MASK ON
— 19. Halloween
About two weeks had passed since Alex's abortion and since then, she was just starting to feel a bit better. Halloween was coming up and what was once one of Alex's favorite holidays now made her want to throw up.
It was morning time and Alex sat at the kitchen table with her mother, Ginny, and Austin, having breakfast. "Nervous about your date tonight?" Ginny suddenly spoke up, turning to smile at their mother.
"No," Georgia replied, letting out a large scoff.
"Convincing," Ginny remarked and Alex smiled slightly in amusement.
"Projecting?" Georgia retorted as she turned to give Ginny a knowing look, "You're the one who's nervous to meet your boyfriend's parents tonight."
"I'm not nervous," Ginny argued, leading to Alex and Austin sharing a knowing look.
"You are," Alex replied, earning an annoyed look from Ginny.
"It'd be normal if you were," Georgia assured Ginny, who was quick to argue.
"Well, I'm not," Ginny complained and Alex rolled her eyes since she knew it was a lie.
Georgia turned, exchanging a knowing smile with Alex. "I remember meeting Zion's parents. I was shitting myself."
"Gram and Pop aren't even scary," Ginny commented, a puzzled look on her face.
"I was fifteen and pregnant," Georgia reminded her daughter, earning an amused smile from Ginny and Alex.
Just then, Ginny's phone dinged and she was quick to open the text she had just received from Max. "Maxine sent me a link," She announced and Alex turned to her curiously.
Just then, Ginny's eyes widened while Alex groaned loudly and grabbed her head when the sound of Hunter's song to Ginny filled her ears.
It was all she was hearing the two weeks and people were still talking about it.
"Ugh! Not the song again!" Alex complained loudly, feeling sick at the sound of it. She cringed every time she heard it.
Since she still hadn't heard the song herself yet, Georgia stood up and walked closer to Ginny to watch it as well. "Oh, wowie, wow, wow! So, you're internet famous now? I'm living with Logan Paul."
"Ew, what?" Alex cringed as she turned to give her mother a weird look.
"He's the only one I know," Georgia admitted and Alex smiled in amusement.
As her phone dinged, Alex sighed and she looked down at her phone to see it was a text from Marcus.
Marcus: Are you avoiding me?
Over the past few weeks, Marcus had texted her numerous times, and never once did she respond. It wasn't only him, though. She had been doing it to everyone.
If it weren't for Ginny assuring their friends that Alex was fine, they probably would have thought she was dead.
"Who was that?" Georgia asked after watching Alex quickly placed her phone on the table and looked down at her food uneasily.
"No one," Alex quickly answered and Georgia smiled, leaning closer to her daughter.
"Was it Kaden?" Georgia asked playfully since Alex hadn't told her about how he abandoned her the moment he found out she was pregnant.
"Ew, no. Screw him," Alex scoffed, sounding disgusted at the mention of Kaden's name.
"You did, and that's how you got pregnant," Ginny commented, causing Alex to turn and glare at Ginny.
"You know what, Ginny?" Alex spoke up, slamming her fork down on her plate. She turned to Ginny and glared at her hatefully, "Eat a dick."
"Hey!" Georgia shouted as she stared at Alex in disbelief, "Be nice!"
"No, I won't eat a dick, Alex. I'm not you. I don't give it to every guy who gives me even the smallest bit of attention," Ginny snapped at Alex, only to gasp as Alex tossed her orange juice in her twin sister's face.
Ginny gasped loudly, the orange juice covering the entirety of her face and shirt since Alex hadn't even touched her juice during breakfast. It meant it had been completely full. Alex was always the type to fill her glass to the top yet never actually finish it.
Georgia's eyes widened, watching Alex stand up and leave, shouting every insult and profanity she could think of as she walked out the door.
She sighed, placing her face in her hands as Ginny turned to her in disbelief. "You're just going to let her get away with that, Mom?" Ginny complained, staring at her in disbelief, "She's psychotic and you let her do whatever she wants."
"Your sister's been through a lot her entire life, more than you know. She's struggling, no matter how much she tries to deny it. There's just a lot you don't know—" Georgia began to say, only to have Ginny cut her off.
"Maybe because neither of you tell me!" Ginny complained as she stared at her in disbelief, "Alex has treated me like trash our entire lives and you let her."
"Do you say the way you treat her, Ginny?" Georgia pointed out and shook her head, "I've watched it for years. Every fight y'all got into, you initiated it. You insult her, bully her, and put her down about everything, and expect her not to fight back. Alex is a wasp. You step too close and make her feel threatened, you're gonna get stung."
_____
At school, Alex was sitting with Abby, Samantha, and Norah when Max and Ginny finally walked over. Ginny sat on the floor near where Alex was sitting on the chair with Abby in her lap.
Ginny glanced at Alex, a part of her feeling bad for earlier that day after what her mother had told her.
Alex completely ignored her, though, looking in every direction but her sister's.
"Ginny, I have been singing your song all week," Norah admitted, smiling widely at the thought.
"I know. It's stuck in my head," Samantha added into the conversation and Alex rolled her eyes. The girl was something Alex didn't miss while being out for two weeks, "And it's getting super annoying. No offense, Ginny."
"Please, shut up," Alex muttered, rolling her eyes at Samantha.
"People are talking about you," Norah informed Ginny, smiling widely.
"Wait, really?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Ooh! Buzz. Tell them she's unhinged," Max spoke up and Alex immediately noticed the uneasy look on Abby's face, "Let's give her a hot mess reputation like Bella Thorne."
"Please, don't," Ginny pleaded and turned to Norah in concern, "What are they saying?"
"Oh, just that it's super cool that Hunter wrote a song about you, and that they think you're really pretty," Norah explained and Ginny noticed how jealous Abby looked.
"They think I'm pretty?"
"Can we talk about Halloween?" Abby quickly spoke up and Alex sighed in relief.
"Yes! Please!" She agreed with Abby, not in the mood to talk about Ginny after what happened that morning.
"Brodie is throwing a Boos and Booze party," Abby informed them and Alex smiled at the thought since she really needed a distraction from her own problems.
"God, I wish I could spend Halloween with Sophie," Max complained and Alex sighed since it seemed that was all she talked about lately.
"Why can't you?" Ginny asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"She's a senior," Max reminded Alex and gave her a knowing look.
"Do you know what you're doing for your costumes?" Samantha questioned, glancing around at the group.
"No, and it's giving me anxiety," Max complained, causing Samantha to smile widely.
"Okay, maybe we could all do something as a group?" She suggested, smiling happily, "Like Avengers."
"I'll pass," Alex muttered, refusing to match costumes with any of them.
"Ooh, Avengers could be cool," Norah replied, turning to Alex and Abby.
"ScarJo is hot," Abby muttered and Alex nodded in agreement.
"Agreed, but I'm still going to pass on that," Alex replied, sighing in defeat.
"Ginny, what do you think?" Max asked, turning to look directly at Ginny.
Ginny was shocked at first when Max asked for her opinion. After a moment, she tilted her head and smiled at Samantha almost tauntingly. "Avengers are basic," She retorted and Alex frowned at how much her sister sounded like the rest of the girls.
"Oh, yeah, totally," Norah quickly spoke up and Alex frowned in confusion since she had said the complete opposite just moments before.
"ScarJo's the only cool one," Abby muttered under her breath.
"Well, we don't have to do that," Samantha asked, forcing herself to smile as she tried to hide her uneasiness.
"I'm going to class," Ginny announced, smiling as she stood up from her seat, "Love you. Mean it."
"Hate you. Kidding," The girls answered in unison and Alex stared at all of them in shock.
"What the fuck is going on?" She muttered under her breath, feeling deeply uneasy. What the hell did she miss?
____
Later that day, Alex was sitting on the ground near where Max and Ginny were sharing their usual seat in the hallway. While Ginny and Max were laughing and smiling as they rewatched the song Hunter wrote for Ginny, Alex sat at their feet.
Her knees were brought to her chest and she was looking down at the ground, looking to be in deep thought. She looked unhappy, too, but no one seemed to notice. Not even Max and Ginny, who were literally right next to her.
Marcus had been standing across the hallway when he noticed Alex in her depressive state while everyone else around her seemed happy, unaware of their supposed friend's sadness.
He sighed and tried to hide his uneasiness as he walked over to them. "Hey, Alex," He greeted her calmly and Alex immediately lifted her head.
Her eyes seemed to light up at the sight of him, which Ginny was quick to notice.
"Can I, uh, talk to you?" He asked her and Alex's lips parted as she stared up at him.
She was about to say yes when she went Ginny kick her. "Ow!" She exclaimed, turning to her twin sister in disbelief.
"No boys," Ginny demanded in a stern tone and Alex sighed, looking back at Marcus.
He was watching the two sisters curiously, noticing the defeated expression that appeared on Alex's face the moment Ginny gave whatever warning to her that Marcus had been unable to hear.
"I--" Alex began to speak up, only to be cut off by Max.
"Incoming. Sophie. Seniors," Max suddenly announced, causing Alex to sigh in defeat.
She turned, noticing Sophie and her friends walking in their direction. She felt annoyed, knowing that would ruin any chance of her speaking to Marcus.
Maybe it was a sign. Maybe Ginny had a point. Maybe she should have stayed away from Marcus.
"Uh...look alive. Be cool. Be cool," Max demanded before turning to Marcus, who was giving her a weird look, "Be cool! Marcus, go! Seniors."
"What?" Marcus asked, frowning in confusion.
"Seniors coming in hot!" She exclaimed, rushing to stand up.
Marcus looked over at Alex, who was avoiding eye contact with him. He sighed and left without another word said.
"Hey, Max," Sophie greeted Max as she walked over to her, Ginny, and Alex, who was now standing, "This is my friend Kate."
"You're Ginny Miller, right?" Kate asked, looking directly at Ginny.
"Yeah."
"Cool," Kate replied, smiling at Ginny, "I like your song."
"Uh...thanks," Ginny responded, trying not to blush, "It's whatever."
"It's catchy," Kate admitted and Alex rolled her eyes in annoyance, "'I can barely breathe when you are near'. I died. Dead."
"Okay, then," Alex muttered under her breath, forcing a smile as she glanced between the two older girls. She couldn't deal with it anymore. She needed the conversation to end as quickly as possible, meaning she needed to help Max out to shut her the hell up about Sophie, "Hey, you guys doing anything for Halloween?"
Sophie turned to Kate, both of them shaking their heads. "Not really."
"Well, our friend Brodie is having some people over. You should totally come," Alex suggested, causing Ginny and Max to stare at her in shock.
"Max, are you gonna be there?" Sophie asked, looking directly at the younger girl.
Max awkwardly nodded, unable to form any words.
"Okay. Fun, yeah. I...Just send me the details," Sophie replied, smiling as she nodded her head.
"Yeah, we will," Alex assured them, sighing in relief as they finally walked away.
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! What was that!" Max exclaimed, turning to stare at Alex in disbelief.
"I invited them to Brodie's party," She answered in a calm tone, "Since you didn't have the balls to."
"Girl, your big dick energy is off the charts!" Max commented, causing Alex to smirk while Ginny scoffed.
"Isn't it always?" Alex retorted and Max smiled widely.
"My costumes need to be off the charts!" Max spoke up, jumping up and down excitedly.
"Costumes? Plural?" Ginny asked, turning to Max in confusion.
"I cannot believe that just happened. God, are we the coolest people in the world? Kinda feels like we are," Max ranted and Alex sighed in defeat, not in the mood for Max's weirdly happy mood.
She was always happy. She couldn't understand how the girl could do it.
Just then, hearing someone singing Hunter's song, Alex groaned when she turned to see Press, Brodie, and Kaden moving toward them, singing Hunter's song. They were making their way over to them, Hunter trying to hide his annoyance as he trailed behind them.
While both Max and Ginny were laughing and smiling at the boys, Alex rolled her eyes, wanting nothing more than to leave. Most of all, because Kaden was there. She hadn't seen him since the day she kicked him out of her room.
"You guys are so embarrassing!" Ginny told them and while Brodie and Press walked off, Kaden made his way over to Alex.
"Hey, can we talk?" He asked her curiously and Alex turned to glare at him.
"Leave me alone," She snapped at him coldly before walking off.
As she walked down the hallway, she stopped when she saw Bracia. She sighed and walked over to her, feeling back for how she treated her a few weeks prior. "Hey, Bracia," She greeted the girl, forcing a smile on her face.
"Hey," Bracia replied quietly, looking almost annoyed by Alex's sudden appearance.
"Sorry, I haven't hit you up lately. Been going through a lot. I also wanted to apologize for the way I treated you the last time I saw you," She told Bracia, who nodded in understanding.
"Do your friends know you're pregnant?" Bracia asked Alex in a soft tone.
"No," Alex replied, shaking her head, "And I'm not...pregnant. Not anymore."
Bracia turned to Alex with wide eyes. She noticed how the girl smiled, despite the tears in her eyes. "You don't look too happy about that."
"I thought it was what I wanted. And even now, I know it was the right thing to do but a part of me wonders what it would have been like. My mother had me at her age and while my sister might have some bad stuff to stay about our mother's parenting, I don't think my mother did all that bad. She did it all alone and yet here, here we are. I wonder what it would have been like if I had had it instead of getting an abortion," Alex explained, letting out a large sigh as she looked down at the ground, "I have no clue what I want to do with my life. I never have. I have the tendency to just live in the moment, to hell with the past and the future. But one thing I always knew I would do is have a kid."
"You have your whole life for that," Bracia reminded Alex, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You're fifteen. You're smart. You have straight A's, Alex, which is pretty surprising since you're always skipping school."
The two girls laughed, knowing she had a point. For how much of a troublemaker Alex was, she always seemed to get her work done on time.
"You could go places in life. You could go to college, get some good-ass, high-paying job. Having a kid at your age would ruin that. Your mother might be working for the mayor now but times are different now for people our age. If you don't have a diploma or even a degree, there aren't many jobs you can get as an adult," She explained and Alex sighed, knowing she had a point, "I know you're hurting. Other people might not see it, but I've seen it from the beginning. You lack meaning and you're starting to wonder if that baby could have been it but it's not."
"My friends are having a party," Alex suddenly spoke up and changed the subject, much to Bracia's confusion, "I was wondering if you'd come."
Bracia started at Alex for a moment, confused by the way Alex had changed the subject in such a way. "Yeah, uh, text me the details," She awkwardly answered as she overcame her shock, only to watch Alex walk away without another word said.