The Book of Masks (Vol. 4)

Bait for the Bastard

Previously: "Salvation Comes with Donuts" 

"I want to be there to see you give Geoff the business," you tell her. "I'll survive the death stare."

"Do whatever you want," she replies with a poisonous gaiety. "I'm not one to boss people around."

"Oh, God, now that is a lie!"

"Tell me." She snickers. "But you wanna know the punch line? I'm pretty freaking sure she believes it. Anyway, be here by seven. Make it eight, if you really want to set off some fireworks."

* * * * *

Talk about Geoff has reminded you—

And Deanna is such a scatter-brain about things that your morning with Brownie drove it clean out of your mind—

—that you wanted to get together with him, to bait a trap for him this evening. So after freshening up a little, you text him to see what he's doing this afternoon. It's twenty minutes before he replies, time during which you run through Deanna's social media again, taking particular note of Jamie's online brag about "looking for a thing to do with Laurent" tonight. Mansfield's reply, when it comes, is a casual notice that he's up at the mall with his "gf."

Yeah, well, we'll just see how long you have her as your "gf".

* * * * *

"So, my God, I'm like terrified of going out there tonight." You lean across the food-court table to emphasize the point, then scoop up a fat dollop of blood-red ketchup on the end of a crinkle-fry and jam it into the side of your mouth. "I texted Kelsey, you know," you gabble as you munch on the fry, "and she, like, called me back to yell at me. You know?"

Geoff is stony-faced so you look at Lisa for sympathy.

She looks faintly repulsed. Maybe it's because of the way you're stuffing fries into your face as you share these confidences. More likely it's because (as Deanna's memories now tell you) Lisa has never shown much enthusiasm for Deanna's company.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Deanna," Geoff sighs.

"It's on account of Brownie," you blurt out. "Did I tell you that?" Geoff's eyes dart over at Lisa. "It's because I invited him out there too," you explain.

"Alec Brown?" Geoff says. Now his eyes are darting all over the place under a furrowed brow. "He's going to be out there tonight?"

"Sure, I guess, if I'm going to Kelsey's tonight. We have a date, you know."

The distaste deepens on Lisa's face. She had been very shy when you "bumped into" her and Geoff at Larsen's—where Geoff had texted he was shopping with her—but she had smiled at you, at least. She ran out of smiles almost immediately afterward, though, and your ill-disguised brag probably isn't going to pull any more out of her any time soon.

"Then maybe you should find another party," Geoff suggests. "Kelsey doesn't—"

"But this was after she asked to come! You know it's been weeks since—" You break off with a grimace. "If I tell Kelsey I'm skipping her party for— And I can't tell Brownie he's not welcome at Kelsey's! I mean, he's not, is he? Not not welcome, I mean."

"Look, you have to do what you think's best," Geoff says after shooting Lisa a pained glance. "If—"

"But I don't know what's—! That's why I wanted to talk to you!" You glance between Geoff and Lisa. "Oh my God, you guys! You're like—!" You sniffle. "You know Kelsey! You know how she is, how she thinks! And you're, like—"

You hunch over the table, and your face screws up.

"Look," you say, and your voice turns husky. "I don't mean anything against Anthony or Martin or Brooke or any of those other guys. But you two are, like, the only two guys I can talk to about this!" You blink back some sudden tears. "Everyone else is so, like, they wouldn't want to help me! I don't think!"

Geoff turns a little green, and Lisa swallows a couple of times. "You can talk to Brooke, I'm sure," she says. Her voice and manner are very soft. "Brooke is—"

"Yeah, Brooke's a sweetheart," you assure her. "But she's not, like, really in with Kelsey. Not like you guys are in with her. You two are, like, two of her best friends!"

Geoff squirms, and you wonder if he's about to make a run for the restroom. The look of pain on Lisa's face deepens.

You snuffle back some wet snot that's building in your sinuses, and your voice cracks when you speak. "Look, if you think I should skip the party, if you think I should—"

"No, you shouldn't skip," Lisa says. She sounds very tired. "Not if you don't want to."

"But I do want to! At least, I'd want to if—"

"Didn't you say that Kelsey called you up and yelled at you?" Geoff interrupts. "Yeah, then you're screwed either way." He ignores your sudden gasp. "So just do what you want, Deanna."

You cross your arms and settle back to stare at the center of the table. No one else speaks. After a minute or two of silence, Lisa takes out her cell phone and starts scrolling through it.

"In that case," you declare when the silence has become unbearable, "I will go out there. I mean, screw her, if she's going to be a bitch. She invited me out, and if she only did that so she could be a bitch to me—"

"Then why go?" Geoff asks.

"So she can be a bitch to me to my face instead of behind my back. And if she's going to be a bitch to me because Brownie asked me out and I had to choose between him and her ... Well, you know, screw her."

They don't look happy at this decision, but they do look relieved that you've come to a decision. Neither of them speak, though, as you finish up the French fries, then excuse yourself to freshen up in the mall restroom. You bump into Lisa as you're exiting, but you only exchange tight, awkward smiles. Wow, you think. Lisa can't even find something sisterly to say to me when she catches me alone after all that.

And that leaves you with a very clear conscience when you settle in next to Geoff at the food court again. "How are things between you and Lisa?" you ask him with bright intimacy.

He looks startled. "Fine."

"So you called her your 'gee-eff' in your text," you remind him, and bite down on a smile. "I didn't get the impression it was that serious between you."

The color drains from his face. "Well, what did you—?"

"Is it really a 'bee-eff, gee-eff' thing between you? I mean, technically and officially?"

"Well, it's not like we're engaged," he protests.

"Oh my God! Do you think you really could be—!" Your hand goes to your mouth. "Are you really that serious about her, that you think—?"

You have to let the question dangle like a fish dying on a hook for a very long moment before Geoff can work out an answer.

"No!" he exclaims. "I mean, I haven't thought—! I mean, we're just going out, for Chrissakes!"

"But you are going out?" you press. Down in your gut, Deanna's glee at coercing the confession rolls around in grudge-match with your own anger and resentment. "And if I asked her if she was your 'gee-eff', she'd say—?"

"Look, ask her yourself, if you want to know so bad." Flecks of spit show in the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks darken with a furious blush.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to embarrass you or anything, Geoff," you assure him. "I'm just— I mean, I look at you guys, and I can't tell if you're going out or just hanging out. You know?" You glance back at the door leading to the restrooms, then lean across the table toward him. "Honestly," you confide, "I think you and Martin flirt with each other harder than you and Lisa do."

Geoff's jaw falls open.

"You're probably thinking that no one likes PDAs," you tell him with prim confidence. "But you really could stand to be a little more, you know, of a 'bee eff' with her. Because, you know, there are some guys at school who would totally slide up to her and make a play, all because they'd never guess to look at it that you and her are, you know." You show him a crossed pair of fingers. Then, with a giggle, you add, "And I'm sure Lisa would like it a little bit. It's how guys, you know, who have a problem saying 'I love you' to their girlfriends say, 'I love you'."

You dimple at him. He looks like he's about to keel over with shock and nausea.

"Listen, I gotta go," you say as Lisa comes striding back toward you. You gather up your purse. "I want to pick up a scarf for tonight, and I'm running out of time. Thanks so much for talking to me, it really helped." As Lisa settles back into her chair, you reach across to squeeze Geoff's forearm. "I'll see you over at Kelsey's, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Geoff says in a dazed voice. "See you later, Deanna," Lisa says with cold aloofness. You beam at them, and trot off.

* * * * *

Well, that was fun, you think as you swing into Feldman's Clothiers. (There was a tan-and-green silk scarf that Deanna noticed last weekend when she was out there, and tonight's party is a perfect excuse to buy it.) You congratulate yourself with the thought that, even if haven't goaded Geoff into being even sloppier with Lisa in public, you did at least give him a really uncomfortable afternoon.

Next: "Party Favors" 

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