Behind The Mask (Jinxxley)

Chapter Ten

I was awakened, not by my phone going off, but by the sudden emptiness I felt. It was hard to believe that over these past few days I had grown accustomed to sharing my bed with Jinxx. Without him, the bed seemed so...vast. I turned to my side so I could drape my hand over the empty side of the bed where he normally slept. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Yup, it still smelled like him, sea mist and soap. I sat up, from the foot of the bed, Chrome and Sebastian blinked sleepily at me, I held their gaze until Chrome gave a mixture between a purr and a meow, and walked over to me, she shoved her warm furry head under my chin and purred loudly, Sebastian watched us, until for the first time since he arrived, he walked over and curled up on my lap, his chest rising and falling as his purrs reverberated through my blanket. I petted his thick fur tentatively. Outside, the sun was just beginning to peak, the horizon was the color of lavender, smeared with tangerine and rose colored clouds. It seemed this would be perfect day, or it would be, if I had woken up with Jinxx by my side.

Sighing, I kicked off the blanket and walked to my closet. Today was the costume party, but I had nothing to wear! Hands on my hips, I looked at the racks of clothing, but nothing seemed to scream "elegant but creepy", looks like I'll have to do some last minute shopping... I thought as I turned away from my closet and walked out of my room to go downstairs and feed the cats. Another thing I noticed, it was so quiet. The silence only made me notice Jinxx's absence even more. I sighed again, god I was like a lovesick middle-school girl. I sat alone at the granite counter eating a bowl of cereal, behind me I could hear the cats crunching their food.

"Ohhh..." I groaned and let my head thump on the granite. "Jinxx, I miss you." I whispered to myself.

By now, it was eight in the morning, I was walking around LA looking for something decent to wear. I didn't want to shop at a Halloween store though, instead, I was looking through department stores, from the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of gold. Across the street, I saw what I was looking for. I ran to the nearest stoplight and waited to cross, then, sprinting into the store, I managed to gasp at the lady in the Italian pantsuit who was arranging the clothes.

"H-how much, is that!" She stared at me, her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowing at the center, deciding if I had the money to pay.

I held up my platinum credit card. She smiled instantly and led me to the window so I could buy the treasure I'd just discovered. I walked out of the store with my arms clutching the bags full clothes I'd been scammed into buying. I only wanted the item at the window, but most of the bags were full of suits and shirts. How that had happened, I had no idea. Still, I wasn't done. I made a quick stop to drop off my bags, and continued my search. I walked for another few hours, before I was satisfied. I hopped back into my car, played some Michael Jackson, and tried to ignore the fact that Jinxx hadn't texted me all day, then again, I couldn't blame him. Sammi was probably watching his every move, or had thrown his phone against the wall in an angry fit. I shook my head, and sung along with MJ's voice.

"Hmm. Hmm. Hmm." I Hummed as I set everything out on my bed. I had officially come up with the greatest outfit ever. It wasn't so much a costume, as it was something that belonged in a masquerade from the old times, but it was perfect, I had tweaked it a little, but not much. I checked my clock. Still had a few hours before I had to get ready, so I did what any California guy would do, I packed a bag, strapped my surfboard to the roof of my car, and drove to the beach. It was literally a perfect beach day. The sun was bright, the water was clear, and the waves were huge! I stripped down to my cargo shorts, earning a few giggles from some girls who were sunbathing nearby. I ignored them and carried my board to the water, I laid myself down, and paddled out to see, it felt nice to feel my muscles flexing as I fought the current, the rocking of the waves, lulling the anxiety I had been feeling all day.