The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)

One Giant Leap for Will Prescott

Previously: "Scream for Ice Cream" 

She was into me? That girl with the tangle of coppery hair?

Scott's assertion is like a sandblaster to your brain, leaving it scoured and incapable of thought.

Incapable of speech too, but Scott raises a warning finger, telling you to be quiet, as a someone picks up his call.

"Hey, it's me," he says into the phone. "You in a place you can turn loose?" He listens. "No, nothing's going on here. I'm just here with Will, and we're talking about doing something." More listening. "Will," he repeats. "Guy with the freaky book we were looking at yesterday. He's got the stuff for trying it out." He queries you with a lifted eyebrow, but doesn't wait for a reply. "No, it's up to you. Actually, I think Will's gonna hook up with this girl, she was eyefucking him across the table from the minute he sat down."

The world briefly goes out of focus, and you sway. Through the roar in your ears you hear him say, "Eileen."

The rest of what Scott says is a lot of mumbles and grunts and fragments of phrases. You hardly pay attention as you try to sort through your instincts and emotions. It feels like your mind is racing, but if it is, it's the kind of racing you get in a nightmare, when you're running from a monster but your legs won't work and your feet feel like they're stuck in the mire.

Scott slips the phone into his pocket and cocks his head at you. "Are you okay?"

"Nah, I'm just— I mean, yeah, I'm—"

But Scott brushes past you, exiting the restroom. You shuffle out after him.

At the front of the shop, Eileen is leaning back in her chair, studying her iPhone.

* * * * *

You're not sure what it was, but something about her pose made you take it as a challenge. She's already looking past me, you thought. Looking for something else, someone else. It made you bridle, and mentally, at least, you felt yourself squaring your shoulder and putting out your chin. I got this, you told yourself, even as your knees wobbled as you marched over to the table with Scott.

"Hey," he is saying, leaning over to address Eileen and her friend Joshua. "I'm taking off now. Will—" He looks up at you, his eyebrows arching.

"I got nothing to do," you say. Your heart races as Eileen and Joshua twist around to squint up at you. "You guys doing something?"

The two Eastman students look at each other.

"I'll catch you all around later," Scott says. "Will," he adds. "See at school Monday?" You nod.

As he turns toward the door, you move to stop him, but catch yourself.

Maybe you should give him the book and the supplies you bought, let him and Brendan mess around with it while you hang out with Eileen, that way you've got something to return to if things don't work out between you and the girl.

Or you could just keep the stuff to yourself. Scott really doesn't seem all that into it, even if he did seem interested when you showed him the book yesterday.

Besides, maybe Joshua and Eileen would be more interested in it.

Next? Vote in the poll: "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down!" 

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 1)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 1)"