"Dude! It's four in the morning! What are you doing?"
"I, uh, I'm going for a run," I stammered sleepily, throwing my sheet aside. "I like to get an early start," I explained lamely.
"You're hardcore, man." He muttered dreamily, and he fell back asleep. I didn't relax however, until his snores filled the room again.
The guys weren't kidding--Jarod's snoring was unbelievable. I had never heard anything quite like it, but he was lucky I was used to sleeping with a lot of noise. Mina used to joke that I could sleep through a hurricane, and I had to admit I was notorious for sleeping through my alarm clock. However, I didn't have that luxury here, so I had to get up.
I got to my feet quickly, and reached for my robe, towel, and shower basket. I left the room quietly, slowly closing the door behind me. Tiptoeing down the hall, I arrived at the bathroom without waking anyone. Finally breathing easy for the first time since I woke up, I opened the bathroom door and went inside.
Much to my relief, the room was empty, and the door had a deadbolt on it. Not wanting to take any chances, I locked it and began to undress. When I was finished, I entered the showers and turned on the first faucet. The water fell cold against my skin at first, and immediately I was awake and shivering. As I waited for the temperature to adjust, I began shampooing my hair, determined to get this done as soon as possible. I washed quickly, but I couldn't neglect shaving. Some habits were just too hard to break!
When I was done, I toweled off, and put my robe back on. Making my way over to the mirror, I peered at my reflection. It was strange looking at myself, but knowing no one else saw me the same way. My eyes were the same cornflower blue, my hair was still a golden blonde, but it was so short I really did look like a boy. My face had no make-up, but I was lucky enough not to have really needed it. However, it really did take away the femininity I was so used to seeing. This person looked like me, but didn't look like me. It was as if I had been the twin brother, rather than the twin sister.
All of a sudden I felt so homesick I wanted to cry. I wanted to see Mina when I woke up, go to school with Lita and Amy, hug my dad in the morning. I wanted to look in the mirror and see me, not some stranger… but then I thought of Darien. I thought about how he had looked at me yesterday, how he had admitted to wanting to get my number, and how if I left now, I probably would never see him again. I could almost hear Mina and my friends cheering me on back home, and I realized I had to give this plan more than a one-day trial.
A pounding on the door brought me from my thoughts so swiftly, my heart skipped a beat.
"Hey! Why is this door locked? Some of us have to use the bathroom!" A muffled voice called from the other side.
"Just a minute!" I cried, checking to make sure I looked boyish enough in my massive dark blue robe. Satisfied, I ran to the door, released the deadbolt, and opened it only to find Darien on the other side, looking grumpy and tired in a t-shirt and boxer shorts.
"What did you lock it for?" he asked.
"I wanted some privacy. What are you doing up?" I wondered.
"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd get an early start on the day."
"Oh, okay."
I watched him as he made his way over to the counter to put his stuff down. He looked positively adorable with his ruffled hair and sleepy blue eyes. I smiled knowing that not many other girls probably got to see him this way, but it quickly faded as he began to remove his shorts. Oh dear, I thought. I am NOT ready to see him THAT way!
"Well," I managed, "I guess I better go. See you later!" I called over my shoulder as I tore out of the bathroom.
I reached my room quickly and slammed the door behind me, eliciting a surprised grunt from Jarod. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could barely breathe. I had nearly seen Darien naked! All this secrecy was almost too much to handle! If I had any more mornings like this, I highly doubted I was going to last very long in Madison's School for Boys.
My first two classes went relatively well. I knew having micro-biology first period would be a pain, but the teacher proved to be surprisingly funny, even if the material was totally dry. Calculus had proved less than stellar, but then again, my math skills were never that great. I sighed, knowing I'd have to put in a lot of study hours, but Zach was in the class with me, so it wouldn't be so bad.
"Ren! Hey, wait up man!" Someone shouted behind me. I turned around only to see Jarod jogging towards me with Darien in tow.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked, reaching up to loosen my tie a little.
"Not much, where are you headed?" Jarod asked.
"History, room 222. You?"
"Same, and am I glad to hear it! I'll need all the friends I can get in that class." I laughed and shook my head. "Why? What's the matter with it?" I wondered.
Darien grinned. "The teacher hates Jarod. She's had it out for him since freshman year. See, she teaches history, but she's a hardcore feminist, so a lot of her curriculum surrounds the sufferage movement and famous female figures. Jarod made the mistake of saying that Jackie O was the greatest first lady to ever live in the White House."
"I was totally joking!" Jarod exclaimed defensively. "And now she's pegged me as some sexist jerk who likes their women to be seen and not heard!"
"Awww," I crooned with mock sympathy, and Jarod scowled at me. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the big bad teacher!" I teased.
"Well, either way, we have to leave now. She hates it when you're late," Darien explained, glancing at his wristwatch.
We turned and headed down the hall towards the room, a little slower than expected due to Jarod's reluctance. Thanks to Darien's warning, I wasn't that surprised when I entered the room and found various framed pictures and posters hanging on the wall of famous suffragist women. I took a seat in the middle of the room, in between Darien and Jarod, and took in my surroundings with interest. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore feminist, but I had always considered myself a strong woman, and I was definitely very appreciative of those that had come before me. All the women on the wall had faced strong opposition in order to achieve rights they believed belonged to everyone. Because of them, I could vote, go to college, or use birth control if I wanted. Thanks to their struggles, I could have a voice. Somehow, I knew I was going to enjoy this class.
As I was surveying my surroundings, a tall, beautiful woman with long red hair walked in. Her manner was brusque and business-like, and I knew at once she was the professor. She stood in front of the room, taking in her students with a look that was decidedly one of disdain, and then cleared her throat and began to speak.
"Good morning gentlemen, my name is Ms. Haruna and this is your senior history class." She turned around and wrote her name on the board in elegant cursive, then turned around and clasped her hands together. "Some of you are new here, and some of you I've already had the pleasure of meeting," her eyes strayed to Jarod at this, and he tried to sink lower into his seat. "For the students that have had me before, you know that this is no ordinary history class. It is no secret on this campus that I take a very different approach to history, but I feel it is one that is necessary for all young men to become familiar with." She paused, and looked down, seeming to collect her thoughts.
"This class is intended to teach you the strength of the individual by revealing the struggles of those who strove for equality for all-- that includes both women and men." She stopped and allowed her words to sink in. "Throughout the year we will be examining major feminist figures, the suffrage movement, women and men's role in the family and workplace, as well as the sexual revolution. I hope you will find this class both informative and enjoyable, but most of all, I hope you will leave this class with a different outlook on life."
She smiled at the class for the first time that morning, and I had to resist smiling back. Everyone around me looked fairly bored, save Darien who was politely paying attention.
"So," Ms. Haruna began, "I guess I'll start off by asking you guys if you know anything at all about the women's rights movement. Are there any names that stick out in your head?"
Nobody said a word. I knew a few, but I felt strange raising my hand. Unfortunately, she took my looking around to be confusion. Naturally, she called on me.
"You," she said, pointing at me. "Mr.…?"
"Johnson, Ren Johnson," I offered politely.
"Yes! Mr. Johnson, can you name one feminist for me?"
I glanced around, but finally gave up and nodded. "Margaret Sanger."
She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but a smile graced her lips. "Very good, Ren. And does anyone know why Margaret Sanger was such an important figure for the Women's Rights Movement?"
No one said anything, and I was about to raise my hand, when Darien suddenly spoke from my right. "She was a strong advocate for birth control. She tried to open a clinic in New York in the early 1900's, but was shut down by the police."
"Correct, Mr. Shields. That is absolutely right! Thank you, you two, I'm glad to see a couple of you are at least slightly informed."
It came out somewhat sarcastic, but I could tell she was pleased. To be honest, I was more impressed with Darien. Who knew that he would know who Margaret Sanger was? I glanced over at him and smiled to myself. The more I learned about him, the more I liked him. I could only hope that my schedule would allow me to spend even more time in his presence.
I left Ms. Haruna's class feeling pretty good. She made me feel proud to be a woman, but poor Jarod looked miserable. I had to admit, she didn't seem to like him very much, and had made it a point to bring up his Jackie O answer. I looked at him and realized it was probably the only first lady that had come to mind. I smiled.
"Cheer up! If she asks you the question again, just be prepared with a better answer," I said.
"Oh yeah?" He muttered dully. "Like what?"
"I don't know, like Eleanor Roosevelt. I mean, she was one of the strongest women in history, let alone in the White House! I mean, who knows? Maybe she'll ease up on you a bit."
He looked unconvinced, but finally smiled and nodded. "Hey, thanks." He glanced at his watch and frowned. "Ah man! I got Mr. Fender for Art next period. I hate hiking all the way out there! I'll see you guys at lunch, okay?" He asked.
"Sure," Darien and I said together, and Jarod turned and left us, jogging towards the other side of campus.
"Where you headed?" He asked.
"English, and you?"
"Same, Mr. Bowman right?"
I smiled, happy to know I was going to have another class with him. "Yeah."
He grinned back. "Well, let's go then."
I nodded and we began walking, exiting the social science building and heading towards the English Center. We were silent for a while, but I couldn't take that for long.
"So how did you know about Margaret Sanger?" I wondered curiously.
"My mom's really into women's history, and she's a curator at a museum. She used to take me all the time, and I would listen to her lecture tourists about suffragists and those that fought for women's sexual rights. When I was five it really didn't mean much, but it proved handy when I came here." He paused, and frowned a bit. "You know, people don't give Haruna enough credit. She's an awesome teacher, totally passionate about what she does, but because she does teach feminism in her classroom, a lot of guys write her off as some man-hating lesbian."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. There's all kinds of rumors that go around about her, but I'm sure they're not true. I mean, the great thing about her is that she not only goes into the struggle of women, but also of the men that supported them. She teaches equality, not hatred of the male sex."
I took all this in, surprised at Darien's insight, but shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, I really liked her. Then again, feminism has never scared me much, but her class has more than just that. She gets so into it, and makes points that even I have never thought about before."
Darien laughed. "That even you haven't thought of before? Are you some sort of expert on women?"
I blushed crimson and turned away. He had no idea…