The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise (Featured Story)

Chapter 33

After dismissing himself from Theodora, Jeno headed toward the refreshment table with Miren. Scanning the dance hall to make sure no one was paying attention—and no one was—he slipped into the darkened kitchen, motioning for Miren to follow. He shut the door behind them, silencing the room.

"It's almost time," Jeno said, his eyes on his illuminated wristwatch. At ten they would begin. "Are you ready?"

"I'm afraid I don't have a choice either way." She leaned against the wall facing the dance hall, in between what she made out to be a stove and sink. She closed her eyes, taking in the darkness. It would probably be simpler to disappear inside it. She might have even preferred it. But no one said revenge was easy.

"How much longer?" Miren asked, feeling her stomach fill and flutter with anxiety.

"We'll meet the others outside once you..." There was a sound of wrinkling. A bag. "...Put this on." Her eyes had adjusted to the absence of light and she caught the white bag midair. Letting the sheer, plastic container glide to the floor, she was confused by what she felt. Fabric. And something else.

"What is this?" she said, using her hands as eyes against the material.

"A dress." She could hear his feet shuffling before her. "Put it on and we can go."

The darkness couldn't conceal the level of distress in her eyes. "Um, right now?"

"Yes, right now. There isn't a bathroom or anything, so I fully expect you to strip naked in front of me." He was walking away from her now. A door opened in the kitchen, and a light flicked on. It was the bathroom.

Miren rolled her eyes before heading toward the room. "You know you're supposed to use inflection to show sarcasm, right?"

Jeno shrugged, shutting the door. "It's more fun not to."

The florescent light of the room was blinding. Miren blinked a couple of times, and when that didn't help, she decided to get down to business anyway. Her eyes focused on the items in her hands. A dress. And the foreign material she felt earlier was a cap that encased a wig. She groaned at the objects. The humiliation never ended. 

But wasn't it over, technically? She unfolded the outfit, which was a powder white dress with long sleeves. The choice wasn't horrible, but she would hardly call it her taste. But that didn't matter much now, did it?

Alright, how do I put this on again? She stripped down to her undergarments, deciding to keep on her gauze in case she had to make a quick change. Pooling the dress over her head and seeing that there was no room to enter her limbs, she took it off. She scratched her head, contemplating this for a moment. Even as a girl she never bothered dressing up outside of her usual uniform. 

There was a tap on the door.

"I thought being a boy would have taught you to dress quickly. Hurry up." She gave an aggravated huff at the door. She wasn't dressing as a boy. She was dressing as a girl. And apparently it was more work than she remembered.

Scanning the article of clothing, she noticed an invisible zipper at the back of the chiffon fabric. Breathing a sigh of relief, she carefully unzipped it, entering the gown one step at a time. Eyeing herself in the mirror, it was weird seeing her usual form in female clothing. The fading Rinzen tattoo was the only thing that reminded her of her alter ego. She shook off the thought, realizing that she was still missing something. Hair.

She placed the netted cap over her head before pulling the black wig over it. She examined herself again. Huh, I didn't know I could look good in bangs. But she was wasting time. She combed her hair as straight as she could with her fingers and opened the door.