#three'sacrowd

"Oh my God!" Hallie mumbles, she knows that it's not me in there, but I suppose seeing the face of the man you love getting pummelled isn't a pleasant thing to witness. Braxton falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes, he's out!

I've never punched anyone before, Braxton's body is certainly bulkier than mine and his hands are bigger so it makes sense that my skinny ass would get knocked out! Hallie drops to her knees and raises her hand to me, like I'm gonna kick myself when I'm down!

"Shawnie stop!" She whispers while rubbing my back, it's no wonder she's confused, I would be too if she was lying there with someone else behind the wheel.

"I-I don't...I don't know w-why..."

"Shawnie you have to go, now! Before he wakes up, you need to find Lori and get this spell!" Her voice is still a whisper, like she doesn't quite want him to wake up yet.

"But-"

"Remember what we talked about at the pub? About him running off in your body? We don't want that, so go!"

"Shit!" I mutter and do as she says, I hear my voice groaning behind me and Hallie uttering words of reassurance to Braxton.

"Hey Shawnie, it's okay, you're okay!"

"That son of a-"

"Don't get up too fast, you took quite a hit!"

"He's gonna pay for that, I'm gonna destroy him!"

"Shawnie shhh!"

Yes he is, I fucked up, big time!

I don't know why I feel so guilty about being seen with this Freya girl, maybe it has something to do with being in the body of her creepy way too old boyfriend! Like I said, the legal age where we come from is 16 but that doesn't make it right. Braxton is a predator, he's a groomer using his non existent pain over me being a pretty boy to lure this girl into bed! I mean what is that even about? He has no pain, I did nothing to him!

Does me dragging her down into the basement make things worse? Heck yes it does, but I don't want this all blowing up while I'm in Braxton's body. Freya has travelled from Nordhaven to find him, her dad seemingly went looking for him first and she panicked. Now I know why Braxton is all beaten up, if I was her dad I'd have done the same thing! "Is this your room?"

"No it's my broth-cousin Lance's room. He shares it with his girlfriend Loretta."

"Why are we hiding down here?"

"Because this whole thing is wrong! I'm too old for you Freya, you must know that, right?" She looks annoyed, uh-oh!

"What do you mean by this whole thing??? Huh?" Her voice has gotten very shrill all of a sudden.

"This should never have happened, and as the adult I take full responsibility, but I'm also ending it. I will be there for your child of course, but this is over."

"Ha! Very funny Braxton! I want a ruby engagement ring, it doesn't have to be expensive, I just want a ring okay?" She's a very naive young lady, no wonder he managed to take advantage of her, this is so wrong! "And this is our child silly, we made her together!" She's not going to go away that easily, and who can blame her? Braxton has a responsibility but instead he ran away!

"You're being really weird, why are you being so weird?" She's just a child herself, she's not even emotionally mature! I don't think she understands the severity of the situation, she's living in a fantasy world and romanticising her relationship with an older guy. What Braxton has done is disgusting!

"I'm still...so beat up, I need to lie down so can we talk later?"

"Sure, can I get a kiss?"

"Maybe later?" I really am gonna be sick!

"God you're so weird, I'll see you later then!" She sighs and saunters out the room.

Braxton thought he could hide out here after what he did, taking my body when the trouble he left behind followed him must have seemed like a good option. I can't deny that it's delayed it for a while, but Lori will get us back in our own bodies and he'll have to face up to this shit show eventually!

"Fuck, not you!" Braxton growls as I block his escape.

"Braxton, it's over. You've had your fun, now gimme back my body!"

"I can't! Do I look like I went to Hogwarts? It's done! You're just gonna have to accept it! My life is yours now so have a good one. I'm outta here!"

"But you can't just steal my life, you know it's wrong, don't you?"

"Do you honestly think I'd switch back? No fucking way! I made so many huge mistakes, getting involved with Freya fucking Loden for a start! She said she was 21, she was in a fucking nightclub in San Myshuno for fucks sake necking those shots like a pro! She said she was on the pill! Don't look at me like that! Anyway it's your problem now cous! Outta my way!"

"No Braxton!" I hear Hallie answer softly as she appears behind him.

"Wh-you knew?" Braxton really is not the sharpest knife in the drawer!

"Yes, I knew there was something off with my Shawnie, but I only found out what that was today."

"You played me!" He sounds genuinely hurt, what did he expect?

"No you played me Braxton, I just went along with it for Shawnie's sake. I can't have you taking his body, I'm sorry but you don't belong here, you belong over there, in your own body!"

"Braxton please, do the right thing!" I saw a shred of humanity in him when he was with Hallie, I really hope that I can get through to that part of him, end this nightmare.

"Why would I ever go back to being that piece of shit, huh?"

"Braxton it's never too late to turn things around. This isn't going to solve your problems, please give Shawnie his life back! Give my life back to me, because he is my life!"

"No, I don't wanna be a dad and I certainly don't wanna be handcuffed to Freya for the rest of my life!"

"Braxton if you don't do this willingly, then I'll make you. Don't let it get to that, it won't end well for you!"

"What are you gonna do, huh?" He spits at me, but I see the fear in his eyes, in my eyes!

"I'll take you down!" I don't want things to get physical again, I'm in a bigger and stronger body right now, I hope he doesn't make me do something I will regret!

Hallie desperately follows Braxton into his room-my room. It's as if she doesn't wanna let him out of her sight. "Shawnie wait, can we talk?"

"About what Hallie?"

"I just feel like we should be doing better at this, we've been in love for so long that this whole relationship thing should come easily. Don't you think? Has anything changed? You're not yourself!" Hals what are you doing???

"Maybe I'm just starting to realise I don't deserve you, not even like this...not at all!" What the fuck???

"What do you mean? It's okay to open up to me...Shawnie?" I don't like this, I don't like it at all!

"I can't do this right now!"

"Please, Shawnie talk to me!"

"I can't I-"

"Why? What is holding you back from me? You were so cold earlier, is it something I've done?" This is breaking my heart, she sounds so genuine, but she knows she's my world...right?

"I'm a loser, a waste of space! Everything I touch I destroy! Hallie you don't wanna have anything to do with me trust me!" No Braxton, she does, because you're IN MY FUCKING BODY RIGHT NOW!!!

"That is the biggest load of rubbish I've ever heard! Shawnie I love you so much, I've always loved you! There will only ever be you for me, you're everything to me!"

"Well maybe you should broaden your horizons!" You son of a bitch!

"Don't you love me anymore?"

"Did I ever?" He shrugs, oh that's it!

"Yes, you did, you do!" She knows I do, she knows that's not me, I know she's stalling so that he doesn't take off but-

-holy motherfucking shit balls!!! Hallie what the actual fuck???

"Is it any better?" Hallie asks him sweetly, she looks at him and sees me, even though she knows it's Braxton in there.

"He's so dead!" Braxton mutters as he holds an ice pack to his face, I hope it hurts!

"Shawnie let it go!" Hallie sighs, all I can think about is how much I wanna hold her and kiss her with my own arms and my own lips! I've missed her so much and it's only been a day since we switched bodies.

"Let it go she says! You have no idea-"

"Actually I do! I know how you're feeling, if that's what you were about to say. I've been punched before." What? When? Oh Hals, I wanna be holding you right now!

"Y-you have?"

"Yes, by my cousin Lisa, it hurt a lot! I was fourteen and she wanted to wear one of my tops and I said no...so she hit me in the face and I had a black eye for three weeks." I had no idea this happened, Hals never told me! "Cousins can be...hard to deal with...can't they?" Oh Hallie Anne Campbell you little minx, look at you getting into his head like that! I'm so proud of her!

"I hate him...and I envy him...and I wish..."

"You wish what Shawnie?" She's got him right where we want him!

"I wish I could be more like him, he has this...personality!"

"You have a personality Shawnie, a lovely one at that, you're the love of my life!" I know Hals, she'll be practicing things she wants to say to the real me, hopefully she'll have the courage to say them again.

"I'm not the person you think I am!" Oh hello!

"You'll always be the man I love, nothing will ever change that!"

"Trust me, you won't feel like that soon. I've done something that-I'm gonna have to head back home, I can't stay here anymore!"

"Why?" I hear the panic in her voice, she's terrified he's gonna flee in my body.

"Because Braxton is way too difficult to live with!" Another veiled admission from my big cous! "I need to not be around him right now!"

"Then let me come with you, we can go anywhere together. The summer's not over, we have a few weeks to spend as a couple. Wouldn't you like that? Shawnie?" Clever girl, stick with him so that we won't lose my body!

"I don't deserve that Hallie, I really don't, I'm...gonna lie down. Excuse me!" SHIT! I have to hurry!

"I should go and check in with Lori see how it's going with the reversal spell."

"That's the first thing you should have done Shawnie!" Hallie scolds me, she's just as impatient for this reversal to happen as I am.

"I wanted to walk you to your door like the gentleman that I am-oh shit!"

"What?" Hallie looks up to see what I'm seeing, Braxton with a face that could give Medusa a run for her money! If looks could kill, and what the fuck has he done to my hair? Did he trim my beard???

"HEY!!!" He yells in my direction, before I can respond he's marching straight to us.

"You keep your fucking hands off of my girl, fucking paedo cu-"

"BRAXTON-SHAWNIE ENOUGH!!!" Hallie steps in between us before he can do more than point his finger at me...

...or more accurately, my finger! "You're a sick fuck Braxton Neil Hatfield, a waste of fucking space...and you're rotten to the core!" More self reflection from my big cousin. He must really hate himself! Hallie's little faux pas went right over his head, she called him Braxton, but to him she could have been yelling at us both.

"Yeah you're absolutely right, Braxton's a sick fuck and he will never be with Hallie, NEVER!!! Do you hear me???" An hour ago this conversation would have sounded batshit mental to Hals, but now she knows the truth, she understands what I'm saying...more importantly...so does he!

"She's mine now, fucker! You're done, your life is mine! She's mine! You lost...cous!" He doesn't even care that he's spilling everything in front of Hallie, he probably figures she would never believe me...well she did, so I haven't lost anything! "You're gonna live the life you deserve! SICKO!" I see red, I have a temper remember? Never have I ever given into the red mist with violence...

...until now! "Shawnie no!" Hallie gasps, will he notice that one? Or will my fist do a good job of knocking him out?

"Are you sure it's not just misplaced? I mean-"

"Lance it's gone!"

"Who would've taken it? Who even knows what it does?"

"I think that would be me!"

"Braxton! Of course! You thieving little-"

"Actually it's Shawn, I take it you've lost a potion, does it happen to body switch people by any chance?"

"Oh Shawn! What has he done?"

"Wait a minute, how do we know-"

"Lance do you seriously want me to tell Lori about that time you got stung by the jelly fish on Tartosa beach and what I did for you?" My brother turns a shocking shade of crimson and nods his head.

"It's him!"

"You're going to have to give me some time to fix this Shawn, I don't have a reverse potion!"

"How long?"

"I'll need to research what I need so I'll let you know!" Great! The only upside of being Braxton is messing with the real Braxton's head, that could be fun! But then he could trick Hallie into sleeping with him and that would be a total disaster...not to mention the ultimate betrayal!

Braxton??? I have got to be dreaming!!!

If this is a dream then why is my head pounding and various parts of my body aching? And why would I dream about being Braxton???

My vision is so blurry it has to be!

I'm gonna wake up any minute, I'm gonna wake up any minute, I'm gonna wake up any minute!!!

Braxton what have you done?!?!