Chapter 2

The next day I did the same thing during PE class. Eventually the locker rooms were quiet, signalling that the period has started and everyone has left. I just got out when my cell phone rang. I noticed it's my friend Jess.

"Hello?"

"Aoi! I'm so happy to hear your voice! I heard that you got quite ill and why weren't you answering my calls?!

"Oh, hi Jessica...yeah, I'm doing better now. I'm sorry, things have just been very complicated recently," I replied. I wonder what sickness I was supposed to have? I'd have to ask Sora later.

"We seriously need to get together for a girl-date. I know! This Saturday! I'll meet you at Macey's and we can take it from there! Don't be late!"

"Jessica! No, I can't..."

She had already disconnected. My friend could be very forceful, and I knew there'd be hell to pay if I missed it... She probably knew there was something going on and I'd eventually have to tell her...

I groaned in frustration.

"Girl problems?" a voice suddenly asked and I whirled around to see Leopoldt sitting on the bench in the locker room. I could have sworn it was empty earlier. He didn't have his shirt on. For someone who wasn't interested in sports he was well built.

"I guess you could call it that..." I say tentatively. I wonder where all his followers were?

"Don't worry, my associates won't do anything to you unless I order it," he said as if reading my thoughts. What a curious phrase to use, weren't they his friends? Was this sort-of like a gang thing too?

"I was just curious to see who had caught the wolf's interest," he continued. He had walked up to me and ran his finger along my jaw. I was caught off-guard by his sudden closeness and stepped back quickly.

"He's always had a weak spot for younger guys...and you are quite cute."

"Hey! Don't call me cute!" I protested, but at the same time blushed since I wasn't used to a guy other than my brothers touching me like this. Who was he talking about? What wolf?

"Um...I need to get going now," I made and excuse and escaped the locker room, hearing Leopoldt's chuckle.

Saturday came sooner than I would like. Saizo was already out by the time I woke. I quickly dressed and left for town. In town I bought some girls clothes. My student's savings was taking a serious knock with all the recent expenditures… I changed and then met up with Jessica who was very happy to see me.

"So, when are you coming back to school? Everyone is worried about you! And you cut your hair! Your beautiful hair!"

"By everyone, you mean you and Ren," I replied, not adding that Ren's reason was probably because he was going to get beaten up. "The hair is a bit complicated."

"But you looked so beautiful! I suppose you do have a certain…boyish charm with this."

"Anyway, I'm feeling much better, but I need to get the final go-ahead from the doc before I come back," I lied, "I'm not actually supposed to be out here with you today."

"A secret date!" Jessica said conspiringly, "we'll have to disguise you! I have an idea!"

Ironically, I got disguised as a guy again.

"Wow...you actually make a very cute guy Aoi...now, let's go get some gelato and then you can tell me what is really going on..."

I eventually told my friend the outlines of what happened.

"So...you are pretending to be a guy in an all-boys school?"

"Jessica...I know you probably think less of me now..."

"That is SO AWESOME!" she practically yelled, "then you'll get to know a lot of hot guys, right? I have heard that the boys that go to Kingstons are all rich and famous in one way or another. You totally have to introduce me!"

"Wait, Jessica! Remember that I'm hiding. I don't want to draw unnecessary attention to myself!"

"Aw, come on! I'm not asking you to do much, just invite me as your girl date for the next dance they have, all right?"

I sighed.

"Fine, whatever."

We walked around town and looked at different shops. Some shop attendants smiled at us, thinking that I'm Jessica's boyfriend, especially in girly shops... I couldn't enjoy it as much as I normally would since I needed to act like a guy... I so wanted to look at the cute plushies in the one store...

Eventually we said goodbye late in the afternoon and I decided to walk back to Kingstons. It was quite a distance, but I didn't have anything else to do when I got back other than study and I enjoyed walking. On the way I passed a park. It was getting empty now as it was getting dark. I guess I misjudged how soon it would get dark... I picked up the pace. Then suddenly a person was coming towards me, and it was the last person I wanted to see.

"Aoi! There you are! Finally, I found you!" Ren was yelling, practically crying.

Dang...he recognised me even in disguise...

"I don't know who you are talking about," I said ignoring him.

"I can tell it's you even under a ton of make-up and wigs so drop the act!" he said suddenly all serious. There's the true Ren coming out. The sleezeball.

"I have nothing to say to you. Leave me alone."

"I told you before, I had no choice. If I don't deliver you they will have me fed to the fishes for real."

"Then tell me, what on EARTH did you do to piss of Marius?"

"Oh...wel...um...I just insulted him...by accident...or maybe not..."

"Then why don't you just apologise and get it over with? Why involve me?"

"That's exactly why...he said the only way he'd accept my apology is if I gave him something of value...and...since I don't have much to my name I suggested that you become his girlfriend...and he kind off liked the idea..."

"Since when am I any sort of currency that you can trade with?! His girlfriend?! What the heck! Everyone knows Marius and his goons are bad news. For all I care you can wear a dress and be his girlfriend!"

"Now, that wouldn't work...since our master prefers lovers of the female persuasion," another voice interrupted, and I only now realised that there were now three other guys surrounding us.

"Oh..hi guys," Ren said in a small voice, clearly knowing who they were, "so, I was just talking to Aoi here about the agreement."

The guys looked at me.

"Don't mess with us, Livingston. We have no interest in this little runt. Where is the girl?"

"But, I'm telling the truth! This is her!"

"No way! Even they can tell I'm a guy, idiot," I said quickly, "I don't know what you guys are up to but I want no part in it! I'm leaving."

With that I ran for it. I could hear Ren shouting to the others that I was his sister disguised as a guy. Traitor... the other guys were pursuing me now. I picked up the pace and was thankful for being quite fit from running every day. It was now really dark and only streetlamps here and there lit up the road. Eventually I looked around to see if they were still coming and at that moment, I ran into someone and fell backwards on my butt.

"Thought you're so clever and that we'd just run after you like idiots?" a voice asked. How on earth did they manage to get here before me so fast? I was confident in my running speed...

"I have nothing to do with your deal with Ren. Leave me alone!"

"Now, that we can't do...unless you can prove that you are indeed a dude."

"What?! Why do I have to prove anything to you losers?!"

I realised too late that I rather shouldn't have said the last part...

"Ho-ho...this is going to be fun, and if Ren had been telling the truth we are not going to make it easy on you. Well, actually we are not going to go easy on you either way."

One of the guys grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I kicked his shin, making him loosen his grip and tried to make a run for it, but he then grabbed a fistful of my short hair and yanked my head back. It was very painful, making tears shoot into my eyes. I was pushed down so that I couldn't use my arms or legs. I kept shouting at them and struggling.

"Tough little shit, if he indeed is a guy..."

I glared at the guy and without thinking spat at him. This caused him to retaliate by hitting me square on the jaw with his fist. I thought my head cracked... and I saw stars.

One of the others were pushing up my jacket.

"Stop it!" I shouted through the dizziness and kept struggling. Just then things happened very fast. Whoever had been pushing up my jacket suddenly let go and soon after I fell on the tarmac struggling to make sense of what was happening. The streetlight nearby had suddenly gone out as well, so we were plunged into darkness. I could hear fighting and struggling and soon thuds as one by one bodies fell. Oh my god...was I going to die? I got up unsteadily to my feet, but my head was still in agony. There was only one man standing and coming towards me.

"I'm not one of them! I don't want to die!" I said as I half-fell, half-crawled backwards to get away from whoever this was. There was no way I could escape. I'm done for... I stopped trying to get away and resigned myself to my fate and closed my eyes tightly. To my surprise strong arms suddenly picked me up and carried me. As we came close to another streetlight I could see who it was.

"S...Saizo?!"

He had some blood on his face and his hair was messed up. He wasn't even breathing hard.

"You can put me down! I'll walk!" I protested, but he ignored me.

"You are barely staying conscious as it is. Your jaw is probably broken. Keep still, I'll have you at the infirmary soon."

I was actually busy losing consciousness from the pain.

"Please...tell...Sora," I said before blacking out.