Cross School

19 - The Girlfriend Dilemma

As the week progressed, the Taylor issue only got worse. With each passing day, Taylor's girly attitude increased tenfold. Her back was straighter, she had begun walking more like a girl, talking more like a girl, her mannerisms along were completely feminine. One day in particular almost pushed Alicia off the edge. Alicia was used to being chosen as the model for her Fashion Design Class. She was the teacher's pet and proud of it. The teacher in question, Ms. Moriet, loved how enthusiastic Alicia was.

Taylor joined her for every Fashion Design class now, and it started off normal enough. She sat in the back with Rose and Sam while Alicia sat way up the front with Amy. But on Wednesday's class, Taylor was nowhere to be seen at the back. She was up front, in Alicia's seat, chatting away with Amy like they had been best friends for a long time. It didn't help that Taylor looked stunning as usual. Her makeup was perfection, the dark eyeshadow and black lips were enough to make any guy go nuts. She had her long black false nails again, Taylor's new favorite accessories. Alicia had heard talk that Taylor was a 'Princess' of some sorts with the four guys, but it was only today that she really saw what they meant.

Taylor was wearing a beautiful black dress that was any Goth girls' dream prom outfit. It was like staring into the night sky itself, the shade of black was Game of Thrones levels of dark. The long dress went down to her knees, showing her legs which surprisingly weren't fitted with fishnet stockings. They were bare today, and cleanly shaved. On her feet were a pair of black peep-toe pumps, exposing her toenails which were painted black.

Her hair was down to her shoulders again and full of volume. This was someone no normal girl could compete with in terms of beauty. And Ms. Moriet seemed to notice this, because today, instead of getting Alicia to stand up on the pedestal as the model, she chose Taylor, and her exquisite gothic beauty.

Alicia almost puked. She needed to find a girl that would release her brother from this straight up lobotomy that has gone on. Tyler was fading away, fast.

-

Alicia didn't get much sleep the following night, the only time she did her ideas for potential girlfriends were replaced with a very strange dream.

For some reason, Alicia and the rest of her family were on the Dr. Phil show. Alicia sat alone on one side, on the studios weirdly high chairs, while Taylor, Bella and their mother sat on the other, looking extremely disappointed in Alicia.

'How would describe your daughter, Miss Middleton,' Dr. Phil said in his usual Southern drawl. 'Because I'm having a helluva time trying to find a word myself.'

'A snot-nosed brat,' Keira Middleton said. 'Always has been. She's just jealous of Taylor's success and wants to sabotage it.'

'That's not true!' Alicia screamed, but Dr. Phil intervened.

'Young lady, do you teach a monk with a meat cleaver to dance? If we are to have a civilized chat here, please refrain from yelling. Now, what we have here is a basic case of sibling rivalry. Gosh darnit, it's just that simple. Taylor, do you believe I'm right in assuming so?'

Taylor nodded, grinning smugly at Alicia through her red painted lips. 'I do, Dr. Phil,' she said as she waved her hand through her hair. 'She's trying to sabotage me because...well, I don't know why.' Then Taylor began to cry, though it looked very fake, as usual on Dr. Phil. 'I just don't understand why you're being mean to me, sis.' Taylor's overreaction was now to the absurd levels. The tears were flowing, her makeup was running, and her false nails were grabbing her chest. 'I like dressing like a girl, is it so wrong for me to express myself?'

'Well...um, no,' Alicia answered, but Dr. Phil stood up, grabbing the attention of the entire audience which was just filled with Alicia's friends and the other boys from the experiment.

'If any of you see something wrong with this,' Dr. Phil said, 'then a village is missing its idiot.' The crowd erupted into an applause. They then began pointing at Alicia and shaming her. Dr. Phil hugged Taylor, shaking the hands of the rest of the family soon after. Then everyone began making out, and suddenly the dream was becoming very strange.

Luckily, Alicia woke up before things got too weird. The last thing she remembered was everyone doing the macarena to a song she was sure she had just made up in her head. So, not only did she not come up with any ideas for a potential girlfriend for her brother during her nearly sleepless night, but she also had an incredibly strange dream that she was sure proved that she was clinically insane.

Her alarm went off at 6.00. Alicia drowsily got ready for the day ahead. It was Friday today. There was no chance she was going to find a girlfriend for Tyler for a potential Saturday or Sunday date. It was impossible. She needed a miracle, and Alicia wasn't keen on God handing her any favors. Prayers from atheists usually didn't come true.

She dragged herself to the common room in the girl's dorm. None of her friends were up yet, but Bella had plonked herself on a bean bag chair, texting someone on her phone, probably some random boy she barely knew.

'G'mornin,' Alicia grumbled as she fell onto the bean bag next to her sister's.

'I'm sorry, I don't understand gibberish,' Bella said with a cheeky grin on her face. She was still in her pajamas and had done nothing to her hair, nor applied any makeup. She was in 12th Grade this year. Late starts on school days were more common the older you got. It was meant for more time to finish work, but from Bella's example, work was the last thing on her mind.

'I said good morning,' Alicia said. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm talking to Jess. You remember her, right?'

Alicia thought for a second. 'Is she the girl who tried to lead that failed protest AGAINST vegetarians?'

Bella shook her head. 'No, the other, normal, Jess. The one who draws...what's the term for Japanese animation again?'

'Anime.'

'Yeah, the girl who draws anime comics.'

'They're called manga, and yeah, I remember her. Is she back in town?'

'Yeah, her whole family moved back here to finish school. She's going to a public school, along with her younger sister. She wants to meet up at an anime and video game convention on Sunday. Her sister will be there as well. She's the same age as you, I think her name's Leila or Layla...'

A light bulb went off in Alicia's head. To save her brother from his new feminine curse he needed a girlfriend, and the sister was the key to the lock on his heart.

'Jess said you can come if you want,' Bella continued. 'Do you want to?'

Alicia nodded her head furiously. 'Is her sister single by any chance?' Bella looked a little confused by the question but texted Jess regardless.

'Getting over a bad breakup at the moment,' Bella said. 'Why?'

'No reason,' Alicia said, now feeling more awake then ever. 'No reason at all.'