14Welcome to the official Chapter One, I guess. I was happy with the response the Prologue got, and so decided to write some more. Bear with me though. My update times are sucky. Ask any one of my other readers, haha.
This one is dedicated to AgentDolly for knowing what anime Shutoku is from. (Kuroko no Basuke, for those of you wondering.) Also, she's adorable. Love ya, sweets.
BEGINNING
There were five of them in the tour group: a boy, his two parents, and the twins. They were led by one of the Shutoku academy counselors. Her name was Mrs. Primrose and she was quite prim and proper in her mannerisms. Her back was straight, her chin was tilted upward, and her spectacles looked very official perched at the end of her nose.
"Dear guests," she started, her voice stiff, as if she didn't want to be there. "Please follow me. We will make our way through the school immediately. I would like to be done exactly before one thirty."
"So that I can shoo you all away as soon as possible. Commoners have no place at Shutoku," is what Jeren believed she was thinking. After all, not everyone was approving of the poor, little scholarship students accepted to the great institution. They were different compared to the actual student body, and not in a good way in their opinion.
(Please note that Jeren and Jase had actually invested in basic brown colored contacts for the tour. They didn't want to scare anyone away at Shutoku. Not just yet. Besides, it wouldn't do to show them how different they really were.)
So they were taken all over the school. The campus was huge, extending several miles north to south, east to west.
There was no sport facility they lacked. Swimming pools, tennis courts, fields for sports like football, soccer, and lacrosse, and even an ice rink for hockey.
The architecture of the buildings (for the academy was composed of several put together) was astoundingly beautiful and Jeren couldn't help but drool over the window panes. She had a thing for Gothic-styled window panes.
Jase was more impressed by the lecture halls once they finally went inside. They were large, each almost as big as the auditorium in their public high school. It practically screamed tutelage, and the nerd inside him was as excited as a lottery winner.
Jeren saw the awe on her brother's face and smiled.
It was when they all reached the academy's cafeteria that the twins hollered with glee, causing the other four to gape at them. Thank goodness no one else was in the room at the time, because they were making quite a ruckus, running here and there to absorb everything there was to offer.
Not only were there ten buffet lines, but the menus listed some of the most exquisite cuisines and dishes they had ever known. There were some breakfast items written in French and German, there were some lunch choices they had never even heard of, and in the dessert options they offered…
"JASE. THEY HAVE FRIED ICE CREAM HERE."
"I KNOW."
"Ahem!"
The twins stilled, gulped, and turned back to face a very purple-faced Mrs. Prim and Proper.
"Sorry, ma'am," Jeren chuckled nervously. "Won't happen again."
Jase wore a sheepish grin. "We promise to behave."
The counselor took a deep breath and huffed silently. "I would hope so. Come."
The twins pouted dejectedly and waved goodbye to the cafeteria. "Sayonara, dear friend."
That concluded the end of the tour. Almost.
Mrs. Prim and Proper sighed before gesturing to an office adjacent to Lecture Hall 4-D. "This is the records office. If you could please follow me."
They all did so.
The office was big, gray, and smelled like Lysol. It was made up of millions and trillions of filing cabinets and a single desk near the very front, where a young woman sat. She smiled when she saw them approach.
"Welcome," she beamed. "My name is Miss Tulley. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Mrs. Prim and Proper scoffed. Somehow, she made that seem quite regal as well.
"Contain yourself, Miss Tulley. They are simply here to hand us their paperwork."
Everyone but Jase nodded their heads. Poor Jase. He blinked before turning his head back and forth between the counselor and his sister. It was then that he clued in.
"Jeren," he whispered angrily. "What have you done?"
She disregarded his question with a wave of her hand before proceeding to pull Jase's school file from her bag and handing it to Miss Tulley. The boy's parents did the same for their son.
"Perfect! I'll get these to the administrators as soon as I possibly can." She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for coming."
Jase Heath Holloway: Incoming Male Senior High School Student
Courses Taken:
Advanced Placement English Classes Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Geography, World History, and US History Classes Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Algebra, Trig, and Calculus Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Freshman through Junior Years
Marketing and Finance during Junior Year
Business and Management during Junior Year
SAT score: 2330
ACT score: 34
GPA: 3.97/4
Letters of Recommendation:
Teacher #1: A pleasure to have in class. Grades are beyond excellent and…
Teacher #2: A hardworking young man with a brain unlike I've ever seen before…
Teacher #3: Work consistently reflects insightfulness, intelligence, and understanding…
Jase was silent throughout the entire road trip home. It was only when they pulled into Carapace did he speak.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Jeren?" Jase asked quietly. "Why'd you finish the application process for me?"
Jeren shivered. Her brother was only ever silently angry when he was truly furious. It seemed she had pushed him far too much and now she was going to suffer the consequences of her actions.
Despite wincing at Jase's tone, she spoke her mind. "Look, I did it for you. You don't deserve to go to some run down public high school. You're meant for greater things. I'm positive this change is good for you."
"Have you ever thought about how I felt?" There was pain in his voice. "Do you even know what you've done?"
Jeren blinked. "But… you were the one who mentioned Shutoku last year. You were the one who wanted to go. I only did what I thought best, which was to support your endeavors."
This made Jase pause for a moment. "You really don't know, do you?"
"Uhh… don't know what?"
Jase exploded. "DAMN IT, JEREN. YOU'RE ABANDONING ME IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING!"
Jeren widened her eyes.
His breathing was ragged, but he didn't stop. "We've always been together. It's always been the two of us against the world. Jeren and Jase, partners in crime. We do everything together. We're each other's best friend.
"And now you want me to leave? Just for the sake of some better future? You don't even seem to care that you'll be left alone. You never think about yourself. Don't you know how much that hurts me? Don't you think I'll miss you? Because I will. I can't do anything if you're not by my side."
"Jase, I—"
He shook his head. "Shutoku was a mistake. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a mistake. I'm not going. I'm not going anywhere without you."
He turned on his heels and walked away. Where he was headed, Jeren didn't know.
Dexter Street frowned as he watched Jeren enter the salon. "What're you doing here, kid? Doesn't look like you need a haircut or anything."
"I need to see Kelly."
He raised a brow. "Oh, really? And how may my wife be of assistance to you?"
Jeren rolled her eyes. "Please. It's not like I'm going to kidnap her or anything. I need a favor, and I'm willing to pay whatever charge she comes up with."
Dexter gave her a long look. "Tell me this has nothing to do with the argument you had with Jason earlier today."
Jeren bit her lip. "You heard?"
Dex sighed. "We all did. I've never seen your brother get mad like that at you. We all thought it best to stay out of the way though. This isn't something us guys should butt into."
Jeren looked down. It had been a while since she and Jase had fought. She didn't like the idea of him being angry at her, therefore it was her duty to turn it all around. She would fix this mess if it was the last thing she did. Jeren already had a plan of action in mind. All she needed now was to work out some kinks and to visit her favorite hairdresser.
"Jeren!"
And there came Kelly's light, soothing voice.
Jeren immediately launched herself into Kelly Street's arms in a tight hug.
Kelly exchanged glances with her husband before hugging the girl back. "What's wrong, honey? I heard you needed me."
Jeren took a step back and gave Kelly a solemn look. "I need you to make something for me."
Dex looked at Kelly worriedly, who actually seemed pleased with her work.
"What do you think, Jeren? Will this do?" she asked.
Jeren stared at herself in the mirror and grinned. "Perfect. It's perfect."
"JAAAAAAAASE!"
Their uncle peeked his head out of the kitchen to glare at the intruder. "Could you be any louder, Jer-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Uncle Felix screamed bloody murder. He wasn't one for surprises.
Jase came barreling down the stairs. "What happened?! Where's Jeren? Is she okay? Where—WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?"
The "stranger" smiled happily at the two of them. "Yay! It's working! If my own family can't recognize me, then it's bound to work, mwahahahahaha!"
"Own family? What the hell are you—" Jase blinked, taking a closer look at the individual. "J-Jeren?!"
Jeren pulled off the wig and twirled around. "Ding ding ding! You guessed correctly. It is I, Jeren Holloway."
Uncle Felix stared at the girl before retreating back to the kitchen. "I don't want to know. Goodbye."
Jeren waved her fingers silently toward his direction.
Let's explain who Uncle Felix is, shall we?
Felix Dener was their mother's younger brother. Because their mother was hardly around due to work (hell, she even rented her own apartment in the city so her commute wouldn't be so long), she asked Felix to take care of her children. Felix was more than glad with the arrangement. Prior to Annette asking him to live with the twins, he hadn't had much contact with his only nephew and niece. With this, he was able to bond with Jeren and Jase to an extent he was content with.
Didn't mean he approve of what they did with their free time, but he never had the energy to berate them.
"Jeren. What is this?"
And then there was Jase to deal with. Jeren took a deep breath before unleashing her brilliant plan to her twin.
"I'm going to Shutoku with you."
There was silence before… "HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" …Jase started laughing.
Jeren's eye twitched. "Excuse me, but may I inquire as to what is so hilarious?"
Jase couldn't help the chuckles that kept coming. "Y-you said something so ludicrous that I couldn't help but laugh." He sighed. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Jeren, but it's not going to work. You can't force me to attend."
Jeren looked at him before pulling yet another file out of her bag. Jase decided to humor her and grabbed it. His eyes widened when he looked inside. "You-you're not sending this in, are you?"
Jeren grinned mischievously. "Oh, you better believe it. That right there is official documentation. I had to threaten the school staff personally to make sure they didn't fill it out themselves. If they had, they would've gotten my gender wrong."
Jase's hands started trembling. "This is insane. You can't do this. There's no way you can pull this off."
Jeren pulled her shirt up.
Jase wanted to faint. He closed his eyes instead.
"Oh, calm down. Look, you've seen me in a swimsuit. Same difference. Besides, I've got more coverage."
Jase peeked through ever so slightly before his jaw dropped.
Jeren's chest was wrapped with a wide cloth strip. It was bound so tight that it almost looked painful, but the most important effect was undoubtedly…
"NO CLEAVAGE!"
Jase fainted.
Jeren stared at his body for a moment before flouncing up the stairs. She needed to figure out how to use the bald cap Kelly had given her. After all, she couldn't have her long hair peeking out from under the wig.
Jeren Honor Holloway: Incoming Male Senior High School Student
Courses Taken:
Advanced Placement English Classes Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Geography, World History, and US History Classes Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Algebra, Trig, and Calculus Freshman through Junior Years
Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Freshman through Junior Years
Creative Writing during Junior Year
British Literature during Junior Year
SAT score: 2310
ACT score: 35
GPA: 3.96/4
Letters of Recommendation:
Teacher #1: Beautiful presentations and perspectives…
Teacher #2: Studies hard and proudly, and it shows through academic performance…
Teacher #3: Has the potential to become even greater than already is…
"Welcome to Shutoku Academy for Privileged Men, Jeren and Jase Holloway."
The chapters aren't supposed to be very long. I'm still getting a feel for how I want to write this story, how I want to portray everyone, and what exactly I should be doing. Cuz right now, I ain't got no idea. I'm just moving fingers on a keyboard right now XD
Hopefully writer's block doesn't kill me in the end. Or the middle. Or the beginning. Or whatever.