I thought I'd re-state it from the last chapter, but Atticus is female right now and Alexis is male. I know I had Atticus think it, but I thought I'd make it clear here.
Chapter Three- Atticus
Atticus deposited the books on the desk, sat behind it, grabbed paper and pencil, and opened the books on shooting stars. She began to take notes, making sure to reference the book. She planned to attach a few pictures to her report…provided she got her own body back.
What am I thinking? Of course I'll get my body back. I just have to understand Alexis' lack of romantic interest while acting like him. Not too hard a problem. I wonder. Will we have to stand under that same light when we tell each other that we understand one another? Most likely. She looked at her notes, noticing that her handwriting was different due to her gender. Well, it will have to do as I'm currently stuck with Lexi's body. Hmm, you know I could talk to Jaden about Lexi's crush on him. I just have to make sure I say I and me when I talk to him. She got up, left the dorm, and headed for Slifer.
Atticus felt her heart pounding as she neared the dorm. She had never admitted to having a crush on someone before. Maybe this was why Alexis hadn't said anything before: It was a nerve-wracking thing. I flirt but never had a crush on anyone. Now I'm about to make Alexis' interest in Jaden clear and I'm nervous. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she climbed the steps to Jaden's room. She knocked on the door and called, "Jaden? It's Alexis. Can we talk?"
The door opened to reveal Jaden in his pajamas and rubbing an eye. "Alexis? Uh, what time is it?"
She looked at her pad. "Two p.m.," she answered and then thought, Wow, it's only been two hours since waking up in Lexi's body?
"Oh." Jaden yawned. "Okay, I'll get dressed and we can talk." Jaden closed the door and Atticus leaned back against the railing opposite the door. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to phrase her words. She also needed to ease into the confession, not just blurt it out; Alexis never blurts things out.
Jaden emerged a few minutes later, looking more awake than he did before. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked as he closed the door.
"Well, have you picked a subject for your report yet?"
"Yeah. Sy kept pestering me to pick one. I'm doing comets. You picked one?"
"Uh-huh. Did you see that pretty nebula in front of the moon?"
"I did. Nice choice. It…suits you."
"Suits me?" she repeated.
"Yeah. I mean it's pretty and you're pretty…" Jaden trailed off, cheeks turning red.
Atticus felt herself blush and didn't fight it; after all she was a girl right now. "Oh, uh, thanks Jaden. That's really sweet."
"I mean it." Jaden stopped blushing and looked up at her. "I feel lucky that we're friends. This year, however, I've been feeling something else for you. I…I think it's love. I just know that I've been thinking of you often lately"
Atticus hardly knew what to say. She knew the sentiments she was hearing wasn't meant for her. As far as Jaden knew, he was talking to Alexis. Plus, with Jaden admitting feelings for Alexis, Atticus knew she could return those sentiments right now. "Jaden, I'm flattered you feel that way. I like you, too. I've had a crush on you for some time, but I was too occupied with dueling to tell you."
"Same here. I'm glad you told me."
"I'm glad you told me, too. So, where do we go from here?"
"I think I know." Jaden stretched up and gave Atticus a deep kiss. Atticus' eyes went wide. Oh my God! Jaden's kissing me!
"Sam Hill!" yelped Hassleberry. Jaden pulled away and turned to see Hassleberry peeking through a crack.
"Hassleberry!" Jaden exclaimed.
Atticus fixed a stern look at the freshman. "You better not spread this around school. You got that? I can be scary when I'm mad."
"She's right," Jaden put in. "I've seen it. Tell no one."
"My lips are sealed," Hassleberry said before shutting the door.
Atticus and Jaden breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that, Lex."
"If you mean about Hassleberry, I understand. If you mean the kiss, I didn't mind."
"Would you like to sit with me and the guys tonight?"
Oh, man. I'd love to, but I'm supposed to be acting like Alexis. "I'd like to, but I promised Mindy and Jasmine I'd give them some help with the report."
"Oh." Jaden sounded disappointed. "Okay. I understand."
"I really am sorry, but we can get together another time."
Jade perked up. "Yeah, another time."
"Great. I'll see you later." Atticus planted a kiss on Jaden's cheek as she left the dorm. She shook her head slightly, hardly believing what had just happened. She went over there to tell Jaden of Alexis' interest in him and Jaden confesses feelings of love and kisses her.
And I kissed him back. I never kissed any of the girls I talk to. That's jut it. I only talk to them- in a flattering, suave-sounding way that comes across as flirting. The thing is that I don't see what I'm doing as wrong or annoying; it is how I am. I know I'm attractive and the girls love my looks and the attention I give them. I just don't feel love for them. Maybe that's one reason why it annoys Lexi. Hmm, I suppose I could flirt less and have actual conversations with them. Atticus nodded to herself. She was actually glad she had switched bodies with Alexis. It was making her take a hard look at her behavior and see herself from her brother's point of view. Heh, maybe someone should build a device to switch people's bodies in order to understand one another. I started off awkwardly in this body, but I adjusted and actually learned something about myself.
Atticus sat with Mindy and Jasmine, Alexis' pad in hand. She was ready to take those pictures Alexis wanted. In the meantime, she was assisting the girls in their reports, being mindful not to flirt.
"So, you want to focus on Jupiter?" Atticus asked Mindy as she leafed through a book.
"Yeah. I hope to get a close-up view of it with my pad."
"I don't know about tonight. There's supposed to be a shower of shooting stars tonight."
"Yeah, you're right. But they won't last all night."
"True. You'll have time before and after to get some great shots. What's your topic, Jasmine?"
"That swirling galaxy that will be over there." Jasmine pointed at a point in the sky."
"I remember it. That was beautiful."
"Exactly." Jasmine flipped through another book. "Alexis, I can't believe you have all these astronomy books."
Atticus thought fast. "I always loved astronomy," she said smoothly.
The sky darkened and, as before, the light show began about several minutes after it got dark. The sky exploded with colors, glittering lights, and glowing stars. Atticus located the nebula that caused their switch, at least partly, and snapped a shot from her position before getting up to take another shot from a different angle. She heard a giggle and her male voice talking. She looked over to see Alexis seeming to be entertaining a girl. His actions were evocative of the flirting she had done last night only it was with one girl. As she watched Alexis flirt, she felt a stab of annoyance. He criticizes me about flirting and now I catch him doing the flirting! Whoa there, Atticus. Alexis said we're supposed to be acting like each other and that's what he's doing. I better head back and help his friends. Atticus returned to Mindy and Jasmine as the shooting star shower began.
