Riley Ross-Chapter 65: The Episode of Gray

"Gra...cey?"

The rest of the Baby Crew had a million questions echoing in their minds. In fact, just a few seconds ago, they were ready to fire them all at once at Gary—no, at Gracy. And yet right now, all of them were completely silent.

They had thought of several scenarios why Gracey was wearing a mound of make up on her face, and yet now the truth was being revealed right in front of them.

"Can..."

And as Gracey spoke again, her previous deep voice was completely gone, completely replaced by a more mellow, honeyed, but still pretty much breathy tone.

"Do any of you have any makeup remover on you right now?" She asked the group, and almost everyone except Tomoe and Riley immediately rummaged through their bag. But Gracey didn’t wait for any of them; she walked away and rushed toward the basin next to the griller and violently washed the makeup from her face.

Everyone watched in silence, their hands still raised with the makeup remover they retrieved from their bags. Gracey was practically scrubbing her face, causing the water to go everywhere, and everyone waited for her to be done.

Only Riley moved. He got up from the floor and entered the house.

"Oh? Riley...?" Diana, who was watching TV inside, glanced at him as he walked behind her, "Did you guys need more food?"

"No," Riley shook his head, "I need a towel, Mother. I believe someone is having a very heartfelt and relieving moment outside, but she is making a mess and scattering water everywhere."

"Huh...?" Diana raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t really ask anything else and just told Riley to get a fresh towel from the laundry room.

Outside, Gracey was finally done washing the makeup from her face, and although there were still residues of it on her face, it was no doubt to anyone there at all that she was, indeed, a girl.

She breathed in deeply. The makeup that was like mud on her face was now slowly trailing from her chin, dropping to the floor, and almost evaporating as it rippled upon hitting the floor.

"I mean..." She whispered, "...It’s kind of true that you guys will find out sooner or later. I mean, my body’s growing... so fast in all sorts of places that it would—questions?"

She looked at Hannah and the others, and all of them were still too stunned to speak as they stared at her face. Her face looked a lot smaller now, and even with her wet hair only reaching below her ears, they were left wondering just how good she was at putting on makeup.

Although she still resembled how she was when she had the makeup on, no one would even mistake her for a guy.

In fact, aside from her height, she looked the most feminine of them all in terms of being... fierce.

But finally, after a few more moments, Pauline was surprisingly the first to ask a question.

"Uhm..." She raised her hand, "Actually, I... I knew you were a girl. I’m sorry."

"What’s... there to be sorry about that?" Gracey softly chuckled, but traces of her usual obnoxious laugh were starting to show.

"And, uhm..." Pauline looked at the others, "Do you also... like girls?"

Everyone turned to Bella at that question, and she could only gasp, but couldn’t react as this was no longer her moment. Instead, she just stared at Gracey and raised an eyebrow at her.

"No. Fuck, no..." Gracey vehemently shook her head, "I’m not a lesbian, if that’s what all of you are curious about. And... I’m still very much Gary. Aside... aside from the fact that I was disguised as a guy, everything you saw of me was authentic."

"So... you weren’t pretending to be annoying?" Hannah narrowed her eyes.

"Wha—you’re the annoying one!" Gracey gasped as she pointed at Hannah.

"You’re the one who keeps shouting weird ’sects and monarchs’ and all that shit! And you also keep making those ninjutsu hand signs—and they’re literally from two completely different cultures!"

"What’s wrong with mixing two cultures?! I mean, look at her!" Gracey pointed at Tomoe, "She’s mixed!"

"That’s a completely different thing!"

"And why are you even egging on me?! I thought this was supposed to be my moment?!" Gracey gritted her teeth as she approached the group while strangling the air, "This was supposed to be my main character moment! The rise of the Dragon Monarch! Like... if this were a novelkiss, the Chapter title would literally be ’The Episode of the Gray!’"

"Well..." Hannah shrugged, "...You said it yourself, you’re still Gary. Nothing’s changed."

"That..." Gracey choked on her own saliva a little as she looked at Hannah. Her eyes, which were already a little watery from having blown water on her face, were getting even redder as she slowly understood what Hannah was trying to say.

"She right, man..." Bella said, burying herself on the large pillows scattered around the pit as she sighed, "...And real talk? I’m just glad you ain’t no lesbian, ’cause deadass—that’s the only thing I got goin’ for me in this whole damn crew."

"That’s... not true," Gracey sighed, "You’re also black. And not like the normal black that’s actually brown? Like... I spent way too much time in the sun, black?"

"What the—" Bella quickly got up and glared at Gracey, but after a few moments, a small chuckle suddenly escaped Pauline’s lips.

And that small chuckle went on like a domino, causing Bella to burst out into a fit of laughter. And soon, all of them were laughing except for Tomoe.

"I..." Gracey sighed as she tried to contain her chuckle, "I’m really glad I approached you guys when I did. And as for why I’m disguising myself as a boy. Maybe... when we get to know each other even better, I will—"

And before Gracey could finish her words, everyone watched as Riley suddenly returned and handed Gracey a set of towels.

"O-oh..." Gracey blinked a couple of times, holding the towel with a blank look on her face, "Thank—"

Riley completely ignored her, however, as he was actually holding something other than the towel he gave her—a mop.

And without saying anything, he just started mopping the floor around Gracey—he only stopped when he glanced at Gracey’s shoulder and said,

"I also gave you a microfiber cloth, Ms. Gracey," Riley said, looking down at the set of towels. "Please clean the mess you made around the sink."

"Uh..." Gracey wanted to say something else, but Riley had already left and continued mopping the floor. She then looked at Hannah, quietly asking if he was serious, and Hannah only shrugged in response.

And so, she just quietly returned to the sink and started wiping everything. But after a few seconds of doing that, she quickly turned around and pointed at Riley.

"Wait a minute!" She raised her voice, "While you’re already here, I’m choosing you, Pikachu!"

Riley immediately stopped mopping the floor as he saw Gracey pointing at him.

"My name is not Pikachu, Gracey," Riley shook his head, "But I could see why you were confused—we are both cute. But that comparison would hold more merit if you pointed at V instead."

"M-me...?" Victoria pointed at herself.

"Yes," Riley nodded, "You have lightning and electricity as your powers, and you are also cute, V."

"W-wha—?" Victoria quickly held her already reddening cheeks, "You... you really think so?"

"Yes," Riley nodded, "But objectively, I believe Tomoe could be considered the cutest due to her Asian lineage."

Tomoe, who was trying not to be swept by everything that was happening, could not help but slightly flinch as she heard Riley’s words. And so, right now, she was trying her best not to look at anyone at all, as she could feel everyone staring at her.

"Right..." Hannah narrowed her eyes as she stared at Riley, "...What’s even the deal between you two?"

"Heh..." Gracey smirked at Riley as she returned to the pit, "...I bet it’s some deep, dark secret."

"You are right, Gracey."

"H-huh?" Gracey almost tripped on her own foot. "What?"

"What... sort of secret is it?" Hannah’s eyes widened. "Can you... tell us?"

"Oh..." Riley blinked a couple of times, "...I did not want you to know this. But since you asked me, I can not hide it anymore...

...I have killed a few people, and Tomoe knows it."

***

At the same time, at the restaurant where Ricky used to work, the situation had become increasingly dire—and perhaps that was an understatement. One thing led to another, and while he was trying to find a way to hide his friend’s body, one of the workers saw him.

And so, he had to kill him too.

But then, another one saw him, and the situation just evolved into something that could no longer be controlled.

At the end, he was left with a kitchen filled with the corpses of his friends.

"N-no. No... no... I didn’t mean to do this... I didn’t mean to. It’s his fault... Riley Ross."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel