Masqueraded Identities

Chapter Nine

I giggled as Mark tried to sing the lines opera style.

We had tried to practice, but then we sort of got into a contest of who could say the lines in different ways. So far, I had won in British, Irish, and Indian accents, but he had won in voices that were hardly used, AKA, singing the lines in opera. (May I add that we were auditioning for a play, not a musical?)

The more he did it, the harder I laughed. Eventually I was laughing so hard that the only thing that came out were squeaks. Suddenly I realized just how full my bladder was, and I screamed out "STOP!" Thankfully, I managed to stop any accidents from happening.

Mark took one look at my face, and started laughing just as hard as I had been before. I tried to glare at him, but then started laughing all over again. If he didn't stop, my bladder would burst right onto the chair I was sitting in.

We finally calmed down, and I said, "Now, at the auditions, whenever I try to read this scene, I'll start laughing like an untalented idiot."

Mark smiled, and said, "Oh, don't stress it. Everyone knows you're already an idiot. A very cute and talented idiot, but an idiot all the same.

"I'm not sure whether to be flattered or offended..."

"I feel you should be a little of both."

I giggled, and stood up from the chair. "Well, unfortunately, I must head back to my dorm. I have a test tomorrow that I've been procrastinating as far as the whole studying thing goes."

Mark stood up, too, and said, "Yeah, you should probably do that. Can I walk you back at least?"

I smiled. "Of course."

We left the library, and walked back to my dorm, hand in hand. I felt a happy blush rise to my cheeks, and I prayed to the heavens that my blushing problem wasn't too obvious.

On the way to the dorm, I saw Ryan out of the corner of my eye. He had been talking to some of his friends. I was disappointed to see him hanging out with such crappy people- I actually knew his group from classes, and they were all assholes. He turned when he saw Mark and I, and I saw his whole face pale.

That was weird. I shrugged it off and concentrated on how nice it was to walk with Mark. His hands were very cold, though. Not nice and warm like my masked stranger's had been...

"What's up, buttercup?" he asked, turning his head towards me.

I snapped out of my thought process, and said, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking how nice it is out here. Normally by the end of September, it's freezing."

"Where did you say you were from again?"

"Massachusetts."

"Well, no wonder! Virginia isn't much different, but it's a little bit warmer than up there."

"I've been getting that impression."

We were almost to the dorm by that point, and as I tried to walk towards the dorm, Mark pulled me off to a hidden alleyway. Go figure. The school was huge AND had secret passages. What would be next, finding the closet leading to Narnia?

Mark looked at me, and smiled. "Have I ever told you how lovely you are?"

My heartbeat quickened at the word. The only person who had ever called me lovely was my masked stranger. Was Mark... him?

Once again, Mark's seductive voice distracted me from my thought train as he continued, "I don't normally talk to many people. Too wrapped up in my studies. I'm here on a scholarship, too. But unlike you, I am not very intelligent, so I'm always studying and writing and reading. But I saw you on the first day here, and I couldn't notice just how lovely you were. I just had to talk to you. You were new, exciting."