Trent was baffled by the rudeness of her mother. She had always thought her Mom was a nice person but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Her Mom had been very cold and terse with Trent, not knowing that Trent was actually her son, just currently occupying the body of a 12 year old girl.
Trent turned and watched her mother’s car drive away and found she had tears in her eyes. Why? Possibly many reasons - this could be the last time Trent would see her for 6 weeks. Maybe she was crying because she had learnt that her mother was rude? Or maybe it was just that her body was surging with female hormones - everyone knew girls cried more readily than guys and Trent was now a girl.
Anyway. Life goes on. Trent turned back towards Alisa’s house. If Allisa was correct, this was where Trent would be living for the next 6 weeks. It was time to meet her new family.
Suddenly Trent felt very unsure. She had just been rejected by her own mother. What if Allisa’s mother also rejected her? What if Allisa’s family didn’t like the fact that Allisa had swapped with a teenage boy? She felt very vulnerable, wearing a short skirt didn’t help either. Trent didn’t want to be a girl. She didn’t want to be twelve again and she didn’t want to live with a family of strangers.
But what choice did she have? She had to throw herself at the mercy of this family. Perhaps Allisa’s mom knew a way to enable Trent and Allisa to swap back sooner? Trent had nowhere else to go. She began the trudge up the gravel track.
The driveway turned after about 50 paces and Trent suddenly got a view of a white weatherboard house. There were pink balloons tied to the railings of the front stairs and verandah.
Someone must have been watching for her arrival as she heard a female voice call out “She’s here!” The front door flew open and a blonde woman who Trent knew was Allisa’s mom came out she was followed by Allisa’s sister Natalie and her goth friend Vicki, classmates of Trent’s.
Mrs Ralphvernia ran out to greet Trent and must have taken in that Trent was alone and had apparently been crying. As she approached Trent she asked “Did the coins not work?” Before Trent could answer she found herself being squeezed in a hug by the woman.