Masquerade | Teen Ink

Masquerade

November 22, 2009
By Seanmcb11 BRONZE, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Seanmcb11 BRONZE, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
2 articles 3 photos 7 comments

Everyone tells lies. Everyone has their secrets. Everyone wears a façade. People’s lives are just like one surreal masquerade. At Gyser High, life there is truly a posh masquerade, because everyone there wears a mask. This story is about someone trapped behind a guise, and is screaming to break free from its curse. But, you must be reminded, dear reader that masks may be deceiving.

At Gyser High there are many different cliques. There are the popular girls; they wear white masks decorated with chic diamonds and glowing glitter. Next are the superego Jocks. They wear bird masks with exotic colored feathers. Then there are the actresses with their outfit’s à la mode and Broadway styled masks. The last group is the rebellious kids they just wear bland black masks. Why are they considered rebellious, you might ask, well that is because they are known for committing the scandalous act of, taking their masks off. Crazy right? Everyone knows that thought should never enter your adolescent mind. Oh, it is so fascinating living in a world of fake robots. Ironically, this story is about one of these so-called robots, at least that is what her mask suggests.

The deep, sea green-eyed Sally was walking down the hallway, on a typical Friday morning at school. Like always she typically bumped into her beau Dan, who was the second most popular guy in the whole school, right next to his best friend Zack the number one heart throb in the school. Sally was the second most popular girl. So, this seems like the perfect couple right? Well it would have never happened if it was not for Audrina the queen B of the school, who is supposedly Sally’s best friend. She who made the two lovebirds get together. Everything at Gyser High went Audrina’s way whether you liked it our not. The icing on the cake here is that Audrina is dating Zack.
But what made this day so peculiar and would change Sally’s life forever? She was talking to Dan like always before first period. “So I will see you at Tiffany’s party tonight?” asked Dan looking deep into Sally’s sea-green eyes.
“Of course,” smiled Sally showing her flawless white teeth. Dan then looks away seeing nothing significant in Sally’s sea green eyes; the school bell interrupts them. So, like any other day, they gave each other a goodbye hug and go their separate ways to class.
Sally made a B line to her next class, as she was walking down the hallway she bumped into someone, and her books went fluttering gracefully into the air but made an unfashionable bang as they hit the floor nice and hard. Sally did not even look at whom she bummed into, she just had her head down and was hastily picking up her books.

“Hey let me help you with that,” said a kind unfamiliar voice to Sally. She looked up and saw a guy towering above her wearing a black mask. Sally’s eyes bulged; she could not be seen with someone outside her clique, especially someone of his low status.

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that,” said Sally not looking up at him. He stopped trying to help and waited for her to gather her books, she stood up with perfect poise and looked into his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked putting his hand on her shoulder.

Sally shivered, as she looked at his big hand weighing down her dainty shoulder, “I’m fine why might you ask.”

“Just wondering, I mean you always say that your happy and alright, but I see so much sadness and worry in your ocean eyes.”

Sally brushes her mask by her right sea green eye, “my eyes,” she said. Sally looks up at him. He was so interesting how he just popped up out of nowhere; Sally wanted to know more about him. Unfortunately, she said her next sentence in one quick line, which she wished she could instantly take back, “Do you want to come with me to a party tonight?”

The boy laughed, “Do you normally ask people out without knowing their name?”

Sally blushes a rosy rouge, Sorry, so what’s your name.”

“It’s Josh and I will see you later tonight,” he gave Sally, a charismatic smile and walked to his next class.

Sally bit her tongue. She had no inkling of what kind of reprehensible mess she got herself into. But gossip has said, that she does arrive at the party with a mysterious party guest, instead of her own boyfriend. Well, an enraged Audrina will snap her fingers and fix that faux pas fast.

Everyone was at Tiffany’s house partying it up. Sally and Josh were in the back dancing to loud rhythmic music. Sally finally felt like her life was real for once in her life and not so plastic. Audrina struts up to them and borrows Sally from Josh. Standing off, in a private corner she talks to Sally, “What are you doing bringing that riff raff to this party; you’re suppose to be with Dan not him,” she gestures towards Josh.

Sally looks down, “Sorry,” she looks up with some tears in her eyes, and she began to fiddle with her gentle hands, “But I never liked Dan y-you made me go out with him.”

“And you will continue to go out with,” Audrina put her hand on Sally’s shoulder, “Look, I can see that your troubled and going through high school is hard, but come on Sally get with the program, you know I rule the school, this is my world, and you should never disobey me,” said Audrina in a voice that was like winters harsh winds and frosty weather.
Sally was getting really upset now, but six years of built up anger started boiling in her blood stream, “Look Audrina your so called world is a fake one, I know the only reason why I’m dating Dan, is so he can tell Zack that the gossip is wrong and that you’re not cheating on him when you really are, and I know that Dan can be easily manipulated.”

Audrina gave Sally a stone cold face, and her nostrils flared. “Sally, you will wish that you have never said that, and you forget Dan gets really jealous too, I think… I will go tell him who you’re here with.” She puts her hand on Sally’s shoulder and smiles. “I mean he’s been looking for you all night.”

Sally gave her the same stone cold face back, she turned around walked over to Josh and together they walked up stairs to a quite room. Sally plopped down onto a couch, and was gazing into the crackling fire. Its light made their silhouettes dance around the dimly light room. Josh was gazing at her. “Sally, why is it that you became friends with Audrina? I mean you seem like you don’t like her.”

Sally looks up at Josh, “It’s just all lies, I never wanted to be in Audrina’s clique but she made me. The curse of black mail. But I don’t care anymore.”

Josh smiles and looks at Sally, “I don’t care either, I think you’re a great person. Here I have something for you.” Josh pulled a mask out of his pocket and shows it to her. It was black with white flowers on it. “Can I put it on you?” Asked Josh as he knelt down in front of Sally, like her prince charming.
Sally smiles and nods a yes. Josh slowly removes her white mask. Sally suddenly felt a wave of freedom splash across her face; all her lies have now faded away, “You look so beautiful.”

Sally blushed, “Thanks.”

Will this unusual couple live happily ever after and change all of Gyser High, or will their fate end up being like a Romeo and Juliet tragedy. This is how your job comes into play reader; you have all the pieces it is time for you to put the rest of the puzzle together.


The author's comments:
The inspiration for this piece came from the concept of characters wearing masks in literature and people wearing masks in reality. In Masquerade I took this idea literally making a world where everyone wears a mask

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