Masks

Chapter 9

Because it's burden was too big,
Too heavy for it to fly on its own.

~~~

Violet smiled back before entering her house. However, ruining her cheerful mood was Mrs. Waters greeting her at the door, making her jump back.

"You were with that boy again, weren't you?" She asked, trying to hide her anger.

"Y-Yes." Violet mumbled, looking away.

"I don't like him. If you were willing to disobey me just to see him, I will not allow you to, nor be his friend. I demand you cut off all your connections with him."

"But—"

"He is a bad influence for you. I'm only looking out for you."

"Why don't you let her make her own choices for once?" Said a voice from inside the house.

"Alexander-"

"Evelyn, I think she should be able to make her own friends." Mr. Waters said. "Violet's a good girl, so I believe that if she thinks someone is a good person, she'd be right."

"I don't think she is ready to live like this yet." Mrs. Waters argued. "She'd been tutored almost her entire life while she was in Paris, she hasn't been exposed to the outside world enough."

"I'm sure Violet knows what she's doing and what she wants to do." He said. "I'd at least give her the freedom to make friends. She didn't have the freedom to do so back in Paris."

"Hmph." She grunted. "Regardless, I am still not in support of this "friendship." There can't possibly be anything that makes him stand out."

Violet wished she didn't have to act refined in front of Mrs. Waters - she didn't want to have to show respect to such a woman. She wanted to yell back at her for talking about Quinn like that, but she held it in and calmly walked into the house.

"He isn't a bad person, you know. At least get to know him."

Mrs. Waters was furious to hear Violet mutter under her breath. "Nonsense! I know a bad influence when I see one. It's up to you to follow my suspicions. Don't come crying to me when he decides to leave you behind."

Violet remained in this calm state until she made it up to her room, where she made the biggest mess of it and screamed all her anger out her window.

You don't know anything. Not until you give him a chance.

  ~~~

"You were with her, weren't you?"

Quinn sighed. Instead of being scared of his mother, he was annoyed instead. "Yes, Mother, I was with Violet."

She looked at him angrily. "Don't try to play that game with me. I told you not to become her friend if she is only going to distract you from your studies."

"She's not a distraction, Mother. Actually, it was her who motivated me to do my schoolwork."

"And you just obeyed her, with no complaints?" She said sternly. "If it were me, you'd never want to complete your work and would always complain about it. You're saying you put her in a higher position over me?"

"I thought you'd be happy to hear that I was doing my work." He raised his voice.

"Do not try to talk back to me!" She scolded. "You don't need friends when you have your books, especially ones like her."

Quinn had heard enough. Standing up from his chair, he walked away, making his footsteps heard throughout the house.

"Don't you leave!" His mother walked up to him and caught his wrist. Turning him around, she slapped his face twice, then kicked him in the leg.

"If you don't stop talking to her, this will become an everyday thing, you have my word."

Instead of cowering away into his room like he normally would have after his parents hurt him like that, Quinn showed no hint of fear or pain on his face. Enraged, his mother grabbed him by the shoulders.

"How dare you disrespect your mother like that! Say something or you're getting hit again!"

Quinn shook her hands off, even more angry at her than she was at him.

"Do not talk about Violet like that." He ordered. "Getting punished like this is nothing, but do not make her sound like a bad person."

His mother was at a loss for words. Instead of yelling at him again, she walked away without saying anything. Quinn sighed in relief.

That's one battle won. I can put up with this, for her sake.

~~~

"Both our guardians don't seem to approve of us being friends, huh?"

"Seems so," Quinn replied. "They were against it, but don't necessarily want us to avoid each other."

"That's true," Violet said. "We can still talk after all."

"How are we going to fix this situation? If it keeps at it like this, at this rate neither of them are gonna want to meet either of us."

"That's exactly how we're gonna fix it," Violet decided. "I could go meet your parents or vice versa."

"You sure? They already have a bad feeling about you since they saw you."

"I'll have to try." Violet looked determined. "You could tell your parents that the Waters are inviting you for dinner, and don't mention me. I'll do the same thing here."

"Think this is gonna work?" Quinn asked, feeling skeptical about the plan.

"Probably. I'll just have to think of something to tell Mrs. Waters. I'll ask first and I'll tell you anything if something comes up. Do what you can, but don't get into too much trouble."

Quinn nodded. "I won't, you can count on me on that. I'll see you then."

However, Violet couldn't see Quinn icing his bruise from earlier in his room.