Behind the Mask Ch. 11

"What's holding you back?"

"My dead cousin."

Cherry blinked. "What?"

Fuck, that was out loud. August wasn't even here, he wasn't even the subject of conversation, and still he somehow managed to fry my brain.

I was about to try and laugh it off, pass it off as a joke, but Cherry cut me off. "Oh. Oh, man."

"Cherry, it was a joke."

"Or a Freudian slip. 'Cause that was oddly specific and very unfunny for a joke."

"Where did you become the joke police?" I muttered, but she only looked at me. It reminded me of Leon, in a way. Perhaps she was starting to pick up some of his idiosyncrasies.

"Dad took eighteen years, and he still didn't think he was ready. The only thing that convinced him he was ready was realizing that he'd already fallen in love with another girl. Me," she added helpfully. "Y'know, dad once told me something. 'Don't let the fear of letting go of who you are now ruin your chance of becoming who you could be.' It kinda made me think of something Ms. H said to me, so I remembered it."

"Your dad says some really clever stuff," I noted, and she nodded proudly. I sighed. Don't let the past write the future, huh? It felt so natural, though. Then again, that didn't mean it was the only path forward. But moving on didn't necessarily mean letting go of Jordan. I knew that even after getting together with Cherry, Leon still visited his late wife's grave. It was just... such a hurdle to overcome. "Maybe..." I murmured.

Cherry's eyes wavered a bit, her eyes widening as she looked off into the distance. "Well, I guess it's trial by fire. Seems very much your style. You can tell him how you feel yourself now." Again, she looked past me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Lemme guess, he's right behind me," I said as I turned. "Haha, very fun--"

My eyes widened. This motherfucker really was stalking me. Outside, on the other side of the glass storefront squinting in at us hesitantly, was August Nova.