02/11/2025
Hidden In This School
he’s got one mission: get close to her idol — even if it means disguising herself as one of the boys! 😳
In a school where secrets can ruin everything, Nikki’s biggest challenge isn’t just surviving… it’s not falling in love. 💫
How long can she keep her identity hidden in this school? 👀💙
(Chapter 1)
Snip.
I caught a glimpse of a glossy strand of dirty blonde hair with a slight
curl to it falling to the floor. It was my hair. Snip. Another strand of
my lustrous hair fell to the floor, adding to the accumulation on the floor.
I lifted my head the slightest bit to be able to see my reflection from
the mirror that stood in front of me.
"Don't lift your head!" a sharp voice reprimanded me, and I felt
something hard hit the top of my head.
"Ow! That hurt, Ashlyn!" I complained to my best friend, automatically
lowering my chin to my neck. I glowered at the strands of hair that
plummeted down onto the white tiled floor. Each lock of hair that fell
looked about eight inches long.
After a few more silent minutes of snipping and watching the hair drop,
Ashyln stepped away from me. "I'm done," she announced.
"Can I lift my head and look now?"
"Yeah. It's such a waste though," Ashlyn sighed. "You have such
beautiful hair."
"Had," I corrected, raising my head once more to look in the mirror
while Ashlyn wasn't cutting.
A stranger stared back at me. The only things I recognized were my
blue-grey eyes. I raised my hand to the top of my head and slid it down
the back of it to locate where my hair ended, which was about once inch
from the back of my neck. I turned my head from side to side, examining
my haircut. My hair swayed from the movement, but not like it had done
about a half an hour before, when it was longer. Dirty blond hair
covered my ear and hung low in my eyes, slightly curling. I grinned into
my reflection.
"I look like a guy."
"I did my best," Ashlyn grinned at me, snipping the scissors in her hand
at the air. "I'm really glad that the hairstyle we chose suits you. I
wasn't sure your hair would be able to pull it off."
I stared at the shaggy, "skater", haircut Ashlyn had gave to me. It
really did make me look like a guy. I shrugged and scratched my neck.
"Well it'd be bad if I looked like a female, wouldn't it?"
"No. Because then someone would save you from you and your crazy ideas,
Nikki."
"I go by Nick now," I told her, pushing myself out of the makeshift
barber's chair and running a hand through my unaccustomed short hair.
"And it's not a crazy idea. It's a good one."
"It's crazy, Nikki," Ashlyn rejoined with a frown. "Any idea about a
girl that wants to sneak into an all boys school is crazy. And to go as
far as to cut your hair..."
"I have to go to that school, Ash!"
"Yes, yes," Ashlyn sighed, grabbing a conveniently located broom. She
began to sweep up the wisps of my hair on the bathroom floor into a pile
in the corner. "It's because your precious heartthrob goes there."
I frowned and put my hands on my hips. "I've been studying for years to
get into this school, for this chance, and you don't support it?"
It had been over four years since I first saw Dylan Slade perform his
debut single on the television. At that time, I didn't really have an
interest in the type of music he was singing, but his voice had made me
freeze. It was the most amazing voice ever. When his voice hit high
notes, it gave me the shivers. It also wasn't a kick in the butt that he
had gorgeous looks. His dark hair that was slightly long and came down
into his eyes made him look gorgeous, he had amazingly bright emerald
eyes, and stood at five feet, eight inches. Not to mention he was the
same exact age as me.
And so began my obsession with the singer. He was a pretty amazing
person. He helped with charities, was part of a big brother, big sister
program, and multiple other organizations. It'd been my goal since that
first time I'd seen him on T.V to meet him. He never toured around my
area, ever. In fact, I hadn't seen him go on a tour in awhile. It was
setting me in the dumps. I really wanted to meet this guy. The way he
wrote his song lyrics... they were beautiful. The emotion behind his
beautifully strung together words was incredible.
"I do support it," Ashlyn disagreed, dragging me out of my past, "if I
didn't, do you think I'd have cut your hair? Everybody was so jealous of
it."
"Hair's just hair," I responded shrugging. "I don't see what was so
special about it."
Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't. I swear sometimes you
are a guy... well I guess that will be helpful at your new school." A
scowl became clearly evident her face.
"I thought you approved of my transferring of schools," I pointed out
before she had a chance to speak.
"I know, I know," she sighed, her scowl melting away. "But seriously? An
all boys school?"
"It's the school Dylan goes to. This is the only way I'll be able to
meet him in person," I responded with a frown.
The school Dylan Slade goes to is an all boys' school. When I found that
out, it was too late, as I had already decided I was going to go there
to meet him. Of course, I had to apply for the school as a man. And now
I had just cut my hair so I looked like a guy as well.
I've had it planned out for a while now. I lied to my parents that I was
attending a private coed school in Massachusetts because it was a
prestigious and well-respected school. Well, it wasn't all a lie. It is
a private school, and it is in Massachusetts, and it is prestigious and
well respected. However, it's an all boy's school. They believed me.
"And I can't believe you moving all the way across the country!" Ashlyn
continued, ignoring my spacey-ness. "You have to write letters, and
e-mail me, and I'm going to call you everyday! Promise?"
"Fine, fine," I agree, a smile slipping on to my face despite my words.
"I promise to keep in contact with you."
Ashlyn looked satisfied but then she sighed. "Why can't you just go to
the high school here? I bet your parents would happily pay for back
stage passes for one of his concerts. There's really no need to go all
the way across the country, and lie to your parents just to-"
There was a knock at the door and she stopped in mid-sentence and turned
towards the door.
"What are you two doing in there?" my older brother, Seth, called
through the door. "You've been in there for the last half an hour, and I
really need to go to the bathroom."
I glanced at Ashyln, who had a grin on her face. I didn't tell my family
that I was going to cut my hair. Boy, were they in for a surprise.
Ashlyn quickly grabbed the dustpan sitting on the sink counter and held
it to the floor as I grabbed the broom and swept the pile of hair into
the dustpan and Ashlyn dumped it into the trash. I walked up to the door
and pulled it open with a silly grin on my face.
My brother's face went blank with shock, and then he looked at me like I
was crazy. "Nikki, what did you do to your hair?"
"Oh I decided to become Repunzel and grow it out," I responded
sarcastically, pretending to flip my non-existent long hair. "You like it?"
"You look like a dude!" he exclaimed, reaching out and ruffling my hair.
"And you're transferring to a new school. That's not going to go well
for a first impression you know? And who cut your hair?"
Seth stole a glance at Ashlyn who grinned sheepishly as I grumbled about
how I didn't care about first impressions. Seth shrugged and moved past
us into the bathroom. Ashlyn's face was screwed up from holding in
laughter. She let it out now.
"Your brother's face was priceless when he saw you," she giggled, her
face turning red. "I wish I could have taken a picture!"
"To add it to your shrine of Seth? You stalker," I teased, wagging my
eyebrows at her. Her laughter ceased immediately.
"What? I'm not a stalker!" she denied, turning red, looking at the
bathroom door behind her and ushering me down the hall into my room.
A warm, delicious scent wafted into my nose. It smelled slightly of
apple and strongly of cinnamon. "Wow that candle thing really works," I
commented, picking up the cinnamon apple scented candle and smelling it.
"Money well spent."
I cast my eyes around my room. It was nearly empty. There were five
different boxes about the size of a standard sized television filled
with my personal items, ready to be shipped to Massachusetts. My black
carpet was as clean as it would ever be, and all of my posters and
drawings had been taken off my birds-nest blue wall. I placed the smelly
candle back onto the desk.
Ashlyn pursed her lips together. "The last day before you leave, and you
spend it cutting your hair and making me hate you?"
"How so?" I asked her, confusion dripping in my words.
"What if Seth had heard you before? That would have been so
embarrassing! You told me you wouldn't tell him that I have a crush on him!"
I smiled gently. I was grateful to have Ashlyn as a friend. She wasn't
the one to have weepy goodbyes, but the one to say something as ordinary
as scolding me for embarrassing her as she was now.
"He's too slow to notice without it being told directly to his face," I
assured her, shaking my head faintly.
Ashlyn stood for a moment with crossed arms and frowned at me until is
dissipated into a small smile. "You want to adjust your vest and
bandages one last time?" she questioned, gesturing towards my chest.
I grinned eloquently. This was something to be double sure about. My
chest. Luckily, (or unluckily, but for this moment, luckily) my chest
wasn't huge, and I could cover it up perfectly with some bandages and a
tight vest, and it made me look as flat as a guy, something I needed to
be sure of.
I walked over to one of the boxes where my clothes were and opened it.
Inside was a whole bunch of men's apparel, which I thought would look
good on me, while still making me look like a man. The white ace
bandages and the white vest to cover my chest were on the top of
everything. I scooped them out and dumped them onto my vacant bed.
Ashlyn came over and picked up the vest, scrutinizing it. This was the
fifth time we had tried it out today. It looked fine the first four
times, but I still wanted to make sure it covered me completely.
I threw off the shirt and wrapped the bandages around my chest as best
as I could, which was really exceptional, for I had been diligently
practicing for the last week. Then I threw on the vest and looked at my
image in the mirror. There was no trace of my bust.
"I'm glad that the vest and bandages work so well," Ashlyn mused,
tugging at my vest slightly, making it press tighter against me. "It'd
be horrible if we couldn't cover up what little bust you have."
"Shut up," I muttered, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. "This
is a good thing at this moment in time!"
"I know," Ashlyn grinned. "Make sure that when your chest grows you tell
me so I can make a new vest so you're breathing doesn't get cut off.
Also, we don't want you to get all flabby." She giggled and I turned
brighter.
"Yeah, I'll remember," I told her, throwing off the vest and unwrapping
the bandages. I tossed them in the box and closed it. "You like saying
things that would normally be awkward for someone to say, don't you?"
"You bet I do," she responded with a sly smile. "I find it fun."
"Of course you do." I rolled my eyes at her and she smiled wider. "Oh
well. I guess that's what makes you, you."
Ashlyn nodded. There was a moment of silence and although nothing was
said, the feelings were passed exquisitely. Ashlyn turned her back on me
and crossed her arms. "I hope you know I won't be sending you off
tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, I know. Soccer game, right? Sorry I can't make it."
"Yeah, well I suppose you have something better to do? Perhaps flying
across the country? But you know what you can do for me while your gone?"
"What's that?" I questioned as a sad smile spread across my face.
Ashlyn looked over at me from over her shoulder, a smirk on her face.
"Fine me a hot man and send me a photo. Then when I come to visit,
introduce me to that person, okay?"
I chuckled. "Like any man would want you- ow!" I rubbed at the spot
where Ashlyn had thrown my hairbrush at me. I grinned at her through the
pain. "Of course I will, your highness."
Ashlyn nodded vigorously. "And if any guy tries to do anything to you,
kick them where the sun doesn't shine."
"We will all be guys there," I told her, knitting my eyebrows in confusion.
"There can be those guys," she told me, turning around again nodding
seriously. "Every all gender school will have a few homosexuals."
"Ah, that's right," I responded, scratching my chin. "I wonder if they
will know I'm not a guy..."
Ashlyn slapped me on the back. "You'll do fine, buddy. Whenever you get
into trouble, remember to call me."
"I will."
"Best friends forever?"
"Forever," I reassured her, taking her pinky by my pinky and shaking it.
"Pinky promise."
We both grinned at each other and then she flipped her hair. "Well, I
have to get home now."
"Alright."
"See you soon?"
"As soon as possible," I told her, feeling a lump growing in my throat.
I swallowed it forcefully. This wasn't a teary goodbye.
Suddenly I was on the ground, and Ashlyn was hugging me. I struggled for
a moment with her while laughing. "Get off. A regular hug would suffice."
She laughed too and stood up, then helped me up. "I couldn't help it.
You looked like you were about to cry."
"Tch. Was not," I lied, crossing my arms. "See you later, Ashlyn."
"Bye-bye, Nikki," Ashlyn said, walking backwards towards the door. She
opened the door and paused at the frame with her hand on the handle.
"And also, good luck with Dylan!"
"Thanks," I responded, smiling at her again. "Good luck for Seth."
She turned red and slammed the door. I grinned at the door for a few
moments until it faded from my face. I flopped down on my bed and looked
at my blank white ceiling. This was the last night I would be spending
in my room. Drowsiness over took me as I slipped into the covers and
into the warmth and comfort of the familiar bed. Slowly, I drifted off
to sleep.
A sharp ringing sound sprung me from my sleep and I sat up quickly,
becoming over come with dizziness and falling back down. I glanced at my
alarm clock, the only appliance that wasn't packed away in a box. It
read five a.m. That meant I had an hour to get everything packed and
ready before I left for the airport with my family.
That hour rushed by, and before I knew it I was saying goodbyes to my
family before I boarded the plane. My mom was in tears, my brother was
joking around, and my dad kept telling me words of encouragement. I
hugged them all once, and kissed them on the cheek before I boarded the
plane.
