The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

A Consultation with Cindy Vredenburg

Previously: "Feminine Charm" 

(Written by rugal b.)

You shoot off a series of texts to the others very soon after waking up telling them that you've given some though to a beta and while you have some ideas you're still a little unsure and you'd rather talk to them first and get a little bit of advice.

thats good, Phillip texts back. better to be cautious with this.

we'll talk thru the day, adds Carlos.

You talk with them a little bit more in order to work out a loose schedule for your consultations. They'll take place throughout the first half of the day or close enough to give you a little bit of time to think over their suggestions and see which, if any, you'd take to heart. Once that's done you getup fully, get ready and head off to school.

* * * * *

You're sitting in the library a good half hour before classes start. Not because you're suddenly getting diligent in your studies but rather because the first of your friends, and this one gets the term a little more solidly than the other, is scheduled to meet with you. Though usually a hang out for the seniors taking a study hall, before school it tends to be used as a hang out for people who want to get away from the weather. Thus the only studying being done is by you as you look at and catalog the students milling around.

Boys and girls, seniors and who you assume are underclassmen. Students you know and students you don't. But you catch sight of one student that you do know gazing around as if she's looking for something... or someone. Since you know who she's looking for you raise your hand and with her attention now caught she makes her way over to you.

"Hey there Will," Cindy smiles as she takes a seat next you.

Though you know that it's really Keith under that gorgeous doll-like face you can still see only Cindy so when she smiles, when she sits next to you, when she places a friendly hand on your shoulder, you can't help but shudder in nervous excitement. But you try to brush away any other thoughts about her before they develop. That's not Cindy. That's not Cindy Vredenburg. That's really a guy and not just any guy but my spaz friend Keith Tilley, is all you think.

"You've adjusted well," you respond, maybe trying to reaffirm that this isn't the real girl.

"Oh don't I know it," she laughs softly in that airy, melodious voice. "The things I've had Seth do already..." she trails off as she looks both devious and wistful.

"You know," you say, "I know you're, uh, broken up with Seth but before you had did you, uh..."

"Did I...?" she asks and gets a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, I did what I needed to do to keep up the charade. At first anyway."

You want to shudder at that. Is that what you're going to have to do when you're a girl? Especially one with a boyfriend? But this nise Cindy seems to not even give it a second thought. And another thought of yours that follows from that. "Uh what if I never found out?" you ask. "Like about what you guys were doing and I, uh, got it in my head to ask you out?"

Cindy looks surprised for a second but smirks slyly. "Well, we wanted to make you popular..." she replies as she runs her fingers down your chest. You shudder with nervous excitement again and Cindy pulls her hand back and lets loose with another soft laugh. "Your face, man!" she says through laughs. "Oh, that's great!"

"Jesus, don't do that!" you respond sharply.

"Oh man, you were so, like, conflicted."

"Are you going to help me or are you going to keep fucking with me?" you ask.

"Sorry, yeah, but you slow pitched that right down the plate dude," she states and that seems to give her a bit of inspiration. "But it's really fun, man. Fucking with people, you know?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I just told you, it's fun!" she shoots back excitedly. "Plus you'll be able to get back at some group of assholes that really deserves it like I did with Seth."

"Okay, and who would that be?" you ask.

Another thoughtful look crosses over Cindy's face as she's quiet for a moment. "Amanda Ferguson," she grins.

"She'd be good?"

"Dude, yes! I mean if you're like me at all, and we're pals so you definitely are, then you probably want to get back at, like, Mansfield and Kelsey and all of those snooty cunts right?" he asks. "And Amanda's just like... she's got this aura about her right? Like she's untouchable? She's Kelsey's best friend so if you wanted to mess with her... oh, and she's hot as hell! Always a bonus."

It makes a lot of sense you realize and you can't deny wanting the opportunity to get back at those snobs. And she is undoubtedly one of the most attractive girls in the school with an ice cool confidence that seems to elevate her above the concerns of the rest of the mortals that surround her.

Cindy then begins ticking off her fingers as she starts throwing out names. "Andrea Varnsworth, Gloria Rea," she continues.

"Wait, wait. You're just throwing out girls that you have the hots for."

"Well duh," she replies. "But if you wanted to help yourself and mess with anyone else too..."

"Okay and what about hanging out with you?" you counter. "Does Cindy hang out with Andrea? I don't think she'd be caught dead with someone like Gloria either."

"You're right," she says while thinking. "Yumi'd probably serve the same purpose I guess... oh!" Her face lights up as inspiration strikes. "We could, like, play-act the whole cheerleader civil war shit. Mess with the others just as much you know? Have some fun."

"And what if I don't want to do that?"

"What if you don't... ugh, fine," she throws her hands up. "What about Jenny then?"

"Ashton?"

"Durr, you know another Jenny?"

"Yeah but isn't she our friend?" you ask.

"Yeah, and?" Cindy counters. "You want to help yourself, stay close to me and fuck with people--"

"I never said anything about that last part," you mutter.

"--so Jenny's, like, really well placed. She's not popular but she's kind of low-key crazy connected."

It's surprisingly good logic you have to say and you find it hard to put forward a compelling argument against her outside of the fact she is, like you'd said, a friend. A very loose one that you never talk to outside of when you eat lunch with James and Carson and them. You don't even really know a whole lot about her so how good of a friend is she anyway? It's a suggestion you'll have to take seriously but even still you can't help but continue to be argumentative for the sake of it.

"Even still, it makes me feel a little weird," you tell her. "Is there anyone else Cindy knows or has an idea about who could help my popularity?"

"Not that I can really--" she starts but is cut off by another girl's voice.

"H-e-ey!" comes a greeting in a very lazy drawl. A girl is headed your way and giving you a very interested, though as lazy as her speech, look. You wonder if she's talking to Cindy but she takes a seat on the other open side of you and you realize you're sandwiched between two definitely attractive, though opposite looking, girls.

Where Cindy is slim, platinum-haired and something of a Barbie doll come to life this other girl has a little more meat to her (though not enough to even approach curvy) with jeans clinging tightly to her thighs, a simple t-shirt and straight dark hair. Something about her looks familiar but you can't quite place it.

"Sorry I missed you yesterday," she says as she looks right at you; you flinch as she places a hand comfortably right on your thigh. "Stuff just got, like, so hectic ya know? I couldn't respond back to your text."

You'd texted her? Well that... doesn't quite narrow it down but you play along all the same. "Oh, well that's fine. I mean I could've gotten back to you sooner too," you tell her.

"Mhm, yeah but I won't hold it against you," she says as she stands up. "I've got some rounds I've gotta make, just figured I'd let you know that I totally got your message though since we the Walrus will get on us if we talk. But I'll see you in there, 'kay?"

You have this girl in Walberg's? Things are getting a little less hazy but it's not cleared up until Cindy pipes in.

"Dorothy Harmon? How'd you get her interested in you?"

Dorothy Harmon? Oh, of course! One of the girls you'd danced with at the Warehouse, at least you think you did because you'd certainly texted her on Stephanie's advice. She never actually responded though. "I dunno, I don't even know a thing about her," you reply.

"She's this stoner chick, hangs around with a rel mish-mosh of a group. Jordanna Trujillo and Spencer Osbourne and that whole crowd. I think Bethany Lewis is there too."

That name you do know as you share a class with her. She's an adorably elfin girl that you know as being on the swim team. "Doesn't seem like the type of person Cindy would hang out with," you say about Dorothy.

"Ah, well Cindy kind of knows her. They, uh, run into each other ever so often," she replies.

"They seem like polar opposites."

"Oh they are," Cindy states but her face lights up again. "But she, you know, knows a lot of people too so she'd definitely be a good choice for a beta. I could probably get her out or hell, you probably could."

Next: "A Consultation with Jessica Garner" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 4)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)"