Disguised As A Boy To Attend Belmont High School
Chapter 138: Cleaning Aiden’s Room.

Chapter 138: Cleaning Aiden’s Room.

As Olive, Mark, and Lara stepped out of the hospital, the warm sunlight and gentle breeze enveloped them a stark contrast to the sterile, antiseptic air they’d left behind. Aiden took a deep breath, feeling a sense of resolve wash over him, though the weight of his illness still lingered in the back of his mind.

The group made their way toward the parking lot, where Mark’s car was parked. They all got in, and the chauffeur drove them out of the hospital grounds, heading back toward Aiden’s mansion.

Soon, they arrived at Aiden’s house. The car pulled into the driveway, rolling up to the grand entrance of the mansion. As the engine cut off, they all climbed out and made their way inside. Without much delay, the group headed straight for Aiden’s room, determined to help him with some long-overdue tidying.

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"I don’t get it," Mark said, shaking his head as he began organizing Aiden’s cluttered room. "You’ve got the money to hire servants, but you just refuse. Why?"

Aiden smiled faintly from where he sat on the sofa, watching his friends work. "I just like the quiet. Besides, if I had servants, my parents would find out I’m sick. You know how they are, they’d get involved, and I can’t stand that. I don’t need anyone poking around in my private life."

Mark continued dusting Aiden’s trophies and awards from past competitions, noticing how they had gathered a thick layer of grime. "Still, though... this is a mess, man. When was the last time you cleaned this place?"

"Yeah," Lara added, her hands resting on her hips in frustration. "It’s even worse than when we visited last time."

Aiden let out a small laugh. "I haven’t been able to clean because of the illness. And to be honest, I barely even stay here. Most of my time is spent at the school hostel or the 3RM special room. The only time I get to clean is when I come back home, which is rare."

"It’s obvious you don’t clean on a normal basis. So don’t use the illness as an excuse." Olive chimed in as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Mark, who was on his knees scrubbing the floor, paused to shoot a playful glare at Aiden. "When did I become the cleaning expert? Look at me down here scrubbing like it’s my full-time job. I swear, the last time I did something like this was when we had to clean that basketball court as punishment. My body was sore for an entire week after that. I had to go to the school clinic for painkillers."

Aiden burst out laughing. "You look pretty sexy down there, though. I never knew cleaning suited you."

"Don’t get used to it," Mark grumbled. "I’m only doing this because you’re my friend. Once we’re done here, I’m definitely calling in a cleaning service for the rest of the house. I can already feel the aches coming. The last time we cleaned the basketball court, I had to get some pain relief meds from the pharmacy."

The group burst into laughter at Mark’s words.

"At least you’re still more hardworking than Lucas," Olive chimed in, but as soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her lips with her hand, realizing the mistake.

Aiden’s face softened. "It’s okay. You’re right. Mark and I may be more hardworking, but Lucas... Lucas is just obsessively neat. His room gets cleaned three or four times a day even when he’s not around. He’s got professional cleaners working in shifts at the George family’s uncompleted mansion, scrubbing the place spotless just in case Lucas decides to drop by. And the guy freaks out at the sight of a cobweb, don’t even get me started on spiders!"

Olive and Lara erupted into laughter, the sound filling the room as Olive doubled over, clutching her stomach. "No way! Lucas is scared of spiders?"

"Oh, he’s scared of anything that crawls, spiders, cockroaches, rats, you name it," Aiden confirmed, still laughing. "Except humans, of course."

Mark joined in, grinning from ear to ear. "Remember that time he took that nasty fall down the stairs because of a spider? We were up in the mountains on that school trip, and we got lost. We had to spend the night in that old cabin, and when Lucas spotted a spider, he freaked out so bad he fell down the stairs and had to spend two or three days in the hospital."

Lara, now wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, shook her head in disbelief. "This is insane! The big guy is scared of spiders. Who would’ve thought?"

The laughter continued as they resumed cleaning, finally bringing order to Aiden’s room, which was now spotless and gleaming.

"Thank you, guys," Aiden said with a warm smile, his gratitude evident in his voice.

"You’re welcome, buddy," Mark replied, stretching his arms with a groan. "But we’ve only managed to clean your room. The rest of the house is still a disaster. I’m calling a cleaning service, there’s no way I’m doing all this."

Aiden chuckled lightly. "Alright, fine by me."

He reached up to run his fingers through his hair, but when he pulled his hand away, several strands came loose. His smile faltered, replaced by a look of sadness. "I guess I should just cut it all off. It’s falling out so much now."

The room fell into a heavy silence. Olive, Mark, and Lara exchanged concerned glances, their previous laughter quickly fading.

"Are you okay?" Olive asked softly, her voice filled with concern. She doesn’t know what say or ask but she knew she just needed to say something hence the question that pop out even though it was obvious that Aiden wasn’t okay.

Aiden’s eyes welled up with tears. "My hair... it’s falling out faster than I thought. I might be bald at this rate. I can’t even style it anymore."

Mark moved closer, his tone gentle. "It’s okay, Aiden. It’s just hair. It’ll grow back. Besides, the doctor said this is a normal side effect of illness."

Aiden nodded but looked down at the clump of hair in his hand. "I know. It’s just hard to accept, you know? I never thought I’d actually lose it."

Olive reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We could all shave our heads with you if you want. You won’t go through this alone."

Aiden smiled weakly. "You don’t have to do that."

"Come on," Mark said with a grin. "We’d be the coolest bald crew at school. The Bald and Beautiful Club!" he added with an outburst of laughter.

Lara chuckled. "Yeah, we’d totally rock it."

Aiden’s laughter returned, but it was softer this time. "You guys are crazy," he said, though his smile slowly faded. "No, really, I’ll just shave it off. It’s better than watching it all fall out bit by bit. Besides, hair grows back, right?"

He stood up and walked over to his locker, pulling out a clipper. "Mark, you should do it. I want my sexy barber to give me a clean shave."

Mark hesitated, but then took the clipper from Aiden’s outstretched hand. "Alright, Aiden. This sexy barber is at your service."

As Mark began shaving Aiden’s head, Olive and Lara watched anxiously. The room was silent except for the soft buzz of the clippers.

"Are you sure about this?" Olive asked quietly, her brow furrowing in concern.

Aiden nodded, his voice steady. "Yeah, I’m sure. It’s better this way."

Slowly but surely, Aiden’s hair fell away in soft clumps, revealing his smooth scalp. When Mark finished, he stepped back, inspecting his handiwork.

"You look good, Aiden," Lara said, offering a supportive smile.

Aiden ran a hand over his newly bald head. "Thanks, Lara."

Mark grinned. "Not bad, if I do say so myself. I should probably open a salon because I’m really good at this."

The group burst into laughter.

Olive smiled through tears that she tried to blink away. "You’re still beautiful, Aiden. Hair or no hair."

Aiden’s heart swelled with gratitude. His friends had made this difficult moment bearable.

"Alright, I think Lara and I should head to the kitchen and whip up some food," Olive said, linking her arm through Lara’s.

"You can cook?" Aiden teased, raising an eyebrow. "I thought the kitchen belonged to the pros."

"And I’m a pro." Olive replied with a light chuckle.

Mark, now lounging on the couch, chimed in, "You better make something good. I’m really starving." He then glanced at the hair-covered floor. "The cleaning crew can take care of that," he muttered with seriousness laced in his tone, as he wasn’t interested in doing any more cleaning.

Aiden, however, looked thoughtful, his gaze fixed on Olive and Lara. "Maybe we should just order something. I don’t want you guys stressing over cooking. We could order done hamburgers, pizza..."

"No way," Lara said firmly, cutting Aiden short of words. "You need a healthy, homemade meal. No junk food."

Aiden sighed, smiling faintly. "I’m so sorry to say but the kitchen is a mess and besides there’s no foodstuffs at home."

"It’s nothing we can’t handle. We’ll clean the kitchen and then head to the market later to get some groceries and foodstuffs." Olive assured him. With that, she and Lara exited the room.

"But... The kitchen is really dirty." Aiden murmured under his breath but the girls were gone before he could warn them further.