Chapter 2 – Switch 1
Nicole nearly fell off her chair after reading the letter. 'He won't be…' she muttered under her breath.
'Nick? Is there something wrong?' Heather asked, seeing Nicole's face turn pale.
'My old friend is coming back to London…well, well after twelve years…' Nicole answered. 'He can't see me like this!' she exclaimed.
Nicole was a lesbian.…sort of. And she looked too much of a guy that she could handle sneak into the little boy's room when emptying her…you know what. Most of her friends did not consider her a girl actually. Many people did not know how she did it, but she managed conceal her girliness [that is her…chest…] under her boyish clothes.
And to top it all, she had a girlfriend.
'Old friend?' Heather asked.
'We used to play snowballs when we were young,' she told Heather. 'He used to make my face the hoop of his basketball snowball…' She blushed at the memory.
Heather blinked. 'He?'
'Yes yes,' Nicole admitted, sitting back on her chair. 'He's Japanese…says he 's got business here…some basketball company whatsoever…'
'Hmm…' Heather's eyes twinkled.
'Don't give me that look,' Nicole told Heather sharply. 'If Andrea finds out---'
'You're already a girl at last?'
'No. That I have a guy friend or something…she'd freak out.' Nicole sighed. Nicole looked directly to Heather's eyes. 'I cannot be a girl all of a sudden for some freakin' guy,' she said. 'What if Andrea saw me in girl's clothes? I'm dead!'
'Well…that guy expects to meet you…'
'Heather…I need a huge favor from you,' said Nicole, eyeing Heather's long, blond locks…
*
'I cannot believe there is a girl involved,' Sendoh was saying on their way home.
Actually, Sendoh's job was to be Rukawa's private assistant. The company found out Rukawa had certain unnecessary accidents on his way to and from work, so they suggested Sendoh drive the sleepyhead home. This time they were aboard Sendoh's 2000 Mazda MX-Miata. The other day they were on a Porsche 911. [that was one of the privileges Sendoh got from being Rukawa's assistant---latest models of the hottest cars].
That meant the company had quite a large interest in Rukawa that they were willing to spend loads to get him on the job. One of the most professional critiques, the company had claimed.
'All the time I thought the only girls you knew were those who yelled in the stands when we were high schoolers. If you get what I mean…the most decent I have met that you know is Haruko-chan…tsk…tsk…tsk…'
There was no reply.
'If I knew you better, you ignored practically all the girls long ago!' Sendoh went on. 'And now you are going to London to meet one? Or is it hitting two birds with one stone? Business or girls…business or girls…tough choice..'
Still no reply.
'Rukawa-chan?' Sendoh prompted. 'Rukawa-chan!'
Sendoh *sweatdrop*
Rukawa's face was slumped on the car's dashboard as he slept soundly. Sendoh could imagine a bubble rising up and down Rukawa's mouth.
Then there was the drooling part.
'Ugh! Yuck! Rukawa-chan!' Sendoh cried out, pulling his car to the curb. 'Damn Rukawa-chan! Your saliva is all over my dashboard! RUKAWA-CHAN!'
*
The next day, Rukawa spent most of his time packing things for the trip. It was a miracle he didn't sleep through the packing part. In fact, there was this feeling of queasiness circling inside his stomach, that he had to run to the comfort room three times.
Finally he stuffed the last of his things into his suitcase, his pair of Air Jordan rubber shoes, a new pair [he kept his high school shoes in a drawer with all his medals in it].
Sighing, he wiped his brow with his arm and fell onto his bed.
And even before he touched the mattresses, he was already fast asleep.
*
'I cannot believe you talked me into this,' Heather hissed, looking at herself in the mirror. She could barely believe her new look, which didn't change at all her appearance but annoyed her the same.
A new pair of gray contact lenses.
'Well you are already there so don't complain,' said Nicole, resting her back on the sink as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
'You are Nicole Stuart. You are Nicole Stuart,' Heather chanted tonelessly in front of the mirror to herself. 'Nick, I am not you,' she said in frustration, glaring at Nicole.
Lifting her brows, Nicole just shrugged. 'You already agreed. There is no backing out.'
'Darn, I still can't believe you talked me into this Nick,' Heather grumbled.
'You had better believe it. They'd be arriving tomorrow,' Nicole reminded Heather. 'I can't face Kaede like this, nor can I face Andrea the other way around! Besides, it's only for a week, you can manage…'
'And if the others catch us calling each other by each other's names?' Heather asked. 'This will eventually land us to a heap of trouble Nicky! And he'll find out soon enough I am me and you are you. This is pointless.'
'Oh no it's not,' Nicole said. 'I'm telling you, this is foolproof.' [imagine her with that glint in her eye identical to Sakuragi's when calling himself 'tensai' hihihih]
Nicole nearly fell off her chair after reading the letter. 'He won't be…' she muttered under her breath.
'Nick? Is there something wrong?' Heather asked, seeing Nicole's face turn pale.
'My old friend is coming back to London…well, well after twelve years…' Nicole answered. 'He can't see me like this!' she exclaimed.
Nicole was a lesbian.…sort of. And she looked too much of a guy that she could handle sneak into the little boy's room when emptying her…you know what. Most of her friends did not consider her a girl actually. Many people did not know how she did it, but she managed conceal her girliness [that is her…chest…] under her boyish clothes.
And to top it all, she had a girlfriend.
'Old friend?' Heather asked.
'We used to play snowballs when we were young,' she told Heather. 'He used to make my face the hoop of his basketball snowball…' She blushed at the memory.
Heather blinked. 'He?'
'Yes yes,' Nicole admitted, sitting back on her chair. 'He's Japanese…says he 's got business here…some basketball company whatsoever…'
'Hmm…' Heather's eyes twinkled.
'Don't give me that look,' Nicole told Heather sharply. 'If Andrea finds out---'
'You're already a girl at last?'
'No. That I have a guy friend or something…she'd freak out.' Nicole sighed. Nicole looked directly to Heather's eyes. 'I cannot be a girl all of a sudden for some freakin' guy,' she said. 'What if Andrea saw me in girl's clothes? I'm dead!'
'Well…that guy expects to meet you…'
'Heather…I need a huge favor from you,' said Nicole, eyeing Heather's long, blond locks…
*
'I cannot believe there is a girl involved,' Sendoh was saying on their way home.
Actually, Sendoh's job was to be Rukawa's private assistant. The company found out Rukawa had certain unnecessary accidents on his way to and from work, so they suggested Sendoh drive the sleepyhead home. This time they were aboard Sendoh's 2000 Mazda MX-Miata. The other day they were on a Porsche 911. [that was one of the privileges Sendoh got from being Rukawa's assistant---latest models of the hottest cars].
That meant the company had quite a large interest in Rukawa that they were willing to spend loads to get him on the job. One of the most professional critiques, the company had claimed.
'All the time I thought the only girls you knew were those who yelled in the stands when we were high schoolers. If you get what I mean…the most decent I have met that you know is Haruko-chan…tsk…tsk…tsk…'
There was no reply.
'If I knew you better, you ignored practically all the girls long ago!' Sendoh went on. 'And now you are going to London to meet one? Or is it hitting two birds with one stone? Business or girls…business or girls…tough choice..'
Still no reply.
'Rukawa-chan?' Sendoh prompted. 'Rukawa-chan!'
Sendoh *sweatdrop*
Rukawa's face was slumped on the car's dashboard as he slept soundly. Sendoh could imagine a bubble rising up and down Rukawa's mouth.
Then there was the drooling part.
'Ugh! Yuck! Rukawa-chan!' Sendoh cried out, pulling his car to the curb. 'Damn Rukawa-chan! Your saliva is all over my dashboard! RUKAWA-CHAN!'
*
The next day, Rukawa spent most of his time packing things for the trip. It was a miracle he didn't sleep through the packing part. In fact, there was this feeling of queasiness circling inside his stomach, that he had to run to the comfort room three times.
Finally he stuffed the last of his things into his suitcase, his pair of Air Jordan rubber shoes, a new pair [he kept his high school shoes in a drawer with all his medals in it].
Sighing, he wiped his brow with his arm and fell onto his bed.
And even before he touched the mattresses, he was already fast asleep.
*
'I cannot believe you talked me into this,' Heather hissed, looking at herself in the mirror. She could barely believe her new look, which didn't change at all her appearance but annoyed her the same.
A new pair of gray contact lenses.
'Well you are already there so don't complain,' said Nicole, resting her back on the sink as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
'You are Nicole Stuart. You are Nicole Stuart,' Heather chanted tonelessly in front of the mirror to herself. 'Nick, I am not you,' she said in frustration, glaring at Nicole.
Lifting her brows, Nicole just shrugged. 'You already agreed. There is no backing out.'
'Darn, I still can't believe you talked me into this Nick,' Heather grumbled.
'You had better believe it. They'd be arriving tomorrow,' Nicole reminded Heather. 'I can't face Kaede like this, nor can I face Andrea the other way around! Besides, it's only for a week, you can manage…'
'And if the others catch us calling each other by each other's names?' Heather asked. 'This will eventually land us to a heap of trouble Nicky! And he'll find out soon enough I am me and you are you. This is pointless.'
'Oh no it's not,' Nicole said. 'I'm telling you, this is foolproof.' [imagine her with that glint in her eye identical to Sakuragi's when calling himself 'tensai' hihihih]