“Dunno.”
“Really? There’s no note in my file?” I tried a smile, feeling like a dipshit. My stomach twisted into a knot. In the past, I’d never have tried to charm my way into anything; my personal charisma wouldn’t have filled a thimble.
He hesitated, then flipped a few pages. “Looks like he was in an accident, broke his leg or something. When he cancelled, they pulled you off the waiting list.”
“Some people have all the luck,” Vi said.
I didn’t before. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem. So here’s your registration packet and your dorm keys. You’ll need the first for the front door of your residence hall and the other for the room. Room assignment is in the small white envelope. You also need to check in with your RA before the end of the day. She’ll go over rules and curfew.”
“I was wondering if I could room with my friend, Vi,” I said, trying the persuasive smile for a second time.
Life can’t be this easy for the beautiful people.
“The rooms are already assigned,” he said.
A rule that I can’t get around? The old me would’ve accepted his reply, but if I wanted to be accepted by the Teflon crew, I had to assimilate. So I imagined what Brittany or Allison would do. To have any hope of beating them, first I had to master their weapons of mass destruction.
So I made eye contact, opened mine a little wider, and leaned forward. “But I didn’t know Vi was going to be here until just now.” Totally true, as we’d just met. “Please, can’t you make an exception?”
He weakened visibly. “Let me check the master lists. If your roommates haven’t arrived yet, I can swap the names. No harm done.”
“Fingers crossed,” I whispered to Vi, who seemed astonished and pleased.
A few minutes later, he came back with Vi’s packet as well. “They aren’t here yet, so they can room together when they arrive.”
“Too cool,” I said. “Thanks.”
As triumph washed over me, I also felt like I needed a shower. Do those girls have no souls? I didn’t know if I could do this for long, but it seemed to be second nature for them. They considered their ability to control other people an accessory, like a great purse or a cute pair of shoes.
Vi took her envelope as I headed across the quad. “I can’t believe that worked!”
“I wasn’t sure it would.” Especially since I had no experience with manipulation. But I’d watched it happen often enough. Mimicry wasn’t tough, apparently.
“This rocks. We’re on the fourth floor, it looks like.”
“Let’s go meet the RA and get that over with.”
“Sounds good.”
I crossed the quad, which was all green grass and stately trees, to a tall brick building. Two sets of double doors led into what reminded me of a hostel lobby with a rudimentary front desk and a few grubby chairs. A college girl worked behind the counter, answering questions and explaining how the mail situation worked. From there, I ran up four flights, curious how my new body would respond. It didn’t leave me short of breath at all, which meant I’d have to work out to keep fit, and I was curious if I’d enjoy doing so, starting from this baseline instead of where I was before.
Our RA was all of twenty-one, curly blond hair, good teeth. She looked like a surfer girl, and she seemed laid back, which boded well. Her idea of going over the rules involved handing us a printout. She ended her short spiel with a grin. “If you do decide to break the rules, be smart. Don’t let me catch you.” At Vi’s expression, her smile widened. “Hey, I was sixteen not long ago. I’m not going to pretend I don’t remember what it was like.”
On the way to the room, Vi bounced with excitement. “This is the most unleashed I’ve ever been. My parents…” She shook her head, words failing her in relation to their strictness. “This will be the best summer ever.”
“I hope so.”
I unlocked our door and found a simple, Z-shaped space, which gave privacy to each bed. In the middle, there was a double desk, and opposite, we had a dual dresser with drawers on each side. Across from my bunk, I had a closet, and behind the door, we had a sink for washing up. Otherwise, that was it. The walls were cement block and had been painted light blue; the floor was industrial tile, white-speckled with a few interesting stains. I dropped my backpack on the single bed, drawing Vi’s attention.
“Is that all you brought?” she asked.
Nodding, I dug out the Visa gift card from the front compartment. “My parents thought it’d be fun for me to get stuff here, kind of a belated birthday present.”
“Oh my God, that’s the coolest thing ever. Your parents are nothing like mine.”
I bet they’re just like yours. But it was such a white lie; what could it hurt? Easier than explaining a hot guy who saved my life had given me $500 to spend on whatever I wanted. I pulled out my laptop and plugged it into the university Internet. A few minutes later, I had directions to the nearest mall.
“You wanna come?”
“Shopping?” She glanced at her baggy jeans and wrinkled her nose. “That’s not really my thing.”
“We can find a bookstore and a Best Buy, too.”
I knew this girl. I’d been her this morning. The old Edie never went clothes shopping voluntarily. She let her mother buy things and stick them in her room. She wore whatever she found and tried not to think about how she looked. She avoided mirrors and kept her hair so long, it fell into her face. When she walked down the street, she watched her feet, so she didn’t see scorn flicker in other people’s faces as their eyes slid away. That Edie died on the bridge. I had the freedom to be someone else now, anyone I wanted. The sensation was brilliant but terrifying. If I got it wrong, I had nobody to blame but myself.
“When you put it that way,” Vi said, grinning.
“Cool. There’s a mixer tonight at eight. We’ll be back before then.”
Her smile faded. “I don’t know if I’m gonna go. I’m not here to socialize.”
“That’s your parents talking. We’re here to learn, but we can have fun, too. That’s why I came.” That played better than the real explanation, which no sane person would believe.
Vi shot me a knowing look. “But not the reason you gave at home, I bet.”
“Hell, no. You have to know how to manage the parental units. As long as you can work up a rationale consistent with their internal motivations, you’re good to go.”