his apartment, where he wrote out Charles Young’s address. “Thanks again,” I said. “For everything.”
“Sure. Hey, have you had dinner?”
“Not yet.”
“There’s this Italian place in North Beach that’s really good. Uh, maybe I c-could take you tonight?”
He’d relaxed earlier and lost his stutter, but it was back. I realized this wasn’t a casual question. “Like, on a date?”
“Uh, I guess. Yeah.”
A part of me was tempted. Matt seemed to like me, Jamie, as a person. He was easy to talk to. He was even, in his own way, kind of cute. If I'd still been in my old body, I would have been thrilled that he'd asked me out. But I wasn't in my old body. I was in Sarah's, and she could have any guy she wanted. I couldn't quite picture someone like Sarah dating someone like Matt.
Besides, I already had a boyfriend -- Nick. A gorgeous, charming boyfriend who was supposed to call me tonight. I also had Sarah’s friends coming over in a few hours.
“I can’t,” I said.
Matt’s face fell, but he shrugged. “Sure, I understand.”
“I’m kind of with someone.”
“The blonde guy. Yeah, I’ve seen him around. So, okay, no problem.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve got to go.”
On the way out, I tried not to notice the disappointment plain on Matt’s face.
I went grocery shopping. It was a new experience for me; for once, I had plenty of cash in my pocket. My stomach was growling, so I loaded up my basket. I got some of my old staples, like spaghetti and pasta sauce in a jar, but I also tried some of the kinds of things I thought Sarah might eat. I bought a hunk of real parmesan cheese, instead of the dry stuff in a can. I grabbed a pint of fresh strawberries, just because they smelled so good when I walked by the produce department. I picked out a loaf of crusty bread fresh from the bakery, instead of the sliced white bread I used to buy.
I walked home lugging my bags, feeling better than I had since I’d woken up on the bathroom floor. I fixed myself dinner and ate it slowly at Sarah’s long dining room table, with her heavy silverware and a cloth napkin on my lap.
After dinner, I picked up Sarah’s birth control pills from the floor where I’d dropped them. I read the package insert carefully. It said I had to take two pills today and two tomorrow, to make up for the ones I’d missed. It added that I should use a back up method for the rest of the month. If I was pregnant already, the damage was done, but I promised myself that I’d be more careful from now on.
I wrote out a check to the landlord, using Sarah’s past bank statements as my guide, then added $200. I hoped that would take care of the late fee; if not, I was sure to hear back from the landlord.
By the time 10:30 rolled around, I felt more in control. Still, my stomach turned double somersaults as soon as the intercom chimed. Matt had barely known Sarah, and he’d guessed something was different. What would her close friends think?
I buzzed them in.
CHAPTER TEN
A blonde girl in her mid-20s, almost painfully thin, in three inch heels and a gold halter top, came bounding up the stairs. “Quelle catastrophe! Sarah – what are you wearing?” she shrieked, in the accent I recognized from her phone message.
I glanced down at myself. I hadn’t changed out of the skirt and shirt I’d picked out that afternoon. I’d thought it would be fine for going out. Apparently not. “Um, I was just going to change."
“I should hope so!”
Another girl, also scantily clad, came up behind the first. She was Asian; her stick-straight hair hung almost to her waist. She wore shiny black leather boots that laced up to her thighs, a microscopic miniskirt, and a see-through chiffon blouse.
“God, Sarah, I hope you’re not going out like that,” she said.
“She’s changing, don’t worry.” Aurélie ushered me toward the bedroom. She flung open the closet door. “What shall you wear?”
I shrugged. “Help me pick something?”
Aurélie pulled out a plum-colored strapless dress with a fringe on the skirt. “What about this?”
The other girl leaned against the doorframe. “She wore it last week.”
“So. Liza says no to the dress. What else?” She held up a pair of black tuxedo pants. “Yes, good. And perhaps. . .” She rifled through Sarah’s blouses and chose a skimpy silk