Thank you so much for the kind reviews, hope you like the next update.

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CHAPTER 5

"what? But that's ridiculous! Who is the idiot that spread such a thing?"

"I don't know, some Ron…or Ross"

"WHAT?" I feel my blood falling to my feet and leaving me completely pale and powerless. This cannot be true. "D-did you just say…Ross?" I manage to ask through my barely audible voice.

"yeah, why? Do you know him?" I hear him say but I'm not able to utter any more words. My blood has frozen inside my veins, leaving my body completely numb and incapable of moving. Why on earth would ROSS make up such a thing about me? And spread it to every corner of my High School! I refuse to believe this, it must have been some other Ross, the Ross I know would never do anything to hurt me… "RACHEL!"

"WHAT!" I cry out as if I had been stirred from a deep sleep. "what?" I say clearing my dry throat.

"Didn't you hear me? I asked you if you know the guy"

"…yeah….it-it's Monica's brother…"

"really? The geek guy?" he says laughing out loud.

"it's not funny okay!" I tell him shooting him a threatening stare. "everybody thinks I have a penis!"

"okay, okay, do you want me to beat the guy?"

"NO! no, just tell people the truth, that will be enough"

…..

This is a nightmare! A big, awful nightmare! I've denied and denied that stupid rumor over and over again but as hard as I try nobody listens to my words, they'd rather believe this baseless rumor than me, the supposed Hermaphrodite! Ugh people are really insane around here!

I was hoping this would be forgotten the next day, but god was I wrong! no matter where I go the rumor keeps chasing me like a starving animal. I hear whispers, sniggering and mocking comments all around me.

Incapable of bearing the piercing stares that are fixed on me as I walk along the crowded corridor I hasten my pace towards the ladies room. However, as I'm about to push the restroom door a hand grabs my arm with strength and pulls of me. When I turn around I find Mindy and Ashley grinning.

"Are you lost dear? men's restroom is all the way down there" Mindy says pointing towards the end of the corridor. I try to fight back my increasing rage but they don't make it easy.

"ha-ha you're always the funniest Mindy!" I say with my best sarcastic tone as I make another attempt to get in the restroom but once again, she stops me.

"I'm sorry Rach, but nothing with penis is allowed in the ladies room, you know that" Ashley says. That's it, I'm not hanging out with this two brainless bitches ever again.

"are you serious? Do you ACTUALLY believe that stupid rumor? You've seen me in bikini tons of times!"

"that doesn't prove anything Rach" definitely these two top the rank of stupidity.

"is it weird having both things down there?" Ashley quickly adds with an evil smile.

"you know what, go to HELL!" I say as I walk away from them, my blood boiling with fury and trying to block out their devilish laughter. I cannot take this situation anymore, I need to find him and hear from his very own mouth the truth, and if he actually is responsible of this, boy is he going to get an earful!

I walk through the corridors seeking him, I don't care if the bell has already rung, I'm not going back to class until I find him, otherwise this whole situation will be the death of me!

Even though I really want to find out who is behind all this, inside my head I'm praying it's not him, I know I'll be deeply hurt and disappointed if it turns out to be him.

"Rach!" I hear someone call my name. When I turn around I see Monica running towards me. "Where are you going?" she says between heavy breaths when she is by my side.

"I'm looking for your DEAR brother"

"mmmh I sense a bit resentment in your voice…what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Haven't you heard about the damn rumor?"

"no, what rumor?"

"That I'm hermaphrodite"

"Herma-what?"

"Hermaphrodite Monica! A person with both female and male reproductive members!" her eyes widen in surprise as she burst into laughter. Great!

"and people actually believe that?"

"apparently, God Monica I cannot stand this, everybody is laughing and pointing at me all day long! And it doesn't matter if I deny it; they still believe that stupid rumor! I-I'm up to here with all this Mon!" I say placing my hand above my head.

"calm down honey, these things happen all the time, and the rumor is forgotten by the end of the week"

"I don't know Mon, this is not a small rumor, I've gone from being the envied head cheerleader to being the butt of everybody's jokes! I don't think this will be forgotten so easily"

"who spread such a thing anyway? Did you find out?"

"yes, your brother! can you believe that?"

"WHAT? My brother? no, no, no, no, that's not possible, why would he do that? Are you sure it was him?"

"that is why I'm looking for him, I want to ask him face to face! do you know where he is?"

"he didn't have class today so I guess he is at home"

"thank you" I say as I head towards the main door with sure steps.

"hey! Where the hell are you going? We have English now" Monica says following closely behind.

"I'm going to your house, let me know if the teacher sends homework" I say not breaking my way towards the exit. Monica finally gives up and stops.

"Rach you'd better treat him well, you don't know yet if it was him" she says from the distance.

"bye" I yell back.

…..

"Good Morning Judy"

"oh, Hi Rachel, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Ross, is he here?"

"yes, he is in his room, let me call him"

"that won't be necessary, I'll go up there" I say as I get past her and walk up the staircase. I stop right before his door. all of a sudden I become a bundle of nerves and I need to close my eyes to compose myself and before I have time to hesitate and back down my fist unconsciously knots on his door.

"Come in mom" he says.

"it's not your mom" I say cracking the door open and getting inside.

"Rachel! Wh-what are you doing here?" he says showing surprise in his voice but then he becomes serious. He stands from his desk chair and walks towards me, right away my heart starts racing inside my chest. God, I hadn't seen him since he kissed me two days ago; my knees go weak just thinking about that moment.

I observe him close the door I have left open and turns to me, asking me with his eyes why I am there. However, for some seconds I forget the reason that brought me here and all I want to do is kiss those lips, those lips that started it all. I blush under his stare while my stomach fills with those imaginary butterflies that unable your mind to think properly. Can someone explain to me when did I fall so damn hard for him? "Rachel?" I hear my name leave his mouth again and suddenly I remember everything.

"I need to ask you something" I say with my most serious tone, regaining that anger that took me here. Nonetheless, he doesn't flinch or show the slightest hint of nervousness and stays cool as I've never seen him before. Something has changed him and I don't know if I want to find out what it is.

"okay, What is it?" I gulp trying to gain some strength to look at his eyes without giving myself away.

"did you spread that rumor about me being born with a penis?"

"yes" he answers with no hesitation and a coldness in his stare that makes me shiver. His response feels like a sharp knife being driven through my chest and tearing everything it can reach inside. I cannot believe this….I was hoping he would deny it, but how stupid was I to believe that! I try to fight back the forming tears that want to break in my eyes. I don't want to show him this has affected me.

"you ass-hole! How DARE you invent such a thing about me!" I say almost in a yell of fury.

"what, don't you think it was funny?"

"No, I quite don't" I say sarcastically.

"oh well, I'm sorry if it bothered you, that wasn't my intention" he says with irony. His behaviour leaves me beyond stunned, What happened to the sweet, shy Ross I know?

"I'm sorry? Do you actually think you're gonna fix everything with an "I'm sorry"? Are you even aware of what you've done to my name?"

"I don't care about any of that, and if you came to ask that then goodbye, I already answered you question" he says turning his back on me and walking back to his desk. It takes me some seconds to react but when I do I follow him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I say pushing him. He turns around with a frown.

"what's wrong with me? why don't you try asking what's wrong with yourself?"

"what are you talking about?"

"if you weren't such a heartless bitch you would know what I'm talking about" his words feels like a slap across my face. I cannot believe he has called me that.

"Ross, seriously, why are you being so rude towards me? Have I done anything to you?"

"you mean apart from referring to me as a geek and using me to have a laugh with your bitchy friends?"

"What are you talking about? I've NEVER made fun of you in front of people"

"don't play the victim with me Rachel, or are you going to say that when you kissed me your aim wasn't to tease me and laugh at me?"

"that's what you think? That I did all that because I wanted to make a fool of you?"

"no Rachel, it's not something I think, it's something I HEARD you tell Monica at your Birthday Party, yeah, right after she found us kissing, now try to deny you didn't tell her you were only teasing and playing with my feelings to have a little fun yourself?"

"I-I…." oh my god, I don't know what to say, I had no idea he had heard that conversation…now everything starts to make sense, that's why he kissed me the other day, he was paying me back. If only he knew what my real feelings are… "and why were you spying on us uh?" that's all I can come up with.

"that's not the point Rachel, god I cannot believe I had a crush on you and that I even thought you were a good girl…but how blind I was! you're just as shallow and cruel as your friends" I think I'm about to burst into tears, I've been criticized by so many people yet those words have never hurt so much as when he says them.

"so that's what you think of me?" I say, my voice in the verge of cracking.

"yup, why? do you even care what I think?"

"ugh, you know what? For being such a big geek that rumor you made up couldn't be more stupid! Me having a penis? It makes no sense!"

"then why are you so mad?"

"because everybody is making fun of me! And saying unfair stuff about me"

"it doesn't feel right, does it? now that you have tasted some of your own evil medicine think twice before playing with someone else's feelings"

"you're such a jerk! I never meant to hurt you in the first place, and it's unfair what you're doing to me"

"you didn't mean to hurt me? let me disagree with that"

"Whatever, I don't feel like listening to you anymore, now will you do me a favour and stop the fucking rumor and put an end to this?"

"mmmmh I don't really want to"

"ugh, okay, okay…I don't care, you know why? because this rumor will fade with time and I'll still be the popular girl while you will always be the geek guy no one gives a shit about! I'm so glad you're leaving this year and I won't have to see your geeky face ever again! There is no one I hate more than you right now!"

"don't you think your words bother me, I'm used to this kind of verbal abuse and I'm not glad, I'm RELIEVED that I won't see your fake person again either"

"maybe this will hurt you more" I say as I quickly grab one of those fossils-rocks he has on his bookshelf and crash it against the floor "goodbye" I say with a grin on my face while grabbing the doorknob and storming out of there. I run down the stairs with rivers of tears I finally dare to release. I hear a woman voice calling for me in the distance when I'm already outside the house, It must be Judy, but I don't turn back, I can't, I need to get as far from there as possible. I head towards my house with a hand in my chest trying to cease this agonizing pain I feel inside and that almost leaves me out of breath. I cannot believe what has just happened, Ross can't have just said those things to me and I can't have said all those things back at him. I felt like my heart was ripped off my body in that room.

When I get home I shut myself in my room before anybody can bomb me with questions, and let my body fall upon my bed. I bury my face in the pillow, trying to stop the tears that keep falling off my eyes, but it's useless, they keep coming as the pain increases. I wish I could turn back time and tell him that I love him, that I wasn't teasing him, I was simply afraid to admit the truth. But now it's all ruined, he thinks the worst of me and I cannot look at his face the same way anymore…All I want now is for summer to come as soon as possible so that I can be away from everything and everybody. Because they say time heals everything, right?

…..

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