Chapter #17Hashed Out Over Hash Browns by: rugal b.   The Sunshine Diner is an almost stereotypical greasy spoon out in "the wilds," the southeastern edge of town close to the Suffolk Wilderness. It's an area only sparsely populated by a handful of businesses that look like relics of a bygone era. The diner itself certainly, from the exterior anyway, has the look of one of those places and the fact it's sandwiched inbetween the Layzee-Nites Motel and the Donna (a chill runs down your spine upon seeing that place) does nothing to help. So you're a little surprised to see that it looks a fair bit nicer inside. Oh sure, it's still got that 1950s Americana vibe to it but it at least looks like it's well maintained.
It's also small enough that you're easily able to spot "Will" sitting alone in a booth. "Hi," you greet him as you slide in across from him. That doesn't get a response however. "Jenny's not here yet?"
"She is," he says as he gives you a hard look.
"Oh fuck you, I meant—"
"So did I," he replies. "Or are you going to go around calling yourself Will?"
"Are you going to call yourself Will then?" you retort.
"Until we switch back," he says quietly.
"So then we, what, call Jenny 'Chelsea' too?"
He clams up, then sighs. "Until we switch back," he says in an even quieter voice.
And that's where things leave off as neither of you say another word to one another. It's not until a few minutes later when you see a flash of blonde hair bouncing and bobbing and see the girl it belongs to slide in next to you.
"Sorry, but I had to send out a lot of messages. Apologizing for not going out or saying anything, giving a dumb cover story, all of that," she says. "And then Poo—uh, Gordon was texting me too and I had to waste time placating him, even having to turn him down when he said he wanted to meet up so we could... Tch! Whatever! I don't want that fucking gorilla inside of me!"
"Oh shut the fuck up you cunt!" Will snarls. "What would you know about having a boyfriend anyway? All you've got is that loser who's been following you around like a lovesick puppy, thinking he's got a chance." His lip curls up into a vicious sneer. "But you'll never give him one, will you? You're so fucking frigid his dick would probably turn into a popsicle inside of you."
"Okay, if this is how it's going to be," Chelsea says as she pushes herself up, "then I'm leaving."
"Calm the fuck down!" you exclaim as you grab her. "The both of you," you add as you turn a frosty glare towards your former body. "We don't all need to be friends with each other but we need to at least work things out."
"Oh whatever," Chelsea says as she sits back down. "Sorry," she says while looking at you, "I guess I'm still in Chelsea Mode."
"And you're going to have to be in Chelsea Mode," Will declares. "Because until we switch back that's what everyone's going to call you. That's what we're going to call you."
"Fine with me," Chelsea says as she glares at him. "We may as well just call each other by the body we're in. It's easier that way."
"That's what me and... Will... already decided on," you tell her.
"Then I guess there's no issue, huh?" she huffs.
"Well well, isn't this an odd little grouping?" says a blonde young man in a uniform as he looks at you and Chelsea. "You're Yumi's friend aren't you?" he asks you. "Now what would you be hanging around Chelsea for?"
"Cram it, Sean!" she snarls. "This is business, not pleasure, okay? So take our order and leave us alone."
"Alright alright, no need to get your panties in a bunch," he replies before taking your orders and heading off.
"I forgot his family owns this place," Will mutters. "There goes not being seen by anyone from school."
"Oh hey, why don't we go next door after this? You know, if you don't want anyone from school seeing us," Chelsea says in a mocking tone. "I mean it's not like we'd run into Kim there. Or Kelsey."
Mention of the Donna and Kim causes your blood to run cold and you notice Will's expression drop as well. Chelsea seems to notice it too.
"I wasn't serious," she says.
"Don't mention Kim," mutters Will. "Just... don't."
"What's your pro—oh, right," she turns to you. "She was sending your phone a bunch of angry texts yesterday wasn't she? What's up with that?"
"It's fucked up, that's what's up!" you exclaim. Without thinking, you blurt out the whole story about the bet and Chen and talking to Kim and how Kim Shanghaied you into measuring and dividing up weed for her. How she was wanting you to deal it up at the college.
"That's what she made me do yesterday," Will says grimly. "Well, I wasn't dealing to random people. She made me push it on some scruffy guy. That's the guy who deals it there. Parcels some of it out to others as sub-dealers or something. I guess he used to get it directly from... she didn't say. But she said he fucked up so now the Big Guy pushes it through a couple levels before it gets to him to make sure he's not skimming anything because the guys at above the one I was pushing it on don't play around."
"Why was she telling you that?" you ask.
"Hell if I know!" he replies. "If I had to guess, she was probably trying to scare me by telling me I'd be getting fucked up if I messed up."
"Wait, Kim was doing this?" asks Chelsea in surprise. "Kim Walsh? Goody two-shoes student president?"
"Apparently she's not such a goody two-shoes," you answer. "She's fucked up. It's scary as shit. That's why I agreed to head out with you yesterday because she was waiting for me at Walberg's."
"Oh, well," she looks at you and then at Will. "Sorry," she says softly. "I didn't know you guys... yeah."
* * * * *
That blonde guy, Sean, comes by a few minutes later with your coffees and brunch and a quick glare from Chelsea sends him scampering off again. The three of you eat quietly for a few minutes before you decide to speak up and break the silence. "Hey, so why were you out there yesterday?" you ask Will.
"Out where?"
"The portables," you say. "When Jenny, uh, Chelsea and I went out there we found you there already."
"It was Justin," he says after taking another bite of his food. "He showed up in my study hall and said that he'd heard about what was happening with the squad and that he wanted to talk to me about it. He said he had some gossip on Sydney so I went out there with him. That's about the last thing I remember before waking up as..." he trails off as a glances at you.
You and Chelsea look at one another. "That's what happened to me too," she says. "Justin gave me the same line about having info on Sydney and had me come out there. Will was walking by as I was getting out of eighth so I had him come with me. He led us to a portable and then we woke up like this."
That seems to awaken a memory in you as you sip your coffee. "You know, he came up to me back on Monday," you tell them. "It's as I was getting out of detention. He stopped me and asked me to come out with him to the portables saying he had something to show me."
"What was it?" asks Chelsea.
"I dunno. I had to get home on account of my being grounded and all so I blew him off."
Things get quiet as realization seems to set in. It's Will who says what you and probably Chelsea are thinking. "Do you think he did this to us?" he asks.
"Do I think he... how the fuck would he do that?" asks Chelsea.
"No idea," Will shrugs, "but he lured us out to the portables with the same bullshit story. He tried to get Will out there earlier too. Then all three of us switch bodies. That's pretty fucking suspicious."
"Again, how the fuck would he..." Chelsea pauses. "Maybe it's the portable itself? Some weird magic... no, that's stupid."
"Is it?" you ask. "I mean, we swapped bodies so that would mean that magic of some sort is real right?"
"So what, is Justin a wizard or something?" she asks. "Do we confront him about it?"
"I don't fucking know!" you exclaim in frustration. "But I don't think that would be a good idea. Like we don't have proof he did it but if he did and he has, uh, magic or something do we really want to risk pissing him off by getting in his face about it?"
"Hey," Will says seemingly having a revelation. "You talked to Kim about that joint, right? Then when you met up with Chen he said he was closing up shop while Kim dragged you, and me, into dealing weed for her."
"Wait, are you saying that maybe the same thing happened to them that happened to us?" you ask. "That Kim and Chen switched bodies too?"
"It's possible," he replies.
"Should we ask Kim about it?" asks Chelsea.
"Hell no!" you and Will say in unison, casting quick glances at one another in the process. But it's Will who speaks next. "But maybe we should talk to Chen and see if he's really Kim."
"We'd have to wait until Monday though," says Chelsea. "Besides, I need to get out of here soon anyway. I don't want to... I'm not sleeping with your boyfriend," she says to Will, "but he still wants me to spend time with him."
"We might not have to wait until Monday," you say. "I'm remembering something that Yumi said to me, to you, to whoever. Something about how her cousin works out at the country club and that Chen works there too."
"Wait, really?" Will asks. "Do you think you could talk to Yumi about talking to her cousin?"
You suppose you could do that but it'd be a very complicated process of trying to get Yumi to get in touch with her cousin to set things up and there's no guarantee that it would work. It might be better to just ride things out through the weekend and talk to Chen at school where you're guaranteed to see him.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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