Naïveté - Part 6
You know…
When I first started talking to Nick and Sig, I never imagined that they'd eventually have me walk through the school's halls dressed as a girl.
Uaaah, how embarrassing…
Surprisingly though, way less people are looking my way compared to when I was dressed as a guy.
Or more precisely, when I was a guy.
Right now, I'm supposed to be roleplaying as Beatrice.
That's right. I'm a girl.
I need to get myself into that mindset if I'm going to make this work.
Say it with me, Beatrice!
I'm a girl!
I'm a girl!!
I'm a girl!!!
I'm a girl…
I'm a girl, huh…?
"…"
… I just can't get used to this!!
In the first place, how do girls even walk around like this? Between the ounces of makeup clinging to my face and the fact that there's nothing but a skirt and some underwear covering my lower half…
Ugh!
This is just weird!
Are all girls just exhibitionists or something?!
… Not like Scarlet would know anything about that, she usually wears a pair of jeans to school.
The worst part about this is that the other guys are occasionally shooting very quick glances down at my legs.
They keep doing it as if I won't notice and it's seriously creeping me out.
Like, relax! I'm a guy too!
Just because puberty's a little slow for me, doesn't mean I'm not…
… Ah whatever!
If I keep thinking about this I'll just get depressed.
Class 210, right?
I think I'm… yep. I'm here.
My walking comes to a halt as.
Jennifer was nowhere to be found on my way here so she must not have left yet.
At least, that's what I'm hoping for anyway.
Haaa, oh well. Here goes.
Once I carefully turned the knob, the door opens, and…
"Haha, I can't believe that guy is trying to go against you Jenny. That's like, so crazy."
"Yeah, he has to be insane to run against someone as popular as you."
"Oh you guys, you're being too sweet!"
I'm greeted by the voices of three freshman girls the moment I enter the classroom.
And just as Scarlet anticipated, Jennifer is right there among them.
Seems like they're just gossiping about me right now.
Wait, that's wrong.
It's not me, they're talking about Chase.
I'm Beatrice, Leyla's assistant at the Newspaper club.
The guy called Chase is someone else.
"No way, you're just too modest! I don't think anyone's gonna vote for that little freak. Like, not even his nerd friends."
"Really? What about Scarlet? I heard she still loves him."
"Whaaaat? No wayyy! After all that stuff he did to her? That's so sad… You should cut her off Jen! You're better off without her."
"Nooo, it's fine. Really! If Scarlet chooses to vote for him over me then I won't hate her for it, but… I really wish she'd like, open her eyes and see him for the awful person he is. It really breaks my heart to see her hurting like this."
"Oh Jenny, you're so sweet!"
"Aww, you're such a good friend…"
Seriously…?
I've never seen anyone lie so blatantly outside of a television screen in my life. Does she have no shame?
"Huh?"
Jennifer seems to take notice of me and turns to look in my direction.
The other two girls follow suit.
"…"
This feels kinda awkward.
More than awkward in fact.
Let's just hope that none of them see through my disguise.
"Um, hi."
I do my best to raise the pitch of my voice without making it seem too unnatural.
Though, even if I'm not exactly nailing the voice, Scarlet really killed it with the make-up so I should be fine, right?
"You're…"
Jen squints her eyes at me.
Oh shit.
It didn't work, did it?
Is it time to make a run for it?
The last thing I need is them taking a picture right now.
"Really cute! I'm surprised I've never seen you before! What's your name?"
Her words stop me half-way into my turn.
Haaa, I almost had a heart attack. Thank god she bought it.
"I-I'm Beatrice Mas-uh Matthews. Nice to meet you, Jennifer."
"Hmm, Beatrice huh? Sounds kinda European. So like, what did you want here? Were you eavesdropping or something?"
"N-no, I wouldn't dream of it! It's just that… Leyla sent me to tell you that she wouldn't be able to do the interview today, so I'll be doing it in her stead."
"Leyla did…?"
She looks down and ponders for a moment.
"I didn't know the Newspaper club had members other than her."
Ah crap.
"U-uhm, yes. I'm new. This will be my first real interview, so I hope you'll forgive any mistakes I make."
"…"
She looks down for a moment.
Please buy it…
I honestly have no idea what this girl is thinking at any point in time anymore.
And that unreadable mind of hers just makes her that much more terrifying.
The skin on the back of my neck tingles.
My heartbeat is going wild.
Nick might just be the devil for having me cross-dress in front of this sociopath.
There's a chance that I may just die if she finds out that it's me.
Ahaha…
After keeping me waiting for a response for what felt like an eternity, she finally speaks up.
"You know, you shouldn't talk down about yourself like that."
"H-huh?"
She looks down at her phone.
"Liiike… Imagine how I must feel, right? I worked hard to find the time to prepare for this interview. And yet Leyla still ended up ditching me to do something else at the last second. And then she leaves you, who's already talking about how she's going to mess up the interview. If you were in my shoes, it wouldn't feel good at all, right?"
"Y-yeah…"
"It's hard to tell with how she usually is, but she's kinda serious when it comes to her club. So like, if she chose you then it must be because you're reaaaally good at this stuff. Sooo, don't ruin my first impression of you by talking down about yourself like that, 'kay?"
"Y-yeah, sorry…"
Why am I being lectured about this…? This isn't even my real job.
Still, she does have a point. If I'm providing a service for someone, it wouldn't do my image well if I started talking down on it before I even showed it off.
That kind of thing can warp their perception and maybe even their interest before they can try it.
She sighs and puts her phone back into her bag.
"Sorry girls, I'm leaving earlier than usual today."
"No it's okay girl! I'm looking forward to reading it tonight!"
"Yeah, don't worry about us. Just make sure to kick that freak's butt!"
Uh, that 'freak' is right here, you know…
"U-um, please follow me…"
"Sure."
With that out of the way, I decide to take the initiative and lead her out of the classroom and in the direction of the clubroom.
If I walk ahead of her in this scenario, then I'll be able to distract Jennifer before she sees anything in the event that they haven't gotten Leyla out yet.
Haaa, my heartbeat still isn't coming down.
I really wish they made me disguise as a guy instead… This is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever had to do in my fourteen years of life.
Kinda reminds me of that one movie where these two black cops disguise themselves as white women. I think Terry Crews got cat-fished in it or something.
… Actually, that was a pretty controversial movie now that I'm thinking back on it, but I guess it was also kinda iconic in its own way.
Anyway my point is, I kinda hope I don't end up cat-fishing anyone like that. That's the last thing I need on my conscience right now. The make-up was surprisingly convincing, so I don't think it'd be too hard to do it if I actually tried, but…
"Hey, you're slowing down."
"H-huh? Oh, sorry."
"That's the second time you've apologized."
"Sorry…"
"…"
I'm still trying to figure out how to act around her. So far I've been thinking that Beatrice should have a more passive personality than I'm used to. I won't have to talk that much if I just pretend to be shy, right?
As for the interview questions, I'll just have to wing it and ask about the things I'm interested in knowing.
Speaking of the interview…
"We're here."
We continue walking about ten more feet until we finally arrive.
The title "Newspaper Club" is carved into the plate above the door, making it kind of hard to miss.
There doesn't seem to be any sign of Scarlet nearby, so I guess she must've succeeded in getting Leyla out of here.
"I'm opening up, okay?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Uh, sorry."
I turn the knob.
There's no resistance. It opens up quite easily.
Phew, I guess she didn't lock it then. Lucky me!
Once inside, I feel out the wall with my hands in search of the light switch.
"Sorry, I'm still getting used to this place."
It's a bit nerve-wracking, but after a few seconds I finally manage to find the switch and flick it.
The dark room is now filled with light.
"There we go. Please, have a seat."
"…"
Jennifer doesn't comment. She simply walks into the room with her usual confident stride.
"Are all of the clubrooms in this school the exact same? This looks exactly like the Scifi/Fantasy club."
Certainly, she does have a point.
The location of certain amenities such as the sink, the AC unit and the washroom are all the same.
Even the chairs are somewhat aligned similarly.
The only difference is that the table at the center of this room is much smaller, and much more intimate than the SF clubroom's large game table. I guess that's where the interviews are usually done, huh?
Still, if I'm playing Beatrice then I can't ignore that passing comment.
"You've been to the Scifi/Fantasy club?"
"…"
She clenches her fists.
Oh, did she slip up? She doesn't seem to want to answer.
That's kinda scary…
"Ahahaha, why don't I prepare you some coffee?"
I'll just drop it. No point making enemies before the interview even begins.
"Mm, thank you."
I lock the door behind us and head to the kitchen-like part of the clubroom.
"Ah, we only seem to have instant coffee right now. How would you like it?"
"Black's fine."
Well aren't you hardcore?
I flick the kettle's switch and the sound of water boiling quickly fills the room.
Then, careful not to appear too lost afterwards, I open the cupboard in search of a mug that I can serve her with.
"Hey, Beatrice…"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"What kind of boyfriend do you have?"
"Huh?"
What…?
Wait a minute. That question sounds familiar.
Isn't that… similar to what Jennifer asked Scarlet on the day she started getting involved with me?
"Umm, why do you ask?"
"Well, I dunno. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if a cute girl like you had a really good looking one."
My face turns red.
Seriously, why is everyone calling me cute…?
"I-I don't have one."
My feeling around comes to an end as I managed to find a mug in the cupboard.
"Do you want one?"
"S-sorry, I'm not really, um, interested in a relationship."
"Oh, okay."
Why was she asking me about boyfriends? Am I missing something here?
Is it one of those 'loaded questions' I hear so much about?
I grab one of the spoons lying around and, after washing it for a few seconds, I begin scooping the powder from the instant coffee container into the mug.
The sound of the electric kettle boiling the water slowly but steadily increases in intensity as the time goes by.
But even as I run through these tasks, something is nagging at the back of my mind.
… It's the vague sensation that I'm extremely vulnerable right now.
I've had my back faced to this girl ever since I offered to get her coffee.
There's no real way of telling what she's thinking.
And god, what temperature did Leyla leave this AC at? My lower half is freezing right now…
"Hey…"
She grabs both of my upper arms.
The sound of the water boiling in the background increases in volume.
But also, more importantly…
The feeling of something soft presses against my back.
"!!!"
Wait, t-those are…
"Y-yeah?"
"Do you wanna be friends?"
"F-friends?"
"Yeah. Sounds like fun, right? You'd be friends with the most powerful girl in this school."
'Most powerful'?
Wait, forget about all that.
Her tits are rubbing against my back!
Momo was right. This was a mistake…
I mean…
If I pitch a tent here then it's over!
There's no way I could hide it with this stupid skirt!
Okay. Stay calm. Just stay calm.
It's hard to stay calm with the sound of the kettle in the back, but dammit I'll try!
"U-um Jennifer, more importantly, do you mind taking a seat? I'm trying to mentally prepare for the interview."
She pauses.
"… Really?"
"Yes, really."
"You mean that?"
Please…
"Y-yes."
"Even though I just asked you a question?"
Stop delaying this… your tits feel so good that I could cry.
"Sorry."
"…"
"…"
"That so?"
Without putting up much more resistance, she decides to pull away from me.
And as she does, the sound of the kettle finally going off fills the room.
PHEW. Thank god!
For some reason, the universe decided to have mercy on both me and my manhood.
That was too close. I thought I was going to die.
"You're as hardworking as Leyla, aren't you?"
She folds her legs after she takes her seat.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. You're trying to give an honest report, right? That's why you won't let things like friends get in the way of the interview."
"…"
I can't just tell her I was just trying not to get a boner…
"Oh that's fine. I'll only be telling the truth so there's no problem here either way. My offer still stands once the election is done, by the way."
"Y-yeah…"
I pour the hot water from the kettle into the mug filled with coffee and I begin stirring.
Okay, I think I've got a good idea of what I want to ask.
Questions that she'll want to answer, and questions that'll give us a deeper look into her campaign.
Alright, here goes.
After grabbing a coaster from the counter, I walk over to the center table that she's seated at with her drink.
"Here."
I place the mug onto the coaster and take my seat on the opposite end of the table.
"…"
She carefully blows cool air at her drink and takes a small sip.
It was a simple action, and yet I couldn't help but find the gesture eloquent.
My hand digs into my over-shirt's pocket in order to retrieve Nick's cellphone.
Let's see… He told me to slide this and…
Okay, got it.
I put the phone down.
"Um, so… everything you say from now on is going to be recorded. If you don't want me to use something you said then just let me know, okay?"
"To be honest, I'm kinda nervous for this but…"
Like hell you are… Did your personality just do a full 180?
"I'll do my best!"
"S-sure. Let's get started then."
You might think I'll go easy on you because of your change in demeanor, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
I adjust my fake glasses.
"Okay. First thing's first. A lot of people are interested in why you decided to run for class president. You're already the first freshman to make the cheerleading squad, so I think a lot of people are interested in both why and how you plan on juggling both, especially as a freshman who's still getting used to things at this school."
"…"
She looks stupefied.
Ohhh? Weren't expecting such hard hitting questions from me, were you?
Sorry, this isn't going to be your standard interview honey.
"Ahem."
But apparently, her confusion only lasts for a moment.
She quickly shakes it off and gets back to her usual fake self.
"Uhmm, I think I have a lot of good ideas for organizing and unifying my homeroom. I'm very close with pretty much everyone there, so I think I'll be very good at listening to their criticisms of the relationships between classmates and the state of the overall school. I hope to make the class into a learning space that can hopefully meet their standards. As for cheerleading, I have a very straight-forward plan for juggling both so I don't think there'll be a problem there. I already spoke to the cheer captain about it and she thinks its fine too."
When she's done, she takes a sip of her coffee.
N-not bad…
She really came up with something that quickly, huh?
Guess that's Jennifer Swift for you. Annoyingly on the ball.
"Ah, that's interesting. A lot of people have noticed that you've been going really hard with this campaign. Have you had any help from your friends?"
"Uhh, it's mostly just me and Momo. She takes care of all the marketing stuff, like the poster design and making this interview happen, for example. All of the boring things like policies and stuff is all me."
Momo, huh…?
"Speaking of policies, if you get elected you'll be able to run for an important seat on the Student Government next year. What would your plans for the school be if you did decide to run for Student Body President?"
"Uhh, I'm not sure to be honest… I'm still a freshman so I think it's too early to be thinking about school policies when I haven't gotten used to things here yet. But if I did decide to run I'd be asking the current secretary of the Student Body for advice. We're friends these days and she's been giving me advice here and there for my campaign and stuff."
Hmm, she's been getting advice from someone near the top, huh?
…
That's cheating, isn't it?!
Goddammit, I feel like she's legitimately in control of everything at this stupid school. How am I supposed to compete with her on equal footing, exactly?!
"T-then… let's talk about the campaign itself. You were the sole candidate for class 103 until yesterday, when Chase Masters suddenly announced that he'd be running for the seat himself. Were you aware that he would be running beforehand or was it a surprise for you too?"
"It was a real surprise! I always thought he was just another quiet kid. Never really paid him any mind, even when he started dating Scarlet."
Really? You seemed pretty upset with me from day one, though.
"Then the rumors about him started going around and I felt really bad. I mean, Scarlet is my best friend, right? And like, he turned out to be this terrible person…"
I really, REALLY hate this girl.
"I think that, if the students of class 103 believe in all that is good and well, they'll vote for me instead of Chase. I think it's a miracle that he hasn't been expelled yet with all of the things he's done, but at the very least, we can all do our part to stop him from holding any position of power at this school."
Right… yeah there's no way we're letting any of this get to Leyla.
"So you believe the rumors about him then? There's a lot of students in the higher years who don't seem to buy it. Even Jack Bourne for example…"
"And just what does that degenerate know about anything..?"
"…"
"…"
"Ah, don't include that in the write-up."
"G-got it."
Talk about scary…
Jennifer looks down for a moment.
There's a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"I actually… have something to confess."
"Hm? What's wrong Jennifer?"
"… To be honest, it's the thing I originally came here to talk about."
Uh oh.
Is this about what I think it is?
"I didn't believe the rumors at first… In fact, on Tuesday afternoon after class, I went to visit the Scifi/Fantasy clubroom to try and smooth things over with Chase. I mean, he's the guy dating my best friend, for pete's sake! I needed to find out on my own whether they were true or not. And if they were, then he needed to apologize for hurting her so badly."
"…"
"But in that room, he was alone… And… he locked the door behind us."
"…"
"He said if I gave myself to him, he'd stop hurting Scarlet so much. So, that's why…"
"…"
She pauses.
Like the thespian that she is, she pauses to 'catch her breath' and looks down at the ground.
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep it inside anymore. I needed to come out about this, and to do that I needed a proper platform. Otherwise, he might just refute it and…"
Her voice trails off.
"I-I'm sorry."
She covers her face with her hands and begins sobbing.
It's a heartbreaking scene.
Even as someone who knows the truth, it's hard for me to not get sucked into her performance.
Her acting deserves an A+.
If it were anyone else, they probably would have believed this.
She knows how to stress her words in order to emphasize emotion, and her expressions are all subtle yet clear. She even pauses at the perfect moments to feign things like anxiety, hesitation and self-doubt.
If it were Leyla Thompson in this room, my campaign would be over.
She'd be handing her tissues and comforting her, no questions asked.
Hell, even Scarlet might leave my side if she were the one sitting in this room.
But thankfully, it's just me.
Only me.
And quite frankly, I don't give a damn about all these theatrics.
FWOOP!!
"Eh…?"
It left her in a state of disbelief.
The sound of a large object flying through the air.
And then, a sudden impact.
The sound of a mug being smashed in the distance.
The sound of a heavy object crashing against a wall.
The sound of papers being forcefully pushed around by the sheer force of it all.
There was suddenly nothing between us.
No table, no phone, no coffee.
With a single hand, I flipped it all, and had it go hurling off into the counter.
"…"
"What… just what the fuck is wrong with you, Beatrice?!"
I remove the glasses and the wig.
I've had enough of this farce.
"Wha-"
And before she can say anything, I reach into my shirt and pull something out.
A black bra.
It was the one from that day in the room.
I'd hit it somewhere in the SF clubroom's washroom so that no one else could find it.
"Here, this belongs to you."
But, since I had the opportunity to see her alone again, I decided to dispose of it.
"…"
She accepts it and looks down at it with a blank gaze.
Her face tells me that she's in a state of disbelief.
I can't imagine that she could ever see this coming.
Her political rival, dressed from head to toe in women's clothes, was conducting a fake interview for insider info on her campaign.
That's something that even the perfect Jennifer Swift could not have predicted.
The combined efforts of the 'Fated Ones' really threw her off.
But…
"Haaa…"
Once again, her surprise only lasted for a second.
She tossed the black bra behind her then folded her legs with a sigh.
"Like a moth to a flame, aren't you Chase Masters?"
"…"
Suddenly, all of the anger that had been built up inside of me was completely dispelled.
In just one sentence, I felt caught up in her pace.
"Where's Leyla?"
"Scarlet's with her. They're doing an interview somewhere else."
"Hmmm, not bad for a nitwit like her."
"…"
I grit my teeth.
"You were really going to use what happened in that room to ruin me and get pity votes…?!"
"Huh? Of course I did. Or what, did you think I came onto you because I liked you?"
She scoffs.
"It's time to get in touch with reality, Chase. You're just a flimsy, faggot-faced fuck-boy who's never going to get with another girl once Scarlet leaves your broke ass. Don't pretend that someone as great as I am could ever possibly want anything to do with you."
W-what…?
"Anyway, I'm really pissed off right now, so I'll give you a single warning before I completely lose it. You're going to do yourself a favor and drop out of the elections. Right now."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I'll tell everyone that you fucked me in that room."
…
Is she for real?!
Why would you go that far just to threaten me?!
Actually, there's no reason to believe that this isn't just an empty threat.
"That would hurt your rep just as much as it'd hurt mine, and you know it."
Sleeping with the opposition who is also your best friend's boyfriend. You'd be in deep shit too for something like that.
"Haaaa… Were you even listening to anything I said during the interview? I never said it was consensual."
W… wait…
What…?
…
My head's spinning.
Is she…
Is she trying to accuse me of rape…?
What the hell is she saying right now…?
"…"
Ahh…
I…
I don't get it.
Everything made perfect sense just moments ago.
When I was Beatrice, I felt like I was in complete control.
This all felt so doable.
But the moment I bared my fangs, she's suddenly…
What did I get myself into?
Just how crazy is this girl?!
"I'm being serious, by the way. You know I'm the one behind the rumors, right? Spreading something like that is child's play in comparison. And once everyone's decided that you're a rapist then it's over. Forget the elections, you'll be out of Sunchester High before you can say 'Sexual Assault Charges'."
Nnghhh…
This isn't fair…
"You wouldn't… do that."
"Hmmm? Why not?"
It's a bluff. I know it's a bluff.
I just need to prove it.
Why wouldn't she claim sexual assault?
"Well, there's lots of reason. F-for example, there's the stigma that'll come with doing that… people won't look at you the same. You might even get bullied for it. And there's all the counseling you'll be forced to take… the court cases, the documents…"
She pauses for a moment to stare into my eyes.
"It's… not a smart play in the long run."
"Hmm…"
She looks down at the table.
Did… did she buy it?
Am I home free?
"…"
"You're right, that does sound boring."
Thank god.
I think I mostly said that to convince myself more than anything, but I'm glad she ended up agreeing.
"I'll stick with my original story then. Even if Leyla herself doesn't post it on the internet, I can still get the rumors circulating on my own. I mean like, people have been talking nonstop about the two of us flirting near the lockers. Shouldn't be too hard to make myself come out of it better than you will."
"You really think that's going to help?"
"Huh? What are you on about?"
"What do you think Scarlet's telling Leyla about in the other room? Face it, it's over. All of your lies are going to come out in the open."
"…"
She stares at me dead in the eyes.
It's a long pause.
Honestly her gaze is enough to make me want to up and leave right this instant.
The sheer animosity.
That such a beautiful girl could look my way with such pure hatred in her eyes fills my heart with pain.
She's intimidating.
Every molecule in my body is screaming at me to look away.
But I can't.
I need to be firm here.
I can't give up.
"…"
"Pfft…"
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
But after all of that staring, instead of offering up a genuine response, she simply laughs.
Her terrifying demeanor vanishes, and she laughs.
As if what I'd said was so amusing.
"Like, I figured as much a while back, but you really are a funny guy Chase! Hahahaha!"
"… What's so funny?"
"Haha, haaa…"
She runs a finger across her eyelid to wipe away the tears.
And once she's done, her face becomes serious one more time.
"That stupid bitch is who you're counting on? Get real."
Stupid…?
"I'll tell you a secret, Chase. Since you made me this upset, I think I'll give you a little reward before I break you. It's about my motivations for going this far."
She folds her legs one more time.
"I think that Y-chromosomes are the worst thing that could have happened to the human race."
"… Excuse me?"
"Why don't you keep your mouth shut when I'm speaking, dick-for-brains?"
"…"
"A lot of girls our age don't realize how good women have it these days. Equal education opportunities, the right to vote, job stability with paid pregnancy leave… Like, I could go on and on about it. This era we're living in is the best thing that's ever happen to women throughout the history of humanity. There's no going against that. It's a cold hard fact. But even if things are better, it's still not enough now, is it?"
"At the very top of the food chain, nine out of ten times, without exceptions, without sugarcoating the truth, speaking plainly, frankly and honestly… there's usually always a man. The man is still universally considered to be the head of the household. The majority of multi-billion dollar companies are ran by men, and all of the most influential CEOs have been men. The act of confronting something that you may not necessarily want to is called "manning up". It's like society has been brainwashed into worshiping and idolizing people based on their genitals. Isn't that kinda wrong of us?"
"The most obvious example of this, of course, is that we've never had a female president. And there's no excuse for this one, because we're the ones voting for this. We, the people, have decided that America isn't ready for a female president. It's always the 'First Lady' this, and 'Secretary' that. Hell, our school is the same thing. Male Student Body President, female secretary. It's like she's supposed to blow him once she's done organizing and filing his paper work or something. Because obviously, that's still the role women have in today's society. She only got that position because of how good she is at satisfying her boss. Yeah, we're just objects for fulfilling men's sexual fantasies, aren't we? Well, you know what? I'm tired of it."
"Once I knew that I would be enrolling here, I decided to do everything in my power to gain influence. That way, I could create an all-female Student Government where men will only be allowed to sit at the class-rep seats, if anywhere. I'll work my way to the top and only endorse female candidates that are worth my time."
She smiles.
It's an opinion I'd never expected to run into.
In this room, I, along with the rest of my gender, was being treated like some kind of evil entity that's hell bent upon putting women below ourselves.
And the result of the hatred that was built up inside of Jennifer over the years was this idea.
The idea that only women should have power in this school.
"… And Scarlet is one of those people?"
Jennifer sighs while twirling her hair with her finger.
"Well, she was. Until you showed up. Like, I don't get it. She curved every single guy who hit on her since day one. I thought she was perfect for what I had in mind. And then you show up and all of a sudden she thinks she's Cinderella? Ha!"
I guess she mistook Scarlet's fear of men for hatred.
But still…
"I suppose it's for the best, though. It saves me a lot of time. After all, Scarlet Sterling has to be one of the most idiotic people I have ever had the displeasure of being friends with."
"…"
"Like, who the hell would turn down Jack Bourne for a piece of garbage like you? If you're going to be a cock-hungry slut then at least fuck the right kind of guy, right? What a joke! This entire month was a huge waste of time thanks to that idiot. Yuck. I'll have to find someone else. I was kinda excited about Beatrice, but turns out she was just a stupid guy in disguise. Still, that just goes to show that even a guy can make a better girl than Scarlet. I'd be surprised if she made it to her second year of college without opening up a Patreon full of half-naked pictures of herself. Clearly she's only attractive to nerds who can only get off to cartoon girls, right? Ah, I'm like, getting a super bad headache. Her stupidity must be infecting me."
"…"
It takes every ounce of self-control in my body to stay sane.
Veins might just be visibly popping out of my forehead right now.
I really want to hit her.
I want to slam her into the ground.
Like, what the hell is wrong with this girl?
Who made her like this?
How could someone ever become such a warped, demonic little monster?
I don't know.
I don't know, but I want to make her regret saying these awful things.
Scarlet loves you, Jennifer.
Even in spite of how much you hurt her, how much you destroyed her self-esteem, she still wanted to use this election to make you into a better person.
Because she still believes that there's hope for you as a person.
And yet…
"…"
"What? Why on earth are you looking at me like that? Oh, are you upset that I'm saying mean things about your girlfriend?'
"…"
"Well, you shouldn't be. A stupid bitch is a stupid bitch after all. Actually, I wonder how she'd feel if I told her about how you treated me the other day?"
"!!!"
"I can't wait to see her face… I'll tell her about how I came onto you, and how with one sight of my breasts, you pushed me to the ground, and… you get the gist. And of course, she'll believe me because at the end of the day, you're still just white trash that doesn't belong at Sunchester High. She might act sweet right now, but deep down she's looking at you much differently. I guarantee it."
Shut… up…
"Oh, speaking of which, don't you wanna know how I found out about where you live?"
"…"
"Truth is, I followed you home on that Monday evening.'
What…?
I got home at 9 that evening.
Is she saying that she followed me alone through a neighborhood like that?
All the way back to my house…?
"Gotta say, it was kind of a shithole. Like, how do you live with yourself in such a run-down dump? Talk about hilarious!"
"…"
"Haaa… It was interesting though. I got to see your entire family! Your brother Chad, your grandpa Charlie, aaaand the love of my life, your sister Chloe."
"…"
"I didn't think you'd have such a cute sister. I think she'd make a great successor for my empire, right? She must be a… first year in middle school, right? She should make it to Sunchester before I graduate. That's plenty of time to teach her a few things."
"You're not getting anywhere near her."
"Oh? I'm not? But Chase, how can you say that? While you're busy doing whatever it is you do at the city until evening, she's just a train ride away."
"…"
"She must respect you a lot, hm? I wonder how much it'll take to make that respect of hers crumble into nothing."
How dare you…
"For example, I could tell her about how you used those brain-dead nerds to come off as innocent."
"Then I could casually mention how you cheated on Scarlet twice with her best friends after getting together with her…"
How dare you bring Choe into this…
"Maybe I'll even tell her about how you keep getting into fights all the time."
You… You…
"Chloe Masters, huh? Yeah. I think she'd make a great Student Body President. But first, I'll need to fill her heart with hatred for men. Starting with…"
"You…"
"Her degenerate brother."
"You BITCH!!"
"CHASE!!!"
…
…
…
Red.
My vision was colored a deep red.
It felt like my chest was on fire.
That she would even consider bringing Chloe into this touched a nerve I didn't think I had.
For a split second, all I could feel was anger.
And because of it, I almost did something terrible.
"…"
My fist ended up stopping mid swing when I heard my name get called out.
It was merely a couple inches short of her face.
If it weren't for that voice, I definitely would have lost myself.
This whole game would've been over.
I'd be expelled, and the election would have been lost by default.
Hitting a woman is the worst possible thing a man can do.
To think that I had almost lost myself to my anger there.
If it weren't for that voice.
If it weren't for that voice….
"Tsk, so close…"
Jennifer, who looks as calm as ever despite having come a couple inches away from nearly being decked in the face, clicks her tongue and gets up from her seat.
"I didn't expect another one to be in here. What a mistake… Haaa, I would've won completely if it weren't for that. Nothing's going my way today, is it?"
She picks up her bra and stuffs it into her shirt carefully, then walks off into the direction of the door.
"Oh whatever. We'll settle this with the speeches, Chase. Once I win, I'm going to make sure that you and your embarrassing campaign posters are the laughing stock of Sunchester High. Mark my words. You will regret crossing me here."
Once she said her piece, she unlocks the door and quickly leaves before I can offer up a response.
And that just leaves the two of us.
Me, the still cross-dressing Chase Masters who was completely and utterly rattled by the girl known as Jennifer Swift.
And the boy who was hiding in the washroom all this time.
"Why are you here, Nick?"
"Uh, I kinda had to sneak in here to unlock the door for you, but you guys got here just as Leyla and Scarlet left so I couldn't exactly leave…"
"I see…"
I put the wig and glasses back on.
"Come on. Grab your phone so we can get out of here."
"Uh, sure…"
He hurries past me and picks up his phone.
"Haaa, still in one piece…"
Well, at least I don't have to worry about feeling guilty about that.
"Hurry up, let's go."
He nods his head reluctantly and follows behind me.
The two of us exit through the door and head toward the SF clubroom.
But unfortunately, there's still an awkward silence between us.
He can obviously tell that I'm upset about the things Jennifer said. I mean, I almost decked her for it so he SHOULD be able to tell.
But as far as I can see, he's too afraid to confront me about it.
Or maybe he's just being sensitive.
"You don't have to be so quiet, you know."
"Y-yeah… It's just… I'm sorry you had to go through that, man."
Haha, so it really did look that bad, huh?
Talk about messed up.
That girl really did a number on me.
"Momo was right. We should've stayed far away from Jennifer. I think that, even if by some miracle we win the election, we're gonna get screwed over by her later regardless."
"Haha, what are you saying dude? In that scenario you just have to leave her to me. The leader of the 'Fated Ones' has got your back, remember? Thotifer's no match for my strategic genius."
Mm, he's certainly right.
We managed to catch her off-guard with the disguise, so his unorthodox ideas might just be an edge against her.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Nick."
"N-n-n-no worries."
"? Why are you stuttering?"
"Dude are you kidding me? You're a fucking babe."
"I'm still a guy you know…"
I actually completely forgot I was cross-dressing.
That explains why the handful of people still lingering in the halls are looking at us like that.
Nick walking around with a girl must be quite the sight.
"Um, so Beatrice…"
"Hm? What's up?"
"What was Jennifer talking about back in that room? About how you pushed her down?"
"…"
"A-and that bra…"
"Nick."
"Yeah?"
"Do you trust me?"
"I do. Like my own brother."
He answers without hesitation.
"Then please don't ask about it. It's something I'd… rather not talk about."
"…"
"Yeah, sure dude."
And just like that, at least when it came to the 'Fated Ones', the lid was placed on the story of Chase Masters and Jennifer Swift on that Tuesday afternoon.
I don't know how much Nick really trusts me, but he decided to put all of his faith into me.
And I couldn't have been more thankful for that.