Love, Joy, Heartache and Pain

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

It took Kylie eight minutes to get to the auditorium…eight short little minutes. To me, they felt like the longest eight minutes of my life! Each passing second was like an eternity in a world where no one existed but me, a world with no laughter, love or joy. I was living in a foggy nightmare where my absolute existence had come to an abrupt end. When Kylie reached my side and wrapped her arms around me, I was instantly pulled back into the real world. Luke hated me with all his mind, body and soul.

“What happened? How did he find out?” Kylie searched my eyes.

“We…” I started trying my best to control my wheezing. “We need to switch back now! I can no longer be inside your body.”

“But what happened?”

I pulled her towards the car. “We need to get out of here and fast.”

I basically shoved Kylie into her car and threw myself on the back seat, crying hysterically. Luke hated me. Lucas Edward Johnson was disgusted by me. Kylie stepped on the pedal and bolted through the parking lot and onto the busy street. She went into Tokyo Drift mode and burned those wheels to the ground. In no time, we were back at my house. I heard her car door open and close. Then she opened mine, tugging on my arm and pulling me to my feet. Kylie was stronger now thanks to my body which I wanted back so bad.

“What happened?” Kylie asked. I was doing my best not to stare into her eyes because I knew I would break down into pieces again. “What happened, Kyle? You can tell me anything, you know that, Kylee Boo.”

“He knows.” My chest tightened, remembering his actions and words.

“How did he find out? Did you tell him?”

“No. I think Josh told him.”

Kylie’s eyes widen. “What do you mean you think?”

I sighed deeply trying my best not to cry again. “He told me that he ran into Josh after classes and had an interesting chat with him. He kissed me and acted like if it was the worst thing in the world.”

“f**k!” Kylie murmured under her breath. She pulled me into her arms and hugged me tenderly. “I’m so sorry, Kylee Boo. This is all my fault. I should have been more careful with Josh and kept my mouth shut. I’m so sorry for ruining your night with Luke.”

I was in tears now and my chest felt heavy. I couldn’t hold anything against Kylie. She loved Josh as much as I loved Luke. Her actions were out of pure love towards him. I knew exactly how she felt for the guy. “It’s not your fault, Kylie. Life’s a b***h. All we can do now is move forward. I no longer want to be living your life. This has to end today.”

Kylie nodded and wiped my tears away with her shirt. “Our potential boyfriends are a couple of idiots. Look at us: we’re hot, sexy and gorgeous. f**k them! Who needs them when we’ve got each other? They could suck their own d***s if they want because we no longer want them…deal?”

I laughed. Kylie was right. Luke and Josh were great guys as far as I knew, but it would never work between us. We were too different. “You’re right, Kylie Boo. Friends over cock.”

Kylie laughed heartedly and grabbed my hand, taking a bow. “Shall we go inside milady?”

“I think we shall, my dear gentleman caller.” Kylie smiled and grabbed my arm, walking me to the door. Inside, we found Hughes and Harper working their magic on the television set.

“That should do it!” Harper exclaimed happily.

“I think it might,” Hughes added, leaning over my old black and white television.

“What should do it?” I asked, sitting down on the sofa.

“Kyle! You’re back.” Harper smiled. “Why are you home so early?” I took a deep breath, remembering my time with Luke. It was so good while it lasted. Harper must have noticed my look of disappointment because her smile quickly faded. “Bad date?”

“You can say that.” Kylie sat next to me.

“What happened?” Hughes asked, sitting down on the floor.

My heart flipped. I really didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to pretend that it was all a bad dream, but they were doing so much for Kylie and me. The least I could do was tell them the truth. “To make a long story short, Josh told Luke.”

They immediately glanced at each other. When they turned towards me again, their faces were bloodless. A slight smile appeared on Harper’s face. “I’m so sorry, Kyle. I know how much he means to you.”

I shook my head and wiped my tears away. “It’s okay, Harper. s**t happens. So, are we ready for tonight?”

“Yes,” Hughes added, smiling. “We just need you to change into the clothing that Kylie was wearing last night.”

“Precisely. We also need to soak you from head to toe.” Harper smiled. “That may be crucial for the experiment to work.”

“I see, but what did you guys do?” I asked looking around. Everything was the same, even the fact that my mom was missing like last night. It was a Tuesday night, which meant Bingo.

Hughes stood up. “We borrowed Harper’s generator and hooked it to the antenna outside.”

“Exactly.” Harper continued. “Now, this is the tricky part. We don’t know the exact amount of electric current you guys received last night. Many argue that under the right circumstances, nine volts of electricity can kill you. Others say that a body can withstand up to 200 volts. Anything more than that will definitely leave you marked for life or with some serious physical damage.”

“That’s right!” Hughes added. “We cannot go over that amount.”

Kylie scratched her head. “What does that mean in human language?”

I had to come in and make it easier for my girl. “That if they hit us with a high voltage, they could kill us.”

Kylie’s face went pale and I immediately held her hand. I was expecting Kylie to stand and do her panic dance, but to my surprise, she didn’t. “That’s bullshit! The way I see it, last night a lightning bolt struck us and we survived. And that was over a billion volts, right? We can take two hundred volts and even the billion again.”

To be honest, Kylie was right. What the hell happened last night? We were struck by lightning and received no physical damage whatsoever? That’s scientifically impossible! Maybe Kylie was right. And maybe Hughes and Harper were right. Either way, this was going to be one painful night.

I went into my room and changed into the clothing that Kylie had been wearing the previous night. Like they ordered me, I stepped into the shower and spent three minutes underneath the cold water. It made me jump up and down since it was so freaking cold, but I had to be a strong woman. After that, I made my way into the living room where I found Harper wearing a pot on her head and holding a walkie-talkie. Kylie stood next to her, holding my bathrobe. She immediately offered me her hand. “Ready?”

I nodded and took it. We walked up to the television set in silence and I placed my hand on the surface. Suddenly, Harper spoke up. “Okay guys, we’ll start with 50 volts and go up from there.” We nodded. My heart was basically trying to get away from my chest, trying endlessly to run away. This was a really bad idea, but we had to give it a try. Harper then spoke to the walkie-talkie. “Okay Hughes, on the count of three. One. Two and―”

All of a sudden, a knock on the door interrupted us. I quickly glanced at the clock on my wall. It was a quarter to nine and my mom scheduled her return at eleven. Hughes asked through the walkie-talkie, “What’s wrong?”

Harper quickly answered him as she made her way towards the door. “Someone’s at the door. I’ll check.” We stood there waiting for her. “They’re not here.”

Something was definitely up since Harper’s voice turned into a tiny squeal. All of a sudden, several footsteps began to make their way towards the living room. My heart stopped when I came face to face with Luke and Josh. Luke was holding Hughes from his right arm. He was also wearing a pot on his head and holding a walkie-talkie, looking defeated. A few seconds later, Harper stood behind them.

“What the f**k’s going on here?” asked Josh, storming ahead. Kylie screamed and ran behind me. I turned to Luke who looked serious and almost furious.

“What…what do you mean?” I decided to play dumb.

“You know exactly what I mean! All of this s**t! What the hell is Hughes doing outside with a generator? And why the f**k did Kyle kiss me saying he was you?”

My heart was now crawling its way out of my throat while Kylie buried her face in my back. I turned to Luke who looked emotionless and cold. I had to tell them the truth even if it meant that I would be visiting the crazy doctor the following day. f**k it and f**k Luke! Friends over c**k. “Kylie and I…switched bodies.”

Josh chuckled, turning to Luke. “I told you they were crazy.” Luke shook his head, letting go of Hughes, who immediately ran away from him. “I’m calling your mom, Kyle.” He snickered. “I mean the real Kyle’s mom, or should I call the Looney Doctor instead.” Josh laughed, reaching for his phone.

There was a loud bang that echoed throughout the room. Josh fell to the floor sleeping like a baby. Harper stood behind him holding the pot in her hands. Luke walked forward. “Why the hell did you do that!?”

Another loud bang followed his words and Luke fell on top of Josh, knocked out cold. Hughes stood behind him, holding the silverware tight in his grasp. My mouth dropped open. Hughes’ face was white as chalk. “What? I panicked!” It was then that the first loud bang echoed and the earth gave a sudden jolt. We all screamed since the large flash of light made us blind for a few seconds. Another severe storm was beginning to brew.

Harper turned to us looking nervous and desperate. “What are we going to do? I’m too young to go to jail.”

Kylie finally stepped out of her comfort zone and ran to Josh’s side. She knelt and felt for a pulse. “Oh. My. God. We are so f****d! What are we going to do?” She turned to me. “When these guys wake up, they’ll call our parents for sure.”

“Or they’ll beat the crap out of us.” Harper added with a slight look of fear in her eyes.

“I’m too young to die!” Hughes replied, dropping the pot on the floor. Soon, the trio were panicking and talking all at once. Kylie began with her panic dance while Hughes and Harper argued back and forth. I had to step in and try to regain control of things before they s**t their pants. “Everyone! Shut up!” They quickly iced up and turned to me. “Kylie! Go into my room and bring me a pair of socks. Hughes, go into the kitchen and bring me two chairs. Harper, inside my closet there are some ropes, get them.” They stood looking at me wondering what was going on. “Move! Now!” The trio ran to their designated spots and disappeared from sight. I made my way to where our two sleeping friends were and got Luke off Josh since they were in a very compromising doggy style position.

“I got the chairs!” Hughes stepped into the room holding the two objects.

“Place them facing east and west and help me get Luke on one and Josh on the other.” It took a lot of strength, but we managed to get Luke in a sitting position. Josh proved to be more of a challenge since he was a little heavier and more built. All of a sudden, the girls stepped into the room.

“I got the socks.” Kylie showed them to me.

“I got the rope.” Harper added.

“Okay. Kylie, tie their hands with them while you guys help me to tie their bodies and feet with the rope.” We immediately got to business. Kylie was shaking as she tried to tie their hands with the socks, but she got the job done very quickly. Thank God, my mom taught me how to do a proper knot when we used to go camping at Lake View or we would have been screwed.

“What do we do now?” Harper asked, panting. “We can’t keep them as hostages forever, and your mom will be back soon.”

“She’s right!” Hughes added. “We need to get rid of their bodies.”

“Come on! They’re still alive. You guys just knocked them out cold.” Kylie added among the rain that was pouring heavily now. She turned to me. “What are we going to do Kyle?”

Shenanigans! I had no idea what the f**k to do and everyone was expecting me to have the answers? Were they insane? I needed to calm down and focus. All that we could do now was to try to switch back. That way, we could deny anything that happened earlier that day. I turned to them. “We need to switch back. Everyone get into position.”

“But―”

“No buts, Kylie.” I made my way to the television set and placed my hand on top. “Don’t you want to switch back?”

“You guys are crazy!” Luke shouted among the thunderstorm outside. He had woken up. Josh was stirring up as well. “Untie us now!”

“Kyle, please. Stop acting like a crazy maniac.” Josh tried to free himself. “What’s wrong with you, buddy?”

“We’re not crazy!” Kylie barked at them. “I told you what happened to us last night and you punched me.”

“You kissed me! What the hell did you want me to do?” Josh yelled at her. Kylie quickly walked up to him. She grabbed his shoulders and head butted him. She immediately grabbed her forehead in pain while Josh let out a loud cry. “What the hell was that for?”

“For punching a girl in the face, dipshit.”

“But you’re Kyle not Kylie! You two need some serious psychological help.”

“f**k you, Josh!”

“No, f**k you Kyle.”

“Everyone stop!” I stepped in between them before Kylie beat the crap out of him while he was helplessly tied to a chair. “We need to try to switch back, Kylie. I don’t want to be in your body anymore.”

Kylie crossed her arms and curled her lips. She was fuming with anger and rage. “That reminds me.” She stomped her way to where Luke was and slapped the s**t out of him. Luke let out a sharp cry. “How dare you kiss him and act like it’s the worst thing in the world, you pathetic little jock?”

“Kylie!” I pulled her back when she picked up the pot that Hughes dropped on the floor earlier. I immediately wrapped myself around her body, doing my best to hold her back. “Why did you do that?”

“I always wanted to do that…stupid little jock itch!” Kylie was trying her best to set herself free from my grip. I was clinging on to her for Luke’s safety. “He’s been annoying for over a year now.”

“Whoa! You really are Kylie.” Luke murmured. Kylie immediately stopped fighting me. My blood went cold.

“You believe us?” I asked trying to search for his eyes, but he was avoiding my stare. My heart skipped when another bolt of lightning struck outside. It made my small little house shake in fear.

“Kyle would never act the way he’s acting. He’s acting like Kylie.”

“Come on, Luke! Don’t let their craziness rub off on you too.”

“Josh! For five seconds, take a quick look at the way they act.” Josh went silent. “You know them more than me. They’re acting like each other. You above all people should have noticed that before anyone else.”

“That’s true, Josh.” Harper told him. She and Hughes had been quiet all along. “They somehow managed to do something that’s too weird to be true.”

“But, that’s scientifically impossible!” Josh told her. “There’s no way that something like that can be done.”

“Maybe you’re right, but maybe, something out of this world happened last night to these guys.” Hughes smiled.

“Hughes’s right, Josh. I placed Kyle through a test tonight and he failed miserably.” Luke turned towards me. His face was emotionless. “I’ve never asked Kylie to the dance before or ran into her last Christmas at Lake View.”

Shenanigans! Luke outsmarted me. Suddenly, he looked away trying to avoid my gaze. Something inside my chest hurt. Luke despised me. He didn’t want me. He wanted Kylie. Hell would freeze over first before Luke wanted me. I turned around and walked to the television set. Slowly, I placed my hand on top of it.

“Kyle?” Kylie walked up to me dropping the pot on the floor.

“This is insane!” Josh shook his head. “This can’t be true. Kylie loves me and I punched her.”

“Yes she does. She always has and always will.” I told him trying my best to hold back my tears. I silently caressed the television set trying not to glance at Luke or the way he despised me. Kylie placed her head on my back trying her best to conceal her tears.

“Kylie! I’m so sorry. It’s just that I thought that you were Kyle.”

She did not turn to him, but buried her face more into my back silently crying. We may have lost them, but we had each other. Our friendship was far more important than anything in the world. Suddenly, the earth shook and a loud bang echoed throughout the ground making it quake. A sudden burst of light blinded us and a rush of electric current made its way through my hand propelling me backwards. Everything soon went black.