Mask of A Legend (16 page)

“Listen, Legend, I’m sorry for that, alright? I mean, I didn’t know that was your soft spot, I didn’t realize you were deeply into inner beauty. . . . And also, I’m sorry if you misjudged me, because that’s exactly what you did.”

Legend walked back into his hotel room. “Misjudged? What do you mean?” Legend wanted to drop the argument, but something allowed her to go on with it.

“Because I do look for inner beauty also, it’s just I don’t practice it,” he replied, walking back in also and heading toward her. “I look for inner beauty, as well as outer beauty. I mean, maybe I look for outer beauty more, but I’m only human. All I was trying to say before, was you shouldn’t complain about one measly pimple you had, compared to a girl who had a mask of acne. I was trying to say that you’re lucky, Legend.” He stepped up to her face and stared at her blue eyes. It was like he was staring at a lost love, and she was staring at her soulmate.

Dang.

Legend was baffled once again, she didn’t know whether to put up her guard or not. She liked Stephen tremendously, but she knew he was dating Dina, and also knew he only accepted the outer beauty, which was something that Legend doesn’t have. Legend knew everyone saw beauty on her, but she didn’t, and that’s what made her mind confused even more when it came to her feelings toward him.

Whenever Legend looks in the mirror, her reflection reminds her that she doesn’t belong in this lifestyle, that she doesn’t belong with him. She’s not invited into this world of beauty, only because her reflection wears a mask of acne, which is her real image. Nevertheless, she was able to get past that, and put on a mask of beauty, which isn’t her real image, and live a lifestyle that she always dreamt of. “I’m sorry,” she said. She looked into his eyes and tried to reveal her true pain to him. She put down her guard a little notch that consisted of toughness, and allowed her true inner beauty to shine through a bit. “I’m sorry, Stephen, I’m sorry for yelling at you.” Legend’s voice was kind, it was a voice that didn’t wear a mask, it was a voice that came from her true soul. “Sometimes, I get really confused about a lot of things. Things that you can never know about. Things that are a part of my own skeletons that I keep locked in a closet. . . . I wasn’t fair to you that I jumped off the handle about such a stupid subject as a girl with a mask of acne. It’s your own theoretical perspective on outer beauty, and I shouldn’t have barked at you for laughing about it.” A tear came down from her right eye and bounced onto her hands.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, feeling her face and trying to wipe away tears that followed. “Listen to me, Legend, you are the most beautiful girl, I believe, that ever existed. People of this nation are going to see your beauty very soon, and say the same thing. You’re going to be in a commercial, and on the cover of a few modeling magazines this December. You have everything going for you, don’t waste it by crying.” His head moved closer to hers. “Enjoy this moment in your life, because it could be gone like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“I will.” Her face then moved closer to his. She slowly closed her eyes and his lips came to hers. She felt alive when her lips touched his, alive because her mind wasn’t thinking about her ugly reflection. But, suddenly, as they kissed, she opened her eyes and saw her ugly reflection in a mirror that was directly in front of her. She pulled away from him. “We can’t do this!”

Stephen opened his eyes. “Why not?”

“Because, um, because you’re dating Dina, and, and we already decided to be friends. We are only friends, that’s what we decided on.” She was stuttering a bit, like her mouth tried to stop her thoughts from coming out, and continue kissing him. Her confused mind knew she couldn’t be with Stephen, for many reasons. But the main reason was that he only looks for outer beauty, and that was enough to make up Legend’s mind for her.

“I want you more than Dina. Can’t you see that?” he pleaded. His mind became clouded at why she doesn’t want to get near his heart. Stephen never was in a relationship where a girl would be so hard, and so judgmental toward his heart. He wanted Legend so badly, but he knew, at that point, it would be a challenge to get in her heart. It would be a struggle, mission, and a job to find a pathway into her soul, and finally have that lead to her heart. “I want you so much, Legend.”

She started crying even more. “No you don’t, you only want my…forget it. Listen to me, we’re only friends, and that’s that. Please, Stephen, I want us to be just friends.” A draft blew in from the opened balcony window, and dried her tears away. “Besides, I know you wouldn’t want to hurt Dina like that. You’re her dream, Stephen. You’re the only thing that she wants out of life, please don’t take that away from her.”

“But I thought you didn’t like Dina that much. I mean, I got the impression that you hated her,” he said.

Legend turned away from him and began walking toward the bathroom. “There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me, like I said before. Yes, it’s true, I don’t really care for Dina that much, but she’s still a girl, like me. I know that I would be hurt if someone took away my ambition in life, and that’s why I don’t want to take away hers.” Legend then turned around and faced him.

“You’re right, I don’t know if I could live with myself, if I hurt her. I mean, she’s nice, generous, kind, and overall, beautiful. Maybe being friends is the best thing for us,” he said. His feelings toward Legend grew and faded, grew and faded, and that caused him to say the most reasonable explanation for him only being friends with her.

“Well, there’s a lot of things that you don’t know about her as well. Let’s just leave it at that,” she said, continuing to walk toward and into the bathroom. She turned on the light, adding with a smile, “Now, please tell me what your friend is like, so I’m not surprised tonight.”

“Nope, I want you to be surprised. All I’m going to say is he’s nothing like me, and you’ll probably argue with him more than you did with me about two minutes ago,” Stephen laughed. “So, friend, I’ll meet you down in the lobby in a little bit. . . .”

S
tephen waited in the lobby of the hotel and smoked a cigarette, pondering about what Legend told him. He looked up at the lobby’s red ceiling and came across a crystal chandelier that shined its beauty down to him. “How do they clean that thing?” he asked, looking at the crystals reflecting off the red lights. He looked at it more closely as he tried to put an analogy together, but it was an analogy that his mind couldn’t handle, due to so much confusion. His analogy consisted of Legend, being the chandelier, and him not being able to reach it. He then looked over at a painting that hung high on the wall, and tried to put an analogy together that was similar to the chandelier one again. Every object that he looked at caused his mind to create some sort of analogy, an analogy that would help his enigma go away toward his feelings for Legend. But, suddenly he saw Mark in his view, and forgot about the mission for the correct analogy, or explanation, and concentrated on putting out his cigarette in an ashtray that was right in front of him. He walked over to his friend, gave him a hug and said with laughter, “You asshole, I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

“Of course I’m gonna make it, I want to get laid tonight,” Mark laughed, pushing his long, blond hair behind his ears. “I want to get laid, majorly, Stephen.” Stephen’s smile turned to a small grin. “So, who is this chick anyway?”

“Oh, um, well, her name is Legend.” They sat down on a red couch.

“Is she like the other girls you set me up with in the past? You know, easy, easy, easy?”

“Well, as a matter of fact–”

“Dude, is she hot?” Mark asked. He began to reach in the pocket of his sports jacket, and pulled out a box of cigarettes.

Stephen knew the way Mark was like. He knew Mark only wanted one thing out of a girl. But, to Stephen, this was the greatest moment of his life, only because he knew Legend wouldn’t like his best friend Mark for that. Stephen realized that he would have another chance with Legend, if Mark shows his true colors toward her, and allows his selfish side to be shown. “Well, you just have to see for yourself,” replied Stephen. Dina and Legend walked down the long staircase that led to the lobby. “You just–”

“Dude, is that her?” Mark caught sight of Dina and Legend as they walked down the staircase.

“Which one are you referring to?” Stephen asked. They both got up from the couch and walked slowly over to the girls. Dina and Legend stood at the last step and waited for them.

“Is that Mark?” Legend asked with a smile. To her, she saw the most beautiful being staring at her. She saw long, blond hair and blue, deep eyes as she stared at Mark. An instant crush.

“Is that chick Legend?” Mark asked. He stared at the most beautiful being ever, while Stephen saw the same as he looked at Legend’s beauty.

“That’s Mark,” replied Dina. She and Legend stepped off the last step and slowly started to walk up to them.

“Legend’s the one in the white,” replied Stephen. They, too, began to slowly walk up to the girls. “Now, Mark, please don’t act the way you normally do.” Stephen knew Mark would act like a jerk in front of Legend anyway, and that’s what he wanted him to do.

“Why hello, Miss Legend,” Mark said. He grabbed Legend’s fragile hand and kissed it ever so gently. Stephen looked at Mark with confusion in his eyes, he didn’t know why he was acting like a gentleman. “You are more beautiful than Stephen told me.” Stephen finally figured out the reason for Mark’s sudden change in character. It was a mask, a mask that Mark wore to Legend. It was mask that Stephen never saw him wear before, a mask of a complete stranger, a mask of a gentleman.

“Oh, I was referring to Dina, and Legend,” Stephen said, noticing Dina looking at him in a strange way. “I said that Dina was beautiful, and that Legend also was the same.” He then walked up to Dina and gave her a kiss on the face. Stephen saw the jealousy in Dina’s eyes, rage that was caused by what Mark said, the same that he felt when Mark kissed Legend on the hand. “You are my little angel,” he said to Dina’s eyes while Mark and Legend still concentrated on each other’s lips. Stephen knew his place, he knew, for the time being, that Dina was his girlfriend. His realization caused him pain, he didn’t want to be in that place anymore, he wanted Legend to take it instead.

“Are you ready to go out on the town, beauty?” Mark asked Legend. She gave out a little laugh. Legend saw a gentleman when she stared at Mark’s face, hair and blue eyes. She was full of lust, smitten by Mark’s mask.

“Yes, yes, I am,” replied Legend in a flirtatious voice, wrapping her arm around Mark’s forearm and walking away from the stairs. Dina wrapped her arm around Stephen’s, and they all began to walk through this massive lobby with a feeling of royalty, pride and glamour as people stared at them with smiles. They walked outside into the New York winter, wind blowing against Dina’s black dress and Legend’s white evening gown. The wind flowed through Legend’s long, blonde hair and Stephen caught this beautiful sight, staring very heavily at it. It was like his eyes would starve if they didn’t look at Legend for more than five minutes.

While Stephen stared at Legend, Mark handed a piece of paper to the valet and said, “Here, sir, it’s a red Cadillac.” The valet grabbed the piece of paper, Mark pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to him. “Here’s a little something for Christmas.” Stephen saw the fifty-dollar bill being taken by the valet, and suddenly became confused even more. He knew Mark was greedy, and that he would never attempt to give away money so freely. But then, Stephen turned to Legend again, and saw the way she was smiling toward Mark. That’s when he knew that Mark’s mask was working on her.

“That was so kind,” Legend said. Mark grinned toward her while the valet ran off to retrieve the Cadillac.

“Oh, it was nothing,” replied Mark.

Stephen let out a big laugh. Everyone turned around to face Stephen, and that’s when Legend said, “What was that for?”

“I was just thinking of something funny,” Stephen replied.

The valet pulled up in Mark’s Cadillac.

Then Legend turned toward the Cadillac, and watched its beauty shine as a street light reflected off the red paint. “You have a nice car,” said Legend toward Mark. The valet exited the car and ran over to him with his keys.

“Well, this isn’t mine, my real car’s in California.” Mark grabbed onto her hand and guided her toward the passenger’s door. He opened it and Legend entered this massive automobile, but she still stared at Mark’s blue eyes. It was as if she was in some sort of a trance when she stared at them, a trance that Stephen has every time he stares at hers.

Stephen opened up the back door, and allowed Dina to enter, while he and Mark still waited outside of the car, like gentlemen. Once the girls were in, Dina automatically nudged Legend on the right shoulder and asked, “So, do you like him?”

Legend turned to see where Mark was, and discovered he was trying to open up the driver’s side door. She then looked to see where Stephen was, and discovered he was just about to enter on the other side of the car. That’s when Legend replied in a fast way, “Well, yes, yes, I think so, well, I think I like him a lot. I mean, he’s such a gentleman.”

Mark then opened up the driver’s side door when suddenly his eyes caught sight of the valet. “Um, I’ll be right back, I forgot to thank the valet for bringing me the car,” Mark said as Stephen entered the car also, and looked at Mark with a grin. It was a grin that meant ‘Mark was good at wearing a mask, a mask that didn’t allow his true colors to shine toward Legend’.

Mark ran over to the valet, and looked at him with sinister eyes. “Can I help you, sir?” the valet asked, rubbing his short, black hair and looking at Mark with a smile.

“Yeah, I want to know if you could break a hundred? Better yet, just give me the fifty that I gave you, and I’ll give you this.” Stephen held up a hundred-dollar bill toward the valet. The valet reached into his pocket, pulled out the fifty, and handed it over to Mark. “Thanks,” Mark said. He grabbed onto the fifty, but still held onto the hundred.

“Wait a second,” the valet said, noticing Mark still held onto the hundred.

“See ya later,” said Mark. He ran over to the car, opened the door, and turned on the engine. The valet ran to the car in a speedy rhythm, while Legend and Dina looked at him with confusion. But Stephen didn’t look in confusion, for he knew what Mark’s greedy mind did. He drove off in a fast motion and the valet started to run after the mansion on wheels.

“What happened? Why is he running after us?” Legend asked. She looked in the rear-view mirror, and saw the valet become smaller the further they drove.

“Oh, um, because, um, he began to talk dirty about you, and I became angered with it. So, I called him a few mean names, and I guess that’s why he’s running after us,” replied Mark. Stephen let out a silent laugh. “You know those valet workers, they always have to talk about something, even a beautiful woman like yourself,” he added. Legend started smiling at him, and Stephen did the same.

Legend’s smile was due to Mark being everything she wanted out of a man. Mark was perfect for her, and that caused her teeth to gleam and her face to lift while her smile began. But the definition of Stephen’s smile wasn’t that simple. He smiled, only because Mark wore that mask so perfectly that Stephen wanted it instead. He smiled because Mark was so good at seducing women, but this was the first time that he saw him wear the mask so heavily, so perfectly, that it was like he was another person.

As they drove, Stephen turned off his smile and watched Legend in a serious gaze. He watched as Legend’s eyes only stared at Mark’s face, and Mark’s stared at the road. Stephen was jealous of Mark’s mask, he became jealous of his best friend for the first time. But Dina also became jealous once again, staring at Stephen’s eyes looking at Legend’s face only. Dina became jealous once more at Legend’s mask, a mask that she didn’t know Legend wore. An unknown masquerade.

The jealousy was still in Dina and Stephen’s minds when they came to a building that was decorated with lights, and held a red carpet that stretched all the way toward the street curb. Mark exited the car, handed a valet his keys, and went directly over to Legend’s door. He opened it and grabbed onto her hand, while Stephen exited his door and grabbed onto Dina’s. They all walked on this carpet toward the building that read, ‘Frederick’s Palace’ in big letters. “What is this place?” Legend asked.

“Oh, it’s a restaurant that serves the best gourmet meals on this side of Manhattan,” answered Mark. They all entered this building and as soon as they walked in, every person turned to look at Legend, as if she was a candle that lit the souls of humans’ lives, and caused a smile to appear on their faces. They all smiled at her, and Mark felt proud to hold onto her hand. Mark realized he had something special when he held onto Legend, but his definition of ‘special’ is that everyone was envious toward him. Mark began to love it, he loved the fact that everyone stared at his so-called ‘date’, loving the attention.

With Stephen, every time he stares at Legend, he knows she is something special. Stephen’s definition of ‘special’, is Legend’s beauty, her eyes and her hair, while Mark’s definition is the attention he gets from her beauty.

Dina knew Legend was special, but the meaning she held in her mind was something that ate her alive. She knew about Legend’s inner beauty, she knew Legend was a kind, gentle, but strong being. But now, Dina sees Legend’s outer beauty, and that causes her jealousy to rise every time she stares at it. Jealousy is the definition of ‘special’ every time Dina stares at Legend. Envy and attention are the definition of special every time Mark stares at Legend. And lastly, love is the definition of special every time Stephen stares into the eyes of Legend, the eyes that reflect beauty, the eyes that Stephen wants to only look at him.

They sat down at a table, while people still stared at her, and had their own meaning of special when they caught her beauty in their sight. Legend, Dina, Mark and Stephen all talked for an hour, they talked about everything. But the topic of beauty came up, and that’s when Mark knew he had to put on his mask even more. “So, Mark, tell me your version of beauty. What do you look for when you see a girl? I mean, so far I know that you’re a supermodel like Stephen, so you must get a lot of girls coming up to you for a date. So, what do you look for when you see these girls?” Legend asked. Dina and her took a drink of champagne from their crystal glass, simultaneously.

Mark looked at Stephen, and winked his eye unnoticeably. He then stared at Legend very heavily, and replied, “Well, before I became well-known in the modeling field, I used to look for average girls. You know, girls who treat you as they would want to be treated? But then, once I became famous in modeling, I got more serious with girls. Meaning, I looked deeper into their, I guess you can say, character.” Stephen then laughed unnoticeably, he knew Mark was selling lies to them. “I look for inner emotions . . . inner character, inner beauty. When I look at a girl, I could tell what their emotions are, and usually they’re the wrong emotions.” All Stephen could do was shake his head and smile.

“What do you mean?” Dina said. Stephen picked up his glass of champagne and started drinking it heavily.

“Well, usually all the girls I dated in the past either were bitches, or else plain out gold-diggers. I guess that’s why I’m still a virgin,” Mark replied. Stephen widened his eyes and coughed up the champagne he was drinking.

“You’re a virgin?” Legend asked. She was falling in love with him right there. But she was falling in love with a mental mask that Mark wore.