Battling the Invisible

“Dude, are you ok? Seriously?” It had been a few hours since Drake had woken up with blood all over his bed. Axi seemed to be a little on edge from the event.

The older boy sat down on his desk chair and faced Drake. “I’m alright. I mean come on, it’s normal for your roommate to tell you that he’s really a girl dressed like a dude.”

Drake sat down across from Axi. “I realize that isn’t normal, but I told you already. The winner of the girl’s tournament doesn’t get a free ride through school. If I can win the boy’s tournament, then I get a free schooling and my little bro can make it to college. Look man, my family ain’t as rich. I need that cash.”

“Well, you could have told me sooner.” The eighteen year old shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Or at least did something to prevent the ‘disaster’ this morning.”

Drake chuckled. “It won’t happen again, promise.” He raised his left hand and pressed his right over his heart as he said this. The brown haired boy could see his roommate relax more in his chair. He turned back to his homework, but wondered how things had gotten so complicated. He was not really a guy, but a girl named Cierra. He wasn’t a “he”, he was a “she” who was becoming more and more comfortable walking around as man. Drake liked the perks of being seen as a guy and it was a hell of a lot easier to get the respect he wanted from his peers. The seventeen year old picked up his pencil to start working on his calculus homework when Jackson barged in.

“Dude! It’s a Friday afternoon, what the hell are you doing homework for? You’ve got all weekend.” The blonde walked over to Drake’s closet and started riffling through his shirts. “Put on your best cloths. We’re hitting the club tonight!” Jackson pulled a black button up off a hanger and threw it at the brunette. “That includes you too.” He rubbed Axi’s head on his way toward the door. “We leave in fifteen. So, hurry your ass up!”

*****
“Onyx” was in bright blue neon flashing lights above the club’s door. It wasn’t quite as nice as the club’s he had been to in California, but it wasn’t terrible either. The place was packed with people; most of them were from the college. There were a few older creepers that were hitting on the young students. Smoke was so thick in the club that you could barely make out the face of the person standing four feet in front of you.

“Hey man, I think that chick’s checking you out.” Jackson tapped Drake on the chest with the back of his hand and motioned with his head the direction of the girl.

Drake turned to see a beautifully tanned brunette staring at him with bright green eyes. As soon as they made eye contact she smiled and left her friends at their table. “Dude! She’s coming over here. What do I do?” Drake whispered frantically.

Axi was hiding his laughter behind his hand.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “Talk to her!”

The other guys in the group stopped talking when the girl walked up behind Drake and put her arms around him. She whispered something in his ear then looked at the group of college guys in front of her. “You boys don’t mind if I borrow your friend for a while do you?” She flashed a devious smile.

Axi’s jaw dropped.

Jackson laughed. “Naw. Babe you can keep him all night.” He winked.

Drake could not believe what he had just heard. His best friend had just sold him to a chick. He was left to wonder what was going to happen to him as the girl dragged him out to the dance floor.

*****
The next morning Drake woke up with a headache and stiff muscles. He groaned as he sat up in his bed.

“Morning sunshine.” Axi smiled. He had been up for several hours playing video games by this point.

He held his head as he climbed out of the loft. “Shoot me. I never want to do that again.”

Axi paused his game. “How’d you manage to get away from the goddess? I thought she was gonna try to take you home last night.”

“Who?” Drake rubbed his eyes. “Oh, you mean Meghan. That’s something else that I should show you. Check this out.” It only took seconds before Drake’s entire body had seemed to simply disappear. “I can become invisible.”

Axi could see the chair next to him move backwards as Drake went to sit in it. “You’re just full of surprises.” The raven haired boy shook his head.

The seventeen year old slowly came into view again. “Yeah, well last night was a pretty big surprise for me.”

“You’re telling me. All the guys were impressed by your game.”

Drake raised an eyebrow. “Game?”

“Yeah. You know? Like being able to pick up chicks. You’re a natural.”

The brunette snorted. “You’re kidding.”

“Actually, I’m…” Axi was cut off by Jackson walking into the room.

“Dudes! Guess what?” The blonde asked the two roommates.

“Man, don’t you ever knock?” Drake threw a bottle that was on the floor at his friend.

Jackson laughed. “Why? It’s not like I’m gonna walk in and find you two doing the dirty on the floor.”

Drake laughed, but secretly wondered if something like that would ever happen. He was attracted to Axi, but didn’t think it was a good idea for them to do anything because of the fact that they lived in the same tiny room. Thinking back he did remember a few times when Axi had come back from showering and he couldn’t help but sneak a look. He started to feel his face turn bright red from embarrassment. “So, what are we guessing at?” The brunette tried to change the subject quickly.

“Oh right! We’re hitting the club again tonight! Onyx here we come!”
*****

After much pleading and begging and arguing, Drake found himself in Onyx once again. This time it was just him, Axi and Jackson. The rest of the guys decided to stay home since the Showcase was the next day. It wasn’t long before the young blonde had drifted off and found a couple women to dance with.

“Dude, why did I agree to come here?”

“So, you could meet up with that Meghan chick again.” Axi smiled and winked at his roommate.

The brunette rolled his eyes. “What about you? Why haven’t I seen you picking up chicks? Or do you not have ‘game’?”

“I got game. All I gotta do is turn on a switch. I just choose not to.”

“Want to prove it? I say we play numbers and winner gets to make the other do something.”

“Numbers?”

“Yeah, the person who gets the most numbers by the end of the night wins.” Drake explained. “Are you on? Or are you gonna chicken out?”

“Deal” Axi shook Drake’s hand to seal the deal.

They both stood up from their tables and went in separate directions. Drake wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into. He had never intentionally hit on a woman before. No, he was a straight woman, but apparently he was also now a straight man or maybe he was bi because of his attraction to Axi. That was beside the point, he need to focus and get his “game” on.

The first girl Drake saw was a pretty Asian girl sitting next to what appeared to be her best friend. Mustering up all the courage he could the seventeen year old walked up to her and said the cheesiest line he could think of. “Is it just you or is it hot in here?” He flashed a smile.

She smiled back, but didn’t respond. Instead she dragged her friend out onto the dance floor as quickly as she could.

Drake made a mental note not to use any more pick up lines like that. His next thought was to try sitting at the bar and buy the woman next to him a drink. So, he spotted a young blonde sitting alone talking to the bartender. The brunette cracked his knuckles and marched up to the counter. “I’ll take a draft beer and what the hell? Can I get you something beautiful?” He turned to the girl on his right.

She gave him quick glance then smiled and said, “Sure.”

He was half way in. Drake sat down and took a drink of the beer that bartender had set in front of him. “So, what are you doing here all by yourself?”

“I’m just visiting my brother, actually. He works here.” She motioned toward the muscular bartender, who was now keeping a close eye on Drake.

Thinking that if he just got up and left now he might get the shit kicked out of him, Drake carefully eased into the conversation. “I take it you aren’t from around here then. Where are you from?”

She proceeded to tell him about how she was originally from Iowa, but moved to be closer to her brother. She had found out about Blueloch by hanging out in the club and was accepted the previous year. She was now a sophomore, studying to become a psychologist and if he was real nice she’d show him her powers later. They continued on to talk about each other’s home life and what kind of things they liked to do.
By the end of the night Drake realized he had forgotten all about the game. “Well, it was really nice meeting you, but it looks like my buddies are leaving.” He stood up.

“That’s a shame.” She took a pen out and quickly wrote something on a napkin. Then she folded it up and slipped it in Drake’s breast pocket. “Call me sometime.” The blonde kissed him on the cheek, then walked away.
Drake’s cheeks turned a dark rose red.

Axi patted his roommate on the back. “I got fifteen numbers. How many did you get?”

The younger boy pulled the brown piece of paper out of his pocket. “Just one.”

“Dude! You just got schooled.” Jackson laughed as he caught up to his two friends. “You guys shoulda told me we were playing this game. I would have kicked both of you to the curb.”

“Seriously, man. We need to teach you how to talk smack.” Drake patted his short, blonde friend’s shoulder.

“No kidding,” Axi laughed. “Come on guys. Let’s go.”

As they left Onyx to go home, Drake turned to his roommate and asked, “Well, a deal’s a deal. You win. What do you want, Axi?”