Alluring Mask

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8

I held onto the edge of Ei's shirt as we walked towards the gymnasium because there were so many people around us. Everyone was gathered for the graduates' recollection.

"Do you have social anxiety?" Ei asked suddenly as we stood in line.

I quickly shook my head.

"No, not really..." I replied softly.

I looked away because she was staring at me for too long. After a while, she smiled at me and took my hand to link it with her arm.

"Hmm. Okay," she replied with a smile.

I felt uncomfortable because, aside from the students staring at me, I also felt like someone was watching me.

"Are you uncomfortable because they are staring at you?" Ei asked when we got inside.

"Yes," I answered quickly.

When she heard my answer, we hurried to find a seat. She pointed to two empty seats at the end, and we sat there.

"Do you want this? This is blotting paper to quickly absorb the oiliness on our face." Ei handed me a thin piece of paper in a small green packet.

"School air really makes you look haggard," she muttered to herself and looked at me.

I chuckled softly and accepted the tissue. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and put the used tissue in my pants pocket.

"I can't relate," I replied with a laugh. "I've been haggard since birth," I joked.

She turned to me and crossed her arms. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Sarah. You're doing it again."

"I just shrugged. It's true," Ei was starting to remind me of Rafael, a bit. Thinking about it made me sad.

I still couldn't accept that Rafael was gone. What about our promise to get tattoos together? To graduate together? He was the only true friend I had besides Ei.

"Hey..." Ei called out to me suddenly. She took my hand and squeezed it gently. "Everything is going to be okay, Sarah. I know you're brave," she said softly to me.

I nodded. "Thank you, Ei. You're like the girl version of Raf," I said to her, feeling tears in my eyes.

She chuckled softly and pinched my cheek. "You're so cute."

She took a tissue and wiped away my tears. Then he used the blotting paper to wipe my face.

"If you're going to wipe the sweat off your face, don't rub the blotting paper on your face, okay?" she said seriously. I just nodded. "Just dab it like this," she demonstrated gently on my face.

"Your face is sensitive, Sarah. Your cheeks are red now."

I grimaced. "Sorry."

She just smiled at me. "It's okay. Next time you know what to do?"

I nodded, and we both looked forward as someone started speaking. I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I stood up happily and smoothed out my dress. It was a simple white dress, made of silk. Today was our graduation day. This dress was actually my mom's wedding dress when she married my dad. I saw her throwing it away, and I secretly took it and hid it.

It fit me perfectly because I'm thin. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before leaving my room. I didn't expect Mom to attend my graduation because I knew she wouldn't.