The Broken Mask

I jump with a start as I wake from my dream. Another nightmare. I get dressed and get ready for school. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Its a text from my best friend, Joe. 'Good morning twin. You better hurry or your gonna be late XPPPP' My phone reads. 'Says the one who's been tardy four times this week already XPPP' I respond. A few seconds later my phone buzzes again. 'Its been a long week! Give me a break ya meanie! XPPP' It reads. 'Its Tuesday!' I respond. 'Shit. XD Gotta get to class. Ttyl.' He responds. I say goodbye to him quickly and start to get ready.

I take a shower and walk to school. I get there and feel everyone staring at me. I look down uncomfortably as I walk past. "Shit... Not again..." I say as I look at my naked body. My own scream wakes me up from the dream.

My mother runs into my room a few moments later. "Are you okay?!" She yells. "Yeah... I'm fine... Just a dream." I say out of breath. I look at my clock. Its three in the morning. "Ok... I'm going back to bed... Sleep well..." My mother says as she leaves my room. I fall back asleep.

I find myself in a house I've never seen before. I see Joe walking towards me. It must be his house. We live hours apart and he always comes to visit me since my mom always has to work. He gets way to close to me and I back up into a wall. He starts unzipping my favorite leather jacket. He takes it off of me and hangs it up on the coat hanger next to me. "You look tired. You should get some sleep," He says. I nod my head, slip past him and walk up the stairs and into what I assume is his room. I lay on his bed and fall asleep. The background around me disappears.

I open my eyes facing the wall. I roll over and look at the clock. "Shit!" I scream as I see the clock reading 8:25. I have five minutes to get ready. I run to my school still wearing my pajamas and get to my classroom obviously late. The entire class stares at me. "Haba. You have a guest in the office. Don't worry. Your not tardy," My teacher says. He's pretty much the only cool teacher in the school. I walk to the office. I open the door and see Joe.

The same Joe that just undressed me in my dream. "Hey, twin," He says grinning his head off. "What are you doing here?" I ask him. "I was bored and school sucks so i decided to ditch and take you with me," he explains as we walk out the door and into the vacant hallway. "Oh. Well let's get the hell out of here then," I say as I start to run. He runs after me and catches up easily. We run out of the school and to the elementary school a block away.

We scare away all the little kids in their morning recess so we have the playground to ourselves. We sit on the roof of a plastic kingdom for little kids and laugh as we watch them run to the other playground.

"So you just decided to ditch school and run off?" I ask him still laughing. "Sort of." He says solomnly. After a while he continues. "I was kicked out last night... All I got left is my car and the clothes on my back" he says quietly. "Why did they kick you out?" I ask trying to comfort him. "I... Don't want to talk about it..." He says. I look at his wrist. Joe has had problems with his depression for as long as I've known him. He knows what I'm looking for and pulls down his sleeves. "You can stay with me. You know that." I say. "I know. That's not what im gonna do though. I'm leaving Haba. I'm leaving and I'm not coming back." He says determinedly. "This is my goodbye. Goodbye to Wisconsin. goodbye to my friends. Goodbye to, hell, maybe even the states." He says. "Where you gonna go?" I ask. "I don't know. All I know is that its far and its a one way trip." We sit in silence staring as the children go inside. He started to crawl down from the roof and onto a fake rock below us. "You comin'?" He asks loudly. "Stay with us. Just for a few nights. Just to clear your head. And make sure this is what your want." I beg not moving. Joe is smart. He knows what I'm trying to do. I can see him planning his way of getting out of it. "Ok. Now come on!" He yells as he sees a school aid running towards us.