Becoming Harper Read online

  “Are you still stalking her on social media?” Dina asked as she started on a second coat.

  Aria sneered at her. “I’m not stalking her for your information. I have to see what she’s saying about me.”

  “But why do you care?” I asked her. “You’re done with that douchebag so why can’t you be done with her, too?”

  Aria stared at me wide-eyed as if I’d just asked her to explain Newton’s Law of General Relativity. “How can you say that, Harper? You saw what she posted about me the other day. She said I looked like a deformed stork.”

  I stifled a laugh. From the picture Aria had shown me, Kennedy was cute. She was a brunette with long, silky hair and a tiny button nose. Aria didn’t have looks or personality working for her so I wasn’t sure why anyone would date her aside the fact that she was popular.

  Dina twisted the top back on the nail polish. “What do you want us to do?”

  Aria pressed her lips together. “We’re going to blast her on all her social media pages. Tell everyone what a skank she is. I don’t want her to be able to show her face in public.”

  Is this what popular girls spent their time doing? Plotting on other girls? I blocked Aria out as she went on and on about her evil plan. All I knew was that I wanted no parts of it.

  It was Tuesday which meant I had to figure out some way out of Harper’s violin lessons. “Want to go to the mall after school?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Dina said but Aria quickly replied. “Yeah, but don’t you have violin today?”

  I coughed into my hand. “I feel a sore throat coming on.”

  Aria smirked. “Awesome. I do need a new pair of boots.” Aria had some many clothes I couldn’t imagine her needing a new pair of anything, but okay.

  Harper’s friend Kelsie slid into the seat across from Aria. “Can I come? I still need a costume to wear to your party.”

  “Yeah, what’s going on with that?” Dina asked.

  Three more girls pulled chairs over as I gave them very vague details about the party. I told them I wanted everyone to be surprised so I wasn’t going to reveal too much. I probably wouldn’t be in Harper’s body by then, but it was still fun to imagine such a huge even thrown in my honor. I had never had a party close to anything like it before and I probably never would.

  I made up some stuff about the food and the décor. They hung on my every word. I had to admit, the attention was nice. It was sort of a rush. I could even tell that people at the next tables were trying to listen in.

  That was what it was like to be Harper. I wasn’t invisible like I was in my old body. When I asked to borrow a pen, six people handle me one, practically begging me to use theirs. Everyone knew stuff about me even if I never knew they existed. It was strange, but it was nice to feel important. Even the teacher’s liked Harper better than they did Abby.

  On the way to lunch, I spotted Quinn, Gunner, and Harper in my body leaning against Gunner’s locker. There was another guy with him who seemed to be talking to me. Harper had given my body a little upgrade. My hair had been curled and feathered out and I had on makeup but not too much. Just a little color on my cheek, some pink gloss, eyeliner and mascara. I looked good. Maybe I would keep that look up after I got my body back.

  My friends were cracking up about something. I wanted to know what they were laughing at. Had they realized there was something different about me—that I wasn’t the same old Abby? Surely they had to. They were my best friends. I missed them but I sucked it up and followed Harper’s friends to the cafeteria.

  As we turned down the hall that led to the cafeteria, Dina grabbed my arm and held me back from the group. “Can you believe that bitch? She’s still talking shit about me behind my back. I heard it from three different people so I know it’s true.”

  I had no idea who or what Dina was talking about. “Can I believe what bitch?”

  She huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “Harper! Who have we been talking about for the past three weeks?”

  I shook my head. Really, it could have been anyone. Dina scowled and looked toward the cafeteria. “Aria is out of control.”

  Aria? The same girl she was just all buddy-buddy with in study hall. The two of them had even left the classroom arm and arm, giggling like little girls.

  Dina ran her hand through her wispy curls. “Then she has the nerve to be mad at Kennedy for kissing her boyfriend as if she didn’t do the same thing to me when I was dating Tucker.”

  Wait . . . what? I vaguely remembered Tucker and Dina dating during our freshman year but that only lasted a few months and she was really mean to him. Aria had kissed him when he and Dina were going out? I couldn’t picture him wanting anything to do with Aria. He always seemed annoyed by her presence.

  I didn’t know what to say to that. I certainly couldn’t have acted as if it were news to me, so I kept walking toward the cafeteria wondering why people worked so hard at being fake.

  The girls piled into Harper’s Mercedes and the drive to the mall was a loud, cackle-filled experience. I ended up with three new outfits from this upscale boutique that I totally didn’t need but I couldn’t resist. There was nothing like trying on clothes and having them fit amazingly on your body. Shopping with an unlimited card was understandable addictive. I didn’t even have to look at the price tag or worry about how much I was spending. Money was no object.

  The girls oohed and aahed over each outfit as I emerged from the fitting room. Dina carried my bags and Aria bought me an iced coffee which Kelsi insisted on holding for me to protect my hands from the cold. They trailed behind me as if I owned them. I felt guilty but I hadn’t asked them to do any of those things. They wanted to do it so that wasn’t my fault, right?

  We stopped at the food court to share some fries. A girl named Marta Ramirez approached our table. I didn’t know much about Marta—only that she was smart and one of the best actresses in the drama club. She always got the leads in the school plays.

  Marta bit her bottom lip and twirled a lock of her dark hair around her finger. “Hey, Harper. I just wanted to let you know that I really love your outfit. It’s so simple chic.” That day I’d worn a black and white striped slinky dress from Harper’s closet with a pair of black wedged heels.

  Dina and Aria looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Kelsi sneezed into her hand, but her sounded suspiciously close to the word LOSER. Ignoring them, I gave Marta the brightest smile I could manage. “Thanks so much, Marta. That’s sweet of you.”

  She hung around awkwardly like she wanted to say something else but didn’t have the nerve to. I wasn’t sure what to say either.

  Dina huffed. “Marta, the guest list for the party has been made and if you’re not on it, you’re not on it. Sorry.” But she didn’t sound or look sorry at all.

  Was that what she wanted? An invite to Harper’s party. Marta’s cheeks and the tip of her nose had turned a bright pink. “Oh, okay. I just thought—”

  “She can come,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  Marta’s face lit up and I knew I’d made the right decision. She bounced up and down. “Really? Thank you so much. You just totally made my year. I’m going to buy you an awesome gift.”

  She practically skipped away and headed over to a her friend who had been watching from a nearby table. She squealed when Marta told her the news.

  I was promptly met by six eye daggers boring into me. I looked away. “What the hell was that?” Dina demanded. “This is supposed to be an exclusive party. The most exclusive party of the year.”

  “The most exclusive party ever,” Kelsi added. “No one at Everson has ever thrown a party in a mansion.”

  Dina nodded. “So you can’t just go around inviting any old body. You know what that does? It makes an exclusive party non-exclusive. Marta is a dweeb and she’s always trying to hang with us. Now that she’s invited, all the losers are going to think they can come and where’s the fun in that?”

  Aria furrowed her brow.
“You need to revoke that invite and tell her you’ve changed your mind.”

  “I am so not doing that.”

  Dina stared me down so hard, I was worried she could see my insides. “Really, Harper, what’s gotten into you lately?”

  I shrugged. “She’s just one person. I don’t see the harm. Besides, this is my party, not yours. She invited and that’s my final decision.”

  Dina’s mouth formed and O and I knew she wanted to say something about that but thought better of it. The way the three girls exchanged looks, I was sure there would be a behind-my-back discussion about this later.

  To avoid any further drama with them, I needed to change the subject immediately. “Did I tell you that Veronica texted me a picture of her costume and how she’s doing her makeup. She’s going to dress like the Jigsaw puppet from Saw and I think it looks really cool.”

  Kelsi scoffed. “Veronica is not even A-list but she’s always so extra. You can’t let her outshine you, Harper.”

  Aria pursed her lips. “Please. As if Harper Granger can be upstaged.”

  That was all it took to change the subject. The girls started talking about their costumes and how we had to make sure no one upstaged ours.

  “We’re bringing our stuff over early to get dressed with you, right?” Aria asked.

  “Sure.” Although I didn’t want them too, it seemed like something best friends would do and who knew, it might actually be fun.

  Harper’s life wasn’t as perfect as I thought. She had high-maintenance friends whom she couldn’t really trust who brought a lot of drama. Although some aspects of her life were going to take getting used to, it was still a good life and I intended to enjoy every second of it while it lasted. I hoped the real Harper didn’t mind, but I wasn’t in much of a hurry to find this fortune teller and have the curse reversed.

  My mind was churning with thoughts of Harper’s friends and her upcoming party when I got home. As soon as I stepped inside, I was greeted by the icy stare of Mrs. Granger. She sat on the edge of the living room couch, wearing a black button-down blouse, a purple pencil skirt, and a pair of black pumps. Her hair was pulled back into a bun that gathered at the nape of her neck. I wondered what she had been doing before I arrived. There was no TV in the room and no books nearby. Had she just been staring at the wall?

  “Hi, Mother.”

  She cocked her head to the side and looked at me strangely. “Why did I receive a call from Mrs. Arlow telling me that you’d cancelled your violin lesson for this afternoon.”

  Shit. “Um, I wasn’t feeling very well.”

  Her gaze landed on the shopping bags dangling from my side. “Really? You look fine to me.”

  “Oh, I felt better a little after that, so I went by the mall. Just for a few minutes.” I put my hand on my throat. “But, I’m starting to feel a little weak again.” I coughed as convincingly as I could. “I should probably go lie down for a bit.”

  In a matter of seconds, she had made her way over to me and was pointing her finger in my face. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing but you lie to me again and there will be hell to pay. There’s nothing I hate worse than a wretched little liar. I knew hanging out with those girls would corrupt you, but you’d better remember that you are nothing like them, Harper. Do you hear me?”

  “Y—yes.” My mouth had gone dry. I’d been scolded by my mother plenty of times, but never had I been afraid of her like I was of Mrs. Granger just then. Her dark eyes pierced mine. For a second I thought she might hit me, but then she took a step back. “Hand me you phone.” With shaking hands, I fumbled through my purse to find it and hand it to her. She took it and held it to her chest. “Go to your quarters. I don’t want to see or hear you until dinner.”

  I nodded and hurried to get out of her presence as fast as I could. I figured it wasn’t a good time to ask her about the moaning I’d heard the night before. As I raced up the steps to my bedroom, I realized I had never missed my mother more than I did then.

  9

  On Wednesday I didn’t dare screw up. Harper told me where to meet her mother at 3 o’clock sharp for our weekly spa treatment. It was some trendy, upscale spa down town. At 2:58 I left Harper’s car with the valet and hurried inside.

  As soon as I stepped into the automatic sliding doors, I was greeted by a woman wearing a white polo top with matching pants. She had short black hair that ended just beneath her ears. On one hand she balanced a small wooded tray holding a glass of water with slices of cucumber in it. “Good afternoon, Ms. Granger.”

  “Good afternoon,” I replied as she handed me the glass.

  She smiled so hard it probably hurt. “Your mother is waiting for you in the first message room.”

  She nodded and I was supposed to be on my way even though I had no idea where the massage room was. Since the Grangers came there every week, it would be weird if I asked. I’d had to figure it out.

  Taking a sip of the cucumber water, I stepped forward. The spa was beautiful. Everything was a soothing shade of peach or cream. Live plants and beautiful flowers were spread throughout. The place smelled like orange and ginger. There was a sofa area where a few woman flipped through magazines while wrapped in white towels. I followed the signs to the changing room. I knew enough to know that I’d have to change out of my clothes.

  I undressed, folded my clothes as neatly as possible and stored them in a locker before grabbing a towel from the large stack placed in a basket. I left my panties on, but other than that, I was completely naked underneath the towel.

  Although it took me a couple of minutes, I managed to find the massage room and quietly stepped into the room marked #1. Mrs. Granger was lying face up on a massage table with her eyes clothes. “It’s about time.”

  I closed the door behind me and took a seat on the massage table across from her. “Sorry. I had to stay after school for something,” I lied.

  “Bernice is coming by tonight. We have to put the finishing touches on this event. She’ll have the final menu and décor mock-ups ready for us.”

  “Great.” Harper’s party was still a week and a half away. While it was a huge deal, Harper would be Harper by then and I probably wouldn’t even be invited. I wasn’t too excited about meeting with Bernice. While I wanted to enjoy being Harper, I was sure any second she would be hounding me about finding the fortune teller to change us back.

  Mrs. Granger opened her eyes and frowned at me. “Well, lay down and get comfortable.”

  I did that, or at least I got as comfortable as I could. I’d never had a stranger rubbing all over my body before. I lay on my back like she did. Mrs. Granger closed her eyes and went back into her zone. “Are you excited?”

  That question caught me off guard. It was the first time she’d asked me how I felt about something. “Yes. I am. Very.” I wanted to slap myself for such an awkward, choppy answer.

  Half of her mouth curved into a smile. “You should be. Your life is going to change forever and there will be no going back. You should enjoy your last days in this form, but I promise you, you won’t miss it.”

  I knew turning eighteen was a huge deal because Harper would officially be an adult, but that was a bit dramatic.

  After dinner that night Bernice came over with binders full of pictures and two assistants. While the assistants wondered around the house taking pictures and measuring things, Bernice, Mrs. Granger and I took seats in the living room poring over the final details.

  Bernice, a tall and slender woman with a blond pixie cut, sat with her lap top balanced on her knees. She wore a black pants suit and pointy-toes stilettos. “So, Harper dear, have you made a final decision on the food?”

  I had no idea what Harper would have wanted at her party. “Uh, I was thinking that you’re the party planner, so whatever you think is best.”

  Bernice tapped away on her laptop. “Good to hear. The Society has never thrown an event that was less than perfect. It’s practically impossible.”

 
“Uh, The Society?” I asked. Was that the name of her party planning company?

  Mrs. Granger, who was seated to the left of me, threw me a sharp look, the she turned to Bernice. “Forgive Harper. She’s been acting quite silly lately and I haven’t the slightest idea why.”

  Bernice grinned. “Last minute jitters, I’m sure. It happens.”

  Maybe The Society was some sort of high-brow social club. At least that’s what it sounded like. I decided I would be better off keeping my mouth shut as I flipped through the binders full of décor ideas. There were centerpieces made of skulls with red roses flowing our out of them. Realistic-looking skeletons that hung from the ceiling. All sorts of creepy masks and giant spiders. Everything looked so gothic and authentic.

  My mind wondered as Bernice and Mrs. Granger talked about how to rearrange the furniture and how to handle security—only guests with invites would be allowed inside. I was going to have to tell them that I’d added Marta to the list.

  I got a text from Tucker asking if I could talk. I excused myself and went upstairs to call him.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  I groaned. “Bernice is here going over the details of the party. We have to finalize everything to night. I’m kind of tired of talking about it.”

  “I know you are, but I’m sure everything will be perfect. I know what to do to get you mind off your party. Let’s play.”

  “Let’s play what?”

  I could hear a banging from Tucker’s end and I imagined him throwing a ball against his wall and catching it. “What do you mean, play what? Our game—anything, anyone.”

  “Oh, yeah.” I said as if I had any idea what he was talking about. “Why don’t you go first?”