Chapter Thirty:
Today is Gender Switch Day, Jack and John can finally dress like men again. They are at the park lot waiting for Randy and Stacey.
"It feels great to wear my own clothes again." John smells his own clothes.
"It does feel great." Jack agrees. He continues to pick up. AJ instead of Randy. "How do you feel, baby?" He asks his girlfriend who is wearing his clothes this time.
"Glorious, I love the smell of your scent." She takes a deep swift of his clothes.
"This was your plan along, wasn't it?" Jack acknowledge the lack of discouragement of wearing boys' clothes.
"What?" John puzzled at this speculation.
"You wanted us to lose so we have to dress as girls. You knew we would take revenge and consider Mr. Michaels to have this day. You wanted to have a purpose to wear and keep my clothes." Jack figures it out.
"Come on man, that is not true. Why would she do that, she could have just asked you to wear your clothes?" John utters still puzzled.
"No she couldn't." He disagrees. "She knows I am very protective of my clothes. Since I don't have much, I like to keep it for myself. I don't let anyone wear them." He grins.
"Really, I thought… never mind." He holds his tongue back.
"No, we are not as wealthy as you three. We are just a regular, hardworking, average family." He proudly admits.
"Sorry, I didn't mean." John embarrass that he assumed.
"It is okay money doesn't define someone, our actions do." It doesn't bother him that they don't have tons of money.
"Good advice, now back to the previous topic." John reverts back to AJ's plan.
"Right, since I won't give her my clothes, she contributed a plan for me to give her my clothes to wear. She will keep them and not give them back." He concludes.
"Is this true AJ?" John questions her.
"My boyfriend is very smart catching on to my plan." She kisses him.
"I'll take that as a yes." He looks around to avoid contact of their PDA. "Wait-" He interrupts. "Why did I get involved?" If this her plan to get Jack's clothes, why did she them both lose.
"She, I guess, likes to see you squirm." Jack shrugs taking a shot in the dark.
"Two for two, my boyfriend is on fire." AJ pecks him.
"You mean I could have avoided this, but she didn't want to." John wants to clarify.
"I didn't want him to be the only one to wear girls' clothes." She explains.
"You could have explained that to me, I would have understood." Jack takes her hands to kiss them.
"What is the fun in that?" AJ grins.
"Come here." John waves her over.
"No." She shakes her head knowing nothing good can come from heading there.
"Come on, I won't do anything." He assures her.
"I don't think so I know you too well." AJ doesn't budge.
"I promise you it will be nothing bad." He smiles.
"Okay." She pushes Jack to him to be her shield.
"Excuse me Jack." He politely requests.
"You promise." Jack states as John nods in agreement.
"Hello AJ." He waves at her.
AJ gulps. "Just get it over with." She stands confident.
"I promise I wouldn't do anything and I won't." He honours his words.
"Okay." She smiles however still has some doubts. Usually when they get revenge, it is twice as bad as hers.
John just hugs her as he smirks at Jack. Jack gives John back a thumbs up. They have known for a few hours about her plan. It is their time to get one over on AJ.
"What is going on here? Jack, are you okay with them hugging like that?" Randy asks joining with Stacey. He is in Stacey's clothes while Stacey is in his clothes.
"Yup, they are just friends." Jack assures him.
"Okay." Randy leaves it alone.
"Bestie, you look great." AJ compliment Stacey.
"Thanks, finally my brother gives his clothes to someone." She is relieved and touch by this. "He wouldn't give his clothes if I was cold outside. I would freeze to death before he does.
"That happened one time and I warned you it would be cold. I also told you I wasn't sharing my sweater if you don't listen." He defends himself.
"You could have anyways." She hugs being stubborn.
"Stacey, what did I say when you did that?"
"I shouldn't be that stubborn and I should listen to you more." She sighs not liking that he is always right.
"Right, come here." Randy hugs his baby sister. "I love you and I would do anything for you." He kisses her head.
"Aww, why can't we have moments like that?" AJ asks enjoying their sibling moment.
"We can now." Randy extends his arms to them.
"Team Siblings." AJ cheers which gives Randy more hope that everything will be okay sooner than later.
It is lunch time, everyone at the usually table.
"So, I was wondering if you all are allowed to come to our house next week for a party?" Stacey asks.
"We can ask our parents, what is the occasion?" AJ answers.
"It is a barbeque my parents hold every year when the weather permits. All of our family come. Along with close family friends of our parents." Stacey secretly hints that Kourtney might be the there.
"Sounds fun, I am sure that they will agree." AJ answers again not catching on.
"Great." Stacey smiles happily. "See it wasn't that hard." She whispers to her brother.
"It was easy because you didn't warn them about Kourtney or Becca or the girl that is very fond of me." He whispers back.
"Her name is Emily and whose fault is that for not telling them sooner that AJ's your girlfriend. You know we have one every year. Now we have to deal with them." Stacey quietly argues back.
"Fine, but I will tell AJ the truth." Jack responses her. He will always be open with AJ no matter what.
"Fine." Stacey agrees to end the conversation.
"Is everything okay?" Randy inquires watching them bicker for a few moments.
"Yes, we are just discussing the barbeque." Stacey answers.
"Okay, I will tell Randy myself in my own ways." She whispers again.
"Fine." Jack agrees.
"AJ, do you mind taking a walk with me?" Jack offers to tell her the rest.
"Certainly." AJ holds his hand as they walk away.
They end up at a picnic table outside. "Is something wrong?" You haven't spoken a word the whole time.
"There are some details you have to know about the barbeque."
"What are they?"
"Well first off, Kourtney will be there." Jack starts. "Her parents don't know the new status of their relationship; they only know that they were like you and Randy before."
"Okay." AJ could see that happening anyways. They were best friends before and she accepts that.
"There is a chance, a big chance, Becca will come too." He continues.
"Does she know your parents.?" She doesn't know that she lives close to them.
"She is just a few blocks from us. Her brother is a co-worker with my dad."
"Oh okay, what does he do?"
"Construction of homes." Jack answers.
"Your mom?"
"She teaches at an elementary school like Randy's mom."
"Great then why don't you buy clothes for yourself?" She is upset that Jack doesn't get to buy new clothes.
"I like to have Stacey buy what she wants before me. She should be spoiled." Jack admits.
"Aww, how sweet are you?" She pecks his lips.
"Every woman should be treated with respect, dignity, and like a queen." He admits his motto of living.
"Yes, but it should be reciprocal too in every relationship." She includes.
"I am not the only smart one." He kisses her back.
"Definitely not, now any more reasons besides these I should be worried about." She puts them back on track with these reasons not seem too bad.
"Yes-" He rubs his neck nervously. "You see before I meet you I meet someone else." He starts back again.
"Is she a crush, an ex-girlfriend?"
"No, we were friends until we came to this school. Her parents enrolled her in a different school."
"Oh, you had a crush on each other. You don't know your feelings for each other until you meet up every year." AJ acknowledge getting upset that he likes another girl. She is just a rebound until they meet again.
"I know my feelings, but she clings to what we had before. She gets excited to come and see me at the barbeque." He tries to explain.
"So you don't like her but she likes you." She wants clarification that he only likes her.
"Yes, she spends all her time with me trying to… um… rekindle what was barely there."
"Oh… she is obsessed with you." AJ finally figures it out.
"Most likely, I just don't want you be harass by her. She can be easily jealous." He warns. "Whatever she says I love you and only you." He kisses her hands.
"Ah, thank you for warning me, but I can handle myself. If she can't take a hint that so be it." She is not letting this girl scare her from attending her boyfriend's barbeque.
"Are you sure, she can be persistent?" He wants to confirm that she won't bail out.
"I am positive."
"You are just wonderful." He kisses her.