Exciting Monotony

I sit up in my bed and glance at the clock. 7:00. Wow, I'm on time for once. My sleepy eyes scan the room, I'd taken advantage of the house being empty yesterday to stash my new best friend behind a loose panel on the far wall, still in its wrapping. As fun as yesterday was, when I got home I wasn't in the mood to indulge. I'd basically spent the rest of the evening catching up on the work I'd missed the day prior after our little hit and run. Mum came back with Chinese, so, that made it feel worth it. Didn't hear any more from Rouge, guess she's back to the ice queen I know and tolerate.

Routine's routine. drawers, skirt today, mismatched undies, bathroom, shower, you know the deal. Only difference was a once over of my lower body with a razor, the excitement never ends. Suppose I can say goodbye to the showerhead. I'll miss you my darling, but we've grown apart. I return to my room, empty basket, dry hair, make up, try desperately to make my winged eyeliner look like yesterday. My new normal has become my new boring, but honestly, it's worth it. Plus the practice is paying off, I'm done by 8:05, but I can't leave yet.

I grab the extra kit bag I packed with overnight essentials and head downstairs, kinda need the sign off from the boss.

"Sure." My mum responds, getting her bag ready to go. Huh. I was expecting more drama when I asked her if I could stay at Elise's. Guess she really is over the whole yelling at her thing. "It works out anyway, I've got Jasper and Minnie coming over tonight anyway!"

"I thought he said they broke up?" I inquire.

"Just a silly argument, they're fine now." Mum explains. The saga continues.

We say our goodbyes and head in different directions. 8:15 according to my phone, damn, guess I'll settle for a cereal bar or two in the canteen. I enter the large hall and briefly look around for Elise or Trish. No luck. Oh well, we'd barely have a chance to catch up anyway. I take my impromptu breakfast and decide to get to attendance early.

Cereal's dry. I guess that's the point of a cereal bar. Oh well. it's that time of the day. Oh wonderous timetable, bestow upon me your gifts for the day. Double Science, Double PE this afternoon. Fuck you timetable. I know that buzzing. I reach for my phone and the inevitable message.

"You excited for later?" A text from Trish, huh, today's full of surprises, usually this would be the point Rouge sends her mocking message about borrowing her kit. Guess I am carrying my over-night bag, she probably saw me at some point and assumed I remembered. Joke's on her, I'll never remember to check before I come in. Okay, not a great victory, but I'll take being forgetful over being called idiot for the 400th time.

Once the bell goes I head for the science lab. Bumping into a fresh-faced Elise on the way. No one should be this perky in the morning. Or pretty. Not fair. We take up our chairs at the desk in the corner. Aah, home sweet home. Elise and I are so excited about our evening plans we barely hear the lesson start.

"So, my parents are staying at a resort in the north for a couple of days while my Papa has business there. The whole place is ours!" Elise whispers, smile plastered to her face.

"Wait, so you punched someone and fled the school... And your parents' reaction was to leave you alone for a weekend?" I ask.

"Told you so." She gloats. "My parents trust me, besides, they know you're coming, so they know who to blame if you trash the place!" She adds jokingly.

"That's what you think, I've been using a fake identity this entire time!" I lie, holding back a smile of my own as I glimpse Elise's faux surprise out of the corner of my eye.

Hacksaw Harrett's lesson is far from practical, droning on about the properties of refraction. It wouldn't be too bad, except she's clearly just reading the book she gave to all of us. Which I can read faster than she can talk. Infuriating. Hours of this crap. Hours. My only reprieve being Elise's occasional intervention, pretending to fall asleep, or drawing stick figures in the margins. How did I ever survive this before her?

Finally. We make our escape from the time loop. we've got some time before lunch, so I invite Elise to come with me to retrieve my kit bag. We stop by the canteen first to check if Trish is free, but sadly there's no sign of her. Shame. Still, Elise takes the chance to grab an apple, and we casually stroll to my house. I'd love to say the conversation is salacious and sexy. Nope. Kinda just talk about what fruits are our favourite. Elise like Apples. I like Peaches. Honestly, it's kind of nice talking with her about something light, melodrama seems to follow us around. My mind turns to remembering where I last left my kit while I open the door.

Bare back. That's someone's back on the sofa. My eyes are drawn to the sight of two half-naked figures in an intense make-out session and soon my ears meet the sound of their moaning, before a sudden exclamation of surprise. The shirtless figure turns to look at the door, pulling their lips away from their partner. I see the faces of the two involved. One is the shocked face of Rouge, the other the terrified expression of the boy Trish referred to as Geek Chic in Drama yesterday. This explains so much and so little.

The boy hurriedly rushes to grab his polo shirt off the floor and put it back on. Rouge is in less of a hurry, still clad in her school skirt and a navy bra with a floral pattern, eventually replacing the rest of her uniform and turning to face the horrified reaction of her partner.

"Go. I don't need you anymore." She states coldly. Ouch. Geek Chic apparently agrees, as he grabs his bag and meekly wanders past me and Elise, mumbling apologetically as he left. Rouge returns to the sofa, crossing her arms and legs, like a child aware they were going to be in trouble. "You're not meant to be here."

"Forgot my kit." I explain, guess she really didn't realise. Wait, why am I explaining myself here? "Who was that?" I ask, not sure if I should sound intimidating or enthusiastic.

"Gabriel." Rouge responds bluntly.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Elise pipes in. Almost forgot she was there. Again. But she seems to be enjoying the show, not bothering to hide her grinning.

"No." Rouge answers sharply, hesitating slightly before continuing. "Not anymore. We just broke up."

Okay, this is an overload of information. So, the guy who was looking at me in class was actually dating my twin sister, but they broke up by furiously kissing? I'm missing details here.

"Didn't look broken up... Unless I missed something?" I ask worriedly.

"He told me he's in love with someone else. I said we should have sex before we broke up. I thought if we did it he'd change his mind. But we got interrupted, so plan failed, doesn't matter." Rouge explains, even more emotionlessly than normal. Something tells me that matters more than she's telling us.

"Fuck that guy." I blurt out. There's a twinge inside of me, who does this cunt think he is? "I'm gonna snap his dick in half. Breaking up with a girl, then agreeing to have sex with her anyway? No, no, no, you don't do that, and you sure as fuck don't do it to my baby sister!" I rant, pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. "No fucking way. I'll-"

I'm cut off by a hand on my shoulder, I turn to see Elise, the smile washed from her face, she nods back towards Rouge.

There's a tear on her cheek. That's not possible. Rouge doesn't cry. Rouge never cries. I move without thinking, and before I know it, I've wrapped my arms around her any pulled her into my neck for a hug. I don't think I've ever hugged Rouge before. Don't think I've wanted to. After a few seconds, she gently pushes me away.

"Like I said, he doesn't matter. I could have a hundred of him in a heartbeat." Rouge's eyes change again, back to the superior grin she usually maintains, the tears not daring to fight as she wipes them away.

"That's my girl." I reply, the mask slipped for a second, but I saw, the queen's got a sensitive side too. "So, was that where you were planning on going tonight?"

"Yes." Rouge returns to her blunt persona. "But he came to me this morning and said we had to break up. At least I can hang around here and spend time with our lovely Minnie." She continues with a sigh.

Minnie and Rouge do not get on. I know. Shocking. But even I'm not so dense as to miss that hint.

"We have room at yours for Rouge, don't we?" I ask Elise, who seems surprised by my willingness.

"Oh, of course!" She answers, with what appears to be genuine enthusiasm. "One condition, tell me where you got that bra? Loving the design."

Rouge can't hold back her haughty laugh as she takes he bag and begins to exit. "I'll see you after school." She shouts as she walks out the door.

Elise looks back to me, a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't think it was that funny..."

"That one's actually mine." I admit, I noticed when we came in but I was more surprised by the rest of the scene. "My mother gets our washing confused sometimes."

The following laughter is so raucous it seems to carry us back to school, newly acquired PE kit in hand. We meet up with Trish in the canteen at lunch and explain Rouge's inclusion, to the surprising delight of the brown-eyed girl.

"Oh Good, no one wants to be on their own after a break-up." She states. "Guess I misread the signals on Geek Chic though, didn't take him for the womaniser type, though I suppose we've established some of my decisions of character are a bit iffy." She adds, forcing a chuckle from my mouth.

"I don't get it?" Elise interjects softly, I'd forgotten she missed that bit.

"Oh, Gabriel kept looking at Scarlet in Drama yesterday. I thought he fancied her, guess he was just thinking about Rouge, or this new girl." Explains Trish, before her eyes suddenly widen. "Wait, you don't think you're the new girl he's into, do you?" she asks with a rising tone.

"No." I state immediately and forcefully, Elise throws a "Don't go down that road" look to Trish. Best not.

We soon head away to our final lesson. Trish has a free period so we agree to meet back here before going to Elise's. One final barrier, PE. It's not the lesson that worries me.

As we arrive I clock one of the bathrooms next to the changing rooms. Perfect. I tell Elise to go ahead, and pass her my kit to take in while I go in. Can't change in here, Elise would clock something's wrong, but I can't change with Elise... There'd be too much temptation to look, and she'd make it worse without realising. I stay until I start hearing people leave and head in. Perfect timing, Elise has changed and is tying the laces on her trainers.

"Sorry, Make-up smudged." I explain, I guess I don't need to, but somehow Elise thinking I took a shit was more embarrassing than even the reality, a girl's gotta keep some mystique.

"It'll just come off when you sweat." Elise chuckles, finishing her laces, "I'll meet you out there!" She adds, heading to the field. Perfect. to temptation, no concerns, just staring at the wall.

The lesson is nothing special, warm ups, laps, more laps, break, laps, cool off. Almost wish it could've gone longer, haven't figured out an escape route this time. We return to the changing room and to my horror, the bathroom has a maintenance sign on the door. Can't use that trick again.

We're inside, there's nothing left to do, just do what I always do. I begin changing and keep my focus on the wall. I suppose it's weird that I'm not worried about her seeing me, but that doesn't bother me. What she would think if I looked at her and she realised I liked what I saw? That scares me.

"I'm gonna use my shower at home, you're welcome to use it too." I hear Elise offer. A shower actually sounds great right now.

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that" I say, throwing Elise a grateful smile. No. I turned my head. Turn back, erase, forget you saw anything. Wait. Did I see anything?

"You ready?" Elise asks, I look back, she's already dressed. I realise I'm tying my shoelaces. I was so worried about not looking at Elise I didn't pay attention. Guess I've done this so much it's autopilot now. It's done. We're leaving. I did it. The relief is almost enough to make me pass out. That's it.

The party can't cause anywhere near as much stress, can it?