The Face Behind The Mask

41

Amidst the sounds of lockers slamming and boisterous adolescent voices, 13-year-old Skyden hung out at her locker with her friend, Megan Conway. Skyden wore a purple Scrunchie around her ponytail. Megan was rockin' the big hair, a hairsprayed coiff crowning her dramatic personality.

The customary paper jack-o-lanterns, witches, and bats decorations adorned the school walls.

A few lockers away from the girls, a guy with shaggy bangs, Christopher gawked at Skyden while his buddy, Patrick yanked a biology book from his locker.

"I might go as Indiana Jones," said Patrick. "If I can find a whip."

Christopher grinned. "Why don't you get one off your mom?"

"Eat my shorts."

The girls giggled.

Patrick turned to Skyden. "I'm still up for 'Dukes of Hazard' if you'll be Daisy Duke, Sky."

Skyden said, "Megan and I were thinking about Bert and Ernie costumes."

"Muppets?" Christopher shook his head. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Yeah, Sky," said Megan. "What about our vampire idea? Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!" She posed, chest out, hip cocked. "I got that black dress from Merry Go Round I never get a chance to wear."

Across the hallway, a thin, droopy kid with big glasses cradled his books in his bony arms as he tromped past. He glanced at Skyden and Megan but when he noticed the boys looking at him, he turned away.

"Maybe I'll go as Frownie," Christopher said, hunching his back, dangling his arms like an ape, and imitating the grimacing facial tic. Patrick and the girls cracked up.

"We shouldn't laugh," said Megan. "Doesn't he have epilepsy or something?"

"He didn't hear us," said Patrick.

Skyden stifled her laugh while watching Frownie scurry down the hallway disappearing into the crowd.

........

"Lemme see that for a minute," Skyden said, pulling the yearbook from her daughter's grasp. She turned the pages searching for a photo of Frownie. She flipped page after page. No sign of the kid.

"Don't worry." Kelsey hobbled back to her chair. "I didn't get any salsa on your yearbook."

Cam peered over his wife's shoulder. "What're you looking for?"

"I was just looking for a picture of someone."

"Someone?"

She turned the pages faster. "A kid I used to go to school with."

"An old crush?" Kesley said.

"Nope." Skyden tucked the book under her arm and started up the stairs.

Cameron called after her. "Are you coming back for dessert? I got some ice cream."

"I'll be down in a few minutes." She reached the second floor and darted into her bedroom. A message from Lori vibrated her watch. It would have to wait. Skyden sat on the edge of her bed, leafing through the yearbook.

Frownie. My God, she'd forgotten all about Frownie. He was a sickly, quiet boy, as pale and fragile as a hard-boiled egg. Almost a whisper of a kid. She couldn't remember much more except his peculiar facial tic.

There were kids at school who you couldn't stop looking at and they didn't mind. In fact, they encouraged it. Kids like Derrick Rigby, a boy with deep brown eyes and a mischievous smile, and girls like Paula Wilkes with tangles of thick auburn hair and delicate features. Frownie was not one of those kids.