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Chapter 15 (i)
Warily, I moved forward to take the bottle. From the corner of my eyes, I caught Matt staring in at us but the moment our gazes met, he turned his back to the television. He appeared restless, a contrast to his typical indifference whenever our mother fell into a mood.
“If that boy turns up with the police, you won’t be able to recognise yourself after. Drink it.”
My lips parted to ask the incendiary word ‘what’ but self-preservation kept my lips firmly pressed shut. Instead, I looked over at her with plaintive eyes despite the futility of such an act. Begging only ever encouraged her.
“Drink it!”
I raised the bottle to my lips, my hand shaking so terribly that I worried I would spill more than I consumed. In her current state of mind, she would no doubt take it as wilful defiance then the real trouble would start.
Looking at my mother, I could see there would be no mercy. She waited for me to down the contents of the bottle, her pati
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The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 15 (ii)
“Nothing.”I was resigned to the role I would have to continue playing. Escape hadn’t been possible and until another opportunity presented itself, I had no choice but to carry on. I forced my hands to my face, making feeble attempts to dispel the tears that weren’t worth crying.“You seem fine,” I said, wanting to focus on anyone but myself. “Are you alright? Did the poison give you a rough time last night?”Jayden frowned. “You don’t know what day it is, do you?”My lips mirrored his in their own frown. “Of course I do.” I was disappointed, not delusional. “It’s Wednesday. Jonie and I had P.E. yesterday—she didn’t do her laps and Coach got mad.”His brows furrowed as his concerns mounted. “It’s…Saturday.”“What?” My head spun from the revelation. It was the longest, in memory, that I&rsqu
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 15 (iii)
A nurse walked in. She did a few checks, asked a few questions then assured me I would be able to leave in another day or two. It was no less than expected; just another part of the script that propelled the performance forward.“Is it alright if I talk with you?” Jayden asked as the woman began to collect her things. She nodded him toward the door, indicating she had other matters but was willing to walk with him for a while.Lilia shot me a querying glance, but I could offer little more than a shrug. It was hard to say what went through Jayden’s mind, even on a good day. Given his penchant for worrying, it wouldn’t surprise me that he’d pursued the woman to gain insight on how best to help me heal from the latest ordeal. He would be insufferable, I imagined, always harping on about what the nurses did or didn’t say.Not wanted to dwell on that potential source of irritation, I turned my attention instead to Emi, who’d
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 15 (iv)
Jayden likely saw it as the moment for me to be spirited away to safety, but he didn’t have the first clue. There was already a plan in place; Lilia and I had been talking about it for years. I wouldn’t throw it all away on a maybe.“I did them to myself.”“Wha—Kai!” Jayden’s eyes widened incredulously at my statement, his disbelief all but commanding me to speak the truth.The uniformed official sitting next to me was equally unconvinced. “Did you now?”“I’m still a child with bouts of clumsiness and a moody teenage girl who wants to kill herself every time my boyfriend breaks up with me. What do you expect?” My mind was made up; the only thing left to do was follow through.“It’s as I’ve told you.” Mom scooped me up into her arms, causing my muscles to tense despite my best efforts to appear at peace.I hid my discomfort behind a mask of i
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 16 (i)
I was discharged from the hospital two days later and returned to the care of my mother. The doctor and nurses had had their reservations but there was little any of them could do. It was a song and dance that had gone on longer than any of them could imagine, one that wouldn’t be easily disrupted by newcomers to the stage.I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, willing the hours to pass quickly so it would be morning and I would be able to return to school. After such a long absence, I found myself missing the droning voice of my history teacher and the unpleasant screech of the PA system before the morning announcements. No doubt, I’d missed out on many assignments as well and was eager to dive into them. The distraction would be good; it would spirit me away from the lingering threads of shame that r
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 16 (ii)
I turned to find Jayden had made his way over. The taunting gleam in his eyes held specks of amusement carefully woven in. He grinned that boyish grin I’d been so sure I’d never see again as he leaned against my neighbour’s locker. His stance was casual, unbothered, and cheeky with his hands resting loosely in his pockets. Jayden nodded at both girls before setting his laughing eyes on me again.For the first few seconds, it didn’t seem my lips remembered how to form words—not that that mattered. My brain had shut down at his approach, everything scrambling to achieve damage control for the boy who pretended nothing was amiss. It seemed Jayden had joined the performance and was willing to return to the way things were before we’d spoken at the hospital.
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 16 (iii)
At home, I found a dress laid out and waiting for me on my bed. The store’s tag still hung by its neck, assuring me it was neither stained nor torn in places that weren’t immediately apparent. It was made of the good material, the kind you didn’t worry would rip if you accidentally got caught against something, and the colour was a rich sapphire.I sat by the dress, marvelling at its design while I processed the fact that it was really mine. Lilia had always been a miracle worker. I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her about the dance, but she’d found out somehow and had made sure I wouldn’t be unprepared.Matt parked himself in the doorway of my room, leaning against its frame while he too marv
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 16 (iv)
Seeking to capitalise on student intrigue, Sydney did her part in spreading embellished utterances that further stirred the students. The girl appointed herself my crown manager and pledged to throw her all into ensuring the students knew they had a choice and could exercise their rights.Back home, I lay staring at the ceiling again. I didn’t have the concentration necessary for the mountain of assignments that had been waiting for me upon my return to school, but I had no other means of passing the time in my fortress of solitude.“Kai?” Matt stood before my half open door. He nudged it fully open then took a step inside. His visits were becoming frequent affairs, and while I had no authority to demand a reas
The Girl with the Masks and The Student Body President Chapter 16 (v)
“I started my freshman year there. Adam was a senior; he thought I was cute. The first time we met, he pulled me under the bleachers by the track. He—” It was more difficult than I imagined it could be. This would be the first I’d spoken about it—any of it…with anyone. Hearing the words spoken aloud somehow made them more terrifying. I was transported back to the track, in the cool shade of the towering steps, with one hand on my cheek and his other crawling up my skirt. He’d been so gentle…until I said no.“I’d said no…but it didn’t matter. I cried for three weeks after but couldn’t let anyone see. After all, I was the ‘lucky freshman’ who’d caught his attention. Girls would’ve killed to be in my position&hellip
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