Page 14 of Call My Bluff
She shook her head and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I’ll get them later. Just watch your stars,” she warned, though she couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice. “I’ve got an early morning anyway, so I should probably go to bed.”
“Bummer! Well, goodnight then, Pixie,” he answered.
But then, nothing happened.
Olivia glanced at her screen to make sure the call timer had stopped.
It hadn’t.
“Campbell?”
“Yeah?”
“Hang up!”
“No, you hang up!”
“No, you— Agh! You know what, I’m not twelve, so goodnight.”
She could hear him laughing even as she pulled the phone from her ear and pressed the red “end call” button. She snuggled down beneath her blanket and reached for the television remote with no real intention of going to sleep.
Minutes later, her phone vibrated again.
Noah:Just saw one. Wished you were here. Then a bird pooped on my head.
Olivia laughed out loud, the sound echoing back to her in the empty apartment.
Serves him right!
5
Noah washed hishands for the sixth time, scrubbing at the blue stains on his palms and fingers. Then he glanced into the chipped bathroom mirror. His ears and neck were also blue, as was his hair—though it was less noticeable than if he’d been blond. He had to hand it to Conner, though; it was a respectable effort.
Finally turning off the water, he yanked his phone from his pocket and called the first person he could think of who might have the experience he needed. “Hey,” he said when she answered. “How would you wash the red out of your hair?”
“I wouldn’t. I paid a lot of money to look this good,” Olivia said.
Noah huffed at his reflection. “Okay, well, I didn’t, so help a guy out.”
There was a long pause, and he could almost feel her confusion.
“I’m missing something here. Did you dye your hair?”
“Not intentionally, no,” he mumbled, massaging his fingertips against the bridge of his nose. He instantly thought better of itand yanked them away before searching his reflection for any signs that the color had transferred to his face. Thankfully, it hadn’t.
Olivia snorted in a decidedly unladylike way. “Oh, I’ve got to see this!” she crowed. “What is it? Orange? Purple?”
“Just tell me how to wash it out!” he groaned, though her audible glee made an involuntary smile inch across his face. “And how to get it off my skin.”
“Do you look like an Oompa-Loompa?Pleasetell me you look like an Oompa-Loompa!”
“Pixie . . .”
“Okay, okay! I’ve got an idea, but I’ll make you a deal. Jexie has set up camp in my living room, and I’d rather not be here if I can help it,” she said, and Noah clamped his lips together to hold back a laugh.
“I thought we weren’t calling them that,” he reminded her, and Olivia sighed.
“Look, do you want my help or not? You give me someplace to hang out, and I’ll do my best to return you to your normal color.”
