Don't tell him

(chapter originally by williwall at writing.com)

Yukari wavered. "It's not that I don't want to trust you," she exclaimed, face in her hands, "I just can't. It's too embarrassing."

"Alright, fine," Junpei said. "Look, you really don't have to tell me. But I'm here to help if you need." He turned to go, and then looked back. "Here, take this," he said, tossing her a sewing kit. "You might want to repair that dress, if you're planning on going back outside."

"Thanks," Yukari said with a wan smile, and wiping some tears from her eyes. For all his faults, Junpei was a good friend in times of need.

"Unless you want to go out like that, of course." He studied her chest critically. "Is it really that cold in here?"

Blushing, Yukari folded her arms over her breasts. "OUT. RIGHT. NOW." She ordered. Some things never change.

With Junpei out of the room, Yukari turned her attention to the damaged maid outfit. Sewing wasn't her strong suit, but she did have a rough idea on how to do some minor repairs. Over the course of ten minutes, she had deftly stitched her dress back together. "Not too bad, if I do say so myself," she said proudly.

On the way out of the storage room, she was greeted by Mitsuru. "Ah, excellent, Yukari, just in time," the taller girl proclaimed. Table 3 is looking to make an order. You may start over there." She reached for Yukari's wrist and started to lead her off towards the table. At the table, she greeted the boys with a strained smile. "What do you want?" she growled menacingly. The boys cringed back in fear.

"How unbecoming," sniffed Mitsuru. "Please conduct yourself appropriately, Yukari. You must bow and greet your customers like this. How may I serve you, my master?" Mitsuru said, dropping an elegant curtsy.

Not wishing to be outdone, Yukari reluctantly complied. "P-please let me serve you, my master!" Yukari strained between her teeth managing a curt bow. From behind, she heard murmurings in the table behind her. Hurriedly, she pulled the back of her skirt tightly against her. 'Did my skirt ride up?' she worried. Thankfully, nobody made any remarks.

Junpei, nearby, grinned and dropped his pencil. "Oops," he exclaimed, "Let me get that." As he bent down to pick it up, Yukari hauled him up by the ear. "Don't you dare try to look," she growled.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. The cafe was an overwhelming success, owing no small part to her popularity. The boys loved her, of course, and the outfit, while dangerously revealing, highlighted her long legs quite nicely. Yukari grinned to herself, satisfied. For all the trouble that she went through today, it was worth it. And who knows? Perhaps when it came time to elect the next student council president, the attention over her success would come in handy. She was better suited to the role than Mitsuru, of course.

She leaned back, hugging a tray to her chest, watching Junpei as he cleaned up around the room. 'For all of his vices,' she thought, 'he isn't such a bad guy. Especially when he tries to do something seriously.' Not that she'd ever admit that to him.

Junpei came up to her, wiping the sweat from his brow. "So, how was it?" he inquired.

"It wasn't so bad, after all." Yukari smiled. "I could get used to this. It's nice to be the star of the show." She giggled and flirtingly played with the hem of her skirt. "What do you think about my handiwork?" She inquired. "Do you think that I could be a model?" She asked teasingly.

Junpei grinned back. "Not too shabby," he exclaimed. "Although the stitching could use a bit of work." He pointed critically to a thread that stood out of place. "There," he said, plucking at it. "Isn't that better?"

Suddenly, Yukari felt the gaze of everyone in the room snap towards her. The thread, which was holding her maid outfit together, came undone, causing the dress to slide down her shoulders and on to the floor. A hushed silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Yukari, now naked at the front of the class. Quickly, she fell to her knees, clutching the remnants of her now ruin dress against her exposed body. She pressed her eyelids down, trying to hold back burning tears from her eyes, as the sound of deafening cheering erupted around her.

Yukari screamed.