The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

First Day Nerves

Previously: "Happy Birthday to the New You" 

Third period is Jenny's study hall, and she spends it every day in the library with Eva Garner.

And appearances are preserved, for to anyone who is watching it would appear to be Eva Garner who smiles up brightly at Jenny Ashton when the latter hustles in through the library door.

But there's a hard twinkle in your co-conspirator's eye, and your own eyes can't help going to her breasts, which seem even plumper than usual. God, it's as though Hollister is intentionally thrusting them at you.

"So how are you doing today, Jenny?" Eva sing-songs as you dump yourself into the chair across from her.

"God. Okay, I guess," you mutter. "Only James—"

"Memories coming in okay?" She brushes a strand of hair from your face.

You slap her away. "Yes, I'm fine, and stop it!"

"Oooh! Touchy!"

"I'm not touchy, God damn it, I'm— Where's Rachel? And Audrey?" You wheel around, eyes darting about the library.

"They'll be along. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Only, what if they come in right as you're asking me something like—" You glance around again, and drop your voice to a hiss. "Like if my memories are coming in okay?"

Eva giggles. "Calm down, Will."

"My name's Jenny!"

"And my name's—" She glances up as the door opens behind you. "Hey!" You can't help flinching a little as Audrey Briscoe and Rachel Bell enter and slide into the two empty seats at the table.

They're both tall, rangy girls with alert, clever eyes and straight, mouse-brown hair that drapes around their shoulders. Audrey is the more chipper of the pair, with a toothy smile and a mischievous light in her eyes; Rachel's Jewish genes show in her aquiline nose and coal-black eyes.

Rachel speaks now as she settles in: "So did Spencer really steal Jordan's book review, or is he just covering for Jordan?" she asks you.

"What?"

"That whole argument last period," she reminds you, for you and she both just got out of AP Constitutional Law. "Jordan said Spencer stole his book review, so that's how come he couldn't turn it in."

It was a scene you didn't pay much attention to, both guys being a couple of scruffy yahoos and all. "Sure, whatever," you snap back. "What are you asking me about for?"

"'Cos Cody thinks it was all something they cooked up between them," Rachel says, "so Mr. Walberg would let Jordan turn it in late," Rachel says.

(Yes, even as Jenny Ashton, you can't escape having a class with Mr. Walberg.)

"What are you talking about?" Audrey asks.

And Eva snickers. "Yeah," she says, "because Jenny has no idea what you're talking about." She hides a smile behind the back of her hand as you glare at her.

"I do too! It was last period," you explain to Audrey. "We had book reviews due today, and Jordan— You know, Jordan Fry?" Audrey shrugs; no surprise, for Jordan is one of the school lowlifes, and how he got in an AP class you don't know. "He started whaling on Spencer Osbourne, 'cos he said Spencer snagged it off him at breakfast and— Oh, why am I explaining this?" you exclaim, for you are suddenly bored the drama that hadn't even interested you last period.

"He said that Spencer stole it off him," Rachel says, taking up the tale, "and that's why he didn't have it to turn in even though it was due today. And Spencer backed him up on it—"

"So that's totally what happened," you burst in despite yourself. "It's totally a Spencer thing to do." Spencer Osbourne is a minor bully and mischief-maker with the guys, and a leering perv with the girls.

Eva stifles a giggle. "It's totally like you, Jenny, to say that." You kick her under the table.

"Sure," Rachel continues. "But Cody—"

"Which Cody?" Audrey asks. "Cody Schaefer?"

"Yes. He says—"

"Ooof!" Audrey squirms and grins. "Are you still in that group project with him? When can the three of us get together? You and me and Cody?"

"Like to do what?"

"Dur, what do you think?" you burst. "And she wants to do it without you along, Raytch."

Now someone kicks you under the table. Eva says, "Jenny's such a troublemaker."

An awkward silence settles over the table. You break it by blurting out, "Does anyone have plans for Friday? I mean, next Friday, week from this coming—? Or Saturday, the Saturday after?"

"I don't know," Rachel says. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing." The burning embarrassment you felt with James returns. "Only some of my friends—some other friends—they were talking about doing something. A party. Thought maybe you guys would be interested."

This awkward invitation is answered—without enthusiasm—with a "Sure, maybe" from Audrey and a "Yeah, okay" from Rachel. Eva says, "Who with?"

"Carson and James. Paul, I guess. Yumi and Lin, when I see them. Cindy?" You poke her in the arm. "You and Jessica?"

"Kendra?" she ripostes.

"Yych!" You make a face. "I'm not friends with Kendra."

"You could be." Eva's smirk deepens. "All it requires is for someone to make a special effort."

On the other side of you, Audrey clucks her tongue, but Eva isn't done teasing you yet. "What about Caleb Johansson?" she says with glinting eyes. "Or Keith Tilley? You know, if Cindy's going to this party, then Keith really ought to show up too." The hackles rise on the back of your neck as her amusement deepens into malice. "And there's no way you can't ask Will out too," she adds with the air of a pastry chef crowning a multi-tiered cake with a single, shimmering cherry.

"Eva, I am going to fuck you up so much—"

Eva's titter is interrupted by Rachel: "Who are you talking about?" she asks. Audrey leans across the table with folded hands and chirps, "Yeah, who are these guys?"

"Eva," you start to warn her, but she's already pulling out her cell phone.

"Caleb and Keith are just some guys," she says. "But Will Prescott is someone—"

"What are you doing?" you cry.

"I'm telling them about Will," she retorts as she scrolls through her phone. "There's been so. Much. Chatter," she says, "about him recently. He was out at the Warehouse, you know, and—"

You watch in agony as she prattles on about your original identity, and what a splash you're making, as she shows Rachel and Audrey pictures of you from the weekend party. You don't know which is worse: the way she slavers over you, or the mild indifference that Rachel and Audrey show as they listen and study your picture.

Oh, but then you do know horror when Audrey's lips part in her toothiest smile and she says, "You've got a crush on him, don't you, Jenny?"

* * * * *

"God," Carson mutters shortly after dropping next to you on the grassy quad at lunchtime. "Here comes Johansson."

You glance up to see Caleb trudging over with a lunch sack in his hand. "There's nothing wrong with Caleb," you hiss at Carson.

"I didn't say there was," he mutters back. Then, with bright, brittle cheer: "Oh, God! It's Johansson!" he exclaims.

"Fuck you," Caleb snarls as he falls onto the grass. Carson punches you lightly in the ass.

"Where's Tommy Hilfiger?" James says, and snaps a bite from his apple.

"Who?"

"Calvin Klein. Abercombie Fitch."

"The fuck are you—?"

"I think he means Prescott," Carson says. You tense all over.

"Oh." Caleb frowns down at his limp sandwich. "Off interviewing hoes."

"The fuck?" James says.

Caleb glares at you. "Where's your friend Eva?"

"My friend?" you exclaim. "She's your friend too, isn't she?"

"Then how come she isn't off trying to get me laid?"

"Some tasks," Carson airily declares, "are beyond even the extraordinary talents of the Garner sisters."

You feel your eyes bulging. "Is Eva trying to get Will—? Uh—"

"Guh, guh, what, Jenny?" Caleb demands. "Spit it out."

"She's not trying to get Prescott laid," Carson honks. "There's some things Prescott can fuck up on his own."

You're about to say something waspish, but James says, "Watch it!" and in a flash he and Carson are on their feet and galloping away. A moment later, a burly figure dashes past after them, and all three vanish around the corner of the school.

"Well," Caleb says, "at least some people are still in character."

* * * * *

"We need a plan," Philip announces later that night, when you're all meeting in Carlos's studio again. He's still inside the mask of Maria Vasquez, just as the others are still in their cheerleader masks. "A project. A social experiment."

"I thought we had one," Cindy says. She's braiding and unbraiding Chelsea Cooper's hair. "Making Will popular."

"That's the project for these identities. I think we should have a new project for the new betas we're going to be making for ourselves. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"I don't care," Jessica announces. "As long as it's something Marcos Rivera can help with."

"And Kendra Saunders," Eva pipes up. She gives you a long, slow wink.

"Maybe we could try tearing someone down instead of building them up," Cindy suggests. "The opposite of what we're doing with Will. My boyfriend's a candidate."

No looks excited by the proposal. Nor is there much excitement for Mike's idea that you all try to match up unexpected romantic couples, or for Philip's suggestion that you "infiltrate" and make a "social map" of the sophomore or freshmen classes.

So palpable is the lack of enthusiasm for any of the ideas that hesitate before suggesting the blockbuster idea you had at lunch as you watched Ryan Shuler—one of the thuggish basketball players—chasing off after Carson and James: the body-swapping of other students, without warning.

* To suggest body-swapping other people: "Operation Freaky Friday" 
* To endorse tearing down a popular student: "What Goes Up Should Come Down" 

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