2
Michael was right; his step father is a dick. Whenever I snuck away from my home to visit him, his father Ronnie would always try to sweet talk me and try to touch me, but Michael always kept me safe. He never left my side when I came over. We'd just go to his room and look at the masks he made. Like today I was with him. I was walking around his room when I saw a small cage sitting on his desk. I looked closer at it to see it had an animal wheel and food bowl in it.
"Michael, did you own animals?" I asked and Michael was on his bed coloring a mask out of cardboard now. He looked at me and he was wearing his orange mask now. He nodded.
"I use to own rats but they died." He said, and I nodded and leaned back up and looked at him. He was staring me through his mask. Sometimes it seemed he was shielding himself from the world. I then began to look down as if embarrassed. My hand came up and gently touched my scar. Maybe I should wear a mask more often to shield my face and feelings from the world. Michael then got up slowly from his bed and moved towards me. I tensed at his silent actions. It was like he was under some spell. He just moved up to me and looked at me before slowly lifting his hand to outline the deformed side of my face once more. I never let anyone touch my face, not even my mom. So why I let him, I couldn't answer. I closed my eyes and slowly looked away, my face leaving his touch. I turned away now facing his mirror that was on his door. It was a full body mirror and I just looked at myself. I felt so hideous. I then felt his hands on my shoulders and his reflection came up behind me, his mask close to my face.
"It's okay… I think you're beautiful." he said, and he moved away from me for a second and over to his brown bag. Then he came right back behind me, and I looked down at the object he placed in my hand. It was another mask. His hand curled around mind as he put the mask in my palm and he maneuvered my hand upward and I let him. He placed the mask over my face and it felt like I had a new layer of skin on. The mask was cardboard with emotion to it, no happy markings on it, just white with blue around the rims of the eyes. My favorite color. I just stared at myself for a moment feeling the world around me go silent, like nothing mattered. I felt Michael's head gently push against mine as if gently resting there. I then took note of his comment and knew we would be best friends forever.
"Thank you." I replied softly, and he just stared at our reflections.
"Halloween is coming up soon. My mom has to work and Ronnie has to sit on his lazy ass… Judith won't take me. So would you like to go with me?" he asked. I knew my mom didn't want me around Michael. She gets bad vibes from him, she says, but I didn't see why she would. Michael was my friend, my only friend.
"Okay. I would love to. What will you go as?" I asked, and he pulled back now and moved back to his bed to finish his mask. I held the white mask and looked it over.
"A clown. What about you?" he asked, and I smiled at his question.
"I want to be a princess…I want to be beautiful." I said almost in an airy, hopeful tone.
"You are beautiful." he said and I turned to him now and looked at him.
"Girls with big scars on their faces are ugly." I told him as I moved over to sit by him. He shook his head.
"No they aren't." he replied with annoyance yet he hummed as well.
"Michael! Get your lazy ass down here!" we heard Ronnie yell. I winced at the tone. He sounded annoyed as well. Michael just continued to draw.
"I should walk you home." he said in a low tone and I nodded.
"He sounds drunk." I said, and he nodded and got off the bed and took my hand.
"Come on." he said. I was shocked that he even took my hand. No one ever wanted to be near me except Michael. If anything he brought me out of my shell. We moved from his room and down the stairs. We almost made it past the living to the door, but Ronnie heard us.
"Where the fuck are you going?" he snapped from the couch. Michael just looked at him.
"I'm taking Kyra home." he merely replied, and Ronnie smirked.
"Oh now she doesn't have to go anywhere just yet. Maybe she'd want to come over and sit on Uncle Ronnie's lap." he purred lowly. I shook a bit in fear and felt Michael's grip on my hand tighten. Suddenly his mom, Deborah, past Ronnie and hit him in the head.
"Quit scaring my son and his friend." she said and smiled at me. "Hi Kyra."
I smiled respectfully.
"Hi Mrs. Myers." I replied. Now Judith, Michael's sister was coming down. I always thought she was pretty. Her face was flawless. Yet her eyes were devian. Before I could even talk to her Michael had already pulled me from the house. We walked down on the side walk, the mask he made for me still in my hand. He never really liked to talk about his family around me, so I never bothered to ask. We just walked in silence. Michael finally had his mask over his head so I could see his face.
"How much candy are you going to eat?" I asked, instead and he smiled now and looked at me.
"Lots of candy." he said excitingly.
"You sure like Halloween don't you?" I asked and he nodded.
"Yep it's my favorite holiday." he replied. When we got to my house, we stopped on my front porch. I smiled at him.
"Thanks for the mask I'll see you at school." I told him and he nodded.
"Okay sure." he said and before I could even make a move, he quickly leaned in and pecked a light kiss on my lips for running off down the sidewalk. He had such a goofy run. I was still and wide eyed as I realized what just happened. He kissed me. A boy kissed me. And he wanted to. I closed my eyes gently touching my lips at the warmth that was just there. I'm in love. That's it. That's how I can describe the butterflies in my stomach. It's love.