“I’m not sure what I want. Winning would be cool, but it would mean missing school and going on a road tour.”
“You’ll get more of an education living life than studying about it.”
“I’d rather be with you.”
“I feel the same way.”
“And it’s more than … well, Amber, I—”
“You what?” I asked breathlessly.
“That I … Amber, I think maybe … well … I love you.”
He spoke with such sincerity that tears blurred my eyes. I said those words back, and suddenly we were both talking excitedly, sharing thoughts and feelings and dreams. After a while, with the reluctance of a million aching hearts, I let him go.
Back to his Hollywood world of fame and fans.
To ward off self-pity, I kept replaying his “I love you” in my head. We’d only been together a few weeks and had never even kissed (at least not when I was in my real body), but I wanted to be with him so much. I could imagine his face and feel his touch. No denying it any longer — what I felt for Eli was like a giant blanket holding me warm and tight.
Love, love, love! His words had wings that flew me to a place happier than anywhere I’d ever been. I wanted to soak in his memory, lather myself in the hopes for our future, and sink into dreams for all the amazing things we’d do together. Once I returned to my real body, going out in public would be great, but staying in would be even better. We’d be a real couple, holding hands at school and sharing lunch and whispering sappy things just because we could. We’d talk, touch, and share until we were practically the same person.
This wonderful, fabulous, beyond-heaven emotion was too amazing to keep to myself. Love was the whole meaning of everything — the reason to breathe, a universal fabric uniting humanity, a solution to all the problems in the world. I only wished everyone I knew could feel this way, too.
Of course! I thought with a snap of my fingers. That was it!
The GEM said Alyce’s crisis was “love.” Maybe she was worried that I’d be too busy with Eli and she’d be left out. That wouldn’t happen, of course, but Alyce had kept her feelings to herself without giving me a chance to reassure her. She didn’t have many friends — maybe some casual “hey, how you doing?” friends in her classes, but only two real friends: Dustin and me.
What Alyce needed was a special someone all her own.
5
I could hardly sleep that night thinking up ways to introduce Alyce to L-O-V-E.
No hooking her up with a random guy. He’d have to be someone really amazing, who accepted her unique style and wasn’t easily intimidated by difficult mothers. He also needed to get along with Eli and me, too, so we could go on double dates.
Finding The Perfect Guy for Alyce would not be easy.
But I was up for the challenge, tossing and turning with whirling thoughts. I thought about the advice of a self-help book I had called
Remembering how annoyed I’d been when Grammy wore the wrong kind of clothes for my body, I was true to Alyce’s creative spirit and slipped on a black ankle-length jacket over a dark-brown shirt, mid-length skirt, and knee-high, lace-up boots. As I turned toward the window to pick up Monkey Bag, my gaze drifted down to the front yard — to the driveway.
Something was wrong … and then it hit me.
Stupid, stupid! Why hadn’t I noticed last night that there was only one car in the Perfetti driveway? And it wasn’t Alyce’s piece-of-crap dented station wagon.
Alyce bought her junker car after winning a local photography contest. She thrived on complaining that the car drank gas and made noises that sounded like farts, the tires were almost tread bare, and the crack in the side window looked like a smiling skeleton. Alyce really loved her car.
So where was it?
Unfortunately, I could guess the answer. Damn and double damn.
Alyce must have driven her car to Green Briar but parked it out of sight, which was why I didn’t spot it. I needed to get Junkmobile back before her mother woke up and saw that it was missing.
But when I tried to call Grammy at my real house, I got an automated voice asking me to leave a message. So I tried a different number.
“Amber?” Dustin answered right away. Even at this insane hour of the morning, Dustin was manning his “Headquarters.” I heard the hum of computers and a soft jingle from the keys he had dangling from his ceiling. He worked part-time for a locksmith and had a hobby of collecting unusual keys.
“Yeah, I’m still Alyce.”
“What do you need?”
“I don’t only call when I need something,” I argued.
“So you’re just calling to say good morning?”
“That, too. And I need a ride.”
“Right now?”
“Please,” I said with exaggerated sweetness.
“I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.”
“You never eat breakfast.”
“That’s beside the point. I might have plans and leaving could be really inconvenient. You know, I do have a life too,” he pointed out.
“I do know. But I thrive on adding drama to it.”
“True. Should I thank you?”
“A ride would be enough.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“I think Alyce left her car near Green Briar and I need to get it before it’s (a) stolen (b) towed away or (c) mistaken for garbage and hauled off to the dump.”
He groaned. “Amber, sometimes you make me crazy.”
“Only sometimes?”
“Continually,” he amended. “All right, I’ll be there in a half hour.”
“Twenty minutes?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Dustin was such a loyal friend that I’d be lost without him — literally. Not that I’d ever admit this to him. He already had a big enough ego and grand dreams of world domination.
After leaving a note for Alyce’s mother on the table saying I’d be back in a few hours, I stepped outside, shivering at the cold, misty air. The sun was creeping up through trees, a golden hue shivering through branches and casting strange shadows that brought back memories of the face I thought I’d seen last night.
That face. Could it really have been Gabe?
In the light of morning, this seemed ridiculous. I was just being seriously paranoid. All I’d seen was a neighbor crossing the lawn or someone out for an evening walk. Even if Gabe were around, he wouldn’t recognize me in Alyce’s body.
Dustin showed up in less than twenty minutes. I knew he’d come right away, both because once he made a
