A low groan emitted from Amber's mouth as she slowly began to stir from a heavily fogged sleep. Her thoughts were fuzzy and confused, her dreams a mess. Midway through the night they had begun to change dramatically, sweeping her away to a dreamworld that was completely foreign to her.
'No more late nights, Amber.' She told herself, as she remembered why she was so exhausted this morning. She had gone out late to hunt down Lex. She remembered finding him at some bar but not much else. It had all blurred together in a murky haze of sleepiness.
She stifled a loud yawn as she slowly pushed the covers off and dropped her feet to the ground, landing heavier than they usually did. She felt a sharp pain in her bladder and she suddenly felt the motivation to answer the call of nature.
She stumbled to her feet and made her way out the door, barely opening her eyes, wincing already from the bright sunlight streaming from her bedroom window. She staggered down the hallway, losing herself once or twice on the way to the bathroom. She quickly pushed open the door and entered the first stall she found, not bothering to latch it behind her.
She quickly unfastened her pants, thinking that she must have forgotten to change for bed the night before as she dropped them. Her first instinct was to scream, the sound that came from her throat was deep and guttural, thick from sleep, but loud all the same. It bounced off the bathroom walls, echoing about her, making her want to scream again.
"I'm dreaming." She muttered to herself, the sound of her deep masculine voice frightening her, "That has to be it. This is all a dream." She could feel the panic build up inside her, which she quickly chastised herself for. She was the leader of the Mall Rats. She did not have time for panic.
"Alright, Amber," She told herself, trying to ignore the foreign voice that spoke the words, "You've got to calm down. This has to be a dream. All you have to do is wait to wake up."
She stood there, refusing to acknowledge the painful need her abdomen was trying to communicate to her. She would wake up any minute now, be back in her own body and still in her nice warm bed.
Amber closed her eyes, mentally telling herself to wake up as she stood there, letting it all hang out, her jaw hanging slack until she felt the cold metal of the stall door bang against her naked buttocks.
"Lex!" Amber heard Trudy's voice exclaim as she clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?" Trudy spun her around, her face aghast at the sight that greeted her. "Lex! What the hell are you doing? Pull your pants up before someone sees you!"
"Lex?" Amber echoed, the cold realization creeping into her. No wonder the voice sounded so familiar.
"You're drunk again, aren't you?" Trudy snapped, clearly annoyed with her. "Do you realize what a bad example that is to the little ones? You're always getting drunk and your little girlfriend is always moaning about it to everyone! Do you realize how annoying that gets?"
Trudy hesitated only a brief second before she threw her ragged towel at Amber. "If you're not going to pull up your pants, at least cover that thing up." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. She quickly turned away and let the stall door bang shut behind her.
Amber could still hear Trudy muttering as she hurried out of the restroom, saying things about being drunk, Zandra, and being such a bad example. A small shiver raced down Amber's spine as she reached down to pick up her trousers. Halfway down Amber remember why she had come into the bathroom in the first place. She quickly rose to her full stature, latched the bathroom door and turned back to the toilet, looking down at it as if it were a foreign object.
'Okay, Amber,' She mentally coached herself, not willing to open her mouth again to listen to the sound of Lex's voice. 'You can do this. Just like movies and TV.' She reached down and lightly took hold of Lex's member, aiming it carefully at the hole and letting loose.
It was surprisingly easier than she had first imagined and Amber thought she might be able to get used to not having to sit down to release herself. 'No, Amber, don't even think that way.' She shook her head. 'You are not going to get used to this. You're going to figure out what happened and get everything sorted.'
After she had finished up, she shook herself, just as she remembered, then picked up her trousers, momentarily wondering why Lex wasn't wearing any underwear. She fumbled with the zipper for a moment, but managed to get it up without too much incident.
She emerged from the stall, knowing that somehow she was wearing Lex's skin but still not prepared for the sight that would greet her in the mirror. She bit back a sharp cry and stared, unwilling to believe that the face that stared back at her was really her.
She lifted her left arm and the Lex staring back at her in the mirror lifted his. She quickly spun around and again the reflected Lex did the same. "No." She murmured, watching as Lex's mouth opened almost as if to mock her. "This can't be happening."
Amber bit down on her lower lip, staring at the reflection. She closed her eyes, praying that it would become herself again when she opened them, but no such luck. Instead of her dark brown eyes peering back at her, she was greeted with Lex's rather bleary gray-blue eyes wide and staring.
Splashing her face with some water from the water bucket sitting on the counter, she washed away the sleepies that still clung to her. She still hoped this was some wretchedly horrible nightmare or a practical joke of some sort, but the cold knot of fear that gripped her stomach assured her that it was not.
As she stood, still unable to tear her eyes away from the mirror, a horrifying thought occurred to her. In all the movies and episodes of the Twilight Zone that she had seen like this, everything always evened out. So if she was in Lex's body…
"No!" The cry escaped her lips before she could stop it. She quickly spun on her heel and sprinted off in the well-familiar direction of her bedroom, ignoring the protest of her muscles.
It was difficult, Lex's feet were quite a bit larger than her own and she constantly felt like she was going to trip and fall, but somehow she managed to get to the other side of the mall where the heavy curtain blocking her bedroom door greeted her like an old friend. She swiftly ripped the curtain aside, not bothering to announce herself or warn whoever it was on the other side of her presence.
Her body lay prone on her bed, mouth open and a bit of drool escaping from her lips. She was dressed in her pajamas just as she remembered doing the night before. The covers had been discarded on the floor and she was only halfway in the bed. Amber made a mental note not to ever let anyone see her like this.
Amber dropped the curtain back and place and quickly tied the knot that was her version of a lock. She crossed the room, stepping over her clothes that she had discarded the night before and sunk down on her bed, shaking her body.
"Wake up!" She exclaimed, noticing that she was beginning to get used to her voice coming out as Lex's. Her body did not stir and Amber began to shake herself even more violently, raising her voice. "Come on, wake up!"
When still her body did not awake, Amber felt herself grow frustrated. Without thinking, she raised her hand and cracked it across her body's exposed cheek. Instantly, her body shot straight up, eyes wide and instantly alert. "Bloody hell! I was getting up!" A look of terror instantly filled her body's face at the sound of her voice.
A wave of sympathy swept through Amber as she recognized the confusion on what she was sure was Lex's face. "Lex?" She asked softly. "Is that you?"
They made eye contact, Lex-in-Amber's body's eyes going wide with fear. "Who are you?" Amber heard her own voice ask, laced thick with fear. "And why do you look like me?"
"Lex, it's me, Amber." Amber carefully explained, not really knowing how Lex might react. "Come with me. This will explain everything."
Amber helped her body rise from the bed, noticing with the slightest bit of satisfaction that Lex was struggling even more than she had to remain balanced. He reached out and held her shoulder, trying to become less disorientated, but Amber knew from experience that that would not happen.
"Come on." Amber guided him out of the room, fumbling with the lock she had tied so she and Lex might have some privacy as she revealed the horrible truth of what had happened to them to him.
"Wh-where are you taking me?" Lex stammered, looking at her fearfully.
"The bathroom." Amber murmured quietly. "You have to see this to believe it."
Lex slowly followed his body as it led him out of the room he had awakened in. Everything was strange and felt different to him and more than once he felt himself begin to stumble. His body had identified itself as being Amber, but that hadn't made a bit of sense to him, and Lex was more confused than ever.
His body slowly led him to the women's bathroom. "Look." His voice told him, pushing him gently towards the mirror. "See for yourself."
Lex resisted the instant desire to scream as his eyes focused on the image in front of him. Suddenly the high feminine voice seemed to be the least of his problems. Rather than his own rugged face staring back at him, he saw Amber's doe-like eyes, full of terror.
"What happened?" Lex winced as he heard his voice, still Amber's much higher tone.
"I don't know." Amber-in-his body admitted, shaking her head. "I woke up like this. All I know is I am you and you are me."
"This has gotta be a dream! It's only a dream!" Lex felt the panic grip him painfully as he began to pinch his bare arms in a vain attempt to awaken himself.
"A dream we're both having at the same time?" Amber shook her head. "Somehow I don't think so. Something happened to us last night, I just can't seem to figure out what."
Lex furrowed his brow in confusion as he tried to remember the events of last night. He remembered fighting with Zandra, telling her it was over, for good this time, and then storming out of the mall. He knew he had gone to Sherri's, but after he had downed his first drink everything else became a blur.
"I can't remember last night." His voice tightened.
"I can't either." Amber-in-his body pursed her lips in a worried fashion. "It's all a muddle. I-I don't remember anything after going into that bar."
Lex closed his eyes, willing his memory to return to him, but he felt like he was grasping at the wind. Every time a somewhat solid thought began to form in his mind it would evaporate the second he tried to focus on it. It was worse than playing tag with your own shadow.
"There was a woman." Amber breathed out at last, freeing Lex from the frustrated cycle. "I don't remember anything except her saying sorry or something like that. Do you think she could have done this to us?"
"I don't know." The fear returned, this time accompanied but a strange discomfort in his lower abdomen. He tried to ignore it, but he could see that Amber had instantly recognized his distress.
"Do you need me to show you how to use…my body?"
Lex frowned, realizing that it was the urge to use the toilet that was causing him the discomfort. "No, I'm fine." He stated, trying to lower his voice to a more natural level.
"Let me give you some privacy." Amber quickly offered, turning away. "And stand guard. Trudy walked in on me while I was, uh, relieving myself."
Lex nodded, watching as his body quickly hurried out of the restroom, walking far too feminine for his liking. He made a mental note to talk to Amber about the way she walked while wearing his skin just as soon as he had taken care of his problem.
Lex quickly did his business, with far less difficultly than he imagined Amber had had with his body. It was a little odd and a bit annoying having to sit down for it, but Lex tried to keep his thoughts from dwelling on that matter.
After he washed up, he found himself drawn to the reflection in the mirror again. Amber's face still stared back at him, though the fear had left her eyes. "Well," He muttered, uncomfortable with Amber's voice conveying the words he was thinking, "You really have done it to yourself this time."
It was then that Lex noticed the way Amber was dressed, or rather, not dressed. She wore a rather shapeless white cotton nightgown that fell well past her knees, but even its loose fabric could not disguise the feminine curves that lurked, beckoning his masculinity to take a peak.
Glancing over at the door to make sure Amber did not suddenly barge in on him, he began to fumble with the tiny pearl buttons on the front of the gown. He found that Amber's slim fingers were far more dexterous than his own and it was an easier task than he had first imagined when he saw them.
He dropped the bedclothes down to his slim waist and bit back a cry of surprise. He had imagined what Amber looked like without her rather unflattering dark leather vests but his fantasies had not done her justice.
"Wow." He giggled, feeling rather girlish at the moment. He had seen plenty of breasts in his time, but never before from this angle. Fascinated, Lex preened in the mirror, shimming. To his perverse delight, he discovered that Amber's beautifully formed breasts were 100 real and all her. He chortled with glee and kept on shaking his shoulders, enjoying the feel of the extra flesh moving about.
Amber leaned against the wall next to the women's bathroom wondering just what on earth was taking Lex so long. She had given him a wide berth of time, knowing that he would not know exactly what to do, plus she figured he would want a little time to himself to let everything sink it, but this was getting ridiculous.
A sudden fear crept inside her as she wondered just what Lex might be doing with her body and before she really knew what she was doing, she had thrown open the bathroom door, revealing Lex standing in her body, admiring himself in front of the mirror.
"Lex!" She exclaimed, wanting to slap him for taking advantage of the situation. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Lex-in-her body suddenly flushed with color and he quickly pulled the nightgown back up over his shoulders. "I, uh…" He suddenly grinned, smiling like that cat who just ate the canary. "You've got a nice set of jugs, Amber. You should show them off a bit more."
"Alright, Lex, I'm going to say this right now." Amber scowled at him darkly. "No more messing with my body. None, and I mean it."
"What's going to stop be, babe?" Lex-in-her body reached up and began to fondle one of her barely covered breasts. "I'm the one with the boobs now. You want me to take good care of your body don't you?"
"You try anything and I will make sure you live to regret it." Amber threatened, taking a step forward. "Remember, you may be in my body, but I'm in yours and I'm confident that I can think of far more humiliating things to do while in it than you can while in mine."
She watched in satisfaction as Lex gulped loudly and began to quickly re-button the front of her gown. Finally, once that task had been completed, he looked up, his gaze full of humility. "What do we do now?"
Amber hesitated, considering his question for a moment while she studied what should have been her face carefully. She realized that she looked quite different through Lex's eyes, almost beautiful as strange as that seamed.
"We continue on like normal." She stated finally. "Like nothing has happened. I'm sure it will pass by the end of the day. It has to."
"You don't think we should go to someone for advice?" Lex proposed, "Tai-San or something? She's into all that spiritual stuff."
"No. No one would believe us, not even Tai-San. We need to figure this out on our own. Obviously that strange woman from last night had something to do with us switching bodies, so we need to find her, wherever she might be."
"Right." Lex-in-her body nodded.
"Let me think on this some more and I'll get back to you." Amber stated. "I'm going to go find myself some coffee."
Lex nodded, then as she turned to walk away, called after her. "One question, Lex?" He emphasized his name, she could tell. "You take showers in the morning or night." He winked at her suggestively.
Amber sneered, finding it felt quite natural on Lex's face. "No funny business, Lex, and I mean it!"
"It's just like a bad science fiction movie." Lex groaned to himself as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, still not able to get over the fact that it was Amber's face staring back at him instead of his own.
He took a long minute to study his reflection, taking note of Amber's mussed hair and smudged tribal markings. Amber would normally never let herself be seen in such a state, and he made the quick decision he needed to get back to his, or rather Amber's room before someone else saw him like this.
He held the reflection's gaze for one moment longer, trying out a smile. He was amazed at how much a smile improved Amber's look. She was an attractive woman, but she was always so serious about everything. She never seemed to laugh or smile. She needed to do that more often.
Shrugging his shoulders, Lex quickly tugged at the night shift Amber wore to bed, making sure it covered his body completely before he turned and slowly made his way out of the bathroom. His feet were still unsure of themselves and he stumbled in a few places, but for the most part he had walking down.
"Good morning, Amber!" The chipper voice of Dal greeted him from down the corridor. Lex stopped in his tracks, an ugly comment ready on his lips, but he quickly checked himself. Amber and Dal were long-time friends and she would always say good morning to him if they passed each other in the hall.
"Morning, Dal." Lex attempted to make his voice sound as sleep-fogged as he assumed Amber would be feeling at this ungodly hour of the morning.
Concern crossed Dal's young face as he approached her, standing too close for Lex's comfort. He backed away, but Dal didn't seem to notice. He reached out and touched Amber softly on the arm. "Are you alright, Amber? You don't look so good."
"Uh, yeah." Lex swallowed, self-consciously touching his long golden ringlets. He was suddenly very aware that he was dressed only in Amber's thin night shift and he could well remember how he had been able to see the curves through the white cotton. He only hoped Dal did not have thoughts like his. "I'm fine, Dal. I'm just a bit tired this morning." He crossed his arms across his chest in a protective gesture.
"Yeah, you did sleep in a bit this morning." Dal noted, the worry slowly ebbing from his face. "You must have been exhausted after going after Lex last night. I don't see why you put up with that guy."
Lex began to wonder just when Amber was usually up in the morning that Dal would think this was sleeping in, but forced himself not to think too much on it. Hopefully he wouldn't have to wake up in her body another morning. At the moment he was more bothered by the lack of respect Dal had in his tone when he referred to him, and though Lex had no respect for the young mechanic, he fully expected Dal to look up to him.
"I wouldn't call it putting up with him." Lex frowned, wondering how Amber might answer Dal's statement. "Lex isn't that bad. Really."
"Oh, come on, Amber. I know you like the guy, but even you have to admit that he's really irresponsible and takes more than he gives to this tribe." Dal stated, his tone a bit annoyed, though he was obviously not annoyed with his friend, just the individual inhabiting her skin at the moment.
"I like the guy?" Lex felt his mouth drop open. He had always been under the impression that Amber couldn't stand him. She was constantly getting on his case about something or the other, and if he hadn't done something she would always find something to pin on him.
"You can't hide it from me, Ambs." Dal chuckled, rubbing his hand over his thick mop of dark curls before he replaced his sheepskin and suede hat that he always wore. "You can't hide anything from me. I've known you for too long. You like Lex a lot more than you're willing to let on. I just can't figure out why."
A warm flushed feeling began to spread through Lex's new body, his face growing pink at Dal's words. He couldn't believe Amber liked him, and from the sounds of it she liked him quite a bit. "Well," He grinned a little arrogantly, "He is extremely good looking."
"Oh, and you've always been so concerned with looks." Dal knocked his head back and began to laugh loud and long. "Look, Amber, I won't even pretend to understand what on earth you see in that loser. Personally, I think he's a waste of space, but then again, you and I have never agreed on what type of guys you like to go out with, right?"
"Uh, right." Lex winced at Dal's blunt words, but even the younger boy's brutal honesty with the person he thought was his closest friend in the world could not destroy the high that Lex was floating on right then. Amber liked him. She actually liked him.
"Anyway, I should let you get back to your room so you can get dressed." Dal commented a bit self-consciously. "I wanted to check on Trudy before breakfast. Have you seen her?"
Lex shook his head, though he remembered Amber commenting that Trudy had discovered her trying to relieve herself in the bathroom earlier that morning. Lex only hoped Trudy hadn't blown too many gaskets with that one.
"Alright. I'll see you around." Dal waved, turning to go.
"Hey, Dal." Lex found himself calling after the shorter Mall Rat. "Thanks."
"Thanks?" Dal looked at him puzzled. "Thanks for what?"
Lex shrugged and just smiled, hoping that Dal wouldn't press him too hard for an answer. Dal grinned back then turned and walked away, shaking his head back and forth leaving Lex to hurry back to Amber's room that he had abruptly vacated that morning so he could get dressed.
Amber scowled darkly to herself as she stalked out of the bathroom and towards the food court area of the mall where they had set up the kitchen and dining area. She was still having to be extremely careful with the way she walked, not only tripping over Lex's overly-large feet, but having to adjust to balancing in Lex's awkward and clumsy body. Somehow she didn't remember Lex having this much trouble in her body.
"How does he do it?" She grumbled, watching her feet carefully as they took one step in front of the other. She had tripped three times in the short distance from the bathroom to the kitchen, having to grab the banister for support. It made her thankful that few of the Mall Rats were actually early risers.
'At least I'm in Lex's body and if anyone does see me they won't think anything's unusual.' Amber thought ruefully to herself, remembering how she had awoken one morning to find Lex stumbling about the hallways, nursing a horrible hangover.
Hangover. The thought suddenly hit her. She knew Lex had to consume many drinks last night and yet she didn't have a trace of a hangover, and apparently neither had he. He would have mentioned it. Amber knew that Lex normally did suffer from them, so she knew that something strange was afoot. Something more than just switching bodies.
Her mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Lex's drinking habits, she stumbled into the kitchen, more irritated with Lex than she had been first thing in the morning, though not nearly as upset as she had been when she found him fondling her breasts.
"Well, I see you've covered up." Amber winced at the sound of Trudy's snippy voice. She had hoped she would avoid seeing the other female Mall Rat until after everything had been straightened out, but obviously the fates were not smiling on her today.
Amber grunted a little, playing up her new role as Lex. Other than the one time she had seen him falling all over the floor drunk, Amber had never seen Lex up at this hour of the morning. She figured she was safe playing him up as a grumpy non-morning person.
"You smell." Trudy wrinkled her nose, looking over at who she thought was Lex in disdain. "How long has it been since you last bathed?"
Amber only rolled her eyes and turned away from Trudy. She glanced about the kitchen and saw that Trudy had already begun to coffee preparations. "Mmmmm…" She murmured too softly for Trudy to hear as she wandered over to the cupboard and retrieved one of the few remaining mugs that was not broken beyond use.
"What are you doing Lex?" Trudy's eyebrows shot up, an accusing light in her eyes.
"Getting coffee?" Amber frowned, holding out her mug dumbly.
"And since when did you start drinking coffee, Lex?" Trudy circled around him, studying him carefully. "I thought only Amber and I drank the stuff."
"So are you saying I can't have any?" Amber curled up her lip in a fashion she found extremely easy to do and sneered.
"No. Of course not." Trudy pursed her lips, her eyes flicking over Amber's entire body as if searching for an answer to some hidden mystery. "I'm just a little surprised, that's all. Help yourself."
"Thank you." Amber turned and poured herself a cup. Before the virus she had always doused the dark liquid with cream and sugar, but those were rare commodities now and she had learned to drink it black. It tasted bitter and angry on her tongue, just the way she had learned to love it.
"Are you feeling alright, Lex?" Trudy asked suddenly. "You haven't been yourself at all this morning. "
"Yeah, I'm fine." Amber brushed her off gruffly, turning her back to her. "I just had a really long night. That's all."
"Yes." Trudy nodded. "Everyone heard all about it from Zandra last night. She was quite upset. She begged Ryan to go after you, but he refused. So she convinced Amber to go instead."
"Yeah, well…" Amber shrugged her shoulders, searching for a typical Lex remark to Zandra's woes. She was rescued, however, by the sound of Brady's young cry, filling the kitchen at a high enough decimal that it would awaken all of the Mall Rats if she wasn't shushed soon.
Without thinking, Amber set down her coffee and crossed the room, picking up the young infant. She bounced Brady back and forth, cooing soft words in the little girl's ear like she had done on numerous occasions, all the while oblivious to Trudy's wide eyed stare.
"Lex." Trudy commented at last, coming up behind Amber and touching her gently on the shoulder, a touch that was far too intimate for Amber's liking. "I had no idea you were so good with children."
Shrugging away from Trudy's advances, Amber quickly handed Brady back to her mother. She knew she was behaving oddly for supposedly being Lex and she really need to be careful how she acted – especially around Trudy. "Well, I've been around babies all my life." Amber said finally, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them.
Trudy looked as if she were about to say something but Amber wasn't about to give her the chance. She quickly turned on her heel and hurried out of the kitchen, abandoning her coffee to the kitchen counter in hopes of avoiding any more uncomfortable moments with the darker haired Mall Rat.
Lex was in awe. He knew he had woken up in Amber's room, but he hadn't really gotten a good look at it, being rushed out of her nice warm bed by Amber in his own body. But now, at last being alone, he was able to take a good look at the room and needless to say he was extremely impressed by how homey Amber had turned this once candy store in to.
She had taken down nearly all of the shelves that once lined the walls, leaving only enough to hold the few books she had managed to save or salvage after Zoot began his book burning campaign. There were several photographs in antique looking picture frames littering the shelves, each of them containing a different brightly colored image from a happier time of Amber's life.
He picked up one of the frames and began to study the picture behind the thin glass. Amber was standing between an older boy and a younger girl, both looking to be related to her somehow. They were all smiling happily and it looked like the boy was trying to tickle her without anyone noticing. The moment had been caught on film, however, and now cherished forever by everyone.
"It's not fair." Lex murmured softly, shaking his head as he set the frame back on the shelf, face down. "No one should have to forfeit their childhood like this." Lex closed his eyes, still unable to get the happy glow that had been on Amber's face out of his mind. She was so serious now, weighed down by responsibility and leadership… Lex found himself begin to wish he had met Amber before the whole virus mess had begun.
He stood in silence for several more seconds until he managed to gain control over his emotions. He had never been this emotional before and he had a hunch that it had something to do with the female hormones that were in his body now.
He glanced over to the window and took note of the sun's rising position. He needed to get dressed before any more suspicion was aroused. He was both dreading and looking forward to choosing Amber's wardrobe for the day. He swiftly made his way over to the section of the store that Amber had set apart for her closet and began fumbling through her wardrobe selection.
The majority of her clothes were the dark colored leathers and suedes that Lex always saw her wear. There were a couple pairs of sturdy dark blue denims, but for the most part everything was extremely sensible and of a very similar cut, none of them flattering to Amber's feminine curves.
"This will never do." Lex grinned wolfishly to himself, a sudden idea coming to him. He quickly grabbed a robe that was hanging on the wall and wrapped Amber's body in it, then hurried out of the room, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter the entire way.
Amber hurried as fast as she could manage down the long hallway that led away from the food court and to Lex's room. She needed to find some clean clothes and take a shower. Trudy had been right – her body reeked both of body odor and stale alcohol. She only hoped Lex owned a clean pair of underwear.
"Lex!"
Amber halted in her tracks, the all too familiar high-pitched screech she had been dreading hearing all morning long. Her heart began thudding loudly in her chest and she was positive the pink and blue haired Mall Rat could hear it, but Zandra seemed more concerned with herself than Amber whom she saw as Lex.
"Zandra." Amber stated, trying to keep her tone cool and neutral. She noted that Zandra was dressed to impress, obviously taking extra time on both her hair and makeup and selecting her outfit, a far more revealing number than usual, with one intent in mind.
"Oh Lexy darling!" Zandra gushed, rushing towards Amber and throwing her arms around his neck, planting a warm kiss on Amber's neck before she could push her away. "I've been looking simply everywhere for you. When you weren't in your room this morning I was worried. Where have you been?"
"I woke up early." Amber frowned down at the flamboyant Mall Rat, momentarily wondering if Lex actually found her mannerisms and dress appealing. She shrugged that thought away and began to focus on trying to remember how Lex treated Zandra. She honestly hadn't paid that much attention, but she could wager from the amount of times Zandra ended up in tears it couldn't be that good.
She did know they were constantly arguing, Lex heading off to the bars and Zandra to her friends to moan about how he mistreated her. Normally Amber would take Zandra's side and think less of Lex, but now the thought of having to spend endless hours alone with this woman gave her the shivers and she began to pity the man whose body she now occupied.
"You woke up early?" Zandra blinked at Amber in surprise, her mouth dropping then closing over and over again, reminding Amber of a goldfish.
"You're looking rather stupid today, Zandra. Did you do something special?" Amber heard her own voice come from behind her. "What happened? A small accident involving your makeup and a clothes dryer?"
Amber whirled around, a quick retort to Lex's rather rude comments to Zandra ready on her tongue. It died just as fast it came, however, and she found her own mouth dropping open. "What the hell do you think you're wearing?!" She screeched suddenly, her voice cracking a little as she did so, straining Lex's voice to a pitch he never hit.
She could not believe the audacity Lex had. He had somehow found the most skimpy outfit possible – even worse than Zandra's – and dressed her in it. Amber knew that not one item that he was wearing on her body belonged in her closet and she was intent on ripping them off him and dragging him back to her bedroom to change into something somewhat decent.
"What? You don't like it, Lex?" Lex preened before her, smiling flirtatiously as he fingered the thin purple leather spaghetti strapped tank top that criss-crossed in the back and had been split up on the sides to just below the bra line. She noticed that Lex had 'accidentally' forgotten that rather vital item of clothing. He had paired the top with a pair of skintight black leather trousers that Amber couldn't help but wonder how on earth he had gotten her body into.
Amber winced, feeling her cheeks grow hot knowing that before lunch the entire tribe would have learned of her eccentric behavior, and all thanks to Zandra. "You're so dead." Amber hissed, her voice so low that only Lex could possibly hear her.
Amber watched as her face smirked at her, her once familiar dark eyes flashing mischievously. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with clown face, here." Lex jerked his head in Zandra's direction, the smirk ever present. "I thought you two broke up last night."
"What is wrong with you, Amber?" Zandra exclaimed, her face set in an ugly sneer. "Why are you acting this way?"
"Last night Lex opened up my eyes to a great many things." Lex purred, curling his now feminine body up against the one that Amber currently inhabited. "He made me realize just what sort of woman I could truly be."
"Knock it off, Amber." Amber stepped away from Lex, shamed by his behavior. "Zandra, I'm sorry about this, I…"
The slap took Amber unawares. One minute Zandra was staring at her, hurt shining brightly in her eyes, the next her flat palm was flying through the air, landing with a solid crack against Amber's cheek. "How could you, Lex! I loved you!" She huffed, then spun around and raced off, her loud dramatic wails echoing off the mall's walls.
"I think we need to talk." Amber touched her sensitive cheek gingerly. The slap was not hard and Amber could remember being hit much harder by her own siblings.
"Oh, I quite agree." Lex nodded, a devilish smile playing up on his lips. "But first, Lex," He cleared his throat, giggling just a little, "You need to take a shower. You smell terrible."
Amber's shower wasn't nearly the painful experience she thought it would be. She was still furious with Lex, but she decided she would deal with that later. For now, she was rather intent on getting herself free of Lex's stench.
She spent several long minutes under the hot stream of water, feeling a bit uncomfortable soaping up Lex's lean form. Lex had remained in the bathroom, just in case she needed him, though Amber assured him it wouldn't be necessary. Even though she was currently wearing his skin and vice versa, showering with him was not exactly what she had in mind.
After her shower, Amber volunteered her services in helping Lex tie up his now golden locks into her traditional Zulu knots. At first he had refused, but Amber insisted and after just one glowering look he had consented.
"Well, you almost look like me." Amber commented after fastening the final bobby pin into the hair. "Now we just have to put on the makeup and get you out of that dreadful outfit."
"You call this dreadful?" Lex looked at her, a shocked expression on his face. "The outfits you had in your closet were dreadful, Amber. You've got the body, Amber, why not show it off?"
Amber felt her cheeks flush at Lex's indirect compliment and hurriedly looked away so Lex would not see that his flattery actually had an affect on her. "All the same, I think you should change. Believe me, after wearing that for a few hours you'll see why I like to wear what I like to wear."
"I'm comfortable." Lex winked saucily at her. "Besides, we're a bit pinched for time and I get the feeling you're the type of person who is never late."
"Right." Amber pursed her lips, whipping out her makeup bag. "Come here and I'll do your makeup."
"Promise you'll be kind?"
"No." Amber shot back. "But I'll be kinder to you than you've been to my poor body. How on earth did you get me to fit into those pants?"
"Lots of hard work." He replied, rubbing his hands down her thighs. "Not that I minded too much. Though it wasn't quite as enjoyable as I imagined."
Again Amber felt her cheeks growing warm and she was instantly thankful for the distraction of the makeup. She focused all of her attention in applying her normal makeup style on what was now Lex. It was more difficult than she imagined, but in the end she was quite satisfied with the look.
"What do you think?" Amber stepped away from Lex's face so he could look at himself in the mirror.
He stared hard for several long minutes, finally nodding with approval. "Now it's my turn." He grinned, reaching for the black mascara brush.
"No, that's really alright, Lex. I think I can manage your two little clown lines." Amber rolled her eyes, snatching the black mascara away from him. Pulling out her lip brush she dipped it in the dark liquid and slowly and carefully applied the lines. They ended up being a little skinnier than Lex usually wore them, but in the end they were both more than satisfied with the way they looked.
"Well, hopefully we won't be wearing each other's skin for so long as we actually get the hang of this." Amber commented as she began to put away her makeup.
Lex quickly agreed, nodding his head slightly as he fixed his dark green lipstick so that it stayed in the lines a bit more. "So, you feel like getting some breakfast? I'm famished."
"Me too." Amber let a small smile touch her lips. "But first we've got to talk, Lex."
"About what?"
"Zandra." Amber frowned, still remembering the pain all too clearly. "She really loves you, Lex. Why do you treat her so awfully?"
Lex shrugged his shoulders, turning and walking away from the mirror. He paced back and forth along the bathroom floor for a couple of seconds before he finally came up with a reply. "Zan and I, well, I think we were ready to break up long before the virus ever came along. But after both of our parents died we sort of clung to one another. I've tried to break up with her several times, but somehow she always gets me back. I don't know why."
Amber nodded, everything making a bit more sense. She had always gotten the impression that it was Lex who was in control of the relationship, though she had actually thought he cared for Zandra like she cared for him. But the longer she spent in his body the more she realized that Lex must feel like he's suffocating and the pity she had felt for him when she had first heard Zandra calling his name returned.
"Look, Amber, I'm sorry for what I did earlier. I know it wasn't exactly appropriate, it's just…" He trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Just what?" Amber pressed.
"Aw, nothing. We'll talk about it later. Let's go get some breakfast, okay?"
Amber's stomach rumbled loudly, answering for her. She let out a small laugh, all of her previous anger melting away. "Yeah, let's go. I'm famished and I think I smell Trudy's and Salene's cooking."
"Trudy and Salene make breakfast?" Lex looked at her in surprise as they exited the bathroom together.
"Yup." Amber bobbed her head up and down. "You know, if you actually woke up while it was still morning from time to time you'd know that. Everyone rotates, though Trudy or Salene usually volunteers to take one of the little one's turn. You should try eating Cloe and Patsy's attempts at pancakes sometime."
"Ugh. I think I'll pass on that one." Lex made a face.
"Well, not while you're in my body you won't." Amber winked. "I always make an effort to try everything that someone makes. You know, to show my support. It's hard enough to try and get people to actually do things around the mall, it's the least I can do when they actually try."
Lex nodded thoughtfully. "I'll remember that sometime."
"Good." Amber smirked. "Then maybe someday when you're really brave you'll try my cooking."
"Please pass the salt." Amber said quietly as the breakfast noises went on about her. She and Lex had seated themselves on opposite ends of the table and had been giving one another silent eye communication throughout the entire meal. Amber hoped none of the other Mall Rats noticed.
Ryan shot her a strange look but quickly passed her the salt, not making a comment.
After she had finished salting her food, she passed the shaker down to Tai-San who usually would ask for the salt shortly after she did. Tai-San seemed a little startled to be receiving the salt from that direction, but shot Lex a genuine smile of thanks.
As she slowly chewed her slightly overdone potatoes, Amber glanced around the table, feeling completely alien and strange in Lex's body. Everyone related to her completely differently. In fact, hardly anyone talked to her at all. She found it quite amusing, however, at how many questions were being fired away at Lex as he tried to eat his breakfast in peace.
As she watched the different Mall Rats at the table, her eyes naturally found Bray. Unlike most mornings, however, he wasn't staring back at her. He was watching Lex, the person he thought was her. Amber hid a smile as she thought of how nauseated Bray would be if he realized he was making eyes at another man.
At first Amber had been annoyed with Bray, his eyes instantly going towards Lex's chest the moment they stepped into the kitchen, but just as swiftly he had adverted his gaze and began to focus on the face instead, reminding Amber that there were a few decent guys left in the world.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Amber's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of her own voice talking to Bray in a rather annoyed tone.
"Lex!" Amber exclaimed, leaping to her feet, ready to correct Lex for being so rude to Bray. "Stop it."
Lex looked away from Bray, his scowl still present on what was supposed to be her face. "Shut up, Lex." He emphasized his name while clenching his teeth.
Amber felt her cheeks rush crimson as she quickly found her seat. Every eye at the table was riveted on her and Amber knew that no matter what she said she wouldn't be able to repair the damage she had just caused. "I, uh, I'm sorry. I'm just tired, I guess."
"Yeah." Trudy snorted a bit. "And does that make up for your behavior towards me in the bathroom?"
"Behavior in the bathroom?" Bray frowned down at Amber, his eyes turning hard as flint. "What were you doing in the girl's bathroom, Lex?"
"I, uh…" Amber was at a loss for words. She couldn't explain to them the truth. They wouldn't believe her for a single minute. She shot a helpless pleading look in Lex's direction but he seemed as clueless as she.
"He exposed himself to me in the bathroom." Trudy stated, her face proud and haughty, obviously uncaring that she was announcing the act in front of the little children. "And then he acted fresh towards me in the kitchen."
"That's not true!" Amber exclaimed, seeing that all of the Mall Rats had already judged her guilty. "You came on to me!"
"And why would I do that, Lex?" Trudy stated coldly, none of her earlier flirtation evident in her eyes.
"I, well, I don't know." Amber mumbled, her cheeks growing hot.
"I think this needs to be dropped." Lex cleared his throat, looking around the table, meeting gazes with several of the key Mall Rats. "Lex was extremely drunk when I found him last night and I'm sure it was a complete accident in the bathroom. And as far as coming onto you, Trudy… I just have one question? Why would he come on to you?"
"It was not an accident!" Trudy curled up her lip, her tone snide and her face red with anger. "He stood there for several minutes, with his trousers down, completely naked!"
Amber gritted her teeth, feeling an anger that was completely not her own swell up inside her. "Now wait just one damn minute you stupid cow!" She roared, narrowing her eyes and staring Trudy down. "I was in the girls' bathroom, yes, but I was not in there to expose myself to you. Amber's right. I was tired and a little disorientated and you were the one who barged into my stall. I did not expose myself to you by any means so I suggest you sit down and shut up.
Silence hung thick about the table until finally Cloe spoke up, her voice quavering a little bit. "She is sitting down, Lex."
"Whatever." Amber snorted, kicking back her chair with a disgusted sneer. "I'm through with this. If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room."
With that, Amber stepped away from the table, stomping her feet as she did so, being careful so that she didn't trip along the way. She had never felt happier before in her life. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. "If only I knew it felt that good to lose it." She grinned, shaking her head. "I would have done it long ago."
Lex slowly took a tentative step out of Amber's – temporarily his – bedroom. He had quickly found refuge in there after spending a rather long and tedious morning trying to sort through everyone's different petitions, requests, complaints, and such forth. As well as avoiding Bray and all his attentions whenever possible. Lex had always known the rest of the Mall Rats were rather annoying, but he never knew the full extent of that annoying-ness until that morning. He couldn't understand how Amber had the patience to put up with them every day.
Taking a deep breath, Lex took a confident step out of the bedroom and hurried down the hall in the direction of his own. It was clear on the other end of the mall and Lex had a hunch that would get quite annoying if he and Amber didn't switch bodies back soon, but he really hoped that would not be something they had to deal with.
When at long last he reached his own doorway he hesitated on the outside, debating on whether he should knock or what. It was his own room and yet it no longer was. At last he decided that it would be the polite thing to do so he hurriedly rapped on the thin plywood that separated his room from the rest of the mall and gave him a bit of privacy.
"Amber?" He called softly, not liking the knowledge that he was starting to get used to hearing his voice come out a full octave higher. "Are you in there?"
"Lex!" Amber, still wearing his skin, quickly slid the plywood open and yanked him inside. "What are you doing out there? If people start seeing me hanging around outside your doorway they might just think there was something to what Zandra's spreading around about us."
"Huh?" Lex looked at her in confusion.
"Zandra." Amber scowled. "She started a rumor that you and I were having an affair. Already I've had Dal come in and threaten me as well as having to dodge Bray and all his dirty looks. I decided it would be safer for me to just to stay in here all day long rather than run the risk of bumping into yet another unfriendly face."
"Well, I'm sure everyone will realize there is nothing to what Zandra is saying about us." Lex assured Amber, plodding across the room and taking occupancy in the large roundish swivel chair that he had found in the furniture store when he had first moved into the mall.
"Just as long as you don't go lurking around my bedroom." Amber snapped, plopping onto his bed. "Did anyone see you?"
"Of course not. I was careful." Lex frowned at her, a little bothered by the fact that a silly rumor of them having an affair had her so worked up. "I don't see the big deal. All rumors die eventually."
"No they don't." Amber rolled her eyes as she turned over onto her stomach, hanging her head off the side of the bed and letting her raven locks hang over the bed. It didn't look like a very comfortable position to lay in, but he didn't see Amber complaining any. "Rumors have more lives than cats do."
"Only if there's some truth to them." Lex pointed out, suddenly remembering the precious knowledge Dal had accidentally fed him that morning. "There isn't, is there, Amber?" He asked, testing the waters.
"No." Amber growled. "But it seems like I'm finally getting somewhere with these Mall Rats. They're finally starting to respect and listen to me. If I'm suddenly linked to you all that respect will go down the toilet."
"Ouch."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lex." Amber flipped over so suddenly Lex thought she might get whiplash. "I didn't mean it like that, it's just…"
"No, it's alright. I know." He grimaced. "The thought of being in a relationship with me is revolting. Just a little more revolting than having to be stuck in my body for who knows how long."
"No, that's not it at all." Lex could tell by Amber's, or rather his, face that she was truly sorry for the insensitivity to him, but he didn't care. He suddenly had the urge to send her on the longest guilt trip possible, make her feel wretched like women so often did to him.
"Then what is it?" Lex pouted, folding his arms across his rounded chest.
"Look, Lex, I really do like you as a person, despite what it may come across as." Amber sighed heavily, searching for words. "I just see so much wasted potential in you. It saddens me, then it makes me angry."
"Potential?" Lex's eyebrows shot up. That was one word that had never been used to describe him.
"Yeah, potential." Amber smiled. "You could be a great leader for the Mall Rats and yet you always shirk off your duties, making Ryan take your watch and Zandra all your household tasks. You barely lift a finger around this place and I think today is the first day I've seen you awake before noon."
"That's not true." Lex argued. "I was up at ten the other day."
"Ten!" Amber threw her hands in the air. "Exactly. Even though ten is two hours earlier than you usually rise, you've still wasted over half the morning."
"What time do you wake up anyway, Amber? I bumped into Dal this morning and he seemed pretty astonished that I wasn't up and fully awake before nine."
"Oh, yeah." Amber shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a bit of an insomniac. I rarely get to bed before one or two in the morning and then I usually wake up about five or six. That's why I'm always the one who's up waiting for you to come back from the bars."
"Oh." Lex frowned, not realizing that Amber was up when he would come in. "I didn't realize. You don't really expect me to be getting up that early, do you?"
"No, not quite that early." Amber shook her head. "But maybe about eight or so. Do you think you can manage that?"
Lex paled, trying to remember what eight o'clock in the morning looked like. He was forced to get up extremely early while he had been in boot camp, but that felt like a different lifetime. The day he and Ryan had escaped that place he began his loafish lifestyle, refusing to budge from his bed until the sun was high in the sky.
"Please, Lex? Just try? I'll come and get you up in the morning." Amber promised. "It will look too funny if I don't. People will suspect."
"Alright. I'll do it." Lex grumbled as he climbed out of his chair and plopped down on the bed beside Amber. "But if this whole thing goes on for too long you can forget about it. I cherish my sleep way too much."
"Well," Amber grinned, "You don't have to worry about going out to the bars and letting that keep you up late. I would never do something like that, so you're not going to either."
"What?!" Lex exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Now wait a minute. That's not fair."
"Yes it is." Amber snapped back. "If I have to be you and be stuck in your body you have to be me and be stuck in mine. Trust me, I don't like this any more than you do."
"You don't?" Lex grinned impishly. "You so sure about that?"
"What? What are you talking about, Lex?" Amber scowled at him.
"Well, I had a nice little chat with Dal this morning, and for some reason he seems to think you have a little thing for me."
"What?!" Amber's eyes widened in a horrified shock. She quickly masked it with laughter, however, throwing Lex's thoughts into confusion. "Dal told you that I liked you?"
"Well, yeah, basically." Lex shrugged.
"Oh, poor Dal." Amber shook his head. "He was always pretty clueless. Especially when it came to which guys I liked."
"What are you saying? You don't like me?" Lex tried to ignore the disappointed that coursed through him at the thought.
"Lex, you're a ni--, well, you're a guy," Amber began lamely, "But I like someone else. I like someone else a lot."
"Who?" Lex frowned, trying to ignore the strange feeling of jealousy that Amber's words brought to him.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does." Lex stated angrily. "If' I'm going to be stuck in your body for who knows how long, I need to know some vital information like that. I might be able to help you out a bit."
"I doubt that." Amber grinned ruefully. "I guess I could tell you. Don't see how it would hurt matters any worse. You've pretty much destroyed any chance I had with him today."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Bray." Amber replied simply. "I like Bray."
Lex felt his stomach twist sickly. "You what? You like Bray? That pervert?"
"Bray is not a pervert." Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the pervert. You were the one who was playing with my breasts this morning."
"You don't think Bray would be doing that if he were trapped in your body?" Lex asked her, trying to keep his voice free from the annoyance he felt.
"No, I don't."
"Then you're awfully dense, Amber. Bray is the biggest perv I've ever met. Did you see the way he was staring at your, well, my, boobs this morning?"
"That was only because you had them half naked." Amber stuck her tongue out at him in a childish fashion.
"Get your little idealisms out of your head, Amber. Bray isn't the perfect guy you think he is. All men are pigs. Bray is no exception. He just knows how to hide it a bit better."
"I really don't want to talk about this right now, Lex." Amber stated, her tone cold. "Just make sure you don't do anything else that might ruin my chances with him or else you just might find yourself in a rather uncomfortable position when we get out of this mess you got us into."
"I got us into?" Lex's eyes widened. "How did this suddenly become my fault?"
"It had to be your fault." Amber retorted. "I know I didn't do anything."
"No you don't." Lex glared at her. "You told me that you couldn't remember anything after going into the bar. For all we know you could have tangled with a leprechaun or something, upset him, and have him put a curse on us."
"There are no such thing as leprechauns, Lex." Amber told him. "Plus I think I would remember a little man in green."
'Well, I would think I would remember getting drunk, but I don't." Lex stated sarcastically. "The fact of the matter is, neither of us remember anything so we can't pin any blame. So don't even try it."
Amber pursed her lips together in a fine line, refusing to speak for several minutes. Finally, she nodded, pushing her dark hair away from her face. "You're right, Lex. As much as I hate to admit it."
"I know." Lex winced. "We've got to get this all sorted. I've tried to think about it and I can't think of anything that might have changed us."
"Me neither." Amber admitted. "The only thing I can think of is going back to that bar and see if we can learn anything there."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Lex nodded his head. "The bartender, Sherri, she might be able to help us out a bit. She and I were friends in high school."
"Really? How am I not surprised?" Amber rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what do you say we go out there tomorrow and check the place out? Maybe we can figure some things out a bit."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Lex sighed as silence once again fell between them, Lex's thoughts still dwelling on the information Amber had given him about liking Bray. He couldn't figure out why it felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart when she had told him that.
Lex knew he should have figured it. The fact was that he had figured it. Weeks before he had started to tease Amber about liking 'loverboy'. Only now he wished she didn't. Why was it that the good girls always liked the good guys, not the bad ones?
Lex closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like if he were back in his own body and Amber was back in hers, laying on his bed with her, so close and yet so very far away. 'I'd want to kiss her.' He realized suddenly, his eyes snapping open as he shook his head violently to try and clear all thoughts of wanting to take Amber in his arms and kissing her with all his might from his head.
"Lex, did you hear that?" Amber gently touched Lex on the arm. "Was that who I thought it was?"
"I, uh…" Lex trailed off, not wanting to admit where his thoughts had been.
"Lex, are you in there?" He heard Zandra's voice rather loud and obnoxious sounding from right outside the doorway.
"Hide! Quick!" Lex sprung to his feet and began shooing her off the bed. "Before she comes in here. She rarely knocks!"
"No, Lex, remember, I'm you. You have to hide." Amber told him, her eyes wide with panic. "Try under the bed."
"No, that's the first place she'll look." His eyes darted about the room, searching for a potential hiding spot. Finally, he dove behind the swivel chair and pulled one of his many discarded jackets over his body, hoping it would conceal him well enough.
He felt Amber drop a few more coats over his body as she called out to Zandra, telling her to come in. Lex shifted uncomfortably under the heat of at least four leather jackets, trying to keep his movements to a minimum.
He could see through a small gap in the leathers and watched as Zandra stepped inside the room, an irritated expression lining her face. "Just where do you think you've been all day, Lex? I've been looking for you everywhere." She pouted, planting her hands on her lips.
"Avoiding you." Amber replied in a tone exactly like what he would have used for Zandra.
"But you missed lunch and dinner, Lexy. You never miss two meals." Zandra whimpered and Lex felt a small shiver run down his spine. He was so thankful it was Amber out there with her rather than him, as selfish as that sounded and felt.
"What's it to you, Zandra?" Amber scowled at the blue and pink haired Mall Rat. "We're broken up, remember? And you're telling the whole world that I'm sleeping with Amber."
"You're not, are you?"
"Of course not." Amber snapped. "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped spreading the rumors that we are. You should know there's nothing but air between Lex and I. Nothing at all."
"Well, that's not what it looked like." Zandra whimpered. "I saw how she was throwing herself all over you. And then the way you would always stare at her when we first arrived at the mall, like you could barely keep your eyes in your sockets… It makes a girl think you know?" Zandra had crept over to where Amber stood, and Lex could see Amber shifting uncomfortably trying to avoid the advancing predator.
"It doesn't matter what you think, Zandra." Amber scowled at her. "The truth is what's important here. You better make sure every Mall Rat knows that Amber and I are not an item, you hear me?"
"Lexy, what's wrong with you? You're not acting like yourself. What do you care what a bunch of little kids thing about you?"
"I don't care what they think about me. It's just, well,…" Amber trailed off, shaking her head. "Look, Zandra, I'm really tired. Why don't you go to your own room and we'll talk later, okay?"
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise."
"Thank you." Zandra leaned forward and Lex could tell she was going to try and kiss Amber. "I'm really sorry for what I said this morning. I was really upset. I love you, Lex. I want to get back together."
Amber cringed slightly but managed to keep a brave face. "We'll talk later, Zandra. Good night."
Zandra swiftly moved forward, thinking she was about to swap saliva with her ex-boyfriend, however, Amber saw the move coming and deftly turned her head so all Zandra got was cheek still covered with tribal markings.
Zandra pulled away, a thin line of black war paint replacing her creamy blue lipstick that reminded Lex of a dead person. "Are you sure everything's okay, Lex?"
"I'm fine. Now get out." Amber growled. "Before I'm forced to throw you out." Zandra nodded then quickly ran off, sliding the thin plywood open and shut so quickly that it rattled the entire room.
"She's gone. You can come out now." Amber groaned, wiping at her cheek.
"You were great, Amber." Lex stated enthusiastically, hoping that Amber would forget about what Zandra said about him always watching her. "Just like I would have treated her, except the whole rumor thing. Zandra knows I don't think much of rumors."
"Yeah, well, I'm not you. I knew you wouldn't do anything to put a stop to the rumors, so I had to." Amber let out a tired sigh. "I really am tired, though. Being you is quite exhausting."
"Not as much as being you, kiddo." Lex winked at her. "I'm awfully tired myself."
"Well then you better head off to your own room." Amber told him. "Or rather my room. We've got to get an early start tomorrow."
"Early start?"
"You do want to get all this sorted out, right?" Amber pressed. "That means an early start."
"Alright. Alright." Lex shrugged. "I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully from my own eyes." He winked then disappeared out the door.