Quick update-think yourselves lucky. I want some r

Christine awoke in her underwear, her bra unfastened and her mascara smudged as she pulled the blankets from her sticky sweaty body. She glanced at her radio alarm clock, which told her it was half-past ten in the morning. The sun shone through the messy curtains, half pinned back from her disorganized attempts the previous morning, having not closed them when she fell into bed the night before.

Though Christine was pleased to see her bedroom door had been sufficiently closed; probably by Aunt Annie. With both Raoul and Erik sleeping over she didn't want them having walked past her bedroom on the way to the toilet and seeing her sprawled half naked.

She stumbled from the bed and groaned when she saw her reflection, grabbing her pyjama shorts and a soccer jersey and pulled them on as she wiped the smudged mascara from beneath her eyes and pinched her cheeks.

Christine entered the house to find her friends sprawled across it. Raoul was slouching across a couch in the family room, eating a bowl of weetbix, milk and honey while watching the Sunday morning cartoons on Nickelodeon.

Jammes was lying upside down next to him in her green flannelette pyjama pants and black singlet top, her feet up next to his head as reading a Cosmopolitan magazine while chewing at a piece of toast with vegemite, the both of them giggling at the latest Spongebob cartoon.

Meg wasn't to be seen; her door was closed and Christine knew better than to disturb her when the door was closed.

Anne was drinking a mug of coffee in the living room while reading the Sunday morning newspaper; most likely the Culture section, reading about the latest opera or musical in town. A bowl of waffles, maple syrup and ice cream was on the coffee table next to her and Christine felt confused; she was sure they had run out of frozen waffles the day before…she was sure of this because Meg ate the last three and they had a fight about it.

She turned and saw Christine and waved to her, a mouth full of hot coffee disabling her speech temporarily and Christine nodded, yawning as she scratched her head and moved on to the kitchen.

An unmasked Erik sat at the kitchen bench, eating a bowl full of blueberry waffles, ice cream, strawberries and maple syrup while listening to his ipod. He looked up as she entered, his eyes (or at least left eye and right socket) were bruising slowly to a deep purple and there was a small strip of plaster across his nose. Erik flicked off his ipod and smiled, attempting to make a good second impression.

"Good morning, do you like blueberry waffles?" he asked deeply, his normal tenor voice dropping lower from a pure hangover and Christine nodded.

"Yes, they're my favourite" she said, sitting down at the bench as he stood, pulling out the waffles iron and a bowl of mix.

"Made some when I woke this morning for your Aunt, everyone else had gotten their breakfast by then" he said, stirring the mix with a wooden spoon and he began to pour it into the waffle iron.

"Thanks" she said and looked carefully at his nose.

"How's the nose?" she asked and his hand instantly went to the marred side of his face, unmasked and raw from the beating it received night before. Still utterly self conscious he dropped his eyes and subtly let his thick dark hair fall across his right side.

"Good…better at least" he said, ashamed that she had seen him like this…without his mask, ashamed that she had seen him being beaten to a pulp; a weakling…a loser.

"Why do you wear that mask?" Christine suddenly said curiously and he shook his head, turning from her to the waffle iron.

"Don't make fun of it; it isn't funny" he said quietly and Christine was shocked; she had never meant to hurt him, she just couldn't understand why he would cover half his face up from something so trivial.

She voiced this opinion and he looked at her funnily.

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before" he said and she shrugged as he flipped the steaming hot blueberry waffles into a bowl and began to scoop ice cream.

"Maybe you haven't talked to the right people"

At this Erik looked at Christine curiously, wondering that maybe beneath that popular girl exterior there might be a girl who cared and understood. He cleared his throat as he sat back down at his bowl and passed her hers, changing the subject as he did so.

"So…how long have you done music?" he asked conversationally as she swallowed her first mouthful of waffles, icecream and strawberries.

"Well my father was a musician so it kind of just came naturally; I've had vocal training since I was around nine I guess…this is really delicious by the way" She added, pointing to the bowl and Erik blushed.

"Thanks, if I can do anything that's food" he said slightly more confidently and she cocked her head slightly.

"And you; what do you do in music. I haven't exactly heard you play yet. I don't even know what you play," she said becoming more confused as she realised how reclusive he was in class and he shrugged, staring at his now empty bowl.

"Well I play piano, flute and organ and I do a bit of singing I guess," he said, shrugging as his fingers tapped the bench rhythmically.

"What style?" she said suddenly and he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Singing; classical? Operatic? Musical theatre? Funk? Pop? Rock? Alternative? Country?" she laughed at her last suggestion and he joined her, shaking his head.

"Mostly Classical and Opera, a little of musical theatre" he said and she smiled at the mention of her preferred styles.

"Same here; I hate the pop crap they start you out on in the beginning of the AMEB grades," she said and he nodded in agreement "Wait!" she added "Did you say organ before?"

Erik blushed; everyone always thought this to be a weird instrument for a teenage boy to be learning.

"Yes, I actually prefer it over piano at times. It's amazing; have you seen a professional organist?" he asked and she shook her head, spooning more waffle into her mouth.

"Not live" she said and he sighed.

"It's amazing; I'll play a piece for you sometime" he said and she nodded.

"Okay"

At that moment Raoul entered, wearing baggy jeans and a white bonds t-shirt, showing off his rippled chest perfectly. Christine smiled and got up, kissing him softly upon his full lips, his arms slipping around her comfortably.

Erik bit his lip and instinctively picked up his bowl and headed to the sink, turning away from the embrace as he washed his breakfast things up.

Bloody hell must they do that in front of me?

Well its not as if you're important to them or something; Raoul only learned your name last night and Christine talked to you out of courtesy this morning…

Stop it

You know it's the truth Erik, as if she'd like you

How do you know Erik? How can you tell where anything will lead?

Because you always get these sudden glimmers of hope and when the dream crashes and burns you end up more screwed up than you were to begin with. Bloody hell I just want to protect you're fucking stupid head

Maybe I don't want to be protected

I think you do; you've let me do it all your life. Think about it; seventeen and never been kissed. Seventeen and not a single friend to your name. Father dead and your pathetic mother doesn't give a crap about you. Tell me; who else is going to step in and stop this madness. Why does it always seem impossible to you for her to like me?

Erik! She's seen your face! Who would like you after that? You're a monster and you know it; your own mother hates you for it…

Yes as you continuously remind me

Well it's the fucking truth; didn't you see Christine's face last night when you were unmasked? It was a look of pure horror, a look of pity, horror and sickened grief. She instantly wanted nothing to do with you after that moment

Then why did she help me?

She's not a total bitch; she wouldn't leave you to die. Even Frankenstein agreed to help the monster he despised.

Why must you always compare me to that bloody book? It's either that or Hunchback and I'm sick of it…

The hunchback's a freak and so are you; he fell in love with someone totally out of his reach and I swear you're such an idiot you will too

She's so beautiful…

There's no getting through to you is there Erik?

Not really

Erik returned home that afternoon, his Aunt Clarice still not home from her business meeting in the City and sprawled himself across the couch, flicking on MTV as he ate a pint of ice cream.

As music flickered across the TV his thoughts ran around his mind like headless chickens and he tried to understand them. He liked Christine; she was both stunningly pretty and smart while being a sweet girl who actually cared.

But the sight of her boyfriend; the equally smart, equally attractive, equally nice Raoul De Chagny made him quiver in his black converse high-tops. The thought of the way she might've compared himself to that perfect man made him feel sick with shame, especially after her seeing him...unmasked the night earlier.

If Christine had been a bitch, a queen bee of the year group Erik would not particularly like her or care what she thought of him. But he was embarrassed and ashamed that someone he liked would see him in such a low position, to see him having his already ugly face kicked in as the rest of the throng bellowed in hysterical laughter.

Erik frowned as he spooned another scoop of ice-cream into his awaiting mouth, he didn't know what to do.