Chapter 7: the Sidekicks

Rosalina's POV

I was so scared now. As soon as 6:30 rolled around Cooper told us we can go in the back room and change into our costumes. I did like my costume. It was red boots, yellow tights, green spandex (don't judge), a yellow crop top with short sleeves and a turtle neck, and a red cape. The middle had a a blue symbol that said BS. I had a homemade mask on. When I stepped out, Nat came out at the same time. He had on blue and green sneakers, light blue socks, green tights (what even?), red gym shorts, a green long sleeved turtle neck, and a yellow cape. The middle had a blue symbol with a B on it, and he had a mask Alex made. Both of our costumes had matching golden belts. He gave me a weird look.

"What does BS stand for?" he asked, and we all know what he was thinking.

"Birdy's Sidekick," I said. "I'm your sidekick, see."

"That makes you the sidekick of a sidekick of a sidekick," Nat said, counting off on his fingers. "You basically have no powers."

"I'm aware of that," I said. "And since when was Alex a sidekick?"

"Juanita demoted him," Nat said.

"It's weird what boys do to please girls," I said.

"What do I do to please girls?" Nat asked, confused.

"You practically worship her," Qaasim said, walking out.

"You adore her Nat," Thomas said, joining him.

"You wrote a song about how you'll do anything for her," David said, also walking out.

"You guys are not helping," Nat said.

"At least now she's you're helper," Kristina said, walking over.

"Where's your costume?" I asked.

"I'm gonna go get changed now," Kristina said. "And Alex, there's a little girl looking for you."

Alex opened his door, stepping out. "Juanita is here?" His voice was full of fear. He took a gulp, making the guys laugh. Juanita came running down the hall, spotting us all standing there.

"There you guys are," she said. "And where's my trusty sidekick?"

"Sidekick, cover for me," Alex said. Nat turned to me.

"Sidekick, cover for me," he said.

"Hey Bassff Man," I said. "Your sidekick will be out in a minute. You can borrow Birdy, his sidekick. Or Birdy's Sidekick."

"So I have control over all three of you?" Juanita asked.

"Pretty much," Nat said.

"We're Kristina's sidekicks," Thomas said, gesturing to him and the guys.

"You're not supposed to tell people," David said, embarrassed.

"You guys should call yourselves the Sidekicks instead of the Naked Brothers," Kristina said.

"The Naked Brothers?" Juanita asked. "What's that about?"

"We were naked and we were also brothers," Alex explained.

"You are not all brothers," Juanita said matter of factly.

"It's cute," I said.

"It is," David said.

"We're the Naked Brothers Band!" I said excitedly.

"Go practice!" Kristina yelled.

.

We got there at around 7:15 because Cooper made us late. We gave our instruments to the teachers whom I did not know, then got ready to go inside. "You ready Rosalina?" Nat whispered. He had his arm wrapped around my shoulder as we made our way to the gym entrance. "This'll be the first time you meet any of these people, minus Meghan and them."

"Let's do this," I said as we walked through the doors. He kissed my forehead just before we got through, making me smile.

There were a bunch of costumes but I think ours were the coolest. A lot of people recognized Nat. I mean a lot of people. He was incredibly popular. After we had made it through the crowd, he took me over to the drinks table. "I don't know who half of those people were," he whispered to me, making me laugh.

The dance was so much fun! We are, danced, and played our music. Everyone was having an awesome time, and then at the end they gave us our school stuff. I was so exhausted they had to carry me back. Well, I was just pretending but they were carrying me and I didn't have to walk, so it was all good. "Rosalina, you need to get out of your costume," Nat said when we got back.

"I'm so tired," I whined. "Change me."

"Just get up," he said. "I'm not allowed to change you."

"Fine," I said, getting up. I walked into his room, grabbing my pajamas before going into the bathroom. I quickly changed, putting my hair up in a ponytail. I went back out, sitting down next to Nat on the couch. "Are you happy now?"

"Yep cause I'm not of fan of seeing your belly, if you can even call it that," he said.

"What would you call it?" I asked.

"I'd call it organs covered in a layer of skin," he said. "It makes me feel bad about being so deliciously thick."

"Well I'm sorry," I said, turning away.

"Come on, Rosie," he said in my ear. "Don't be upset."

"I'm not upset," I said.

"Then why'd you turn your back to me?" he asked. "Because if it's because I said your too thin, then I'd say girls are really confusing."

"Why is that?" I asked, turning my head slightly.

"You can't say they're thick, you can't say their skinny, and saying they're average isn't nice," he said. "You know what I think is best? I think it's best to be a little thicker then average, but not too thick other wise it's not good for your health. Especially to you. I care about you so much that I want you to be a little thicker so your life is not constantly at risk."

"So I was a little upset," I said. "But don't worry Nat, after that experience a few days ago, I can assure you I'm gonna start listening to you more."

"Tell me the truth, is there still food left from the first time I met you?" he asked, and I nodded.

"But it's mainly because I've spent almost a month living in your house," I said immediately.

"I love being able to make sure you're eating," he whispered in my ear. I felt his lips on the skin below my ear, gently sucking on it. I let out a soft moan, moving back a bit.

"Nat," I said quietly. "What even was that?"

He shrugged. "It just happened," he said. "I'm sorry." I turned around, smiling at him.

"I mean, I didn't hate it," I said. "It was...nice."

He smiled at me, then looked at where his lips just were. "Oh no," he said quietly. He took my hand, practically dragging me down the hall and into the bathroom. He pushed me in front of the mirror, slightly turning my head. "Look." He pointed where he had kissed me, showing a small red spot.

"You did that?" I asked. He nodded, running his fingers through his hair.

"You know what that is, right?" he asked.

"I wasn't born yesterday," I said.

"What are we gonna do?"

"This is more of a me problem," I said.

"Yea but I'm the one that did it," he said. "If anyone Finns out we're both dead."

"More you then me," I said.

"Okay, see if you can cover it with your hair," he said. "If it works, only people who get really close should be able to see it."

I pulled out my hair tie, letting my hair fall down. I used my fingers to comb through it, covering up the mark. "It'll only take a few days to heal," Nat said reassuringly. It sounded more like he was telling himself then me.

"Nat, you should go to sleep," I said. "Have a good dreams, and don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said, heading for the door that goes into his room.

"I'll get you back for this," I warned, walking out of the other door.