Masks

Chapter 19

Leave this pain and suffering,
Of which I've been given.

  ~~~

  "...you have to substitute the values into the formula from here."

  "Ah, I see." Violet replied.

  "You're actually quite good at this." Quinn commented. "Just a few things here and there, but you could get at least a 90 on your next unit test."

  "There's no way I can guarantee that," Violet shrugged. "but I just had to make sure I'd be ready. Physics is your best subject, isn't it?"

  "I mean, you already do pretty well in Math. You don't have to worry about it, you'll do just fine." He assured her. "But I'm glad you called me over. Means you didn't stay up too late yesterday studying."

  "Yeah.. right..."

  "...how late this time?"

  "T-Twelve t-th-thirty...?"

  "Does this mean you slept at like 2 when you still tutored Olivier?" Quinn sighed. "If you need help, just ask for it. But make sure you get enough sleep."

  "Easy for you to say, Mr. Perfect Grades." She raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky that you can finish your homework before nine, even with a bigger workload."

"It's not lucky if your entire life is filled with doing homework everyday." He argued.

  "In some ways, it is." She replied. "You're just so used to seeing new problems so you can think a lot faster, finishing your homework earlier and getting much more sleep than I do."

  "Well, that's one thing." He tilted his head. "It's all just a matter of practice, I guess."

  "I get it Mr. Prodigy."

  "I thought you said I was Mr. Perfect Grades." He tilted his head. "Not saying that I'm either, though."

  "Doesn't matter. Quinn's too good at everything."

  ~~~

  It was as if fall was long gone then. The bright orange leaves—which turned brown, then were raked off—were replaced by a thin layer of white all over town in just a few days.

  Most people, including those who liked big cities, avoided living in Scarlettview not only because it was small, but because it was cold. It was one of the towns in the farther north of England, so snow would sometimes even begin falling in late November, and temperatures drop drastically over short periods of time.

  Violet made sure she was extra prepared for that. She made sure she brought her warmest coats, scarves, gloves and hats when preparing for her exchange. She hadn't experienced temperatures too close to the ones in Scarlettview, so she had to buy some new clothes that were thick enough to suit the winter.

"...what are you wearing?"

"Anything wrong with dressing warm?"

Quinn struggled to hold back laughter. Violet stood at his front door wearing a long, thick winter coat, a scarf, and a brown hat. Her hands were covered by brown gloves, and she was wearing tall, black winter boots.

"It's not that cold today, you know that right?" He chuckled.

"Not that cold? You've lived here your whole life." She argued.

"Good to know you're prepared, but it's gonna get colder than this at some point." He reminded.

"...good point. Guess I'm gonna be screwed next week."

Quinn put on a dark blue sweater over his uniform blazer before he left his house and walked to school with Violet.

  "I don't understand how you can only wear a sweater on a day like this." Violet commented.

  "I don't see why you need to be wearing so many layers." Quinn replied. "I'm sure it isn't that much of a difference in Paris."

"I honestly can't tell under all of this." She shrugged. "But I feel warm and that's the good thing. You sure you're not cold?"

  "Like I said, it's not that cold."

  "You sure?" She asked, an undeniably concerned look plastered on her face. "It seems pretty cold if that's all you're wearing..."

  "I already told you it's nothing to worry about—w-what are y-you d-do-doing?"

"See? You are cold after all." She unexpectedly took his hands. "Your hands are freezing and shaking."

"W-Weather here can be unpredictable." He said, looking away. "I can handle this much. The school's not far from here."

She took her long scarf and wrapped it around both of their necks. "There. This should hold up for the rest of the walk."

"I told you—"

"You're not gonna stop me." She smiled. "It is my job to be your second mom."

"I think we can both agree that you already play that role quite well." Quinn chuckled. "But thanks anyway."

She continued to pester him about dressing warm while continuing their walk to school. His only replies were "mhm," or a sarcastic "okay." He buried his face into her scarf.

'Smells just like her...' He thought, but then immediately regret it. His face flushed a bright red and he slapped himself on the cheek.

"Woah, what was that for?" Violet asked, surprised. "Is something up?"

"Y-Yeah, just needed to, uh, co-concentrate a bit." He replied, sweating despite the cold. "C-Can't accidentally walk off the sidewalk, y'know?"

She took his explanation, still concerned. He sighed, his face even redder than before.

'I guess this is what love feels like.'

'It's warm. It feels nice.'