Hiding Behind A Mask | ✔

C H A P T E R E I G H T

Days have passed by with the same routine. I go to school, come back home and start my therapy session with Christine, and sometimes go over to Chance's house to continue with the homework.

As I walk through the hall of my school, walking towards my locker, I smile as Chance and I text each other random emojis. We've made this deal that if one of us stop texting each other random emojis before class starts, one of us who stops texting will have to finish the rest of the homework. Of course, I disagreed, but with Chance convincing me to agree, I eventually did.

Hanging out with Chance these past few days to do our homework has made us become really close to each other. I think we've become friends since there's no awkward tension in the air when we text each other. Somehow, Sandra hasn't noticed how close we are just yet, and I'm really happy she hasn't because if she has, my life would be a dead end.

I stop by my locker, opening it to grab my books. I shut it when I have all my books in hand and turn around to lean against it.

I'm coming over, Chance messages me, causing me to immediately stiffen.

I look up to find him already looking at me. He's just on the other side of the hall from me. I look to the far right, on Chance's side of the hallway, to find Sandra and her minions chattering to each other. They haven't noticed me yet and Chance walking over here will only give me all of their attention.

No, don't! I reply quickly to him, feeling my palms growing sweaty from nervousness.

Already am, he says and I internally scream at him.

I stare straight ahead at Chance as he walks flawlessly towards me. Even though Sandra and the girls look like they're not staring at Chance, they're actually doing so. I can tell by the way Sandra laughs and flips her hair behind her shoulder.

Chance is close to me and in panic, I start walking at a fast pace down the hall. I can't let Sandra notice me and him.

I'm about to turn the corner when suddenly, I'm pushed against a locker. I look up to find that I'm trapped by Chance and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

Now that Chance is so close to me, I can see the features on his face more clearly. Chiseled jawlines that make him look so handsome, it's hard to look away. Sarcastic dark, brown eyes that stare deep into my blue ones, into my soul. My eyes linger on his lips, they look so soft and plush.

I hear him chuckle softly as I stare at his lips. I quickly avert my eyes to look somewhere else other than him.

"No need to run away," I can see the playful smirk on his face and I look into his deep eyes. Why is he trapping me against a locker? Sandra could be seeing this and walking over here to kill me right on the spot for just being near her precious boyfriend.

"You've got to get over your fear of Sandra," he says, causing me to give a questioning look which he seems to notice through my eyes, "I've seen the way how you look at her. You're scared of her and I'm here to help you get over that."

He doesn't understand what she's capable of. She's evil, and it's not the Oh-I'm-Just-Messing-With-You evil, it's the I-Will-Ruin-Your-Life-No-Matter-What-It-Takes kind of evil.

I nod my head, only because I want him to release me from his trap. He does so, making me feel relieved, and just in time, the bell rings, indicating that it's time to head to class.

Chance takes a step back and smiles at me. Since I have my mask on and he won't be able to see me smile in return, I take out my phone and message him a smiley emoji. Now that I think of it, that emoji I just sent him kind of have a double meaning to it.

You know you lost, right? I text him. I watch as his eyes move from his phone to me.

Wow, he replies, and I so want to laugh, but to my surprise, I contain it. I lost at my own game...

Yeah, you did. See you at lunch? :) I ask.

Yeah, of course :), he says.

With that, I turn around and start walking away, not minding the stares that I get from other students as I walk to class.

~ ~ ~

My class has ended and it's now lunchtime. Though I'm heading to the cafeteria, I'm not actually going to get lunch, I'm just going to find a table to sit at and hope to not be bothered.

After a few minutes, I find the perfect lunch table in a kind of quiet area where there are not many students. It's just right behind a tree, blocking a few pairs of eyes away from me. I settle my bookbag down on the table along with my books.

I open my science book to the page my class has been assigned to start reading now so that I don't have to worry about it later. I'm only a few paragraphs of information in when I hear my worst nightmare's voice speak.

"Hello, Annie..." she says, causing me to look up quickly.

I grab my science book and close it. I reach for my book bag so that I can put my book in it, but it's pulled from out of my grip roughly, startling me.

I look up at Sandra to find her glaring at me. I get up from where I was sitting, stepping away from her. I look to my right to see some students looking at us, some not looking directly, but from the corner of their eyes. They're trying to pretend like they're not seeing anything. I notice Amy and Lindsey in the far distance sitting at a table while snickering. 

"I saw what happened earlier on today," she says. "I saw how Chance, my boyfriend, trapped you against the locker..."

I swallow my saliva almost loudly, that if anyone was standing really close to me, they would be able to hear it.

"You know, I'm just here to give you a warning. I won't harm you or anything because I can see the clear fear in your eyes," she looks at me, faking a sad face. "Just stay away from him and your life at school will go very, very smoothly..."

She looks at me with a smile, the one that doesn't look genuine, "Kind of."

Sandra drops my bookbag on the ground, that has dirt and dried leaves on it, and turns around, walking back to her minions, who glare deviously at me with a smirk.

I pick up my bookbag off the ground, deciding to not stay any longer, though I know that they won't come back to mess with me for now. I walk away from the lunch tables and inside the building. I turn a corner, heading to the girl's restroom, only to bump into Chance.

"Hey," he says with both his hands on my shoulder.

I pull out my phone to message him. Hi, I say.

He looks at the message and smiles. "I was just about to come and meet you at the lunch table you were sitting at, but here you are. Where were you heading? The bell's about to ring soon, in about 20 minutes," he tells me.

Nowhere, in particular, I text him, answering his question.

He looks deep into my eyes and I can tell that he seems to notice there's something wrong.

"Are you okay?" he asks and I nod my head, feeling the tears prickling in my eyes. I look down so that he doesn't have to see how sad I am through my eyes.

"Well, uh, if you need to talk, text me, alright? " he says, noticing that I'm not in a good mood to talk.

I nod my head once again and walk away. I'm finally in the girl's restroom and I find a stall. I drop my bookbag on the floor and sit on the toilet to cry and read my science book for the rest of the lunch period.

* * *

A/N:

Woohoo! I've finally updated in so long, which is only two weeks and one day. That's insane!

Do you like it that Chance and Annie are becoming friends? I do! There also seems to be something lingering in the air... I wonder what that is. ;)

Thank you so much for reading and keeping up with this book! You're really and truly amazing!

- Tanya <3