Page 87 of Switch!

“I’ve learned my lesson,” Trixie says with theatrical remorse. “Never again!”

“Let’s hope so,” I say, turning a weary expression on the neighbor. “Time to go home, young lady. This has been a hard day for us both.” I smile at the neighbor. “Thank you again for being so understanding. And for keeping an eye out. I wish our neighborhood was this safe.”

The man stands up straighter. “Iama member of the neighborhood watch.”

“I thought you might be! Keep up the good work, concerned citizen.”

We manage not to laugh until we’re safely in the car. Then we can’t stop.

Trixie pulls herself together long enough to elbow me. “Get out of here before he takes a picture of your license plate. We don’t want Jesse getting in trouble.”

“Right!”

We drive to a nearby strip mall and park. Trixie is so excited that she’s bouncing in her seat. “Can I open it now?”

“The backpack? Sure. It’s not very interesting though.”

She pulls outThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobefirst, looking to me for clarification.

“Caleb’s favorite book,” I say. “I guess you could call it a souvenir.”

The notebook is next. She flips through it, stunned by how many hand-written pages there are. “Can I borrow this?”

“Let me add to it first,” I say. “There are a few things I need to figure out.”

My old library card slips from between the pages. She takes it and reads my name. I expect her to be surprised, since this backs my claims, but she barely reacts. I’m relieved because it means she really did believe me this entire time. And it’s more confirmation that her unusual ability is real.

“You knew the neighbor was lying,” I say with sudden realization. “That’s why you asked him if he knew the McCains.”

Trixie nods. “I wanted to know how much BS I could get away with.”

“That was one hell of an act!”

“Drama student,” Trixie says with an air of pride. “I was always the best in my class. I try not to use my powers for evil, but they do come in handy. Where’s the photo I was promised?”

“Front pocket,” I say with a swallow. There’s more than one. I haven’t looked at them since the move. I always worried they would make me unbearably homesick.

“Aww!” Trixie says when she pulls out my most recent yearbook photo. “You were cute!”

“Ha ha,” I say dryly. “I was a total nerd.”

“So what? I like geeky guys. I prefer this body over your old one.”

I stare at her. “Seriously?”

“Not everyone is into jocks. Too many of them are self-centered assholes. No offense,” she adds.

“None taken,” I say. “I never had good experiences with them either.”

“Is this your mom?”

I nod, but I don’t look. I already miss her too much. Trixie finishes flipping through the photos and returns them to the front pocket. She notices the plush monkey that I slept with every night when I was growing up but doesn’t ask. It’s so worn out from all the love I gave it that she can probably guess. Instead she opens the notebook again. “Wow,” she says, scanning the text. “It’s all in here! Everything you’ve figured out so far. You should be careful not to lose this. I used to keep a diary until my parents gave it to a therapist, who used it as evidence for why I should be sent to the looney bin.”

“That sucks. And you’re right. Maybe we should bury it somewhere in case I ever switch bodies again. I don’t want to break into Jesse’s apartment to get it.”

“Scan everything and upload it somewhere,” Trixie says. “The photos too.” The notebook falls into her lap as she turns an open mouth toward me. “That’s it! You’re like cloud storage!”

“Huh?”