Unmasked

Chapter 17

I tried covering up my neck and collar bone but it was too late, everyone had already saw. My hands started shaking and my eyes started tearing up, but I couldn't manage to say anything.

"Are those- hickeys?" Finn questioned with a very confused look planted on his face. I tried hiding them even more due to the utter embarrassment I was feeling.

"N-no.." I stuttered, trying to sound believable but even I wouldn't believe it. I tried standing up, but I kept tripping up due to my nerves.

"Yo- I didn't sleep with her that's illegal.." Brandon surrendered, putting his hands up like he did something wrong. The other boys just glared at him.

"Where'd you get those from, Quinn?" Benji asked with a rather calm appearance. He slowly swam toward me, and stood beside me and looked at me in a comforting way. I couldn't make out any words and instead just opened and closed my mouth like a fish.

I looked over to everyone else to look at their faces, and it just made me feel even worse.

Blake wore a proud smirk on his face, probably thinking he was slick or something for calling me a slut a couple days ago.

Andrews face was really red, probably because he was embarrassed about this whole thing, just like me.

Ryder was laughing silently in a corner about the fact I've been caught, god he made me want to punch his face.

"What a slut.." Muttered Ryder, I couldn't hear him that well but everyone else did. They all turned their heads toward him and glared daggers at him. I tried my hardest to ignore what he said, but all I could think about was my stomach and the word carved into it.

"I'll take you back to your room, you look like your freezing." Andrew stated, while getting up out of the pool and walking towards me, holding a big towel in his arms.

He wrapped it around me and helped me up, as we walked out of the room together. It was silent for a bit until we reached the stairs.

"I just don't understand?" He asked looking down at me, but I was too scared to look at him. I was too embarrassed to look into his eyes so I just kept my head down.

"Your only 14, I wouldn't think a 14 year old would do that. Of course I respect you still and don't think of you any differently.. I- I'm just confused." He confessed to me, now raking his hands up and down my arms trying to warm me up but it did nothing, it just really hurt.

"Ouch!" I yelped, whenever he hit my scars up and down my arms. I shakily took his hands off of mine and put them next to his sides again. He looked at me concerned for a moment then went to try and examine my arms under the towel.

"It's fine!" I quickly stepped away. "Just my arms swore from all the working out I've been doing lately!" I hurried to make an excuse that was somewhat believable. He nodded his head, then started walking up the stairs again with me following closely behind.

I let out a shaky breath, trying my hardest to keep my self calm and to not have a panic attack in front of him.

Take a deep breath in, and take a deep breath out. I kept reminding myself to do this in my head, while pressing my nails deep into the palms of my hands. The crescent moons scarred on them started leaking out blood, so I hid it on my towel.

I desperately tried wiping it off on the towel, hopefully trying to get it to go unnoticed.

We passed Luke's room, and through the crack in the door I could see him in there working hard, something for his company probably. He looked stressed, and extremely tired. I'd ask about it later if I wasn't as embarrassed as I am now.

We stopped outside of my room, and Andrew gave me another worried look. "I'm really sorry for throwing you into the pool. I hope you can forgive me." He admitted, and I believed him. He did seem truly sorry, and I felt bad to tell him it wasn't okay. He didn't ask questions about the hickeys, and didn't judge me for them either. "It's okay." I answered truthfully, while sighing. He smiled a bit and patted my shoulder.

"You mean it?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah I mean it." I confirmed.

"Your sure?" He asked again.

"Mhm." Was all I said, getting annoyed.

"Really positively sure?" He asked again getting louder.

"Really positively, 100% absolutely sure." I said, smiling a bit. He wasn't trying to be annoying just funny- I think.

"100 a mill-" But I cut him off.

"Yes now go away, I'm changing." I laughed a bit, shutting the door in his face. I could hear him fake crying outside of the door, and then his foot steps walking down the hall and into his room.

I smiled to myself a bit. He didn't see me any differently, not even knowing the full extent to the situation. I wasn't sure about the others though. Ryder definitely will, and Blake will, and Brandon might..

I was making it sound worse that it really was though? Wasn't it?

I started chewing on my nails, and turned to the bathroom to change out of these extremely soaked clothes. I noticed a huge clump of simple girl clothes in a pile on the ground now too. I smiled a bit to myself, noticing how sweet some of these boys were.

I looked through all of them and found a plain white long sleeve shirt, and some black leggings to put on and I did.

I put on the makeup as well, covering up the hickeys again. I guess there really wasn't any point to it since they'd all seen them. I didn't like looking at them though. And  just seeing them made me upset so I put the makeup on for myself.

I let my hair stay down for once, letting the small curls take up my face. I sighed and walked out of the bathroom and sat on the bed, staring absentmindedly into the beautiful rainy scenery in front of me.

I heard a knock on the door which startled me, and went up to open the door. Benji was these with nail polish in his hands, smiling cheekily at me.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, looking from him and to the nail polish. "I came to paint your nails!" He said excitedly and walked into the room without my permission.

I smiled, and sat on the ground with him, looking at all the nail colors he had. He asked what one I wanted, as I looked through them all. I decided on black cause it would match everything, and wasn't too bright. He smiled and starting talking to me about random stuff while putting the nail polish on.

He asked if I wanted to paint his. "Are you sure? I've never done this before. I'll probably mess it up." I confessed, looking a bit nervous. "It'll be fine." He reassured me, and handed the black towards me.

I laughed and did his nails too. And that was how the rest of the day went. Sitting in the room with Benji, painting nails and telling funny stories. Andrew came in too, and asked for his nails to be painted. We both laughed at him, whenever he made a big mess of himself, and accidentally got it in his mouth and on his nose.

I smiled happily to myself, almost forgetting about everything else. Almost.