Share
Chapter 8 (ii)
The three of us made our way to the table, Matt leading the charge as he often did. It must have been nice, having the confidence that whenever a meal was served it would be nourishing and have no lasting effects. There was never any fear when he sat, only anticipation for the warm meal so lovingly cooked he could almost taste our mother’s heart mixed in with the spices.
Mom signalled my place at the table, the seat facing hers where she could look me in the eyes and watch me succumb to whatever trap she’d set. There was no point in protesting, no reason to raise an alarm. It was poisoned, I was nearly certain, but I’d still eat it. The alternative was offending her by refusing her food and that only ever made things worse. I would have to suffer through it with grace for the sake of our guest.
I took the first bite.
It didn’t taste bad; it never did.
"Kai, are you alright?” Jayden asked, momentarily breaking from the
Related chapters
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 8 (iii)
With all my energy focused on maintaining my composure, I chose to ignore his comments altogether. To think my family was anything shy of malevolent was a delusion I’d grown accustomed to. Mom was a good actress; it was how she avoided what would otherwise have been an insurmountable amount of child endangerment charges. Matt, while not so adept at playing different roles, was still baby-faced and excitable. It made it easier for people to forgive him, no matter the offense.I watched him pull his phone from his pocket, the latest model. Why wasn’t I surprised? It made sense he’d have only the best of everything with the way he carried himself."Shoot, can’t believe it’s that late already. Sorry, I
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 9 (i)
My head shot upward immediately and I saw him climbing over the wall that separated this stall from the one he’d entered. In the midst of my absolute horror, I found myself wondering who’d designed the bathrooms in the first place. Evidently someone who was beyond the idea that a boy would one day sneak in to see a girl he had no business wanting around; a vast oversight in my opinion.Jayden jumped down into the stall then turned to face me.I buried my face in my lap instantly. With the barrier of the door and walls no longer viable, it was my last line of defence.“I told you to go away,” I mumbled, half the words
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 9 (ii)
The panic rose quickly, threatening to close off my airways unless I took large breaths. If Jayden got in trouble, it would be my fault. He’d asked me to leave the bathroom with him; we could’ve found somewhere else to hide while I decided how much I was really willing to share. My problems, what happened the night before, it wasn't worth getting caught; not like this.“Look, I know you’re in here. I gotta clean so make it quick.” Silence. “Hello? I can hear you breathing in there.”The door stopped rattling and the footsteps went off in the opposite direction.“Rotten kids.” Seconds later, I heard the door to the bathroom open then close."We have to move," Jayden whispered.He helped me over the wall separating us from the other stall before himself climbing over. We made it three stalls down before the door opened again. Jayden and I pulled ourselves up onto the toilet, removing our feet from
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 9 (iii)
Jayden breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he exited. Whether he would admit it or not, he was rattled and incredibly grateful Jonie had shown up when she did—possibly at his request. It made the most sense, after all. Jonie and I had French this period and there was another bathroom, one much closer to room 56 than the one in which we hid. It seemed collecting data wasn’t the only business she attended to on behalf of the president and, had I not been so rattled myself I’d have pried deeper into this orchestrated rescue mission.Jonie re-entered the stall and got to work quickly. She fished a small makeup kit from a hidden inside pocket of her hoodie and ordered me to have a seat. Confused, I did as I was told and the girl worked her mysterious magic. Minutes, later, she pulled me carefully to the mirror and ordered me to have a quick look—reassurance I was pleased with her work and would be willing to move on. She was a miracle worker, a fact I found
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 10 (i)
Jayden turned to me, noting the hurt that hadn’t left my eyes.He sighed deeply. "What choice do I have?"“No, no, I get it,” I said, cringing at the way my own voice sought to betray me with its unsteady crackling. “You worked hard for your position and I—you asked me to leave the bathroom before we—”“Kai, what? This has nothing to do with my position.”“What then? Me?” Impossible. “Look, you don’t have to worry about me. Worst case, they'll call my mom. She'll knock me around a bi—""No.""No what?""No. Any chance I get to protect you from your mother, I’m taking it. If I’d left when you asked me to, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m just as much to blame for it and won’t have you hurt because of my actions a second time.""But I don't want you and her—" I stopped myself. I wouldn’t be getting through
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 10 (ii)
A tangible silence descended on the hall, creeping into the bones of all present. Instinctively, we all knew to set our gazes to the top of the hall where Carmen appeared in all her president-stealing glory. The girl strutted down the hall with her head above the clouds. She was on top of the world, soaring from the attention her little manoeuvre had brought. The shameless smirk set on her lips told everyone how little she cared about the potential consequences of her actions. I didn’t matter—not even Erin mattered. The girl had gotten her prize and wouldn’t let the envy of others bring her down.On the contrary, it propelled her higher.Her friend, Jessie, hurried over to her, whispering something we had no hope of hearing. Like the prying eyes that chased her down the hall, Carmen ignored the girl’s words. She’d slept with the student body president himself; nothing anyone said would ruin her day.“And we thought you were getting ahead of yourself,” Lara said, coming to a stop by Ha
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 10 (iii)
Minutes trickled by with the three of us sitting in what had become an uncomfortable silence. I didn’t know what to say and Jonie seldom saw the need for words. It was Carmen’s approach with another girl in tow that finally broke the unintended standoff.“Carmen said you slept together—there’s no way, right? Friday night? Were you really at her house?”It was the first time Jayden lifted his gaze since taking a seat at the table and it was to stare daggers at the girl who’d continued to inflate her own standing among girls who would kill to be in her position.“Are you planning to go around telling everyone?” he asked.“You never said I couldn’t tell my friends. Guys sleep around and talk all the time. Why shouldn’t I?”He set to respond, his expression darkening to something unrecognisable, but before he could, the intercom went off.“Attention, will Jayden Pryce and Carmen Phillips report to the principal’s office immediately? I repeat, Jayden Pryce and Carmen Phillips.”Jayden got
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 10 (iv)
At the end of the day, the rumour mill had once again fired up. I entered the hall to find Madelyn with her ear all but pressed to another girl’s lips; it had become a common sight throughout the day. While she wasn’t Jonie, Madelyn was good in a pinch and more accessible besides. I stood by the lockers, waiting for her to spot me. She’d want me to know everything; it was one of her better qualities. “What’s going on?” I asked when she walked over. “You will not believe it,” she said, her eyes catching fire as she set to fill me in on the whispers around the halls. “You know how Jayden and Carmen went at it last Friday, yeah?” “Yeah…” Surely there was more. That story had begun to lose its steam by lunch and was all but stale by fifth period. It wouldn’t have garnered this reaction at the end of the day. "You will not believe it. Turns out she might have given him something.” Maddie’s eyes widened for the drama and theatrics of it all. The misfortune of the girl and potentially ou
Latest chapter
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 37 (ii)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 37 (i)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 36 (v)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 36 (iv)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 36 (iii)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 36 (ii)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 36 (i)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 35 (iii)
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 35 (ii)
