We all have our masks [Twenty One Pilots]

Chapter Twelve: No excuse

Lena didn't know what she had done. She wasn't sure. Maybe it was a mistake. The last few days had been a mess, but she had managed to spend some time focusing on herself, and this was the last step she needed. Hair-dye never hurt anyone, right? 

She put the blow-dryer back on its holder, now facing away from the mirror. Closing her eyes, she put her hands on her hips, inhaling strongly to give herself some sense of courage, then she turned around. She counted mentally. One. It couldn't be that bad. Two. Maybe it was too bold of step? Three. 

She opened her eyes. The bathroom mirror still had little stains and Lena mentally apologized to the housekeeper who was supposed to clean her room everyday: she always had the bad habit of never paying attention whenever she was brushing her teeth. But for now, that didn't really matter, because the girl facing her in the stained mirror was... someone else. 

Her dark black hair were fully bleached. Lena was now the cliché of the blonde american girl she swore she would never look like. Slowly, she took a step forward to examine herself from closer. She slipped a hand through her hair, then smiled. It was not bad. It was not bad at all. In fact, it was exactly what she needed, she thought. Her complexion, which used to look so pale when facing a curtain of black hair, now seemed warmer. She almost seemed tanned, and overall, the blonde gave her the looks of a nicer girl.

A few knocks on the door startled her.  She hesitated, then went to open it, hoping it wasn't the housekeeper yet. The room was a complete mess, and Lena tripped on a pair of pants before actually reaching the door. It was not housekeeping, and both were surprised when Zack showed his smiling face.

"Whoa... That... Looks..." Zack hesitated, and Lena looked away. Oh well, maybe it wasn't that great after all. But she could always dye it back to black and... "Amazing! You're beautiful Lena..." he continued. Lena suddenly blushed so hard she could feel her cheeks get warm. She hadn't heard such a sincere compliment for what felt like months. She murmured a small thank you.

"I'm glad to know you're alive and well though..." he added, a little more cold now. Lena blushed again, but this time from guilt. Zack had sent her several texts, asking how she was and reminding her of that barbecue he invited her to before dropping her off at the hotel the last time. But she didn't feel like responding, and decided to ignore him. She thought that he would let it go, that he would forget about her. After all, they didn't really know each other, and had only met for a few hours one night. But it seemed that Zack wasn't the kind of guy to let her go that easily. 

"I'm sorry, I... I've just been through a lot and I didn't really want to talk. I shouldn't have ignored you, that was mean of me. I'm really sorry Zack" she blurted out, and for a moment, she thought he wouldn't add anything and just walk away. Walking away from a mess like her was definitely easier than actually dealing with her, and she would have perfectly understood. But his serious face lightened. 

"I accept your apology, lady. Now go get dressed. I'm taking you to my place." Lena raised her eyebrows. "Remember that barbecue I talked to you about? Yeah, it's still happening, and you're coming with me." he continued. Lena's face dropped. Right, the barbecue was today.

"Can I at least come in for a second?" Zack pleaded at her hesitation. He must have guessed that Lena didn't really feel like going. She stepped away from the door, already apologizing for the mess, and they both sat down on the bed, Lena not even daring to look him in the eye for fear he might convince her to do something she didn't really want to.

"So... I take it that it didn't go very well with uncle Rick?" he asked nicely, and Lena just nodded. "What happened?" he continued. Lena shrugged. She knew he meant well, but she didn't really feel like talking about it. It would only remind her of the situation she had left behind, and bring back that sense of guilt that never really left her ever since. 

"That's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I understand." Zack gently tapped on her back so as to comfort her, and the boy was so nice, Lena didn't even feel like laughing at the awkwardness of  his gesture. "What have you been up to?" he added. Lena shrugged. What could she say that wouldn't make her seem like a hermit? She hadn't really done anything. She had wandered around town. She had slept more than needed. She had binge-watched her favorite teenage tv show. She had bleached her hair. And above all, she had cried. 

"Nothing much, really. Just needed some alone time, you know?" she finally answered after a long silence. Zack nodded comprehensively, then sighed, stretching his legs. 

"Alone is good" he said, and Lena's head shot up at the words. He used the same words as Tyler's, and she knew it was probably only a coincidence, but she smiled at the thought. "What?" he added, reacting to her surprised look, but Lena shook her head, inviting him to go on.

"Alone is good sometimes, and I know that. But sometimes, what you need is just to be surrounded. Have some fun to forget about what's bothering you. I know we don't know each other a lot, but I swear it'll be fun."

"Zack, I..." Lena started, but she was soon interrupted.

"Please, Lena. You've been alone for a week now. Please." Zack was literally begging her now. He had gone down on his knees, his face so close to hers, and had taken her hand. How could she say no to that? Defeated, she rolled her eyes, a smile creeping on her face. After Zack gave her a nod of approval, he urged her to get dressed and, unwillingly, Lena dragged her feet to the bathroom again. 

"How do I look? Is this okay?" she asked after several minutes, coming out of the room. Zack gave her a look from head to toe before giving her a thumbs up. She had picked out casual clothes: a simple white skinny jeans, a camouflage t-shirt and her good old sneakers. She had tied her messy newly-blonde hair into a side braid.

The anxiety began to build up on the car, on the way to Zack's place. She didn't know anyone besides him. Hell, she didn't even knew him that well. What would people think? What if she was weird as always? She wasn't good at small talk, and she didn't like to eat in front of people. She definitely was better alone, and she was about to say that out loud, to inform Zack that she had changed her mind, when he pulled over into a driveway. 

The little town house in front of her was pretty simple, but it looked fabulous to Lena's eyes. She hadn't seen such a house in years - Paris wasn't quite the peaceful city - and it reminded her a lot of her suburban house when she was a kid. Nervous, she got out of the car and waited for Zack to reach her. 

"I can't do this, Zack..." she blurted out quietly - as quitely as her anxiousness allowed her to anyway.

"Of course you can!"

"No, Zack, really, I don't know anyone and... This was a mistake, I don't think I'm ready for..."

"Lena!" She was interrupted by a voice she had heard not that long ago. The minute she turned away to face him, she was engulfed in a friendly hug. The snapback guy was back. Josh slightly pushed her away from him, still holding onto her arms, to give her an inquisitive look. "Mh... You changed something right?"

Lena was taken aback, not really understanding how he could be here, at the same barbecue Zack invited her to, but before she could find a logical answer, Josh cut her off again, under Zack's amused gaze.

"Just kidding, I love your hair! Let's go inside!" His mouth curled up into a bright smile, and he put his arm on Lena's shoulder, leading her towards the house.

Well... She had no excuse now. She did know somemone here besides Zack.

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All right, I thought I couldn't update before my trip for concerts, but turned out I totally could! I hope it'll make you wait until next chapter, when the boys are coming back, full force. I hope it isn't too rushed.