Authors Note: I can see so many hits for this-over 200 and only what? 7 reviews. Please-if you read this and like it or think it needs work PLEASE review. I'm sure it wont hurt-try it-the review button doesn't bite...

Also i may not be able to update for another...week and a half as i have major school exams. I also wrote the next chapter a while back (it was inspiration for the phic) but it was hand written when i was bored at a family function. I typed up half of it and planned to do the rest later; i lost the original copy. And it was really good so i shall work on remembering what i wrote.

Chapter Four

Classes continued as normal for Christine in that next week as she was piled on with homework and wished she had not taken so many subjects. She was studying Advanced English, Standard Maths, Ancient History, Modern History, Drama, Advanced Music, Extension Music and Extension English and was already beginning to feel the pressure set in as she began her preliminary HSC course.

The amount of English and History she was attempting to do was piling up the essays and extended response practice questions already and although she was perfectly able to do such things she could not find the time between singing lessons, choir, dancing and drama, not to mention those relentless afternoon detentions she had a habit of receiving.

But she pulled through, doing homework in study periods and lunchtime, sparing any moment she had to steal a spare music room and practice her singing. She could now hit an E6 and was striving to drive her singing higher and gain a purer tone.

While Christine was working herself to the edge that week Erik sat calmly in his classes, completing homework early and having quite a bit of leisure time to sit and tune out to television or play upon the piano or flute. He was doing hard subjects but only had piano lessons once a week and had to practice a fair bit each night; that's if he wanted an A for his coming eighth grade exam. At school he was attempting to do Advanced English, Advanced Maths, Chemistry, Drama, Advanced Music, Modern History, Extension Music and Extension English. He was coping with English and music but drama was hard; the teacher was nice but outgoing and Erik was too shy to ever show his acting talents and continued keeping to himself.

At school he attempted to blend into the crowd and would've passed for the quiet slightly nerdy kid had it not been for his intriguing black mask. But with the mask he stood out like a lion in a bunch of tabby cats and was constantly harassed and heckled by Brendan and his group, bullied through class and shoved in corridors. But never had the bullies managed to rip the mask from his face and Erik wrenched his face in frustration when he realised he would have to deal with it for another two years.

Erik was sitting in Advanced English, writing notes on the text they were studying; The Crucible while the class chattered and discussed ideas about the play. He felt his mobile phone buzz in his pocket and put up his hand and the teacher bustled over to him.

"Miss, may I please go to the bathroom?" he asked quietly and she nodded as the rest of the class sniggered at him; half of them didn't even know his name and just knew him as the freak in the mask.

Erik walked down the corridor pulling his phone out and reading the message; it was a new myspace comment. He opened up myspace and cringed as he read the anonymous comment;

'Wat da hell do u think u r u pothead maskd freek? head piss off outta our school b4 we chase u out ourselfs u Fer'

Erik felt the angry red flush creeping up his mottled skin and gripped the phone furiously as he went to delete the comment. He knew he shouldn't have let them get to him but instead of delete he pressed 'reply';

I know you are but what am I? Oh yeah-smarter than you dipshits...

The moment Erik pressed send he regretted it. But it was done and he shrugged, knowing that maybe he might've confused them enough to make them stop. Suddenly he spotted a new bulletin and opened it.

New Bulletin from Sergei;

Hey guys it's like my birthday I'm like having a party this weekend and all of Garniel Grammar School Year Eleven is invited. Bring your school ID or you like wont be let in by my bouncers. Please bring alcohol and whatever else we may need. From 7pm at my house, 12 castlehaven place, Castlebrook.

Erik instantly had a vision of the next Monday, him sitting in Music and chatting to the members of his music class, of having someone to sit next to in History, of being confident enough to involve himself in Drama. If he went to this party maybe people in their semi-drunken state would loosen up and give him a chance-he might even meet a girl he might liked.

An image of Christine flashed into his head and he knew that the same thing would happen as did with her, as did with most girls. He would be defensive and blow it, making the girl think he was an ass.

But this image of Christine annoyed him; he constantly saw her hanging with that French student; the attractive blonde French guy that all the girls swooned over. Erik knew he certainly wasn't Christine's type if she was into the charming, popular, attractive, sporty French guy.

What was he again?

Ah yes; a lonered dark haired skinny music-type British guy, with a mask. He was often seated next to Christine though in Music and she had not attempted to talk to him again since that first day.

He noted down the address for the party and headed back to class, unsure of what really would happen that weekend.

Christine straightened her top in the mirror, frowning at her reflection. She and Raoul had been dating for a month now and were desperately in love. They were going to a party at Sergei's house that night; Sergei always found any excuse for a party-whether it be a birthday, end of exams, beginning of term, end of term, midterm. Christine looked down at her reflection and took in her outfit.

She was wearing a white summer dress, knee-length with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. It was casual and pretty and teamed with all her silver jewellery and heels it was an instant party outfit. Her hair was pinned up out of her face and trailed down her back as her porcelain skin challenged the white of the dress. She slid on a black-cropped bolero jacket from Myer and smiled; she looked great.

"Chrissie are you ready? Brendan's picking us up in ten minutes" Meg called out and Christine turned to see her cousin standing in the doorway-stunning in a red strapless dress with black cork wedges and a pair of black over-sized sunglasses. Her long blonde hair was crimped into long messy mermaid waves and she carried a black Guess bag. Meg had always been the pretty and stunning girl, with her petite figure, blonde hair and generous bust; Christine constantly felt like the dark gangly flat-chested girl next to this beauty. While Meg had all the beauty and flirtatiousness of Marilyn Christine never realised she in fact had all the sophistication and dark elegance of Audrey. Both were beautiful and inextricably different.

"You look fabulous" Christine gushed and Meg twirled happily while giggling as Jammes came into the room fixing an earring in place with one patent leather cork heel upon her foot.

"Jammes where's your other shoe?" Meg exclaimed and Jammes waved her hand negligently.

"It'll turn up," she said as Christine took in her outfit.

Jammes had all the beauty and the style to go with it-but added her own personal quirks. She wore a black halter-neck dress, a slinky frock that hugged her petite figure. She wore her flaming red hair out and straightened with red lace footless tights from sportsgirl combined with her black patent leather heels. A normal girl could never have pulled off what Jammes was going to do.

Suddenly a car horn beeped and Jammes dove back into her overnight bag, throwing underwear, deodorant, hairbrushes and CDs everywhere until she pulled out the other shoe.

"Found it…I …well?" she said and pulled the other shoe off her right foot and held them up to look at them properly.

"Jammes…why are they both for the right foot?" Christine asked, perplexed.

"Funny that" Jammes sighed and opened her bag again, sticking her head and hands in, trying to find it "Don't worry-the left one will be here somewhere"

Erik looked in the mirror and sighed; it was never going to get better. He had thrown on a green and black striped polo shirt with his levis jeans and his black converses and supposed that from the neck down he looked rather snazzy.

But from the neck up was a mess-sure the left side was fine; it always had been and he supposed unless acne attacked it would always be fine. But the damned mask was an accessory he didn't need nor want.

He had gone to some of the parties and had learnt that it was better to go and keep out of sight from Brendan than it was to turn up on Monday and have the entire year talking about it and dissing the losers who didn't come. Erik had decided he attracted less attention by going and at least having something to talk about when someone made small talk in a boring class.

School had not improved; he was regularly bullied and chased by Brendan and his mates and began to fear Thursday afternoons when he had English extension and Brendan had basketball training. Erik's aunt couldn't pick him up until half an hour later than the end of the extra class and it was in this extra thirty minutes that Brendan and his friends took advantage of the lack of supervision.

Aunt Clarice never noticed anything wrong and Erik knew from experience that it would make matters worse if they reported the bullying. He just attempted to ignore them and keep out of Brendan's way. His seventeenth birthday had just passed and he got his license and instantly bought an old two thousand dollar car. It was pretty crap looking but ran well enough and that's all he needed.

His Aunt Clarice was in the kitchen, tapping away at her laptop while eating a banana and doing her hair; she was due at a business dinner in the city in two hours and wasn't even dressed yet. She was staying the night at the hotel her and the rest of the executives were dining at, complementary of the company. Clarice would not be back until midday the next day which gave Erik free range on what he could do.

"Clarice, I'll be back before you are" he called out as he went out the front door to his car.