Under the Facade

Chapter 9

Dedicated to @meg_monkey21. You just made my day. Glad you like my book. :)

An extra-long chapter to make up for the previous one. Hope you like it.

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TORI'S POV

I shut the door behind me after his car had turned the corner, chuckling to myself. I was going to have to get used to being called Mason. Justin was an unpredictable person. He was nice when he chose to be. But he only chose to be nice very rarely. My theory that he had some serious problems in his life was beginning to solidify, especially after his mood changed when I mentioned that he was always having a bad time.

"You know nothing about my life, so don't act like you do," he'd said. I sure would like to know about it. I shrugged. At least he stopped ignoring me now. Would he finally just give up and befriends, or would he come up with different ways to treat me? Maybe he'd run away screaming next time he saw me. Hey, don't blame me for thinking stupidity, he began ignoring me just when I thought we were alright. As I said, unpredictable.

I sighed, going to Becca's room to help her change into her pyjamas before changing myself. I breathed in relaxation when my head hit my comfy pillows. I'd been a thigh school for the whole of March, and it was turning out to be great, but tomorrow would be the first actually free weekend Becca and I would have. Till now, juggling homework and secret modeling sessions together wasn't an easy task.

I wondered what plans Britney and the Three Stooges had for the weekend before I finally fell asleep, my last thoughts about my conversation with Justin and how ripped he looked in that tight-fitted T-shirt. Damn, he was fine.

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I squinted my eyes open when I heard chatter and giggling through my open bedroom door. I got up, straightening my long cotton pants and full-sleeve t-shirt and yawned, stretching. I walked out of my room after I'd brushed my teeth and hair, and Becca's musical voice reached my ears again. Who was she talking to and why was she up so early? It was way too early to be so cheery.

"...so I introduced them, and when he tried to kiss her, she slapped him! On his face! God, he was so surprised. I've never made the mistake of matchmaking Tori with another guy after that."

"Who're you talking to?" I asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with my shirt sleeve childishly as I took a seat on a bar-stool at the kitchen counter. I finally opened my eyes after another wide yawn, and almost jumped out of my seat. "Jake? Johnny?"

"Hey, sleepyhead," Jake chirped, ruffling my hair. I huffed. It had taken me half an hour to untangle that mop of irritating string. "Becca was just telling us some very funny stories about you." He and Johnny chuckled when my eyes widened and darted accusingly to Becca.

"Did you by any chance tell them about my fifteenth birthday?" I asked apprehensively. Her sheepish look was all the confirmation I needed, not to mention the fact that the two boys burst into guffaws. Of course she did. That birthday was a disaster. I'd leaned in to blowout the fifteen flames, and was going to pull out the extinguished candles when the cake burst in my face. Becca had thought it was a funny prank. She wasn't the one with icing up her nose and candles sticking out of her hair, after all.

I groaned, grabbing my plate of pancakes from her, before pointing my fork at her with a devilish glint in my eye.

"I'm sure they'd like to hear about your first time on a roller coaster..." I said slowly, a smirk forming on my face. She paled immediately, and her eyes darted to Jake, before she looked pleadingly at me. Oh no, sister.