The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

As the Gossip Swirls

Previously: "Debts and Acquisitions" 

Martin Gardinhire? Anthony Kirk? Geoff Mansfield? One of those guys for your "second" mask?

You do pause at the thought of making a mask of Geoff. That would be sweet revenge on the guy who took Lisa from you, and it would get you close to her again. But you quail at the idea of approaching her from under a face that she prefers to your own.

Besides, you've got this relationship with Chelsea, and you doubt you should take a chance on making her jealous.

"Why?" you whisper at Chen. He only answers your query with a shrug, as if to say that if you don't see the advantages, then it's not for you.

* * * * *

Thirty minutes later, he pushes back from the table and starts putting his things away. In a voice that's not too loud but will carry, he says, "How are you doing with the new orchestra piece?"

"Huh? Oh." You think quickly through plausible, open-ended answers. "Bach breaks my fingers," is the one you settle on.

"Mine too." He stands and holds your jacket for you as you slide into it. "I got time to practice it now, if you do."

"That would work for me." You smile at him, and he brushes his fingertips across your shoulder. "But, um, there's a lot of noise at my place—"

"There's no room at mine."

"So—"

His fingers linger on your back, between your shoulder blade. "Maybe we should just skip practicing, go get coffee someplace instead."

"Okay." Your back is to those guys at the other table, but you smile at Chen anyway as he gently leads you toward the ramp that circles down to the main floor.

"How was that?" you ask when you're away.

"Perfect. One of them's bound to say something to Kelsey, and then you won't have to tell your friends anything."

"I can't stand Kelsey," you mutter, speaking for both yourself and Yumi. "Why do you want her on the cheerleader squad?"

"I don't. I'll tell you about it on Tuesday, when we have our next date."

* * * * *

The texts buzz that night. Lin and the rest of them express disbelief when you tell them that Gary Chen was a perfect gentleman—he didnt even cuss—with you at the library, and they really explode after supper once Kelsey has got hold of the news. HE TOUCHED YOU????? is all Lin has to write for you to deduce that Kelsey has made her move.

he helped me put on my jacket, you reply.

He was guothing you! Cindy texts, and you have to ask her what "guothing" is before you can even deal with her.

Patiently you explain to various girls—including Molly Shaw, who texts you out of the blue to be "rly crfel" about Chen—that you only did some math together, and he was charming and helpful. You take a chance on using the adjective "sweet" to describe him to Lin, which earns you a vomiting emoticon in reply. You get sharp with her, and remind her that ur fuckbuddy jurstins not exactly the cleanest drugfree guy at school. You're not sure whether to interpret the silence that follows as "frosty", "angry," "ashamed" or just "done for the night," but you're glad to have shut her down.

Then Cindy sends you the link in Westside's x2z.com stream. It's anonymous—like all the shit posts there are—and the photo is blurry, but it's obviously a quick pic of you and Chen at the library. You're both standing, in profile, and he's got his hand on your shoulder. The caption: slumming!

And the first comment, already collecting upvotes, is which one?

You send the link to Chen's phone. He texts back: lol. Then: dont worry, ill handle, luv u.

But you do worry, and send the link to Cindy. is this whtat you think of me?

No who took picture?

Geff mansfoeld or martin gard or anthony kirk. They wre sitting close to us.

After sending that text, you wonder if you did the right thing, and ask Chen. His reply: perfect. dont worry. well talk later off texts.

You turn off your own phone after that, for it's just too stressful. You sure hope Chelsea knows what she's doing!

* * * * *

You're not surprised Monday morning when Eva and Jessica are absent from the changing room during first period. One of the first texts you found, on waking up, was a notice from them saying that they've already resigned from the squad. Everyone is very quiet, including Chelsea's two trolls, Kendra and Gloria, who seem baffled by the fact that Chelsea is tardy.

She comes in five minutes later, after everyone has warmed up on the gym floor. She doesn't change before calling everyone into a circle. She is very sober as she speaks.

"I guess everyone's heard the news. We're all shocked, I know I am. But it's funny the way these things work out."

Lin snorts, and across the circle of girls you see Cindy clenching her fists.

"We've got two slots to fill and not a lot of time to fill them," Chelsea continues. She seems distracted, and you wonder if it's the real girl, trying to reacclimate to her real life. "We'll hold an open tryout to fill one of them, but I've already arranged to fill the other, since we are in kind of an emergency situation. Kelsey's going to be rejoining the squad. Next Monday will be her first day back."

A murmur of astonishment runs around the squad, and you join in. Kelsey Blankenship? the common thought is. But she and Chelsea hate each other! Why would Chelsea ask her to join? Why would she decide to come back? She quit when she didn't get elected squad captain!

"The thing to do now is to go on," Chelsea says. "But for today let's just exercise and condition."

* * * * *

You're glad for the bombshell news, for it overwhelms (for now) the gossip about you and Gary Chen being seen together. You have Kelsey for second period, and you eyeball her before and during class, but she gives no sign of acknowledging your presence. During third period, Cindy adds news of her own. She draws you into the back of the Chemistry lab for a whispered conversation.

"Kendra texted me during the break," she tells you. "She says that Chelsea's been thinking about asking Kelsey to rejoin the squad for the past few weeks!"

"No!"

"That's what Kendra told me! She said that Chelsea told Kelsey that if any kind of opening happened, if someone quit or—" She drops her voice so low you can barely hear it. "If anyone got forced off the squad, that she wanted Kelsey to come back!"

"For how long has this been going on?"

"Two weeks or so. Kendra also says," Cindy continues as you try to wrap your head around these revelations; has Chelsea been planning these moves for so long? "She says that Chelsea is acting all surprised about Eva and Jessica, that she was trying to figure out a way to get Michelle off the squad so Kelsey could come back."

"Oh, this is bullshit," you hiss back. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know! But she says Chelsea is really upset about having two slots to fill, because she doesn't want to have to go through the bother of open tryouts, but that there's no one else who's an obvious candidate the way Kelsey is."

"She could just ask Eva and Jessica to rejoin," you suggest, though you don't believe it yourself.

"But didn't Gary tell you that Chelsea wasn't the one to, uh—?"

"He told me that, but I didn't believe him. You didn't either," you remind her.

"I know," she moans. "But I don't know what to think now!"

* * * * *

In sixth period, your boyfriend-to-be leans over you just long enough to whisper, "Wait for me at your car after school." You give no sign of acknowledgment, though, for you catch David Kirkham studying you intently. He and Chen exchange a fist bump as the latter slouches into a chair behind his buddy; Kirkham sucks on his toothpick and stares at you from under lowered brows.

When classes let out, you loiter impatiently by your car for ten minutes before Chen appears. Kirkham is with him, but Chen sends him away before coming in to lean on the car next to you. "Gonna take you shopping tomorrow," he says. "Don't forget."

"Shopping?" you echo, for the word has caught your attention. But then you get back on track.

"Listen, you've got a problem," you tell him, for you think you've spotted a flaw in whatever plan Chelsea thinks she's running. "It takes a two-thirds vote to kick you out as squad captain. Right now, with Eva and Jessica gone and Kelsey in, there's four people who would like to dump your ass. We can get Michelle, probably. Then we just need Kendra's vote. And we've got that JV squad idea to dangle in front of her."

"I know," Chen replies, sounding very serene. "I was gonna tell you to dangle it in front of her. Get everyone together with her tonight and talk about it."

"Really?" you gasp. "You want us to promise her the JV squad if she votes with us?"

"Exactly."

You gape at her.

"How long have you been planning all this? 'Cos I heard today that Kendra says you were already talking to Kelsey about this!"

"Sure, I sent Kelsey an email last week, right after you told me what Cindy and them were planning to do."

"But Kendra said it's been two weeks—"

"Pft, that's only what I told Kendra. But everyone really thinks I got the idea two weeks ago? Awesome. And speaking of looking good, what about one of them?" He chucks his chin at Paris and Peyton Morrow, who are passing nearby. "For a second face. I'm getting the impression you don't want it to be a guy."

"One of them?"

"Sure. We got a tryout coming up, and either of them are good enough to make it on. Especially if I say they are."

* To continue: "The Corkscrew Confession" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 3)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)"