“The thing is, I can be your sister.”
“No, I am your sister.”
“Oh, my gosh. You’re Finn!”
“Please, can you just say that you’re my brother? I want to get out of here.”
“Will you be my brother?”
“Want to have a sister? I’m available. Twins even.”
“Can I ask you a question? Could it be possible that you’re Finn Pearce? I’m Fiona Pearce. Does that ring any bell?”
“Can you believe it? We’re related! Small world.”
“Good thing I’m not in love with you. You can be my brother.”
“I’m one of the inspection committee. Newly created organization to detect fake identities around this school. You’re under investigation. Hand over your documents.”
“If you’re not Finn, can you take me out on a date? A walk?”
“I’m going crazy now. Can you just tell me you won’t tell anyone about yesterday? You know, if you’re not Finn.”
I exhaled, holding up a hand against the mirror on the wall. What should I do to convince Grayson to hide my secret? I had to say something to him soon, but I wasn’t able to think of anything that would sound good, or at least decent and not bizarre. Ending the skit that I was practicing in front of the mirror, I opened the door again to see if he was already in sight.
Not yet.
It was now fifteen minutes after seven in the morning. The class was about to start at eight. I got Grayson’s number from Jayden. Last night, I texted Grayson that we should talk this morning so that I could explain everything to him. Actually, I first asked KN for his number, when the white dove had finally crossed across our room and put a truce to yet again another war between us. However, KN refused to even dart me a glance.
Unlike him, I was never the one to hold a grudge for long, even if I wanted to. I always seemed to forget it after some time. KN had stained my covers, and I got his shirt smeared with red sauce. We were even, and my furiousness had already subsided.
But KN was still so angry with what I had done. Talk about what he had done. So aside from yelling at me when my alarm clock had gone berserk at five-thirty this morning, we hadn’t talked to each other at all.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Dad had bought me a new alarm clock. I secured it around my bedpost, just in case KN would think of throwing that one again. And just to be sure, I also used a metal chain, courtesy of Dad as well, if it would so happen that finding a scissor to cut a thread or two would be very easy for KN. But I hadn’t told Dad what the metal chain was for, not specifically. I said that it was to keep my things protected.
I had considered using my phone as an alarm, but there was always the danger that KN might slam it into the wall, too. The other day, half-awake and still dreaming that he was made to save the world from annoying alarm clocks, KN nearly slammed it into the wall. It wasn’t like I could secure my phone in one place, either.
So, no thanks. Phones were expensive.
Still waiting in the locker room, I didn’t fret that much, because it was only a little after seven and no one was around yet. Aside from the same cleaner who had passed by this room twice earlier, everyone was probably still in bed or eating breakfast.
After five more minutes, there was still no sign of Grayson. Did he get my message? I was certain that I’d told him to meet me around seven, before our other classmates would get here. Of course, we had to talk in private if I wanted to keep my secret from the ears of many.
Fingers-crossed!
“So this is what you’re up to early in the morning? What a good reason to wake me up at five-thirty.” That was KN. Or maybe I was getting delusional ever since I had hit him with the spaghetti. I was still thinking about how he’d make me pay for it. But hey, I was also a victim of his prank.
However, the voice seemed real. There was this greater chance that it was not a product of my imagination. And turning back, I saw none other than KN himself, in gym clothes and breathing. He wasn’t a ghost. I had also considered that this place might be haunted as well, for all I knew.
But thinking how he’d entered the door without me seeing him, I asked, “How did you get in?”
“The door,” KN answered, perplexed, “obviously.”
“I know that,” I said back. “I mean, how did you get in here? There’s only one door.”
“If you’d like to think that I walked through the wall, feel free,” he said sarcastically. Well, I thought we were not on speaking terms.
“Didn’t know you could pass through walls,” I listlessly replied.
“Look how stupid you are. There is another door for your information.” KN pointed behind him, across the set of lockers.
“There’s another door?” I asked with due astonishment. “I thought there was only one for this room?”
“This is the locker room for the cleaning personnel. This one has two doors in case you haven’t been informed. Maybe you’re talking about the gym locker room, the one that has one door and right across this room,” he said, pushing me aside.
At first, I didn’t believe him. But when KN had opened the wooden locker door behind me to get some things, I realized he wasn’t lying. So that was why the cleaner gave me that look a moment ago. This was their place, and I was the one intruding, if any.
“But why didn’t anyone tell me a thing? The cleaner passed me twice. You know, the one who cleaned our room last night? She didn’t even say anything,” I complained.
“Right. I almost forgot,” KN said with disdain, pinning me to the wall. Then he muttered to my face, with his breath hot on my skin, “You threw spaghetti on my face last night.”
“Hey, you put a plate of it under my covers.” I shoved him away. Hooray for informing a pretending man that it was okay to shove someone away from your face. This time around, I tried posing a threat to him instead. “Come closer, and I’ll think you’re interested in me.”
“Right.” KN just laughed.
Maybe that was an empty threat. “Okay, fine. You’re not. I’m not you, so how can you be interested?”
He didn’t stop repeating that one infuriating laughter. “Whatever made you think that?”
“Ha... ha... Want to share the joy?”
“And Maria’s mute,” KN informed me, grabbing some cleaning tools before shutting the locker door close. “And maybe, yes, I’d love to be interested in you. I’m gay, remember?”
“Just what I thought!” I exclaimed. So he was really obsessed with me. My charms had worked their way to him. So unbelievable.
“So can you change rooms now?” he said, ending the laughing mood altogether. He really had a thing for saying things face to face, especially when I was involved. And okay, I got it. He made his point clear.
Yes, I was wrong again.
He wasn’t some obsessive gay serial killer roommate. It was all about changing rooms. Ha. He could dream on.
“You know what, mate? You can fall in love with me, and I don’t care. I love our room, and you just have to live with it,” I said back, acting so cool as I found my way out of the cleaning personnel’s locker room.
“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” KN further threatened me.
In case I was his long-lost self, I wouldn’t be bothered. “Fine.”
“Ahh... it feels good to have a bathroom all to yourself in this place,” KN said in a low voice, but it was still loud enough for me to hear his irksome thoughts.
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