Reina kept her gaze fixed towards the ground, doing her best to ignore the stares of her schoolmates as she hurried through the halls of Royal Woods Middle School. It wasn’t so much that she was in a hurry to get to class… she had more than enough time, after all.
Rather, the issue was her choice of attire.
She tried in vain to pull down the hem of her shirt, as if it would make any difference. Swapping out her regular t-shirt for a cutoff top had seemed like a good idea… well, a good idea to her at least. It was a hot day after all, and puberty had brought with it a number of positive changes to her figure; she’d figured it would boost her sex appeal, raise her popularity amongst her peers. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, right? Well, it had worked a little too well. It wasn’t even third period yet, and still it felt as though every kid in the school had already ogled her at least once. Some tried to be discreet about it, some took no shame in their behavior, and those that didn’t eye her like a piece of meat instead did so with contempt. She’d heard the whispers, the snide comments… hell, Tina had even called her a skank. Tina, of all people! As if the school’s resident thot had any room to judge others for their revealing clothing.
“Yo, Reina.” The girl winced at the familiar voice, and a quick glance upwards confirmed her suspicions: Hayden was standing nearby, his loyal stooge Andy by his side as always. “Lookin’ good,” He said, eying Reina up and down with a look that made her skin crawl. She grit her teeth, letting out a scoff of disgust as she shoved her way past. She wasn’t about to give the bastard the satisfaction of a response, even as she heard him and his cohort sharing a laugh at her expense. Still, try as she may, Reina couldn’t help but feel anxious as she approached her classroom. She could practically feel her classmates’ eyes on her, slowing down as they walked past to get a better look. She couldn’t do this. Her first two classes had been a nightmare; she was pretty sure even Mr. Hamilton had been sneaking glances in her direction, a thought that made her stomach turn.
Reina stopped, instead turning away and heading back in the opposite direction. She moved quickly, ignoring the stares and comments of her peers as she made her way to her ‘secret spot’; an old, seemingly forgotten janitor’s closet out of the way from most of the action. It was a safe haven of sorts known only to her and Bobby… well, Lyle and Lemy too, though as far as she knew they’d never made use of it. The girl locked the door before leaning her back against it and sliding down to the floor with a sigh. She hugged her knees to her chest, ignoring the bell signaling the start of class. She knew she’d be in for a world of trouble for skipping class like this, but she didn’t care; anything would be better than the prying eyes of her classmates. Reina sniffled and wiped at the corner of her eye. She was no stranger to failure, and she’d made a laughing stock of herself more times than she could count. But not like this... she’d never felt so humiliated, not to mention objectified. Reina wished now that she had heeded her siblings’ warnings, or those that had advised against it at least.
So Reina waited. She’d wait there all day if she had to; she wasn’t going back out there to make a spectacle of herself. A minute turned to ten, then twenty, then thirty. Even when the lunch bell rang she didn’t budge, that is until a knock at the door jolted the girl from her self-pity.
“Reina…?” A soft, gentle voice spoke from the other side of the door. “Are you in there?”
“...Bobby? H-hang on...” Reina got to her feet, wiping her eyes and putting on her best poker face before opening the door for her twin brother. The boy stepped inside with a look of concern on his face. “Hey, bro… um, what’s up?”
“What’s up?! Reina, why weren’t you at class? A-are you alright?” He asked. Reina gave a forced laugh, waving her hand dismissively.
“Ah, chill. I just needed some me time, that’s all.”
“...So you skipped class,” Bobby said flatly.
“Hey, it’s not like geography’s that important,” She said with a shrug. Bobby simply rolled his eyes; he knew his sister better than anyone, and he wasn’t buying her act for a second. He stepped all the way into the closet with a sigh, closing and locking the door behind him.
“What happened, Reina?” He asked again. The girl frowned, her ‘cool girl’ act beginning to falter. He waited for a response, only to receive none… still, it didn’t take a genius to guess what was going on here. “It’s the shirt, isn’t it?” Reina hesitated, averting her eyes biting her lip before finally giving a small, meek nod.
“...Everyone keeps staring.” She muttered quietly. Yep, just as Bobby had figured; he’d noticed their classmates’ prying eyes too, after all. “I… should have listened to you,” She admitted. “I-I didn’t think it’d be like this…” Bobby frowned. Part of him wanted to chastise his sister for ignoring his words of caution, but he couldn’t bring himself to… not when she was this vulnerable. Instead, he smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder.
“Well, of course it would… you’re, y-y’know...” Bobby paused, a sheepish look crossing his face. “...You’re pretty.” Reina turned a light shade of pink, looking away from the boy and coughing into her fist.
“W-well, yeah, obviously.” Reina said with an unconvincing mask of confidence. “A-anyway… I don’t know what to do. I can’t go back out there like this…” Bobby rubbed his chin in thought. It was a dilemma, to be sure; Reina’s jacket was barely any longer than her top was, and even if it were, he doubted she was actually able to close the tight-fitting garment.
Then, an idea hit him.
“Hang on…” Bobby mumbled. To his sister’s confusion, he began to slip out of his hoodie.
...And then his shirt.
Reina’s cheeks turned bright red, her breath catching in her throat. Was it finally happening? Was Bobby finally going to-
“Here,” Bobby said, offering her his shirt. Reina blinked, staring down at her brother’s offering. “I-it should be fine for today, at least… I mean, if you want to, anyway…”
“Um… n-no- I mean, yeah, that’s perfect!” The girl gasped, reaching out for the garment, only to hesitate. “But… what about you?”
“I’ll just zip up my hoodie.”
“Right… duh.” Reina laughed, gratefully taking the shirt from her brother. “Thanks… um, do you mind…?”
“O-oh, right, s-sorry…” Bobby turned away, blushing slightly as Reina changed behind him. She pulled off her top and haphazardly chucked it aside; quite frankly, she really didn’t care about the damn thing.
“Okay. You can look,” She said once she had finished, and her brother turned to face her. His dark blue shirt was a bit loose on her, but not by much… he was her twin, after all. “Do I look okay…?”
“...Yeah,” Bobby said with a smirk. “You look good.” His sister smiled brightly and Bobby slipped his hoodie back on, being sure to zip it up all the way. “Now, c’mon… we should get some lunch before-” He was cut off by Reina wrapping him in a big hug; he was taken off guard for a moment, before returning the embrace with a chuckle.
“Thank you,” Reina said quietly before breaking the hug. “Are you sure you won’t be too hot, though?” She asked with a frown. “I mean, it’s not exactly sweater weather.”
“Ah… I’ll be fine,” Bobby assured her. “It’s not that bad...”
...Or so he thought.
By fifth period, the boy was absolutely sweltering. He wasn’t sure what exactly had prompted him to wear his hoodie today of all days when he had better options available to him, but he supposed old habits die hard. Bobby huffed, wiping his damp forehead with his sleeve. He couldn’t take it anymore; without thinking, the boy unzipped his hoodie and slid his arms from the sleeves, letting it drape across the seatback. He let out out a sigh of relief as the air hit his sweaty skin, pleasantly chilling him to the bone.
“Mr. Loud!” Bobby snapped back to his senses, his eyes shooting wide open and meeting the stern, disapproving glare of his math teacher, Mrs. Elwood. He blinked a few times, glancing around to find that every eye in the classroom was on him… some seemed to be taken aback, others amused, some were even openly snickering into their palms. The boy’s brow furrowed in confusion and he fidgeted in place, suddenly feeling very nervous. Why were they all staring at him…?
“Bobbyyyyy...” Reina hissed, her voice cutting through the deafening silence like a knife. He turned to the seat beside him to find his sister staring at him with a mortified grimace on her face, which only deepened as she pointed down to his chest. The boy cocked an eyebrow before glancing down.
...Oh. Right.
“...U-u-um…” The bare-chested Bobby sputtered, turning a deep shade of red from head to toe. “I… s-s-sorry, er… I…” He let out an awkward, forced laugh, and Reina could only groan and bury her face in her palm. Guess we’re both getting la chancla today, she thought. ...Probably grounded, too. Still, as her flustered brother tried in vain to explain himself, Reina couldn’t help but giggle under her breath. That was Bobby, alright… a pillar of support one moment, and an awkward, bumbling mess the next. He’d come a long way since they were little, but at the end of the day he would always be the same little dork he’d always been.
