For A Brief Moment

Chapter 17: Pretending won't hurt anyone

Cassie rang Chrissy early in the morning, telling her she wouldn't meet to walk to school as she needed to go in early to complete an essay. It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. Just as she had laid out the night before, she wore her jeans, top and cardigan, with a pair of her cleanest-looking shoes, which happened to be a pair of black vans. She had paid attention to every little detail of her outfit, making sure to accessories with a few simple silver rings and a small necklace. Her hair was curled, more organised than it would usually be. She looked perfect, other than the cuts that ran across her face; one under her eye, one on the left side of her head, and one on her lip, which was bruised and slightly swollen. The biggest cut lay on her right cheek, which contoured her bone painfully. The cut on her hand was no longer bandaged in a white blanket, but rather a single band-aid that reached from one side of her palm to the other.

She had left the house at 7:00, which was usually the time her family would all get up. She left without warning, silently and quickly. Before journeying to school, she walked towards the grocery store, knowing they had a makeup section with a variety of products. She didn't own foundation or concealer, and she didn't want to ask to borrow Chrissy's because then Chrissy would see her face, and she didn't want her to worry. She walked in pain as some of her bruises brushed past one another, eventually arriving at the store, that had barely just opened its doors. It was quiet when she entered, only a handful of customers, most being older women who were too consumed by their shopping to notice Cassie walk past, heading straight towards the cosmetic aisle. She searched for a short time before finding her shade in the concealer corner, picking it up gently and heading towards the tills. She barely said any words to the gentlemen who served her, looking down most of the encounter, hoping he wouldn't tell she was bearing painful wounds. He didn't, but in some ways, she wished he did.

She took a slow walk towards the school, which was only a five-minute walk from the stores, allowing her to still be extremely early. She walked throw the gates to what appeared like a ghost town. She had never seen it like this. It was eery and chilling, but it didn't bother her, as she walked through the doors and headed straight towards the girl's bathroom, her footsteps echoing behind her. Once she was at the mirror, she evaluated her face, trying her best not to hiss as her fingers gently grassed them, blanketing them under a cool cream. The concealer matched her skin almost perfectly, pale, and smooth. It was obvious she was wearing makeup as she dabbed the product onto her face, but she would rather people think her opinions on it had changed, rather than see someone had brutally beaten her. Once she had covered the main ones on her face, she moved to cover her lip, trying her best to blend it, but it didn't look right, it turned her lips pale, which usually were rosy and sweet, making her look almost sick. That was the last thing she wanted. She quickly reached for a tissue, harshly rubbing the product off. She realised quickly that it would be harder to cover this cut up, but she thought, at that very moment, of the perfect excuse for how she got it, putting her mind almost at ease. She reached for her lip gloss, coating her lips in it, making them shine in the light.

She stayed in the library, working on essays and assignments until the corridors started to liven up, which encouraged her to make her way to the front of the school to meet Chrissy. She walked past people, her smile wide and eyes glistening. She walked outside, the sunlight hitting her like heaven's spotlight. People stood and stared at her gracious beauty, something she would never see in herself. Sebastian, Chrissy, and Jaxen walked from the car park; the crowds almost parting as they approached. Cassie squealed in excitement and almost sprinted towards Chrissy, pulling her into her arms without a second thought.

"Hello to you too," Chrissy muffled into Cassie, her voice full of joy.

"Sorry for not meeting this morning, I just really needed to get my essay finished, and I did," Cassie explained in a sorrowful yet almost excited tone. Sebastian watched Cassie, thinking the events of last night would still linger with her, his lip also housing a small cut.