Behind the Mask [Inactive]

Chris wasn't moving, his breathing was still fast and strained. His hands clenching the edges of the desk he sat in. His knuckles a bright white, he didn't know if he could do anything after this.


"I could barely see his normal skin, it was just browns, purples, blues, yellows..." He trailed off though not seen his eyes widened in fear. What if his arm wasn't the only place with bruises like that. What else could he be hiding, no one really knew anything about Edgar he suddenly realised. Edgar never talked about himself, Chris didn't say a lot but he still allowed people to know parts of what made him, well him.


"I don't like this, I have to go find him." Chris announced standing.
 
"But you're the scarecrow!!" Adela said, only having heard the end of the conversation. "We need you here!"


Quinn shook her head. The play wasn't important enough to leave a friend in danger. "We'll find someone else, Adela." Quinn said, smiling as if it'd be no biggie.


"Are you joking Quinn? Tell me you're joking... it's not funny. It really isn't! Everyone has a job already!!"


"We got this covered, Adela. No worries... wasn't someone working on a mask to put over Chris' for a little while before he flat out refused? We can get someone else to take over and use that mask, instead." Quinn said, continuing to smile.


Adela sighed heavily before waving Chris away, as if he needed her permission to leave. "Fine. Good luck with whatever you're doing." She said sourly.


"Catcha later, Chris. I wish you luck as well..." She said, feeling that from this point it'd be best not to tell anyone else about Edgar because.... well it was his secret to tell, wasn't it. And considering Chris had to go find him showed that it wasn't something he had wanted anyone else to know. "I'll tell you how the play went... you know, if it's over before you get back."
 
Chris smiled placing a hand onto Quinns shoulder tenderly,


"Thank you," he gave a soft squeeze before turning and jogging outside of the room and towards the exit Edgar had token. He didn't have a clue where he could've gone, not even knowing his own friends address. He'd pass the park which is where they met each morning to walk together then everything before that was blank. Chris sighed,


"Guess we do that.." He mumbled turning the corner towards the park.


As Edgar sat on the bench he felt the cool chill of the night seeping inside of his clothes. He never liked people worrying about him, it was alien to him. And just made him feel uncomfortable.


Edgar bit his lower lip running a hand through his bangs about to get up when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Deep breaths heard behind him, causing his eyes to widen not wishing to turn around.


"I hate you so much right now.." Edgar heard his friends strained voice inform him.
 
Ziying wasn't sure what to do--although she had only just met Edgar and offered her hand at trying to help him learn English, still--the idea that someone was hurting that quiet boy brought tears to her eyes. She herself had never been the victim of such behavior, nor had anyone she had ever known experienced such harm--but looking at the situation involving Edgar and his impassioned friend Chris, Ziying was scared and didn't know what to do. She tried to voice something--anything to offer support or and try and alleviate the situation, but to no avail. As Chris was beginning to depart after Edgar Ziying tried to say something but no words came out, she breathed but the air did not fill her lungs, she cried but the tears didn't come. She wanted to help and as he ran off she looked to Quinn and didn't know what to do. How could something like this happen?


It didn't matter that Edgar was someone she just met, what mattered was that there was someone hurting and Ziying's heart lunged out for them. She wanted to run after Chris--she wasn't even sure if she could run for long, but she wanted to go--she didn't know if it would be appropriate, and she didn't know if she'd even be wanted, but her heart lunged to help this boy. She hesitated and then stopped--her head hung low and she let her knees dip just slightly, she sighed deep, breathing air that didn't burn in her lungs. Her teeth stammered and her slender fingers clenched into small fists...


She couldn't help him--it wasn't her place. She let her tears fall to her face--they were ugly tears that smeared her mascara and eyeliner--she would help this boy someday, somehow when the time came she would reach out to someone she hardly knew--its what those authors she always read would have done, it's the kind of situation they wrote about when they talked about 'living' and 'people'--she didn't have any delusions or false pretenses, she just--she wanted to help another human soul that was hurting--because she believed souls were so beautiful--something she learned from Zhang Ailing.


She wiped her tears and then fumbled around in her purse for a handkerchief to pad away her tears. She slowly collected herself and began to walk towards Quinn--her English wasn't the greatest, but she wanted to be the Narrator Quinn needed.
 
Quinn noticed that Suzy was strongly effected by what Chris had said. Adela looked at her worriedly, not having been in on the conversation, but stayed away... as did most other people. The masked ones especially- when you wore a mask crying looked a lot differently... you could only really see what it looked like running down cheeks or dripping from the bottom of masks. Seeing what it actually looked like scared most of them away from helping.


"You ok, Suzy?" Quinn asked softly. "You know, with a friend like Chris you can trust Edgar will be alright." She added, assuming that Suzy was crying because of the pain Edgar must be in... or have been in... or just that he was being hurt. "I'm sorry that you got caught up in that conversation..."
 
Ziying looked up at Quinn, her heart still weighed heavy with the pain that Edgar must be experiencing, but she looked to Quinn and spoke softly, "He looks so sweet... who could do that to anyone? He didn't even express that he was hurt--but if you say Chris can help him..." Her voice trailed as she approached Quinn. She let her heavy footsteps stop before Quinn and continued "if he'll be okay with him, then I'll just have to be okay with that", she weakly smiled. "I... I uh", her weak smile looked up to Quinn again as she dabbed away a few more wetspots on her face, "I just don't want to see or know anyone can hurt that way."


Her words were heavy, but she knew this wasn't the time to feel that way. She dabbed away for the last time, waved her hand over her face --taking a deep breath--before she finally let her smile flicker around her face saying, "I can be your narrator--I uh, when I'm nervous I can have trouble speaking well, but I can try". She let out a sigh and her shoulders sagged--her heart was still heavy, but she wanted to feel better, and she wanted to help when the time came that she could.
 
Chris gripped Edgar's shoulder tightly as he stepped around the bench and took a seat beside him.


"How'd you get those...?" He asked referring to the bruises, causing Edgar to tense and his hands to grab his own knees. Before putting his hands up in the air and leaned back as if saying he had fallen. Without his notebook which he had left in the room, he'd have to play small charades.


"Bull shit." Chris muttered but sighed,


"Sorry."


"Fine, since you haven't told me already I shouldn't pry. I mean that's useless both because it's your business and also because I doubt I'll understand you right now." Chris waved his hand still in his ridiculous costume.


"But dude, man, friend, Poe, Edgar." He stated all the things he has called him as if to emphasise their friendship.


"I may pick on you man and call you weak but you've got more courage then most people. Just for removing your mask, and I don't have the rank to make fun of you. But that's what buddies do man, that's what I do...


So you have to remember that I'm here at least, that if you ever need me to take care of anyone I'll beat them to a pulp." The statement made Edgar bite the inside of his cheeks averting his eyes.


"I'll help you with anything, except math. Don't. Just don't even try with math, or social studies...or science, or" he looked at Edgar and chuckled,


"You get it Poe, I'll help you with anything that doesn't involve the things you're best at. And I swear everyone else thinks this too, so please don't hide things like this. Not when it involves you hurting."


Chris pleaded,


"And you can tell us at any point if you ever want to. Like I said I won't pry into your life." Chris stated, and slowly removed his mask. Tears running down from his miss matched eyes,


"Dude I hate you, so much." He joked rubbing his own eyes with his sleeves. Causing Edgar to smile and flick his friends head quietly.


"I bet Quinns going crazy without her scarecrow, and I don't want to leave her to find a new one. You coming back?" Chris questioned hoping he'd receive a yes but was disappointed when given an opposite answer,


"Of course man, see you tomorrow." Edgar nodded once more but didn't move from where he was until his friend was gone from sight. Then noticed the forgotten mask on the bench. A sly smile on his face Edgar stayed still, Adela worked hard on that other mask. And he'd wear it.


Chris sped into the room once more giving a thumbs up, his adrenaline had made it so he hadn't truly felt the wind in his now revealed face.


"Taken care of," he announced between breaths.
 
"That'd be great! Thanks Suzy!" Quinn said, trying to hide her unease as she began to search her mental list of people cooperating in the play to find a replacement for the scarecrow. She would but she didn't know the lines and she also had trouble speaking in front of large crowds of people... it was like she choked on stage fright even though she wasn't nervous... So she could relate when Suzy mentioned that she had trouble speaking when she was nervous.


Quinn glanced up in surprise at Chris' arrival. With Suzy as a Narrator, it had only left one huge gap... where to find the scarecrow. Quinn's hair was an absolute mess from where her hands had run through it a number of times. No one knew the parts... they hadn't had a backup... Adela kept rubbing in her decision to let Chris go but it hadn't been like she had the right to keep him back.


"Your mask?" Quinn asked, caught off guard by Chris' actual face. He was handsomer then most... and his eyes were two different colors. How was that even possible? It was totally bizarre but completely amazing.
 
Chris looked up confused for a moment before reaching up a patting his jaw line then reaching up and grabbing his nose awkwardly as if to make sure it was real before grabbing a lone sheet of paper and hiding his face idiotically.


"I think I left it was Edgar," he mumbled the obvious before holding out a hand,


"Could I have The mask Adela made?" He asked sheepishly, before sighing in defeat. He hoped that Edgar would bring his mask tomorrow an not forget it like he did with other things like his bag for example which was laid out on the surface of a nearby desk.
 
"Y-Yeah... Uh... absolutely." With people like Chris and Edgar... Quinn couldn't understand why anyone would wear a mask. It took a moment of searching but she soon dug up the mask that Adela had just about discarded. She handed it over to Chris, a bit of a silly grin on her face. "It's too bad you can't just.. not wear your mask more often." She said lightly. She wondered if Adela was pretty underneath her mask as well... Quinn wasn't sure if she was pretty or not- not having much to compare to. She found Suzy to be pretty... but their faces were different enough they couldn't really be compared.


"Good to see you back, Chris." Adela said as she came over. She didn't comment on the fact that he was holding a piece of paper in front of his face, planning on asking Quinn about it later. "We're just about to start, you ready to go?"
 
Chris looked at the surface of the mask and groaned,


"Ah man my pride." He placed the mask on and set down the white sheet back where it was before fixing parts of his costume. Once finished with that he tugged the strands of hair out from inside the mask. The blonde falling over the new mask. It fit great, and that impressed Chris greatly at the skill Adela had in the crafts department.


When the topic of the play was brought up Chris looked over and gave a thumbs.


"Always ready sister." He attempted to return back to himself, though a lonely Edgar on a bench now cursed his mind.
 
"Well then, let's get this party started, brother." Adela said brightly. She didn't notice anything amiss. "It's started now... if you hadn't noticed the munchkins singing... I'm glad that the choir said they'd help out with this. I can only imagine the ear sore that would have happened otherwise." Adela said, shuddering at the thought.


"Just as long as everything continues to run smoothly." Quinn said softly.


(as far as the actual play, I figured we'd do a time skip over it -unless there's a specific event someone wants to write out- and reflect back on anything that happened out of the norm.)
 
Suzy watched Chris come rushing in--she gasped slightly because at first she wasn't aware who this man was and where he had come from--but after seeing that he was wearing the same costume as Chris had been wearing when he rushed out into the day looking for Edgar, Ziying realized this was Chris.


He was beautiful--in everyway Ziying could describe the word--his structures were so different than most Taiwanese and she couldn't help but stare.


She opened her mouth but it was extremely dry and the words couldn't come out--her teeth trembled slightly as she tried to voice herself, finally saying, "Quinn"--she had to force herself to take her eyes of his dual colored eyes--"Quinn can I practice the lines now?"


She wasn't sure how long he would not wear his mask--she wasn't even sure she knew his name other than what Quinn had called him--but she didn't want him to put it back on.


As she watched Adela hand him a new mask, she felt an inkling of remorse--here was another beautiful soul who was going back to the world she had left behind.


She waited for Quinn to hand her her practice lines.
 
"Oh yeah, right... sorry Suzy." Quinn said, having become sidetracked when she had meant to fetch Suzy's lines. "I uh... here they are!" Quinn said, handing Suzy the paper.


"You mean there hasn't been any narrating at all yet?!" Adela shouted, moving to grab Quinn's shoulders and shake them.


"I'm Sorry! I was worrying about other things and spaced!" Quinn replied, trying to keep her teeth from rattling.


"Hurry up and practice, Suzy, because you were supposed to have been out there already!" Adela said, looking frustrated- though not with Suzy.
 
Ziying flinched--retracting both her shoulders and letting her face reflect the discomfort form Adela. She looked down at the ground and fidgeted with her sneakers as she took the lines from Quinn and started moving off to the designated area for her to narrate on the required times. She looked over the lines--they didn't seem too difficult or particularly hard to perform, something she was extremely thankful as she let out a soft sigh "好的 (oh thank goodness)".


She performed the parts well, but her mind wasn't there--she couldn't get her mind away form what had happened that day. Somewhere between the warmth of Quinn, the pain from Edgar, the attraction from Chris and the flinching from Adela, Ziying became mesmorized in playing over these delicate moments over and over again--taking them apart and analyzing the faces and the voices and the feelings of each context, she gazed not with judgment but understanding, hoping to draw from them herserlf--which parts of her she could see in them. She always believed more than anything that all humans were human, and that they all suffered the same failures and triumphs, each just as compelling as the next.


Before she knew it, the play was over and she found herself looking for Quinn to discuss the events for tomorrow--she absolutely could not wait for tomorrow to come again.
 
"Suzy! You did great!" Quinn said, coming up from behind her and clapping her on the shoulder. "I mean, the audience noticed the absence but when you were able to join you totally helped kill it! And Everyone did such a good job with their parts! I really think the play was a hit... even though people were a little shocked with the maskless Dorothy and Oz... the people seemed to play it off as some metaphorical meaning. Anyways, hey, you said you wanted to be a part of the club, right? Well we'll be meeting up here so yeah!" Being called away, Quinn left without meaning to not allow Suzy in a word edgewise. She waved cheerfully before running off to help finish cleaning up so that everyone could go home. They had made a good chunk of change from this, as well. She couldn't wait to tell everyone at the meeting the next day.


The Next Day


(Feel free to reflect on the evening etc if you'd like :) And then write the next day when you get the chance)




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Quin related the nights events to her family, who had been unable to attend for some reason or another. Quinn had listened and accepted it, understanding that her family just wasn't prepared to face this just yet... she was just glad they were allowing her to do this.


Needless to say Quinn woke the next morning, boundless with energy. She skipped her way through breakfast and the ride to school, humming under her breath (which she usually didn't do with other people around. Even though Quinn was rather foolish, she never really meant to be so... ).


In school she greeted Adela and waved cheerfully at any faces or masks she recognized with enthusiasm, a huge grin on her face. She gave them high fives and hugs where possible, thanking them for their hard work and congratulating them on their part of the success the club shared. The only thing that could possibly be dragging Quinn down a bit was her musings on Edgar. She hoped everything was alright with him... Pushing that to the back of her mind with a simple chant of change what you can, accept what you can't, Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Quinn she headed off to her first class in high spirits. It just felt like it was going to be a good day!
 
After Quinn had congratulated Ziying on her performance and welcomed her to the club, Ziying decided to head home in her high spirits. She packed up her things and was headed home. She didn't live far from Canon High, in fact it was just a mere 15 minute walk from the school. However that day she felt the distance was unusually long--she found herself lost in her thoughts as she headed home alone. It wasn't uncommon for her to walk home alone, especially now that she had taken off her mask.


In the past, her walks home were accompanied by Xuewen--his deep Chinese voice always going on about this and that, peppered with tradition and academics, salted with college and expectation--he was what every Taiwanese family wanted from their oldest son--he was what Ziying once wanted as well.


So many days walking home she wanted to tell him she loved him, that she wanted to feel his lips pressed against hers and have him touch her body and run away together--but when those things finally happened, Ziying didn't want them anymore. No--as the burden from her parents increased she began to slowly dislike Xuewen. At first she never understood why, but as the days turned to months and summer became winter, she realized that he had begun to represent all the things she hated about her life, about the expectations that had been placed on her. He had become the symbol of her pre-destined life--one that her parents and the rest of society had molded out for her. Before she knew it, she felt her feelings turning to hate for Xuewen--and he didn't realize it.


She told herself over and over again that it wasn't his fault--she knew that he was just following his own life, allowing his feet and words to take the paths and decisions he believed were right--that was precious. She knew it wasn't his fault that she didn't want that dream anymore, and it wasn't his fault that she didn't love him anymore.


She was lost in her thoughts when suddenly she heard his voice behind her--the words so familiar they made her heart hurt.


"Xiao Ying! Baobei (baby) did you go to that club? I didn't see you all afternoon baobei". He caught up next to her and let his hand glide down her slender arms and into her hand. He pulled her around and smiled down into her eyes--he lifted up is mask and leaned in to kiss her when Ziying moved her face slightly so that his lips touched her cheek.


"Why? What did I do now Xiao Ying?" His words hurt--he really was innocent--she knew that he just wanted to love her with his whole heart--but she couldn't go on with that destiny anymore. She stood there, looking down at the ground as her eyes began to redden, twitching at the edges. "What did I do wrong Xiao Ying? I dont' get it..." His thick voice trailed off and he let go of her hand. The silence between them loomed heavy like a dreary curtain, pressing down against them and choking their voices. Ziying wiped away a tear from her left eye and was about to speak when Xuewen interrupted her.


"Your mother called me because you wouldn't answer your phone" he looked at her intently again and sighed heavily. "She told me to tell you you didn't go to your private lessons again, and that you are shaming her" his voice was heavy and glossed with angst.


Ziying rolled her eyes and muttered to herself--she didn't care about those classes anymore. Xuewen interrupted her one last time, saying, "Look, I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but how about tomorrow I go to that club with you Xiao Ying? Maybe I'll like it, yeah?"


Ziying looked up at him and her eyes desperately analyzed his own eyes, she wanted to know if he meant it, she wanted to know what his face was saying beneath his mask. But before she could ask him if he meant it, he leaned over, lifting up his mask again and kissed her softly on the forehead, he let his lips stay there for a moment. He sighed heavily, fixed his mask and let his hand glide down her arm and touch her finger tips as he started to walk away.


She watched him leave... she let a solemn tear roll down her cheek before she continued home. The image of the evening playing in her head like it was stuck on loop. As she reached her front door she could already hear her mother yelling into a phone--she braced herself for the storm and walked inside.


Tomorrow had to be a better day, she needed it to be a better day.
 
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Edgar had stayed on that single park bench for much longer then he should've, his fingers constantly twiddling as he watched passers.


There are a lot of things that people don't find themselves doing, yes when you are quiet and cant naturally put in your own impute you notice smalls things about people. But when you truly watched them like he found himself doing that night it gets scary, he began to let out small mumbles imagining what that person is going back home to. And if they even had a home.


Edgar came up with small scenarios and depending on their stances as they walked imagined how they would react.


Edgar was thinking back on this as he sat in the corner of his room, hands digging into his hair from the anxiety which coursed through his low leveled veins.


It gets hard sometimes, because even though you're quiet even though you're almost unable to converse. That still means you can scream, he wanted to yell so badly right now. Just screech until his throat produced no more sound. Because as a teen this was becoming to much, his chest stung and the varied crashes below in the living room caused him to jump each time.


When you're quiet you want to say everything, you want to fill the silences within a room. You want help, Edgar wanted help.


He pleaded for Chris, Quinn, Suzy any of them to burst through the door and save him.


But once again when you're quiet and are unable to converse, that's actually all you can do.


Scream.


So he did.
 
After the events of the previous day, Ziying walked to school with only the notion that today had to be better, it just had to. She thought about what was good--seeing the club and the people in the club, Xuewen deciding to come today with, and finally just getting to be away from home for most of the day. She still remembered the words of her mother and father clearly--their scathing disappointment in her decision to not attend the cram school courses and the decision to remove the mask that had been assigned to her. Her father had threatened to remove her from Canon High if she continued to shame them in this manner, claiming that a member of the Lai family simply demanded more respect, and that an insolent daughter was not going to bring shame to his family name.


Ziying didn't care.


She casually glossed through the day as one class became another in such a dreary manner that her eyes could only just barely resist the curtain of sleep that threatened to engulf them. Various thoughts crossed her mind, each one stopping and asking her to analyze them--she wondered how Edgar was now, where Chris came from and how did he get his eyes that way, Quinn's warm personality--the kind of personality Ziying so desperately wanted, and finally Xuewen.


He had been texting her throughout the day and she replied--trying to mask the guilt she suffered and reassure him that they were okay. Truly--he was a wonderful partner.... which made her decision even harder to make. As the clock finally wound down to the last minutes of the day she felt her phone vibrate--it was another text from Xuewen. He had texted, "Xiao Ying, I still plan on attending the club with you today, so I'll meet you outside your last class and we can go together, yes"? Ziying bit her bottom lip and stared at the text--what if he didn't approve? Looking from the world of their tradition, this club didn't line well with what she should be doing. Xuewen was already critical of Ziying's decision to take off her mask, how would he handle a club that was specialized for people who didn't wear masks? She forced the thought from her mind as she texted him back, "好的(a cute way to say 'sure')！^^".


Still, she couldn't get her mind off Chris and Edgar--what happened to that quiet boy? Would he be okay?


When Ziying walked outside of her class she was met by a waiting Xuewen--his red collared shirt and brown jeans contrasted heavily with Ziying's black blazer and deep blue jeans and black vans. He embraced her and held her--but she didn't feel safe, the mask just--it became something dehumanizing and she wanted to see his face so desperately, she wanted to know his emotions--she wanted to know him, truly know him. He talked about his day, mentioning names Ziying had never heard of before and topics she no longer cared about. She held his arm, but out of habit as compared to compassion--in her heart she wanted to love him still, but that just wasn't the case. She nodded and smiled when appropriate, and when they finally arrived at the club door she stopped and told him, "Xuewen, these people in here--they just, they just want what anyone else wants--what I want--they want to live for themselves, just like me".


"Xiao Ying, I know", she could hear the smile in his voice, "I'm gonna try this for you Xiao Ying". She smiled and looked down at the ground, if only he would take off his mask. They both headed in and Ziying looked for Quinn.
 
Edgar hadn't slept, hadn't moved, barely breathed. When the sun was beginning to peak up and over the horizon, and other teens where preparing for the day. He still didn't move from the dark corner behind his door, his father had left long before but his shaking hands that clasped his calf's still held them tightly.


The one place that had been his escape since he had come here, the one place where people cared about him.


Was now a danger zone around Chris, he hoped that his goldy locks friend had kept the mishap to himself. The thought of him telling anyone else of these marks sent a feeling that felt as though it'd rip his heart, sure he knew what Chris said last night was genuine. But what if he had been lying when he stated the others wouldn't pry for answers.


Edgar still should go to school, for the education. For his future. If anything was brought up about it he'd just ignore it, he had left his satchel and notebook anyways. It didn't feel good to not feel the leathery surface of the book in his grasp as he pushed off the wall swaying as he stood. Edgar still had Chris' mask as well, it's smooth surface set on his desk beside his own. Letting out a sigh he grabbed his mask tossing it into an open drawer before shutting it harshly, forcing a few pencils to roll off the edge. As he turned around preparing himself for the day in a teal button up which was worn beneath a black crew neck with the words 'Everything is never as it seems' in white a cross the chest. A pair of faded black jeans along with a pair of moccasins decorating his feet.


Edgar left towards the school his friends mask in hand, strolling past the park and into the school.


"Dude, glad to see you moving around." Edgar turned around in the middle of the halls, his friends voice calling out to him. The mask which Adela had made him for the play covering his expression as he strolled towards Edgar his satchel and notebook in hand.


At the sight of his original mask Chris groaned in relief,


"Oh thank god, or well thank you man." Taking it from his grasp and passing Edgar his own belongings before slapping his back slightly more hesitantly before they headed towards their first class. Each class was the same boring ritual, both Edgar and Chris taking the same route because they had every period with one another except their sixth.


And when the final bell rung Edgar was giddy from learning how to greet someone, when the familiar mask of Chris was in his vision he waved ecstatically and called out.


"Hello." The accent contorting it but somewhat clear, it caused Chris to chuckle before slapping his back and moving towards the club room.
 
Well, it had started out as a good day anyway. By the end of the day enough had happened that Quinn's only ray of light was that she still had Faces of Society.


To start the day off, Adela had been strangely quiet around Quinn... which she had caught on to fairly quickly because when Quinn wasn't chattering away, Adela was. Or they were both focusing in on something... but there was an odd tension to the air. Quinn didn't want to pry- she trusted that her friend would tell her if something was wrong... which led Quinn to wondering if she, herself, had done something wrong which was causing Adela's reluctance to talk to her.


"Adela? If... if this is still about how I let Chris go... and was late getting Suzy on stage... I'm sorry?" Quinn offered, unsure what else to say. She couldn't think of any other reasons for Adela to be upset with her. Especially when she and Adela had left on such good terms the other night.


"'s not that." Adela replied reluctantly.


Quinn waited for her to explain more- she had just admitted that something was wrong. But she didn't. Feeling a little (ok, more than a little but she refused to let herself dwell) upset that she wasn't being confided in, Quinn pushed her focus into her school work. She still smiled and laughed, just like she would any other day- but she was a little quicker to let the smile drop, just a little slower to pick up on the joke.


To think things were only going to get worse from there.


Quinn was used to the stares that she would get from people though it had honestly gotten better throughout the year. Now she just accepted that, even though she wasn't gorgeous, she was fairly pretty and the stares from the surrounding people were just taking in her appearance. At the back of her mind, though, there was a nagging- there was something more to the stares today. She wondered if it had anything to do with Adela. Maybe it was because of Adela's feelings that she was noticing the stares more- just a trick of her own mind.


Lunch came and went with Quinn strangely on her own. She couldn't find Adela anywhere... and that worried her beyond reason. She was pretty ready to call Adela's parents when she saw her in her next class. The surge of relief was colored with anger and hurt... Adela usually warned Quinn when they wouldn't be able to hang out. Where had Adela been?


It took hearing a rumor- which Quinn still isn't the absolute truth- that got her to understand what was going on. Adela.. and some of the other masked people in 'Faces of Society' were being targeted and threatened. Quinn didn't understand why they were being picked on when they still wore their masks but it worried her all the same. Still, it was only a rumor... but it would explain so much.


It was with a heavy heart and a heavy smile that Quinn entered the classroom for Faces of Society. A quick sweep of her gaze showed that Adela wasn't there.. hoping she was just late and there was another reason she had been so distant that day, Quinn took a seat in her usual spot and waited for her colleagues to file in. She hoped that everything was alright with Edgar and that he'd be able to attend today. Maybe she'd get the chance to talk to Chris about this later- maybe he'd know something about it...
 
Ziying saw Quinn and immediately began to walk in her direction with Xuewen following behind her. The pair looked like they might actually belong together, but the stiffness in Ziying’s body language suggested otherwise. She led Xuewen to Quinn and had him introduce himself. Xuewen never had a problem speaking in any language to anyone—he was outspoken and never worried about holding anything back. As he gazed at Quinn, he noticed she looked troubled—but he didn’t understand why. Why would she be troubled? Wasn’t this club supposed to be a place that Xiao Ying felt welcomed at? He brushed it aside, gazed back at Ziying before finally saying, “Hello, I’m told that you are Quinn, yes?” His voice was full and thick, “I’m Tong Xuewen. Unlike Xiao Ying, I don’t have an English name as you English speakers should be able to speak a Chinese name correctly, just like I learned to speak an English name correctly.” He smirked under his mask, thinking to himself why Xiao Ying would want to join this club.


At the same time, as soon as Xuewen finished his introduction Ziying punched him in the arm and immediately shoved past him to Quinn, saying, “Quinn—I’m so sorry! He’s not like this, and I’m, I’m sorry for his arrogance!” She looked back at Xuewen and then to Quinn, she cursed to herself and finally looked back at him and then muttered to him, “You can sit here, I will sit there while the club waits to start”—she pointed for him to sit away from her. Although Quinn had only met Ziying, she already felt a faint bond, and she was not going to let Xuewen speak down to her. This was exactly what she was afraid might happen—Xuewen looking down on other maskless people—it was a thing that so many Chinese would do when they think they are above someone—in which they would drill it into that person, push it in their face and make them relish in that shame. It’s something she learned to hate—something her own mother enjoyed doing to her.


She sat there, angrily waiting for the others to show up and see what Quinn would say. Again, she shot Quinn the warmest smile she could think of and continued to ignore Xuewen. He was supposed to do this for her, to try it for her—but just as she thought… he was too bound by their tradiitions and expectations to actually care how she felt about this club.
 
Quinn was a little taken aback by the new person, her face flushing with shame at the thought that she was taking the easy way out calling Ziying 'Suzy'. When Suzy moved to apologize for him Quinn smiled- appreciative of the back-up. Wanting to show this newcomer that she wasn't so easily bothered, however, Quinn grinned and replied: "Yeah, I'm Quinn. It might take me a few times to get it right but you have a right to be called by your proper name, I understand. Suzy, if you'd rather I try learning your actual name I will, too... you'll uh, just have to bear with me if I pronounce it wrong... because my tongue doesn't quite work like yours does yet."


Quinn continued to smile, pushing back the unease that threatened to drag her down. Suzy was here and that kind of made things better... and that she had brought someone to the club kind of said a lot. "Although, you have the right to be called by your proper name- I don't know Chinese or Chinese customs at all- where as you've learned English... so you already have a bit of an edge when it comes to pronouncing English names. Now uh... correct me if I'm wrong but one thing I have to make sure to do is... call you by your last name, right?" Quinn didn't know anything about Chinese culture but she had heard there's a difference in the way names were used... something about one name is formality and the other actually shows friendship.


Quinn said this all pleasantly, negativity absent from her words completely. She bounced a bit in her chair, excited to learn more about this person Suzy had brought along. Certainly if he was a friend of her's there must be something good about him- even if he was a bit abrupt and... in Quinn's opinion a bit rude.
 
Xuewen was about to answer Quinn with his snide remarks when Ziying loudly said, "Quinn" she smiled at Quinn, "it's very okay if you use my English name Suzy", Ziying's soft smile tried its best to reassure Quinn that Quinn was not in the wrong here at all. "And about out culture, not all of us are that way--just like some Americans are someway and some other people there way, "Ziying spoke carefully, as to ensure that her thoughts were delivered precisely, "--yes it's certainly normal to call someone little Zhang or old Peng, but here, you can call me Suzy". She beamed intently at Quinn, her face expressing the words she really wanted to tell Quinn, the apology she was trying to convey, and the hurt from her own friend that she had brought in.


She paused for a second to look back at Xuewen, whom wasn't even paying attention anymore and had began to dial into his cell phone--a pang of anxiety flushed through her body as she wondered who he might be calling. when Xuewen without looking up, as if he knew she'd been watching said, "是你的吗"--Ziying's face became angry and she tried her best to stay level and she looked back to Quinn and said "He's calling my mother" as calmly as she could possibly be right now.


Xuewen continued, "小颖，我被丢与你，让我一定丢脸“, he looked up from his phone as he put it to his ear and turned his mask over to Ziying, the mask shook.


Ziying was visibly losing her composure as she spoke in an irritated, and louder voice, "You can speak English Xuewen--if you're going to embarrass me in front of them, you can do it in English"--she took off her glasses for a moment and rubbed her face--the moment had to be now, he'd changed too much since she'd taken off her mask and decided she didn't want her parent's roll for her anymore.


Xuewen's voice broke her concentration as he spoke, "妈妈，是我，学文，你知道资颖在哪里吗？她呢，她在那个学生团，对啊，那个团” he paused as Ziying could hear her mother start to yell over the phone. Xuewen then said, “我知道，对啊，好吧，马上跟她探讨这样的话，好吧ok白白”--he hung up the phone and looked at Ziying, completely ignoring everyone saying, "过吧，你最好回家，是你妈妈说的“. Ziying sat there as Xuewen said these things, her slender fingers groping at the surface of the table as tears began to form in her eyes--she cleared her throat and said, "He called my mother to tell her I was here--in which my mother must have told him that I shamed them even more--" she turned and looked at Quinn, she voiced "i'm sorry" as she continued speaking, "but I won't speak in Chinese to tell him how I feel--" she looked around at the people there, "I hate you Xuewen--we're over now please leave." She was suddenly standing and she hadn't realized it. She slowly sat back down as Xuewen's calm composure broke. "你刚才--" Ziying cut off Xuewen's Chinese and by shouting in her tiny voice, "Speak English Xuewen! Just because you speak in a language they can't, doesn't make you better--not at all. I used to love you Xuewen, and now look at what you have done! Why? You used to be so much to me.... just please leave--" her voice trembled and she refused to look at him any longer, instead sitting next to Quinn and putting her head on Quinn's desk.


Xuewen looked around at the people in the room--he stared--he absorbed the image of their faces and then stormed off.
 
Chris and Edgar where about to enter the room, Chris' hand hovering over the silver knob just as it was thrown open. The solid surface of the door slamming into Chris' face. Stumbling backwards into Edgar his hand over the surface of his mask.


And of course Edgar was as surprised as him and fell backwards under the sudden weight of his friend. Tumbling to the ground Chris laid out on top of Edgar, not quite caring as he looked after the Taiwanese looking boy that ran out of the room.


"Hey!" Chris called out shaking an angry fist,


"You're not the only one at this school watch where you're going!" Chris let out a puff of air sniffling his nose to make sure the force of his mask hadn't hurt anything before looking around awkwardly.


"Edgar..." He murmured in confusion earning a grunt from below him. Chris looked downwards seeing his slender friend under him and began to cackle. Small 'dudes' and 'man' sprinkled into the points he took deep breaths.
 
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