Behind the mask

Chapter 8

Well,it only dropped for a second before he found his voice.

"You look ... um..."

"Good"

"No. Great." He blinked a few times.

"It's too small." She said shyly.

"Oh." He was speechless for a few seconds. "Um... it's not bad. I like it." He smiled.

"Of course, you would." She rolled her eyes. "It's a Kim K kinda dress."

"Yeah." He said taking her look in again. The dress was white with long sleeves. It was halfway through her thighs and it hugged her body perfectly bringing out her curves. "Can you.... like.... turn around?" He asked. Of course he would. Way to go Emi. So much for picking this... wait a minute. I didn't pick...

"Did you pick this dress for me?"

He scratched his hair. "Um... me? Uh...maybe."

She was about to question him and tell him that it was left to her to choose the clothes she wanted when her subconscious reminded her that he was the one paying for the clothes. "If you get him angry you will wear that tight pink tracksuit for the rest of the holiday." She reminded herself and without saying anything to him, she went back to the changing room but not too fast for Jack to see half of her back on display and her round butt.

When she got into the changing room, she was a welcomed again by the chatty extrovert. She had changed to dress she wore to the store. She was obviously leaving.

"So what did he say?" She smiled.

"He said it looked great."

"I knew he'd love it. I'm sure he was gushing when he saw you."

Emily smiled. You just don't know how big of an asshole he is.

"But cmon girl. You look so good. Wear it when next you're going to a club."

Emily's face dropped. "What?"

"When next you are......" she paused. "Wait, you have never been to a club before?" She looked surprised.

"Um...."

"Well it's not bad actually. By the way, I'm Stacy." Oh. Nice to meet you Stacy but pls let me finish a sentence for once.

"I'm Emily. " she smiled.

"It was nice meeting you."

"And you too."

"Bye."

"Bye." After she left, Emily tried on the rest of the clothes in the changing room. When she was done, Jack paid for the clothes and they left.

On their way back home, Emily was looking out the window.

"Why didn't you buy all the clothes you picked out?" Jack asked.

"They were too many." She didn't look away from the window.

Not long after, they pulled up behind another car. They were stopped by the traffic lights.

Jack looked at her again and she still had her face on the window. She sure didn't look like someone who was down for a conversation.

He sighed under his breathe. Not knowing what to do, he turned on the radio and "before you go" by Lewis Capaldi boomed out from the speaker.

"When you hurt under the surface

Like troubled water running cold

Well time can heal but this won't

So before you go

Was there something I could have said to make your heart beat better?

If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather

So before you go

Was there something I could have said to make it all stop hurting?

It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless

So...." she sang along. She had a pretty good voice.

"You like songs like this?" He asked. She turned and placed her finger on his lips "shhh!!!" She closed her eyes and continued to sing.

"Would we be better off by now?

If I had let my walls come down

Maybe I guess we'll never know

You know you know

Before you go

Was there something I could said to make your heart beat better?

If only I had known you had a storm to weather

So before you go

Was there something I could said to make it all stop hurting

It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless

So before you go."

She opened her eyes and withdrew her finger. "Sorry. You talked at the wrong time."

"Yeah. I realized that. You were so engrossed in it."

The traffic lights hit green and they drove off.

"I love the song." She turned back to the window. Memories by Maroon 5 played next and she sang along, nodding her head. Jack knew better than to talk while the song was playing.

"You have a pretty good voice." He said after the song had ended.

"Thank you."

"So. You like songs that make people cry and sleep?" He asked.

"They don't make people cry and sleep" she faced him "they're just nice and sweet and touching and they pull your heart." She placed her hand on her chest and closed her finger in demonstration.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"And this one too?" He asked referring to the next song played. It was Holy by Justin Bieber and Chance the rapper.

"Yeah." After a few seconds into the song she asked "so what type of songs do you like?"

He turned down the volume a bit. "I just go with cool songs like Ballin, Rockstar, Popstar. I'm sure you don't like songs like that."

"I do."

"You do?" He glanced at her and turned to face the road again.

"Yeah. I listen to everything. Even songs from the 80's and 90's."

"Really?"

"Yes." She sighed as they reached the gate of Jack's house. "Is it surprising?"

"Yeah." He said as drove into the compound.

"How so?"

"I don't know." He turned down the radio when the song ended. "So, they decided to play your favorite songs today." He smiled.

"They're not actually my favorite songs. Like I said, I listen to almost all types of songs and because of that I don't have a favorite song cause when you feel like someone has released the best song ever, someone else brings out a better one plus you grow tired of a song when you listen to it too much."

"Right." He paused. "But music will never lose it's essence."

"Yeah. You're right. Sometimes when I listen to some songs I haven't heard in a long time, I feel reawakened, like I don't know if you get me..."

"I do." He cut in.

"It feels new and sounds better. So you're right. It never looses it's essence. It lives forever." She paused for a while. "You know, I also listen to songs like Popstar and Rockstar."

"Yeah?" He pulled upon in front of the house.

"And Intentions and Ballin and 7 rings and Dynamite, God is a woman, Mood, Don't waste my time, Go crazy." She paused for a while. "Who needs love? I'm th....."

"I need love." He cut in.

"No. I wasn't asking."

"But I'm telling you."

She looked out the window like they was something interesting to watch there. "You have all the love you need."

"No. I don't."

"Why?" She looked back at him.

"Cause I don't have yours."

"You don't need mine." She shook her head.

"Why?" He looked at her.

"Cause I am just your friend even though I hate to say that." After a while she continued "And what do you need my love for when you have Rose?"

"What? Who? Rose?" He rushed.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. I saw how she was all over you yesterday."

"No. She-" he sighed and laughed a bit. "She just works here and she's a friend. Like she has been working here for a while now and she's so free spirited. Of course, she wouldn't have jumped on me yesterday if my parents were there but we get along well. Everyone likes Rose. Who doesn't like Rose?"

"Okay fine, I get it." She unfastened her seat belt "but either way, I don't think I have any love to give you." She opened the door and stepped out. He joined her by the boot and opened it with a button on the car key. She started packing the shopping bags and he joined her.

"Emily-"

"Jack wait." She cut in and dropped the bags and he did the same. "I don't want to hear what you have to say." She paused. "Don't you feel like this is awkward? I go to a new school and I meet this rude guy and then he wants to be my friend and he keeps getting on my nerves and then boom I'm living at his house and now we're going shopping and the next thing, he's asking for my love." She said dramatizing with her hands. "I don't know if you get me but I don't feel comfortable around you. I don't like you."

"Why don't you like me?"

"I don't know. I don't like you for no reason. Maybe cause you were rude to me on my first day in class."

"I just didn't know what to say and I wasn't rude to you it was Josh and you guys are getting along now and I have been trying to make it up to you since then but you seem too hard to impress. You just decided to put the whole blame on me."

"I don't know Jack but I just don't like you." They stared at each other for a while before she resumed carrying the bags from the boot.

"I think you just don't wanna admit that you like me."

She paused before she grabbed the last bag. She raised her head and stared at him for a few seconds. "Thank you for the clothes." She said and walked inside.

~

While she arranged her clothes into the closet, she kept thinking about what Jack said. She knew it was true. If it wasn't true, they wouldn't have gotten along at the store or sometimes at school but she just didn't want to admit that she liked him. That was the first time since she met Jack that she didn't get mad at him for making a sincere statement. He was trying to be close to her but she kept pushing him away. He had been nothing but nice to her and she only repaid his kindness with hate. She disliked him for no reason. He didn't do anything to deserve her hatred. She felt bad. She needed to talk to him but she didn't know where to start from or what to say cause she had no excuse. Apologizing was her only option but she wasn't given the chance.

The rest of the day was boring and full of regret for her. Jack didn't leave his room all day. He only ordered meals for them and went back to his room. She didn't have the confidence to go to his room so she decided to wait till the next day.