Crystal

Twenty Eight

The cast members had finally reunited, and Crystal had written the play all the way to the climax, but she hadn't been able to close it out yet. Luckily, Skittles was in on the plan and refused to let the masked character's costume be identical to the one Crystal wanted. I was playing the masked character, and it felt strange to be in a different get-up for the character I masqueraded as in real life.

Crystal was obsessed with the play's success and would rally us around to rehearse as much as possible. At night, I'd catch her staring up at the rafters, wondering if the masked man was watching over us. Little did she know he was right here, playing the part.

Skittles was thrilled with his brilliant pairing of Blake and Alyssa, now that everyone knew they were engaged. Their chemistry was undeniable, and it was clear that the audience would root for them to end up together. But Crystal's writing was taking a different turn, steering Alyssa's character towards falling for the masked man. This left me with mixed feelings.

As if that weren't enough, a swarm of people began to buzz around our rehearsals, preying on Crystal over her blog. Everyone had read it by now, and Skittles spent half his time shooing the vultures away. Their presence irked all of us, except for Crystal, who didn't seem to be bothered. But this only made the onlookers more vocal.

"We don't want to see you," the hecklers shout at Alyssa as she takes the stage opposite my masked character. "We want Crystal!"

"Ignore them," I advise, seething with the desire to physically kick them out.

Thankfully, Crystal is backstage, but the hecklers are far from finished. They start questioning which blog entry this scene is from, suggesting it might be the one where she thought a kitten fell from the sky, or the one where she believed the masked man beat up Jared.

I had hoped that Jared's endorsement of the events of the night of his arrest would make people believe us, but even he - the most popular boy in school - is ridiculed for his "crazy imagination."

"Don't you have anything better to do, you losers?" Blake tries to shut the hecklers down, but his words only make them laugh. "And don't even think about coming to the previews tomorrow night."

Blake's made it worse. We had only invited family members and a few trusted individuals who didn't care about the blog to the previews. But now, tomorrow was sure to be a crowded disaster. The smallest strand of hope I had for Dad to be impressed by my performance was snapped.

"Get out of here," I step up to the boys, furious.

But being in a cheesier version of the masked man's costume doesn't have the intimidating effect I had hoped for, and they cackle at my threats.

Crystal strides onto the stage, hands on her hips, looking stern. "No, Patch, the masked man doesn't lose his temper," she scolds me in front of the hecklers, who burst into laughter. I feel a flush creeping up my neck and hurry to usher her back to the stage, hoping to prevent them from insulting her further.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"That's not what he would do. He remains stoic at all times," she repeats, her tone grave. A small part of me hopes she's joking, but the seriousness in her expression tells me otherwise. I hate myself for allowing the same doubts Skittles had voiced to me earlier to creep in.

"Sorry if I'm being a little cuckoo," she makes a cute, crazy face. "This is just really important to me."

"I get it. Let's do this right," I switch to my masked man persona. She raises a hand, almost reaching for the mask, but decides against it.

I approach Alyssa, who does an excellent job mirroring the same awe Crystal has around the masked man. I have to give credit to Skittles for his directing abilities, as he instructed her to center her performance around Crystal. For a moment, I feel like I'm back in the zone. However, with Crystal now in full view of the onlookers, their heckling intensifies.

"How will the masked guy react when he finds out about you two?" one of the hecklers jeers.

Crystal speaks first, her voice serious, "I wouldn't want to be on the masked person's bad side if I were you."

The hecklers taunt her, their voices dripping with sarcasm, "Ooh, so you're saying he keeps you under his watch?"

Crystal's frustration is evident as the abusers smirk. "Yes, I'm sure he'll be there tomorrow for the preview. He would never miss it."

A loud laugh breaks out. "Ha-ha, sure. That's one jobless imaginary friend."

"Don't insult him!" Crystal's voice rises to a yell, and I realize I've never seen her angry before. The hecklers disperse, but I'm sure they'll still be around tomorrow.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alyssa asks, wrapping her arms around Crystal, who has her head hunched down, looking as if she's fighting back tears.

"I'm fine. I'll see you guys later," she says, making to leave. However, I catch up to her.

"Wait, I'm sorry those guys were jerks," I say. "For what it's worth, I want to believe as much as you do."

A flicker of hesitation crosses Crystal's face as if she's considering feigning a lack of understanding, but I know better. My statement is meant for validation, and there's no diversion on her part that could convince either of us otherwise.

She adjusts the band holding her long, sinuous hair together and with a shake of her head, the Crystal I once stole glances at in the school hallways returns. Her lips part, and a dazzling smile spreads across her face like a burst of moonlight, illuminating her features.

I can think of a million things to say in response, but none of them would aptly translate how I feel. So, I just stand there, swaying slightly - the effect one has when they want to run around in circles out of pure joy.

However, Crystal's stern demeanor dispels the euphoria surrounding us. "Now, I don't want you or anyone else asking about what's bothering me. Is that clear?"

Her expression turns serious, but Crystal's voice is gentle as she speaks.

"Crystal," I can't help but return her smile.