"Karyn?" Jon asked, walking to one of the lunch tables, holding his tray.
Karyn looked up. "Oh. Hi, Jon," she said plainly.
Jon took a seat across from her. "Where were you? You didn't come to class."
"Yeah, I know. I guess I must have skipped."
"Karyn, you never skip school."
"Well, I did this time. I just ... didn't want to come to school. With what's coming up and all."
"You mean the swap?"
"Yeah."
"Karyn, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's not like you're gonna die or get hurt or something." Then Jon remembered back to when Karyn (the bitch) almost got killed when Kyla (the Goth girl) tried to poison her. Jon didn't tell Karyn about that and he decided it would be best if he never did. He didn't want to frighten her any more than she already was.
"Yeah, I know that," Karyn said. "It's just that ... I'll be different."
"It's gonna be okay. Trust me," Jon said.
She glared at him. "Trust you? You're the one that got me into this mess in the first place."
"I said I was sorry."
"Now I wish that you never told me."
So do I, Jon thought.
The rest of the school day was fairly typical and when it was over, the weekend had begun. Jon and Karyn walked back to Jon's house and waited out until 6 PM rolled around. Karyn said that she felt better if Jon was with her during the swap. Jon didn't tell her that her location could change. He wanted to keep her in the dark as much as possible. He discovered that the more he told her, the more angry at him and nervous she became. Ignorance is bliss.
They intently watched Jon's digital clock. When it hit six o'clock, everything froze. And, as expected, Karyn disappeared from his room and was replaced by Zoe, who wore a similar outfit.
The swap had begun.
