It wasn't long before most of the party made it to the dining room, as Wallace and Parker were already seated. But Miren and Chara were still trying to figure out how to deal with the elephant in the room, Dr. Tachibana.
Miren thought of making an elaborate lie about dressing as a guy in preperation for transgender awareness month, but even she didn't believe herself. And that wouldn't stop Dr. Tachibana from accidentally referring to her by name.
Then she thought of just cluing Parker in. He couldn't stop her, would he? Maybe not, she considered, grabbing a stack of napkins. But he could accidentally expose her. Naturally, his mouth was as big as his charm.
As Chara began to bring the final dish into the dining room, she offered her friend a panicked look. "It's now or never," her eyes told Miren. She sucked in a breath. Then I guess we're fucked -
A cellphone rang through the air, cutting her thought short. Dr. Tachibana fled to her pocket, pulling out the device. "Hello?" Her eyes focused intently on the counter as she nodded, sighing. "Mrs. Hamilton broke her other arm?" She looked around the table for her keys. "I'll be there in twenty."
The doctor turned to her daughter. "Cha-chan, I have to go to the hospital. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Okay!" Chara sounded a little too excited.
Her mother rolled her eyes before sliding on her coat. Usually she would oppose the idea of teenagers under an unsupervised setting, but she had doctoral duties to tend to. Plus, Miren was there. From what she had seen of her, she was too uptight to let anything fun happen.
"Watch them," she told the girl in disguise. Miren nodded, even though she wasn't particularly up to the responsibility. But it beat suffering through dinner with her. A small sigh of relief escaped her. Maybe the universe is on my side...
Dr. Tachibana grabbed her purse, placed a kiss on her daughter's head, and fled through the back door. "Bye!"
And then they were alone.
Yay?
**
Chara sat down across from Wallace, and Miren's only unfortunate option was sitting across from Parker. She gulped, her face heating up she sat down. Keep calm, she assured herself.
Miren breathed out of her nose. Her eyes were planted awkwardly at the table, studying the eggshell tablecloth. Maybe if she were left alone, she would be fine. Maybe if she didn't look in front of her, she wouldn't start hyperventilating. Though she was surprised that Parker hadn't said anything yet.
Sensing that everything was in order, except Miren's mind, Chara smiled gleefully before clasping her hands. "Itadakimasu!"
Miren found comfort in eating in silence. Now that the shock factor was beginning to die down, so were her nerves. But she wasn't going to say anything that would cause trouble.
So naturally someone else decided to. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Parker asked out of nowhere, his dark brown eyebrows in a squint, his gaze lucent and curious. His comment could have come off as mean, but because it was him, all tall, lean and charming, Miren couldn't help but be mesmerized. His green eyes...she tried to compose herself. Himself.
"Miles," she said, even though it came out in a forced hush. " I should have introduced myself earlier."
"How about you enlighten us?" Wallace said. Miren glared at the boy sitting next to Parker. Their brotherly resemblance couldn't be denied, just like her anger toward both of them. Even though they were just two or so years apart, Wallace was almost rivaling his brother in height and stature. He was noticeably darkerâa shade above tanâand his hazel eyes danced with a sort of intelligent, but slightly smug amusement toward life that was beyond his years.
She gave a mental eye roll. They were supposed to be eating -Â not interrogating her. And Wallace should have known better. He was just getting some sick joy out of her expense. Like everyone these days.
She wrinkled her nose, generating thought. "My name is Miles Ellison. I'm a friend of Chara...and I will be attending Rinzen Academy."
"I'm Parker. Nice to meet you." He flashed a million dollar smile. The same one she fell in love with in what felt like a million years ago.
Miren tried to force a smile, but she could only jerk the corner of her mouth slightly. "Okay." She retreated to her plate of rice, scooping some in her mouth. She hoped that no one would talk to her now. And they didn't for a while. But just a while.
"Who wants desert? Chara called out, in an effort to break the dismal atmosphere. Miren looked in her direction, her gaze as tense as her body. She took a deep breath, trying to reassure herself. Maybe she could pull off this boy thing. As a girl she was definitely more stiff than fluid, more rough than curvaceous. Chara sprang to the kitchen. Leaving her alone.
With them.
Miren held her head down in a hunch between her shoulders. She could feel Parker looking at her. His eyes burning against her form. So now he looks at me? She thought, feeling her nervousness boil into anger. For years he let Penelope kick her around like a hacky-sack while he turned a blind eye. This could be her chance. She could tell him off, just like she did to his girlfriend.
But when her new brown eyes met his, her hostility began to fade. Her face softened, but she realized it wasn't his carefree, attractive appeal that was rendering her useless. It was the look in his eye. It wasn't evil and malicious like Penelope. So why put up with it, she thought again, trying to think past the obvious before the obvious came to mind. Penelope must put out.
Chara walked in, bringing in a few tubes of ice cream and cake. As the table started to consume the dessert, the daunting silenceâalthough not as severe as beforeâreturned. But maybe Miren was just imagining the tense air. But it felt like it was speaking the truth. As if the silence would be the first thing to expose her.
"So," Wallace said, bringing his hands together, "do you feel like there has been a change, Miles?"
But it also could be Wallace.
"Really? You're going to ask that?" Chara said in a furious whisper. Her wide, pleading eyes met Miren's.
Although Miren was feeling a little bit less pathetic than before, she couldn't help but choke on her vanilla ice cream. "What?" she managed to spit out.
Wallace looked at her with amused eyes. "You know what I mean," he said, almost in a taunt.
That I should sock you in the face in front of your girlfriend? But Miren knew that she couldn't step down to the challenge. And she couldn't make it seem like it was one either. She swallowed.
"...Well, I've never attended an all boys school, if that's what you're referring to." Miren relaxed a bit. As long as she wasn't lying she didn't have anything to fear. She felt herself gaining confidence.
"But this isn't my first time going to a boarding school," Miren said, reaching for another scoop of ice cream.
"Really? Where'd you go?" Parker said.
Miren swallowed the spoonful before turning toward him. "Uh, Bellatrix Academy. It's a few towns over," she replied, referring to the real establishment.
Parker nodded in approval. "What made you switch to Rinzen?"
"I was bullied," Miren said, almost too sharply. There was an intensity in her eyes that began to worry Chara. She glared at her friend in disguise before shooting an angry glance at Wallace. Why couldn't they have just enjoyed their dessert in silence?
"Hey, Miles! Um, yeah...this sounds like it was a really rough experience. We don't have to talk about it." Her eyes darted at Miren's. "Really."
Miren failed to meet her friend's gaze and continued on, focusing on Parker as if he were the only person in the room. "Eventually it reached the point where I had a fit with herâ" Miren stopped herself. "âHim, and since he's practically royalty of the school, I thought that it would be better if I just left. Considering he started it and I got in all the trouble."
"Sounds like a jackass," Parker decided, crossing his arms. "Who is he?"
Miren shrugged her shoulders, but her face didn't look passive. "Doesn't matter. He's not going to bother me. Not anymore."
An intense, bitter quietness came over the table. Sensing it, Chara clapped her hands together.
"So," she started, with an unnatural amount of enthusiasm in her voice, "did everyone hear that Wally won first place in his science competition?"
His brother gave him a thumbs up, before lifting his glass of water. "Good job, buddy."
Miren forced a grin, letting the irritation slide off her face. "Congratulations."
"Well, I guess that concludes dinner," Chara announced, clasping her hands again. "Could everyone help clean up?"
Miren started clearing the table, stacking the plates on top of each other as she marched to the kitchen.
"Let me help you with that," Parker said, coming to her side. His arm brushed against her's as he took some plates from her hands. A shiver ran through her back, even though her cheeks were heating up. A kiss with his arm...She rolled her eyes, mad that she still felt anything toward him. She was pretty sure that she meant nothing to him. So why am I feeling this way?
She didn't know why. She was supposed to hate him. And it was not like she could talk to him. Not like this. She sighed, placing the dishes in the sink after Parker. But she still needed to say something, even if it wasn't for her sake.
"Watch out for her," she said. "I hope you know that she's not what she seems."
His eyebrow rose. "What are you talking about?"
Miren shook her head, realizing that she spoke out foolishly. "Never mind. I shouldn't have said anything."
His green eyes narrowed, before they widened in realization. "Wait. Are you talking about Miren Eze?"
Miren looked taken back. She tried to hide behind the false facade she had set up. But part of herâa hopeful part of herâcouldn't help but wonder whether she should just come out. Maybe he could help her if she asked for it. Maybe she wouldn't have to flee to Rinzen in shame. He could be her escape. Her salvation.
"Iâ"
"Ready to go?" Wallace said, as he entered the kitchen hand-in-hand with Chara.
Feeling that this conversation was over, at least for now, Parker nodded toward his brother's direction. However, his eyes didn't leave Miren's. "Yeah."
With an exasperated sigh, Miren walked toward the front door behind the group.
"Bye guys!" Chara said, waving frantically at the boys, as they entered his cobalt sports car. "See you soon!"
When they pulled out of the driveway and entered the road Chara turned to Miren.
"What's the matter with you!" Chara started, shooting her hands up. "What was with that backstory? You might as well have screamed, 'Hey, look at me Parker! It's me, Miren!' and then flashed him you tits!"
Miren's eyes burned against the wooden floorboards. "I'm sorry," she said, more genuinely than she actually felt. "I know that most of this is Penelope's fault, but I can't help but feel conflicted toward him."
Her sincere gaze met Chara's. "He's senior class president and he can't even keep his evil girlfriend in check? Tell me there's a problem with that."
Chara laughed. "Well, one thing is for sure. If you could relativity hold your cool in front of Parker, then you're ready for Rinzen." She pulled her troubled friend into a hug. Miren held on.
"I hope so."
But it never felt like hope was enough.
**
As they drove back to Rinzen, something plagued Parker's mind.
"Wasn't that Miles guy sort of girly?"
Wallace's eyes widened slightly. "What?" He ran a hand through his curly, brown-black hair. "Don't make me tell Penelope that you think some boy is pretty." He'd be quite delighted to actually, if it meant she would go the fuck away.
Parker shook his head. "No, not like that!" he said, waving his hand in defense. "And I guess he wasn't really girly. He just seemed upset, and his story..." Parker pointed out, as Wallace looked out of the window uncomfortably, "...it sounded familiar. And I think he knew about Miren. Maybe he's her cousin or an old friend or something?"
Wallace drew a sigh of relief. Good thing he was the brighter one. "That video of her kicking Penelope's ass has over ten million views. And you're in it too. So I wouldn't be surprised if he was interested in it. Especially if he's going to our school," he falsely reassured his brother. But now something plagued on his mind. "Hey Park, when you were in the kitchen with Miles, what did he say?"
Parker shrugged his shoulders, taking a left. "Something about watching out for some girl. That's why I brought up Miren, it sounded like he was talking about her."
Or Penelope. Wallace sighed. Was she trying to expose herself? "Like I said, just about everyone from Rinzen has seen that videoâhell, we were there. Maybe he was too since he just started." He pursed his lips. "Considering that he himself was bullied and knowing that you are Penelope's boyfriend, he was probably just offering his caution. No big deal."
Parker shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe." He wrinkled his nose as he made another turn. "But something doesn't seem right."
They pulled into familiar campus territory, and the regal welcome sign for Rinzen Academy came into view. As Wallace studied it and prepared to get out of the car, he couldn't help but come to an unsightly conclusion. For this operation to run smoothly, he would have to lie to his brother. Constantly.
And he didn't know how long he could do that.