Got Your Back

Author's Notes: Just a note that I've recently gone back and reformatted the story for consistency- the story hasn't changed, just the look of it, and just slightly. Xo, K.

Chapter One

Viola strutted along the hall in the all boys residence at Illyria. She felt ridiculous, and uncomfortable with her chest taped and absurd mustache on.

Oh god, they're playing football in the hall, what the hell? Boys are insane, it's a perfectly nice day outside, they should throw things in the court yard- Why do they have to endanger my face?

"230, 232... 234! Thank god!" Viola muttered under her breath as she found her residence room. Well, her brother's room really. Viola was taking her brother, Sebastian's place at Illyria while he was off with his band in London. Except in order to do this, Viola had to act and dress like him- oh and talk like him too! It was all for her love of soccer. The coach had cancelled the girls' soccer team at Cornwall, her own high school, because there weren't enough girls on the team that year! And the coach wasn't letting her try out for the guys' team. Of course, Viola knew this was illegal and she could put a motion through to let girls on the team, but it would take too long to go through all the red tape- she would miss half the season. Besides, she didn't want to be on a team which thought less of her as a player just because she was a girl! So, here she was. In room 158 of the all-boys floor in a residence of Illyria.

It was a double room, but her roommate wasn't there. His stuff was though-posters of soccer players, dirty clothes on the floor, and a soccer ball on his desk- he was probably on the team! Viola knew this was going to be a problem. A male roommate. She was worried how it was going to play out, but at the same time ecstatic to be living with a guy – and if he was on the team, he must be in great shape. And hopefully cute too! She searched the room for a picture of him, but didn't find any personal photos. Oh well. She would meet him soon enough.

Shoot, wait! He's on the soccer team! If he finds out I'm not really who I say I am, he might tell the coach, and then my plan is completely going to fail, and this would have been SO pointless. I may as well just go back to mom's and wear a pink pouffy cupcake dress for the rest of my days. Ugh- but if he does think I'm a guy, It's going to be next to impossible to live here. But I needed allies, people to help me get through this if I am going to pull it off. And who better to have my back than the guy I live with?

As Viola's mind played through all the possible scenarios, she removed her wig, shaking out her long brown hair, and pulled off her side burns and moustache. Seriously, if people thought she looked like a boy, they were crazy. But it had worked so far. She reached under her shirt, and pulled off her bandages from around her chest. Relief. Kicking off her brothers' uniform shoes which were gigantic on her (she had to stuff the toe), Viola fell backwards onto her bed. She closed her eyes for thirty seconds, trying to calm down. This plan was fail safe. If it worked out, she would get to play on the soccer team, if it didn't she would have a school she wasn't even enrolled at mad and her brother's escapade to London would be revealed. Not really a big problem for her. She was only missing two weeks at Cornwall, and it wasn't like she was missing high school, she just was missing classes at her high school.

Viola swung her legs over the left side of the bed, and swung her upper body into a sitting position. She reached over and unzipped her duffel bag. There, sitting on top of Sebastian's band tees, ripped jeans and school uniform was a super short denim mini-skirt and a white strapless tank top with eyelet lace detail at the bottom. She grabbed her scandalous outfit and stood beside the closed door, so if her roommate entered while she was half-naked, she would be safely behind the door out of sight. It turned out to be an unnecessary precaution though; Viola was able to unpack everything (her girl supplies like bras and tampons tucked away safely in a box under her bed) before her roommate made his first appearance.

Viola was sitting on her bed with her silver MacBook Pro on her lap, which was a gift –or rather, a bribe- from her mother. She was given it after promising her mother she would "come out" at the Debutante Ball, and do all of the annoying things that went along with being a debutante, including volunteering at the dreadful Carnival. Viola rolled her eyes at the thought and then refocused on her computer screen. She was on the Illyria student site, looking up her (or rather, Sebastian's) courses for the term. That was when he walked in the room. Her new roommate. He was absolutely breath taking. Deffinitely had the body and the face. And he played soccer! Viola was the luckiest girl in the world, she got to sleep with him. Well, sleep in the same room as him. But maybe that would change. He had short brown hair, the kind that fell into place perfectly without any gel, dark tanned skin, and a rugged but still completely adorable face. His eyes were a welcoming brown, and he had a lopsided smile on his face. Viola trailed her gaze down to his chest- he wasn't wearing a shirt, only a pair of gray sweats. His abs were perfectly defined, and his shoulders and arms were strong, but not scarily built. He wore his sweats low, and his white Calvin Kleins poked out from under them. He wore those low, too- she could see the top of his pelvis. Viola looked back up, and met his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Viola," She gave him a lopsided grin to meet his own, and cocked her head to the side waiting for a response. She didn't want to give too much information away before she could gauge this guy's personality. She leaned back onto her hands, pushing her chest out, trying to dazzle him as best she could. She needed all the influence her womanly charms had to get this guy on her side.

"Hey, ummm..." he looked down at Viola's body which was unashamedly on display for him, and Viola thought she saw his cheeks pink. "I, I'm Duke. What, are you Sebastian's girlfriend or something?" He looked at her, now confused.

"Oh, ew, hardly. I'm his sister!" In her disgust, she let her sexual predator act down and went back to being regular tomboy Viola. She saw Duke relax a bit and decided that maybe that was the better track to take. "Actually, it's kind of a long story, but my brother ran off to London to play a gig with his band- it's this big contest- and I had a bit of a problem with my own high school, so I decided to come here for a few weeks to take my brother's place." That was the best description she could think to give him without mentioning soccer and the huge deception that she was about to weave herself into.

"Um, what? Can you even do that? What are you planning to do, take your brother's classes? I mean, they're going to know you're a... you know!"

"A girl?"

"Well, duh! I mean, you aren't enrolled here, your brother is. And what about your high school? Where do you even go to high school anyways?"

"Cornwall. And I completely hate it there right now. Even if I wasn't here, I wouldn't be going."

"So wait wait, you've gotta explain this to me- why aren't you going to your school? And why are you here? You love your brother that much to cover his butt like this? And how do you even think you're going to do that? Ah, what, this is too weird."

"Haha, okay Duke- sorry, I know this is completely strange. But I'm going to dress like a guy during classes, so the teachers will think I'm my brother. We are twins. Here-" Viola pulled out a picture of her and Sebastian from the side pocket of her duffel bag and handed it to the bewildered Duke, "wait here, I'll be right back." She picked up her disguise and headed out to the washroom. Luckily, there was no one in it and she quickly ran into a stall to change back into 'Sebastian'.

Viola, now dressed in a school uniform with facial hair, wig and all, opened the door to room 158. "Ta-da!" She said it in her girliest voice, which brought a look of complete shock mixed with confusion, to her new roommate's face.

"Woah. That actually might work. But why? I still don't get it. What happened at Cornwall that makes you not want to go back so badly as to do this?" He gestured to her new looks with one hand as he said that. "I mean, I know their soccer team sucks, haha, but the school's not that bad."

"Duke, you're on the soccer team here, right?"

"Uh, yeah- it is pretty obvious. Striker, first string. Why?"

"Well, they cancelled the girls' soccer team at Cornwall, and the coach wouldn't let me try out for the guys' team. Actually, my boyfriend is goalie and he didn't even stick up for me- they all just laughed along with the coach. I love soccer more than anything, and I figured that I could come here, pretend to be Sebastian and try out for the Illyria team. Even if I didn't come here, I wouldn't want to be back at Cornwall I'm so mad at Justin."

"Woah, your boyfriend is Justin? I totally made him cry last season during the Cornwall-Illyria game!"

"First of all, he is NOT my boyfriend. But oh my god, that was you? That was the funniest thing- I had to shove my fist in my mouth to stop myself from laughing. I shouldn't have, though, knowing that he would easily laugh in my face. I would love to see the look on his face when he found out that I beat him at soccer, I would love to make him cry."

"You're pretty serious about this, huh? I mean, this all makes more sense knowing you want to join the soccer team."

"Yeah, Duke, I am," Viola smiled to herself. So not only was he completely hot, but I just revealed my plan to him and he hasn't run out of the room screaming, or laughed in my face yet. Wow.

"Huh. No kidding. Umm, you do know Coach Dinklage lets girls try out for the team though, right? It happened like a few years ago. I wasn't here, but I've heard about it, and the team pictures are up in the athletic hall. I think it's like a school policy too."

"Really? Oh, but I can't try out as a girl. I'm not registered as a student here, remember?"

"No, you're not. Sebastian. Haha. Ugh. But if you're going to dress like a dude- you have to take off that stupid mustache. Seriously. No soccer player on my team is going to have a mustache."

"Deal."

"Actually, while you're at it, why don't you go back to being Viola? I like that look better," Duke admitted with a bashful smile.

Viola laughed, and pulled off the wig and sideburns. "There."

"So I guess this means I have a girl for a roommate, huh? This will be interesting. You're not high maintenance are you?"

"Hardly. I like getting dirty, ripping my clothes, and playing with boys. I am the least high maintenance girl there is." Viola noticed that Duke's cheeks were definitely bright red. What she said was all true, in the most innocent sense, but she couldn't help flirting with this muscular god in front of her. He was a dream come true.

"This is going to be the most interesting semester I've ever had."

"And I guess you have me to blame for that?"

"Guess so," Duke turned towards his desk, about to pull out a text book, but then turned back. "Hey Viola? I hope you make the team, I'd love to see the look on Justin's face when he realizes a girl made him cry."

"Thanks Duke," Viola beamed at him. Her plan was going to work after all, but she wouldn't have to struggle through this alone. She had her roommate beside her.

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