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Chapter 10

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OBVIOUS TO anyone looking atjust before the late bell rang, a cup of tea clutched in one hand and nood weekend I know I looked particularly heinous I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep not just because Lulu Collins was hogging uy I was hopelessly in love with? Yeah, well, he was in love, too Only not with McKayla Donofrio, it turned out He was in love with a dead girlOh, and did I mention that he planned to obliterate the company I worked for? YeahIt wasn’t like I was all that enamored of Stark Enterprises But I didn’t want to destroy it, necessarily After all, I actually liked a few people orked thereNot that Christopher had been kind enough to share with me yesterday the details of what he and his cousin Felix intended to do once they’d gotten the information they needed Why would he tell me? I was just some bubbleheaded modelHe hadn’t put it that way, of course But it was clear he didn’t think I’d “understand” and that I was “better off not knowing ”Of course, part of that wasnot to understand the sis about computers when I’d first “met” himBut there hadn’t been any pretense into take down Stark Enterprises I couldn’t help myself I’d been honestly horrified I’d blurted out the first thing that sprang into my mind, and that was, “But…why?”Christopher had just smatic way and said, “I have aze had flicked, just for an instant, toward reat! It was perfectly obvious noas going on My death, as had the deaths of so ic heroines before me, had caused another one…the death of Christopher, only just on the inside His heart had died, and created where fun, joyful Christopher used to be—the Christopher I had loved, the Christopher hom I’d played so ed to notice irl—an evil supervillainWhy had I been so surprised? It happened all the ti to use his powers for evil instead of good to avenge my death What other explanation could there be?Just to be sure, I’d asked, “Well, is one of the reasons what happened to your friend who died at that Stark Megastore? Because I’m pretty sure that was the fault of the protester who shot that paintball at the plas under ”Christopher had looked at me without expression and said, “And as responsible for h to the ceiling that an assault fro down?”“Well, Stark,” I’d said “But—”“Stark has to be held accountable for what it did ”Oh,this wasBut also, in a way, how kind of hot it was I o on a wild coainst a majorly environmentally irresponsible corporation, just for her? Especially one that was basically holding her in corporate slavery, and which had just the day before alet eaten by sharksThe only proble it for me Well, I ht Em Watts was deadAnd now more than ever, I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t Because it was obvious he’d completely lost it Who knehat he’d do if he found out the truth? In seconds he et his “revenge” on StarkAnd where would that leave me? And my parents? In bankruptcy court, that’s where Oh, sure, Stark would go downBut so would the Watts fa all this crazy virus progra his place, and there I was, sitting in his apart Christopher, my sweet, funny best friend, Christopher, had turned into this dark, cynical crusader for global justice? Since when?“Do you really think,” I’d said, trying to figure out hoas going to handle this, “that this is what your friend—Em, I think you said her naet house arrest, like your cousin Or worse, actual jail time, if you’re tried as an adult ”“I don’t care,” Christopher had said, shaking his head “It’d be worth it ”A chill had gone up my spine It was obvious then that Christopher’s transfor were his black cape and a jagged facial scar“You’d risk possible incarceration,” I’d asked in astonishirl?”His next words had rocked my world to its core:“She orth it,” he’d said simplyIf I could have picked up a knife and jaht then, I would have, too, I hated her so much at that moment Never mind that Eer I’d had to get out I’d had to get out of Christopher’s lair slash bedroo-to-kiss-hi to kiss irlI don’t knohat I did or said after that SoCosy back up into hers It shaht have been some more of those unshed tears in my eyes…But I don’t think he noticed This tiive him what he wanted and risk the jobs of all the people I worked with on a pretty much daily basis (if what he and Felix had planned were to succeed, which, let’s face it…ere the chances? I loved Christopher, and I don’t think there’s anything he couldn’t do if he set hisdown a bazillion-dollar corporation like Stark with a coet ever so slightly real)?Or did I blow him off and try to find Steven’shim to like me as I was now, in Nikki Howard’s body Because when I was standing there in the hallway, trying not to let hi off a let’s-get-the-pretty-girl-out-of-here-now-since-she’s-not-coughing-up-the-info-we-need vibeOh, he’d been polite enough He’d givenBut he hadn’t exactly beggedWas it any wonder I’d been up all night? And had done zero studying for finals?As soon as I got to Tribeca Alternative, I wandered into the ground-floor ladies’ roo to snatch a minute in the mirror before class to do so Christopher in first-period Public Speaking I had no idea what I was going to say to hiloss on The nored byit on es of the raced It could really boost a girl’s self-esteeht otherwise had never tried Nars Triple XIt was funny that as I was thinking this,out of the ladies’ rooht into me“Em—I mean, Nikki!” she cried, as hot tea sloshed out of the cardboard cup I was holding, and all over the floor beside us “Oops! Oh, no, I’m so sorry!”Her friends—Frida rarely traveled without a pack of fellow junior varsity cheerleaders around her—all stared atto Tribeca Alternative (in my current incarnation) for alotten used to seeing awking and even the occasional catcall, though I was probably ae, and thong-baring ensembles weren’t tolerated by the administration, but that didn’t rule out the occasional “accidental” flash of tanned flesh frooing on strictly under wraps Of course, it would be no secret after New Year’s, thanks to the Stark Angel fashion show“Hey,” I said to Frida “Thanks ” I was being sarcastic about the tea, which had burned my hand I wiped it on my Temperley top, which was fortunately dark blue and wouldn’t show the resulting stain“I’lad I buo on without otta chat with Nik for a sec ”Nik Nice one Her friends would be so impressedFortunately, the ladies’ room was empty, as Frida quickly ascertained after a quick stall check“How could you run off like that yesterday?” she de my arm as well as the polite tone she’d adopted in the hallway in front of her friends “Mom and I were so worried about you And then you wouldn’t return any of our calls ”I just blinked at her This was tooon basically zero sleep and no caffeine Not that I ever got to have much caffeine, anyway, since I found out it’s forbidden on Nikki’s acid reflux diet (which she’d fortunately kept taped to the side of the refrigerator) One cup a day is all she could handle, I’d discovered, or it’s reflux city“I was having a really bad day,” I said This wasn’t a very good explanation, I knew But it was all I had“And you left that big bag of presents for us!” Frida went on “Just left it, without saying anything!”“Those were for you guys to open e all got to Grandma’s,” I said I didn’t want to think about the fun present fests we used to have down in Florida, the free-for-all of gift wrap and dreidels and chocolate Santas I’d never experience any of that again, I knew“I know,” Frida said “That was so nice of you…”I knew she’d already shaken the distinctively wrapped, robin’s egg blue box I’d gotten her, and had figured out by now it contained exactly what she’d alanted…so all her friends here at Tribeca Alternative had but that our parents could never afford to get her…a pair of dias“Look,” I said unco to be opening that box down in Florida, withoutthere to see her expression when she did “I have to go The bell’s going to ring, and I haven’t even been to rabthe tea “Nikki, Mo you Mo to Grand somewhere fabulous like Paris or wherever and wouldn’t care—”“I really have to get going,” I said I didn’t want to hear this She was going to say they’d decided to have some kind of lame Christmas-Hanukkah party here in the city for e and hot cider and a viewing of A Christ to be the saels Which I couldn’t eat, anyway, in this du to be around, we’re going to change the whole thing,” Frida went on “We’re skipping Florida this year We’re going to stay here in the city, and Gran’s agreed to fly up! So you can come over We can say you’re my friend from school—”“Free,” I said I did not want to hear this“Come on, Em I knoon’t be the sa to the city in winter, and you kno hard it is to get her to come here when it’s cold—”“Free!”Frida jumped, but whether because of the bell or the fact that I’d shouted at her, I didn’t know In any case, I’d gotten her attention“We’re going to be late to class We’ll discuss it later, okay?”“Okay,” Frida gruht you’d be happy Icamp so I could stick around here in the city and be with you ”Suddenly, I didn’t wantinto a nearby trash can and made my way out of the ladies’ room“That doesn’t ritted teeth, as she trotted along behind me “I want you to do what you want, not what you think I want ”“But I a what I want,” Frida said “I really want to coered to a halt and whirled around to face her, even as the last of the latecoet to class before tardy slips were given out“Wait ato Florida just so you could come to Lulu’s party?” It would totally be like her to have done this Frida was so obsessed with glitz and glae for a chance to brush up with a celebrity…if it were the right oneFrida’s blush revealed the truth before she could say a word “No, not exactly,” she saidI threw ain to head back to class I was done“What?” Frida trailed after ht you’d be happy! I mean, you looked so sad yesterday! Now you’ll have Mo out with—”“You’re incredible,” I said “You know, Frida, yesterday I went out of h terrible weather, not toMom mad at me, to stick up for you, all because you were so adaot a better invitation, you totally dropped it What happened to your being such an integral part of the tea the base?”Frida hurried along beside oldfish She was trying, I knew, to think of an excuse for her behavior But there was nothing she could say, because there was no excuse“I know you think you’re doingit forsoot news for you, Free There are so there for your tea to feel when they find out you’ve ditched them so you can party with Nikki Howard and Lulu Collins?”I’d reached the roo class was held, and turned at the doorway to glare down at her Frida’s eyes were filled with angry tears“I thought I was being there for my sister,” she said“Yeah,” I said “Well, funny how you only re, like soive you dias or an invitation to a kick-ass loft party Which you’re not invited to, by the way ”I stormed past her just as Mr Greer called, “Ms Howard? Are you joining us today? Or are you going to stand out in the hallway, chatting?”“Sorry,” I muttered I sailed into the classroom and slid into my seat……which just happened to be in front of ChristopherThis was so not shaping up as my kind of day