The Book of Masks (Vol. 2)

The New Queen

Previously: "A Royal Coup" 

(by rugal)

"Good job out there, Yumi," you say with a friendly smile as you bounce up to her as everyone is leaving the locker room after cheerleader practice.

"Uh, sure; thanks?" Yumi replies warily, likely expecting the other shoe to drop.

It never does. "We should get together outside of school some time. Just the two of us, you know?" you tell her. "I feel like we've been on the wrong foot for a long time so we should work this out." She gapes at you.

Gloria and Kendra catch up as you exit the gym. "The hell was all that?" Kendra asks as she falls in beside you.

"Yeah, you were giving her and her crew all kinds of shit yesterday. So what changed?" chimes in Gloria.

"Do you guys really think that low of me that I'd just act like a bitch, like, all the time?" you ask. "But okay, sure, something did change a little bit. After what that loser said to me yesterday, I got a little bothered."

"You shouldn't listen to Dane," Kendra says. "The guy's so baked he can barely tell you the time much less what's going on with Gordon."

"I know that but," you sniffle, "it stuck with me. Gordon's been acting so weird, you know, so I thought maybe... maybe there was something to it. So I called Gordon and said I wanted to meet and so we went up to the loft because... well, because it's private."

Both of your underlings -- you have underlings! -- eye you though say nothing.

"So we talked and," again you pause for dramatic effect. "Look, I want the team to do well but we all know how Gordon can be and it's just... he's so much happier right now and I want him to be happy and so we had this heart to heart and then we..." you mime taking a hit off of a joint. "Then we, you know, did it and, like, it was so euphoric! So I thought that if he can loosen up a little then maybe I don't need to be so tightly wound."

"So, what, suddenly you're going to start being buddy buddy with Yumi and Cindy and all of them?" asks Gloria.

You stop dead in your tracks and turn that disarming smile towards Gloria. "Cindy Vredenburg can get hit by a train for all I care," you say in a voice that's dripping both honey and venom. "But wouldn't it be good to try and make nice with the others? The squad could use more harmony and once we get rid of certain disruptive factors--"

You don't get the chance to finish that thought.

"Chelsea!" a voice roars, and you look up to see Dane Matthias actually looking angry as he beelines straight towards you.

"What're you--" you squeak as he grabs you by the wrist.

"You two can get lost," he sneers at both Kendra and and Gloria. "Chelsea and me have something to discuss."

* * * * *

"Let go of m!" you yell as you thrash wildly although it's useless. For as in shape as Chelsea is she's still going to pale in comparison to a guy, even if that guy is Dane.

With little difficulty he marches you off to the portables though thankfully none of the usual burnouts and other lowlifes seem to be around. Finally his grip loosens enough that you're able to break free and take a few steps back. You want to make a break for it but the look on his face tells you that might be a bad idea. Plus, influenced by Chelsea's mind, you can only feel anger and indignation at your current predicament.

"What the hell do you want?" you snarl. "After that bullshit story about Gordon and Eastman guys you told me--"

"Cut the shit, Dane!" he exclaims and while not shouting it's a level of fury you didn't know Dane was capable of. "Or whoever the fuck you are. Is that who you are? Dane Matthias?"

"Am I...?" you ask skeptically but then your lips curl into a smirk as arrogant and self-assured as any Chelsea has ever worn. "Of course not; I'm Chelsea Cooper."

That only seems piss him off more.

"The hell you are! I'm--"

"Dane Matthias, right?" you cut him off. "At least that's who you look like so it'd be really weird if you went around calling yourself Chelsea Cooper wouldn't it? People might think you've gone crazy."

He can do nothing but narrow his eyes.

"I mean, what are you going to tell people? That you're really Chelsea but somehow got body swapped with Dane? Or that whoever was Dane stole your body? Who would believe that?"

"Just who in the hell are you?" is all he can ask in quiet fury.

You toss your hair and thrust your chest out to emphasize Chelsea's most notable physical traits. "I'm exactly who I look like, same as you. You shouldn't think about it any more than that," you tell him.

But expectedly it seems to piss him off even more and he takes a few menacing steps towards you. You try to maintain a confident expression but it starts to falter as you back up and feel yourself against one of the portables. Just what is the girl whose life you've taken going to do to you? Would you be able to get away? You know that you're going to need to make a decision fast but thankfully something makes that decision for you.

Or rather someone does as a big, meaty paw grasps Dane by the shoulder causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Your eyes go wide when you see your rescuer and immediately you break out into a warm smile.

"Pookie!" you cry out as you take a few steps and practically leap into Gordon Black's arms.

"Whoa! This is really trippy!" he exclaims as he looks at you and then past you and down at the person who looks just like him -- the real him.

Said person can only stare in disbelief as you quickly grab Gordon by a wrist that you can't actually get your hand around and start pulling. He eventually relents however and follows you as you look behind you at the person with Dane Matthias' face and throw him another confident smirk.

"So, like, what was I... uh, he? What was he doing?" asks Gordon once you've left the portables behind.

"It was awful!" you wail. "He just grabbed me from Kendra and Gloria and dragged me out here, then got in my face and... and..." You sniffle and feel tears begin to well up in your eyes. "If you hadn't come along..."

"Huh, wild," is all he manages to reply.

"Oh and Gordon, honey," you say sweetly, "if anyone asks then we got together in the loft last night, had a really nice talk and then really great sex, okay?"

"Whoa!" he exclaims in amazement. "But wait, we totally didn't! I never saw you after school yesterday!"

"Yes, Gordon, I know," you state as you realize that this is the time to turn on the charm. So you reach behind him and give his butt a nice, hard squeeze. "But keep your story straight," you say in a low and sultry voice, "and we'll do it for real."

As you speed up and head to your second period class you can't help but to feel giddy and excited. Oh sure, you intend to be nicer to Yumi than the real Chelsea would because she's your friend and when you woke up you vowed to maybe cut down on the more unenviable behavior a bit. But still, now you know why Chelsea is such an arrogant bitch.

It's really, really fun.

* * * * *

Even after that revelation though you make a point of keeping up that promise you'd made to yourself this morning morning before heading off to school. You don't try and pull a complete one-eighty lest anyone think that Chelsea's gone nuts. But you do repeat and stick to the story that you'd told Kendra and Gloria. To your surprise Gordon, really Dane, seems to stick to it as well.

Though you get some skeptical looks from the usual suspects, they seem to at least tepidly accept it.

At one point you also make sure to text Caleb to tell him about the move. He's a bit miffed that you took his Chelsea mask but mollified by the fact that he's now in good with the girl that runs the school. You ask if he's seen or talked to Dane yet and when he replies in the negative you tell him that's good and to just avoid him. When he asks if you can get together after school you tell him that's a negative because Chelsea does have appointments she needs to keep but, like with Yumi, you'll try to get to him at the first opportunity.

Said appointments mostly just means going out to the mall with Kendra -- Gloria, pointedly, says she has other plans and takes off -- and Maria to browse the various stores for clothes. Then it's out to Starbucks to chat and gossip and figure out how you can really put the screws to Cindy. Then it's just you and Maria at her house for a bit where you moan about Gloria's snubbing and how it's obvious she must hate you and other little dramas that Chelsea likes unloading on her airheaded friend.

After all that and then dinner after you get home you're ready to relax and really settle deeper into being the new Chelsea Cooper. But your phone chiming and a series of messages from an unknown number delay that.

its chelsea omg
i was at danes and this guy came
he was rly scary and said tmrrw morning
hes sending me 2 oregon
i dont care who u r help!!!!!

That gives you pause. A scary guy threatening to ship Chelsea off to Oregon? The only person like that you can think of is Dwayne and as much as you talked up Chelsea deserve this... does she really? Maybe you should see what you can do to help her.

* To help Chelsea: "Dane in Distress" 
* To ignore her: "The Aristocrats" 

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