The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)

Two Faces and More

Previously: "Tortures Planned, Torments Suffered" 

Yumi shakes her phone in your face and glares. You glance back over your shoulder at Eva and Jessica Garner, and at Maria Vasquez a little farther down the line of lockers. All of them are unconcernedly changing from workout clothes and heading into the showers.

"We'll talk about it later," you mutter at Yumi.

"You're gonna say 'no', aren't you?"

"We'll talk about it later!" you hiss. "Right now I wanna get cleaned up."

Yumi looks startled, then glances around. She pales, then hurries back over to her locker to start stripping.

You strip too, and join the others in taking a quick shower, one just long enough to to soap and suds all the sweat and stink off yourself. None of the other girls talk as they shower, and you're pretty sure it's because the guys are too busy secretly scoping out each other and the other girls. But you're too preoccupied to join them.

What the fuck is Fairfax thinking in wanting to spread a rumor like—?

* * * * *

It would be a juicy rumor and would be easy to track, he explains in the chat after you ask the question there. We are trying to track connections and communications lines, and that would be the first of the rumors we would launch as part of our study. Of course, we won't do it if you think it would cause problems for Cindy.

Regardless of whether it would cause problems for Cindy, it would cause huge problems for you and for Keith, who have been thinking of breaking Cindy and Seth up.

But you haven't even seen Fairfax's answer before you run into Seth himself, and have to deal with him.

He's loitering just inside the gym, studying his cell phone, when you emerge from the changing room with Yumi trotting along at your elbow. He's in jeans, dirty sneakers, a v-neck t-shirt, and his varsity jacket, and the sight of him in all his jock/gym-rat splendor gives you a hard thrill. He's mine! Cindy growls in the back of your head.

"Hey," you say as you approach, and he looks up. Usually he's got a smile for Cindy, but today he looks wary. You hesitate, but your instinct is to play it soft and friendly, at least for a start. "Sorry about the mix up this morning. Me not being ready."

"'S'alright," he grunts, and slides his phone into his back pocket. He puts out an arm, and you slip inside it to embrace him. "Long as you got to school okay."

"Yeah, I gave her a ride," Yumi says in a had jeer.

"How was the double date last night?" you ask him.

His expression tightens. "It wasn't much of a double date—"

"Don't start with me, Seth," you warn him. "Something came up, squad business, I had to skip it."

"Yeah, squad business," says Yumi. She's glaring at Seth, and either doesn't see or totally ignores the quick glare you shoot at her.

"Fuck the double date," he mutters, "I wanted to see you after."

"I wanted to see you too." You slide a palm up inside his jacket to stroke his back. "But it didn't work out."

"Could it work out tonight?"

"Mm. Maybe. I'll try."

He holds your eye, then puts his face close to yours. You hesitate, then open your mouth to his. His lips and tongue are strong and warm and quick, and you melt a little as you remember how he's used them on Cindy's body. The way you used Cindy's mouth on Yumi last night.

"You guys are gonna be late," Yumi says.

"See you in third," you murmur back, then put your face into the crook of Seth's neck and rub your nose into it. "I don't like it when we fight," you sigh, "but I like it after."

"Mm-hmm," he says. His lips are working their way through your hair and to your ear, so that's all he can say.

* * * * *

You and he share a Leadership/Citizenship class second period, and then Chemistry II. It's during the break between second and third that you see Fairfax's reply. Also, some whooping and hollering from Carlos and Mike about how fucking hot you and they and all the other cheerleaders are when they're sudsed up under jets of steaming water.

Lin texts you at the end of third to remind you that she wants to talk during lunch, so you ask Seth to sneak out some "to go" trays from the cafeteria for you and him, and to meet you and Lin in the small quad outside the gym. You've been sweet to him all morning, so he doesn't buck. Nor does he ask why you're going to be eating with Lin outside instead of in the cafeteria at the main table with Chelsea and Gordon and the rest of the A-list crowd, as you usually do.

Lin seems a little shy about broaching whatever topic she wants to talk to you about, so you push her by casually mentioning that Seth will be coming out with food shortly. Her expression tightens, and she says in a rush, "Have you been following those threads on x2z?"

As Cindy is a devoted reader of that garbage site, you can guess now what this is about. But you ask her anyway, "Which threads?"

"The ones about me," she snorts.

Uh-huh. Oh yes. Cindy's been following those. Hasn't been contributing to them, but has definitely been watching them.

Because even though Lin is a friend, and so Cindy would never pour gasoline on a fire, she is mesmerized by the flames.

"Tch," you sigh. "People exaggerate. They are exaggerating, aren't they, Lin?"

"Cindy!"

"I mean, you're totally not—" You glance around, and lean in to mouth the words, blowing the whole Eastman basketball squad. "But," you resume in a normal but low tone of voice, "but I don't know how, um, how much you, um—"

"Oh, Jesus!"

"But we never talk about this, you and me, so—"

"'Cos I don't wanna talk about my sex life! Or have other people talk about it!"

"Tch. They're gonna talk about it anyway. They talk about mine. They talk about Chelsea's." You giggle. "Did you hear that someone snuck a phone up into the loft and recorded her and Gordon doing it?"

"Yes," she sighs, "you told me about it last weekend."

"God, I would kill to ahold of a copy of that file!"

"Well, what am I going to do?" Lin whines. "The way people are talking about me—"

"They're going to talk about you that way regardless, Lin. 'Cos they're jealous." You lean across to give her a tight, one-armed hug. "You're so lucky, Lin. You're smart and you're gorgeous and people love you." And you're hot and I love touching you! "And there are people who can't stand it, can't stand for you to be so happy and lucky, so they make up stories about you. Gloria, for instance. I bet anything that new thread, the one that popped up last Sunday? Bet you anything that was Gloria. Tch! She may be pretty, but she's so mean that no one likes her. Only way she can get laid—" You snap your fingers. "Is a quick fuck in the back-seat of a little rat car. Hey babe," you call out to Seth as he comes out. It looks like he's only carrying his backpack, but the way he's carrying it shows that there's more inside it than books. "Would you let Gloria give you a blowjob if she begged you?"

Seth freezes in mid-motion as he starts to squat, and a panicked look pops onto his horsey face. "Um, no," he says, and slowly lowers himself the rest of the way.

"Tch, you don't have to lie about it. I mean, I'm talking about if you and me weren't going out, if you weren't seeing anyone. Would you let Gloria give you a blowjob?"

He silently busies himself unzipping the backpack and pulling out a couple of Rubbermaid containers, each one packed with food scraped off a cafeteria lunch tray. Lin asks, "What are you trying to prove, Cindy?"

"I'm trying to prove that Seth, after he lets Gloria suck him off, wouldn't go back for seconds! Would you, Seth?" You smile at him.

"I wouldn't go in for firsts," he mumbles as he hands you a lunch.

"Isn't he sweet, Lin?" You reach out to pat his cheek. "He's so sweet when he lies."

"Cindy," Seth says. There's a reproachful tone in his voice.

"I'm just trying to make a point to Lin, Seth. That Gloria is a dried-up cunt who's too mean to love and so is jealous of Lin, who everybody loves!"

Lin looks pained. "That's not what I wanted hear, Cindy."

"So? It's what you needed to hear!"

But you let the subject lapse, and talk instead about upcoming plans for Halloween, and who's going to be throwing parties between now and then. Afterwards, as you and Seth stroll with arms about each other's waists the long way around the front of the school to the wing where your shared locker is, he asks you what that was all about with Gloria.

You put your head on his shoulder. "I wasn't trying to put you on the spot," you sigh. "I'm sorry it sounded like I was. Lin's just sensitive because of a bunch of nasty threads on x2z, making her out like she's the high school whore. The Eastman High School whore," you add when Seth says nothing. And still he says nothing. You straighten up. "You don't think she's the school whore for— I mean, so she's gone out with a couple of the basketball guys at Eastman!"

"No, I don't think she's— Um—"

"Still, it's kind of gross of her. Like saying that our guys, you guys on the squad, are all a bunch of ... I dunno. Pricks, bastards, and assholes." He doesn't say anything to that either. You smile secretly to yourself.

Fairfax wants a bit of gossip to spread around. Maybe you could launch a bit of gossip about Lin instead of about Cindy?

Next: "Flirtations with Disaster" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 1)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)"