The Book of Masks (Vol. 3)

Betrayals, Backstabs, and Possible Boyfriends

Previously: "Finding Mr. Right" 

Not long after you get home, you get a text from Cindy, asking you to meet up with her and some other cheerleaders at Panera for dinner.

That would be perfect, you think. Last night, while working with Will, you were able to fully assemble one mask but you still need to finish the metal strip for the other one. So even though it's not yet four-thirty and Cindy wants to meet at around seven, you run to find Yumi's mother and tell her that you'll be pulling an all-night study-and-supper meeting with friends. You can tell by the vinegary face she pulls that she wants to argue, but she lets you go anyway.

You're late getting to Panera, where the meeting is to be held, but you have the makings of two disguises in your backpack when you pull into the lot.

* * * * *

"Kendra's the one we should be looking at," Jessica Garner says. "She's the chink in Chelsea's chainmail."

This suggestion comes after you and the other girls—you; Jessica and her sister, Eva; Cindy; and Lin Pol—have spent almost an hour bitching about Chelsea and her cunty ways, and moaning about how there's no way to get rid of her. But something in the way Jessica says "Kendra" makes you sit up alertly. It sounds like a turning point in the plot. "What do you mean?" you ask.

"Kendra made a deal with Kelsey at the start of school," Jessica says. "She was totally about to backstab Chelsea."

"What kind of a deal?" Lin asks.

"Well, you remember the way the tryouts went. The way they picked the girls? Kendra was going to help Kelsey pack the squad with supporters who'd then vote for Kelsey." Jessica makes a face. "That's how me and Eva got picked. It's how you and Yumi got picked," she tells Lin. "That was Cindy doing the same thing."

You flick a lance at Cindy. "Are you saying I didn't deserve to get a spot?"

"No! I'm saying—! Look, there's lots of girls who are good enough for the squad, just as good as any of us, just as good as Chelsea—"

"Better," you mutter under your breath. It's instinct, and it almost surprises you that you said it.

"But yeah," Jessica is saying, "we're the lucky ones who got picked because of who we were supposed to vote for for squad captain."

"Why would Kendra support Kelsey instead of Chelsea?" Cindy asks.

"Blackmail," you suggest. "Kelsey had photos of Kendra sucking off a goat."

"What?"

"They made a deal!" Jessica exclaims. "Kendra was going to be assistant captain, or something like that."

"There's no 'assistant captain' position," Cindy says.

"There would have been. Kelsey had a separate deal with Kim. She was supposed to get the squad rules changed, or something, so that Kendra would be in charge of a new JV cheerleader squad."

"They were going to make a new JV squad?" you squeal.

"Yep. But Chelsea got the rules for the tryouts changed so the plan wouldn't work, and Kendra went crawling back like a little whipped bitch. But," she continues, "what if we go to Kendra with a deal like that? She's already a snake, and she hates Chelsea—"

"Everyone hates Chelsea," you mutter.

"And everyone hates Kendra," adds Lin.

"—and we promise Kendra that if she helps us throw Chelsea out and puts Cindy in, then we'll do what Kelsey planned." She glances at Eva. "Kendra gets to be assistant captain {i]and heads the new JV squad."

"There'd have to be a JV squad," Cindy points out.

"We can get Kim to make the bylaw changes." Jessica glances at her sister.

"That's six votes," Eva says with guarded optimism.

"Seven, if Kendra goes to Michelle and gets her to go along. Here!" Jessica claps her hands. "She can give Michelle some bullshit story about a 'compromise candidate' coming in so Michelle won't think that by voting Chelsea out she'll be voting Cindy in."

"If we tip Gloria to what's going on, like, the night before the vote," Lin exclaims with shining eyes, "we can make it eight to two! Gloria hates Chelsea even more than Kendra does! Picture that! Just Chelsea and Maria voting for her! She'll quit the squad!"

"Then we can double-cross Kendra!" Jessica cries. "Five of us plus Gloria, we'd have the two-thirds we need to kick Kendra off!"

A babble of voices breaks out. "Then we can dump Gloria!" "Bye-bye Maria!" "Bye-bye Michelle!" There's much laughter.

Into the silence that descends, you say, "There's not going to be a better plan. I say we do it! All in favor?"

Five, then eight, then ten hands shoot in the air, and everyone breaks out laughing.

* * * * *

Two hours later, a complete sketch of the rebel plot is on its way to Chelsea's phone from yours. You feel like a reptile, but you don't regret it. Chelsea already told you earlier how grateful she was for all your help. This should cement her gratitude, and make her easier to manage.

You also send a text asking if Cody Schaefer is someone that can be seen talking to Chelsea Cooper. A few minutes later, your phone rings.

"Cody Schaefer," Chelsea says in a guarded voice. "He's on the tennis team, right?"

"Yeah. Tall. Dark hair." Handsome, you silently add.

"And he's Yumi's type?"

"Sure. Yes." You sigh. "Definitely."

"Interesting. Yeah, I know who he is, he's in the East-West club. Except—Gawd!—I don't remember the last time I went to one of those meetings, and who the hell knows if he's still going too. What a useless waste! Anyway, yeah, he'd be a good link." She titters. "Do you think he likes Yumi?"

You grit your teeth. Don't be such a cute cunt, you want to tell her. Instead, you just say, "He talks to her."

"Does he talk to her, or does he talk to her? Or does he just, you know, say stuff at her when she happens to be around?"

Probably the last one, you grumble to yourself, for Yumi and Cody, despite sharing two classes, haven't had much to do with each other. Aloud, you say, "Does it matter? If you're going to be pulling his wires— Well, we don't have to even go out if you, you know, put a mask on Cody." Your face is very hot, and you're aware that you're babbling, but you can't stop yourself. "We're friendly and if we just hang out, not even holding hands, then I could—"

"Chill out, Will!" Chelsea gasps, clearly suppressing her laughter. "You and Cody can do whatever! And by the way, Will I won't think any less of you as a man if you wind up going all the way with Cody. I love, you know, and I would bet solid money that Yumi's a nympho at heart, and I'm sure you'd love it too if you just gave it a chance. So—"

"So how are you going to get to Cody?"

"I won't have to," Chelsea replies. "He'll come to me."

* * * * *

She doesn't explain how that will work, and only says—after warning you to wipe all traces of your conversations off your phone—to keep your Friday after-school schedule clear.

Naturally, you're rattled and preoccupied all the next day, and you suffer a full-body spasm in fourth-period German when Cody comes swinging in. You bury your face in your phone and pretend not to have seen him, but you can't help watching him out of the corner of your eye as he falls into a desk beside Terry Colson and Eric Harlen. Kristin Yetter leans over to say something to him, and you feel a hard twinge of jealousy.

Instead of taking lunch in the cafeteria that day, you take it out front on the grass with Jenny Ashton and her friends. "What do you think of Cody Schaefer?" you ask her as you munch on an apple.

Carson Ioeger, who is stretched out on his side, barges in. "Cody Schaefer," he honks, "is a twat and a doorknob. Twice over."

"I didn't ask you."

"I'm telling you for your own good."

"My own good?" You make a face at him, and pretend not to notice the pained expression that is creeping onto the face of Paul Davis. "What the fuck are you—?"

"You're thinking of sucking his cock, aren't you? Well, for your own good—"

You hurl the half-eaten apple at his face, and he yelps as it bounces off his skull. "Fuck you, Carson!"

"Cody double-crossed Carson on a science project back in middle school," James says. "He's still got a grudge."

"He didn't 'double cross' me, he fucked me out of a shot at—!"

A babble of voices breaks out. After a minute of it, you leap to your feet and stalk off. Jenny catches up to you and catches your elbow.

"Ignore them," she says. "What's this about Cody?"

"I wanna suck his cock!" you snarl. "What do you think of that?"

"I think Cody's a good guy," she primly replies. "If that's what you're really asking." She peers at you closely. "What are you asking?"

"I dunno," you mutter. "What do you think of Preston Spinks?"

Jenny gives you a sour look. Together you go off arm-in-arm, to stroll the school grounds while you vent about your lack of a guy in your life.

* * * * *

The text from Chelsea comes as you're leaving school. I need help with cody is 5 ok? My place.

Next: "Code Name: Cody" 

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