Thanks to all the people who reviewed this story! And shame on all the people who read it, like it, but didn't review. Anyways…
I know the last chapter seemed rushed, but like I said, I had a writer's block for that chapter. So, sorry…. This chapter will be longer and better and possibly the last of this story. I may have abandoned the summary of the story, but I didn't abandon the title… you'll see.
Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. Seriously, who on this site does own beyblade?
Last time on Love In Disguise:
"Well, I didn't want you to know I was a stripper." Ray admitted.
"I underst- STRIPPER!?" Mariah shouted so loud that it echoed. "I thought you had killed someone."
"You thought I did what?" Ray said confused. They both saw Tala starting to ease off.
"Get your Russian ass back here." Mariah demanded not looking at him. "You have some explaining to do."
Now:
"Tala, why did you lie?" Mariah asked not understanding why Tala, whom had become one of her best friends over the school year, would lie to her like that. Not considering the circumstances, what with her and Ray just getting together. Then there was the fact that what he lied about was a serious and unthinkable crime. All Mariah could say now was, "Why?"
The redhead looked at her with the saddest blue eyes Mariah had ever seen. They were like oceans of sorrow washing over Tala. "I-I don't know?" Suddenly, all of them heard a car and looked back. A black stretch limousine had just pulled up with an old man sitting in the driver's seat. As the shiny vehicle pulled up to the teens, they stared at the tented windows, chrome out rimes and flashy open top, wondering what conceded and attention seeking rich person was inside.
The driver then got out and opened the door for the redhead revealing Kai sitting in the back sipping a soda from a bottle. The pinkette looked in disbelief as Tala got in and just rode of with Kai.
5 seconds of silence and staring dumbfounded… 15 seconds of silence and staring dumbfounded…. 25 seconds of silence and staring dumbfounded…
"What just happed?" silence over. Mariah looked to Ray and Mariam searching for and answer, but her companions looked just as confused as she did.
Mariam didn't know exactly what was going on, but she had a pretty good idea and she planned on paying Mr. Ivanov a visit that night. (A/N: Don't their parents watch them?)
Later that night"Why would Tala just lie to me about you killing someone? I don't get it. What would he gain?" The pinkette thought out loud laying on her bed beside Ray whom was sitting up.
"Maybe he was jealous of our relationship and wanted you for himself." The raven-haired teen decided to through some things out there. "It's the only thing that makes perfect sense. I also think that he was really the one blackmailing me, not Siren and Brooklyn."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ray. Tala could have logical and reasonable explanation for this. And I don't think he has anything to do with your blackmail." Mariah said, not wanting to label Tala guilty when they had no evidence that he even knew Siren.
"Why are you defending him?" Ray turned to his girlfriend getting offensive. "He's blackmailing me and you're siting up here trying to defended him." The neko-jin didn't understand the logic. There was only one possible reason Mariah would be taking up for Tala. "Do you like him?"
"No!" the male gave her that 'don't lie' look. "No! I can't believe you would even ask something like that, Ray! You're the only male, besides Lee, God and my dad, that I will ever love." She couldn't believe her boyfriend was saying this.
Mariam, whom was standing and looking out of the window, hadn't said anything that whole night finally decided to speak up, "Mariah," the pinkette turned from her boyfriend and looked at her best friend. "I have to be somewhere. I'll see you in the morning, k." She smiled.
"Alright Mar, be careful walking home by yourself." Mariah advised.
"I will, don't worry. My mom will pick me up halfway to my house." She lied.
"You want me to call her for you?" the pinkette took out her cell phone.
"No, I'll use my cell. Later." And with that the bluenette was out the door. It was only then that Mariah had noticed she and Ray were alone in the room.
Forgetting about their previous subject the pinkette said, "So what's all this about stripping?" The raven-haired teen grinned and started to rub his neck.
At Kai and Tala's house"Tala how could you!" Kai yelled angrily at his best friend in the front room. "You're suppose to be my dawg, my homeboy and you wait three weeks to tell me that my girl friend has been cheating on me!"
Tala lowered his head in shame, not wanting to face his enraged friend. "I'm sorry."
Kai sighed and sat down on the sofa beside his best friend. "Tala, look what this girl is doing to you. She made you lie to me, she made you blackmail someone and she still ended up with Ray." This only made Tala feeling worse.
"Oh, and Tala. If you're going to lie, learn how to do it right! Don't tell somebody that the person they loved killed someone!" the slate haired teen saw his friend's sad expression and said, "Though you do have good acting skills, I'll give you that."
A smile suddenly appeared on Tala's face. "So, you're not mad at me?"
"Na… I'll talk and settle everything with Siren later. I don't know if I want to give her up… so soon." He said taking Tala's sad expression.
"But I'm sure she'll go back with you. She nearly had a heart attack when I threatened to tell you." This made Kai smile as he started to wonder what he would say to her tomorrow. Should he pretend not to see her, should he just not talk to her, should he be mean to her and make it known the she's being ignored? Kai didn't know, but decided that the decision with come.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Both teen boys glanced at each other before Tala stood up. How they loathed unannounced visitors…
Who could it be? Voltaire, Bryan, the police, Mariah… Tala's heart throbbed as he thought the last name. Even if she had just come to slap him in the face, turn around and leave, he would still be happy she came.
Opening the door, he felt a mix of shock and disappointment. "Tala," Mariam stood on his doorstep with an angry and somewhat conceded look on her face. "We need to talk. Now." Now there was something threatening in her eyes.
"I don't think that's such a good idea. Kai doesn't like unannounced visits." The redhead said smoothly leaning on his doorpost.
"Well, I'm not so riled up about being the unannounced visitor… especially on your door step." She folded her arms. "But I just had to ask you something."
Tala raised a questioning eyebrow, still keeping his laid back expression in play.
"Do you like Mariah?" the angry, conceded and threatening expression she had before was now replaced with pity and curiosity. Tala stared at her for a long time. Both were trying to read each other's eyes. A cool breeze picked up, but neither of them seemed fazed by it.
Then the redhead shifted and moved back inside of the house, "Get away from my house." Were the last words he said before slamming the door.
Mariam stood there with a blank expression that slowly turned into a smirk. "I knew it." And with that she headed for her house.
At School"…Out of all the things, you guys, strippers!" Mariah burst out laughing for, what felt to Ray, the ninety-second time. "You and Max!" the pinkette let out another loud laugh.
Ray rolled his eyes. "The thing I don't get is, why'd you say you kept the tape just in case the cops found out?" Mariam asked as they made their way to the front of the school.
"Well, we're too young to… strip," Ray paused for Mariah to giggle again. "And… it shows a twenty something-year-old pouring us some alcohol which led to our little dance."
"So… what was your stripper name?" Mariah asked with a still. Wide grin on her face.
"Ah…" Ray hesitated, trying to find away out of this conversation. That's when Tala walked by with some huge shades (hatter-blockers) on and bumped into him. "Hey, watch where you're going you asshole!" the raven-haired teen yelled.
The red haired teen stopped dead in his track and slowly turned around. "Oh, Ray! I didn't see you there, I had my hatta blockas on." Then he put back on the shades and walked in the direction of Kai and the rest of the Demolition Boys.
"He's gone to the dark side again." Max decided to speak up.
Mariam shook her head. "Or has he been there all along?" then the bell rang, signaling that it was time for them to start another a long, boring day in school. They all had first period together so it wouldn't be that boring.
That day drug on so slowly. Between Ray glaring at Tala and Tala acting like a jerk, the day was pretty normal. The high-maintenance preps were annoying, Hilary's mouth had charged extra that night and she was now ready to enter the world's most gossip contest and all of Mariah's classes seemed just as boring as they were before she became Mario. So, thank God for lunchtime!
Lunch TimeBlue eyes watched as a happy couple joked and laughed with each other. It was almost the perfect picture. Neat tables complete with a plain, yet beautiful red tablecloth. The cool wind kissed everyone lightly on the cheek causing a certain pinkette's hair to flutter. And then there was the cute couple blowing kisses to each other every so often.
Nothing was missing to make the picture imperfect, more like something needed to be replaced. Tala sat still and silent as Mariah and Ray continued with their effervescent conversation. He wasn't distracted when Siren came over and asked Kai could they talk in private.
"Tala, do you mind?" the slate haired teen asked his best friend. The redhead simply shook his head 'no'. He was no longer staring at the happy couple, but now at the girl. He was taking in her beauty. Her pink hair flowed gently down her back. Her smooth and gentle physique seemed perfect in Tala's eyes. Then here eyes, her dazzling golden eyes that he loved to look into… were now looking into someone else's.
How could I have let myself fall, he thought. Fall so deep that I lied, blackmailed and deceived. Fall so hard that I lost a very good friendship over something that could have been avoided. Fall so fast… so fast that I couldn't even see what would come in the future. And now… I will just keep falling…
"She's wonderful isn't she?" someone that he didn't notice was sitting behind him asked.
"Yes." He answered without thinking, still caught in his own thoughts.
"Why did you do it?" the person asked.
"I don't know myself… I was surprised by something… by love. It wasn't familiar to me and I was lost. Thus, I fell." His eyes never once left the pink haired angle sitting across from him at another table. "Love… love came too fast."
"How so?"
"When I first saw her, for the very first time, I thought nothing of her. But when we met in the locker room… in the bathroom stall," he smiled at the memory. "I felt something else… was it something about her clumsy and funny way of handling an awkward moment…"
Flashback"Ah-ha! You're Mariah, aren't you." He had a thought!
"No, I'm you're mother. Talaver, get inside of class right now!"
"Oh, come on. I'm not that stupid."
The pinkette sighed. "Please don't tell, I'll explain after school, I promise." She begged.
"O.k. I won't tell, but I want an explanation." Just as they were about walk out Tala just had to say, "Hey, you look nice as far as the top half of your body goes."
She could not believe he just said that, but she didn't feel that embarrassed, "You look o.k. as far as the bottom half of your body goes." Then they walked out…
End Flashback"Or maybe it was her school and home identity confusion…"
Another FlashbackTala was shocked to see that Mariah's room was mostly blue. He had imagined it would have pink walls, floor and bed. He also imagined a pink pony collection. But her room was different; it kind of reminded him of a boy's room. It had a blue bed and floor, a basketball and baseball with the bat were lined up on one of her walls. There was a vanity (A/N: You know, the mirror that comes with a dresser.) in her room, but it didn't have that much make up, just some lip gloss and perfumes, baby oil, powder and lotion were also there.
End Flashback"It could have also been her determination to get what she wanted no matter the cost… or the sweet strawberry scent she carries… or the way she sway was she walks… or her ability to be a tomboy, yet compose the lovely and sweet aura she brings into every room with her… or simply the way she combs her hair… or even blinks her eyes… those magical, breathtaking, golden orbs of hers…" he sighed. "What ever it was that made me want to know her better… what ever it was… I know I liked it." He finished.
"But you've been lying." The person said with a hint of surprise-ment. They had no idea how much Tala had cared for Mariah and wanted to be with her.
"Yes… I've been lying. Lying to Kai, to Ray, to Siren, to you… Mariam," he stopped, feeling the shock on her face. "I lied to me, but what pains me the most is… I lied to Mariah. I lied about who I was. I wasn't being completely real with her. My mouth said I wanted her friendship, but my heart said I wanted her love."
"You were in disguise."
He nodded. "Disguised as a helping friend… but really a sabotaging lover… I lied." He then turned to Mariam. "But she will know how I feel… eventually. Ray will slip and Mariah will fall out of his arms and me… I'll be there to catch her."
"How will Ray slip? What are you going to do?"
"… Wait… just wait." He smiled. "He doesn't know what he has and so he will slip. But until he does… I will still be her night in shining armor, I will still be her un-residing lover, I will be… Mariah's love in disguise."
I know, sad ending… Tala didn't get the girl, but hey, earlier in the story I ask whom you wanted Mariah to end up with and Ray got the most votes. I might do a sequel.
But wait, this isn't the end of the story, there will be an epilogue… what ever that is.
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