SOUL SWAPPED

CHAPTER FOUR

ELI

The girls are trying their best to help me adjust to the whole soulmate-thing. Key word: trying.

For the past hour, we have spent more time talking about the band instead of my actual soulmate—mostly thanks to Riley. I have also learned that Lia and Riley are big fans, which makes me feel really happy and slightly nervous at the same time. It started as innocent question about the members, but somehow it has turned into the three of us watching out music videos as they give me their opinions on the songs.

"I'm telling you right now, Eli, this was Fifth Wave's best song so far," Riley speaks, her face completely serious as she takes a bite of her strawberry, "Like, this song is going to be so hard to top. I know you guys will top it with whatever your next song is, but as of now, it's going to be hard."

I gulp at her words, because I never really thought of what the fans could be thinking before. Of course, we all knew that they were enjoying our music, but now the expectations are so high; how do we know that we'll meet them?

Fifth Wave spent the past few months on tour in North America, so the boys and I haven't done much in the studio. Sometimes, Jaden would randomly get bursts of inspiration at three am and begin writing lyrics, but we haven't been able to really work on new music. Today was supposed to be our first day back at the studio, but now...this happened. I sigh softly, trying not to let the stress of it all fill my head.

"Eli, don't listen to Riley; she's a little to blunt sometimes," Lia sends a look Riley's way, and the girl slowly inches away in what looks to be fear. And Lia was right, I shouldn't listen to the girl, but I can't stop myself. Once the words set in, my heart started pounding in my chest and my nerves were beginning to get the best of me.

I take a deep, and I let it out slowly. I shouldn't worry so much about 'topping' our last album, because that isn't what matters at all. Without thinking, I say to the girls, "I think that it's not so much about making something we want to top the other songs, but that we are just making music that we love. As long as we put our hard work into it, the results will show in the music."

The girls look at each other for a second, and I watch Lia and Riley begin to smile. Lia pats me on the shoulder softly, looking at me and nodding before saying, "You know, Eli, I think you're exactly right. And even though I can't speak for every Fifth Wave fan, but I know I speak for myself and Riley; the fans are going to love anything you put out. True fans are going to be there no matter what, so don't worry about that at all."

I feel myself begin to smile, because I feels nice to hear that. Management never lets us have much time to interact with the fans—no where near as much as the boys and I would like. This short amount of time I've spent with Lia and Riley makes me wish we could have more time with the fans, not just replying to a few tweets or comments here and there; real, face-to-face conversations with the people that made everything possible.

I hear the two girls talking about something, but I'm so deep in thought that the words are almost meaningless. It wasn't until Riley nudges me when I come back to Earth, right in time as she says, "Lia and I are going to go to the kitchen for something to eat, but before we do...we have to tell you something about Hailey's family, just so you know what to expect."

I nod at their words, giving them the sign to continue. The girls look at each other, and Lia hesitantly begins speaking, "Well, for starters, we might run into Hailey's twin brother while we're down there, so be prepared for that just incase. And, well, I'm not really sure how else to put this, but...Hailey's dad is really, really sick. He has cancer, Eli, and it's not looking very good."

"It's been really hard for Hailey's family since the diagnosis," Riley takes over for Lia now, her voice serious as she continues, "Lia and I—we try to be as much help as we can, but it's hard. The doctors gave him around fifteen months to live after he was diagnosed, and he was diagnosed almost five months ago. I know that it's a lot to ask of you, but for right now, you have to be like Hailey so her dad doesn't get too surprised, okay? It doesn't have to be forever, of course, but Lia and I agreed it would be easier for everyone if you pretended to be her?"

"And it's not like you have to pretend in front of us!" Lia adds, "You can still be Eli when you're with me and Riley. Just, around the Parker family, it'd be better to just act like Hailey for the time being. They are already dealing with so much; they don't need the body-swap to make things even harder."

I let out a breath. Hailey's dad has cancer? Her dad only has ten months left, and she isn't even able to be near him in these last moments. I pull my lip between my teeth, biting it nervously. A weird feeling of guilt starts to fill in the pit of my stomach, and this feeling is definitely something I'm not used to having.

I nod to myself, knowing the girls are right. I would never forgive myself for causing unneeded problems in the Parker family, and if telling them I'm Hailey's soulmate would make things worse, then it doesn't have to be told. But, then again, how do I pretend to be Hailey without actually knowing Hailey?

"I won't say anything to them, but don't we have a problem?" I begin, and the girls look at me with confused. I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair as I say, "Shouldn't I know more about Hailey if I'm going to pretend to be Hailey? I don't know anything about the way she acts, or the way she talks, or the way she—god, this is going to be so much harder than I thought!"

Judging by the reaction on the girl's faces, they hadn't thought about it either. No one speaks for a moment, and for the first time this morning, it seems like none of us know what to do. Lia finally breaks our silence, saying after a long thought, "Okay, this might not be as hard as you're thinking! Hailey's mom is usually always busy taking care of Hailey's dad, so there's a very small chance that she would notice anything is different. Riley and I can give you the basic run-down of all-things-Hailey, and we can prepare you enough incase you were to run into Hailey's parents!"

I feel a sense relief, but the feeling leaves just as fast as it came once Riley reminds us of one other problem, "Lia, aren't we forgetting the most important part of the plan? Like, the one person who knows Hailey better than anyone else in this world, that would easily recognize when something is off?"

Lia curses beneath her breath, and almost as if the two girls have the exact trail of thought, the two girls speak at the same time: "Monty."

I didn't even get the chance to ask, because the girls are already explaining everything I need to know, "Montgomery Parker, Hailey's twin brother. He is the only person that would notice something is different. Hailey and Monty are so close they can look at each other and automatically know what the other is thinking. But, as long as Riley and I can help, we should be able to keep it covered!"

"Exactly!" Riley adds, "Just trust Lia and I to help, and we can keep this our little secret!"

I nod along to what the girls are saying, but I can't help but wonder if this will really work. How can I pretend to be Hailey well enough that her twin brother is fooled? I'm a singer, not an actor for god's sake! Plus, I'm not one to play into so much scheming, and it seems Lia and Riley are quite good at it. Wouldn't it be easier to tell the truth?

Riley's phone dings, and her eyes widen at the message on her phone, "Shit, I completely forgot the party! Oh my god, my parents are going to freak out," She stresses, hurrying to gather up all her things and throw them into her backpack. Lia jumps up to help, trying to keep Riley calm as she begins to pack as well.

"What party are you late for, Riley? It's not even two in the afternoon!" I say, the confusion evident in my voice.

Riley slides her backpack over her shoulders, grabbing the last of her things before saying, "My parents are celebrating my older brother coming home from college; he made the President's list this semester and had the highest grades of the freshman class at Harvard, so our family is throwing him a party to celebrate!"

"Eli, promise us to stay inside this room until we can come back, okay? And whatever you do, don't talk to Monty!" Lia says, before she and Riley leave the room. I stare at the door for a few moments, before falling against the bed with a groan.

If things were hard before, they just got so much harder.