Behind The Mask is Love For You

Behind The Mask

Etho's Perspective-

"What's gotten into you?" Etho's father asked as they walked out of the clock shop and into their car.

"What do you mean?" Etho asked.

"You're always on your phone, you act so cold around others, and you keep wearing that stupid mask."

Etho rolled his eyes.

"And you keep rolling your eyes, too! That's a rude thing to do. I'm fine with you doing it with your friends, but don't do it around family."

Etho bit his lip to stop himself from making a nasty remark and nodded.

"Seriously, Etho, what is going on?" Etho's father asked.

Etho shrugged and his father sighed.

"Well...I'm not always on my phone, and my mask isn't stupid."

"You don't have any reason to wear it."

"Yeah, but- "

Etho cut himself off with a sigh.

He won't understand how I feel insecure about the way my face looks. Etho thought, slumping down in the passenger seat.

-

"Etho, sweetie."

Etho looked up from the book he was reading and saw his mother.

"Your father wanted me to give you this." She said, handing Etho his phone.

"Oh, thanks." He said, looking at all the notifications from Pammy.

"So what happened with your father?" She asked, sitting down next to her son.

Etho sighed, pocketing his phone.

"He started complaining about the things that I do. How I'm always on my phone, when I'm not, how I act cold around other people, which I don't try to, and how I always wear a mask, which is because I don't like the way I look!"

"Etho, dear, you look beautiful." His mother said softly, playing with her son's hair as he laid his head on her lap.

Etho scoffed, "That's what everyone tells me."

"Do you tell yourself that?"

Etho was silent and his mother smiled softly.

"Exactly. You need to know that you're beautiful. Beautiful on the inside, and outside."

"I don't think my guts look that beautiful, but whatever you say."

"Oh, you." Etho's mother acted like she was mad and Etho chuckled.

Etho's mother then leaned down and planted a kiss on her son's forehead.

"I love you, Etho, and I'm so proud of you."

"For what?"

She smiled softly, "For being you."

She kissed his cheek and then stood up, saying that she had to go to the grocery store before leaving.

Etho sighed as he got up and looked in the mirror.

He took off his mask and winced.

He hated the way he looked.

He hated the way he acted.

He hated...himself.

He sighed and decided to distract himself by texting back Pammy.

He and Pammy had been friends for about two years, and she was always super sweet to talk to and great with advice, and Etho was a bit sad that she was going to a private school next year.

She was very competitive and a funny person to hang out with.

She was also on a swim team and also played tennis, as well as the piano and flute.

Etho never really understood why she did so many things, but she was the kind of person who liked to keep herself busy.

"To pass by the time." She told Etho once. "If I don't do anything, the day seems to go slower."

She had light brown hair that was normally tied into a ponytail or braid and gray eyes. (is it grey or gray?)

She was also lesbian, and her parents were very supportive. Etho's parents, however, were not. Well, his mother probably was, but his father wasn't.

So his father constantly thinks that Etho and Pammy are dating, or that Pammy might like Etho, despite her being lesbian.

Etho texted Pammy and put his phone down, picking up his book again and continuing where he left off.

His phone buzzed and Etho looked down at it.
He frowned a bit when seeing that it wasn't Pammy, but instead a notification from Finch.

Etho logged on and smiled weakly as he saw Bubbles, his light green bird still on its journey.

The app asked how Etho was doing and reminded him of a set of tasks he set himself such as talking to his friends, getting outside, etc.

Etho then groaned as he got up and stretched before grabbing his phone and book and walking outside, just as the app reminded him to.

He smiled and walked to his tree, laying down in the shade.

He opened his book and continued reading out in the sun.

So for those of you who don't know what Finch is, it's a mental health app where you take care of a little bird. (my friend code is TH7QD8KR69 if you wanna friend me and our birds can live in a town together :)

Anyway, the basis of the app is to set goals for yourself and basically take care of your bird by taking care of yourself. It's super cute and definitely worth checking out if you have the time.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you get to see Etho's background with his family and friends!