“Another one?” Emily gasped.
She wore skinny jeans and a turtleneck sweater. Aunt Lilly instructed Alex to head to the Principal’s Office after school. When Alex messaged Emily earlier about it, she changed her outfit to cover more skin. Their date had been postponed to tomorrow. She wasn’t about to be left behind and came as well.
“I don’t get it,” Alex sighed, hitting her head on the wall behind her, “What does someone even benefit from exposing me?”
They sat on a sofa in the staff room. Principal Parker had a guest. They’d been told to wait, sipping hot chocolate. They weren’t in a hurry anyway. Their aunt was still at her office. She was yet to arrive.
Alex held her hot chocolate on her lap. It had 4 big marshmallows. They took a while to dissolve. It still had a bit of steam floating. She stirred it occasionally.
“Scare and blackmail you maybe?” Emily crossed her legs and her arms. She bit her bottom lip and stared off into space, “You’re the only who really benefits from this. Maybe expose it to the media and hope it taints your family name? ‘Greenwood’s Heiress Forced to Hide Identity and Gender!’”
Her cousin corner lip twitched, “That’s—”
“Parenting Gone Wrong! Daughter Obliged to be a Son!”
“Em—”
“Greenwood Can’t Even Take Care of His Own Daughter! What About Their Business?”
Alex scooped out a marshmallow and shoved it in Emily’s mouth, “Stop making headlines.”
Her cousin chewed at the sweet cloud, pouting at her. She grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and sipped. She washed down the soft sugar pillow. The combination of flavors coated her palette. The aftertaste also felt satisfying.
“Well, if anyone wanted to do harm, wouldn’t they have done something else?” Emily pointed out, “They could have just kidnapped you and asked for a ransom. Not only did they have but your secret would also be hanging over a balance. It’s a wasted opportunity.”
“Why do you sound so experienced? Should I be worried?” Alex cocked an eyebrow.
“You of all people should know that readers live a hundred lives!”
Alex shook her head. She raised her mug. Biting a marshmallow, the warm chocolate river flowed into her mouth. It eased any tension she had. If Emily wasn’t around, she might have opened her laptop and continued the project.
The door to the Principal’s Office opened.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Parker.”
The two girls lifted their heads. A man in a sharp dark gray suit stepped out of the office. From their perspective, they couldn’t see his face. His coal black hair seemed to be gelled up the back. It left a smooth cut around the edges.
His broad shoulders and slim waist indicated that he could be a swimmer. Yet, the fine wool fabric caught Emily’s eye the most. The blazer and slacks had been tailored to his shape. Not one wrinkle popped out. It also looked soft.
“Always good to see you, James” Steve smiled. He stood by the doorway. His blue eyes landed on the sofa. Then, he faced the man again, nodding in their direction, “I’d normally walk you out but I have a previous engagement.”
Dark purple eyes peeked over the man’s shoulder. He spotted two teenagers looking at a phone screen. They talked quietly to themselves, seeming oblivious to the situation in front of them.
James turned his attention back to the Principal, “There’s no need. I already know my way around here anyway.”
He raised his arm, offering a handshake. Steve took it gratefully, “Until we meet again, Mr. Parker.”
“You as well.”
The man headed for the door. The window had been covered with blinds. It added some privacy to the room. Various students liked to gaze inside as they passed by. It made some staff members feel a bit uncomfortable.
Principal Parker excused himself from the girls. He had a last minute business to do and went back inside. Alex and Emily merely shrugged, focusing on their hot chocolate. They made casual comments at Emily’s newsfeed.
As James reached for the knob, the door opened to his direction. He stepped sideways and dodged the impact. His eyebrows raised at the sudden visitor. Then, an amused smirk spread on his lips, “We have to stop meeting like this.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
Two heads snapped towards the door. The familiar voice caught their attention. Both girls leaned forward, hoping to get a glimpse. The door didn’t open all the way and limited their vision. Any slim chance also disappeared when the man stepped out.
Lilly immediately stood aside when she saw someone wanted to exit. Her feet reacted first. Then, her eyes looked up. She never really believed in coincidence. If this wasn’t one, what would it mean?
The door closed with a thud. James stood in front of it, blocking her way. He made no move to leave. His hands tucked in his pockets, it seemed like he had all the time in the world. Unfortunately, Lilly didn’t share the same sentiment.
“You seem to spend a lot of time here,” she said. She placed a hand on her hip, “How much business do you have here?”
“I am, as a matter of fact, the school’s lawyer” he replied, “I could say that you also seem to spend a lot of time here yourself.”
“My nephew goes here.”
“Ah, yes, Alex.”
Lilly scrunched her eyebrows. She assessed the man before her, “And how do you know that?”
“I think I just told you” he smirked, winking a bit, “Mr. Parker updated me on the situation. I think you and I will see each other more in the future.”
“Uncle James?”
Both lawyers whirled their heads toward the newcomer. A male student walked up towards them. Disbelief was completely evident on his face. He blinked his eyes a few times just to make sure. Then, he stopped a few meters away, a few other students behind him followed.
“Max” James frowned, “Practice is over for you, right?”
“Yeah…” his nephew answered hesitantly, “Why do you look like you have an evil plan?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You’re here.”
James smiled, approaching him, “I saw your current progress report.”
He wrapped an arm around Max and led him towards the exit, “Other than Math and English, your grades seem to be heading downhill.”
“School year just started!” Max defended. He stepped away from his uncle but the grip held onto him tight.
“That doesn’t mean you should slack” James shook his head, “You need to study 40 hours a day.”
“There’s only 24 hours!”
“That’s not my problem.”
Their voices faded away as they left. The other students with Max kept their eyes on him while they stepped towards Lilly. All four of them watched the two males vanish from sight.
“It’s like…” Lauren began to say, “Like a mature responsible version of Max.”
“In an older body with the same features” Jae added, nodding his head, “He rarely comes around. But when he does, somehow he always knows how much summer homework we have. Whenever I come over at Max’s and he’s there, he’d make us do them.”
“Which is also the reason why I stopped going there” Logan shrugged with an awkward smile.
His older twin gave him the side-eye, “But he’s never harsh on you since you already did yours.”
“I know” Logan chuckled, patting his shoulder, “I just liked to hear it from you.”
Jae glared at his brother’s smug face. The two of them continued to bicker about school. Somehow they ended up talking about who Tim loved best. Jae bragged about his people’s skills and basketball athleticism. Logan brought his academic achievements and proficiency in more than one sport.
Lauren ignored them, rolling her eyes. She walked to Lilly’s side, “Is Alex already inside?”
“I can imagine Emily is there as well,” Lilly snorted. She opened the door. Two teenagers shuffled away, avoiding the impact.
They crouched behind the open door while Emily held her earlobe. A small white golden hoop against cream tiles wasn’t an easy adventure. Their hands patted the floor, searching for the missing earring. They could only hope if their vision didn’t spot it, their sense of touch would do the job.
“Why are you even wearing earrings?” Alex grumbled.
Emily groaned, “I wanted to look pretty for our date.”
They continued the quest.
Lilly and Lauren stared at them. The cheerleader didn’t know if she should believe them or not. How convenient was it that the earring happened to be near the door? Logan and Jae soon stepped inside. Once everyone was there, they closed the door, revealing the hoop.
“Ah, there it is!” Emily reached for it. Then, a foot stopped in her way. She hammered a hand on the floor, tilting her head up, “Just what—what are you supposed to be? A closet nerd?”
Jae adjusted his glasses, “No, I’m supposed to be not half-blind anymore.”
He bent his knees picking up the earring. Alex stood up, dusting herself. She offered a hand to her cousin who took it willingly. Emily brushed off her pants. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear.
Warm fingers caressed her earlobe. Before she could protest, she felt a cold metal rod slip inside her piercing. The clasp ticked in place. A finger knuckle tapped the hoop lightly, testing the lock. It brushed the earlobe as Jae pulled his hands back.
“There” he grinned, “Good as new.”
Emily blinked at his triumphant face. She cupped her ear, turning away from him. Whoever invented eyeglasses must be something. Who knew it had transformation powers on big blonde oafs? The frames rose their levels of danger into higher spectrum.
It was a smirk, not a sweet smile! Emily scolded mentally. The glasses just hid it well!
