Switched by Sienna Mercer Read Free Book Online

her.
    With a
shock, Ivy saw Brendan Daniels less than ten lockers away. He looked like he
was waiting for someone.
    He
must have been there this whole time! Ivy
realized, her heart jumping around in her chest like a bat caught in daylight. What
if he heard what we were saying?
    “Ivy,”
he called.
    He’s
talking to me!
    “Ivy,”
he repeated, coming closer.
    Ivy
forced herself to put one boot in front of the other. She ran a hand along the
wall of lockers to steady herself. “Hi, Brendan,” she said in a tiny voice.
    “Listen,”
he began. He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. “Do you . . .” He
stopped and looked at the floor.
    She
heard her voice say, “Uh-huh?”
    He
looked right at her. Ivy put both hands on her bag to keep them from shaking.
    “Do
you want to meet up at the mall? Like, after school?” he finally asked.
    Ivy
didn’t respond. She thought she must have misheard him.
    “Hey,
listen, I . . . never mind,” Brendan gabbled. He shook his head. “I’ll see you
around.” Suddenly he was walking away.
    Speak! the voice in Ivy’s
head cried. Speak!
    “Brendan!”
Ivy croaked. He spun around. “Um, what time?” she asked.
    His
smile shone. “Does four work for you?”
    “Sure,”
she answered, trying to sound relaxed. “I’ll tell my dad I’ll be home before
sundown.”
    “Great,”
he said. He held up his hand, and then was gone.
    Ivy
collapsed against the lockers. Her hands were still shaking, and her heart
pounded. People looked at her as they walked by on their way to class, but she
didn’t care.
    Well, she thought
breathlessly, that’s one good thing about having a twin sister who’s a
social butterfly!
    As if
on cue, Olivia emerged from the bathroom. “Wow! You look like you just did a
triple handspring and landed on your head,” Olivia said. “What happened?”
    “He
asked me out,” Ivy whispered. She couldn’t believe she was saying it.
    “What?”
Olivia asked, drawing closer. “Talk louder.”
    “He
asked me out!” Ivy said again hoarsely.
    Olivia’s
face burst into a smile. “Go, Ivy!” she shouted really loudly.
    “Shut up !”
Ivy scolded, even though she couldn’t help smiling, too.
    “That’s
awesome!” Olivia said. “When’s the big date?”
    “Today.
After school.” Ivy panted. “The mall.”
    Olivia
gave her a squeeze. “I have to scoot or I’m going to be late for art, but we
are going to have so much to talk about in science!” She hurried off
with a wink.
    Ivy
was going to be late for class, too. She worked up the strength to start
walking, and, as she made her way slowly through the prebell crowd, she let
herself imagine her coming date with Brendan.
    They
would walk around Spins, the record store, together; she knew he was into punk.
He’d hold up a pair of black jeans at Dungeon Clothing. He’d sit across from
her in the food court, drinking red lemonade through a straw.
    As Ivy
turned into the main hallway, she imagined the two of them walking side by
side, talking on and on about . . .
    What
are we going to talk about? she
thought with a jolt.
    Her
wave of excitement disappeared like predawn fog. How was she going to talk to
Brendan Daniels for a whole afternoon when five minutes ago she could barely
string two words together?
    She
imagined herself with Brendan at the mall again, but now she couldn’t picture
him smiling. They’d sit in silence. He’d have to order another red lemonade and
drink it just to kill time. He would think she was an utter loser. She’d try to
come up with something funny to say, probably some stupid joke about the school
paper, but he wouldn’t laugh. He’d just look away.
    I
can’t go , Ivy
thought.
    The
bell for the next class rang.
    I’ll
tell him I’m sick, she
decided.
    Suddenly
somebody came up from behind and linked arms with her. She nearly jumped out of
her skin.
    “And
where were you at lunch today?” Sophia demanded, poking her in the side.
“Giddyup! We’re late for