The Great Pretender

22: All Shook Up

"I cannot believe you let them dress you as a woman!"

Seven ignored Ian as they made their way to their Biology class. Cherish had her arm thrown over his shoulder possessively; it was fitting, he supposed because she was wearing the men's clothes. She and Ari had even gone as far as to draw black stubble onto her face. At least Ian wasn't choking anymore.

As they entered the classroom, they were greeted by a couple dozen shocked faces. Ian just about giggled as he plunked himself into his seat. Beside him, a spirit filled cheerleader dressed as a sexy mouse was staring dumbfounded as Seven and Cherish took their seats. Even the teacher was staring with a rather confused looking expression on his face.

This was not Seven; he did not do this sort of thing. He didn't show school spirit. He didn't even wear costumes on Halloween, and if he did it was some lame last minute excuse of a costume, like the construction hat he had worn the year before at Ian's request. But, here he was wearing a knee length denim skirt, striped leggings and a girl's hooded sweater with pink bunnies all over it. He had carried a purse into class- black and pink, to match his outfit- and he wore makeup.

Seven Severin was wearing makeup... and cute little dangling star earrings.

-.-

Cherish smirked as she crossed the cafeteria beside him; the looks were priceless. Every person they passed did a double take, eventually noticing her beside him. Their costumes came as one, and were Ari's idea. She had woken them up extra early just so she could get them ready. She had been expecting them to resist or argue, but was surprised by their eager willingness to do it.

"Everyone expects me not to do anything," Seven had said. They had picked out their outfits together laughing stupidly on the floor of Cherish's bedroom while Ari held out random items of clothing.

Cherish wore one of the baggy tattered pairs of jeans she had gotten from Quentin, and a black button up shirt stolen from Seven's closet by Ian. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail and tucked into the back of the shirt and she wore a baseball cap from an auto shop. Her feet were shoved into a pair of black work boots, heavily scuffed on the toes; they had been the ones she wore when she helped Jeb out in the garage.

Couple the outfit with the black eyeliner Ari had smeared all over her face to look like the shadows of facial hair, and she resembled a scrawny greasy mechanic. A scrawny greasy mechanic who had managed to bag a tall, statuesque, "pretty" girlfriend. Every time a person did a double take, she wanted to laugh. In fact, she was surprised that Seven had managed to get through the day so far with a straight face. She made a mental note never to play poker with him.

-.-

If anyone had told Cherish two weeks ago that she would be up in her bedroom, in her bed and alone with Seven, she would have laughed till she choked. Then, she most probably would have punched whoever said it. She was glad her father wasn't due home for another four hours. Of course neither of them were paying any attention to anything but the homework that was spread all over the bed. She somehow didn't think that would matter much to her father.

What would matter was the, as he would consider it, low cut top she was wearing, and the bare stretch of skin below her shorts. What would matter was Seven's head inches away from her knee, and the fact that he was on the bed beside her- while they were alone at home. It was funny, she thought as she looked down at him, that three days ago she would have kicked his head in for getting too close to any part of her. Seven sat up, stretching with a heavy sigh, and kicked his homework off the bed.