A Mask in A Mirror

Chapter 6: Why Not

Two weeks later the five of us were gathered at Lost Bridge, splashing in the water in our swim suites on a warm summer day. We were celebrating Hatchet's release from the hospital. I jumped from the low cliff on the north bank of the river, nearly landing on top of Hatchet as I entered the water.

"Hey, I can do just fine killing myself without your help." He shot at me. It was meant as a joke but I had a hard time laughing.

"Evidently not!" Dave drug out the morbid humor.

"Hey, I spent two weeks with failed suicides. I can learn from their mistakes." Hatchet didn't seem to realize how uncomfortable they were making me and the girls. I moved to change the subject.

"Cross country starts our summer conditioning Monday." I offered some unrequited information.

"Yeah, Volleyball does too." Jordan empathized from where she was sunbathing on top of the rock cliff. Being directly below the cliff we couldn't see her at all. Dave was hanging off of the side of the cliff, his pale white skin had long since turned to a lobster's shade of red. He was preparing to attempt a back flip. I paused to watch him fail. Something that he did rather spectacularly by face planting into the water. Ann burst into a fit of giggles as she emerged from underneath the water and worked her way to the shore.

I tried to remember that we were just friends as she started ringing her hair out on the gravel bar. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to play this year Jordan." Her revelation brought Jordan to stand and look over the edge of her rock.

"What? Why wouldn't you play?" She asked in disbelief.

"Because, I'm just not that good, besides, all volleyball is ever viewed as is an excuse for perverts to watch girls run around in spandex." Dave remained oddly silent on the subject.

I did not, "Please, I thought that's why you played!" I disputed Ann's prerogative.

"No! I like playing volleyball, but I'd feel pathetic sitting the bench again this year." She sounded earnest. Although she did still have that ditzy mannerism that made it hard to take her seriously.

"So practice a little more." Hatchet had been very optimistic since he left the hospital. They stressed positive thinking and he had taken it to heart. It was relieving for the rest of us.

Ann didn't want to risk breaking that so she used her clueless attitude to get out of yet another social situation. "Oh, like outside of regular practice? I hadn't thought of that." Even she had to work to sell a comment that stupid.

I hated to see Ann just giving up on the sport. It wasn't like her to just quit. Something more had to be bothering her. At that moment Jordan left her perch on top of the rock to come splashing into the deep pool of water below. I swam my way to the south bank while Hatchet and Dave were distracted. I came up out of the water and sat next to Ann on the hot gravel.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I questioned her motivations.

"I already told you, I'm just not that good." She claimed. I had been to most of their games however, and I knew that it wasn't true.

"Your serve sucks but you play great at the net. You ought to know better than to think you can fool me." I smiled enjoying our comradery.

She looked at me for a moment. "Clay, you know what's different about you?" I shook my head, trying to move past her attempt at altering the subject. "You're looking me in the eye right now." She plowed ahead. I didn't know exactly what she meant by that. It seemed like a lot of people looked into somebody's eyes when they talked. "Uh... and people think I'm thick." She was dumbfounded that I wasn't catching on.