Chapter 75

I tried to remain calm and appear confident instead of the scared person I was on the inside. I’m not sure how successful I was, though.

“Wow, you clean up really well, don’t you?” A voice said behind me.

I turned to see Ben, a welcoming smile on his face. He was dressed in a bright green T-shirt and yellow jeans, along with an orange and olive striped mesh scarf around his neck. He was as vibrant as ever. Maybe I was getting used to his color choices. Or I was going blind.

“How can you wear a scarf in this heat?” I asked.

“I have a perfectly working internal cooling system.”

“Have you been studied by science? I’d love to know how you do it.”

“We all have our secrets,” he said, grinning at me. “How do you feel? Exposed, off-kilter?”

“A bit.” I rubbed a hand over my shorn head, the super short strands still feeling strange against my palm. The sideburns were gone, too.