1. Trouble

Theodore's POV

'Gosh! What have I gotten myself into? I can't believe I agreed to this! What was I even thinking?'

I mutter under my breath as I step my feet down the aisle of the large single-decker sleeper bus already filled with a lot of girls and guys.

I feel my hands and legs tremble as I sense myself getting stares from the people already seated on either side. With a heavily thudding heart, I scurry to the back of the bus, keeping my gaze on the dark vinyl flooring.

Finally, I find an empty seat towards the back. I quickly haul my luggage bag off my shoulder and slump down on the window seat, placing the bag beside me.

Once I fish my phone out of my pocket and check my hair and face in the camera, making sure everything's alright, I let out a sigh and lean back against the seat, pulling up the neck of my top a little.

I think I quite look like a girl now. But the boobs, I think they are a little bigger than what was necessary. Maybe that's why all the guys were staring at me when I walked down the aisle. I had told Johny I don't wanna wear those pads and I'd rather go with a flat chest. But he said it was the perfect size and I looked more girly with it.

But it's so uncomfortable. I wonder how girls manage it? Anyway, now I can't take it off and I have to bear this for the next three days as a lot of people already saw me like this.

I just hope nobody finds out that I'm a boy! Gosh!

And I hope we all get single rooms. Although I first thought it would be nice to share a room with a girl, now I feel so nervous. What will happen if my roommate finds out I'm a boy? Then everybody will know! Our principal, teachers, my classmates, everyone! I can't even imagine what will happen to me after that.

No! Okay, nobody's gonna know. It's just three days. I can easily pull it off!

Right now I just hope nobody will come and sit near me. The bus has more than 50 seats and only one student each from 36 schools across our state is participating in this camp. So, I guess I don't need to worry so much right now. There are many empty seats in the front. Nobody is going to come to me.

Talking about me, my name is Theodore Reigns. I'm 16, about to enter Junior year in two months when the school reopens after summer break. But to be honest, right now I think it's highly unlikely cause I'm here attending this three day Art camp for next year's senior students, that too in disguise as Elena Griffin, Eastwood's best artist, and so if I get caught, I guess I won't have to go to school again.

Anyway, I'm not that good at school, average at studies, not in any sports teams. But there's one thing I'm good at, that nobody at school knows. I can draw. I make graphic cartoon sketches. Apparently, I am a comic artist, drawing for a few broke authors. You could say, that's the main reason for my current predicament.

At school, I haven't really got any friends. I joined Eastwood High during the middle of 9th grade. Before that, I was in Japan with my mother where I lived all my life. So, when I came here for the first time, everything felt different. People seemed hostile. Also, at that time, I just wanted to be left alone, so I didn't attempt to make any friends or didn't try to join any clubs or sports teams. When I finally felt like I needed some friends, nobody wanted to talk to me. So, I continued to be alone, and I guess it will be like that until I graduate.

By the way, my cousins Johny and Esther study in the same school. They both are a year older than me and will be joining sixth form college next year. Johny is totally different from me, large and heavily built. He is in the basketball team and he and his whole gang think I'm a nerd. So, he doesn't talk to me at school. But if he needs some favour from me, like writing his assignments and doing his art projects, he comes straight to my home.

I know it all, he is just using me. But, still, every time he asks me something, I can't say no. Maybe it’s because I'm a little scared of him. I don’t want him to turn against me. This time, however, it was because he promised me something that I desperately needed right now. I hope he'll keep his word.

Suddenly my phone vibrates in my hands. As expected it's Johny's message.

'Hey, is everything alright?'

'Yeah, but everyone was staring at me,' I text him back.

'It's only cause you look really gorgeous as a girl. Even better than my gf.'

I roll my eyes, reading his text. He has been saying it since the moment I got dressed up in Elena's sweatshirt and jeans and the brown wig he got me similar to her hair colour. His girlfriend even did makeup on my face and threaded my eyebrows.

I don't know why the hell I'm letting them do this to me and taking such a big risk when I'm not even sure Johny will keep his word.

I guess I wanted to do an adventure. I thought it would be fun. But now I'm feeling too nervous.

'Nobody will find out buddy. Just make sure you don't talk to anyone in your real voice. Text you later. Enjoy with the girls ;)'

I leave a sigh and plug in my earphones before looking out of the window, watching the shops and buildings pass across my eyes.

Suddenly our bus comes to a halt in front of a bus stop. I see a girl and a guy standing there with big luggage bags. I quickly lean back on the seat and close my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

A few seconds later, I hear a few gasps and giggles inside the bus. "Gosh! He is so handsome." one of the girls on the seat behind me mutters. I feel an urge to open my eyes, but I don't.

Then I hear footsteps coming towards me.

"Hey.."

It was a girl's voice.

"Hello.." another girl says. The voice came from the seat across from me. "I know you. You are from Cypress Girls' High. Andrea Sharpe, right?"

"Yeah, how do you know me?" The first girl asks in a surprised voice. "Wait, have we met before?"

"No, we haven't. But I came to your school for a competition last month and saw your photo on the noticeboard among the school toppers."

Before I can listen to any more of the girls’ talk, I once again hear footsteps coming toward me and gasps erupt from the seats behind me. A moment later a guy's deep voice sounds beside me.

"Hey.."

I soon realise he is trying to wake me up. Soon I feel a small pat on my shoulder and I feel my heart pounding fast. But I still don't open my eyes. He taps my arm again whilst shuffling my luggage bag on the seat beside me.

Oh c'mon, please go sit somewhere else. There are a lot of seats in the front. Why do you want to sit hear itself?

The next moment, I feel him pick up my heavy bag from the seat and I open my eyes to see him smoothly placing it on the luggage rack above us, as if it was just a cotton sack. He was so tall that he could easily reach up to the rack.

"Oh, you finally woke up?" He grins looking down at me. Only then do I notice his face and my jaw almost drops open in awe.

Wait! Is he really Adonis Elsher?