Chapter 8: Pretty Anime Girl

     "Wake up." The voice was melodious and soothing. It was Dave's.

I sighed irritability, tugging at my blanket and draped it all over my head. I had a dreamless night and it was a good sleep. I wanted to sleep more.

"Janice, wake up." More insistent this time and his voice took a seductive tone. It was husky and had the sensual allure to it.

It was easy for me to imagine that the voice was actually belonged to a dark mysterious prince. Where my heart would be stolen the moment I lock my eyes with him and the prince charming can sweep me off from my feet and carries me to the sunset. But, no. Reality likes to disappoint me and if I took a glimpse over my blanket, I would only be greeted by the sight of a fat orange cat.

What an utter disappointment.

"Wake up. You've got school."

"No." I answered. "I don't want to go to school. I'm sick."

"Don't lie." Dave said softly and I steeled myself to not be swooned by his sultry voice. "Wake up and look at me."

Yes daddy. A small tiny part of me answered. It was the horny me. I am in dire need to slap myself to the centre of the earth.

After I fortified myself with the commitment of a nun, I threw my blanket and looked at the clock on my nightstand. "Oh my god! It's 5am in the morning. Why are you waking me up in this ungodly hour?"

I glared at the cat who was lying on my stomach. I could tell he was grinning beneath his feline facade.

"You need to prepare."

"Prepare for what?"

"To go to school." He answered coolly.

I frowned exasperatedly. "Four hours of preparation just to go to school? Are you out of your mind? I'm going to sleep!"

"No! Today, you will go to school with a new look. New Janice. Both girls and boys will look at you today and you need to look at your best!" Dave proclaimed.

"I don't even understand what are you trying to say."

"You want me to repeat that in 6,500 languages? So that you can understand better?"

I yanked at my cover, hoping to toss the cat off from my bed. I was ready to shoot him with my death stare when I noticed my closet was in a state of complete mess and chaos. Doors hung open barely attached to its hinge and my clothes were thrown off from their racks and hangers.

"What happened?! Explain!" My voice was an octave away from shrieking.

"Oh well … On my noble mission, in finding the right attires for you. I have to use of what's left of my magic. Since, you know I'm in a body of a cat and my physical movement is very limited." He grinned. It would be funny to see a cat grinning but I was mad. "My magic can be very random and volatile. So, I've made quite a mess. But I've everything figured out!"

"Oh you say."

"Yes."

"You know what—" I got up from my bed, flicking open my night lamp since it was wee hours in the morning. "I'm glad you woke me up now." Sarcasm dripping on my tone. "This mess takes hours for me to sort it. Shouldn't you wake me up at 3am just in case?"

"Janice. I didn't know you have this such ferocity in you." Dave exclaimed amusingly. Clearly he was the least intimidated by my pathetic burst of anger. "Calm down. Rage is not good for your beauty. I know it firsthand."

"You can take your beauty and shove it up to your a—"

A knock on my door interrupted me from finishing my sentence.

"J?" It was my big sister, Daisy.

The door cracked open and my sister's blue doe eyes peered through. "Hey …"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I being too loud? Did I wake you up?" I asked meekly.

She stepped into the room, eyes surveying the mess that Dave did. "Ah no." She said. "I've got your text last night. You said you wanna learn make-up."

"I'M WHAT?" I glared at Dave. The Cupid's expression did not change one bit. This must be his doing.

Would it be illegal if I smack this cat to oblivion right and here now? Wouldn't I get charge by animal abuse?

"You don't have to text me J. You can just come into my room." Daisy said cheerfully. She rotated around the cluster of clothes. Finding no bizarrerie in the sight of it. "I'm glad we're doing this. We will have fun together!"

I looked at my sister, at her tiny form. When we were children, people used to think that we were twins. We were the carbon copy of our mom. All blonde and pale blue eyes. Only that I was good two inches taller than her. Outgrowing her more than ever, my sister was a delicate and fragile girl. Meanwhile, I galloping around during our childhood year, healthy as a horse. She had medical condition, one that so severed, that it forced her to continue living with our parents even at the age of twenty-three.

"So, what's up? Why are you suddenly interested in..." Her voice trailed off, hoping that I caught the meaning of her question. Indeed, me and my sister are close but we have never particularly shared the same interest in life. She loves and really good in dressing and powdering herself up. She even has her own beauty vlog and channel.

I floundered, looking around my room to answer my sister's harmless enquiry. Oh well, sister you see, I've never developed any sort of interest in beautifying myself. It's just a certain cat of mine told me so. Ah, great. The second I tell her that, she will arrange me with the firstly available psychiatrist.

My eyes darted around, landed on the bed and the yawning Dave. The bed did not have the answer for me but Dave did.

"Tell her that you wanna join beauty pageant." He said coolly.

I glared at the cat.

Luckily, my sister did not have a single clue of what Dave was meowing about and by the end of morning, after she had finished her make-up tutorials and passed down her wisdom and knowledge onto poor little me; she smiled gleefully. By some odd circumstances, it looked like she had come to a conclusion that I was actually learning to dress up and make-up because I had a secret beau at school.

I stared at my sister, as she finished lathered my hair with serum that kept it in place. "Whatever that you think, I don't have a boyfriend. I can assure you."

Smiling, she looked at me mischievously. "Yea, sure. Now remember, smile but don't show your teeth. Occasionally, play with your hair okay? Boys dig that."

I was taken aback. "For what?"

"For your boyfriend obviously." Her eyes screamed but she just smiled. That darn mischievous upward curved lips that was called smile!

—❤️—

     "Good luck Janice! I'm counting on you!" Dave declared from the window when I was at the driveway, readying to go to school.

I nervously checked my appearance in the car's reflection over and over. Gone my usual attire that I had always wore to school; jeans and T-shirt. Dave had replaced it by a dark skater skirt and a blouse. I didn't even know I had skirts to begin with. Dave had completely unearthed some interesting article of clothes from closet.

"Thanks!"

Well, here we go!

Arriving at the bus stop, I was a complete wreck. Dreading of the incoming sneers and rude stares from Angela's followers, I willed myself to turn invisible and sat at the corner. I wished I had a car, I knew kids whose parents gave them cars for their sixteenth birthday.

In my family, only dad and Daisy had their own car, Daisy bought her by her own money when she made bucks after bucks from her beauty vlogging.  Dad was just a humble clerk for our town's post office. Mom was a dedicated housewife but she was good in sewing dresses. Occasionally, she would received request to tailor dresses and suits from her friends and relatives. It was not enough to afford buying second-hand, third-hand or even fourth-hand car for me.

Deep in my fantasy of having my own car, I heard a gasp coming from my side.

"Wow."

I craned my neck to the left and noticed Ethan who had just showed up, was looking at me in amazement.

"Ethan!"

Glad to see him, I had almost hurled myself to greet my friend but the way Ethan regarded me with his chocolate eyes; wide and awed. I stopped abruptly.

"What's up? I don't suddenly grow another head, don't I?"

"You look different today, Janice!"

"In a bad way or good way?"

He almost looked dazed. "You look stunning!"

I blushed.

"Oh well, thanks for the comp—"

"You look like an anime girl!"

"Is that a compliment or what?"

"I mean you look adorable. Adorably stunning. I know your sister has a beauty and cosplay vlog. Are you following your sister's step?" Ethan asked.

"I'm not cosplaying right now, if you're wondering, Ethan." I muttered, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Of course I know that. Man, what a refreshing sight." Ethan proclaimed and I did not know what to comment on his statement. "You've always wore jeans and T-shirt. Every day, jeans and T-shirt! The only difference were the colours! Jeans and T-shirt!"

Good god, jeans and T-shirt. I was comfortable in wearing those clothes. But, was it that bad? Was I that pathetic?

"And I noticed there's almost a pattern or a schedule in your jeans and T-shirt every day. On Monday, you usually wear dark jeans and black shirt."

I winced, thinking that indeed I was wearing a black T-shirt yesterday!

"Then, Tuesday you will wear blue jeans with red T-shirt. Then, Wednesday bleach stained jeans and white T-shirt…" And so on, Ethan continued to ramble and list out my schedule of jeans and T-shirt for the rest of weeks. He memorised every colours and conditions of my clothes.

With that, for every description and mentions about my jeans and T-shirt from Ethan, I began to shrink lower and deeper into my shoes. Wishing that the ground just swallow me up and never let me resurface to the society ever again.

And Ethan should shut up about jeans and T-shirt now, or we shall whack him in the head with jeans and T-shirt! A new part of me snarled in embarrassment and fury.

Way until the bus showed up ten minutes later, Ethan was still on full steam, barraging about certain types of bodily wear of mine.

Long forgotten about my fear of Angela's followers' scrutiny, I dazedly moved to our usual seat in the bus. Ethan was on the roll and I was afraid he would continue until the pigs can finally fly.

But maybe, by any perchance, pigs could actually fly for a big surprise was waiting for me at school.