Their Masks

The Perfect Guy (Part 2)

Justin was ready with his plan.

He would probably never have another chance like this every again.

Every one of his entourage was somewhere in the school doing whatever it was they needed doing. He had skipped fifth period because he was sure that Gwen had a free period at this precise moment.

One hour.

That was all he would need to talk to the girl. If by an hour he found that there was nothing remarkable about the girl. He would move on to a new obsession that was healthier for his sanity.

He decided to venture first in the library. The girl loved reading. There was a good possibility that she would be there.

But the library was empty, save for a couple of people holding a meeting at the corner. It looked like the Art Club from all the paintings they had on display. Any day he would have been interested in the beautiful drawings. But today the only beauty he wanted to see was the smile on Gwen's face.

He ventured to the auditorium next. Theater seemed like a reasonable past time for the girl. But that was another dead end.

The gymnasium wasn't his ideal option, and he wasn't surprised that she wasn't there either. It took him almost the entire period to search the entire school until he came to the logical conclusion he had been running away from all this time.

Gwen was not in school today.

That was unusual of the girl. She was too much of a saint to ever skip any class. That might have been what he had believed if he hadn't just spent an hour rummaging through every room in the institution that was not a classroom.

His hopes were diminished and he decided to head to the field. He would start some drills as he awaited the arrival of his team. Running laps on the field usually left his mind clear to wander where it saw fit. That was how he had landed on the realization that he liked Gwen in the first place.

Justin was at the bleachers when he heard the voices float his way. It had to be more than one person. They were laughing almost hysterically. Justin knew that kind of laugh all too well. How many times had his mother laughed that way after a night of intoxication?

He was about to round the corner and confront them when he heard that voice he had cherished for most of his senior year asking for another shot. He didn't want to believe what he had just heard. It seemed wrong to even ask his brain to accept it. But he had to confirm it. He had to see it with his own eyes or he would never believe it to be true.

And he wished he hadn't as soon as he saw them there.

Gwen was in the arms of that boy who Justin had already decided he couldn't like even in an alternate universe. There were all kinds of ragged looking kids around them, all smoking and drinking.

They were all wasted by the looks of it. And it was sad that Gwen was among them. Justin couldn't believe it. Gwen seemed the kind of girl who would never step a toe out of line. She had everything right going on in her life. Why would she even dare to involve herself with these lowlifes?

"Hey... What's her problem? You'd think she'd... she'd love this... stuff... by now," the boy holding her slurred his words and the others laughed lazily. There was no semblance of normality here. But Justin was just recognizing what he meant. Gwen was twitching awkwardly in his arms.

These idiots were too high to notice they had overdosed her.

His next movements were like clockwork. His foot was firmly planted on the guy's face as he rushed to the dispensary, Gwen safely in his arms. He didn't have time to take notice of the hundreds of masks that were now in the corridors as he carried his beautiful flower to the nurse.

He could never let her die. No matter what happened. His pride and fame were not substitute enough to help him live in this world without Gwen. He held on to her hand as the nurse gave her first aid and carried her all the way into the ambulance the moment it came.

He had no thought for any mask other than this beautiful one that was threatening to leave him. Not even the blond cheerleader's mixed in with the rest of the curious students.