"Ms.Park, please don't be late again." The teacher said as Irene opened the door ten minutes later after the bell. She must've been the stupidest looking person ever as she walked in with slightly red cheeks.
"Sorry, it wont happen again." She apologized and dipped her head in an apology to the teacher for interrupting his class.
"Where were you?" Daniel asked as she passed him.
"I got lost." She mumbled quietly. He smiled, swooning the hearts of their classmates.
The day continued along, normally.more classes, learning, talking, class clowns, groups of friends. Then the time came around for lunch. Irene was excited to eat with her brother for the first time of this high school year. She was hoping they would have some good food, but she wasn't expecting much.
Lunch was always terrible at her last school. Thats why she started staying outside with Jules and eating on the bleachers. Logan was always out looking for her and his friends would pick on Jules. Now she didnt have Jules, but her brother. He was already a magnet though,
"Come on." Irene mumbled to her brother. Daniel stood up, towering over her. He seemed so graceful and light compared to his old body, where he was clumsy and slow.
They walked down the halls together with Zoe following on Daniel's other side. Irene was certain there was a small mob following behind them from the amount of whispering she heard.
Well she was right.
Irene put on her headphones and blasted Nayeon's new album. She wondered secretly if she would get to see Vasco. She felt awkward for thinking about him hours after their one or two minute interaction. Maybe it was simply because he didn't say anything to her about her body or because he was the first guy to step in on her side rather than side with the guys and join in.
She shook her head an d pulled her headphones down when they went to the lunch line together.
"You should eat." Daniel mumbled to her.
"Okay." She agreed. She couldn't lie that she was slightly hungry. She had a very small appetite and didn't really crave anything. She ate small portions of her food only because she was scared she was taking up money from their mom if she would buy.
"Daniel, what kind of side dishes do you like?" Zoe smiled, spacing out into his beautiful face, but he wasn't listening to her. He was too happy that he was getting food for himself and not others. That this was his and only his lunch.
Irene hated that they went to go sit in a table that was once empty and now there were girls covering and fighting over spots. Irene glared at her brother to get his attention. He knew what she was thinking since she was shoulder to shoulder with two girls sitting in one spot next to her. He felt kind of bad for her.
"Here, i think i just lost my appetite.' Irene said, pushing her tray over to him and standing up. He felt kind of bad since he was excited to sit with Irene after all this time just to get physically too smooshed in to even eat normally.
He watched her start for the doors while all the boys and girls watched her in awe. They all were drooling over her as she walked out. The prettiest girl did not look happy in any way.
She secretly tried to search other the students to find Vasco, but she stopped when she made eye contact with a few people. She felt her heart pang with a sort of guilt when she imaged Daniel smiling and talking with the girls in the school as if she didn't just walk away. She wondered if the attention from all the girls would make him forget about his sister, the one that always stuck with him.
She walked downstairs and found a similar area to the one at her old school. It was hot and the sky was bright above yet there were boys still playing soccer in the field out front. She sat on the concrete bleacher under a tree for some shade and watched the boys kick a ball back and forth to each other.
She felt lonely without Jules here to talk to. She expected it to be a lot easier only because she didn't realize how much Jules meant to her. She thought she would gradually find friends,. But right now she felt like an outcast without Jules. Apart of her was now feeling isolated now that she was away from Jules.
She decided to facetime Jules the entire lunch period. Jules was a little surprised that Irene facetimed first, but she answered. Jules sat alone in the bathroom eating her lunch while her best friend sat alone on the bleachers
By the time lunch was over they had another 10 minute break to get to class and take their time.
Meanwhile, Daniel was picked out by some scary looking dudes to meet after class. He was sweating like crazy. He spent all his money on this uniform and these guys were another Logan copy and pastes.
"Hey, you smoke?' One asked, offering one of his own cigarettes.
"You're freaking tall." Another complimented.
"You made trouble at your old school, didn't you?" One laughed. Daniel was frozen. The kind of guys that once used to torment him were now offering him to smoke with them. Fear turned to shock.
"Look at your shoulders. You work out?"
"You must be a lady killer. Is that one girl with the gold glasses your sister or is that a rumor?" The one offering asked.
"No, shes my sister." Daniel mumbled out.
"Man, you gotta hook me up with her. Shes gorgeous." He laughed. Daniel felt a bit of throw up regurgitate in the back of his throat.
He was now looking at three guys who already seemed welcoming, but dangerous if you crossed them. He didn't want to look like a wuss or create bad ties with them. He didn't want to do anything bad to them, but he also knew that his sister would physically try and kill him if she found out he said sure.
"I quit smoking." He said, impressing them. "And...my sister isn't available."
The way he said that with a blank face sounded beyond condescending and imposing, but in reality he was so nervous his face froze into a resting bitch face. He nodded to them before turning away and giving the others a bad impression on him any way.
"He's got some nerve."
"What a prick."
After lunch Daniel walked back to class with his small mob. He felt a little bad seeing the desk beside the blonde haired kid was empty. He sighed and sat down. He wished Irene was aroud more if this was his first day at school in his new body.
He grabbed some books and watched videos until he accidentally fell asleep.
Irene walked into the classroom. She pulled her glasses off and started to clean them. The boys almost had a heart attack when they saw her without her glasses. She was gorgeous either way, but she still looked different. She had a different ambiance without her glasses.
Irene walked over to her seat to see Daniel asleep with Zoe trying to wake him up. Irene raised her eyebrows, realizing he was in his other obdy at home. This would completely throw off his schedule.
"Daniel." She poked his back. She rolled her eyes when he didnt wake up. She stood up and looked down at Zoe. Zoe got a strange glare when she tried slipping through her and the desk.
"What're you doing?" Zoe asked Irene as she called his name.
"I need him to send me something, but i cant if he's too busy sleeping." Irene answered and poked him.
"Wake up." Zoe said cheerfully with a sweet and fake smile as she poked him awake.
"Fuck!" He jumped up. Irene and Zoe flinched back, but Irene laughed into her sleeve as everyone looked over at him. Zoe looked like she was dying at the fact he cussed when she was the first thing he saw when he woke up.
"What the?"
"Are they fighting?"
Irene wasn't sure if they were asking if they were fighting or Zoe and Daniel, but she thought it was funny how stupid he looked and so did Zoe.
"Is the skank getting told off?" Someone mumbled.
"Thats embarrassing." They all laughed at Zoe.
And then she died of embarrassment and left Daniel alone for the rest of the day.
***
The day continued as normal and their arrival was calming down quite a bit. Well, in their classroom. Now all the students in the school were aware of the twins. The gorgeous twins. Flawless twins. All sorts of names were made for them.
Irene waited outside for Daniel after he was getting talked to and held back by the girls surrounding him. She stood by the gate, spacing out and looking for some sort of mob.
Thats when she saw the last person she thought she would. Vasco was walking toward the gates with his friend, who had giant ears. She glanced up to see him again, but this time he was looking at her.
"He—" He was cut off by a few girls screaming in the back by the school.
"Come on. I don't wanna be late unless it takes long." Daniel stood in front of Vasco's view. Irene rolled her eyes at the perfect moment ruined.
"What? Whyre you being so moody today?" Daniel said as she whipped around the gates. She ignored him and walked away with him calling her a rat and other names once they were far enough from the school.
"Youre so annoying. Why do you have to ruin everything, Daniel?" She scoffed.
"Me? Youre just being jealous because im actually cute compared to your ugly ass." He rolled his eyes.
"Im gonna leave you." He declared and started to walk ahead of her.
"Do it. Make everyone happier in this world." She raised her voice at him, slapping him in the back of the head.
"FIne, i will!" He pushed her lightly, making her stumble still. The two didn't talk for the rest of the way despite still being two inches away from each other. Irene would bump him in the shoulder and he would do it back. They went back and forth until they were physically shoving each other and laughing while chasing each other up the street to a small corner store.
The sign outside was one they already saw, so they wanted to try and get a job. Although the sign said 9pm-7am, Irene went to ask if her 'friend' could join in.
"Hello?" Irene walked in while Daniel leaned against the glass and waited outside.
"Hello, welcome in. Oh—" The store clerk raised his thick, brunette, eye brows at the beauty walking in. He almost gasped at the gorgeous woman walking in. She was stunning. Gold rimmed glasses, big doe eyes, perfect hair, beautiful facial features. All of the above were checked.
"Are you still hiring for night shifts?" She asked.
"Yes!" The clerk smiled with bright red cheeks. She was pretty -> more male customers -> more money.
"Oh, thats a relief. Do you need a resume or anything? My friend and I don't really have any experience—"
He looked out the window to the tall, lean boy standing outside. He definitely had to be her friend or boyfriend. Tall and handsome which led more people wanting to come in.
"You're hired! So can your friend!" He smiled with a thumbs up.
"Oh, no. I cant work those hours—"
"Take any hours you want in the evening. You're free to have the max pay if you work a 4 or 8 hour shift!" He smiled.
"Really? Thank you so much!" She smiled and took off to go to Daniel. Daniel noticed her overly happy smile.
"What? Did he say yes?" He asked.
"Yeah. I got hired for any time i want." She smiled and walked off without him. Daniel gasped.
"Really? What hours are you planning on doing?" He asked.
"Maybe 9 to 1 or something like that. He seems like a good manager and he said he'll hire us right away with max pay." He said, resting her hands behind her head.
They got home and changed out of their uniforms to change in some jogging clothing, which was a shirt and shorts to them. They went out for an hour of running to get 7 miles done in an hour. Daniel never used to be able to do half a mile, but now he was keeping up with his sister, who was the best track runner in their old school.
They ate food for an hour after getting some street chicken. They walked around in the city for a couple hours to waste time and talked some heart to heart and some funny memories.
Of course Irene was hit on, but this time Daniel was too. More than Irene actually. Girls whispered and giggled loudly as he passed. Even though she knew she wasn't really looking at Daniel she knew he was happy.
Instead of getting the attention that made him cry himself to sleep at night he was now getting smiles and giggled thrown at him left and right. He wasn't miserable. He was genuinely happy knowing that he can walk around being himself without showing himself. He was purely walking around the way he did when they first go there, but people didn't move away from him. They gravitated toward him.
He was always an outcast for his looks, but now he was still an outcast, but in a way people accepted him.
It still hurt for Irene. She hated how society pushed him out because of his genetics, but now he was pulled back in and accepted for changing bodies completely. He was still Daniel to Irene. He was still the same annoying, but kind person she cared for and loved more than anybody else. To see everyone caused him so much pain were now wanting to be with him because his looks.
Even though it was messed up, she was simply happy seeing Daniel being his self.