Chapter XXVIII

When the elevator doors slid open, Elizabeth Tao stepped out into the hallway. It was her first time in the building and she wanted to make sure she knew where she was going so she quickly scanned the doors on either side of the corridor, specifically at the golden numbers beside them. She briefly recalled which apartment number she was looking for before seeing it a few doors down on her left. Grinning, she proceeded forward and trotted on over before knocking her gloved fist against its wooden surface a few times. The girl then stepped back and waited until she heard the sound of it unlocking, followed by it swinging open to reveal her good friend on the other side.

“Morning, Lilly,” Liz greeted cheerfully. “Happy Saturday.”

The other girl smiled warmly. “Morning, Liz. Happy Saturday to you, too.” She then stepped aside and motioned for her to enter. “Glad you could make it. Come on in.”

“Oh, of course I could make it,” Liz said wryly, stepping past Lilly and into the hallway before kneeling down to start undoing the laces on her boots. “I never thought the day would come when you would willingly tell me where you live, let alone invite me over. It’s a special occasion.”

Lilly shrugged nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t call it special. I just wanted to talk for a bit.”

“But you cared about me so much that it had to be in person, yeah?” Liz countered. “It’s not like you couldn’t have called.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow. “Would you have preferred me to?”

Setting her boots off to the side, Liz stood up and grinned. “Of course not! You and I never hang out one-on-one! It’s time we had some girl talk!”

Lilly grimaced as the two of them walked further into the apartment. When they reached the main room, Liz found herself unsurprised that it was empty. She knew there was no way she would have ever been invited over if Lilly’s family were home.

“I don’t do girl talk,” Lilly grumbled. “I couldn’t even tell you what that meant.”

“Oh, you know,” Liz began, “like talking about boys and clothes and…other stereotypical girl things.”

Lilly eyed her skeptically. “It’s starting to sound like you don’t know what it means either.”

The bespectacled girl laughed guiltily and looked away, fiddling with the headphones around her neck. “Well…what do you expect? I’ve spent my high school years surrounded by boys! You think Eric and Vinny ever talk about girl stuff?”

“Fair point,” Lilly admitted, moving around the kitchen counter and toward a kettle that was sitting on a lit burner. “By the way, you want some hot chocolate?”

“Oh do I?!” Liz cheered excitedly.

Lilly already seemed slightly overwhelmed by her peppy attitude so Liz decided she ought to start toning it down a bit. She stood by and watched the other girl get some mugs out of the cabinets. For a moment, Liz found herself strangely elated as she observed Lilly. While she had been mainly teasing, she hadn’t been lying when she said that she spent all her time with boys, so it was nice to be invited over to a girl’s house. She hadn’t ever had any close female friends so she was especially grateful for Lilly, even if she wasn’t the most cheerful of girls.

“You know,” Liz said softly. “I really appreciate you inviting me over. I was worried that…after what happened, you’d hate me.”

Lilly glanced up from the mugs and looked at her in surprise. “Hate you? Of course not. Why would I hate you for that?”

“I dunno,” she admitted. “I guess…I just wasn’t sure what you’d think. I went behind your guys’ backs. I stole the gem. I just…”

Lilly turned the stove off then reached for the kettle of boiling water. “Have you been thinking about this all break?”

Liz nodded bashfully. “Well, a bit, yeah.”

“Then why didn’t you call me?” the other girl asked. “We could’ve cleared that up quickly, you know?”

She shook her head. “No. I figured it would be better to let you guys have your space. So…when you called yesterday, I was really happy. I am sorry about it all. I never wanted to betray you guys or anything.”

The other girl returned the kettle to the stove and picked up one of the mugs before holding it out for Liz, who took it gratefully.

“You didn’t betray us,” Lilly assured her. “You did what you thought was best for Alice. We all know that. Even Damien does, although I’m sure you guys have already talked that over.”

Liz bit her lip and glanced away. “Well…”

“Liz? Have you and Damien worked it out?” she asked, her tone sounding somewhat nervous.

Well, it’s not like I gain anything by lying.

“No, I haven’t. Actually, I haven’t spoken to him since that meeting in the clubroom before I stole the stone.”

“What?!”

Liz cringed at her friend’s exclamation and decided not to elaborate further.

“Jeez,” Lilly grumbled. “Okay, well, come with me. Let’s go outside and sit down. We’ll talk more out there.”

Liz nodded and silently followed the girl across the sitting area and toward the sliding glass door on the other side of the room. She pulled it open to admit them to the balcony where there were two wicker chairs with blue cushions placed between a small glass table. The air was chilly but she knew the hot chocolate would warm her up pretty quick. Lilly motioned for Liz to take a seat and she obliged. When she took a sip of her drink, she felt some of the tension in her body ease up.

“Okay,” Lilly began after drinking some of her own hot chocolate. “So let me get this straight. You haven’t talked to Damien since the week before finals? You went past Christmas, New Years, and almost the entire winter break with nothing?”

Liz felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment. “W-well, when you say it like that, I sound really pathetic.”

“You both do,” Lilly growled, rolling her eyes. “God, I figured you guys would have this all patched up by now. You always seemed like the ideal couple.”

Liz shrugged. “It’s not that surprising. He’s probably really hurt. He expected me to back him up and instead…I betrayed him and gave Vinny the stone. It’s no wonder he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Don’t say that. I might not have known you guys that long but there’s no way Damien wants nothing to do with you. He’s probably just as torn up about it all as you are.” She paused for a moment as she stared down at her drink. “Though I do have to ask... Why didn’t you at least say you didn’t agree with him during the meeting? I mean, you might have been able to convince him.”

Liz shook her head. “No, I couldn’t have. That room was so tense. I’ve never seen Vinny and Damien go at it like that. I just…couldn’t bring myself to interject and take Vinny’s side. So…instead, I was a coward. I went behind his back.”

Lilly sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Can I ask why? Why did you take Vinny’s side? I would’ve thought you to have a similar mindset to Damien.”

“I normally do,” the bespectacled girl admitted. “But…I kinda know how Alice felt. While I’ve never experienced something quite like that, I’ve always been a bit of an outcast. Thing is, I’m the only girl in a club everybody would rather avoid. People think I’m weird…and they’re not wrong, but…I go through school constantly looked at as some kind of freak. I figure you probably know something of what I mean.”

The other girl nodded. “Yeah. I can’t say I don’t get weird looks now and then. Though, Brad does keep a lot of people off my back. I guess I can see what you mean though. You didn’t want Alice to suffer anything worse.”

“Exactly,” Liz replied. “It’s sometimes a bit overwhelming for me. I couldn’t imagine dealing with what Evan and Rina were putting her through. I just…couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

“And I think Damien would understand that,” Lilly said. “Look, Liz, I didn’t just invite you here today for the hell of it. Eric’s worried about you guys… He’s afraid that the situation with Alice is going to rip the club apart and he doesn’t want that. I don’t want that either.”

Liz couldn’t help but to smile at the sincerity in Lilly’s tone. It was so strange to hear the girl say something like that. It made her realize that, despite her personality, Lilly really did care about them. It once again made her feel warm inside.

“Seeing as you and Damien haven’t even started to patch things up,” Lilly continued, “I want to help get the ball rolling. This club is not falling apart over this, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, Captain Harper,” she replied with a joking grin and a quick salute. “And I’m open to any advice you got.”

Lilly snorted at the nickname but didn’t seem like it annoyed her. “Well, it’s not really rocket science. Talk to him. He’s your boyfriend, for crying out loud. I’m sure he’ll understand where you’re coming from.”

“Maybe but…” Liz frowned. “Damien can be stubborn. He’s afraid of that gem. I know he is. Right now, he’s desperate to get away from it and to go back to the way things used to be. The magic scares him. I think…regardless of how I feel, he won’t ever accept that using the stone was a good idea.”

“Maybe so,” Lilly muttered. “But that doesn’t mean talking to him won’t at least help clear the air a bit.”

Liz sighed, realizing she’d been totally ignoring her drink. She took another few sips as she thought the situation over. She did have an idea that might be able to help bridge the gap between her and Damien. It was something she had considered a few times over the course of winter break but had always decided to ignore. However, talking with Lilly, part of her wondered if it might be the only way to truly fix everything.

“You know, this subject is depressing,” Liz said, forcing cheer back into her voice. “I’d rather talk about something more fun. Like, how about your relationship with Eric? He ask you out yet?”

Liz took satisfaction in the sight of Lilly turning beet red as she choked up her sip of hot chocolate.

“As if!” she sputtered. “We aren’t going to date! Why are you guys so hung up over this!”

Liz grinned. “Cause I think you’d look cute together. And I mean, it’s not like you don’t know each other intimately. You’ve been in his body before! Can’t get much closer than that, can you?”

The other girl frantically looked over her shoulder as if fearing her family was about to pop out of thin air.

“It’s completely platonic,” Lilly snapped. “Our body swapping is for experimenting and experimenting alone!”

Liz cocked an eyebrow. “Oh please? So you’re telling me that whenever you’ve swapped bodies with him, you’ve never had the urge to just whip it out? You’ve never wanted to see what it feels like to just…give it a spin?”

It was actually impressive to Liz how red Lilly’s face could become in the face of her teasing.

“Give it a…spin? N-no!” she exclaimed. “As if!”

Liz couldn’t help but to laugh, knowing she should tone it down but wanting to keep pushing. “Ah, you’re missing a great chance here! Not many girls can say they’ve ever been a boy before. This is uncharted territory and you’re our best pioneer!”

“Sh-shut up!”

Lilly leaned back in her chair and seemed to be trying desperately to calm herself down. Liz couldn’t help but marvel at how cute she was when she was flustered. If not for her association with the club and her otherwise distant attitude, she could have probably gotten herself a date easily. She was really pretty and there was no doubt in Liz’s mind that Lilly didn’t even realize it.

“But in all seriousness,” Liz said after a moment. “What’s it like to be a boy? I was only Eric for a few seconds so I never got much of a chance to really think about it.”

Lilly grimaced, as if desperately wanting the conversation to turn elsewhere. “Why not just swap with Eric or Vinny and see for yourself? Why do I need to explain it?”

“I can’t do that,” Liz told her. “I do have a boyfriend…I think. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I swapped bodies with another dude?”

Lilly snorted. “Fair enough, I guess. Didn’t really think about that.”

“So?” Liz pressed. “What is it like?”

The other girl, still a nice shade of red, turned to stare up at the sky, as if considering the best way to answer the question.

“Honestly, Liz,” she muttered. “I can’t really put it into words. It’s different, obviously, but the gem screws with your head to make everything feel normal. It’s really something you’d just have to experience for yourself.”

Liz smiled, taking another sip of her drink.

Experience for myself, huh? Yeah…maybe I’ll do just that.

***

Winter break passed by in a weird blur for Vinny to the point that he couldn’t remember much of it. For the first time since he met them, he had gone most of the two weeks without speaking to a single member of the club. Eric, Liz, and Lilly sent him texts wishing him a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and he said the same back to them but that was the extent of their interactions. Damien never spoke to him at all, but that was to be expected after their last interaction the week before finals. Ever since, the two had been avoiding each other.

Not like there’s much I can do about that. If Damien won’t forgive me then that’s just how it’s going to be. I did the right thing, after all. Three weeks have passed and Alice hasn’t received a single death threat nor did anything happen when she came back to school. Rina and Evan are dealt with and that’s what matters.

He couldn’t help but to smirk at the memory of the news he had seen on social media a few weeks back. There were rumors circulating around the school that Evan Wright had been put under arrest for the possession of illegal drugs after an anonymous source tipped off the cops, though nothing had been confirmed. Vinny, however, knew the truth.

I got him, Vinny thought with satisfaction. After everything he put us through, I won in the end. The fucker should have never tried to pick a fight with me.

As for Rina, she hadn’t gone near Alice once since it all ended. She was still probably terrified that Vinny would send those pictures out and so, that should keep her from doing anything further. Everything had been dealt with and so, he knew Damien would come around eventually. He did the right thing, after all. Alice was safe.

He smiled at the thought of his girlfriend. She was the only one he had spent time with over break and he felt like they were only getting closer in the aftermath of all that had happened. The only thing she seemed upset about was that Jay had been acting somewhat reserved and unresponsive. She said she had tried getting ahold of him a few times and he only responded once and didn’t really take up much of a conversation.

He’s probably just tired, Vinny thought. Either that or he’s letting the whole Rina thing bother him more than he should.

The blonde boy leaned back, resting his head against his living room couch as he stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling strangely tired as well, but he supposed it was probably due to all of the stress he had been under. Even after so many days had passed, he still couldn’t help but to feel furious whenever he thought about what Evan and Rina did.

“Hey, Vinny?”

At the sound of his sister’s voice, he glanced over his shoulder to see her coming down the stairs. Eric and Damien always claimed they looked alike but, aside from the fact that their hair was blonde and their eyes were blue, he didn’t really see much resemblance.

“Yeah? What’s up, Mia?” he called back.

“Have you seen my phone?” she asked. “I thought I left it in my room but I can’t find it anywhere.”

Vinny cocked an eyebrow and smiled slyly. “Oh? I didn’t know you were even capable of losing it. I was under the impression that it was glued to your body.”

She rolled her eyes but laughed nonetheless. “Shut up. Have you seen it or not?”

“I haven’t,” he replied. “Did you check the mantle? You’ve left it there a few times.”

“Oh, good idea! Thanks!”

With that, Mia went to run into the next room over when the sound of the doorbell rang through the house. Vinny frowned, wondering if his sister had invited a friend over but when he looked at her, she was staring back with an inquisitive expression.

“Is that for you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. I’m not expecting anyone. It must be a package or something. You mind getting it?”

“Yeah, sure.”

With a chipper skip in her step, Mia went around the corner and into the other room. Vinny returned to his comfortable position of leaning his head back but his relaxation was ruined by his sister’s sudden call.

“Hey, it’s Eric!”

He instantly sat up, his brow furrowed in surprise.

Eric? Why the hell is he here?

He almost called back to tell Mia to pretend like they weren’t home but he could already hear the door opening, telling him he wasn’t quick enough.

“Mornin’, Eric!” Mia greeted cheerfully.

“Ah, good morning, Mini Mickelson,” came the reply from his old friend. “I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion but I was in the area and thought I’d stop by. Is your brother home?”

“Yup! He’s just in the other room! Come on in!”

As he listened to the exchange, he felt his stomach tense up. He had intentionally avoided talking to Eric for fear of how mad his friend might be. Even if Liz was the one to steal the stone, he had still gone behind Eric’s back and used it despite being told not to. He knew Eric had every right to be furious and if he had decided to come by, it was possible that he was ready to confront him. However, when Eric walked into the room, Vinny was surprised to find him grinning like normal.

“Vinny, my friend!” he greeted. “Happy January! The new year is finally upon us”

The blonde boy eyed Eric nervously but forced a smile. “Y-yeah. Happy January to you, too, dude. What’s up?”

Eric shrugged. “Nothing much. I just thought I’d stop by so we could talk. That okay with you?”

“Uh, sure,” Vinny stuttered. “You want to head upstairs then?”

“Sounds perfect.”

With that, Vinny reluctantly pushed himself to his feet and headed toward the staircase with Eric following right behind, whistling a merry tune as he did so. The boy was acting so normal that Vinny almost wondered if he’d somehow forgotten about the whole Rina/Evan situation. However, he quickly realized that wasn’t the case. Eric was probably just putting on a front so as to not make Mia suspicious.

When they arrived on the top floor, Vinny crossed the hall and walked toward his room before opening the door and stepping aside so Eric could enter. Once Vinny had followed behind him, he closed the door so they could have some privacy. His room wasn’t anything special, consisting of his bed on one side and his desk on the opposite corner. Sunlight was streaming in through the window behind the desk, keeping the room well lit without having to turn on the light.

Eric casually walked over and leaned his hands on the windowsill, seeming content just staring out at the neighborhood below. Vinny wasn’t sure what to say and so, had intended to let his friend start the conversation. Yet Eric said nothing, just continuing to gaze silently out the window. The silence was suffocating and with each passing second, Vinny found himself wanting to break it and just ask Eric what he wanted. However, before he could, the boy finally spoke.

“I heard from Damien that Evan was supposedly arrested for drug possession,” he said. “Your doing, I assume?”

Vinny grimaced at the casual tone of Eric’s voice before nodding. “Obviously. I’d noticed that his body seemed oddly uncomfortable and so, after searching his car, I found his hidden stash. So, I did what any good citizen would do and I told the cops.”

“Good. He deserved as much,” Eric replied. “The boy was clearly unstable. Perhaps this will be a good lesson for him.”

Vinny narrowed his eyes. He still couldn’t sense any anger in Eric. Instead, he was talking like nothing bad had happened at all. It was so like Eric and yet every time he acted like that, Vinny was surprised. Ever since they met, his taller friend had always been one to act cheerful no matter the circumstances. It was that personality that Vinny had wanted to mimic.

“So, be honest with me, Eric,” Vinny began after a moment. “Are you mad?”

“Mad?” His friend softly repeated the word. “What would I have to be mad about?”

Vinny frowned. “What? What else? You told us not to use the gem and I did it anyway. I went behind your back and ignored you. You can’t tell me you aren’t at least a little angry!”

“I wouldn’t say angry,” Eric murmured. “After all, it worked out in the end, did it not? Alice is safe, Evan is gone for the moment, and Rina…well, I’m not quite sure what you did but she seems to be kept in line. What did you do, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Vinny immediately tensed up. It was no secret to him that Eric would never approve of his methods of keeping Rina in check. If he found out about the pictures of her he kept as blackmail then there was no doubt he would force him to delete them—something he couldn’t do. They were his only method of keeping Rina from seeking revenge. It was the only way to keep her quiet and protect everybody.

“Nothing all that interesting,” Vinny lied. “I just used the stone to steal Evan’s body and, as him, convinced Rina to back down.”

“Did you now?”

Eric’s back was still to him so Vinny couldn’t see his face and his tone was so unreadable that it was nearly impossible to tell if his friend believed him or not.

“Well, that’s good then,” Eric continued. “That means the problem truly was solved. Nothing to worry about anymore, yes? Then I hope you and Damien intend to make up.”

He outwardly cringed at that. He knew it would no longer be so easy to put everything behind them. Damien was convinced that Vinny did something terrible to stop the bullying and wouldn’t be satisfied until he came clean—something he had no intention of doing. The only way any of the other members would find out what happened was if Jay told them but Vinny trusted that he would keep his mouth shut. After all, Jay was an accomplice in it all. He wouldn’t want it getting out either.

“I’ll try,” Vinny replied. “But if Damien doesn’t want to then I can’t make him.”

Eric chuckled softly. “Ah, don’t worry about that. It’ll take more than a little disagreement to shatter the powerful Magical and Other Anomalies Investigation Team! We won’t be so easily defeated by darkness. Correct, Vinny?”

With that, he finally turned around, a determined expression on his face.

“You, Damien, Liz,” he went on, “you’re too close to crumble because of this. So pick yourselves up and let’s all meet at the clubroom Monday afternoon. Bring Alice with you as well. We’ll have a party to start our second semester as juniors, yeah?”

Vinny forced himself to smile but, internally, he couldn’t help but to feel slightly sick.

It’s not going to be that easy. He’s being too idealistic. He doesn’t realize how much effort it’s going to take to get through this. I appreciate the thought though. Eric…always has our happiness as his biggest priority.

Vinny grinned. “Thank you, Eric. I’ll see what I can do.”