In Your Shoes

Chapter 4- Matt

It felt like air was gliding straight through my body. Everything went black, but I was still awake, and I was uncontrollably moving somewhere. I couldn't see anything, and I couldn't feel anything. I just knew that I wasn't asleep. I heard party conversations, and soon after, it was the calm ocean that filled my ears. No more talking, no more pain; just the calm ocean waves. Though I was in heaven for a few seconds, it didn't last for long. A sudden pain jolted straight to my stomach, and I felt pressure . . . like I was in water. After a few seconds, I realized I wasn't breathing. My eyes stung when I opened them, and everything was blurry. All I saw was a dark, blue-green color. That's when it hit me. I was under water.
"Blllggghh," I made an inhuman sound, and swam above the water. At this point I was coughing and sputtering, and held on to something wooden, which I decided was the leg of the pier. The first thing that came to mind was if I slept walk or something. All I remembered was this lady offering me a cookie with pink icing, and my head hurting. Now it was no longer my head, but my stomach.

I was far away from the shore and didn't think I would be able to climb up the pier due to my stomach. My coughing continued and it sounded very strange . . . kind of like a monkey — Or a girl. I knew I wouldn't be able to cry for help, so I sat in the water for a moment, contemplating. I certainly didn't feel like myself; I felt really awkward. A voice soon interrupted my thoughts, but I couldn't quite make out the words. Out of nowhere, I heard footsteps, like someone was walking on wood. Suddenly, a girl's face popped out of the edge of the pier. It was Emily, I think.

She seemed shocked. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" She held out her hand, ready to pull me up. I grabbed it, hoping Sam wouldn't find out Emily had helped me. I didn't respond, but let out a high-pitched cry of pain when she started to pull me up. I was freezing and I couldn't think properly enough to be genuinely concerned about my voice. She pulled me up in no time, and I felt something rise up in my stomach. Emily stared at me with a face I couldn't describe. She looked concerned yet sad at the same time.

"What were you doing down there?!" She blurted out. I stared at her. When I opened my mouth to speak, something else came out. I bent over to face the water, and started to puke. I heard Emily gasp. What really startled me was the blonde locks of hair that fell in my face.
"Sam . . .," Emily trailed off. I was still puking, and was in so much pain I ignored the fact that she just called me Sam. She pulled the hair out of my face, and when I stopped puking, I saw something in the water. When I first noticed Emily, I realized it was a reflection. But then I noticed me. Was it even me? I knew this wasn't a nightmare because of how much pain I was in, but I didn't believe what was happening. It wasn't my hair that Emily was pulling back. In fact, I didn't even have long hair, let alone it being blonde. I saw a familiar face ruffle in the waves. It wasn't me; I knew it wasn't. Not me, but Sam. The girl I had upset so much she ran off. The girl who had ran off in the direction of the ocean. The girl that I saw eat an unhealthy amount of food.

I was Sam.

Not knowing what to do, I let out what was supposed to be a scream but instead came out as a squeak.

I sat up. "You shouldn't have ran off like that! If I hadn't come, you'd probably be fish food!" I stared at Emily.

"But I-," I started. Emily held a face of sorrow.
"I uh, was gonna look out into the stars. But I kind of slipped and fell in," I lied. Emily let out a sigh.

"Sam, you scared me half to death!" I was starting to wonder how this happened. Okay, I know Sam and I got into a big argument, but I didn't believe in the "live in someone else's shoes" crap. I got even more worried when I realized that if I was in Sam's body, she was probably in mine.

"I need to go!" I shot up, and started to run. I could easily outrun her, considering I did a sport that requires that.

I reached the school almost instantly, and Emily was out of sight. I took off the grungy shoes Sam was wearing before I walked in.

I looked down, and for a moment I forgot what had happened. I was embarrassed for the girly costume, even though everyone thought I was Sam. It felt like I was in a utopian nightmare. I knew Sam; she would never be able to handle being a guy. I had to find her; or me — my body. Suddenly, I heard a loud voice.

"Participants for the costume contest, please make your way up here."

Oh no. Tess and I both signed up together as a costume duo, her idea of course. I started to shove people out of the way, and made my way towards the stage area. It wasn't the best idea, because I ended up running into someone. I noticed who it was right when I looked. Tess.
"Ughh! You idiot! You got me all wet! Why are you even wet?" She held a disgusted look on her face. I only stared at her, inaudible.

After a few seconds, she changed the subject. "Where's Matt? I've lost him ever since that stupid fight with you two! UGHH you're no help! You are just a little cry baby who blames my boyfriend on everything," said Tess, glaring at me. With that, she walked away. I continued to walk up front, until I felt someone grab the back of my — or Sam's — shirt, and yanked me forward. I looked up to see a familiar face.

Me.