My Life Is a Cliché
Masks
“You’re home early,” Katie observed when I stormed in. “I didn’t expect you for another-”
I went straight to my room and shut the door. I sighed and fell face first on my bed. I should have known better. Of course that’s why he asked me to come along. I pounded my mattress in frustration. It was high school all over again.
An hour later, Katie knocked timidly on my door.
“Come in,” I mumbled.
I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling. She came in holding two pints of ice cream.
“Looks like you could use someone to talk to,” she said quietly and I smiled graciously. I sat up and she got on the bed beside me. “Did something happen at the party?”
“It was stupid of me to go,” I sighed, taking a bite of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. I told her what happened. “It’s like he did a complete 180.”
She took a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth thoughtfully. “Men are weird,” she said. “Some don’t leave high school.”
“He was so nice to me the other day, though,” I muttered, looking down.
“Maybe he was just putting up a front for his friends,” she suggested.
“Maybe.”
“Wanna go watch chick flicks and order pizza?”
I grinned and nodded.
-
Someone was knocking on the door and I groaned. I had fallen asleep on the couch. Katie was passed out and I vaguely remember her drinking last night.
“Coming,” I said, rubbing my eyes. I opened the door and frowned. “Bye.”
“Hold on,” Thaddeus said quickly, putting a hand out so I couldn’t close the door. “Let me explain.”
“No need,” I said firmly. “If you don’t mind, I have to get ready for work.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. I pushed on the door but he was stronger than I was. “But, whenever I’m around those two, I don’t know…. It’s like they pull someone out of me.”
I stopped pushing. That was something I knew all too well.
He took advantage of me not pushing on the door and stuck a bouquet of flowers through the small crack.
“I got these for you,” he muttered, “as a way to apologize.”
I sighed heavily and looked behind me. Katie was still passed out and the apartment was a mess.
“Hold on,” I said and closed the door.
-Thaddeus’s POV-
I bit my lower lip. She didn’t come out for another ten minutes. She still looked mad.
“I’d invite you in but the apartment is a mess,” she said.
“I really am sorry about last night,” I said.
“Looks like we both have to wear masks,” she muttered, leading me up a set of stairs.
I followed her until we got to the top of the building. She sat at the edge and I joined her.
“I have since high school,” I admitted, looking out over the city. “My friends wanted me to be a specific way and my parents wanted me to be another. I had to constantly switch between the two. It was exhausting.”
“Why do you still live with your parents?”
“Guilt trips,” I answered.
“They don’t seem like the type to do that.”
“They are. My dad insists that I have to stay and take over the business but won’t let me until I’m married. My mom wants me to have a life but still be here to take over.”
“What do you want to do?”
I frowned. “I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I never really thought about it.” I looked at her. “Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?”
She nodded. “My parents were before….”
“What happened to them?” I whispered and she sighed heavily.
“My father,” she began slowly, “was a drunk. He never beat me but he did beat my mom. He killed her one night, realized what he did, then shot himself.”
My stomach dropped and my blood went cold. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. I was horrified.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah. I grew up in the foster system,” she continued. “I bounced around between a lot of homes but I never stayed in one spot. I wasn’t a problem child but, for some reason, I was never good enough. That’s why I don’t have a last name.”
We sat quietly. That explained a lot about her.
“They worked in the auto industry, too,” she said suddenly, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Why do you wear your mask?” I asked.
“I hated having to switch through so many foster homes,” she explained. “Like you, I had to keep switching, trying to be the perfect child for each family. Finally, when I turned 18, I went off to college on a scholarship. I’m naturally a good student so that wasn’t hard. What was hard was making friends. That’s when I met Katie. She helped me make friends and taught me a lot. When I started Auto Find, she became my self-proclaimed publicist. Really it just gave her another excuse to make me look like all the other girls our age.”
I listened closely to her story. “I don’t think you have to look like other people to be a good business woman.”
“It’s hard telling her no,” she said and I snorted.
“I know that feeling.”
“Look, I’ve never told anyone other than Katie this,” she said quietly. “Keep your mouth shut, yeah?”
I nodded. “On one condition.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And what condition is that, Hatch?”
I smirked. “You come ride a horse.”
Her face got paler. “Yeah, not going to happen.”
“You’re sitting on the top of an apartment complex with your legs over the edge,” I pointed out. “How can you be afraid of a horse?”
“This building isn’t bucking or trying to throw me off!”
I stood up and held my hand out to help her up. She took it tentatively.
“Come on.”
I went straight to my room and shut the door. I sighed and fell face first on my bed. I should have known better. Of course that’s why he asked me to come along. I pounded my mattress in frustration. It was high school all over again.
An hour later, Katie knocked timidly on my door.
“Come in,” I mumbled.
I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling. She came in holding two pints of ice cream.
“Looks like you could use someone to talk to,” she said quietly and I smiled graciously. I sat up and she got on the bed beside me. “Did something happen at the party?”
“It was stupid of me to go,” I sighed, taking a bite of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. I told her what happened. “It’s like he did a complete 180.”
She took a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth thoughtfully. “Men are weird,” she said. “Some don’t leave high school.”
“He was so nice to me the other day, though,” I muttered, looking down.
“Maybe he was just putting up a front for his friends,” she suggested.
“Maybe.”
“Wanna go watch chick flicks and order pizza?”
I grinned and nodded.
-
Someone was knocking on the door and I groaned. I had fallen asleep on the couch. Katie was passed out and I vaguely remember her drinking last night.
“Coming,” I said, rubbing my eyes. I opened the door and frowned. “Bye.”
“Hold on,” Thaddeus said quickly, putting a hand out so I couldn’t close the door. “Let me explain.”
“No need,” I said firmly. “If you don’t mind, I have to get ready for work.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. I pushed on the door but he was stronger than I was. “But, whenever I’m around those two, I don’t know…. It’s like they pull someone out of me.”
I stopped pushing. That was something I knew all too well.
He took advantage of me not pushing on the door and stuck a bouquet of flowers through the small crack.
“I got these for you,” he muttered, “as a way to apologize.”
I sighed heavily and looked behind me. Katie was still passed out and the apartment was a mess.
“Hold on,” I said and closed the door.
-Thaddeus’s POV-
I bit my lower lip. She didn’t come out for another ten minutes. She still looked mad.
“I’d invite you in but the apartment is a mess,” she said.
“I really am sorry about last night,” I said.
“Looks like we both have to wear masks,” she muttered, leading me up a set of stairs.
I followed her until we got to the top of the building. She sat at the edge and I joined her.
“I have since high school,” I admitted, looking out over the city. “My friends wanted me to be a specific way and my parents wanted me to be another. I had to constantly switch between the two. It was exhausting.”
“Why do you still live with your parents?”
“Guilt trips,” I answered.
“They don’t seem like the type to do that.”
“They are. My dad insists that I have to stay and take over the business but won’t let me until I’m married. My mom wants me to have a life but still be here to take over.”
“What do you want to do?”
I frowned. “I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I never really thought about it.” I looked at her. “Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?”
She nodded. “My parents were before….”
“What happened to them?” I whispered and she sighed heavily.
“My father,” she began slowly, “was a drunk. He never beat me but he did beat my mom. He killed her one night, realized what he did, then shot himself.”
My stomach dropped and my blood went cold. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. I was horrified.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah. I grew up in the foster system,” she continued. “I bounced around between a lot of homes but I never stayed in one spot. I wasn’t a problem child but, for some reason, I was never good enough. That’s why I don’t have a last name.”
We sat quietly. That explained a lot about her.
“They worked in the auto industry, too,” she said suddenly, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Why do you wear your mask?” I asked.
“I hated having to switch through so many foster homes,” she explained. “Like you, I had to keep switching, trying to be the perfect child for each family. Finally, when I turned 18, I went off to college on a scholarship. I’m naturally a good student so that wasn’t hard. What was hard was making friends. That’s when I met Katie. She helped me make friends and taught me a lot. When I started Auto Find, she became my self-proclaimed publicist. Really it just gave her another excuse to make me look like all the other girls our age.”
I listened closely to her story. “I don’t think you have to look like other people to be a good business woman.”
“It’s hard telling her no,” she said and I snorted.
“I know that feeling.”
“Look, I’ve never told anyone other than Katie this,” she said quietly. “Keep your mouth shut, yeah?”
I nodded. “On one condition.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And what condition is that, Hatch?”
I smirked. “You come ride a horse.”
Her face got paler. “Yeah, not going to happen.”
“You’re sitting on the top of an apartment complex with your legs over the edge,” I pointed out. “How can you be afraid of a horse?”
“This building isn’t bucking or trying to throw me off!”
I stood up and held my hand out to help her up. She took it tentatively.
“Come on.”