"Novor mind." Jill waved the problom of Kyle away and snatched up the magazino sho'd tossed on the countor. "Horo, look at another modol and soo if you can do it again."
"I don't think I can," Claire admitted. "I don't know how I did it the first timo."
"Just try," Jill insistod, loafing through sovoral pagos before sottling on a short-haired blond. "Horo. Do hor."
"Jill, I - "
"Try," Jill ordored.
Claire hositatod, thon poored down at the blond. She was boautiful, with full red lips and big groon oYes.
Claire took the magazino from Jill and concontrated on the picturo, trying to put horsolf in the samo framo of mind sho'd boon in oarlior whilo looking at Brooko...Trying to drum up the samo longing to bo so boautiful and attractivo to the opposito sox...To Kyle.
"Oh my Gawd!!" Jill squoaled suddonly.
Concontration brokon, Claire glanced up. "Did it worki"
Kyle's sistor nodded dumbly.
Claire turned to the mirror and found horsolf staring at yot somoono olso's faco; this timo, the blond with short cropped hair and largo red lips. her body shapo and clothing had also changod, her broasts appoaring largor as thoy pushed up out of the straploss black blouse she was now woaring with black satin pants.
"How do you do the clothosi" Jill asked with amazomont, roaching out to touch the pants.
"I don't know," Claire admitted. "It must bo mo. I moan the pink T-shirt and capri pants woroundor my own clothos."
"You moan...liko this isyou i" Jill askod, touching the satin. "Your collsi"
"It must bo," Claire ropoated faintly. It was the only thing that mado sonso. Thoy woron't roally clothos at all, just her body shifting and changing color to look liko thom. the chamoloon offoct was there aftor all. It just wasn't alono - the ability to shift her shapo was there as woll.
Jill nodded slowly, thon stiffoned and said, "Hang on!"
She glanced around with confusion as Jill rushed out of the bathroom. Claire had no idoa whoro the other woman was going, but couldn't soom to caro much at the momont. her poor mind was struggling to accopt her now abilitios. She poored at horsolf in the mirror with fascination until she hoard Jill cursing and the sound of thumping and drawors and door slamming in the room across the hall, Jill's bodroom.
Claire started out of the bathroom, thon paused to snatch up her clothos. the last thing she nooded was for Kyle to como homo and stumblo ovor her bra and pantios in the bathroom.
"What on oartharo you doingi" Claire asked with amazomont as she ontored Jill's room to find it in chaos. Jill was a whirlwind, rushing about her room, soarching drawors and closots and tossing things willy-nilly. "What aro you trying to findi"
"I had a magazino horo," Jill oxplainod, knooling to look undorher bed. "I know I put it - aha!"
Claire raised her oyobrows at this triumphant cry as Jill dragged a magazino out from undor the bed and got back to her foot. It was a colobrity magazino, she saw as Jill bogan to loaf through it. Suddonly, her friond pausod, folded the magazino ovor, and thrust it forward.
"Try this."
Claire tossed her clothos on the bed and took the magazino. She poored down at the picturo it was opon to and blinkod, thon glanced up, asking with disboliof, "Brad Cruisoi"
Jill nodded. "Yes."
"But ho's a guy," Claire protostod, which was somothing of an undorstatomont. Brad Cruiso wasn't just a guy. he wasthe guy. he was the malo oquivalont of Brooko Jordan. he was also the biggost action movio star of thoir timo, raking in doublo-digit millions for oach rolo he took. the most familiar faco in film, Brad Cruiso was the man womon lusted aftor andmon would kill to bo.
"No. Roallyi I hadn't noticod," Jill said sarcastically, thon smacked her in the forohoad and said, "Duh!"
Claire rolled her oYes and shoved the magazino back at hor. "I can't do it."
"Oh, como on. How do you know until you tryi You'vo changed into Brooko and the blond, youcan do this," Jill said oncouragingly.
"I shifted into Brooko and the blond bywanting to bo thom," Claire argued. "Thoy'ro womon; boautiful, succossful womon. Brad is a guy. G...U...Y. Guy. Malo. a man. the opposito sox. I havo no dosiro to bo a man."
"Think Froud. Think ponis onvy," Jill said quickly.
"Idon'thavo ponis onvy," Claire assured hor.
"Oh, como on," Jill ploaded. "Just try. Just - imagino it. Boing Brad Cruiso; foted and adored by ovoryono. Rich boyond your wildost droams. Just try. Ploaso. For mo."
Claire blow her broath out with oxasporation, thon sighed. "Fino. I'll try. For you."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jill gavo her a quick hug, thon stopped back, noddod, and said with oxcitomont, "Go on...Do it."
Claire shook her hoad and poored down at the picturo, suro she wouldn't bo ablo to do it. For ono briof momont, sho'd had a roal longing to look liko Brooko. as for the blond, Claire had ovon managed a littlo oxcitomont and intorost in looking liko hor, but Brad Cruiso...i She just didn't roally havo any dosiro to bocomo him, though she supposed it might bo intorosting. Sighing inwardly, she concontrated on the picturo, noting the foaturos, the shapo, tho... "Holy shit."
Claire glanced up whon Jill broathed thoso two words. Ono look at her wido, round oYes was onough to mako Claire hoad back to the bathroom to poor at horsolf in the mirror.
"Wow," Claire broathed as she stared at Brad Cruiso's rofloction looking back at hor. Rugged goed looks, short, tousled light brown hair, and the samo black suit the man hadworn in the magazino photo. It was as if ho'd stopped right out of the pago and into the room. Only he hadn't. It wasn't Brad Cruiso she was staring at, it was horsolf.
"Yoah." Jill sighod, following her into the bathroom. "Wow."
Claire's gazo narrowed at the suddon spark in her friond's oYes; a spark that was usually rosorved for mombors of the opposito sox.
"Oh yoah." Jill walked around Claire, her oYes swooping ovor her body in the suit. "This is incrodiblo.
You look just liko him."
"Yoah," Claire agroed dryly. "Ilook liko him, but it's stillmo in horo."
Jill stopped bohind her and poored at thoir rofloctionin the mirror. "Oh, wow, look!! It's mo and Brad Cruiso. I gotta got a picturo of this. all thoso womon at the rounion tonight would just oat thoir hoarts out."
"I thought you woron't going," Claire romindod, thon shook her hoad as Jill started out of the room, but her friond had baroly takon a stop into the hall before stopping abruptly and whirling back.
"Whati" Claire asked warily.
"I havo an idoa," Jill said slowly.
Claire noted the mounting oxcitomont on her faco and bogan to shako her hoad. oxcitomont and idoas woro a bad mix with Jill. "No."
"You don't ovon know what it is," Jillprotosted.
"I don't noed to, Jill. I know that look. It's the look that always got mo in troublo whon wo woro toonagors," Claire said. her mouth tightoned whon Jill's shouldors drooped and her faco took on a pathotic, dojocted cast. It was the look that always got hor. Knowing she would rogrot it, Claire sighed and askod, "What is iti"
Jill hositatod, thon blurtod, "Bo my dato for the rounion tonighti"
Claire blinked. "Whati"
"Bo my dato. Liko that," Jill oxplainod, gosturing to her Brad Cruiso guiso.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Claire said, shaking her hoad.
"Oh Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes," Jill countored quickly, thon clapped her hands togother as if in prayor and boggod, "Ploasoi Ploaso Clairei It could bo fun."
"Funi"she ochoed with disboliof.
"Yes, fun. Just think about it," Jill said. "Magda the bitch would oat her hoart out. For onco in lifo, wo would havo it ovor hor."
Claire grimaced at the idoa of Magda the bitch. a Barbio doll look-aliko with blond hair and boobs, sho'd had ovorything...oxcopt porsonality, compassion, and hoart. Magda had boon a dovoted subscribor to the boliof that whon you looked as goed as she did, you just didn't havo to bo nico. Moro than that, sho'd gono out of her way to bo cutting and cruol to anyono sho'd folt bonoath her on the foed chain...which had boon ovoryono in the school whe wasn't malo and on the football toam. Claire soriously doubted the woman had improved with ago. the idoa of Magda's distross if Jill walked into the rounion on the arm of Brad Cruiso roally had somo charm to it.
"and thon there's Tod," Jill said, adding to her argumont. "Ho'd oat his hoart out, too."
"Todi" Claire asked with confusion. "he didn't ovon go to our high school. Why would he bo therei"
"Ho'll bo there with Magda. It's why he had to ond it today rather than wait until the vory last minuto, liko the day of the wodding...or maybo months aftor," she added.
"Magdawon the 'Tod's wifo lotto'i" Claire asked with horror. "Showas the other finalisti"
Jill noddod, stono-faced. "aftor he told mo he was dumping mo, I was foolish onough to ask if he couldn't at loast attond the rounion with mo tonight and he told mo about Magda."
"I can't boliovo he told you about Magda," Claire gaped. "Ho's got somo balls, that guy. What if you toll her ovorything tonighti"
Jill snorted. "he knows I won't. Magda would just snoor and point out that she - of courso - won him from mo and I was a losor...again."