Behind the mask

Chapter 5

Days and weeks passed by. It was moving to the end of the term. She hadn't seen or heard from the mask guy in a long time. She would always go to their meeting point but she never met him there. They always missed each other. One came earlier than the other. She wondered what happened to him. There was no one she could ask about him from. There were nights when she would wait there for him and girls passing would ask her what she waiting there for. She would just give some lame excuse of trying to clear her head or change of environment or something. She was the worst liar and story maker ever. She would go there everynight while he was probably dealing with other meaningful things. He probably had a lot of things to worry about, you know; his wife or maybe kids or a job or something, anything. Wait, he was a thief right? Then he was probably caught by the police. Or he was from the boys hostel. Or maybe not.

She decided to use the pool before bedtime one night. It was yet another day of successfully avoiding Jack. He only managed to be more annoying to her but sometimes she found herself smiling at him just as she was doing as she climbed out of the pool. It still didn't change the fact that she hated his guts and he seemed cool with it.

"That I'm laughing and talking to you does not change the fact that I hate your guts." She said to him one day in class. He smiled and said it was fine as long as she talked to him. She grabbed her towel and went back to sit by the pool. She dipped her feet into the water and relaxed as she used her towel to dry her hair.

She noticed he smiled a lot to her when in fact he wouldn't smile on a good day. She knew he was trying to prove how sweet he could be and she wasn't buying that. He was being too nice to her, giving her a lot of attention and making everyone feel like something was up between them. She was always stared at when walking down the hallway with so many girls whispering and gossiping about her, some giving her killer stares but she didn't care about all of that. Some idiots that call themselves "shippers", went about posting stupid papers of couple names of her and Jack on the student notice board.

"Jemily" "Jamily" "Emick" "Emack" "Jam" crazy names! What couple would ever like to bear these crazy names? It made her sick. Well, it was a sign that if they were ever together, they would never make a great couple cause they couldn't even make just a good couple name. That gave her work to do almost every morning; tearing stupid papers off the notice board.

She sighed and looked around the block after wrapping her towel on head like a turban. No one was outside. She wondered why everywhere would be quiet some nights and some nights it would be so noisy with girls moving around, talking, laughing, going from a room to another. She examined her tows in the water. Everyone probably had a long day and were preparing for the next day  cause no one was outside but there she was waiting for a guy who wouldn't show up. She should probably go to her room to prepare for the next day too. Just as she stood she looked one more time at the wall and there he was watching her. She knew better than to think she was hallucinating. She reached for her other towel quickly and wrapped it around her like it change the fact that he saw her already.

He had been watching her since she climbed out of the pool the first time. It was quite a scene. He admired her whole body. She looked great in her bikini but he wasn't going to tell her that. She still looked good covered with towels. He wondered why she didn't show up every time he went. He would always wait but she wouldn't show up. One time he was almost caught but fortunately, the small girl thought she wasn't seeing well despite her thick-lenses. She probably had important things to do or she decided not to show up or she wanted to test the mask guy if he would do what he said he would but who would dare someone who had your nudes? The strong-headed Emily of course.

"So you just decided to show up tonight?" He asked when she stopped in front of the wall.

"No. You just decided to show up tonight." She said.

He was confused. What was she trying to say; that he didn't come around? He stayed silent.

"What? You can't talk now? You just realised how wrong it is to stand people up? Or how wrong it is to blame your wrongdoings on innocent people?" The feisty-Emily mode activated.

There had to be a mistake. He showed up almost every night and she was the one who stood him up. Or they probably missed each other. That had to be it.

"Oh! I don't deserve an answer?" She pouted.

He didn't reply. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her he used to show up and she wasn't always there cause she would get a hint that he didn't have any of her pictures. She was very smart and she would definitely figure it out.

"What now? This is all a game right? You're trying to play deaf right?" She crossed her arms. Still no response.

"Now it's deaf and dumb right? And I'm the crazy one, yeah?"

"You know that you are did wrong, so just apologise already." She said after a few seconds. He had to apologise. He made her wait up for him every night and he didn't show up. He probably went to steal in other places. He wasn't able to steal in their hostel. He had to find a job. A real job. If she was his true friend (which she wasn't) she had to advice him to get a new and a good job(and literally kick him out of her life. End of story). She had to persuade him. If he had a criminal record, it would be hard for him to get a job... and he had to take care of his family... loved ones... anything. She just had to stop him from going there again and that was what she was gonna do. She was gonna...

"You look good in your bikini." He said. He didn't want to tell her that but he was left with no choice. He didn't do anything wrong but he couldn't tell her and he couldn't apologise. Not the Mask guy.

He just had to change the topic.

Her hands dropped to her sides. What did he mean by that. She gasped. Did he take pictures of her again? No, he couldn't. She shook her head. What exactly did he want from her? What does he want her nudes for? Did he sell them or he just needed them to masturbate? Or did she just fall into his hands out of luck? She sobbed.

"I didn't take pictures." He said like he read her thoughts. That was the only reason he could think of. That explained why she looked scared, gasped, shook her head and cried.

"Did you sell them?"

"What?"

"You heard me right. Did you sell the pictures?" Her tears seemed to have stopped.

"No."

"Then why did you take them?" She whispered.

He went silent for a while. "For reasons best known to me." I didn't take pictures.

"To jerk off?" She arched her eyebrows.

He didn't reply. They stood there staring at each other for a few minutes.

"What exactly do you want from me?" She broke the silence. Who exactly could he be and what did he want? He couldn't be a student but what could a thief want from her?

"What only you can give me." What exactly could she give a thief...except....he had something to do with her mom's job. That was it. She was gonna ask him what that was but rather "oh." was what she said.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally talked. "Let's have a little chat." He sat on the floor. Chat? With him? She wanted to decline and shout at him, curse at him and tell him she didn't want to talk to him but she remembered how he blackmailed his way into her life and that was what she was gonna do if she declined.

Little chat huh? She decided to give him "little chat". She just had to be careful with what she was spilling. She just had to tell her mom her job was already affecting her. She sat on the floor after a few seconds.

"So let's do a little introduction." He said when she settled.

"Okay. You go first." She said after being silent for a while

"No. You go first."

She was about to argue when she remembered the blackmail again. She sighed.

"Okay. I'm Emily."

"Okay?"

"That's all."

"I know you're Emily. Tell me more about yourself."

"You should have known enough about me already. You've probably done your research well." She really had to talk to her mom about all this. It was getting out of hands but was the blackmail extended to her mom too. Well, maybe. It seemed so. Sigh. She had to deal with this alone. Just like adults do right? She was an adult, so she could deal with it.

"True but I want to know more about you from you." False, he knew nothing about her.

"I'm not good at introductions but I just know I'm Emily."

"Okay. What is favourite colour?" Really?

"Black."

He waited a few seconds. "What are your hobbies?"

She sighed. "Singing, dancing,reading,shopping,you know what most girls like."

He took a few seconds to think. "What's your talent?"

"Drawing?"

"You..draw?" He was surprised

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing."

"What's your talent?"

"I haven't discovered it yet." He answered truthfully. 

"Let me help you out? Taking innocent girls' nudes? Blackmailing people to be your friend?"

He shook his head and rose. "I'm leaving."

"What?" She rose. "We aren't done yet."

"Yes we are."

"So you just asked me some questions and when it's your turn, you run away. So much for an introduction. Way to go friend." She was being sarcastic.

"You have school tomorrow." He's a student? He also had school tomorrow that's why he wanted to leave on time.

"You also have school tomorrow." She said crossing her arms.

"Do I?" His confidence in his voice said a lot. She seemed so confused. Who exactly was he? This minute she was sure it was a thief, the next minute she was sure it had to do with her mom's job, the next minute she was sure it was a student but now she's confused again. Or was it a teacher?

"You should go to bed.It's past your bedtime and your nanny forgot to announce that."

"She's not a nanny, She's the hostel mistress." She probably had a long day. Lately, she often fell asleep in the audio room and Amber and Georgia would go room to room to make sure all the girls go to sleep.

"Who cares?" He shrugged and walked away.

"MG!" He turned. "You should learn to always say good night when leaving."

"And you too." He smiled and left. The smile was quite contagious cause she didn't stop smiling even after he left.

~

The next day, Emily went to her hostel mistress to request a call to her mom during break.

"Hi mom." She said when it went through.

"Hi Emi. How are you?" He mom said.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

 There was no response.

"Mom. Are you there?"

She replied after a few seconds. "Um. Honey, I'm here."

"Are you working?"

"Sort of."

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to talk to you actually. You know I'm coming home soon, right?"

"Uhm.. wait, what? You're coming home soon?" She was clearly surprised.

"Yeah."

No response.

"Mom?" Pa. Yeah, that sound.

"Yes honey. Oh um, hold on." Pa. Another gunshot. "Yeah, so we were saying?"

"We were saying I'm coming home soon."

"Oh yes, so um the thing is your dad is not in country and now and you know me, same as well. So um........ hold on a sec." Pa. Urgh!  She had told her severally to quit that Job. She could work anywhere else. She could be a make-up artist or work at a fashion store knowing how much her mom payed attention to her style or something not just the CIA.She wasn't even proud to tell anyone that her mom was a CIA agent, not that it was anything bad but she felt it was unladylike running everywhere, shooting. Pa. She was grateful her mom didn't teach her how to use guns. 

"Hi baby." Her mom said after a few seconds breathing heavily.  "So, um wait, let me think...... um yeah, so, I have a friend you could stay with during your break. You don't have to worry about anything, they'll come pick up okay?" She rushed.

"Um, okay."

So right now." Pa. "I gotta go." Pa. "Talk to you later." Pa pa. "Bye baby. Love you." With that, the line went dead. 

Of course it would turn out that way. She had workaholic parents who would just dump her at anybody's. She didn't know what to expect. She was old enough to live on her own but her parents would not let her stay home alone. Anyone could come to bust their house and she didn't know how to handle a gun.She never even saw one in their house. She knew there was at least 2 guns in their house but she she had never set her eyes on one before. There was a time in her life she was curious to find one, she searched their whole house and still didn't find one. Now she was left to live with someone she had no idea of. She didn't know she got to her locker but she found herself pulling out and shoving in textbooks. When she was done, she closed her locker, she turned around and almost bumped into something. After she gained her balance, she looked up to find 4 girls right in front of her. Stella, Stephanie, Gwen and Gabriella. What were they up to?

"Hi." Stephanie smiled.

"Hey."

"So we just came to talk to you."

"Okay." Talk about what?

"So, you still seem new in this school cause I feel you are uninformed. I expected by now you should have been familiar with somethings in this school but it seems  you are not. Actually, there's no problem but the problem starts after now. So now that we're going home for break, I want you to know it, learn it and study it. So starting from next term, you have to know that You must stay away from Jack." She took a step  forward, standing a foot away from her clearly trying to intimidate her but Emily didn't step back.

"Yeah, so stop throwing yourself around him trying to seduce him or whatever your scheme is." Stella added.

"I wonder how you could be so dumb not to know that Jack is for Steph or you probably know that but you just wanna trespass." Gwen said and crossed her arms.

"He's obviously a no-go area and everyone knows that. She's just trying to be stubborn." Gabriella chimed in. 

They've got to be kidding me. "Listen up girls." Emily said and Steph took a step back. "Firstly I want to you to know that I am not the type to run after guys or whatever and there is nothing going on between Jack and I. You want Jack? Then there he is." She signalled to where Jack was at the other end of the hallway about to enter their class. And just like he sensed them, his gaze fell on the five girls staring at him. He stopped. He was looked confused. He then smiled and Steph smiled back, with that, he walked into the class. "You can have him if you want. I'm not a competitor, okay? So now let me warn you." She took a step closer to Steph who in turn took a step back. "Don't you ever come to me to threaten me ever again." With that, she pushed through them and walked away. The bell went off. 

"Stay away from him. I mean it." She heard Steph yell.

First, her mom and then that. She was so mad. She saw some people staring at her as she walked away. That would be the next school gossip. A few of them gathered in a corner watching and that  was the least of her worries. Those girls really got some nerves. Trying to act like they owned the poor boy. Wait. Poor boy? No, he wasn't.  He was the cause of all this. It was all because of him some petty girls had the guts to threaten her. 

When she got into the class, she saw him on his seat facing the back talking to his friends. She walked up to him.

"Hey Jackie." She yelled. The noise in the class started dying. All eyes were on her. "Now listen to me. Let this be this be the last time you and your friends ever humiliate me."

"What? I don't know what you're tal-"

"Shut up. I'm not done. Your girlfriends over here " she pointed to the 4 culprits who luckily made they're grand entrance into the class at the right time. "Had the guts to threaten me because of you and the other time it was your friend that humiliated me. So you had better talk to them and get them to stop all these nonsense." With that she took her seat. There was pin-drop in the class. The next moment the teacher walked into the class and she sighed.

                                                                          ~

"I still can't believe they said that to you." Amber said. They were all in their room during leisure and Emily told them what happened.

"Me too. Cause, we know they're crazy and all but it was so low of them to say all that." Georgia added.

"I know. I never knew it would get to that. I know I have been receiving some crazy stares from them lately but I just thought it was them just being who they are. I didn't know it had come to a competition kind of thing." Emily said.

"Wow." Was the only thing Georgia could say while Amber remained speechless. 

                                                           ~

It was finally time to go home. Everyone was so excited to go except Emily of course. She didn't know what to expect from the break. She had been waiting for the person to pick her up for hours. So many students had left. Some where probably at home already. Some, close to their house. Some, on the way. Some, just leaving school. Some, just finding their parents. Some, still in the school with their parents. Some parents were already conversing while waiting for their kids and there she was waiting for someone she didn't know.  She didn't even know how they were supposed to locate each other. She saw a girl crying while hugging her mom. She wondered what it would be like if her parents were there to pick her up but she couldn't even picture it. They just dumped her in a boarding school and it was her first time in the school.

She had bade Georgia and Amber goodbye. They were probably almost home. So many students and parents everywhere

"Excuse me, are you miss Emily Kin." Someone said.

She turned to look at the person. It was a tall man who was dress like a driver. "Yes."

"Thank goodness." He sighed. "I've been looking for you all morning. I was sent to pick you up. Please follow me." Of course he was a driver. He assisted her with her luggage.

"Sorry, how did you find me?" She said while following his lead.

"I asked around and someone directed me to you."

"Oh."

He led her to a black BMW with tinted glass. He put her luggage into the boot and opened the door for her. She thanked him and as she was about to enter she noticed someone was inside. Then she look at the person and was very shocked. He looked shocked too.

"Emily!"

"Jack!"

All of a sudden the shocked expression on Jack's face turned into a smile.

"Hop in." He said tapping the  empty space beside him.

Emily felt like she was about to throw up.