The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

Worlds Turned Upside Down

Previously: "The Girl Who You Are" 

Your ears are still ringing and your brains still rattling from what ... Will ... was just saying about waking up with your memories. All the little hairs up and down the back of your neck go up. Is this grinning doofus really ... you? What you are actually like?

"Hey," he says.

"Sorry, what?"

His eyes glint with mischief from beneath the tangle of his stiff, straw-like bangs.

"Do you need to, like, sit down?" He gestures at the restaurant. "We could go in, get coffee, a little breakfast, and talk."

... Yes. Yes, that's what you need. A quiet moment inside, with something firm under your butt to keep you from falling on your ass.

* * * * *

McDonalds's food is disgusting, so you contented yourself with a cup of hot coffee. You forgot to get it decaf, though, so you were soon vibrating hard.

You've got other reasons to be vibrating, though.

Things got even weirder when you were settled at a tiny, Formica-topped table in the back next to the restrooms. As Will merrily stuffed his face with two sausage-and-biscuits, it hit you that it's Leah whose palate doesn't relish McDonalds food. So if you shrank from ordering anything to eat, and the person across from you was gobbling down all that grease and starch and preservative chemicals like it was his first meal in five days, does that mean that ... you are Leah Simmons and he is Will Prescott? That maybe you and he are just crazy? Maybe someone hypnotized you into thinking that you're the other one?

Except that you know that you're really you, just as she knew and knows who she is. Even when she was belching unashamedly and scratching at the spots on the upper lip and chin where those weird whiskers pop out.

She did most of the talking—gabbling, almost—while you only grunted. So it looked like the decision was to go find Chris Love at lunchtime and confront him.

But later, when you get to school and are talking in the parking lot, and Leah asks you what's wrong, you shake your head and say you don't see any point in talking to Chris. "He's just going to say he doesn't know what we're talking about," you point out. "Like he did when we saw him yesterday."

"We could make him," Leah says. "You could hold him down and I could beat him up."

"We're not going to be able to beat up Chris, W—" You catch yourself before you can call her by your real name. "Listen, I'll go talk to some of his friends, the guys he said he was hanging out with yesterday at lunch. If they say he went inside, then we can, you know, confront him with it."

"And then we can beat him up."

"Will you stop it?"

"Go along with me, Will!" he exclaims. Instinctively you punch at his chest, and he hops away with a laugh. "No, that's a good idea, you do that," he tells you. "And I'll talk to some of them too. Between us—"

"You don't know any of them."

"Sure I do!"

"No you don't, Will! I know. In fact, you know that's one of the things we've been talking about. How no one knows who you hang out with 'cos none of my friends—your friends—ever hung out with you! With me!"

You can't help blushing at your confusion, but she only laughs.

* * * * *

So you're really distracted during your first couple of classes. Fortunately, they're not really important. But it does leave you confused when, on your way out of Concert Choir, Delaney McGuire falls in beside you and says, "So I guess there's trouble in gay paradise."

You start. "What do you mean?"

Delaney glances around. You're crossing the open ground between the Music Annex and the main building, so there's no one to overhear as she leans in and says, with an amused simper, "Didn't you hear Alex and Parker back there, bitching about Charles?"

"Charles Hartlein? No, what did they say?" Despite your distraction, you feel your interest quicken.

"Well, that's what I couldn't hear. You were standing right next to them, though." She follows you into the school. "So what did they say?"

"I wasn't paying attention. And if you couldn't hear them, how do you know—?"

"I heard enough to know they were bitching about Charles. Don't you have Christian in your next class? Couldn't you ask him what, you know, is going on with—?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"I'm just curious, Leah."

"Don't be a gossip, Delaney," you tell her coldly.

She smirks back at you. "Who was it that was all telling me about the last catfight Alex and Charles got into?"

You give her a dirty look and leave her. But you do find yourself giving a thoughtful frown to Christian Padilla, who is setting up his writing supplies as you enter the Interior Design class you share with him. You have a question for him anyway.

"Hey." You jab him in the shoulder with a hard finger, and he jumps, and he jumps again when he glances up and sees you. A little of the tan seems to fade from his face. "Where were you guys all at at lunch yesterday?"

He gapes at you, then stammers, "When?"

"At lunch."

"Same as where we always are," he says. But his eyebrows go up, as though his own answer worries him.

"Nuh-uh. You weren't in the theater. No one was. I heard you were having some kind of, like, acting exercise seminar off someplace."

He stares at you, then something like relief washes over his face.

"Oh, right," he says. "Yeah, we were out in the parking lot." He shrugs. "Some idea that Charles had."

"Was everyone out there? Was Chris out there with you?"

"Love? Sure." A note of worry creeps back onto his face.

"Well, was he out there with you the whole time? Did he ever go back inside?"

That look of worry deepens, and Christian's glance wanders furtively around the room.

"Uh, no. He was outside the whole time with us. Well, pretty sure he was. I didn't notice him, uh, going anywhere." Still he doesn't look at you. "Why are you asking?"

"'Cos I'm sure I ran into him inside the theater when I went looking for you guys."

"Huh." Chris seems to be having trouble catching his breath. "What were you looking for him for?"

"We weren't, we were— Me and Will were looking for Mr. Wilkes. On account of that book that Will lost in the drama department.

"Did you find him?"

"Mr. Wilkes? No, something came up." You consider asking Christian again about that funky book, but decide it's way less important now than it was before, and it wasn't really that important before anyway. "Well, thanks," you say, and turn toward your own seat.

"Oh hey, Leah!" he calls after you. Now there's a grin warming his face. "How are you and Will getting along these days?"

"Uh, we're fine?" you reply.

"You're a cute couple!"

Your face tightens. "Thanks. How are things going with Charles?"

That seems to catch him off guard, and he's at a loss for a reply. Then he laughs. "Oh, he's going crazy. Driving everyone crazy!"

"Yeah, that's what I hear."

"Oh my God!" Christian covers his face with his hands, and laughs.

* * * * *

For third period you have Physics, and you are still twitchy in there, even though the caffeine has mostly worked its way through your system. But Adam Dortch is in there, sitting in the row right next to you. Leah is very friendly with Adam, so you have to talk to and smile at him, though you're rather not. Leah lost her virginity to Adam halfway through their junior year, she still occasionally has fantasies about getting back together with him.

Then comes fourth period English, the class that you and Leah share, though now you occupy different desks (not to mention bodies). You march up boldly to Will and poke him in the shoulder, even though he is staring impudently up at you already. "Hey, are we having lunch together?"

"Sure," he replies, and leans back in his desk. "Who with?" He turns his head just enough to glance over at Caleb. "Your friends or mine?"

"Are your friends cool?"

"Meh. Oh, you wanna go try finding that guy in the theater again?" he asks as Caleb rolls his eyes.

"I'll think about it." You turn toward your seat, but grab the hat off Will's head as you go. When he shouts, "Hey!" you retort, "Give it back to you at lunch!"

The girls you sit with have been watching you, and they giggle as you slide into your desk. You twirl your old cap on your finger and make a face back at them.

Then you catch Cassie Harper give you a dirty look from a couple of desks over. "What's your problem, Red?" you taunt her. Her glare deepens, and she turns around. Silly little chatterbox, you think.

Mrs. Gladstone makes everyone turn off their cell phones before class starts, so you don't find the text from Kristina until the bell rings for lunch: Could you talk to Jack at lunch today, find out what's going on with him?

That reminds you of her request yesterday. Instead of looking for Chris Love—probably a waste of time—maybe you and Will should do as Kristina has requested.

Next: "Friend Zones" 

*
"Table of Contents (Vol. 2)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)"