The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

Lost and Foundering

Previously: "The Digging Party" 

You text Leah the next day after lunch to tell her you're free, but she reminds you that she's doing things with her girlfriends. U want to paint ur toenails w us? she asks.

Jack is even more dismissive, replying with a brusque Busy when you text him. Keith also says that he's busy, and you don't really want to talk to Caleb, so you wind up staying home and jerking off online. It might be for the best. It was an exhausting weekend.

In fact, you feel slightly hungover when you go in to school on Monday, and you have to suppress a wince when Leah summons you over in English to remind you of your lunch date. Caleb is still a little frosty with you when you return to your seat. "Just keep her away from me until further notice," he tells you when you mention you'll be eating with Leah instead of him and Keith.

* * * * *

She's sitting with a small circle of friends out on the front quad, near the corner of the main office. "Finally, some cock to go with our lunches," she exclaims as you draw up. She grins as you stumble a little at her words. The other three girls gasp, then laugh.

Leah quickly introduces them to you: Susie, Audrey, and Rachel. Susie is a roly-poly Asian-Pacific girl with a waterfall of dark brown hair tumbling around her shoulders. The other girls also sport long, brown hair, but Audrey is a skinny, toothy girl whose gums show when she grins, while Rachel has a prow-like nose and solemn brown eyes.

"Sorry I embarrassed you like that," Leah says as you open up your lunch. "But you're the only guy I know and talk to who has this lunch period. Who do you usually eat with?"

"Caleb and Keith. Sometimes I eat with Carson Ioeger and his friends."

"Oh, does Carson have this lunch? That's cool." She grins slyly at her friend. "Rachel likes Carson."

"I do not!" Rachel protests.

"Jack doesn't have this lunch period?" you ask.

"No, he has fourth. Is your friend Caleb still mad at me?" You almost choke on Leah's question. "Yeah, we did a thing Saturday night," she tells the others. "Played Indiana Jones up here at the school."

And then, to your horror, she tells the others all about the raid you staged on the time capsule. They are shocked but amused. "I didn't even tell you the best part," Leah chortles after shushing them. "Christian and some other guys were up here, and Will's friend almost got into a fight with them 'cos they got their phones out and started making a video of what we were doing!"

At mention of Christian's name, you prod Leah. "Is he in the theater program?"

"Well, I know he helps out. Unofficial stage manager or something."

"Is he in charge of the props?"

"I dunno. Why all the questions?" Leah takes a hard bite from an apple.

"I think I want to talk to him. Not about the other night," you hasten to add. "But Jack sold him a book— Well, it's a long story, but I'm trying to get back this book for my dad that I accidentally, uh, gave away, and I think he's got it."

"Well, come on," Leah says as she jumps to her feet. "We can go see him now. I think he's got lunch this period. Anyways, I always see him going in and out of the theater."

"Is that how come you always want to eat out here?" Audrey teases her as you scramble to your own feet. "So you can ogle Christian?"

"Hey, he's hot," Leah retorts. "All the gay guys are hot, haven't you noticed?" The others giggle. You don't know where to look, and you jump when Leah pinches the side of your hip. "Come on," she says, and strides off toward the theater, which is on the opposite side of the quad.

All the lights are up inside, and half a dozen kids are sprawled on the stage with their lunches out. Shrill laughter sounds. You recognize only a few of the guys there, and only two of them can you put names to. One is the very snotty and very gay Charles Hartlein, and the other is the guy with the phone that Caleb got in a fight with the other night.

It's the first time you've gotten a good look at Christian Padilla, though like the others in the circle his face is vaguely familiar. He's a brawny Hispanic with dark skin and eyes, and short, coffee-colored hair that stands up in tousled spikes. He's wearing a gray, sleeveless sweater that shows off some strong biceps, and shorts and flip-flops. With the shell-necklace about his throat, he looks like he stepped off a beach in Maui or someplace. He grins with a bright eye as Leah swings herself up onto the stage. You hoist yourself up more carefully.

"Hey," Leah greets him, "you still have that video from the other night?"

Christian's expression turns guarded. "No. I erased it." His eye flicks between you and her. "Like I was asked to."

"That's too bad," Leah says. "I wanted to look at it, show it to a few friends. But you remember Will here." She slaps you backhanded across the stomach. "He's got a question for you."

"Uh," you stammer as a dozen eyes swivel onto you. "A couple of days ago, a week ago, did Jack— Did you buy a book from Jack Li? A book in red leather, about this big?" You indicate with your hands. "As a prop for a play?"

Christian pops a chip into his mouth and crunches it thoughtfully as he studies you. "Yeah, I remember that," he says. He turns to Charles. "You remember, I showed it to you, told you it would be perfect for Bell, Book and Candle."

"Yeah, I remember that," Charles says after a fractional hesitation.

"You're all witnesses," Christian tells the others. "Charles looked at it and approved it." He grins. "What about it?" he asks you.

"Would you be willing to sell it back?"

Christian blinks. "How come?"

"I kind of sold it on accident. I sold it to Jack and he sold it to you. But my dad wants it back."

"Huh," Christian says. "Well, I'd have to talk to the program director about it. And to Charles. What do you think?" he asks Hartlein.

"You can do whatever, I don't care. It's just a book," Charles says. His expression is very taut, and he looks pissed off.

"I'll have to go look for it," Christian tells you. "Come check back with me after school. If that's okay?" he asks Charles.

"Whatever," Charles says. He shifts from ass-cheek to ass-cheek.

"Good enough for you?" Leah asks you. She runs her fingertip up the front of your shirt. "We'll see you after class," she tells Christian, the pulls you away.

You can't help blushing at the gush of laughter that breaks out after you and Leah have started for the door.

* * * * *

So you're back at the theater when the final bell rings, with Leah. Charles, who is standing at the foot of the stage with a couple of girls, turns at the sound of your entrance, and beckons you down.

"Christian's looking for your thing now," he tells you. He points into the auditorium. "You can sit there until he gets back. I'll be with you in a minute. You can tell me what you think." He turns back to the girls. "Okay, so, let me see you do your thing."

One of the girls looks past him to smile at you, and you start a little when you recognize her as Laura MacGregor, a girl you used to hang out with in middle school. But before you can say anything, Leah tugs your hand and pulls you away.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Charles mutters as he joins you back in the fifth row, where he sinks into a seat on the other side of Leah. "I am so far in over my head," he moans.

Laura and the other girl, scripts in hand, are enacting a rather stilted cat fight when you feel a presence settling into the row directly behind you. "God," the newcomer sneers. "I've seen dying fish that didn't flop around as uselessly as those two."

"If you've got any constructive suggestions," Charles retorts, "I'd like to hear them."

You turn around to glare at the newcomer, and are shocked to see that it's Jack.

"For a start," he tells Charles, "tell them to stop shouting each word. Like. It's. A. Pistol. Shot. Girls!" he shouts, and the two performer stop as he stands up. "Charles has some direction he'd like to share!"

Hartlein slumps in his seat. Then he growls out, "Don't shout each word out!"

"Like. You're. Shooting. Insults. At. Each other," Jack adds.

"I thought that's what we were doing," Laura calls back. "Shooting insults."

"You're a pussycat with a whip, darling, not a sniper on a rooftop," Jack calls back. He pokes Charles in the back of the neck. "That should be your line."

"Well, fuck me for not having a script."

"Me-ow," Leah murmurs in your ear. Then she pushes you. "Come on, there's Christian." You look, and see that Padilla has stuck his head onstage and is peering out into the stalls.

But he has bad news when you catch up to him. "I can't find your book," he tells you. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen it I bought it off Jack."

Next: "Drama in the Drama Department" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 2)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)"