The Book of Masks (Abridged)

Double Dates

YOU FIGHT BACK THE URGE to bring yourself up as a topic of conversation; it feels like the temptation to play with fire. Instead, as a near approximation, you steer talk onto Paul Davis. "Why do you want to know what I think of Paul?" she asks.

"Because he has a crush on Yumi."

"So shouldn't you be asking be asking Yumi what she thinks of Paul?"

"She's not here," you reasonably point out. "Anyway, I'm interested in you, not Yumi." She smiles at that, though maybe a little tightly. "But it's a situation where you've got this guy, Paul, who's crushing heavily on a girl who's a cheerleader. You're a cheerleader. So what do you think when you see that?"

"What's my being a cheerleader have to do with it? Honestly," she mutters. "Anyway, lots of guys crush on cheerleaders. And it's not so easy or great, you know. You don't hear some of the things that get said to us, or the looks we get, in the hallways."

"You don't like it, even from an attractive guy?"

"It makes them not attractive, at least to me," she says. "Though I think Chelsea likes it, because she knows she doesn't have to put up with it. If someone says something really nasty to her, she just has to tell Gordon."

"I don't wanna talk about Chelsea." Another confession that draws a smile from your date. "And I don't want to talk about the random guys in the halls. I want to hear about Paul and Yumi."

Her eyes narrow over her smile. "Why? Did he put you up to—"

"No," you snort. You put your chin in your cupped hand. "Like I said, here's a guy who's really keen on a cheerleader. Personally, I think she's out of his class, but—"

"He's not— Why would you think that?" Eva exclaims. "He's kind of cute, and he's smart. He's got a good personality—"

"You think so? I think he's kind of drippy. And he's such a beta even the betas think he's beta. I mean, Ioeger and Lamont are his friends and even they push him around mercilessly."

"Carson and James aren't betas. Being an alpha doesn't mean you have to be on the basketball team. Even nerds have alpha types."

You laugh. "So if Ioeger and Lamont are alphas, what does that make Steve Patterson?"

"A sociopathic asshole. Him and Gordon both."

"So let me get this straight," you say. "You look at Paul mooning after Yumi, you don't think 'That's pathetic, look at him, that drippy little loser getting a hard-on for a cheerleader'."

"No, I don't!"

You wonder how sincere she is, for though she sounds quite insistent, her face is flushed as though she's been caught in a lie, or in a lie that she ardently wishes were a truth. "So what do you think?"

"Well—" She looks away, and the expression of embarrassment deepens on her face. "I feel kind of sorry for him, because I know she's not interested. And it's obvious that she's not interested but she's trying to spare his feelings, but he won't take the hint. And I feel sorry for her because he's being such a puppy dog about chasing her."

"But you wouldn't think it weird if she did like him?"

"No. I mean, it would be her business." She snorts softly. "I'm sure Chelsea would try to make it her business, because she's always—" She catches herself. "But I don't see anything—"

She stops in mid-sentence, probably because she's just caught onto the way you're staring at her.

"So the only problem you see, really," you say, "is that Paul doesn't realize he hasn't got a chance."

"I didn't say that. I don't know if he's got a chance or not. But it would be better if he said something clearly, so Yumi could say something clearly, and then they could go on, either together or, you know—" Or much more likely apart, she refuses to say. "He's just trailing her around, hoping that she'll get worn down or tired of pushing him away, and make the first move. That way he doesn't have to do any work or take any risks."

"Do you want the same thing from guys? To take a risk and jump in?"

She says nothing immediately, but returns your stare with a steady gaze of her own. "They'd have to know that it is a risk."

"But you wouldn't be offended or grossed out or go 'Euggh, euggh, get away from me you slimy horrible thing, stop raping me with your gross fantasies!'"

Eva recoils in shock, and looks highly offended. "Oh God, do you really think I'm like that?"

"No. But if I try to imagine myself asking Kendra or Gloria or Cindy—"

"Oh, fuck," Eva exclaims. "Kendra and Gloria. Yeah, with them, same as with Chelsea. Cindy wouldn't be like that, though." She snickers. "Of course, if you asked Cindy out you'd have Seth to contend with—"

"Well, I didn't think you were like that either, but I wanted to make sure," you say.

And because you are talking from under Caleb's face, and are doing this for him, you are entirely calm when you speak next. "Because I really like you, Eva, and I'd like to go out with you."

She turns pink again, and very slowly a smile appears on her face. "Isn't that what we're doing now?"

"No, I mean steady. Like boyfriend-girlfriend."

Her face is now shining, whether from embarrassment or pleasure or simple awe at your forwardness you can't tell. "Shouldn't we go on a series of dates first?"

"Make you a deal," you say, feeling more and more emboldened by your lack of fear. "Trade you a series of dates for a kiss tonight."

She turns her head and looks away, but can't stop smiling. "I told you, I don't kiss on first dates."

"So we won't kiss on the second, third, fourth or fifth dates. I'll trade those for one tonight. And after the fifth date I'll ask you again about going steady."

She hangs fire for a long time. "Alright," she finally says, still blushing. "We'll give that a try."

You've long since exhausted your drinks, so it seems like a good time to wrap things up. You lead her outside to the car, but before reaching it you pluck at her hand. She turns and you move in close. There's a moment of hesitation, and then your mouths touch lightly. You don't press things too hard, but you get a good taste of her lips, and you think she gets a good taste of yours. "Mm," she says after you part. "Maybe we could have a few kisses on the next few dates. "We could call them lessons."

You take her home and walk her to the door, and have a pleasant but contact-free parting.

* * * * *

"I got something I need to talk to you about," you mutter to Will the next morning during first period. "So let's skip second, if you can."

"Yeah, I got something to talk about too," he says. You wonder a little at that. Does he have something to say, or is that just the "countersign" for your arrangement to meet and swap shirts and faces?

You have to chase him out of the room when the bell rings, for he leaves at a smart pace, and only catch up to him at a water fountain. He glances around, then leans in. "We'll do it in separate restrooms," he says. "C wing for me, D wing for you. Take off the mask, then we'll meet in C wing to change shirts and shoes and bags."

"And I gotta talk to you."

"Me too. I set you up for another date with Umeko, tonight."

"I thought you set up something with Lisa."

"That's for tomorrow night. This is so you can get an idea which one you want to pursue."

"Well, I need to talk about something more important with you, so after we change we need to skip."

"I can't skip Calculus. I'm already a day behind. Can't it wait for lunch?"

"I don't think so. You might run into her."

His eyes widen. "Who?"

"Eva Garner. I set you up on a date with her."

His eyes pop. "You what?" He grabs the front of your shirt.

"If you want the details, you better pick between me and Calculus, because if you bump into her—"

He looks around wildly, then hauls you off toward the double doors leading outside.

* * * * *

"I thought you'd be happy," you protest. "It's Eva Garner! And you kissed her."

"You kissed her!" he shouts back, and shoves you. You bounce off the wall.

You're hidden in the cluster of disused portable behind the school, which is where people go when they want to be alone. There's a group of lonely-in-a-crowd types down at the other end, but you managed to find an abandoned corner where you can talk quietly. Whether you do talk quietly is another question, as Caleb seems really freaked out by your confession. "That's why you didn't want to switch back last night!" he snaps. "You wanted her all for yourself."

"Yeah, so I set it up for you!" you retort. "You're over the hump, man."

"And set me up to fail!"

"Like you did to me with Lisa and Umeko?"

"But this is Eva Garner!" His expression—filtered through your face, of course—mixes ardor and horror.

"Fine. Do you want to leave her to me? I seem to be doing real good with her."

He pushes you against the wall and shows his teeth. "We can't just take over each other's lives permanently!"

"So you want me to fuck it up with her for you?"

He glares, but his expression turns thoughtful. "We're set up with some good-looking girls," he says. "And we want a mask of one. Listen, you go on that date with Eva, but I'll interrupt—as you—and get a mask onto her."

"That'll make me look like an asshole!"

"Okay, then I'll go that date with Lisa for you, and you get a mask on her. Then I'll look like the asshole."