The Book of Masks (Vol. 5)

Compromising with Kelsey

Previously: "Hot Takes from Chelsea" 

Of the candidates Chelsea has given, you are most strongly tempted by Andrea Varnsworth and least tempted by Julia Paez. There must be something about Julia that interests Chelsea, but you don't like the unknown. You are equally certain that Chelsea would prefer that you not pick Andrea, so you discard her as well.

That leaves Sydney McGlynn, Kelsey Blankenship, and Phoebe Beauchamp. Phoebe is sexy, but you're put off by stories you are hearing (second- and third-hand) of drama on the girls' soccer team. Why make trouble for yourself? As for Sydney ...

You are intrigued there. Very intrigued. She is new to school; she is very pretty and has a very sexy body; and she has a strong personality. You would like to get to know her better, in every way.

But you are, finally, more attracted to Kelsey, though for reasons that leave you feeling slightly ashamed. The fact is that Kelsey can be as much of a bitch-on-wheels as Chelsea, and she has run over you many more times than Chelsea ever did. (Privately, you blame her for your breakup with Lisa; Kelsey, in whose circles Lisa moves, was always openly contemptuous of you.) She is also rich (where Chelsea is not); stylish (in a way that Chelsea is not); an influencer at the school (and maybe more of one than Chelsea is); and she is also more than reasonably sexy. Steve has thought more than once of trying to get with Kelsey, but has always been put off by her rigid and forceful personality. Yet, Kelsey's rigidity and forcefulness is another part of the attraction. After your time in Steve, you have grown to appreciate strength of character, and wish to keep it.

Let's go for Kelsey, you text Chelsea just before you go to bed, and after the lights are out you entertain yourself with fantasies of what it will be like to look out through Kelsey's eyes, and to rub her satiny skin with her own hands.

* * * * *

It's ten o'clock before you hear back from Seth, and it's just a short text saying that he'll see you up at the school at one.

Does that mean anything? You're not sure. It's Sunday, and you'd be at the school anyway, in the loft with Gordon for Sunday-afternoon-with-the-boys. Seth would be invited to that too. At any rate, you'll be prepared. You finished the new mask this morning after breakfast.

Again, there are strange cars parked by the gym when you arrive at the school, including Javits's. He's on the court again with Richards and Nichols and Lloyd. This time Gordon is there too, standing mid-court, glaring at the practice. You pause to watch for a minute or two, wondering how Richards is bearing up under the pressure, before sauntering over to join him.

"Chelsea here?" you ask him in a low voice.

"Upstairs. She's waiting for you, said to tell you go on up. Shit."

"What?"

"These fucks." He chucks his chin at the practice. "Now that I give 'em a straight, hard look, I don't know why we're keeping 'em on the team."

"That's how come I got Javits drilling them. I told you about that."

"I'm not paying attention to nothing these days," he grumbles.

You give him a clap on the shoulder, and go for the stairs.

Chelsea is sitting crosslegged on a large crate when you enter the loft, her face bent over her phone. She grimaces at you as you enter, then returns to thumbing at her screen.

"Are you here or downstairs?" you ask.

"Here, obviously," she retorts. "Oh, you mean—? Yeah, I'm here. Got up here early so I could change."

"You're not tired of Javits already, are you?"

"You set me a challenge, Will!" she retorts. "Kelsey!" she mutters in a bitter undertone.

"Well, if you want me to pick someone else—"

"Don't do this to me, Will!" she spits. "You asked for Kelsey and I'm going to get her for you!"

She turns her attention back to her phone. After a moment of staring at her, you trudge over to lean on the crate beside her, looking over her shoulder down at her phone. She sends the text she's composing just as you join her, and she surprises you with quick kiss on the cheek.

"You're not mad at me?" you ask.

"No! I'm mad at Kelsey! Bitch doesn't want to talk to me!"

She sighs, and looks at the ceiling, and collects herself.

"I texted her this morning, saying I wanted to get with her to talk about the squad, get her advice on who to add, what we need." She mimes sticking a finger down the back of her throat. "The bitch didn't answer and didn't answer and finally told me to do whatever, she didn't want to talk to me. So I had to basically get down on my knees and plead for a chance just to talk to her! Could she come up and meet me here, or someplace! Oh, are you ready for this?" she asks with narrowed eyes. "Because if she says yes and you don't have—"

You heft the bag you brought to your chest and unzip it. You peel it open just far enough that Chelsea can see the new mask.

"Okay," she says. "But if she doesn't say yes to me, you might have to get Yumi to set something up!"

"I can do that." With one finger you pull Chelsea's chin around so that she's facing you, and you kiss her. "Don't make yourself crazy. Just leave it all to me."

You kiss her again, and she kisses you back.

Then her arms are around your neck, and she is squeaking and sighing in a muffled way into your mouth as she devours you.

* * * * *

"So, you better just let me talk," Yumi says as you and she pulls up in front of Kelsey's house. She kills the motor, and you climb out the passenger side of her car as she climbs out the other.

It's just as well she told you keep quiet. You are struck nearly speechless by the house that will soon be yours.

It's palatial pile of white stone under a light gray roof. It's two stories, with two long wings flanking the immense entryway, and a third and a fourth wing coming off the two main wings at an angle. The house is fronted by a wide circular drive paved with brick and ringed by a low stone wall; a white fountain, discolored by age and the weather, stands in the middle of the drive. You had to pass through a gate in a high wall a quarter of a mile back just to get this close, and Yumi had to speak through an intercom to Kelsey's mother, announcing who she was and who she was here to see.

There's a four-door garage set perpendicular to the drive, and you eye it enviously as you walk to the front door. One of the doors is up, disclosing a sleek, black Lexus. Behind another door, you know, must be the olive-green BMW convertible that Kelsey drives.

That I will be driving, you assure yourself. Soon.

The door is opened in answer to the bell by a plump Mexican woman. You find yourself in an immense tiled atrium under a high roof with multiple wide doorways leading off in half-a-dozen different directions. Yumi doesn't hesitate, but leads you off at an angle to the right, to a wide staircase that ascends to the second floor. "Kelsey?" she calls as she reaches the top with you two steps behind.

"Game room!" a tired voice calls back.

This is the climactic point of an hour of planning and improvisation. Yumi had come out to the school instantly at your summons, and had listened obediently as you explained that you needed to get Kelsey someplace alone. But she had blanched when you said that you needed her to arrange it. Thing is, fake-Yumi had explained, me and Kelsey don't get along real well. I'm friends with Cindy, and Cindy and Kelsey— She had paused to give Chelsea a glance, then shrugged. Meaning, Cindy and Kelsey get along about as well as Cindy and Chelsea.

But you had ordered her to invent some reason for meeting with Kelsey, and finally with the vague excuse that she was carrying a message from Cindy, Yumi got Kelsey to yield far enough that she would receive you at her house.

So here you are. Though why you—Steve Patterson—have come along is something that neither you nor Yumi could come up with an explanation for.

Yumi leads you down a wide hallway painted in creams, past a couple of doors and ending in a set of double doors that are open. On the other side is a large room with several sofas and chairs in an open-floor plan; a two-chair table next to some French doors leading out to a balcony; and a low-table with a huge flat-screen TV. The latter is turned on and is playing some kind of home-renovation documentary while Kelsey, lazing on the sofa, watches while doing her nails. She glances up as you come in, and does a double-take at you.

Kelsey is a handsome (rather than pretty) girl with a bold gaze over a narrow nose, with strong cheekbones and a strong chin. Her brown hair is straight and long and lacks fullness and body, but it has a silky sheen. Her gray-green eyes are set in a face with a healthy tan, and she likes to dress in a Southwestern style, with lots of leather and silver and turquoise. Right now, for instance, she is in blue jeans and wearing a sleeveless leather vest over a thin, light-brown blouse. Her feet are bare.

"Steve!" she squeaks in some surprise, and shoots a Yumi a quick, dark glance. "I didn't know you were coming!" She sits up straight, and half-turns toward you.

Why did you come? You've no answer if she should ask.

Better not to give her a chance, you decide on impulse.

You set your bag on the back of the sofa, unzip it, and haul out the new mask. While Kelsey is still looking at you with puzzlement, you jam it onto her face.

Next: Coming soon! Check back!

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"Table of Contents (Vol. 5)" 
"The Book of Masks (Vol. 5)"