His & Her Circumstances

Chapter 3

"I can't believe this is happening!" I grab my clothes off the racks and clutch them against my chest. As I pass the alarm clock I have the sudden urge to throw it against the wall, but I control myself, remembering that it was my fault in the first place for forgetting to set the alarm.

"Thanks a lot Dad!" I holler down the stairs.

He comes into view and looks at me in bewilderment. "What's your problem?"

"You didn't wake me up!"

"It's 6:40. You have plenty of time to get ready."

I grunt and walk away, seeing that my father just doesn't get it. Does he know how long it takes to get ready? I think not! I grumble to myself all the way to the bathroom and put on my contacts before hastily jumping into the shower.

By the time I'm done drying my hair, putting on my clothes, and getting my backpack together, it is 7:05. I race for the door, but my mother stops me.

"Don't tell me you're leaving without any breakfast." She says this with her hands crossed and a reprimanding stare. I have learned from many years of experience not to get on Gloria Reisert's bad side.

"Oh yeah…" I say, avoiding her eyes. "I'll go and—"

"Here." She hands me a waffle and I give her a thankful smile. "Your father said you were running late. You can eat this on your way to school. Now don't just stand there, get going now!" She waves me out the door and I can't help but feel grateful for her thoughtfulness.

Fifteen minutes until school starts. I burst through the doors and a herd of students greets me. They are all trying to see what grade they received from the exams.

"Excuse me," I mutter as I push my way through the crowd. I can see the white sheet of paper coming into view. Holding my breath, I search for my name.

#5 David Burns, #4 Linda Nguyen, #3 Jennifer Sanders…

#2 Jackson St. Clair

#1 Lisa Reisert

I am stricken with awe. I stand there with my mouth wide open trying to believe it. Is that my name up there? Yes it is! I'm number one! Me! I actually defeated Jackson! In my head I am doing a little victory dance, while on the outside I am refined and composed.

"Wow," says the girl beside me. "You got the top grade! That's amazing!"

Oh it's been so long since I heard such sweet words. This feeling—it's so wonderful I just can't explain it…It's as if I'm on top of the world!

"You even beat Jackson. I thought that was impossible!" says another student.

Ah yes, where did that loser run off to? As I scan the crowd, I can see his mass of chestnut brown hair coming towards me. That's right. Show me your face, you pitiful fool! I want to see the envy in those eyes of yours—your lips frowning from utter disappointment. Your time in the spotlight has ended and mine has just begun!

"Congrats, Lisa. You really are smart."

'Wait…What?' Jackson gives me a wide smile, his eyes bright and merry. This isn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be embarrassed—secretly curse under his breath! What's up with the compliment? I don't get this at all!

Maybe…maybe I was the only one who actually cared about getting the best grade. That must be it. He doesn't care who's first at all. Oh god, why do I suddenly feel so stupid? He's the real thing, and I'm just a fake. What do they call that? Oh yes, a hypocrite. That's right, Lisa the hypocrite!

How pathetic.

: :

An overwhelming sense of relief comes over me as the bell rings. Finally school's out! I scurry through the halls, trying to get to the gym for cheerleading practice. Now all I have to do is avoid Jackson for a few more—Ow!

"Oh sorry Lisa. I didn't see you."

Why! I made it through the entire day without communicating with Jackson and now he's here? I'm too ashamed to face him now. Run, run away Lisa! With my head bent low I go past him acting like I had never bumped into him.

"Wait a sec Lisa." He swiftly grabs my shoulder. "There's something I need to tell you."

: :

"Ha ha! The smell of victory is great indeed!"

"So let me get this straight," says Kirsten, popping a malted milk ball into mouth. "Jackson asked you out, and you blew him off?"

"Damn right I did!"

Abby scrunches up her face. "I don't get it. What's so great about that? Isn't he one of the hottest guys in school?"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Do you not understand anything little cousin?" I say, patting her head. She backs away in annoyance. "It's obvious that Jackson's in love with me. I've got him wrapped around my finger! The one who's loved has all the power you see? I won!"

"Still don't get it."

Kirsten sits beside me switching countless stations, none of them seeming to appeal to her. "Stupid mistake Lisa."

"What do you mean stupid mistake?"

She sighs, finally content with a show. "You just don't get it."

"What are you—"

"Oh snap!" Abby jumps out of the sofa. "What time is it? We're gonna be late!"

"Yeah, you guys better be going. Don't forget to bring an umbrella. It's gonna rain pretty heavy tonight."

Kirsten grabs her money. "Okay Abby, let's dip. Are you sure you don't wanna come Lisa?"

"I already told you that I didn't want to go!"

"Okay okay! You don't have to wig out on me. See ya." She shuts the door and I am finally at peace. I decide to have a half an hour of down time before actually working on the project. The show Kirsten left the TV on is a bunch of garbage, so I reach for the remote and change the channel.

Ding-dong! chimes the doorbell.

"I wonder if they forgot something." I pull myself away from the couch and head to the foyer. Two umbrellas rest there, waiting for their owners. "Wow, I just told them to bring these! They must be picking them up." I grab the two umbrellas and head to the door.

"Forget these!" I shout, jutting the two umbrellas out like a sword.

"Oomph!"

'Oh no…' Here I am, glasses and all, standing right in front of Jackson, the tips of the umbrellas jabbing his stomach. Could I possibly look any worse? Chocolate is smeared across my oversized t-shirt as a pineapple-style ponytail adorns my head. To top it all off, I am wearing my elastic-waistband sweatpants.

His face holds an expression of utter astonishment. "Uh…Here…that CD I, err, said I would bring…" He tries hard to be polite, but deep down I know he is completely shocked—perhaps even hurt seeing how the lovely Lisa Reisert really is. I was the first girl to give him a real shock.

I can't help but laugh!

: :

'You know my secret Jackson.'

As I walk, I can see his figure coming closer, a group of boys hovering around him. I start to slow down, realizing that they are blocking the entrance to the school.

'What will you do? Will you pretend it never happened? Will you tell everyone—make me the laughing stock of the whole school? Or will you act like you don't care, while secretly you pity me?' Of all people, Jackson had to be the one who discovered my secret. Argh! Just thinking about it makes me want to smash my head up against a wall! I keep looking ahead while the boys murmur in the background. I listen, trying to see if they're talking about me, but instead they're blabbing on about cars.

Perhaps Jackson didn't tell anyone after all. Curiosity gets the best of me and I look back, meeting Jackson's eyes. He gives me a smug-like smirk, a sort of smirk I've never seen before on him. He almost seems cocky, like he has some hidden plan stored in the back of his mind. Oh no…He is gonna fink on me!

For the remainder of the week I go about cowering Jackson, ready for my secret to be revealed to the entire school. I expect hidden stares—girls whispering in their friends' ears about the new gossip they'd just heard. But a week passed by, and then another, and nothing happens.

He must be letting me off the hook! He's a nice guy, why wouldn't he do that? Finally the weight on my shoulders is off, and I can breathe again. I can see no shark circling anymore. I happily skip down the empty hall, ready to return a book from the library. "Na, na, na, na…Can't touch this!" I sing out loud, aware that no one can hear me. I turn around a corner, the library coming into focus.

"Your mask is slipping."

"WHA!" The hair on my neck immediately stands up. I swing around and find Jackson's face right in front of mine.

"Did I startle you?" He says this in a sly tone, and I suddenly realize that nothing good will come out of this. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." He wraps his hand around my chin and pulls my face closer to his. "Just like that day I didn't mean surprise you and see what you didn't want me to."

My chin drops.

"That's right Leese. That's exactly how I felt." His eyes are suddenly icy pools of blue. "Who would've guessed that sweet n' innocent little Lisa was a fake?" His hand drops away and I just stand there frozen stiff. "I wonder what the others will think when they find out? Maybe they won't care. Or maybe they'll be shocked and look at you with such hate and disgust that everywhere you turn there'll be the unsettling whispers of how you betrayed them. But, then again..."

That face of his…It's so twisted—like that of a hungry demon awaiting his prey. Stop looking at him. Just turn away.

He clicks his tongue as he reaches for the sleeve of my shirt. "So I take it that you don't care whether that little secret of yours is revealed?"

I can't stand it! I've spent too many years building up my secret identity to let it out now. "Don't you dare tell anyone," I growl through gritted teeth.

"Well…" He taps his chin. "Okay."

"Really!"

"Yeah sure." Several sheets of paper are shoved into my hands. "But would you be so kind to take care of these? Peachy." He gives me a wink and walks away, while I just stare at the paper in my hands. 'What's this?' The first sheet reads Assignment 2.3. 'That's our homework for today. Then that means…' Realization suddenly hits me. He's blackmailing me. Jackson, blackmailing me? Who the hell does this guy think he is! Ah, a great misjudgment indeed. Who knew Mr. Goody-Goody has a bad side. This is definitely not the Jackson I know.

A/N: Finally Jackson's true colors show! I was getting sick of the good boy, it's just no fun. In case you were wondering where I was going with this crossover, it is at this point of Kare Kano where I thought up of the idea, seeing that like in the movie, Jackson seems nice but later reveals another side to him. Thanks for reading:D