|Chapter Twenty|Unmasked, Christmas Ball Disaster!

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   Time isn't what most believe it to be. It is it not a measure in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future. It is not the measure of durations of events and the intervals between them.

Time is the amount of things you get done while breathing on Earth.

Time is the things you do while you are happy, productive things. Laying around is not wasting time; laying around is not time at all.

As I raced through the halls of Ouran High, I felt my heart pound in my chest. When my feet reached the door, I grasped the handle and opened it. Once again my ears were met with mellifluous music pouring from the live orchestra. I made my way through the blurs of colors, faceless people whizzing by me at dizzying speeds. I was only focused on making it toward Tamaki; I didn't want to waste a minute with him. He made me smile when all I saw was vast emptiness.

He cheered me up.

"Ronnie!" I heard.

I instantly spun around to see the retreating back of Jade and the upturns of Tamaki's lips. 

"Hey René," I said jokingly. He blushed, and waved me towards him. I followed the blonde, whose hand gripped mine as he made his way through the crowd.

We weaved through the throngs of people, until we made it to a set of stairs. I was nudged forward by the blonde, and I skipped up, two steps at a time. Soon enough, we made it to an empty balcony.

"Whoa," was all I could utter as I gaped. Under us was the school garden, with hundreds, if not thousands of blossom tree petals whipping through the chilly night air. Christmas lights were strung on every tree, and it illuminated the peeing baby fountain. It was almost hard to believe this was the same school I had been going too for months.

"Yeah, it is pretty, but that's not my view," I slapped his arm, but didn't say anything else.

I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the scenery below us, and then flipped the camera, pointing it at Tamaki and I. He didn't see it — as he was looking down at the petals — but I snapped a picture, with me smiling and him distractedly staring into space.

"That was a cute expression you had there," I stated flirtily to Tamaki. "I almost didn't recognize you."

The blonde scoffed. "How dare you! I am the definition of beauty!" He exclaimed.

"And idocy," I pointed out.

"You're no walk in the park either, Connor," Tamaki said after a moment. Although more seriously.

"It's hard to figure you out. One minute you'll be happy, and smiling, and then the littlest thing can bring you down. You've been really sad lately, I noticed. Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I'm as healthy as a horse."

Tamaki gave me this serious look that made me drop my smile almost instantly. "I'm fine, really," I whispered, touching his shoulder for a moment before pulling my hand back hesitantly.

He can't know. Don't let anyone know. She's watching. All the time.

   Before I could take my hand fully away, Tamaki grabbed my wrist and pulled me close to him. It wasn't a second later when our lips brushed. A warm shiver raked my spine, and I felt my arms wrap around his waist. My lips pressed hard against his, and his mouth opened wider. I slid my tongue into his mouth and my hands played with the nape of his neck. I breathed in his sickly sweet scent, and my eyes closed as stars traveled across my vision.

As soon as it began, it was over.

Tama pulled back from me, and bit his pink lips as he gazed down at me. He looked scared, like I was going to reject him.

"Tamaki I— "

Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

I frowned and pulled my cell out of my pocket, looking at a text message of mine. It was from Kaoru.

Kao-chan: Hey, I have a Christmas present for you. Mind meeting me in the ball hallway?

Connor Sev: Sure. Gimme a few.

I closed my cell and looked at Tamaki with sad eyes. He looked questioning. I sighed and smiled briefly. "I'm sorry Tamaki, but I have to leave for a few minutes. A friend of mine is asking to talk privately for a few. Do you mind?"

Tamaki smiled, although it was very much fake.

"No, I don't mind. Come back?"

I leaned forward and pecked Tamaki on the cheek, which made his entire face turn an agonizing red. I winked. "Of course I'll be back. I like you, don't I?"

And I turned and left.

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It didn't take that long for me to change into my girl outfit. My extensions also went in easier than last time. I didn't reapply any makeup because I'd just have to take it off, but I did put on my mascara again. Lip gloss was slathered thickly on my lips, and I was set to go.

I raced to go to Kaoru, and blinked back when I saw him with his brother. I frowned and hid behind a corner, listening to their conversation. Although I knew it was wrong, I was worried that they were causing trouble again.

I was wrong.

"Something is off about that Callie girl," one twin said to the other. "She's really nice, but I feel something else. My gut tells me it's bad. Don't give her that address."

"Hikaru," the other twin said, "Don't sweat it. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Hikaru sighed and ran a hand through his hair, cussing out loud. "Whatever, get your heart broke. It doesn't matter to me, right? I'm just the twin brother right? The unimportant one?"

Kaoru's jaw dropped, and he tried to go after his brother. "Hikaru, no wait-!"

He was cut off by a door slamming into his face.

I frowned, and grabbed myself, running my left hand through my hair. At long last I skipped around the corner, plastering a false smile on my cheeks, and I greeted Kaoru with a gracious smile.

"Hi Callie," he said, and I felt my heart flutter as I looked into his amber spheres.

In his hand I saw the paper with the words: YOHO HOTORO.

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"Salutations," I whispered into Tamaki's ear.

I felt the blonde boy jolt underneath my miniscule touch. I flashed a smile at him, and his eyes looked at the bracelet on my wrist. I sat down next next to him, and just shook my head. "My friend gave me this bracelet. Isn't it pretty?"

My heart nearly burst in joy as I pecked Tamaki's cheek.

I was finally going to be free.

Tamaki let a small smile creep onto his features, and he eventually chuckled. "I suppose it is cute. Although not as much much as you," he murmured. Tamaki's breath tickled my ear, and I giggled, grasping his attention.

"Are you by any chance ticklish?"

"What? Me? No, of course- PFFT HAHA!"

I burst bursting to uncontrolled laughed as Tamaki ticked the sides of my body lightly, his fingers raking all over me. I tried to cover my mouth but he would pull my hands away and I'd be forced to show my wide, teary eyed grin to the entire world. In reality, it was just Tamaki, the stars, and I. I relaxed under his arms, him being the big spoon, and I the little spoon.

We talked about anything and everything, and for about an hour, I felt content.

That was until the ball began to end.

"I don't want to get up," I murmured into Tamaki's shoulder. His face turned a bright red, and I snickered, earning a light ear pull from the king of Ouran himself.

"You have to get up Connor. Jade just texted me, she said she's waiting outside for you. In her car. With her boyfriend."

I groaned. "The longer I stay, the more likely likely she is to get laid."

"If you want, I can stall while you get your stuff," the blonde offered. "Although if she murders me, I expect a grand funeral showing off all my beauty."

I nudged Tamaki with my elbow and told him to head on out. I then too stood up with his help, and headed down the steps to gather my duffle. I quickly turned a corner and hopped into the girls bathroom, and grabbed my duffle, when I heard footsteps behind me. I gasped and panicked, flinging myself into the nearest stall.

"Hello? Connor, are you in here?" I heard. My heart thumped unsteadily as I realized the voice was Kaoru's.

"Uh, no," I said loudly. "It's, um Callie."

I heard shuffling, and then and relieved sigh. "Good, I thought a boy had come in here. I'll wait outside and guard the door for you," Kaoru said authoritively. When he exited, I nearly cried in relief. That was the most stressful thing I've done. Not.

I knew I had to dress as Callie, and I took less than ten minutes to throw back on my outfit, put in my extensions, and throw my other clothes into the duffle. As I left the restroom, I saw Kaoru leaned against the wall, and he looked tired. But as soon soon as he saw my approaching form, her stood up as straight and chipper as one could be at midnight.

"I'm glad you're okay," Kaoru said, and I heard something odd in his voice.

"Uh, yeah, thank you," I stuttered, clearing my voice, smiling almost painfully so. "But there was no need for you to check on me."

"I'm a gentleman, what can I say?" he jested, and I nudged him in the ribs, before realizing that Tamaki was still distracting Jade and her boyfriend.

"Oh crap! I need to get out of here!"

Kaoru frowned, and as I tried to leave, he grasped my wrist in an iron hold. "Callie. Wait."

My stomach folded in on itself, and it flip flopped. My palms sweated and my heart thumped unsteadily. Something was off. Something was very, very wrong, and I could feel panic kicking into my system. I bit my bottom lip, continuously tapping my forefinger on the side of my leg. A

nxiety was thrown into the mix as well, and then Kaoru gazed at me seriously.

"Co- Callie. I need to tell you something. I like you, a lot. And I can't get you off my mind. You're just everywhere, and it's like I'm going crazy at the very thought of you."

My breath was stuck in my throat.

Need to leave.

Need to leave.

Need to leave.

He then pulled me in, and in my shocked state, his lips brushed my own so gently it was as if it barely ever happened.

Kaoru pulled away and held me close with gentle intentions.

My hands started to shake and I got an even worse feeling. So I ran.

But not very far.

As Iran tried to run through the red carpeted corridors, my heel snapped on something, and I was sent tumbling.

"CAL!"

Kaoru rushed to myself, when his eyes fell on something near my scraped leg. I winced in pain, but my eyes widened, when I saw what he was looking at.

A hair extension.

"Take them out."

I was confused. Was he...did he mean...?

"What?" I questioned.

"Take them out! The clips!"

I felt tears prick my eyes, and I stood up, trying trying to leave. But he pulled me back, staring at me with cold hard eyes.

"Do it or I'll do it for you."

I did as told, and stood as I bared my regular chin length hair.

But with this shorter cut, it was now apparent to the younger Hitachiin who I was.

"I should've known. I should've known! You were playing me! Playing with my emotions."

I backed up from Kaoru, shaking my head. "No, not at all! I didn't want anyone to know who I was! I couldn't! Chou she-!"

"Don't you dare go blaming this on anyone else!" He raged, storming closer to me to shove me into the wall behind me.

"I'm not!" I protested, but it fell upon deaf ears.

"I was so stupid to think I actually found decent girl in this freaking school. And here it turns out that she is actually a he!" The Hitachiin growled.

"You bastard! How dare you mess with my feelings and my life! I loved you!"

Those three words. Screamed into my face with the most angry face accompanied by it.

When I didn't answer, frozen in fear, Kaoru sneered at me, and turned away. I could've sworn I saw a tear, but it could've been a trick of the light. My throat clogged and I realized that I had been crying for something now. My bracelet lay broken in shatters on the carpeted floor. My extensions surrounded me like like a flurry of false hair. My dress was torn from where I was pushed into the wall, a stray nail cutting it nearly in half I pulled away.

My knees collapsed underneath me, and I realized the full extent of my own selfishness.

"How dare you mess with my feelings and my life! I loved you!"

Liquid clouded my vision.

I was awful.

I destroyed someone.

Numbness coursed through my vains, and although it wasn't able to be noticed through my facial expression, blank and stoic, I was screaming inside.

I threw on my spare sweat pants and a t-shirt in my carry on bag.

I dragged myself to the car, and noticed Tamaki was missing. Jade and her boyfriend were sitting in the back, holding hands as I entered.

It seemed Jade asked me a question, but I didn't hear it.

I was screaming silence. Black swallowed me from the inside out as I gazed out into the dark night, ignited by stars and other luminescent things.

My own stars didn't deserve to burn bright.

"CAL!"

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Anyway, this is where everything goes down hill.

Hope you enjoyed, it's over 2,300 words.

PECE!

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