Free Switched by R.L. Stine Page B

Margie kidding around with two other girls. So near. She was so near, I knew I could push open the closet door, reach out, and grab her.
    But I waited. Margie was always one of the last to change, always one of the last to leave the locker room. I hoped she would linger behind today. I hoped I could confront her without a dozen other girls in the way.
    I pressed both hands against the door, preparing to spring out. I listened hard. I had to catch her before she ran out to the gym.
    My heart started to pound. The voices all blended together in my ears. I tried to shut them all out, all except Margie’s.
    A shrill cry made my heart jump.
    I heard other frightened cries. Shuffling noises. Loud shouts. The thud of running feet.
    What has happened? I wondered.
    What is all the commotion?
    I pushed open the closet door and plunged out into the locker room.
    I saw a cluster of girls in their gym shorts and T-shirts. Their faces were tight with fear.
    They were gaping down at a girl on the floor. A girl sprawled on her back on the locker room floor.
    â€œMargie?” I cried.
    Yes. It was Margie.

chapter

17
    I pushed into the circle of girls. No one seemed to notice me. They all stared down at Margie.
    Margie raised herself high enough to grab her left calf. Her face twisted in pain. “Oh, wow!” she cried. “These leg cramps are the worst!”
    â€œYou just don’t want to play today,” another girl joked. “You don’t want to get sweaty because it’s class photo day.”
    Everyone laughed. Tense laughter.
    â€œYou really scared me when you screamed like that,” someone told Margie.
    â€œI frightened myself,” Margie groaned, rubbing the calf. “It’s starting to feel a little better.”
    I took a step back, then another.
    No one had noticed me yet. They all leaned over Margie. Two girls helped her to her feet. Margie hobbled to a low wooden bench and sat down.
    I slipped back behind the closet door.
    I heard Miss Hawkins’s whistle blow out in the gym.
    â€œGo ahead,” Margie told the others. “I’m okay. I’ll be out in a second.”
    This is a lucky break for me, I thought. About time I had a lucky break.
    I waited for the others to leave. Then I stepped out quickly. “Hi, Margie.”
    Bent over, rubbing her leg, she sat up with a start. “Nicole—!” Her face filled with surprise. “You’re here?”
    I moved in front of her, ready to stop her if she tried to run. I pressed my hands against my waist. “Where’s Lucy?” I demanded. My voice came out in a choked whisper.
    â€œHuh?” Margie pretended she didn’t hear me.
    â€œI need to find Lucy,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m not kidding around, Margie. You know where Lucy is, and I need to find out. I have to get her to switch bodies back.”
    Margie raised herself to her feet. She winced in pain. I guessed her leg muscle was still cramped.
    â€œNicole—sit down,” she said softly. She pointed to the bench. I couldn’t read her expression. Was it fear? Was she thinking frantically? Trying to think of how to stall me, how to keep me from finding Lucy?
    â€œI don’t want to sit down,” I said coldly. “I want tofind Lucy. Right away. I want to get out of her body, Margie. And you’re going to help me.”
    Margie bit her lower lip. Her dark eyes locked on to mine. I could see her studying me, trying to decide just how serious I was.
    I needed her help so badly. I felt so desperate, so angry and frightened and desperate, all at the same time. Suddenly the words just came bursting out of me.
    â€œMargie, she took me into the woods,” I said, squeezing Margie’s bare arm. “She took me to the Changing Wall. We switched bodies. She told you all this—right? She told you?”
    Margie didn’t reply. She continued to stare at me. I could see she was thinking