Chapter 21

'Calm down, think rationally, tread carefully.'

Sure, easily done if your heart isn't beating out MC Hammer in your chest.

The table was quiet, a shocked silence. It set me on edge, more so then I was ten seconds ago. Why wouldn't they say anything?! Say something! Their 'no noise' reaction was odd for them. They were the type of people that always had something to say.

I wanted to scream.

Instead, I fisted my fists into my baggy jeans and clenched my teeth.

A gulp resonated from the area to my right. Glancing over, I caught Kiba's frantic expression. I would have laughed at him had this been a different day and time, but considering that the people that I referred to as my family had just figured out that there friend that they thought was a guy was actually a girl in disguise, I couldn't find the will to laugh just yet.

Under the table I felt someone nudge me with their knee. I swiftly looked over at Gaara who was boring holes into my head with his gaze.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, reassuring him that I was fine if only albeit distressed.

It was then that things began to unfold, revealing what the rest of my days at the school were going to be like.

".... I...M-Mat?! Wh-what the HELL!" Naruto's confused and shocked voice seemed to be the key that unlocked everyone else's reactions as the table erupted into an uproar of surprised yells and curses.

"He... I m-mean, she... Mat is a... a GIRL!"

"No way! It's a trick!"

"M-Mat??"

"What's going on?!"

"It can't be!"

My head swung so fast around the table as each of them yelled that I was shocked I hadn't gotten whiplash yet.

"W-wait... I-" repeatedly I tried to get a word in, "Hang on! Let me-"

"How can you be a girl!"

"It's impossible!"

"It's a lie is what it is!"

I gave up and stared wide-eyed at them as they continued to talk over one another, including myself. I couldn't have gotten a word in even if I had a blow horn and a crazy hat on with giant ears sprouting out of the top.

What surprised me the most was when they began to turn on each other. Temari, pointing an accusatory finger at the lazy male Shikamaru who had remained seated during the commotion, began to rage at him.

"You knew, didn't you! You KNEW!"

His dull eyes just stared at her.

"Oi! Answer me, you!"

To my utter shock, Tenten jumped to his defense.

"Don't start yelling at him! What if it's you who knew!"

"What!? How would I know, I don't even go to that school!"

Tenten snorted and crossed her arms. "Likely story!"

"You little bitch!" as Temari prepared to launch herself at Tenten, who had slipped into her own fighting stance, a blur of pink stepped between the two.

"Stop it! What do you two think you are doing?!"

As the yells and accusations rose from the small circle of girls, the males' own fighting gradually died down. Ceasing to rage at each other and choosing to instead, watch as the females screamed at each other.

Slowly, I rose from my seat, careful not to let it screech against the linoleum floor. Everyone was now on there feet watching the girls argue.

Hinata, though, wasn't fighting. She was partially hiding behind Kiba... and peeking over at me with her wide eyes.

I groaned. The hurt was visible in her gaze, as was the confusion and surprise. Hurting Hinata was like kicking a puppy, it pulled harshly on your heartstrings.

Sighing, I averted my gaze to Gaara who was standing not to far from my side. He was glancing around at everyone with a very annoyed and irratated look in his jade colored eyes as his mouth set in a grim line.

"Psst." I held my hand up to my mouth and tried to get his attention.

He continued to look at the group of arguing friends.

"Psst!" I said louder and scooted closer to him.

Still, he didn't notice.

"Pssssst!!"

When he didn't react, I growled and dropped my hands to my sides. Stomping over to him, I jerked my head as close to his ear as I could manage and yelled,

"GAARA!"

....Well, that got a reaction out of him. He flinched violently and took quick steps away clutching at his abused ear. He glared at me with a look that promised death.

"What?!" he snarled, still holding his ear.

I rolled my eyes at him and pointed at everyone else. "What do you mean 'what', help me get them to settle down before we get kicked out of this place."

He growled low as he turned to look at our small group.

I needed them to calm down. If they didn't give me time to explain anything, it was going to be mayhem for a long while. I should have just waited untill we arrived back at the school.

Mentally, I slapped myself. I had been stupid, I should have just waited.

Gaara's fingers twitched at his side, and I knew he was getting more irratated with every raised word passing through their lips. I felt bad for them... Slightly.

"If you don't shut-up, I will see to it that death pits are installed in each of your rooms in places that you will not possibly be able to avoid them." he deadpanned as he folded his arms across his chest.

My eyes widened and I stared at him with my mouth slightly open. I didn't mean for him to threaten them, I just wanted him to make them be quiet!

I turned back to the group, expecting them to still be yelling, but was surprised to find them staring intently at me. Instantly I froze, not liking being the center of attention and knowing that at any given moment they were bound to pounce.

It took some self-control to hold in the frightned trembles, but I managed... barely.

"Umm... Okay, so I guess that worked." I fidgeted with my shirt with nervous fingers. "W-well... ahh, you see I-... umm. It's.. "

My eyes, I knew, had to be the size of tennis balls as I looked at them. Did they really have to glare at me like that? Wasn't I already intimidated enough? For fuck's sake, they outnumbered me five to one!

I gulped, and tried to speak past the sand paper feeling coating my throat. "See, it's l-like this," I started. "I umm... I was forced into this school by my foster parents and I had no choice in the matter whatsoever!"

Considering that I just spoke without inhaling oxygen once and in such a fast paced speed, it shocked me that they actually caught it.

"Foster parents? Why would they force you into this anyway, and how have you been keeping your secret?" Sakura demanded as she put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, I'm adopted, and they forced me here as a quick way to get me off their hands. As for the secret keeping part, I did that very discreetly... and using extortion." Though I was still quaking in my shoes, literally, I half-smiled at remembering the blackmail resting in my room.

"Extortion? You have been blackmailing the school?" Temari asked with a little bit of grudging respect hinting in her voice.

A nervous grin made it's way onto my lips as I shook my head. "No, more like a certain few people."

"Hang on a second, you mean you have been blackmailing one of us?" Kankurou crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at me.

"Umm, yeah." I sighed and eyed everyone around me.

"Well, who?" Tenten snapped.

I rubbed the back of my head nervously and replied, "W-why don't you let them tell you, ne?"

I was glad to let the heat go to someone else, I really needed a break. If this was a court deal, I could call for recess. If only I had a gavel.

Temari immediatly turned to Shikamaru and glared at him with her hands crossed over her chest.

"So you did know."

He nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me."

He sighed and pushed his hands further into his pockets.

"Because that would defeat the purpose of 'secret keeping'."

"In other words, she was holding something over your head." she stated.

Shaking his head, the lazy male answered back, "No, I don't think she got the chance. Besides, if she did, I could easily turn it around on her."

I glared at him for that remark. Noone noticed.

Temari's eyes narrowed, but the grudging respect was still evident in the way she was holding herself. I couldn't believe that she was actually impressed by me. What a way to boost someone's ego.

The blonde female then turned to where I was standing and shifted her gaze to her younger brother.

"You to, right? Of course you would know."

Gaara only nodded.

"Damn Gaara, you had a room with a chick this entire time? I know you had to do something to her, had her moaning your name didn't ya, you little rascal you!" Kankurou joked and began making high pitched pleasure noises and mock moans of Gaara's name.

He didn't last long before he was harshly beat into the ground by, not only Gaara's hard fist, but a swift kick by his little Tenten as well.

"Pervert." she growled at him. He groaned from the ground.

"Wait, wait, wait! Hang on a second!"

Everyone directed there attention to a very confused, and frantic, blue-eyed blonde that held his hands in front of him like he was holding off traffic.

"How come you told Gaara and Shikamaru but not any of us?" he asked, sounding a bit hurt.

I bit my lip nervously and glanced at Kiba. His brow was furrowed and he was looking around at everyone, looking like he was going to say something. I stayed silent and let him.

"Actually, I knew to." he said quietly.

"K-Kiba?" Hinata's soft voice questioned him, and her clear eyes reflected her hurt into his.

He sighed audibly and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I was the first to find out because-" he immediatly halted and rose his eyes to look at mine.

My face was red, as was his, and I averted my gaze to the ground. I didn't care if he told them how he found out her not, it was an accident... But I was curious as to how Gaara would react.

"Because?" Sakura urged. "What happened, how did you find out?"

His face blushed quickly, rivaling Hinata's habit of turning pink.

Kankurou broke the silence first by laughing hysterically. "Y-you!... Oh man! That's how you were the f-first?! You got... got first hand sights!" he gasped and laughed even harder.

"I don't get it." Naruto scratched the back of his blonde head as he frowned.

As for everyone else, realization dawned on them that he had in fact seen something that he shouldn't have, and they mirrored his blush. Hinata's mouth formed a perfect 'O' before she covered it with her delicate hand.

Gaara, I noticed, tightened his fist until the skin over his knuckles turned white and glared dangerously at the brown haired male. In a way, that made me happy, but I knew that I would have to explain everything in detail to him later so he wouldn't kill Kiba.

I sighed knowing that this was going to be a long night. That is, if I lived through it.

Sorry it took so long, i'll try to pick up the pace. Anyway, this story is on it's way to being finished. I'm not sure how many more chapters there are going to be, but I know it won't be long. I was practically braindead when I started writing for this because I just didn't know what to do. Literally, I think I stared at my monitor for twenty minutes before I just did something else.

Anyway, you know the drill. Review please!