Chapter Six: Reactions

Tuesday was a rather calm day. People still gave me wary looks; Seifer made sure to tease me every time he got the opportunity to do so and I ignored all of them. My friends seemed to find the whole thing very amusing. Only Rinoa didn't laugh. She looked at me like I was something pitiable and I could feel my chances to win her decrease.

Wednesday was a catastrophe. Wednesday was sports day. My teacher saw my skirt, grabbed my arm and dragged me to our principal. The principal looked like he was about to faint and sent me to our school psychologist where I spent another lunch hour explaining that I was not gender-confused and did not wear those clothes for fun. It probably didn't help much that I mentioned I thought I looked hot.

The worst part, however, was when I came back from school. There, standing in front of our house, were my aunt and uncle, most likely waiting for my parents or me to come home. I cursed god for trying to ruin my life. My parents had so far failed to notice that I wore a skirt because of my tactical abilities and exact timing that allowed me to grab something to eat without them being able to take a look at me. But there was not a chance in hell that Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill would not tell my parents their son was kind of cross-dressing. Shit.

I had only two options: Face my fate and all the possible insults or commit suicide. Although the last option sounded all too tempting, I decided to stay alive long enough to survive the week and then kill Seifer instead. Mind made up, I walked up to my impending doom, searching for my keys with half my attention focused on my two relatives.

"Auntie, Bill, what are you doing here?" I asked them only a short distance away. I watched as their faces lit up in recognition and joy, then fell at the sight of my outfit. Again I cursed my fate and tried to fight down the blush creeping onto my cheeks. I must have been not quite successful because I felt my face burning and I probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Squall?" My aunt sounded doubtful. My uncle was trying to force his gears back into running mode. My fingers closed around the keys and I closed the distance between us, properly greeting them and then unlocking the door, never meeting their eyes. I let them in without another word and proceeded to shrug the boots off my feet.

"Squall, dear, I know this is probably embarrassing for you, but why are you wearing a skirt?" There it was again. That fake understanding and still so much doubt. Thinking I was sick and needed psychological help. My temper rose faster than the alcohol level of an alcoholic during breakfast.

"What if I tell you I like it?" I hissed aggressively. I'd always liked my aunt very much, but right now she was the last person I wanted to talk to. Well, maybe that was my father, but she was very close to that. Her shocked expression didn't help at all.

"Dear, I know this is probably very difficult for you, but –"

"It's a bet, so don't freak out about it." I cut her words off. I did like the skirt, but she didn't need to know. She looked relieved, though. Uncle Bill even resumed breathing. "C'mon, let's sit down and have a drink. I'll need it when dad sees me like this." I offered, leading the way into the living room where I grabbed the nearest bottle of booze and poured us some of it into three glasses. We'd talked for an hour and a half when we heard the door opening and my mother step in. I took one last gulp of whatever alcohol it was and made my way over to the door. May the lord help me.

To my horror, it wasn't only my mother who stood in the hall, putting away her shoes, but she was accompanied by my father. Holy shit. Taking a deep breath I stepped into the hall.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad. Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill have come to visit. They're in the living room." I spoke in a rush, making sure the important stuff got out before my father freaked out. I screwed up my eyes, waiting for the explosion. When it didn't come, I opened them a crack to see what they were doing.

They were staring at me, mouth agape. Oh well, I had dealt with that before.

"Before you say anything, no, I'm not gender-confused, nor am I sick and I don't need to see a psychologist. It's just a bet." I made sure I said this in a tone that emphasized my sincerity. Hey, I was still breathing. That's a good sign, right?

"Thank you for welcoming our guests, although I would have wished to avoid this embarrassment. Now go and change. I don't want to see my son parade around in a skirt!" Wow, he was calmer than I expected.

"I can't. I have to wear this until Sunday night. I stick to my bets." I replied weakly. I didn't have the energy to fight with my father. I felt tired of arguing with all those people for days. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and sleep until next Monday. I hadn't even achieved anything for either of my bets so far. I felt really bad. Defeated.

"Well, then kindly go to your room and don't show your face until Monday." My father hissed. Mom looked like she was about to protest, but she didn't. Sighing heavily, I stuck my head back into the living room, bade Mary and Bill goodbye and dragged my feet up the stairs until I could collapse onto my bed exhausted.

Author's Notes: Isn't he just such a nice guy? :3 Sorry again that it took me so long to upload this chap. I think I should have like some kind of chapter alert that bugs me every three or four days so I don't forget to get my chaps up… If any of you want me to hurry up with the chaps, feel free to bug me after a couple of days ^^