Switched by Sienna Mercer Page B

“I guess that’s the one,” Olivia
said hoarsely.
    “Well,”
said Sophia, “it is a killer fashion statement. You look deadly.”
    “Thank
you,” said Olivia.
    “So
let’s go .” Sophia pushed her toward the sidewalk. “I don’t want to be
late!”
    So
far, so good, Olivia
thought with a rush of relief. If she could make it to the meeting without arousing
Sophia’s suspicions, everything else would be easy.
    They
cut across the school parking lot and turned onto Thornhill Road. Olivia
glanced over and caught Sophia sneaking a sideways look at her.
    Shoot, Olivia thought. She’s
onto me.
    Sophia
stopped and grabbed her arm. “We need to talk,” she said seriously.
    Olivia
held her breath and waited for the ax to fall.
    “Listen,
I know you’re not going to enjoy this,” Sophia said, frowning. “In fact, you’re
going to hate it. But I really want to be on the planning committee.”
    Olivia
let herself breathe again. It seemed Sophia hadn’t discovered her secret—yet!
And Olivia had been head of the planning committee for the spring carnival at
her old school. It rocked. “Planning committee for what?” she asked curiously.
    “The
All Hallows’ Ball,” Sophia said apologetically. She sounded like a little kid
who knows she’s in trouble. “Every year, they use the same lifeless
professional photographer with a combover, and I think I could do something
seriously great and candid. But we have to be on the planning committee first.”
    Olivia
blurted, “That sounds cool.”
    Sophia
looked completely shocked, and Olivia realized that Ivy would not think
party planning was cool. At all.
    “I
mean you taking the pictures sounds cool. Not party planning,” Olivia
added hastily.Then she continued in a glum tone, meant to convey Goth resignation,
“Just don’t expect me to say anything in this meeting. I’ll sit there, but that’s
it.”
    “Agreed,”
Sophia said, looking relieved.
    “Thanks,
Ivy.”
    As
they walked, Olivia wondered why she hadn’t heard anything about the ball
before. At her old school, there would have been posters everywhere.
    The
tree-lined street had turned into a concrete thoroughfare, and they walked past
a Funky Chicken and a Marly’s Discount Superstore.
    Sophia
leaped up on a bench and tiptoed along it, jumping down. Olivia struggled to
limit her reaction to a close-lipped Goth smile, but it wasn’t easy. Then she
noticed Sophia’s earrings—two little black bowling balls with white bowling
pins dangling below them.
    “Your
earrings are so cute!” Olivia exclaimed. “Don’t be such a witch,” Sophia replied
drily.
    She
must have thought her friend was being sarcastic.
    Olivia
mentally kicked herself. She had to stop using words like “cute,” or she’d
never make it through the afternoon in one piece.
    Sophia
veered into the parking lot of a giant FoodMart. Olivia was a little surprised,
considering they were already running late, but she followed Ivy’s friend
inside without comment. Maybe they were supposed to bring food to the meeting,
like pretzels or something.
    But
Sophia didn’t even go to the snack aisle.
    Olivia
followed her past paper towels and laundry detergent to the back of the store.
They stopped in front of a scruffy stock boy with jet-black hair and a nose
ring, who was stacking cases of cranberry juice on a cart.
    Out of
nowhere, Sophia said, “Pumpernickel.” Well, that’s a lame meeting snack ,
thought Olivia. Without even looking at them, the boy silently pulled a key
from a chain that hung from his belt loop and unlocked a gray door marked STAFF
ONLY. Sophia walked through, and Olivia hustled after her.
    This
is weird, thought
Olivia.
    They
started down an impossibly steep, dimly lit staircase. There was no handrail,
and Olivia was scared she’d trip over her boots. Sophia barreled down
fearlessly ahead of her.
    Clearly
this thing was a total secret, Olivia decided. But what kind of dance required
a hush-hush meeting in the