Chapter 21: An Unexpected Outcome

"I lost her again…" Jane muttered and tried to catch her breath. She had been chasing Avegaille down but she wasn't exactly successful at catching her. Then, she looked around the hallway again and realized that some students were looking at her as they passed by. She tried to ignore them and continued walking until someone bumped into her.

"Ah!" the girl with short blonde hair quickly stepped back and looked at who she bumped into. "Huh… I know Avegaille had a sister but I never imagined she would look exactly like her…"

"Yeah…" Jane looked exasperated upon hearing that remark. She lowered her head closer to the girl and pointed to one of her eyes. "We don't look that alike. That little shrimp has green eyes and I have blue eyes. At least, that's the only thing that sets us apart aside from our height."

"Oh, hey, you're right!" the girl exclaimed and giggled. "Anyway, I'm Emily, just in case you don't know me yet. I'm also part of the school newspaper and a rival for Nicole May when it comes to… um… hmm, I don't know what it's called… but you do know Nicole May, right?"

"Hmmm? Yeah, I know her… she's always with Avegaille. She's really strange for someone who's rich," Jane remarked as she stepped back from her and folded her arms across her chest. "Anyway, I'm looking for that little shrimp, you know which way she went?"

"Oh, Avegaille… no, I haven't seen her for quite a while," Emily replied as she sweat-dropped. "I've been busy gathering answers for this article I'm planning to write. Well, I'm done with that, so I just need to figure out how to put it as an article."

"I see… well, it's fine, just go on with your business…" Jane muttered and Emily waved her hand as she ran off.

Afterwards, Jane continued looking around to see if any of Avegaille's friends were nearby. She kept walking until someone grabbed her sleeve, which made her stop walking. Jane quickly turned around and saw Madeline along with her other friends. They were also the same group of students she was with since she started middle school.

"Hi Jane~" Madeline greeted giddily. Then, she turned to everyone behind her. "Guys, have you found the perfect guy for Jane?"

"Not really…" one of them replied and sighed. She had short brown hair and wore a headband. "Hey, Vicky, how about you? You think that guy from the other class you were mentioning would be interested in Jane?"

"Well, the guy seems to be interested in another girl, so I doubt it…" Vicky replied back and shrugged. She had long blonde hair tied in pigtails. "Come on, Sabrina, you said you found someone too, so why aren't you sharing?"

"Hey, hold on, what exactly are you guys up to?!" Jane exclaimed loudly, and everyone quickly turned to her. "If you're finding someone for me, forget it. My Mom just told me I can't date a guy until I'm in high school…"

"Oh? Well… what about girls?" Madeline asked and grinned mischievously. "It's easier to find girls for you… if you know what I mean…"

"I'm not a lesbian, okay?!" Jane protested and stared at them exasperatedly.

"Oh, don't be so mean, Jane… besides, your little sister is doing better when it comes to the bisexual game," Vicky remarked and giggled. "We asked around and finally pinned down on who your little sister is."

"She's the one who was using the announcement system earlier, right?" Sabrina asked and laughed nervously. "She's quite brave, to tell your secret to everyone in school just like that…"

"Argh, that's why I'm looking for her…" Jane grumbled while she clenched her fists. "That little shrimp is gonna get it once I find her…"

"Come on now Jane, just let her be," Madeline said and grabbed Jane's shoulder. "Besides, you really should introduce us formally to her. I mean, we only know her because of campus rumors and stories."

"Speaking of which…" Vicky muttered, pointing at the girl behind Jane.

Jane turned around and now saw that Avegaille was standing right in front of her. She was about to move closer when Vicky and Sabrina quickly grabbed her arms, which prevented her from assaulting her little sister. Then, Madeline went closer to Avegaille and smiled at her.

"You're Jane's little sister, right?" Madeline asked curiously. "Don't worry, as long as Vicky and Sabrina are there, Jane can't touch you… anyway, I'm Madeline… I'm your sister's friend… and also a secret lover."

"I heard that!" Jane exclaimed furiously. "I already told you I'm not interested!"

"Eh?" Avegaille slightly tilted her head to the side. "Hmm, yeah, I'm Avegaille… but… what do you mean… by secret lover?"

"Oh? Didn't Jane taught you how two people of the same gender can have a relation—"

"STOP!" Jane shouted, in which Madeline paused and turned to her. "You guys will not ruin my sister's innocence with your homosexual talk!"

"Eh… um… I never knew my sister had such strange friends…" Avegaille muttered and laughed nervously. "But anyway Jane, Arthur told me something about… same gender relationships, but I really don't understand how it works. I mean, do both girls do the same things a girl and a guy does when they have a relationship? Even… in you know… that thing… But then again… Jane, Mom said you can't date men until you're in high school, so now you're dating girls?"

"That's not it, you little shrimp!" Jane exclaimed furiously and Madeline started laughing hysterically.

"Well, we're trying to convince her, but she's tough to crack," Vicky remarked, trying to suppress her laughter. "She's straighter than a stick. She's quite interesting once you get to know her better though."

"How about you, Avegaille? Have you been close to any girl lately?" Sabrina asked.

"Eh… um… well, there's Nicole May, but she's my best friend," Avegaille replied and laughed nervously. "Isn't it natural to be close to your best friend after all?"

"I see…" Madeline grinned and turned back to Jane, who looked nervous. "See, your little sister is ahead of you. She's gonna find someone even before you can find your own partner, Jane."

“Avegaille, you should introduce us to Nicole May also~” Vicky chimed in.

"You guys are really weird, you know that?" Jane groaned and slowly shook her head. "This is why I don't want you all knowing who my little sister is…"

"Ah, oh yeah, Jane… I finally remember now… Mom wants to talk to you!" Avegaille interrupted, in which everyone turned to her. "She said she finally has an idea on who’s behind the cheerleader assaults."

"So that's why you were willing to give up yourself earlier," Jane muttered wearily. Then, Vicky and Sabrina released her from their grip. "Whatever… I'll see you guys later…"

After that, Jane walked off and Avegaille was left with her sister's friends. She looked at them hesitantly, and they were all smiling at her. Before they could get even closer, someone tapped Avegaille on her shoulder. She quickly turned around and saw Nicole May staring at her apathetically.

"Who are they?" Nicole May asked as she stared at the girls skeptically.

"Ah… oh, they're Jane's friends," Avegaille replied and laughed nervously. "Anyway, what brings you here and all?"

"Oh… Naz told me I have to wear a cheerleader's outfit later… I'm not too fond of the idea, but I'm tracking down the girl we met yesterday," Nicole May muttered and groaned. She looked at the group of seniors who had been listening to their conversation. "Maybe they know where the cheerleaders meet up…"

"Ah… I know the cheerleaders hang out at that room closest to the exit that goes to the school grounds," Sabrina replied. "They're quite noisy too… well… maybe because they're practicing their cheerleading routines. You won't miss that room either way."

"Well, anyway, we have to get to our classes, see you two sometime~" Madeline said, waving her hand. Then, she left with Vicky and Sabrina following behind her.

"Come on now Avegaille, you're coming with me…" Nicole May muttered, grabbing Avegaille's arm and then, started dragging her.

.-.-.-.-.-

Hours later and it was finally dismissal time. Most students had gone home quickly, but there were some students left due to club activities. Elizabeth was in the newspaper room with Arthur and Emily. Avegaille, Nicole May and Naz, on the other hand, were at the science lab with the boys from earlier. The boys were staring blissfully at Nicole May's outfit so much that they couldn't even teach them how to hide in the lab without being noticed. Avegaille started whacking them in the head until they finally realized where they were.

"This is embarrassing…" Nicole May muttered as she folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Her face was red from embarrassment while everyone continued to look at her. She was wearing the school's cheerleading outfit but with one exception. She asked Avegaille if she could borrow her jacket seeing as she didn't want anyone to see the scar on her arm. Avegaille was confused at first, but Nicole May made up an excuse that the outfit would make her feel very cold if she didn't have a jacket on.

"Oh yeah, we'll take your glasses for now Nikki," Naz said and immediately grabbed the glasses on Nicole May's head. Then, she turned to the boys who were rubbing their heads from the pain they received due to Avegaille's whacking. "Now then, how are we supposed to hide here?"

"The lab tables are good hiding places… also we lock the other side of the door so that people will only go through one side of the door," Fred explained and then, he rushed to the backdoor and locked it.

"Now all of us hide under the lab tables and wait for anyone to come inside," Marcus added as he pointed to the tables suitable for hiding. "The best places to hide are the tables by the back."

"Okay, let's hide!" Naz exclaimed. She and the boys started hiding under the tables, leaving Avegaille and Nicole May alone.

"Well, just scream or something if anyone starts assaulting you, okay?" Avegaille said to Nicole May and laughed nervously. Then, she ran to the tables and hid under it.

"Seriously…" Nicole May muttered to herself while she walked up to the front row and sat down on one of the chairs. There was a book on the table, which Naz placed earlier, and she started turning the pages. She had difficulty reading it since Naz took her glasses, so she had to put it at a distance for her to see the text clearly. Then, she heard the sound of the door creaking, and as it opened, a boy with thick glasses came inside.

The boy had a creepy grin on his face, which made Nicole May quite uneasy. Then, two more boys came inside and stared at Nicole May. The stares they had on their face was quite unsettling. Finally, the boy who first entered the room approached Nicole May and placed his hand on the table.

"Hey, babe, what brings someone like you here?" the boy asked as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"It's… none of your business…" Nicole May muttered and immediately turned away from him.

"Persistent eh? Hey, don't you know, this is our territory… only girls who are brave enough go inside here," the other boy said and laughed loudly.

Nicole May sighed exasperatedly while the boys continued talking. Then, one of them went to the door and locked the door. After that, the boys surrounded Nicole May from behind, giving her no chance to escape from them. Before one of them could even touch her, Nicole May heard loud consecutive smacking sounds from behind them and one by one, the boys fainted, falling on the ground. Nicole May looked up and saw Avegaille, who was grinning at her.

"See, I told you I'll make them faint before they could even touch you," Avegaille said proudly. Naz and the other boys quickly got out from under the table. Then, Avegaille looked down and stared at the boys who fainted on the ground. "Hmm, I'm not familiar with these guys… they must be older than us…"

"Taking pictures now!" Naz exclaimed, holding the camera with her hands and started taking pictures of the fainted boys.

"We should get rid of their disguises to see who they really are." Joey squatted down and took off their glasses. "Also, I think we should tie them down just in case… there's some rope in the cabinet, right Marcus?"

"I'll get it!" Marcus ran off to the back of the room and looked through the cabinets. Then, he came back with a bunch of long thick rope in his hand. "This one should do it."

Fred, Marcus and Joey started tying down the fainted boys until the three of them were sitting on the floor, tied all together, including their hands and feet, so they couldn’t escape. Nicole May stood up from her seat and folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Avegaille started poking one of the boys' cheeks with her stick but that didn't wake him up. Naz continued taking pictures until she got the shots she needed.

"Should we interrogate them?" Avegaille asked as she sweat-dropped. "I mean, we don't know anything about them… or who they are, for that matter…"

"I'm sorry ladies, but even without their glasses, we can't recognize them," Fred said, slowly shaking his head. "We've never seen them before… probably because we're always locked up either here, in classrooms or the library."

"Figures…" Nicole May muttered and groaned. "Well, it's no surprise, seeing as even I don't know every single person in this school… it's really big if you ask me."

Then, someone knocked on the door and everyone turned to the direction of the sound. Avegaille quickly ran up to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see Jane standing in front of her. Then, she noticed that her sister was holding onto some folders.

"Hey shrimp, I just wanted to check this room to see if these three students are here." Jane looked around the insides of the room from where she was standing. "Why was the door locked and why are you in there?"

"Um, why don't you come in… we have something interesting to show you," Avegaille said as she stepped back and Jane stepped inside the room. Then, Avegaille closed the room and quickly went next to Nicole May.

"Huh?" Jane stared at the boys tied down on the floor and carefully examined them. Then, she quickly looked through the folders she was holding one by one, giving all the folders to Nicole May afterwards. She was speechless after looking through the records.

"What's wrong, Jane?" Avegaille asked curiously.

"Hey, Naz, can I have my glasses back?" Nicole May requested. Naz dug through her pocket until she got Nicole May's glasses and handed it back to her. Then, Nicole May put on her glasses and started reading through the contents of the folders. After she was done, she handed them over to Avegaille. "Apparently, these are the school records of these perverts currently tied down in front of us."

"That's right… my Mom gave that to me earlier during lunch time. She asked me to search for them and tell them to go to the principal's office," Jane explained while she folded her arms across her chest. "I didn't expect them to see them all tied up like that."

"Eh… how did Mom figure it out even before we caught them?" Avegaille asked as she scratched her head.

"Some people are just gifted with special abilities Avegaille, even if they seem very… very weird," Nicole May explained and smiled weakly. "Anyway, we really should interrogate them first… or better yet, think of a good punishment for them for even attempting to assault me."

"Yeah, they've been framing up these poor innocent geeks over there," Avegaille added and turned to the boys standing from the other side. The three of them were sheepishly smiling at her.

"You guys should just leave that to the principal… besides, if you've got real evidence, the punishment will be greater," Jane interjected.

"Oh, I've got evidence right here!" Naz exclaimed as she pointed to the camera in her hand. "I was taking pictures quietly while those perverts were about to assault Nicole May. The reflection from the window makes it quite visible in this high tech camera."

"Let me see that!" Nicole May quickly took the camera from Naz's hand, tugging Naz closer to her along the way, and started browsing through the camera's files. Then, she saw the shot that Naz was talking about. "You were able to get a shot like this?"

"Yeah, I was reading the manual of this thing and been practicing here and there," Naz explained and giggled. "I also asked Mom for some tips and she helped me out."

"That's settled, so we should probably wait for them to wake up," Avegaille muttered and turned to the boys tied up on the floor. Then, she turned to her sister. "Hey Jane… I was wondering… was the reason behind you wanting a boyfriend so badly is because you don't want girls dating you?"

"Geh!" Jane's eyes shifted left and right, in which everyone slowly turned to her and stared at her curiously. She slowly stepped back away from them while Naz, Nicole May and Avegaille stepped closer to her. Then, she stopped walking and the three girls in front of her stopped moving as well. "Well… it's not what you think guys… it's just… you know…"

"Huh, are you denying the fact that girls are attracted to you?" Naz asked and grinned mischievously. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with it… so it's fine if you did date a few girls here and there aside from boys."

"Shut up, okay?! I'm not a lesbian… of course it doesn't mean that I hate them. I'm just… not one… that's all!" Jane protested and sighed exasperatedly. Then, she turned to Avegaille. "But still, those three girls you saw me with earlier… they're still my friends. I mean… I know one of them really likes me, and I already said no… but she keeps insisting. I really don't know what to do…"

"Eh? Why are you asking me what to do?" Avegaille frowned and started thinking. "Hmm, it's really hard to be put in a situation like that… I would probably take like a week or so before I could come up with something…"

"If you ask me, dating men just so that your friend would stop insisting on you isn't also a good idea," Nicole May interrupted, in which everyone turned to her. "You should just go with the flow. If it's a simple crush, it'll probably go away on its own. Besides, forcing yourself into someone you don't even love is really horrible, especially whatever comes up after that. No one wants that…"

"Nikki pretty much got it right. Anyway, she's still your friend, so just tell her what you really feel," Naz added and nodded. "She'll understand it afterwards…"

"I suppose… thanks guys," Jane said and smiled. Then, she heard a noise and as she turned around, she saw the door opening. Everyone else also turned around and was surprised to see Mrs. Stewart at the door.

"Oh, hey everyone, I was doing some classroom checks… what's going on here?" Mrs. Stewart asked curiously. She entered the room and looked around. Then, she saw the three boys tied up all together, on the floor. "Ah, you found them? Well, I suppose I would have to think of a punishment… I'm not really good at this… Hey, Nicole May, why don't you think of one for me?"

"I've got the perfect punishment for them, Mrs. Stewart…" Nicole May muttered as she placed her hands on her hips and grinned mischievously.