. It’s almost first period. You have to hurry".

I unconsciously bite me lip. “I forgot my combination”

He laughs “who are you and what have you done with my friend?”. He gently pushes me aside. He begins to turn the dials while saying audibly “ fourteen.... twenty two........ seven".

The lock clicks open and I breathe a sigh of relief. He even knows my code. There is a picture of Murphy and I in the corner. I look a bit less like a girl there. A short haircut and an oversized suit tries and fails to portray a man but hides the femininity that is on display now.

On the floor of the locker, something catches my eye. A note. In sharpie it says “Lunch, Behind building 2, Don't be late”.

=^..^=

I eventually make my way into my first class mostly with Murphy's help even though we have different classes. He kept looking at my funny but thankfully that’s where the probing ended.

I initially intend to hang around the classroom until everyone is seated then take the free seat but an ever helpful “TRANNY” sticker helps me decipher which desk is mine.

I study it for a moment. It’s written in the same crude and unsteady script as the last one. Looks like Laura has a secret admirer.

The class is yet to begin and most students are in various states of preparedness so eventually my mind begins to wonder as a result of boredom.

Most people ignore this kid. How long has this been going on for? I know there are effeminate boys but this is on a different level. He looks as much a girl as any female student in this classroom.

In the past I’ve gotten used to referring to these temporary bodies as myself but I just can’t bring myself to do it with this one. Not when I have breasts. I make a quick glance around before stealthily bringing a hand to my chest.

My right hand grips my left breast and I squeeze gently. I squirm in my seat. I withdraw my hand. It’s such a weird feeling. They’re not the most prominent but they’re definitely there. I wonder what people are thinking about him. About me.

My body is feminine but it is put to shame by my face. I think back to this morning and my soft face is still burned in my memory.

Everything about me is a stark contrast to Murphy. In my high school experience, birds of the same feather flock together. That isn’t the case here. Murphy is at least 5’9 and quite well built. He’s also really handsome... I pause. My unconscious smile falls from my face.

Before I can finish mentally slapping myself, Valerie and two other girls walk into the classroom in hurried footsteps and close behind them is a young woman, maybe in her late twenties.

She’s not too shabby but not outstanding either. A better body than face in my opinion. I’m happy with myself for so easily admiring a woman's body after slipping a second ago.

“Morning class" she says as she sets a few books and materials on the large table in front of the class.

All she receives are a few grunts of acknowledgement but she doesn’t react to this. “Please take a seat" she says before turning to write ‘English Lit’ on the white board.

She turns around with a more serious look on her face.

“Before we begin today's lesson, there’s something we have to discuss". She walks from behind the desk to its front and rests on it.

This opener has the desired effect and the class is now quiet for the first time today.
“It has come to my attention that some of the students have been less than welcoming to some of the changes we've had around here"

The class is quiet but I sense they all know what she’s talking about.

“So" the teacher continues “before we begin today’s lecture, we’re going to take a few minutes to hear some of your complaints"

She pauses again but the class is still silent.

“Don’t worry class, whatever you have to say will be addressed and you will not get in trouble" she let’s out a reassuring smile.
The class is quiet for a bit longer before someone speaks up. “Miss Danvers?” the voice belongs to a bigger kid in the corner.

“Yes Bill?”

He stands “I think it’s unfair that we're probably not going to make the playoffs this year because someone doesn’t know how to take a joke".

The class begins to murmur.
“Okay class, settle down" The teacher says before nodding at Bill. He sits. “I assume you’re talking about the Jeffrey incident. Jeffrey was suspended for making some derogatory comments towards another student, correct?”

“And kicked off the football team" Bill adds. He seems really upset by that.

“Yes well Jeffrey put the school in a very tough spot. I think you'll all agree that we're big football fans here at this school but this is also a loving environment.

We treat each other like family and we trust one another and Jeffrey broke that trust when he said all those hurtful things to another student. I hope you understand that such behaviour is unacceptable, Bill?” She looks intently at the student.

“It was a joke. It wasn't a big deal. The playoffs are a big deal" he just replies.
She laughs “ Whatever the case may be, we're to follow the rules at all times and Jeffrey was in clear violation".

She turns to the class. “And students, I know you’re all upset but that is no reason to retaliate on any student here. She is the victim and she didn’t even bring it to our attention. Another student did. Even if that is no excuse to...” She stops herself before he voice gets too high “.... just treat each other like family, is that clear?” She finishes in a more composed manner.

“Yes, miss Danvers" the class echoes.

“ Let's begin".

=^..^=

I haven’t been able to concentrate on any of my classes all day. The closer it gets to lunch, the more my mind wanders. Who sent that note? What do they want? Should I even go?

When the long bell rings, my heart skips a beat. Lunch. I start looking around the classroom. Could it be someone in this room? No one pays me any mind. Most are already on their way out the class.

One person is looking at me though, the teacher. A middle aged Korean man named Kim Seung-ho. He gestures for me to come to him.

We’d just finished Algebra 2 and like most of my classes, the teachers have ignored me. Not that I’m complaining. I put my things down And make my way to the front of the class.

“Laura, what’s the matter?” He asks in a caring tone “You barely paid attention in my class"

I swallow. My mouth suddenly feeling dry.

“Lot on my mind" I say in a low voice.

His face turns serious “A student giving you trouble?”

“No, it’s not that" I reply sharply. “It’s nothing”
“Laura, you don’t have to talk to me" he places a hand on my shoulder “But talk to someone. You’re too young to have to world on your shoulder".

He’s so kind. I want to tell him about the note but that cannot go well. Besides, my one rule is to leave their lives how I found it.

“Thank you" I say simply.

He smiles “I expect you’ll be back to normal by our next class"

I smile “without a doubt".

=^..^=

I decide that it’s best to go see where the note leads so while other kids are going into the lunch room, I leave the building and make my way towards the newer facility.

It is still a pretty chilly day even this far into it and I’m glad I'm dressed for it. I wonder if I’m allowed to be out here as no one else is but I haven’t been stopped so far so I keep going. I wish someone would stop me but no one does.

I make the turn around the building and I’m now out of sight from the main building. There’s a lot of equipment and sealed boxes back here. It doesn’t seem like a place meant for students and it gives me an eerie feeling being here.

I haven’t really been scared since I died and I’ve been a drug dealer. I am now.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and I scream and turn.

It’s the boy in the football jacket from earlier. The one with the smirk. He’s shushing me.

“What’s wrong with you?” he says in a hushed tone “You want the whole school to hear?”

I’m shaking. I’ve never screamed like that before. My body is betraying me.
I don’t say anything. I just wait for him to reveal what’s going on.

“God, you look hot today” he says eyeing me up “I just wish you’d try like the other girls"
I’m confused.

“I’ve been thinking of you all day. No bra, naughty girl"

I’m mortified. What is going on? He steps closer to me.

“Umm...” is all I manage before he grabs both my breasts and squeeze. It takes all my strength not to scream again. I push him with all my strength. I feel violated.

“What the fuck?!” I halfway yell.

“Yeah what the fuck?” he replies with a questioning look.

“No" I shake my head while taking a few steps back “This is not happening!”

His expression changes. He looks visibly angry. I start contemplating whether I can take him in a fight.

“Do I need to remind you what happens if you refuse me?” he steps closer to me “Maybe I’ll fucking send the video anyway, is that what you want?”

What is this kid involved in?

I don’t reply.

“You know what? The price of my silence has gone up.” He begins unzipping his pants and my heart goes up into my throat.

I don’t know what to do.

He grabs my right arm and I struggle to get free but it’s useless. Attacking him would only serve to make him angrier.

When I see his briefs, I go to turn but I'm interrupted by footsteps rapidly approaching us.

Before the asshole can react, he is thrown to the floor by a strong pair of hands.

The switch in motion makes me lose my balance and I fall to the floor.

“Don’t you dare touch her, Gino!" Murphy is standing over the other kid yelling at him.

“You don’t get to fucking touch her!" He is so angry.

Gino rushes up to his feet and steps in Murphy's face. They’re staring each other down.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Gino is yelling back.

“Go ahead, find out" Murphy replies through his teeth.

It takes a second but Gino takes a step back. He glances at me on the floor before returning his gaze back to Murphy. He points at him before saying “This isn’t over".

He turns and walks away. Murphy just stands there until Gino is out of site before turning to me. He helps me off the floor then looks straight at me. “Ok. Explain.”

So much for leaving their lives how I found it.

=^..^=

"I don't want to talk about it" I sped up trying to get away from Murphy but he wasn't letting up.

He stepped in front of me, "Laura, what was that? What video was he talking about."

I don't know. That's what I wanted to scream but how could I explain to him why I didn't know what I clearly should know. I had never told anyone about me before, not like they would believe me anyway.

"I'm feeling overwhelmed right now" I said to him trying desperately to find a way out of the situation. "I'll tell you later okay? I promise"

He let out a frustrated sigh, "Should I not have stopped him?"

I rolled my eyes but didn't respond.

"Are you and Gino..." he shook his head slightly clearly trying to make sense of the whole thing. So was I.

"No, of course not... I just.." What could I do or say? I looked into Murphy's eyes. He looked so hurt almost like I had betrayed him.

Cool breeze blew past us, his short hair ruffled in the wind and a large chunk of

mine flew past my face.

With my index finger, I tucked my hair behind me ear. God I hated that motion. I hated his long hair, I hated the cluster fuck of a life that he had. I decided I didn't care anymore. He could pick up the pieces tomorrow.

"I'm sorry" was all I managed before turning to walk away. I listened for footsteps but there were none.

=^..^=

I was already in a shitty mood as I carried a tray and scanned for a table. Unfamiliar faces scattered the entire cafeteria. I spotted Valerie and her posse as well as Gino sitting with some wolverines.

Where would this kid sit? I hated this. Of course Murphy was nowhere to be found when I actually needed him. There were no free tables so I had to pick one. I spotted a table of nerds. There? No they weren't giving me the time of day. Artsy kids in the corner?

A sudden impact from behind my right shoulder knocked my tray loose and I stared in horror as my tray clattered on the floor. Fuck, and I was hungry too.

"Sorry" a voice said in between laughs followed by snickers from 2 other boys.

"Watch it asshole" I said sharply. When the entire cafeteria fell silent, I immediately regretted it.

The three boys slowly turned with a hint of disbelief on their faces.

"What was that?" the one who'd hit me said. His lips curled in what looked to me like an amused smile.

No going back now.

"You hit me. On purpose." I said standing my ground. The whole cafeteria was watching this unfold. So much for flying under the radar.

"And don't think I won't hit you again just because you're a girl now".

My eyes scanned the room, no adults except the lunch lady who didn't seem to care. I briefly thought about diffusing the situation and apologizing but that's not how I rolled. Old me could take this guy. This wimp definitely couldn't but backing down now would only make the bullying worse.

Never give a bully an easy target or they'll keep coming back.

"But that's why you're coming after me, isn't it? Cause I'm a girl and easy to hit?" Truth be told, I hated saying it but from the look on his face, I could tell it was effective.

"Shut up" he said. His smirk had been replaced with an expression that did little to hide his anger.

It was getting dangerous but I was in too deep now. "Or what?"

My gaze flicked over to the entrance where Murphy was just making an entrance. My gaze flicked back to the boy in front of me and his now clenched fist. He wouldn't hit me would he? The vein in his neck told me he would.

I got ready. I had been in quite a few fights in my years on this earth and honestly I was good at it. I watched his right leg flex and I knew he was going to try to close the distance between us.

As both his hands rose to waist level, I knew he was going to attempt to shove me. And hard. With over 100 pounds on me, I knew it would send me flying and I knew it was going to hurt.

I decided I was going to sidestep the shove and let his momentum embarrass him. Hopefully they'd leave this kid alone when they realise he wasn't an easy target.

I analyzed the whole scenario as if in slow motion. I had to sidestep at the last moment so he wouldn't have any chance of recovery. I waited and waited until that perfect moment and then started my dodge.

Unfortunately I hadn't accounted for how slow this kid was. His dainty body lacked the power to move out of the way quickly enough. Both hands hit my left shoulder and launched me off my feet immediately knocking the wind out of me.

"Fuck" I thought to myself I'd even braced myself when I knew I wasn't going to dodge it and still. I hit the ground hard and an involuntary squeal left my lips. Fuck, that hurt.

I lay squirming on the cold floor willing myself to get up but my body wasn't cooperating. I took bigger hits than this on the daily when I played ball. When I played Running back, I learned quickly how to take hard hits and stay in control to prevent a fumble.

Laura's body wasn't at all equipped for any of this. I started to realise that I may have underestimated the difference between a boy's body and a girl's. I certainly regretted picking this fight.

Through half opened eyes, I saw the kid hit the floor with Murphy standing over him. What had happened? I was groggy. I tried hard to focus. The boy that had shoved me was on his ass. Did Murphy punch him? Shove him? I thought about how this must have been such an entertaining scene.

The old me would have been heckling from the sidelines. Maybe a little bit of instigating thrown in. Now though I lay flat on the smooth, cold, cafeteria floor barely able to keep my eyes open.

I watched with dizzy eyes as Murphy closed the gap between us. My gaze flicked over to the other boy who had picked himself off the floor but wasn't making any further moves.

Murphy was kind of cool actually, the way he dove in to protect me no questions asked. Kinda like how I would have done with my high school sweetheart all those years ago.

Did he like this boy? Well girl I guess. Nothing about her seemed remotely masculine so it made more sense.

I felt his arms go under me and a moment later, he'd picked me up into his arms.

Why was he doing so much? He was good looking, I can admit that. Probably athletic, strong and really sweet actually.

I'm sure he'd be able to get any girl at this school so why her?

I groggily rose my head to look at him. He was looking directly at me with a look of worry draped over his face.

"I'm sorry" I whispered. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out why I said that.

He just shushed me.

=^..^=

I'd woken up sometime in the nurse's office who informed me that my mother was here and in the principal's office.

That filled me with dread. Parents coming to school was never a good thing. Then again I wouldn't be here tomorrow anyway so why should I care?

No doubt she was laying into them about letting her baby girl get assaulted.

After some tests, the nurse seemed satisfied, "No signs of a concussion. A bruised tail bone is the worst of your worries but nothing too major"

"Can I go?" I asked remembering to use Laura's voice.

"Sure, you can go see your mother in the office, she'll take you home". That was the first good news I'd had all day. At home I could lock myself away and await a new day.

=^..^=

When I stepped into the hallway, I realised I didn't actually know where the office was. Thankfully I spotted mother making a beeline for me.

"Hi mum" was all I managed before she pulled me into a bear hug.

No sooner had she finished checking me for harm did her worried look switch to a stern.

"Why would goad a bully like that? Are you trying to get seriously hurt?"

"It wasn't like that"

"This morning you were scared to come to school and then I hear got into a fight? Can you imagine how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry"

"No, I need you to tell me what's going on. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to you but I thought you were doing fine..." she paused "I don't even know".

When I didn't respond, she sighs and says we'll continue this at home with my father. Great, another thing to look forward to.

=^..^=

The drive home was long and uneventful. Occasionally, mum would turn to look at me with a worried expression before turning back to focus on the road. Sometime during the journey, she offered to stop for fast food which I declined.

Eventually I texted Murphy to let him know that I'd gone home so he wouldn't be too worried.

The modern SUV hummed quietly as it came to a stop followed by the engine shutting off. I heard the click of the doors unlocking then pulled the handle to open it.

I made a quick path through the front door, up the stairs and into my room locking the door behind me.

I hadn't had many eventful days since I died. Most of the bodies I'd 'stolen' lived very boring lives. Most were either still in school, working a shitty 9-5 or unemployed.

In most cases I could lock myself in their rooms and just browse the internet. When I wasn't watching a movie, I would be researching my old self - Eddie Russo or searching for other cases of body hopping.

For all intents and purposes, the world had forgotten me. My friends and family grieved for maybe a week. My girlfriend and side pieces had already started dating again not long after.

It made me sick how little people cared. Even the cops. From what I could tell, the case had been closed. No one else had died in the accident, just me so no harm done I guess.

I wanted to get these clothes off now that I'd made it into the privacy of her room but I didn't want to look at her.

So i just lay in bed and tried my hardest to fall asleep. 3:12pm. Nighttime couldn't come soon enough.

=^..^=

I awoke to soft knocks on the door followed by a man's voice.

"Laura, open up".

I didn't respond. I knew it was probably her father but I didn't want to talk to anyone and maybe if I ignored him, he'd go away. I checked the time on her phone. 6:50pm. Missed call from Murphy. Only a few hours to go.

"Don't make me get the key" the voice rang out again.

"I'm coming" I managed. I lazily got out of bed and dragged myself to the door, turned the lock and greeted the middle age man on the other side.

'You must be Peter Hill. The dad.' I thought to myself. Why did he look familiar?

"What's this I'm hearing about a fight?" He asked as he made his way past me.

'Hardly a fight' I thought to myself.

I didn't respond. I just followed as he made his way to a chair.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes sir" I replied. A mistake. A spill over of my relationship with my own father. His raised eyebrow confirmed that this wasn't normal.

"And this boy you fought?"

"It wasn't an actual fight. He just pushed me, that's all".

He seemed disappointed.

"Your mother said you were provoking the boy?" It wasn't actually a question "Listen... Laura. I know girls can usually get away with saying that kind of stuff to boys but you need to realise they're not going to give you the same treatment they give the girls"

His expression seemed to me like he was asking if I understood him.

When I didn't reply he continued, "you can't say things like that and expect to get away with it."

I didn't disagree but it still hurt. He wasn't even pretending to be on my side.

"Do you understand?" he asked this time relying on the more direct means.

"Y..yes" I managed.

He sighed. "Get some rest, you have school tomorrow".

I didn't care about that. '3 more hours' I thought happily.

No matter how I looked at it, I failed. This kid is going to wake up tomorrow absolutely dumbfounded about everything that happened today.

The clusterfuck with Gino as well as the whole thing in the cafeteria with the other kid whose name I still didn't know. But I didn't care.

If he talked about it, about not being himself, nobody would believe him anyway. Thinking of the Gino, my mind wondered about the video he'd been talking about. I had a few more hours, I decided to satisfy my curiosity.

I first started looking through her contacts for Gino's name but it wasn't saved and I found nothing of interest in her messages either.

Checking the gallery yielded no results either. Still not giving up, I started checking every app in alphabetical order. It wasn't until I made my way to Telegram that I found what I was looking for. A single message from a user named "him" with a video.

I clicked play and stared with horror. The video was a mirror recording of Laura and a man in a fox mask behind her. The man had the camera in one hand and the other on her waist. I closed the app hurriedly and said under my breath, "that was CP".

What had this girl gotten herself into? What could I do? Even worse, her face was in full view. Should I tell her parents? Should I atleast tell Murphy? He seemed to care for her. That wasn't him in the video right? Was it Gino? That made the most sense right?

No, I had to stick to my rule of leaving their lives how I found them. I'd done enough damage for one day.

No, I wouldn't do anything. I closed the phone and put it face down on the bed. Two more hours now.

=^..^=

I don't remember falling asleep but I was glad to be waking up now. I smiled internally. The nightmare was over. I had never been so happy after a switch before.

But everything felt too familiar. I felt the same long hair, soft bed, tiny appendage between my legs. My hands frantically came up to my chest and I felt the same mound of flesh.

My eyes opened and searched the room. The same four walls, the same vanity, the same phone in the exact same spot where I'd left it.

I hurriedly picked it up to check the time, maybe it hadn't happened yet. 6.17am.

Fuck.

I swiped the phone to unlock it. 061122. The phone pass code, the date she started HRT.

Math was my first class of the day. Liam was her dead name. Noah was the boy that shoved her yesterday.

Fuck.

Why did I know that? Don't panic. I had to figure this out. I had never been the same person twice and certainly not two days in a row.

My mind darted to her locker code. 14,22,7. I didn't just remember it from yesterday, I remembered it from the start of the school year.

My mind darted from one memory to another before being pulled to focus on the heavy footsteps rapidly approaching my door. A moment later, the door opened with her father peaking through. He looked worried for a moment but his expression slowly dissipated into a neutral one.

"Sorry dad, just a nightmare" I said apologetically. He grumbled.

"Get ready for school" he told me simply before closing the door behind him.

Peter Hill was a Caster for some local news channel. One of those channels that uploaded clips to social media for some extra engagement. That must be how I knew him.

Peter Hill was also cheating on his wife. Or atleast he had been four months ago. Laura had overheard him talking to his mistress.

Laura never told her mother, or anyone else for that matter. She didn't want to tear her family apart. As more of her memories flowed in bombarding me with one emotion after another, I started to realise that she was having a really hard time.

Could that be why? Did she not want to come back? Was that even possible? Was something else keeping me here?

Over the 2 months that this had been happening, I'd really tried to figure out why it was happening. Nothing made sense. Was it God trying to teach me a lesson? Did all dead people experience this?

I can't say I particularly enjoyed jumping from one life to another but I certainly preferred that to being trapped as Laura Hill.

I had to find a way out. If she intact didn't want to come back, I had to make her want to. 6:30am. That gave me about 15 hours to figure out how. In the meantime, I figured I had no choice but to live her life and try not to damage it any further.

=^..^=

I pondered about all her problems while talking a shower. Partly because I needed to figure things out but also to keep my mind off her body.

I didn't feel this way about any of my other hosts. Their bodies felt like mine. In fact, I even rubbed one out a few times. But this, felt wrong. It didn't feel like my body. I felt like an alien in it.

It wasn't nearly as bad with clothes on but whenever I could actually see it, her skin, curves and breasts, it felt particularly bad in those moments. I wanted to be a man again.

I quickly got out of the shower and got dressed. The panties were relatively easy to put on. They were comfortable and made me feel really good if I was being honest.

The bra was more difficult but necessary after the encounter with Gino yesterday. The thought of walking around with everyone seeing my.. her nipples made me physically ill. After fumbling with the soft fabric for a while, I decided to just clasp it then step into it. That worked well enough.

I had briefly considered a skirt which surprised me but thankfully sense prevailed and I settled on jeans and a top. When I was satisfied with my look, I made my way downstairs but only after remembering to stuff my PE clothes in my bag.

=^..^=

The whole family was already sitting at the table when I arrived. I greeted mum and dad then made a face at Lucas.

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Mum asked cheerfully.

I smiled, "Better, thank you". Did she know she was getting cheated on? Probably not. I watched her interaction with my father. The hand touching and the genuine smiles. You could almost see her eyes sparkle when she spoke to him.

She had no fucking clue.

"Sorry I couldn't make your game yesterday buddy. Between work at the office and your sister's problems at school, we just couldn't make it". Dad said to Lucas.

"Yeah dad" he mumbled with obvious disappointment in his voice.

'Hey don't put this on me' is what I wanted to say but I thought better of it.

"Yeah sorry Luke" I reached across the table and touched his hand. She calls him Luke. They have an okay relationship when he's not throwing jab comments at her.

"I'm working late again today but how about we go out tomorrow as a family" Dad suggested. Mum and Lucas both perked up.

"That's a great idea" Mum added. Luke followed and it seemed it was my turn to approve which I did but fully planning to be gone by then.

=^..^=

"What do you think about joining me for a mother daughter outing after school today?" Mum asked.

"I have plans" I replied.

Mum seemed hurt but quickly recovered. "Is it Murphy?" She asked with a smile.

"Mum" I said embarrassed. My eyes glanced to Dad who seemed to be trying to ignore the conversation. "Invite him over, we haven't seen him in a while".

"Okay" I needed this conversation to be over. If I had to endure more of these mornings, I probably would go crazy.

=^..^=

I stepped into the bus and scanned for Murphy. I found him quickly in our usual seat. I smiled then made my way to the empty seat beside him.

"Hiya" I said. I was happy to see him.

"Hey" he was upset with me.

"I'm sorry about yesterday" I told him. Most of my good memories, well her good memories had him in it and looking at him now made me smile.

I playfully nudged him. "Don't be mad at me"

"I called you after school yesterday. You didn't answer. Figured you just didn't want to talk to me"

"That's not true" I exclaimed surprising myself "I just fell asleep. I was really tired".

Murphy turned to look out the window.

"I thought we told each other everything. Lately it feels like I don't know what's going on with you"

I didn't respond. I wanted to comfort him but I didn't know how.

"Whats going on with you and Gino?"

Laura had met a guy online. They flirted back and forth for a while and eventually agreed to meet. Shady motel, older guy, all of it a recipe for disaster. Laura in her vulnerable state drank his Kool aid thinking they were meant to be together.

They had sex, he recorded it and shared it on a porn site. Gino though just happened upon it while exploring those sites, atleast that's what Laura thought and made the most sense. Gino had the brilliant idea to use it to get what he's always wanted. Her.

"Nothing" I replied.

"Don't." He looked so done. I couldn't blame him. I had to tell him something. The truth? I was worried about how he'd see me if I did. See her.

If I did tell him the truth, he might help, or it could destroy their relationship. I could also lie or even tell him some version of the truth.

'Gino had a nude video of me and was threatening to share it' I mused.

It was technically true and it would reduce the blow to Murphy but if the actual truth ever came out, it would probably destroy their relationship. And it's not like Laura would know what I'd told him so she wouldn't be able to countinue the lie or half truth anyway.

In the moment, it felt like the right decision to tell him and it's strange but I felt like Laura wanted me to. And so I did. I showed him the video.

The noise of the school bus faded away and for those few seconds, all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat.

My eyes stayed glued to the white sneakers I had thrown on earlier. The hissing of the bus' breaks pulled me out of my trance.

Valerie. I watched her out of the corner of my eyes as she made her way to the empty seat I had initially sat in yesterday.

"Gino has this?" Murphy's voice snapped me to attention.

I nodded.

"Who is this?

"Some guy"

"Does he go to our school?"

I shook my head.

"How old is he?"

Fuck why did I feel like this? I didn't even do anything. I searched Murphy's face for any sign of emotion. Nothing discernable.

"I don't know"

"Laura, come on, what do you mean you don't know" He looked fed up but there was obvious care there "you're fucking pedos" he said incredulously but in a shushed voice.

"I didn't know" I told him half pleading.

"Hold on" He said looking around the bus, "we'll talk about this when we get off" .

And so that was that. The worst was over.

=^..^=

We found a quiet perch away from all the students and I told him everything. I told him how I was talking to some guy who told me he was 17 and everything that followed.

"Laura we have to tell your parents. The cops even"

"No!" I exclaimed "Nobody can find out" I stressed. I took his hand. They were warm. "Promise me you won't tell anyone".

He didn't try to hide his reluctance but eventually he agreed. "What are you going to do?"

"I have a plan"

"About Gino?" He asked finally.

"I have a plan about that too".

I did have a plan. Sometime between the enlightening shower, breakfast and the bus ride, I had figured out exactly what I wanted to do about all of it. However I would need some help from my old life.

=^..^=

Eddie Russo had contacts that 16 year old Laura Hill didn't. One of them was an insane conspiracy theorist that went by the moniker "Net Knight". Those of us part of a close knit circle of friends referred to him by his less impressive actual name, Willie.

Willie was a purveyor of information through less than legal means and thankfully, I remembered his Signal ID. When you're that paranoid, only the most secure messaging platforms are worth your time.

As I sat down for the first class of the day, I downloaded the app, created a new account and sent him the first message.

"Eddie Russo told me I could contact you if I needed help" SEND.

I didn't know when he'd respond or if at all but i had no choice. I put the phone down and prepared for my second day of school.

Sometime during Math, my phone buzzed.

"EDDIE RUSSO IS DEAD"

"I know" I typed. "A while ago, he told me you owed him. Something about the Beluga incident"

Of course I considered telling him the truth about me but decided I didn't want to spook him. This was a safer path.

In truth, the 'Beluga Incident' wasn't as intense as it maybe sounded. It wasn't even impressive when I thought about it. It was mean and cruel.

You see Willie and I went to college together. One fine evening at the club, Willie spotted an absolute babe. Easy 10. Only problem was she had a friend. Let's just say there was a lot larger than life. I had the unfortunate job of 'distracting' her all evening. Thus the name of the incident.

Mean and cruel.

"WHAT WAS EDDIE DOING TALKING TO A 16 YEAR OLD GIRL ACROSS THE COUNTRY ANYWAY?"

He was good. That message came almost immediately. I had his attention.

"It's not like that. Are you going to help me or not?"

"ONE TIME THING. WHAT DO YOU NEED?"

"I need dirt on this number" I sent him the number associated with the telegram account.

Nothing. I turned my attention to the class where a middle aged African American woman droned on about Algebra.

Eddie had no idea about all this stuff. Maybe he did once but not anymore. Laura though easily made sense of everything on the whiteboard. After all, she remembered last week's math class and all math classes before this one.

My heart skipped a beat when my phone vibrated again.

"BURNER. LAST USE PINGED A CELL TOWER IN YOUR CURRENT LOCATION. LOGGED IP ADDRESS FOR THIS TELEGRAM ACCOUNT MATCHES FACEBOOK AND SNAPCHAT ACCOUNTS OF A GIOVANNI 'GINO' DE LUCA. HANDSOME KID. SERIOUS T-GIRL FETISH."

Why didn't any of that surprise me.

-- File Received --

"I'M SENT YOU THE ZIPPED CONTENTS OF HIS DROPBOX. OTHER THAN HEAPS OF PORN, I CAN SEE SEVERAL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF YOU. I'M SURE YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING INCRIMINATING IN THERE. ARE WE DONE?"

Holy shit that Gino was stalking Laura and who knows for how long. There might have been cause to doubt her own rationalization that Gino had just stumbled on the video but I had more important fish to fry right now.

"I'm sending you a video, can you find and take it off the internet?"

"EVERYWHERE?"

-- File Sent --

"HOLY FUCK, THAT'S HOT. WHO'S THE FOX?"

"Can you do it?"

"SURE, BUT IT'LL TAKE SOME TIME. AFTER THIS THOUGH, DEBT IS PAID"

"Thanks. What was the Beluga Incident?" I typed with a smile on my face.

"TOP SECRET".

I chuckled to myself as I put my phone away and prepared to face the rest of Math class.

=^..^=

I was dreading lunch. Thankfully I didn't have any classes with Noah but as the entire grade had lunch together, I knew I would see him then.

No one had said anything to me all day which as memory served wasn't normal. The past few weeks had been particularly bad since Jeffrey's suspension.

See what had happened was Jeffrey had grabbed Laura's butt and gave it a firm squeeze thinking she was his girlfriend Fanny. Honest mistake due to both girls having long blonde hair in almost identical shades and Laura had been standing close to Fanny's locker.

Honest mistake. Jeffrey however had launched straight into a tirade of terrible name calling. Someone apparently hadn't liked that and reported the incident to the school.

What our anonymous do-gooder failed to realise is they had painted a very large target on Laura's back by taking out the first string QB at such a crucial point in the season.

I had... well Laura had been hoping they would let up when Jeffrey returned the coming Monday especially if the wolverines managed to win Saturday's home game against the much lower ranked Preston High School. If the Wolverines managed to keep their unbeaten record this weekend, it'd be no harm, no foul right?

Either way, it seemed the bullying had stopped early. Everyone had mostly avoided me today. Not even so much as an off handed comment. Maybe yesterday's theatrics had been more effective than I thought.

I scanned the room and quickly spotted Murphy sitting with a mixed group of boys and girls. I took my tray and before long, I was filling the empty seat beside him.

I studied the other kids at the table. Unathletic boys and plain girls. Kids I wouldn't have been caught dead sitting with in High School. A stark contrast to Murphy who wouldn't have been out of place at the football table.

Speaking of the football table, I spotted Gino sitting there and laughing without a care in the world. My stalker.

Almost like I'd summoned him, his eyes turned to meet mine. I quickly fixed my gaze on the chicken nuggets in my tray as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Murphy must have seen the exchange because he covered my hand with his. My heart threatened to beat through my chest. Why was he so nice to me... to her?

"So are you guys like dating?" One of the girls on the table asked.

I blushed. Were we? I mean, were they? Laura and Murphy.

Honestly he was way to good for her. Not even because she was transgender or anything. She just had way too much baggage. And he was perfect.

I looked into his eyes and felt myself drowning. His chiseled jaw... muscles that teased you just the right amount through his shirt...and his smile. Oh God his smile.

"It's complicated" Murphy replied.

"Honestly I don't think we should be sitting with her. She's crazy" Dean voiced. Dean, a red head with way too many freckles and I had a few classes together "It's only a matter of time before she blows up again and takes our social lives with her"

"I'm right here" I say rolling my eyes.

"I know, that's the problem" he retorts.

I didn't have time to defend myself however because out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Noah walking this way. Maybe Dean was right after all.

=^..^=
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Apologies for the absolute dick head of a protagonist. Thank you for reading this far. I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment. Good or bad, constructive or otherwise. See you down there.

See the thing to know about me, the one and only Eddie Russo is that I don't back down from a fight. I've never cared about picking fights I can win. 5 versus 1? Bring it. No one makes Eddie their bitch. Certainly not some hormone fueled teenager.

"Relax Murphy, I come in peace" Noah said as he approached our table. Turning to me, he added "You got me in a lot of shit yesterday"

"You only have yourself to blame" I replied snarkly.

"You're real mouthy knowing you boyfriend is going to protect you" he laughed at his statement which infuriated me.

"I'm not afraid of you, Noah" I told him menacingly making sure not to break eye contact. Bullies in high school only go after the weak. They're cowards when it all comes down to it. I had to show him and everyone else that Laura Hill wasn't an easy target.

"Alright, some spunk. I actually like that" Noah had a carefree expression on his face very unlike the one of anger yesterday. This is why I wasn't worried when he closed what was left of the gap between us.

Whispering in my ear, he simply said "Watch yourself, little lady ".

When he turned to leave, I stayed wondering what he meant by that. An actual threat or an attempt to save face after being defied time and time again.

I watched him take a nugget from one of the boys' trays at the table and walk off.

"I told you she's fucking crazy" Dean said as soon as Noah was back at his own table.

Murphy didn't say anything but looked at me with a very concerned expression. What must it have been like to see his friend change so drastically in a matter of days.

Still, I had no choice. Laura's weak and naive personality had gotten her into this mess. In our world, the strong eats the weak. This concept typified the high school experience. To get her out of this mess, I had to be someone else.

When I relaxed, I realized my heart had been beating heavily. But not because of fear, it was excitement. I realized I hadn't had this much fun since I died or possibly even before that.

=^..^=

We had Science right after lunch. This was a class I had actually enjoyed back in my day. For once I tried to pay attention. There had been no updates yet from Willie and Gino hadn't said anything to me either. So I used this opportunity to relax a bit.

When it was over, it was time for PE. Something I used to be really good at. Now probably not so much.

I took my bag and headed for the locker rooms along with other students. The girls took a different hallway and so I followed. Weirdly this didn't even upset me in the slightest. I thought back to when I was forced to use the boy's restroom for many years and that misplacement had made me miserable. Made her miserable.

So when I turned a corner and the girls locker room sign came into view, it felt right. That rightness though was very shortlived as I was stopped at the door by a woman I recognized to be the girls coach.

"Sorry Laura, you know the rules"

Ah yes, the rules. The compromise for using the girls locker room was that Laura would wait for everyone else to be done changing before she went in. Treated like a fucking second class citizen.

I kind of understood. But also not. It felt like my mind was splitting in two. I as Eddie understood why Laura would be separated from the rest of the girls no matter how convincing she was. But it still felt unfair, invalidating and unnecessary.

One after the other, the girls left the room in their PE gear, I got some apologetic ones and others not so much. When the last of the girls had finished, I was then allowed to go in.

It didn't take long for me to strip out of my clothes and wear the shorts. Only then did it dawn on me how short and tight they actually were. They only came up to my upper thigh and were very restricting. I remembered I had to tuck and thankfully, I knew how. I inspected to make sure everything was in order and it looked good. Flat. Right.

I started to wear the PE top but heared the door to the locker room open. I should have been alone in here.

"Sorry, I forgot something" I heard a voice which sounded like Lilian, another girl from my grade.

"It's okay" I replied shyly turning to look at her. I had only managed to get my head through the neck hole of the very tight top so the rest of me was bare with just the bra I'd chosen to wear this morning.

"You're not wearing that are you? That bra"

"Umm I am"

She walked closer "Don't you have a sports bra or something?"

I shook my head "Forgot it". Which was true. Laura's memories told me she did usually bring a sports bra for PE but my thoughts had been such a jumble this morning that I had missed it.

She smiled, "here, I always carry a spare of everything" reaching into her bag to pull out a white bra out of her bag.

Handing it to me, she said "You can keep it. Go on, put it on. It'd be a shame for you to ruin such a beautiful bra" she touched the side section of my bra and traced the edges with her finger. Weird.

I thanked her and took it. When it was clear she wasn't leaving or even turning around, I did.

I took off the top and reached behind to unclasp the bra but I struggled. I knew what to do and I think my body did too so I couldn't figure out why I kept fumbling.

Suddenly, I felt her soft hands touch my back slightly, felt the tension on the strap and the sweet release of the pressure from the bra straps.

"Thanks" I said shyly.

"You're welcome" her voice was soft and caring.

I slipped the sports bra over my head and again she helped me pull the tight fitting garment down.

I thanked her again.

"You're pretty" she said simply.

I blushed. I picked up the PE top again and put it on in an attempt to escape all I was feeling and snap back to reality.

I was attracted to her as wrong as that was and felt. Laura's feelings though weren't of attraction. Far from it. I think she just wanted a friend.

I inspected myself. The PE outfit fit snugly on my slim frame.

"We should go before coach gets upset" She told me. I nodded.

=^..^=

The girls were stretching when Lillian and I joined them in the back of the line. Lillian looked at me and laughed, I did too. After stretching, coach explained that we'd be playing volleyball today and asked us to form teams. I stuck with Lillian who picked 4 other girls.

I glanced over to the boys'side of the gym where the coach had them running suicides. I certainly didn't envy them. I found myself watching Murphy who was already sweating. I watched him as he completed each lap even as other boys gave up.

I wonder why he didn't play any sports. I searched Laura's memories for an answer but no dice there either.

"He's a hunk, even I'll admit that" I heard Lillian say. We were still waiting for our team's turn so we sat together on a bench.

When I didn't respond, she continued, "are you dating?"

"No" I told her.

"Everyone thinks you are anyway, you might as well"

I glanced briefly at her then returned my gaze to him.

She liked him. I liked him. And I thought he liked me too so why weren't we dating? Neither of them had confessed it but it was easy to tell.

"Well I can tell you like him" she said smiling. "You should tell him. He would be lucky to have you".

I thanked her.

Eventually our team got our turn and that went smoothly. So did the rest of PE even though I had to wait again for the girls to finish showering. Lillian had given me a very apologetic look but I made sure to let her know that it was alright.

=^..^=

I zoned out during my last class of the day thinking about my plans to fix all of Laura's issues.

Biggest one was Gino. I had to get him off her back. The plan was to get home and sift through all the information Willie had given me. Find something useful and force him to stop. Two can play his game.

If Willie was able to take the video down, that would solve that problem. There'd still be some people who had the videos downloaded but they wouldn't know Laura anyway... except Gino and the Fox of course.

Laura hadn't seen his face. He had the fox mask on from the moment she'd arrived. For the life of me, I can't figure out why she wouldn't have just left at that point. Did she like the danger? Was she just so starved for attention?

I wondered if he was a problem that needed fixing. Probably yeah but was he an immediate danger? Could I ignore him and still move on from Laura's body?

Another problem was the bullying. I'd already managed to reduce it but that wasn't going to last. Many kids here still saw her as a freak. A boy pretending to be a girl regardless of how pretty she was. Currently she's still stuck in No Man's Land dressing like a boy. If she wants to be a girl, she had to embrace it.

I picked up her phone and found her mother's contact and sent a text.

"Mother daughter day? I need some new clothes".

I had to stop playing it safe or I'd be Laura forever.

=^..^=

Murphy came up to me at the school's entrance doors. It was hard to hear over the roar of happy students who were now looking forward to the weekend.

"We need to talk about everything. Wanna come over?" He asked with a raised voice to compensate for the noise.

"Actually I'm going to the mall with my mum" I told him. "Later?" I asked. Truth be told, I wanted to talk and spend some time with him.

"I can meet you at the mall later, what time are you done?"

I shrugged. "I'll call you, I gotta go, mum's picking me up" I told him.

"Okay later"

I smiled at him and left skipping through the crowd while looking for my mum's car.

=^..^=

We'd stopped by the house for a change of clothes and to drop Lucas off at his friend's house.

I used the chance to examine Laura's wardrobe. Some skirts and dresses sure but not many. And their lack of use was painfully obvious. Most of her clothes were unisex and leaning male. T-shirts, pants, sneakers, sweaters. It's like she was doing everything to hide her body.

No, that simply wouldn't do. I was going to swallow my own male pride and turn her into the kind of girl they couldn't bully.

"What made you change your mind?" Mum asked me on our way to the mall.

I shrugged "I just thought we should hang out more".

She smiled warmly. Bonus points if I can improve her relationship with her family.

=^..^=

We found a parking spot and made our way into the mega structure. There were a lot of people which is to be expected for a Friday evening.

Mum led me into a salon which she had decided would be our first stop. She'd been planning to get her hair done and suggested I get a treatment as well.

Beatrice our hairdresser quickly got into an animated discussion with my mother as soon as we walked in the door.

Mum introduced me as her daughter and asked for 'the works' whatever that meant. As Beatrice, who insisted I call her Bea got to work snipping and styling, I checked my phone and noticed I'd missed a message from Willie.

"DONE, FOUND 7 INSTANCES OF YOUR SEXY SHORT FILM ONLINE. LUCKY THAT IT WAS ONLY UPLOADED TO THIRD RATE COPYCAT PORN SITES WITH SHITTY SECURITY. THE VIDEO WOULD HAVE BEEN INDEXED AND THUMBNAILS MIGHT EXIST ON SEARCH ENGINES BUT UNLIKELY AND NOT SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT"

"thanks" I typed. This was good. That was one less thing on my mind. I was getting closer.

Beatrice had covered the mirror in front of me "to give me the full effect" so I just left my mind drift.

I felt my phone vibrate.

"ONE MORE THING. HERE'S THE ADDRESS WHERE THE FIRST INSTANCE OF THE VIDEO WAS UPLOADED FROM"

-- Map Link Received --

"A FINAL FAVOR TO MY GOOD FRIEND EDDIE"

"Thank you, Net Knight"

"DEBT IS PAID. DON'T CONTACT ME AGAIN, LITTLE LADY. HAPPY HUNTING".

Before I could type any response, I had gotten a pop up saying "You have been blocked by this user".

Bea snapped me back to reality.

"Now for you makeup dear" she said with a huge smile.

I thought that might have been going overboard but it served my goal of making her the perfect girl so I didn't object. Neither Laura nor I knew how to apply makeup so this was a good opportunity to see her at her most alluring. So I sat back and let Bea do her magic.

It surprised me how her mother seemed to totally accept her new daughter. Mine would have raised all hell if I had even suggested something as crazy as this.

Eyebrows, eye lashes, lips, every last section of my face was deliberately and expertly cared for. When the mirror cover came of, I couldn't recognise the girl looking back at me. She was incredibly beautiful and exuded a youthful elegance.

"Oh honey, you look so beautiful" Mum exclaimed. She closed the distance between us and took my hands "My beautiful daughter, let's go get you some clothes to match".

I had to admit my face and body were currently a juxtaposition. Out of this world beauty on top, plain tomboy on the bottom.

'I might give away all her sweaters to a shelter to help nudge her in the right direction' I thought to myself.

The shitty clothes though did little to stop the stares I got however. I had been in my fair share of the spotlight in my time but this was different. I was turning heads and it made me feel self conscious.

Mum looked proud atleast.

By the end, mum had bought me an entirely new wardrobe of dresses, skirts, tops, shoes and more. She kept buying outfits and when I didn't put up any resistance she bought even more. Laura had resisted a lot so I think she was overcompensating for lost time.

She only stopped when we couldn't carry any more. She convinced me to leave on the final dress I had tried and ditch the old clothes.

"Should we get some food?" she asked me with a big smile on her face. I felt guilty keeping my dad's affair a secret from her. She didn't deserve that. But I also didn't want Laura to wake up and her family was getting a divorce either.

"Murphy's coming. I'll eat when he gets here"

She gave a knowing smile. "oh he will adore you when he sees you. Help me take the bags to the car and I'll get out of your hair okay?"

=^..^=

It had been an quite a day. I had a plan, I'd made lots of progress and even made a new friend. Things were a little off and uncertain with Murphy so I hoped I could clear some of that tonight.

"Laura?"

I turned to see Valerie who was standing with Nicole and Fanny beside her.

"I thought that was you, you look different..."

"Nice outfit" Fanny said. I couldn't tell if she meant that or not.

I smoothed the skirt of my dress unconsciously. "Thanks" I told her regardless.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Valerie asked still eyeing me up and down.

"Umm just waiting for Murphy. He should be here any moment"

"Right..."

Why did she care I wondered. Yesterday she was pulling my hair and now here she is talking all nice.

I forced a smile, "I'll see you on Monday". I turned to face the mall entrance where I expected to see Murphy any second.

"Girl, chill" Valerie said as she walked around me to face me again. "Can you cheer?"

What?

"What?" I asked.

"Have you ever cheered before, do you want to?"

"What are you doing?" Fanny asked from behind me.

"I mean... she's pretty enough. Hot even. Slim" Valerie inspected me like a piece of meat.

"Thanks but..." I began

"Trials are on Tuesday..." she said matter of factly "If you change your mind. Come on girls, this place blows".

As the three girls walked off, I said under my breath 'Oh boy'.

=^..^=

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Enjoying Laura/Eddie's story so far? There's a lot more to come so stay tuned. Leave a comment :)

As I thought more about it, I actually started to seriously consider it.

On one hand, if I wanted to stop the bullying once and for all, this was a sure fire way. As a former football star, I knew really well that no one dared mess with our girls.

Also this girl was a bit of a wallflower desperately in need of friends. This would give her more than she knew what to do with.

On the other hand, Laura didn't know a single thing about cheerleading. And in the last two days I had come to realise there isn't a single athletic bone in her body. Plus did I really want to throw her to the wolves like that?

I mean, close proximity to Valerie and the rest of the squad? Poor girl wouldn't stand a chance.

God I didn't think this much when I was alive. Maybe if I had, I still would be.

I was dragged out of my thoughts by the sight of Murphy who simply froze when he saw me.

I smiled and waved to him but he didn't return it. I pushed loose locks of my hair behind my ear and walked up to meet him.

"Hi" I said still smiling.

"Hi" he finally responded.

I don't know what possessed me to do a twirl but that's what I did. This caused the skirt of the dress to spiral and it surprised me how good it felt.

I giggled. "How do I look?"

I'd expected him to say I looked beautiful or amazing or any other variation of that but instead he took my hand and pulled me out of the mall and away from the hustle and bustle of the now even more crowded mall.

"Where are we going?" I asked worried. He was being too forceful and my wrists were starting to hurt.

"Stop!" I yelled. He finally did and revealed the most pained expression.

"I don't understand what's going on" he told me after letting go of my hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't recognize you anymore. The way you talk, the way you act, now the way you look, your expressions" he blurted out in a rushed fashion.

"I'm just trying something new" This was bad. I'd never had this happen before. But then again, I hadn't interacted with this many people before. And trying to fix all her problems, I had stopped being careful.

"Nothing about you is the same! Even the subtle things you do that you don't even notice like the way you rub your nose ever so often"

Fuck. This is why I stay isolated. I searched her memories for a way out.

"You're crazy" I said. Something she'd told him numerous times in the past.

He shook his head, "Look, even the way you said that! Cold and calculating. I feel like I'm losing my mind"

He was right after all. Even with her memories, I could only pretend to be her at a passing glance. Anyone that really looks must see it plain as day.

"I.. I" I stuttered. I had to leave. "I have to go"

I turned to leave.

"When's my birthday?" I heard him ask.

"May 4th" I said confidently "Of course I know your birthday."

"Who was my first kiss?"

"Allie. 6th grade. Murphy, it's me" I tried convincingly "I'm just trying to be someone else because everyone kept walking all over me and using me and I'm sick of it"

"Everything's fucked in my life" I didn't know when the tears started streaming down. "I need to be someone better. Someone who can stand up for herself and doesn't have to be the victim all the time".

"I feel like I'm on guard all the time afraid of when next someone is going to knock my food down or call me names!"

I don't know where the tears came from. Or the words for that matter. But the next thing I knew, Murphy had enveloped me in a warm hug. I clung tightly to him.

"It's okay. I'm sorry"

Mission accomplished. If only I could get the tears to stop. I stood there, crying into his arms until I had none left.

Those were Laura's tears. And maybe some of mine too. When we had both calmed down, he spoke,

"It's okay Laura. How about we go in and get some food?"

"I want to go home" I replied. The more I interacted with people, the more chances there were to mess up in a way I couldn't go back from.

And anyway, I needed to end all this. And soon.

"Okay, I'll take you home" He agreed.

As he led me to his dad's car that he'd borrowed, he finally said it "You really do look amazing"

I smiled back at him. Better late than never I guess.

=^..^=

We rode mostly in silence through the streets of our suburb. Occasionally I'd glance at him and wonder what he was thinking so when we started nearing the house, I asked him, "what's on your mind?"

"It's just... Could it be some kind of split personality thing?"

"This again?"

"Laura you're like a completely different person"

"You're being dramatic" I said back to him. That's right, dismiss and deny.

"Yesterday you didn't know your locker combination... and you didn't know that was Valerie's usual seat either"

Okay dismissing wasn't working.

"I had a lot on my mind. With the video and Gino..." I said changing the subject.

"What are you going to do about that anyway?" Murphy asked as the car rolled to stop in front of my house. Dad's car was in the driveway so I knew he was back.

"Probably just let him release if he wants to" I lied "I can't have him holding that over me forever"

"That's not a very good plan. Do you want to figure out something together?"

"Thanks but no. I don't think Gino actually wants to hurt me. I doubt he'll do it."

"Well if you insist" He resigned "I'm here if you need anything"

"Thanks Murph, you're the best" I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I know I can always rely on you"

With a final smile, I pulled the door handle and got out of the car leaving him speechless.

Of course I had no intention of letting Gino release anything. I was going to rain fire on him if he dared.

'When I'm done with him, he'll wish he never heard the name Laura Hill' I thought to myself with a smile.

Only when I got in the house and close the door did I hear Murphy's car start and drive off.

=^..^=

"Hi Dad" I said as I walked passed the living room heading for the stairs.

"Laura" I heard him say which caused me to let out a sigh before turning.

I saw his eyes scan me from head to toe. The full long hair, the stylish a-line dress and wedge sandals, I would have paid a pretty penny to know his thoughts in that moment.

"Who was that outside?"

"Oh just Murphy dropping me off" I replied.

"Hmm... seems I have to have a talk with him. Invite him tomorrow" He said like it was no big deal.

"To the family dinner?" I asked horrified.

He only grunted his confirmation before turning back to the TV.

=^..^=

It didn't take me long to have Signal installed on her computer and the zipped file downloaded.

It did take me very long though to sift through all the files it contained.

To cut it short, yes there was porn, lots of it but that wasn't a crime. There was even regular everyday stuff like PDFs and screenshots of text messages and video games.

Interestingly, I found screenshots of alt right discord channels with racist messages and some borderline neo-nazi rhetoric.

But still not much incriminating. Kids at that age get into some weird shit. It was until I found what Willie had mentioned. The MATERIAL001-NEW folder.

There were pictures and videos of me and atleast 1 other girls. I didn't recognise but that didn't matter. I had him. And I knew just how to handle it.

=^..^=

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Slowly but surely my eyelids drifted apart and I was bombarded with blinding rays of light streaming into the room through the open window.

It was Saturday morning and I was still Laura. Good. I couldn't leave yet anyway.

"Honey are you up?" I heard my mum from the other side of the closed door.

"I am now" I voiced back.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah!"

"Okay your food is in the kitchen. Remember we're going out tonight. Your dad said you should see if Murphy is available to come"

"Okay mum" I certainly didn't miss being a teenager.

"Call us if you need anything. Bye sweetie". I listened as her shoes clicked and clacked back down the stairs till I couldn't hear it anymore. Not long after, I heard my Dad's Escalade rev to life and drive off.

Sweet silence. I had the house to myself. Time to get to work.

I sent two text messages. One to Murphy inviting him to dinner with my family this evening. The other to Gino.

"My parents aren't home. Wanna come over?"

They had a game tonight and maybe some practice as well so I had to do it early.

Ever the poet, he replied:

"nice c u soon"

I had to get ready. I took a quick shower and put on my battle gear which consisted of the shortest skirt I owned (courtesy of last night's shopping trip), a black push up bra Laura had gotten early in her transition and my only pair of heels.

To top it all off, I added a red satin button up blouse with the top 3 buttons open to give a very clear view of her cleavage underneath.

After brushing my hair and watching myself move in the mirror, I decided I was ready.

=^..^=

When I heard the door bell ring, I did my best to calm myself and put my game face on. Show time.

I felt amazing as I walked down the stairs to open the door. Like the most powerful being in the world. Eddie Russo had never felt this good.

I opened the door and gave Gino the most sultry smile I could manage.

"Gah damn!" He exclaimed as I walked away from the door leaving him to enter and close it behind him. The heels forced me to sway my hips for balance which I'm sure added to the appeal.

"Look who finally decided to come around" Gino said confidently "I'm already hard looking at you"

I turned back around to face him. This was going to be fun.

"Get on your knees" He told me "Price of my silence, you know how it goes".

I smiled, "How about we do things a little differently? Why don't YOU kneel and suck it?"

You see when I was sifting through all of his porn, I noticed a common trend. More often than not, the guy was being dominated. This was a gamble, but I had a good feeling.

Gino looked stunned. When I gestured to the floor again with my loveliest smile, I saw his knees start to buckle. With not so much as a word of dissent, Gino dropped to his knees.

"Come" I said. It took a second for whatever pride he had left to dissipate to be replaced with lust and I watched this tough guy crawl on his knees towards me.

When he finally reached me, he reached for my skirt but I slapped his hand away, "Not yet"

Gesturing to my heels, I commanded him to take them off and he did.

I took a seat with him still kneeling in front of my chair. It was time for phase two.

Raising my left leg, I placed my toes right on his forehead to no resistance.

"Suck it" I told him.

From his angle and with my short skirt, I knew he was getting a full view which only made me more excited. I told myself I was only doing this to break him down and make him do whatever I wanted but I wasn't so sure anymore.

He took my leg in his hands and stuck as many of my toes as he could fit in his mouth. I scoffed at what was happening. I hadn't even played my cards and he was already putty in my hands. Or feet I should say.

I had to stay focused though. It was time to play my cards.

"I'm going to need you to delete that video" I told him.

This seemed to snap him out of his trance and suddenly Gino was back. When he let go of my feet, I crossed my leg, toes still dripping with saliva.

"And why would I do that?" he asked while cleaning his mouth

"Because blackmailing is a crime and you're very sorry?" I joked.

He laughed "I have you by the balls. You have to do what I say"

"And if I don't?"

"Murphy and the rest of the school get to see just how much of a slut you really are"

I sat up in my chair.

"How about this? You're going to delete that video because if you don't, I'll tell the entire school you've been stalking me" I told him seriously

"So what? Nobody is going to believe you. Just another desperate cry for help by a loser nobody"

"You're not even going to deny it?"

"You have no proof. You wouldn't be putting on this whole charade if you did"

"Oh but I do. I found your cloud backup and all your files. Does 'Material double O 1' sound familiar?"

Gino had put some distance between us at this point. It was already over and he didn't even know it. His face was white and he looked like he had some trouble breathing.

"Whatever you think found doesn't belong to me. I'll deny it. You still have no proof. Nobody is going to believe a tranny bitch over me"

"Maybe they wouldn't have before, but not when they see this video" I smiled and nodded over to the TV where my phone was propped up with full view of the entire living room.

Horrified he rushed over and grabbed the phone. I laughed "Don't bother, it's streaming.. Say cheese" I told him.

"But don't worry, nobody's watching the stream... yet".

I watched a dejected Gino end the stream and place the phone on table before taking a seat at the nearest couch.

It felt amazing.

"You release anything about me, I release your video. I'm not going down alone"

He fell into my trap the moment he set foot in the house.

"Distribution of child pornography is punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Don't make things worse for yourself". I said having been waiting for him to say that.

I stood up and made my way to the door, "Don't worry, just delete the video and no one has to ever find out about any of this".

I opened the door for him. He looked defeated. Each unsteady step he took to the door filled me with joy.

"I'm giving you a chance here, take it. And if I hear that you threaten another girl ever again, I'll destroy you. Now get out".

Gino didn't say anything else. I wondered if he could still taste my foot in his mouth.

=^..^=

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Another chapter down. How are you enjoying it so far? Let me know.

Story's already done in my head, just need to put it down. Stay tuned.

"dinner with your family?? like me you and your parents"

I read the text that had just arrived from Murphy. I was still riding the high of what had just happened. I had made a plan and executed it to perfection.

And as much as I hated to admit it, that was very much unlike me. See I never really made plans. I didn't think things through. I certainly never had backup plans for my backup plans like I'd just done.

"And Lucas. Are you busy? I can just tell my dad that you're busy" I texted back careful not to deviate too much from how she typed in previous messages.

The next message came almost immediately.

"laura do NOT tell your dad that i'm busy"

"what time?" he texted again

"did you talk about me?" and again.

"Not really, it was last night when you dropped me off" I replied.

I was still sitting in the living looking like I'd just walked out of a dirty magazine with my left toes cold from the saliva.

I decided I needed another shower.

I picked up my heels and made my way upstairs. Took the rest of the outfit off and made my way into the bathroom.

Before I could get in though I heard my phone ding again.

"what time?"

"6 7 ish" I replied. 'Does she say ish?' I thought to myself. Not that I could recall.

"ok I'll be there around 6:30"

"Oh yeah btw we're going out to eat" I remembered and told him.

"what where?"

"I don't know. Just come here and we'll go together"

"I'd rather meet you there"

"Suit yourself. I'll find out and let you know"

"formal?"

"Oh my god, just wear anything"

"fine"

Why was he being so extra? Anyway when I was sure there weren't any more messages, I finally got in the shower. Washing the last bits of Gino off me felt great.

=^..^=

A shower, a meal and a movie later, I got a text from Lillian.

"hey girl what are you up to?"

I checked the time and it was only about 1:30pm. I had atleast 3 more hours before my parents got back and I certainly wanted to hang out with Lillian if that's what she was offering.

I knew I probably should have just stayed in today. The more I interacted with people, the higher the chance of being in another situation like what happened with Murphy last night.

In the end, I decided that Lillian was a new friend and most likely safe. And besides, I had to water this budding friendship... for Laura's sake.

"Nothing really, just watching a movie" I texted back and waited.

Instead of the text back though, I got a call from a number I didn't have saved.

"Girl hi" Lillian's soft voice came through my speakers.

"hi" I responded.

"So you want to come over? "

"Oh sure" I said without hesitation.

"Awesome, I'll send you the address" I swear I could hear the happiness in her voice.

"Okay" I replied smiling not minding that she couldn't see it.

"Just to warn you though, we won't be alone. And do you have a swimsuit? No worries if you don't, you can borrow one of mine" She giggled.

Okay this I hadn't planned for. Still, hanging out with pretty girls in bikinis? What's not to like.

"I think I have one"

"Okay, just texted you the address. Just ring when you get here. Byee" she said finally in a playful manner.

I tossed my phone on the bed and let out a big sigh. Time to get dressed. I knew I could tuck really well, Laura could I mean, and since she was very small down there I could probably get away with a normal bikini but I decided not to risk it.

A mishap would essentially end any chance of a normal life she had so I decided to go with a swim skirt. Bonus points that I could just wear the skirt there anyway. Were they at a public pool?

I slipped on a loose crop top over the bikini top and paired the look with simple flat sandals. From what I could tell, it was quite a hot day outside and felt this would be the most comfortable.

When I was satisfied, I put my phone, a change of clothes and other essentials into a kind of tote bag and I was ready.

How would I even get there? Checking the address on a map, I accepted that I just couldn't walk it. I could order an Uber with my dad's account but then he'd know that I went out. That wasn't the worst thing in the world but I'd just rather not.

Mum's car was in the driveway and she usually kept the key in a tray in the living room. While Laura didn't know how to drive, Eddie sure did. We had a winner.

=^..^=

I unlocked the door of the Mazda CX-5 and got in and only then did it hit me. I hadn't been in the driver's seat of a car since I died. The memories of that night came rushing through. Dodging that car, spinning out of control with the brakes doing little to help.

I briefly considered just ordering an Uber but steeled myself.

'Don't be a bitch' I thought.

After adjusting the seat, I turned on the car and set off following the GPS.

=^..^=

I arrived at a large house 15 minutes later. It certainly wasn't a public pool like I had originally guessed. I parked mum's car behind one of the many cars lining the curb and texted Lillian.

"I'm here"

"Just ring the bell" She responded not even a minute later.

I took another deep breath before walking to the door to do as I'd been told.

"Hi, honey. My, my, aren't you pretty" The woman who had answered the door said with a big smile "Just walk through that door and out the back" She added pointing to a door at the end of the hallway behind her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Miller" I assumed. She seemed nice.

I admired the house as I walked through it. High ceilings and modern furniture. I gawked at the beautiful chandelier when I passed by an ajar door that showed the living room.

"Tell Lily there's some extra sandwiches in the kitchen" she called from the behind me.

"Okay" I sounded back.

=^..^=

The backyard was a gorgeous open space with pleasing decor and a swimming pool taking up most of it.

My eyes glanced around to all the kids there. 7 in total. Interestingly I only recognized Lillian and two other girls from our school. 1 girl and the 3 boys present were all strangers to me.

"Hi" I said shyly when one of the girls spotted me.

"Laura!" Lillian squealed as she ran up to give me a hug "Glad you could make it"

The hug felt nice and genuine and I just let myself get sucked into it.

"You look so pretty" she told me "And I just love your hair"

"Thanks" I blushed

"Come meet everyone" She said pulling me towards the rest of the group.

"You know Cassie and Emma" They both waved at me as she said that.

"that's Ronnie and his girlfriend Fiona" she pointed to the couple who were sharing a pool lounge chair in an intimate pose.

"That's my brother John and that's Damian" She gestured to two boys sitting on the farthest lounge chairs.

It wasn't hard to figure out which one was her brother. They had the same black hair with his styled in a taper.

Damian though had my full attention. A singular earring and a crew cut complimented his pretty face very well. His best feature by far was his body. Rock hard abs and a beautiful V shape that wouldn't have been amiss on a runway.

He wore nothing except a tiny pair of shorts that showed an outline, a hint of the package stored underneath.

"Hi" I said again while Lillian led me to a free lounge chair beside her. Although everyone there had their swimsuits on, the pool itself lay undisturbed. The closest to it being Cassie and Emma who sat on the pool edge with their legs in the water.

"Your mum said there's more sandwiches in the kitchen" I whispered to here as I took a seat.

"Okay" she acknowledged "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head just before Lillian handed me a non-alcoholic beverage. Another downside of being a kid.

"Lil, you didn't introduce her" John said.

"Sorry hi I'm Laura, nice to meet you" I said.

"Likewise" John said with a smile. Not so much as reaction from Damian.

"Did you bring a suit?" Lillian whispered to me.

I replied by taking off the crop top to reveal a bikini top that matched the skirt I had on "Ta da" I mouthed.

"I heard Valerie asked you to try out?" Cassie asked... or was she just telling me.

Girls really do talk. I guess it made sense. Cassie was on the squad after all.

"For real?" Lillian asked.

"Yeah but I don't know if I want to do it" I responded.

"Why not? You totally could" Cassie said convincingly.

"Of course you'd say that" Lillian told her jokingly.

"What do you even have against the cheerleading anyway?" Cassie asked.

I glanced over to John, Damian and the couple who were engrossed in their own conversation.

"Lily doesn't like organizations" Emma chipped in. Emma was the mutual friend between Lillian and Cassie. Emma and Lillian had known each other forever. When Cassie's family started coming to the same country club that Emma's did, they became friends out of necessity.

"No I don't like organizations that create unnecessary divisions and cheerleaders are all about that"

"What does that even mean?" Cassie asked seemingly confused.

"Let's change the subject" Lillian said and without waiting for approval she continued, "For what it's worth, I do think you should join though".

Lillian and Valerie weren't exactly tight so that was a bit surprising

"As long as you don't become stuck up afterwards and we can still be friends" She added.

Cassie looked like she was going to say something but didn't. I wondered why Emma wasn't on the squad either. If I had to guess, I'd say even though she was pretty, she wasn't exactly thin like the other girls.

"How do you guys all know each other?" I asked cutting into the other conversation.

"Oh Ronnie and Damian are my buddies from college" John said.

College boys. I kinda got that vibe.

"Right" was my only response. Everyone seemed to just be lounging and drinking but that water looked amazing.

Slipping off my sandals I decided there was no time like the present. I walked up to the edge of the pool, took a deep breath and with a little hop, I dropped in.

I stayed motionless as I let myself sink lower and lower.

This was about as different of an experience as I could imagine. 2 months ago I was a regular guy living my best life. My buddies and I had been thinking about starting a business together. Now I was a 16 year old girl in a pool with college boys waiting for me to resurface.

It was reassuring that none of them was giving me the time of day though. I don't know if I'd have had this much restraint when I was their age.

I loved how the water dulled the sounds of the outside world allowing me to be filled with my own thoughts. Bubbles occasional passed through my lips destined for the surface.

How long had I been down here? Her lung capacity must have been much less than mine had been because I was already feeling the strain. Time to go.

I kicked the water beneath my feet and slowly ascended until my head broke through the surface. I took a deep breath and laughed.

"Find anything down there?" Damian asked.

I blushed, took another breath, held it in and went beneath the surface again. This time my peace was disturbed by another pair of feet breaking through the water barrier.

Damian. I watched as he slowly descended to my level looking me in the eyes. I stared back. The distorted rays of sunlight bounced on his chest even underwater.

Since when did I start looking at boys like this? Why did it feel normal?

My thoughts however were interrupted by multiple sets of feet breaking the water barrier. I rose to get some air and saw everyone except the couple now found themselves in the pool. Damian arose not long after me. His eyes still trained on me.

When John pushed water with his palm and splashed it in his sister's face, he began a frenzy of water splashing and screaming teenagers.

I don't remember how it had started, maybe one of the boys had challenged the other but soon we were racing from one edge of the pool to the other having the time of our lives.

Sometime later, John I think it was had done a backflip into the pool. When Cassie had captured it as a really cool photo, it had given rise to our next activity. With each picture that Cassie or Emma or someone else took of me, I found myself getting closer to them. And I think them to me as well.

This went on and on until slowly but surely every last one of us had become exhausted and regained their original places on the lounge chairs.

I had had so much fun. More than I expected. Damian, John, Ronnie as well as the rest of us girls talked and laughed so much that you would have thought we had been long time friends.

Eventually, Lillian had brought up Murphy at which point I remembered the dinner. Checking the time to see 5:12pm, I realised I had to get going before my parents got back and found a missing car.

Lillian told me I could change in the pool house which I did and said my goodbyes.

Damian had offered to drop me off but unfortunately I had to tell him that I'd driven there to the surprise of everyone.

Still he walked me to the car and stood there till I left effectively subverting all my expectations that he would ask for my number.

The driveway was still empty when I got home to my relief. I got out of the car making sure to readjust the seats. As I walked into the house, I reminisced about the day I'd had. But it wasn't over yet.

=^..^=

I texted Murphy the address of the restaurant as I sat in the backseat of my father's escalade with Lucas.

"Okay I'll be on my way" he texted back.

"Dress fancy" I sent back before turning my focus to the world flying by me.

It had been around 6:40pm when my parents returned and nearly an hour later when we left the house so it was dark now as we rode to the fancy restaurant my dad had chosen.

Mum had basically dressed me herself picking largely from the outfits she'd bought me the night before.

The loose satin blouse tucked into a knee length skirt was both young and chic. Somewhere along the line, I had lost my aversion to these kinds of outfits. Eddie would have been horrified by what he'd seen in the mirror but this me wasn't and that scared me.

All this time, I thought I had been changing Laura but I started to realise that maybe she'd been changing me just as much.

The restaurant was fancier than I expect with a lush amount of greenery and warm colours.

"Oh Peter, this place is beautiful" Mum exclaimed. I agreed. The elegance was obvious. I briefly wondered about the price tags on the menus but smiled when I remembered I didn't have to worry about that.

We were met at the door, asked for the name of our reservation and escorted to our seats at a beautiful corner table with exquisite views of the world outside.

There certainly were some perks about my predicament. Very little chance I'd have been able to eat at a place like this in my old life.

Lucas preoccupied with his iPad didn't make much fuss so most of the attention fell to me. They'd ask me questions like "how was school?" which I usually dismissed with a one word answer.

Mum would occasionally tell us about work or about a particularly annoying customer she'd had. I watched as she touched his arm and laugh at his bland jokes. Sometimes I'd smile at these shows of affection and catch myself when I realised that he never reciprocated any of them.

Their relationship was a lie and I had to do something about it.

=^..^=

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Another one down :) Thoughts? I look forward to hearing from you.

But what could I really do? If I told mum, their relationship would almost surely end. Great for them probably, bad for Laura and Lucas.

If I told dad that I knew and tell him to stop? Maybe he agrees and stops but her relationship with her family almost certainly gets strained beyond repair. He needed to keep seeing her as his little girl and this would ruin that.

"Something on your mind pumpkin?" He asked me.

Atleast I knew he loved his kids and maybe they were the ones keeping the family together. There's also the chance that Laura was the reason they fell apart in the first place.

I remembered her father used to be very much against the transition. I remembered them fighting over it. I thought maybe Laura might have blamed herself too but those memories weren't clear.

"Just about school. I've been asked to join the cheerleading squad" I offered.

"Honey that's wonderful" Mum said happily "You know, I used to be on the squad. I tell you, those girls will be your rock. I'm still friends with a lot of them"

Laura didn't know that. Her parents never really talked about their lives growing up. The story of how they even met, Laura had found out from her grandmother. Susan had only been an intern at the same firm Peter worked at. Apparently it had been a hushed marriage when Susan had gotten pregnant with their first child, Liam at the time.

Granny talked a bit too much when she drank and she drank a lot when she babysat.

"I wish I knew you back then" Dad told her. "You still have the body" Was that the first compliment I'd heard him throw her way.

She laughed "No I don't, I love my kids but you two really butchered my body" She gave me a smile. I smiled back.

I glanced over at Lucas who was playing some dumb game on his iPad. That kid's not going to be able to hold a conversation when he grows up.

=^..^=

While the waiter took our orders, my attention was drawn to the familiar Jeep Wrangler that had just pulled in and was being attended to by the same valet that had taken dad's Escalade. We told the waiter that that was the last of our party that had just arrived and he suggested he'd return which my dad acknowledged.

When Murphy stepped out, I did a quick scan of his outfit. Dark blue jeans paired with a button up shirt and a blazer. His hair was combed in a messy fashion that pretended to not have taken much effort but I knew better. Overall a nice touch.

"He's here" I announced. I waved at him as he walked through the restaurant doors and signaled him over. The Maître d' seeing this exchanged didn't bother him and just let him come over.

"Hello Mr. Hill, Mrs. Hill" he said charmingly. My my, he really did clean up nicely.

"Murphy! So wonderful to see you again" Mum exclaimed all bright and bubbly in usual fashion.

"Hello young man, please take a seat" My dad said stoically.

"Hey little man" Murphy who was referring to Lucas smiled as he took a seat on my brother's and my side of the rectangular table with my parents on the other side.

For the first time this evening, Lucas acknowledged someone else at the table albeit with a single "hey".

"Hi Laura, you look pretty" he told me

"Thanks" I blushed.

Seeing this exchange, my father proceeded with his line of questioning.

"Murphy is it?"

"Yes sir"

"Tell me about yourself. I hear your name come up quite a lot"

Thanks dad.

"Oh um I live with my father. He uh teaches at the university"

"A learned man" Dad nodded seemingly approvingly. "You may know that I also make a living by dissemination of information so we do have something in common".

Murphy nodded. He looked so nervous. So cute.

"And your mother?" He continued.

"She passed sir"

"My condolences"

"It's fine Mr. Hill. It was a long time ago"

That it was. Infact it was before Laura and Murphy had become friends so she'd never met her either.

Mum of course already knew. Laura had told her when she'd had her own barrage of questions about him sometime ago.

The waiter arrived at our table and finally took our orders. In the end, all of us settled for some form of steak, rib or filet except mum and Lucas who went with a salad dish and specially made burger respectively.

=^..^=

"Any plans for college yet?" Dad continued his questions.

"I'm actually planning to defer for a year to get some real world experience" Murphy responded. While that was true, real world experience basically meant travel for a year.

"Oh that's smart" mum chipped in "Didn't you do that too honey? You always talked about how much that year helped you"

Dad grumbled. "It also set me back and delayed my career"

"Are you planning to do the same?" Dad turning to me for the first time in a while.

"I don't know" I replied.

"You remember Bill?" Dad turned to mum. She gave him an unsure nod so he continued anyway. "He's the Dean of Admissions now at my old alma mater and he always talked about the importance of finishing school young"

A decision that was atleast a year away? Yeah I'd let Laura make that one.

"Being a legacy of course gives you numerous advantages as well" He droned on "The opportunities for networking as well is incredibly valuable at that age and the kids you meet there might even end up becoming your business partners one day"

When did this turn into a lecture?

"Laura could join a sorority as well" Mum added. Did she ever disagree with him? And since when have they been planning out my college life. "She's just the kind of girl they're looking for"

"I had hoped to see my kid join the boys at Sigma Nu but of course that won't happen now" He took a bite from his steak. "I can honestly say they made me who I am today"

I decidedly wasn't having any fun. By the looks of it, neither was Murphy.

"There's always Lucas" Mum consoled him. "He's more like you in many ways than Laura ever was".

=^..^=

The rest of the dinner carried on in a similar manner. Dad would ask Murphy a question that inevitably led to him droning on about another subject or a question that was clearly a test. What he was testing though is anyone's guess.

Honestly it seemed dad was grilling him a bit hard but Murphy in usual fashion held up extremely well.

Still he seemed tense so I reached over and touched his lap. He responded by taking that hand in his own although his face remained as stoic as before.

"What career are you looking to get into?" Dad asked again.

"Oh honey, the boy is seventeen, you can hardly expect him to have it all figured out" Mum helped. "Eat the rest of your food, sweetie" She turned to my brother who had taken a few bites before devoting all his attention to his iPad.

Sometimes I wondered if all that screen time wouldn't have any lasting effects. I mean, my own parents didn't do much right but they certainly made sure I wasn't dependent on technology.

"Probably something with computers" Murphy offered "but it's such a rapidly changing field that I can't really make any final decisions now"

Mum was happy with Murphy's answer but not as much that Lucas wasn't listening to her. I thought about taking the iPad from him but didn't want to draw his attention to the fact that Murphy and I were still holding hands beneath the table. He could be such a blabber mouth Laura's memories told me.

Dad seemed to accept the answer as well which was about as good an outcome as we could have hoped for.

=^..^=

I had gotten used to the routine at this point. Mum would fawn over dad, he'd ignore her, he'd ask Murphy a question and he in turn would expertly answer. It certainly wasn't the casual dinner I'd been hoping for but atleast by now, I knew the drill.

All that ended though when dad excused himself and asked for a moment with Murphy alone. I looked to Murphy and he too returned the same expression of confusion that I expected must have been plastered on my face.

For the first time since I touched his lap earlier, our hands parted. I watched him follow my dad as they walked out the door and to the front of the restaurant.

"it's okay sweetie" Mum said in response to what must have been very clear worry on my face.

The good thing is I could see them through the glass windows on the restaurant. Unfortunately I couldn't hear anything as they began talking.

I watched their stances fluctuate from casual conversation between old friends and Murphy looking like he was about to salute his drill sergeant.

When my attention would occasionally turn back to those still at the table, I would always find mum watching me.

"Sweetie, can you wear your headphones?" Mum asked Lucas. This request he obeyed of course since he'd only had it off because mum had asked him to anyway.

When she was sure he couldn't hear us, she turned to me "You love him, don't you sweetheart?"

This caught me by surprise but it was still a fairly easy question to answer. It was true I was falling in love with him. I didn't even know if it was just Laura falling in love with him or if there was a part of me that did too.

Who was I even? It had only been a few days but when I thought of myself, I thought of Laura, a wonderful young girl trying to break out of my shell. It felt like Eddie Russo was being washed away with every second I stayed in Laura's body. Worst part is I didn't even mind it.

Pretty and smart with parents that love me. I had my whole life ahead of me. I had Murphy. What's not to like?

I nodded shyly.

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. You're feeling something that most people never get to feel"

"You've found your person and I see how happy he makes you so don't worry about anything else because that's what matters to me. That you're happy"

She took a breath, "... and to preserve that happiness, I want you to be careful. The truth is we women love the hardest and we feel it the strongest when it ends"

"And that is not to say your love will not last, I see the way he looks at you. He loves you too, it's just..." She paused as if searching for the right words to say.

Words that never came.

In the end, her final words would ring deep in my heart.

Don't be afraid to leave when it turns out to be not what you expected.

"Laura, as women, we do our best but I want you to know that it's okay to leave if it doesn't turn out to be what you hoped for"

=^..^=

Her words were all I could think about. Even while Lucas sloppily picked at the meat in his burger. Even as dad and Murphy returned and took their seats. What did she mean?

'What was she trying to tell me?' I wondered.

The serious air around her disappeared immediately the men returned and she was back to her usual bubbly personality.

"Murphy? Did you drive here?"

"Yes Mrs. Hill" he replied.

"Hun, what do you say we let Murphy drop her off?" She asked dad. "I feel bad about taking up their Saturday night"

Dad only gave a small nod which was all she needed, "Have her back by 10:30" she said finally.

And that was that. The absolutely horrible dinner had come to an end. Dad's drilling, whatever that was from mum at the end. I thought back to holding Murphy's hand. Maybe it wasn't all bad.

"Bye mum, Bye dad" I said as I stood and took my purse. I thought about saying something snarky to Luke but he still had headphones on.

'That kid is in big trouble' I thought to myself as I waved my parents goodbye.

=^..^=

It didn't take long for Murphy's car to arrive and soon he was driving with me in the passenger seat.

God he looked so good in the driver's seat and something about the manual transmission just really did it for me.

"I'm sorry" I told him.

He chucked "for what?"

"My dad. My mom" I said "They can be a lot".

"Your mum's really nice. Your dad... cares about you a lot" he assured me.

"What did you guys talk about?" I asked curiously

"Oh he just really had to know what brand of aftershave I use" He gave me a smile.

"I'm serious" I smiled back.

"He uh he just told me not to hurt you"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really"

We came in contact with a bump in the road which caused us to jump slightly.

"You were out there for a while though"

"Okay" he conceded "He said there's a lot of girls in the world. Why you?"

I tried my best not to show any reaction, "What'd you say?"

"The truth. That your better than all the girls in the world"

It's good that he kept his eyes on the road because in that moment, if he had looked at me with those eyes, I would have broken into a thousand pieces.

"... except Natalie Portman of course" he said with a laugh.

I laughed too, "Shut up" I said then blushed even harder.

"He said..." Murphy wasn't done yet. "... you're very strong but also fragile. And he asked me to protect you and to not let you down."

"He said all that?" I asked in disbelief. Dad never said more than a few seconds to me. To Laura.

"He did. And I promised him I would no matter what."

I sat back in the chair. Wondering what I did to deserve him. In the back of my mind though, I knew I didn't have him. None of this belonged to me. I was simply borrowing this life and eventually I'd have to give it back.

"... even if you turn out to be a crazy lady with 15 alters" He smiled at me again.

I punched him playfully in the elbow. 'Why did he do that?' I wondered. Make jokes in moments like that.

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked changing the subject. My heart had had just about all it could take.

"You'll see"

=^..^=

He'd made it sound so special but it turned out it was just our local park. He'd parked the car and at this point, we were walking through the beautiful park illuminated partially by lamps and the moonlight.

The soft material of my skirt swished back and forth as we walked, only slightly distracting me from all I was feeling tonight.

There was occasional chatter from other people at the park but it was still quiet enough that you could hear the light taps my sandals made on the stone pathways.

I felt a soft sensation as his hand encased mine a few minutes into our walk. I was careful not to look at him in order not to scare him off. I wanted him to know that I welcomed it so I squeezed his hand lightly.

What was happening to me? The thought of this whole situation seemed so ridiculous but at the same time so right. I loved him. God I did. I had never felt anything like this.

"Murphy..." I turn to say something that I can't even remember now because my mind went blank. Empty. The only thing that remained was the realization that he was kissing me.

=^..^=

Cloud Nine. Euphoria. If you asked me what we did for the next one hour, I honestly couldn't tell you. Did we have dinner? No no, we'd already eaten. Maybe we walked some more? I don't know.

All I knew was that I wanted to be his and to be in his arms forever. That's what I thought about as he drove me home nearing the 10:30 deadline.

I watched him drive. I watched his lips and remembered the moment. I remembered cleaning my lipstick off his lips with my thumb and smiled.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing" I responded.

Thankfully he didn't say anything and a short drive later, we were pulling up to the house.

"Thanks for tonight" I told him while unbuckling my seatbelt.

"I had fun" he said.

"Me too" I responded making no moves to get out of the car.

"I guess.. I'll see you on Monday... I'll call you" he managed awkwardly. He was so cute.

I shuffled across my seat, leaned in, he did the same and soon our lips met for the second time tonight.

They said lightning doesn't strike the same spot twice. Boy how wrong they were.

=^..^=

Yesterday had been quite the day. I'd dealt with Murphy, hung out with Lillian and that future runway model Damien, had dinner with the parents and kissed Murphy. Twice.

When I had finally had the chance to calm down, I realised how selfish I was being. I had stolen Laura's life and essentially turned it upside done. Even worse, I'd stolen her first kiss with the boy she loved and I couldn't give it back.

I'd made friends with people she might not like and turned her into someone she might not even want to be.

If you'd asked me last night if I wanted to wake up today as someone else, I'd have told you "No".

Now, I had come back to my senses. It was time to end it. Today.

I'd spent all morning on her computer preparing everything I would need. I made sure I had all the addresses and directions right and prepared to begin the final leg of my quest to fix Laura's life and leave.

"Dad can I have $100?" I asked him as he sat in his usual chair watching football.

"$100? What do you need that for?" He asked.

"I'm going with some friends to watch a movie"

He sighed. "Murphy?"

"No, my friend Lillian and her friends"

He looked like he was going to say something but didn't.

"Be safe" Was all he said as he opened his wallet and handed me $150.

"Thanks daddy" I squealed as I made my way out the door.

=^..^=

I had chosen a white floral sundress and brown flat sandals for my final day. I had come to love wearing dresses which was something I could have never expected in a million years.

Whether it was Laura or me didn't matter anymore. If I had everything right, I would wake up tomorrow in the body of some ugly man somewhere and that broke my heart but I had to get it done. I just wanted to savor it.

The only blemish on my pretty outfit was the blue backpack that currently hung on my back carrying the most crucial parts of my plan.

I checked to make sure everything was in order and that I had enough charge on my phone. When I was satisfied, I set off for the bus stop.

=^..^=

Laura didn't know the way to the train station but thanks to google, she didn't need to. Soon I was boarding the earliest train with my stop at the next town.

That was crucial. I couldn't have any of this being traced back to Laura.

As the train slowly but surely started moving, I settled in for the journey. I put her airpods in my ear and decided to give her Playlist a listen.

The train chugged along its track, passing house after house and street after street. Soon there weren't any houses left and the only things that made up the horizon were miles and miles of empty fields.

I thought about my plan. It wouldn't solve the problem entirely but after thinking and rethinking the problem. This was the best I could do and it would have to be enough.

=^..^=

This town was much bigger than ours which was good. More people was better for my plan in the end. The phone was coming in very handy as I was able to find the public library and make my way there using the public transport routes.

"Hi sweetie, how can I help you?" A middle aged woman with auburn hair asked when I got to the library.

"I need to print something"

"Oh don't worry, I can help you with that" he said with a friendly smile.

"It's private. I have to do it myself" I told her after having a slight panic.

"Okay sweetie that's fine. You can use one of our computers to print although there is a small fee"

"That's fine."

=^..^=

I watched in glee as the printer hummed to life and sucked a piece of paper into its compartments.

When it spat the piece of paper back out, I hurriedly checked the print to make sure everything was in order. Sure enough there it was: "WHAT IF YOUR WIFE FOUND OUT? WHAT IF YOU LOST YOUR KIDS?" written in the boldest font I could find on Microsoft Word. Perfect.

I unplugged the flash drive from the computer, placed it and the now enveloped A4 paper in my bag and headed for the door. Next stop, the post office.

=^..^=

The boy at the counter couldn't take his eyes off me. This was an issue. The very last thing I wanted was to be recognised and described if it ever came to it.

"Return address?" He asked.

"None thank you" He didn't seem to care. Good.

Soon the envelope I'd handed him had been processed and I paid what turned out to be cheaper than I thought. That envelope was destined for my father's news station and addressed specifically to him. Just one more thing.

"Can I use your phone? I need to call my brother to pick me up and mine's dead." I pleaded in the sweetest voice I could come up with.

"Su... Sure" the attendant replied handing me his phone.

I made a show of leaving my own clearly expensive but switched off phone on the counter before walking out of the store and dialing the Police Non Emergencies tip line.

The phone rang for a while and just when I was about to give up, it was answered. Without waiting, blurted out:

"Hi I'm sixteen and I was raped by some older guy. I don't think I'm the only one. He recorded it and..."

"Please slow down" the voice on the line rang out.

No way, I was on a mission.

"He recorded it and put it online and now I'm being blackmailed. Please help me"

"I need you to tell me your name and where you are. What about your parents?"

Yeah nice try.

I pleaded some more without allowing her to get a word in then gave them his address. Somewhere along the line, I pretended to cry which I hoped showed some urgency and help my case.

When she began to ask more questions, I hung up.

=^..^=

Neither of these were full proof plans of course. Daddy could just ignore the message and that's if he even got it.

The police could treat this as a prank call or something although I don't know why they would. They had his address and I'm sure if they looked into his search history for more than 5 seconds they'd have reason to worry.

But still all of this could end up nowhere. In any case I had done my best and most importantly my conscience was clear. I had done all I could for Laura and I was sure she could take it from here.

I handed the attendant back his phone, thanked him and went on my way.

=^..^=

The train ride back went as smoothly as the first. I listened to music and watched the scenery fly by.

Sometime into the ride, I wondered what would happen if I woke up here tomorrow. I had done all I set out to do.

She had Murphy, Lillian, a cheerleader spot if she wanted it, parents that seemed to have accepted her and most importantly zero scandals.

But what if being stuck here wasn't a temporary thing? Truth be told I wouldn't mind it. I'd gladly live this life if stealing it wasn't my choice.

My conscience was clear. Regardless of where in the world I woke up tomorrow, I'd be happy.

=^..^=

If Laura did come back tonight, how would she cope? Almost nothing about her life is the same? She'd be as confused as I was when I first time got here.

Everything that happened with Murphy, with her parents, with Valerie and the cheerleaders. She'd be blindsided. She'd go to school on Monday and not know why Lillian was acting like her friend.

It was in that moment that I decided to break one of my cardinal rules. I would have to talk to her.

=^..^=

I sat in my bed... in her bed as I prepared what to say. I'd come home and neither of my parents had batted an eye. They'd ask how the movie was and I had lied. Small price to pay.

Now though I had to focus my mind, gather my thoughts and leave a message for Laura if she did come back tonight.

'What should I say?' I wondered. I had to be careful not to make things even worse and make her go crazy.

Enough thinking. Be Eddie Russo once more. Wing it.

"Hi Laura. I hope you get a chance to listen to this before you go about your day" I began. I spoke clearly into the phone camera which was propped up on her vanity. I used the voice that now felt most natural. Hers.

"You've probably woken up and realised that things are very different. If you've already been out in the world, you've experienced that first hand. If not, I'm going to do my best to prepare you for it.

Thursday morning last week, I was put into your body by someone I can only assume to be God. You needed help. I have never been a believer myself but how else can you explain this?

I found out about the fox, the video, about Gino using it against you. Don't worry though, if all went according to my plans I fixed all of that for you. The video should be gone now and so should the fox. If he isn't, I left his home address in a pdf in a folder on your desktop. You'll want to check it when you're done listening here.

Gino shouldn't be a problem anymore. In the same folder is a video recording of him admitting everything along with some incriminating evidence of him stalking you and other girls. It's also very embarrassing. You'll see what I mean.

I found out about the affair. What you ultimately do is still up to you but today I sent a post to his office. You can find the actual file in the same folder. Don't worry, I did it in another town so he'll never find out we did it.

Some good things though, you know Lillian? She's our friend now. She's really nice. We hung out at her pool on Saturday with Cassie and Emma and other friends in case she talks about that.

I changed up your style a bit. I know I had no right but you'll have more friends this way and you'll be bullied less. You're a girl and a very beautiful one too. Embrace it.

Valerie liked you so much that she invited you to try out for the squad on Tuesday. I wouldn't do it if you ask me but that's entirely up to you.

About Murphy... And we kissed last night. I'm sorry I know how much that must have meant to you. Don't be weird, he already suspects something was wrong with us."

I paused, 'what else?' I thought.

"I know how scary this must be for you because I've experienced it but I've been you, I know you're strong. And you can get through this.

I also wanted to thank you. For the first time in a long time, I am at peace. I feel light if that makes any sense. I'm not a good person, I know. Not even for lack of trying. Being you the past few days atleast makes me feel like I can be one now. Thank you"

I reached forward and stopped the video. Taking a pen, I wrote on a little sticky note "WATCH ME" and stuck it on the phone.

I was done. The job was finished. I don't know how I knew it but I did. If I lay on that bed, it would end. Credits.

I took one last look at the room. The walls, the wardrobe, my reflection in the mirror. God, I was going to miss this.

=^..^=

=^..^=

=^..^=

Whats that? Crying? It was so loud, so obnoxious. Make it stop.

Was it coming from me? Why couldn't I stop? Why couldn't I open my eyes?

Stop crying.

"Congratulations, it's a girl" I heard a voice.

'Hey! Hey! What's going on?' I tried.

All that came out of my mouth was that damn crying.

"Do you have a name yet?" That voice again.

'Hey! Help me!' I tried again. More crying. Was this hell? I guess I deserved it.

Eddie Russo wasn't a good person after all.

"Victoria. Her name is Victoria, after my grandmother"

'Victoria. What a pretty name' I thought.

I had a name too. What was it? It started with... ugh I don't remember.

I was someone before. Who was I?

Victoria.

=^..^=

THE END.

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END NOTES:

We made it. I can't believe someone actually read the whole thing. Thank you so much. What did you think about the direction it went? Especially the end.

I had considered keeping Eddie body hopping and helping more people. That probably has more story potential but in the end, I decided to let our boy rest.

Was that the right decision?

Right now I see two story paths moving forward

1. Eddie's story is over but Laura's is far from over. So many loose ends and uncertainties. It will be interesting to see how she handles everything.
2. Victoria. There's not much there as of now as it would be a fresh story but I was thinking about her regaining her memories at a certain age. Plagued with remembering things that she never lived as well as new skills she never learned, she may even contact Laura.

However this goes, I'm so glad we got to this point 5 years after it was first published.

Again, thank you and please let me know your thoughts. =^..^=