Chapter 03: Peering Under the Mask

The next day Abby was surprised that she didn't run into Paige at all during school hours. She usually ran into her at least once, as if the girl was just seeking her out to dish out her special brand of torment. She was nowhere to be found today, though, even in passing in the hallways, even though some of their classes were so close to one-another. Was Paige outright avoiding her? It shouldn't have been much of a surprise, she supposed, but it did bother her…

After school was over she made her way straight to the auditorium in the center of town, where they were supposed to be rehearsing again. She arrived at nearly the same time as Paige, surprised to find that they were coming down the sidewalk from opposite directions even though they were both coming from school. Paige blinked when she saw Abby approach, but otherwise walked with her usual air of overwhelming confidence.

"Hey, I was hoping you'd show up." Paige smirked as if nothing had happened. "You better be ready to nail those scenes today."

"Yeah, of course I am." Abby cocked her head curiously at the attitude. Was this an act she was putting on? Or was what happened in her bedroom the act? Why would she fake something like that?

"Stop staring, Archer, and let's get going." Paige huffed impatiently and turned to head inside. Abby followed, still silently musing to herself in her mind about Paige's strange behavior.

They were confronted just inside the door by Charlie, who was welcoming the performers with smiles and grateful nods. "Ah, my stars." He told the girls as they moved into the auditorium. "Have you made your decisions about what role you'd like to play?"

"We'll keep what we have, thank you." Paige smirked. "We're professionals, we can handle it just fine."

"I'm very glad to hear that." Charlie nodded and waved them in with a pleased smile. "Go ahead and join the others then, we'll continue as soon as everyone is here."

"Thank you." Paige nodded and moved past him, with Abby following on her heels.

The rehearsal went just fine, though Abby thought it was kind of a jerk move that Charlie made them begin at the scene they left off on the day before. This time, however, Paige carried through with the kiss like the pro she wanted to be, much to the surprise of the rest of the cast, and the delight of every boy present. Boys were so childish, Abby thought to herself in disgust, but she decided to ignore it. Instead she spent the rest of the day trying to figure out Paige. They spent an awful lot of time together since they were the main characters, but Paige rarely said anything to her outside of the script. When she did speak, it was to demand cocoa.

Abby decided not to push the issue during the rehearsal, but once it was over Abby whirled to find Paige, only to see that she was already on her way out the door. "Hey, Paige, wait!" Abby rushed after her, being forced to run down the sidewalk in her wake. The girl was walking pretty fast, almost like she was trying to get away.

"Paige, hold on, I wanna talk to you!" Abby reached her at last and fell into step beside her.

"About what?" Paige spoke gruffly.

"Well…" Abby hesitated a moment. "You did really good in there… I think we've both improved a lot in just the last two days."

"Yeah, guess so." Paige replied gruffly.

Abby looked down at the sidewalk for a moment, then up at Paige. "Y'know, I've been to your house, but you've still never been to mine. Maybe you could come over and we could rehearse a bit more."

"Don't need to." Paige replied again in a curt, dismissive manner. Abby was started to get angry with this. Whatever the girl's problem was, it was no reason to be so rude.

So she tried a different approach. "You know, Paige, I'm really glad we're getting to know each other. Maybe all those years we spent fighting weren't really necessary after all, since we probably have so much in common underneath our differences."

"No. We. Don't." Paige turned to give her the evil eye. "We are not friends, we will not be friends, and I do not want to come to that lump in the ground you call a home." Abby's eyes widened in shock. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nice, relaxing bubble bath waiting for me, okay?" She flashed Abby a mocking smile, then turned to walk rapidly down the sidewalk again, leaving Abby staring after her with wide eyes.

Abby stood dumbfounded for a few moments. That was perhaps even worse than the mockery she usually received from Paige. She could take a haughty, self-righteous punk making brainless comments about her, but having Paige completely blow her off like she was irrelevant actually stung deep, especially after she opened up so much yesterday. It was like she'd completely closed herself off… wait, was this another act? Was she just trying to keep Abby away?

Abby's eyes narrowed. Paige was definitely hiding something… but if there was one thing her Grossology training had taught her to do, it was find clues that other people didn't want her to find. She wouldn't let Paige brush her off anymore.

***

Abby whirled in her bedroom, whipping off her sweater and her usual slacks, tossing them on top of the bed and throwing her closet open. She lifted her arms moments later, a black sweater slipping down over her torso, followed quickly by a tight black pair of sweat pants over her legs. Black gloves slid up her arms to her elbows over her sweater, while a pair of black leather boots swept up from her feet to her knees. She also whipped a black scarf out of the closet, pulling her lengthy red hair up into it in a bundle against the back of her head, concealing it from view.

"Sorry Paige, but I'm going to figure out what your problem is, whether you tell me or not." Abby whirled and opened her window, slipping out into the night like a shadow in the darkness.

Paige's house loomed large out of the shadows, outlined in the full moon that seemed unusually bright and large in the sky. Abby crept up to the side of the house, looking up at the window to Paige's room, knowing she was asleep inside. Abby took a few steps back on the cool grass, then launched herself forward, slamming her foot into the wall with enough force to kick herself up the side of the wall. Her fingers grabbed onto the windowsill and she hauled herself further up, resting on one leg on the outside of the windowsill.

The room inside was dark, but she reached into her sweater and pulled out a spare pair of the Grossologist visor she kept on hand for emergencies. It slipped easily over her eyes and activated instantly, turning on a night-vision mode that allowed her to see into the dark room. She could see Paige asleep in her massive silken bed, her chest rising and falling softly against her blankets while her curly blonde hair spread out around her head on the massive and fluffy pillow.

The window slid open, and Abby slipped inside, landing lightly on the thick carpet and looking around the room. Slowly she padded across the carpet, making her way up to the side of the bed. Paige was sleeping peacefully, her lips actually turned upward in something of a smile. It occurred to Abby that she'd never seen Paige smile without any venom in her eyes. Even in the dull green tint of her night-vision, Paige actually looked very pretty.

Now, Abby thought to herself. Where would Paige keep her journal where nobody would look and yet she could keep an eye on it? Well, there were the obvious places, she thought to herself as she eyed the nightstand beside the bed. She crept up to it as silently as she could, pulling the drawer open and glancing quickly through the assorted knickknacks inside. It took her only a couple of seconds to spot the thick journal sitting underneath a small bag of unused ponytail holders, which seemed strange since she'd never seen Paige put her hair up before.

The journal slid free of the drawer and then the drawer closed, allowing Abby to make her way back toward the window with her prize clutched under one arm. The window slid shut behind her and she dropped to the grass lightly in a crouch, rushing back home through the night as quickly as she could.

The lamp beside her bed clicked on and Abby took a moment to examine the brown leather cover in her hand for a moment. She thought maybe she should take it back and forget this whole thing, reading another girl's private journal was just mean… but then again, it could be for Paige's own good. It was obvious something was bothering her, if it was something Abby could help with, she needed to know what it was in order to help her.

So she slipped the visor off of her eyes, turned on the small lamp on the nightstand beside her bed, and plopped down with her legs crossed before her and the book in her lap, flipping it open and skimming through a few pages until one caught her eye, an entry from three years ago.

Marco held my hand today! Oh my Gosh I can't believe he held my hand! I've been watching him for so long I didn't think he even knew what I looked like, then ever since we started talking two days ago it was like something just HAPPENED! Oohhh my stomach has been fluttering ever since! Oh Marco, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Abby couldn't help laughing and shaking her head in disbelief. It was difficult to imagine haughty, arrogant Paige ever thinking this way about anybody, even a boy she thought was cute. It was actually kind of endearing. She moved on to the next entry, which was a few days later. Apparently Paige didn't update her journal much.

He kissed me! Eeeeee! I can't believe it, it's like I've walked into one of those movies mom lets me watch all the time! Oh Marco, Marco, marry me already! Please!

"Awww." Abby chuckled again. It was actually pretty cute, imagining little Paige head over heels for some little boy in her class. Probably plucking flowers in some field somewhere and pulling off the petals wondering how much he loves her. With an eager smile she turned to the next page, her quest forgotten in her bid to see how things turned out with Marco. Wait… hadn't Paige said she'd never kissed before? Weird, Abby thought as she read on.

I had another argument with Lisa today, man am I getting tired of her attitude. All because I can't find that tank top she loaned me the other day. I think it's time for me to just ditch her. In fact, yeah, forget her.

There was more on that page, but Abby was too stunned to continue. There wasn't a single mention of Marco anywhere on it. There wasn't even a mention of him in any of the later pages either. She was dumbfounded. How is such a powerful crush just forgotten in such a short time? Wait, it wasn't… this entry was dated several months after the last one.

Now that she looked closely, she saw the jagged edges of several pages close to the book's spine. She'd actually ripped pages out of her diary… what could possibly make a girl do that? Now she was sure there was something wrong with Paige. If the journal wouldn't tell her secrets, she would just have to get the answers from the girl herself…

***

The next day at school, Abby again noticed that Paige was avoiding her, skirting down other hallways when she saw her, but this time Abby wasn't content to let that be. She followed the girl around as best she could without arousing suspicion, watching her go through her day. Paige was joined by her two followers after a couple of minutes, who fell into step behind her like a couple of drones after a moment of light conversation during which Paige didn't say much.

They walked through the day without saying or doing a whole lot. Paige remained strangely silent, though her usual arrogant smirk was present in full force. At one point one of her friends stepped up beside her to speak.

"You've been pretty quiet today, Paige." She spoke in a soft voice. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just fine." Paige rolled her eyes. "Maybe I just don't feel like talking, is that a crime?"

"N-no." The girl shrank back, as if afraid of incurring her master's wrath. "I was just concerned…"

"Well don't be!" Paige whirled on her angrily. "I can take care of myself, and I don't need your pity!"

"Aiiee!" The girl jumped back in surprise, stammering out an apology. "I know, y-you're strong! I'm sorry, you're the best, coolest, prettiest, strongest!"

"Best at everything!" Her companion added with a nervous smile.

"Hrmph." Paige growled bitterly and put her hands on her hips, turning away from them. "I'll see you girls tomorrow, I feel like being alone today." With that she walked away, leaving her entourage staring after her like puppies who had just been abandoned in the middle of the desert. Abby nodded silently to herself and bit her lip. Paige was still acting so strangely… she was going to get to the bottom of it, no matter what.

The final bell rung two hours later, releasing the school's young occupants into the wild where they could roam free. Paige tried to escape quickly down the sidewalk, but Abby had already been waiting by the front steps by the time she emerged. The Grossologist turned to follow close behind her, shoving her hands into her pockets and walking with her like they were old friends until the school was out of sight.

"Are you really okay, Paige?" Abby asked.

Paige's head jerked around to look at her over her shoulder, stopping dead in her tracks. A slight smirk tugged at her lip a moment later. "Let you into my house one time and you think we're buddies, huh? You're like an annoying bitch that doesn't know where she's not wanted."

"I know something's bothering you." Abby didn't even acknowledge the insult. "What I don't get is why you refuse to talk to anyone about it. Is it really just because your mom told you that kissing is special? There's got to be more to it."

"Nope, I'm afraid not, Miss Detective." Paige turned toward her and shook her head. "Not that It's any of your business either way, but I'm perfectly fine. I don't need you or anyone else to prop me up, I can handle any problems I may have on my own."

"But why do you want to?" Abby asked. "That has to be lonely."

"I'll let someone help me when they're actually worthy of doing so, which certainly isn't YOU of all people." Paige let out a haughty laugh and turned away from her again. "We're costars, Abby, that's all we are, all we've been, and all we're ever going to be, now quit stalking me." She moved to leave, her arms swaying at her sides.

"What about Marco?" Abby grasped at the last straw she could think of. Paige froze up on the spot, her back stiffening and her fists clenching at her sides. "Did you trust him?"

"How the Hell do you know that name?" Paige whirled on her, her baby blue eyes flaring in genuine anger. When Abby didn't immediately answer she marched up to Abby, her lip curling back into a vicious snarl. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME!?"

"I just…" Abby gaped, taken completely aback. She wasn't sure what reaction she'd expected, but certainly not the blind rage she saw before her. Paige's eyes glared into hers, making her feel weak and small under their gaze, because she knew Paige's anger was justified for once. She should have respected Paige's privacy, she shouldn't have mentioned what she read, so many things she shouldn't have done…

"Well!?" Paige demanded and grabbed the front of her sweater, gripping it tightly and yanking her closer with a wild glare in her eyes. "You were so talkative a minute ago, now talk!"

"Paige, come on, let go." Abby squirmed uncomfortably. If she wasn't quite so angry, Abby might have confessed. As it was, she was really afraid Paige would attack her. "This isn't funny, and you're not impressing anybody."

"Tell me!" Paige shook her angrily, so Abby raised one hand and brought it around in a sharp slap across the cheek. She was only trying to jerk the girl back to sanity, she never expected Paige to completely lose it.

"Aiiagh!" Abby shrieked in surprise when Paige launched into a full body tackle, slamming her back up against the side of a nearby building. Almost on reflex Abby brought both of her hands up underneath Paige's shoulders, slamming both of her fists into them with enough force to send the girl stumbling back. "Have you lost your mind!?"

"Shut up!" Paige shot back venomously and charged her again, grabbing her sweater and shoving her roughly against the wall. "I don't care how you found out, I just don't want to hear you say that name again."

"I said let go of me!" Abby brought her hand around again, but Paige dodged this one, and mere seconds later Abby found herself slamming into the ground grappling with her blonde rival. They both fought to gain control, and Abby had thought with her Grossology training it would be easy, but Paige was almost as athletic as she was, and she was currently driven by blind, unyielding rage. Scratches ripped at both of them, and blows were landed with vicious intent all over their stomachs, torsos, they even landed a couple of blows on each other's head.

Suddenly Paige brought one of her legs up, slamming her knee sharply into Abby's side. Abby rolled off of her to her back, and Paige was on her in an instant, bringing her fist back and down with brutal efficiency. Abby's head snapped back with a pained grunt as the fist slammed into her cheek, then lashed out again to slam into her eye. The blows finally stopped when Abby raised her arms up to protect her face, squeaking in pain.

When she realized the barrage had ended, Abby lowered her arms, seeing Paige straddling her waist, panting heavily with her shoulder-length blonde hair in disarray around her head. There was a trickle of blood on the side of her mouth from a cut on her lip, and a bruise forming on her cheek, though she ignored them both.

Abby was panting herself, probably looking worse than Paige after those last two blows. She didn't move or say anything to provoke Paige again. Instead she just stared up at her with their chests heaving in exhaustion after the long tussle.

After a short time, Paige gulped and climbed off of Abby, rising to her feet, still staring down at her. As the anger faded from her eyes, Abby thought she saw a flash of regret pass through them. Her voice was shaking only slightly when she spoke. "Mind your own business, Archer… and stay out of my life." She turned to leave, straightening her clothes as she made her way down the sidewalk.

Abby sat up once she was sure Paige wasn't coming back, suddenly very aware of her heart racing in her chest and the trickle of blood running into her lips. She spit the blood on the sidewalk and reached up to wipe some from her nose on the back of her hand as she pushed herself up from the sidewalk. She couldn't go home like this, that was certain… at least she always had a home away from home she could go to.

To Be Continued