Chapter 10: Definitely, a strange reverse world
Reversed gender roles.
Inversion of chastity.
Femdom for shy men.
Whatever it is called correctly, I discovered it, and the itch inside my head was relieved, allowing way for enlightenment.
Some puzzle pieces fell into place in my head, and my headache eased slightly. Looking back, the signs were clear, but the only novel of that type I read, I didn't even finish, and it was a long time ago, so categorizing her behavior as a reality in which gender roles are reversed wasn't the first thing that came to mind.
Categorizing things actually provides a mental break. The interesting thing about this data is that people are against stereotypes, despite the fact that the brain unconsciously categorizes everything based on past experiences. Where I'm going with this is that having no idea or reference point for other people's behavior was causing me a lot of stress, and I was feeling a little better now.
However, there were still unanswered questions, one of which was why I had friends. It sounded depressing, but I didn't have many friends at school. While gender roles may have played a role in this, I was under the impression that women could be very cruel to people they didn't like, so if everything followed reverse gender roles, I should be an outcast because of my appearance.
Unless…
"-ex, Alex!" The boy who had hugged me earlier, looked at me with a worried expression, "You went blank for a few moments, are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, Alex." Seconded the other. "You didn't even put on makeup today, what's going on?"
"I-I just, I'm not feeling very well." I finally said something, making a clumsy excuse. However, I saw this as an opportunity to inquire. "Listen..." I realized at this point that I didn't know their names, so I had to improvise. "Guys, how do I look?"
The two boys looked at each other, puzzled. The blond boy, whose less-than-perfect features were revealed upon closer inspection, examined me with skepticism. "Hmm, good?" he muttered, questioningly.
That didn't quite answer my question, so I elaborated. "I mean… how does my face look?"
The blond boy's puzzled expression deepened, and he appeared to be at a loss for words. His gaze darted between his black-haired companion, who appeared to understand his perplexity and stepped in to explain. He confidently spoke up, a small smile on his face, "natural" He said it in such a way that it was clear he was pleased with his deduction. "Like, that's what your question was about, right?"
The blond's green eyes sparkled with understanding. "Oh my!" he said with a smile. " Are you trying to go for the natural look?"
That didn't answer my question either, but probing further would only make me look weird. "Uh... yeah." I confirmed. After that, I started walking again, since we had stopped some time ago.
"I knew it!” Said the black-haired one, following me with a little jump. “ But seriously, why though? I mean, I know the school has rules about makeup, but a little bit of asymmetry can't hurt, right? It's not like we're breaking any major laws here."
I didn't know how to respond to that. So I had to make something up along the way. "Ah well... natural is always better, I guess."
They both nodded, and I considered the word he had mentioned as we walked. Asymmetry. Looking closer, they both had a little more makeup on the right side of their faces, though not too much, just a little foundation and what appeared to be eyeliner, but it made the face look less asymmetrical…
Maybe... if asymmetry was actually better than symmetry in this reality in terms of beauty... I wouldn't be so ugly?
It made some sense, but I still didn't have much evidence to back up my theory, and if there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that having low expectations always helps. It is better to always expect the worst and be surprised than to expect the best and be disappointed. So, with that in mind, I didn't get too excited.
As I was thinking about this, I felt myself collide with something; a brick wall would have been my immediate reaction if I couldn't see the girl who was now looking at me with a strange expression from above, because I had fallen on my buttocks due to the impact.
"What's wrong with you?" the blond boy demanded angrily, standing protectively in front of me and immediately causing a commotion in the mostly empty hallway save for a couple of students.
Some of the students in the hallway turned to see what was up, but I quickly stood up, trying not to embarrass myself by making a scene over an accident, as the blond boy was doing.
But I was still surprised because my chest still hurt from the impact; was I too weak? or was she too strong? She didn't appear to be it; she had a normal complexion and nothing notable except for her reddish hair.
Putting my dilemma aside, I watched as the girl I collided with held up her hands trying to appease the blond boy. "It was an accident, I'm sorry."
"Accident huh." Said the blonde haired one dismissively, hands on hips. "Get out of here then, Elijah will surely be waiting for you, won't he?"
The girl just snorted before stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away, the gaze of both boys beside me drilling holes in her back.
The blond boy only after seeing the girl leave completely turned to look at me with a worried look. "Are you okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah, yeah, it was just an accident."
Seeing that some curious and somewhat worried students were beginning to gather around us, I started walking again. "Let's go to our class, it's just around the corner."
"She's a jerk," Said the blond boy after turning a corner, "Seriously, she's only bullying you because she's trying to score points with Elijah who wants to take your place as captain of the cheerleading squad."
That revelation sent me reeling, but just because it made sense in a reverse world didn't mean I liked it. So I planned to go to that club after school and drop out as soon as possible because I didn't want anything to do with it. The mere mention of a costume like the ones they must have worn in this strange alternate world sent shivers down my spine.
The only bright spot in all of this was that we had finally arrived at class; with my future knowledge, I could take the lead in grades and secure my future, so I was ecstatic. When I reached out to open my classroom door, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey guys, do you mind if we take a quick bathroom break? We still have two minutes before class starts." said the black-haired boy, before I could open the door.
The blond boy nodded. "Sure, Mrs. Parker isn't strict anyway."
I thought they were going to leave without me, which I appreciated, but when they saw I wasn't following them, they both turned around. "Alex, are you coming?"
I sighed. "Sure."
So we resumed our walk, this time towards the restroom. I really needed information about my personal life from this reality, but I didn't think it was necessary before coming to school because, after all, I am ugly and an outcast, so what exactly could I have for a social life? Only now, with the reverse gender roles revealed to me, do I realize how naive that thought was. And with the possibility that I wasn't that ugly, I had problems, lots of problems.
What other changes were there?
I was slightly irritated. My phone was locked, and it contained probably the most private information anyone could have. However, when I considered the other options, I couldn't come up with much. With my cell phone locked and almost no other technology under my belt, I wouldn't be able to do much when I got home, unless I went to the library.
Asking my sisters if I could use their phone was out of the question, after all the genders were reversed, so they probably wouldn't lend me their phones anyway.
The only thing that consoled me was that I knew that today was Friday, so there was no school tomorrow.
I fumbled in my pants' back pocket. Feeling the cool surface of my cell phone's black casing, I would make sure not to lose it for anything until I remembered the password or figured out how to get in without it. Could the computer club do anything about it, or was I falling victim to stereotypes that computer guys - in this case, girls - are like some kind of hackers? In any case, it's worth asking.
We entered the restroom in a herd, which made me uneasy. There were no urinals in the restroom, only cubicles. The boy entered one of them and emerged after an awkward wait. We emerged after they had finished preening themselves in the mirror, and I finally learned their names when they discussed something else. The blond was named Peyton, and the black-haired Kevin was looking at some kind of social network, uploading a picture.
"Eh~, that's from yesterday when we went to the amusement park!" Peyton said. “I didn't remember we took a picture like that, it's cute!”
Curiosity piqued, I stretched a little to see that the photo I was attempting to upload was of me, or rather, the me from this dimension making a duck grimace with my mouth and peace signs with my hands as I looked at the camera. Next to him were two guys who were smiling and wearing strange and... definitely revealing clothes.
I grimaced. This reverse world really was a thing.
The blond boy, Peyton, looked at the photograph with a bit of a teasing smile, then let out a laugh as he covered his mouth with one hand. "It was right before we found Thomas wearing the exact same outfit as you, Kevin."
"Ugh, please don't remind me. It was so awkward." Kevin said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "But let's be honest, it looked way better on me."
A chorus of laughter rang out, prompting me to mimic them with an awkward, coarse laugh just to avoid appearing strange. When they started talking about how much fun they had at the amusement park, I listened intently, hoping to pick up more information that would help me figure out what else had changed.
Unfortunately for me, they only talked about how his clothes were absolutely cute or things like that.
The bell rang, and I was worried, but we had arrived, and I couldn't help but feel that this whole trip had been longer than it seemed.
Whatever nervousness I had was long gone, and instead of debating something before entering the classroom, I just walked in quickly, using the same method as with a band-aid: rip it off quickly so it doesn't hurt as much.
Fortunately, when I entered the classroom, it was like any other, with all of the students already seated, so I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't realize I was holding back because the familiar was always good.
Every head in the room swiveled to look in our direction as the door creaked open. The majority of the guys quickly resumed their activities, unconcerned about our arrival. The girls' stares, on the other hand, lingered, their eyes almost devouring us with their intensity. It was an odd and unsettling sensation that made me squirm in their presence. I had always craved attention from the opposite sex, but this was excessive. Perhaps it was just that I wasn't used to being the center of such intense scrutiny.
"As handsome as ever" whispered a girl
I sent her a somewhat conflicted look, as at this point I didn't know if it was sarcasm, or if she was being sincere.
"Look at that ass" Another voice rang out.
"I want him to choke me with his thighs."
O-Ok? Maybe I am not so ugly after all, if that's her reaction to us.
In any case, I ignored the other comments and made my way to the only three open seats next to the window, with Peyton and Kevin trailing behind me like little ducklings.
I finally reached a seat with a desk, and let out a sigh of relief as I sank into the chair. As I settled in, I noticed that both boys had followed me and were now taking seats next to me.
I took out my backpack and looked for my notebook; there were several thick books inside, but I was looking for the thinnest one, the one that should be the notebook to write in, and I eventually found it. I grabbed it in both hands and opened the case. My class schedule, at least as I remembered it, was on the first page.
Well, my first class is... Fundamental Essence III? What the fuck is that?