Mask of A Legend (21 page)

“Oh, I was just saying that I’m going to go to bed now. I already showed Dina to her room, and gave her everything she needs. Um, she poked her head on a needle thorn, but I already gave her a rag to help clean the wound.”

Stephen got up from his seat. “Is she alright?” Stephen asked.

“Oh, yes, it’s just a simple flesh wound,” Sylvia said.

Stephen walked out of the room and raced toward Dina’s bedroom.

“Sylvia, before you go to bed, would you please guide Legend to her room?” William asked. Sylvia turned to Legend and felt that she was exactly like Dina. Sylvia felt that Dina was a bitch, and so that means that Legend was also.

For that, Sylvia said, “Sure, after all, I know many blondes who could get lost in their own closet. Follow me, ma’am!”

Legend looked at her with uncertainty as to why she said such a rude comment. Legend followed her down the hallway and entered her bedroom. “Is this my bedroom?” Legend sat down on her bed and started rubbing her neck.

“Well, Mr. Drakson did tell me to take you to your room,” Sylvia replied. Legend lay down on her bed and accidentally poked the back of her neck with a rose that Relinda placed there.” Ouch!” she shouted, turning around and finding the rose.

Sylvia already knew the reaction she was going to get out of Legend, which would probably match Dina’s reaction. For that, Sylvia tried to avoid Legend calling her names, so she took off her mental mask and said with defense, “Well, I didn’t know there was a rose there, ma’am. Besides, you should look where you lie next time.”

Sylvia stared at Legend, watching and getting ready for Legend’s reaction. Suddenly, Legend gave out a laugh and said, “You’re right, I should have seen the rose. Well, it’s just a simple cut, it’ll heal.”

Sylvia walked toward the doorway and began to exit the room, saying in a silent way, “Trying to put on the innocent mask with me, what a bitch. . . .”

Legend pulled over her bedspread covers and closed her eyes, when suddenly a knock came at her window. She shot up, not knowing where the noise was coming from, and then walked about her room, in search of the noise, waiting for it to be heard again. A second knock came, and Legend turned toward her window and saw a shadow of a man, the moonlight shining its silhouette. “Who’s there?” She opened up her window and saw that it was Mark, standing on a balcony that she didn’t know was there. “Mark, what are you doing here?” She submerged herself into his eyes, entering into a trance of love again.

“Well, I do live across the street, Legend.” He gave her a silent kiss and entered her bedroom.

“I was just about to go to sleep.” She felt uncomfortable that he was entering her room, in which a single bed stood. She looked at the bed, not knowing if he was going to want to lie in it. “Mark, honey, sweetie, I really have to get to bed now . . . I have an early appointment tomorrow with
MG
magazine, a photo shoot.”

“Alright, well, I’ll just leave you be, and let you get some rest, my little beauty. I’ll just go see what Stephen’s doing,” he said. He gave her another kiss and walked toward her doorway. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Alright, goodnight,” she said. He left her room and walked down the hallway. He passed by a room, hearing moaning noises coming from it, and causing him to look and see what was happening. He saw Stephen and Dina lying in bed, kissing each other heavily, and getting ready to do something else that Mark wished he would be doing with Legend.

He gave out a cough on purpose. Stephen asked, “Who’s there?”

“Oh, it’s me, Mark, I have to talk to you urgently.”

Stephen got up from the bed, zippered up his pants and buttoned up his shirt.

“I’ll be right back,” Stephen said to Dina. She kissed him one last time before he disappeared from the room. Stephen came up to Mark. He gave a twitch to his face, signaling to Mark that he was upset at him for disturbing his pastime. He turned around to look at Dina again, and then said, “You know, dude, you couldn’t have picked a better time to talk to me. Can’t we talk later, I have to get some sleep, I have a big day tomorrow. I have to go with Legend to a photo shoot, and then I have three modeling shows to do!”

“Stephen, I have to talk to you about something important, please say you’ll listen,” Mark said. They walked down the half-lit hallway.

As they walked, Stephen turned to him and said, “Alright, what is it?”

S
tephen and Mark wandered down the staircase and arrived in the dark foyer. “Mark, come on, what is it?”

Stephen checked to see if the front door was locked, turned to Stephen and said, “Well, guess what I heard when I was coming home from Julienne Stiles’s home?”

“Who’s Julienne Stiles again?” They continued to walk toward the back of the house. They exited through the back door and Mark still stayed silent, like he didn’t hear Stephen’s question. They stepped out to the humongous pool that the flowered backyard held, and a single water fountain that was surrounded by green shrubs. Stephen asked again, “Dude, who is she again? I forgot.”

“Oh, she’s a, well, she’s a new supermodel that was recently discovered. Well, I heard that the–”

“Mark, what were you doing at her house?” The moonlight shined over his face, and Mark could see some suspicion in his eyes.

“You know, the same things that I, as well as you, always do,” he laughed.

Stephen still stared at him with suspicion. “Mark, please tell me you didn’t–”

“I did, I got laid by Julienne Stiles. Aren’t you jealous now?” Mark said, smiling. Stephen still stared at him with suspicion, but now shock was added. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Mark, did you forget that you have a girlfriend, who is crazy about you, up in that room right there?” Stephen pointed to his house, up at a window, where Legend was.

“I know, but you know how it is, sex, sex, sex.” Stephen shook his head. “Listen, it was nothing, you know how it is,” Mark added, noticing Stephen was upset.

“Listen to me, Mark, Legend’s a special girl, you can’t do the things you did in the past, when you’re still with her. She’s not like the rest, she’s different.”

“Oh, and I guess you’re Mr. Perfect. Stephen, you know, as well as I know, that you’re just like me. So, practice what you preach,” Mark said. He began walking vigorously toward the back door.

“I do practice what I preach, I’m not cheating on Dina whatsoever,” Stephen yelled. Mark stopped in his tracks and turned around. “You better start growing up and realizing that Legend is the best thing that ever happened to you!”

“I know, but I still have to get some with something. Legend may be beyond beautiful, but she still wants to stay a virgin, and I can’t live with that right now. I mean, I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive toward my actions with other women. This is not your relationship, it’s mine and Legend’s!”

Stephen walked fast toward the water fountain.

“You don’t realize what you have, do you?” Stephen asked. He calmed down and Mark walked up to him. “Legend is going to be, most definitely, one of the most famous, beautiful women ever in the history of this world, this nation . . . and you have her. . . . You’re eighteen years old, and you have the most beautiful girlfriend ever, who cares for you, and you don’t realize it. You don’t realize how many guys would give anything to have a single stare, with deep meaning, from Legend. Guys would give anything to get a kiss from Legend, as you do every day.” Stephen stared at the water fountain. He couldn’t even look at Mark that’s how disgusted he was at him. “Guys would give their lives to make a wish that Legend would fall in love with them.”

Mark looked at him with serious eyes. “My God,” Mark said, starting to smile.

“What?”

“Oh my God!”

“Why are you saying ‘Oh my God’ like that?”

Mark commenced smiling more, shook his head and walked away from Stephen. Mark then walked back and said, “You know, my whole life, I have been envious of you, Stephen. I have been envious of your looks, charm toward women, and overall, your wealth. . . . And now, I have something that you want.” Mark walked up closer to Stephen. “I would have never thought, in a million years, that I would possess something that you yearn for.”

“Yearn? What the hell are you talking about?” Stephen knew what Mark was hinting at. He put up his guard, his shield, and asked again, “What are you talking about?”

“Legend. You care for Legend, don’t you?”

Stephen’s mind got overwhelmed with anxiety. “No, no I don’t. I care for Dina, and that’s it. You know, that’s very rude of you to judge my character and my feelings toward–” Stephen suddenly stopped. “My God, I’m beginning to sound like Legend.” Stephen dropped in a seating position on the ground that was made of green grass.

“You like her, don’t you?” Mark asked. He sat down on the ground also and looked up at the clear night.

Stephen sat in silence, not knowing what he should say to his best friend, who has the love of his life in his possession. This was something very new to Stephen. “You know, Mark, I see the way you put on a mask whenever you’re around Legend.” Stephen’s voice was calm. “And I admit, I did, and probably still do become jealous of you for that. . . . For the way you put on that mask so greatly, and are able to fool Legend. . . . But when it comes to you dating her . . . I’m not jealous of that. I don’t wear a mask, put up a front, in front of her, and for that, she doesn’t want anything to do with me. And personally, for some odd reason, I would never want to wear any other character in front of her. I wouldn’t feel right–”

“You care for her, don’t you? Stop beating around the bush: do you, or don’t you care for her?” Mark asked. His tone showed some sincerity to it, as if Stephen was his younger brother, and he was helping him with a problem.

Stephen gazed up to Legend’s bedroom window, seeing white drapes waving in the wind. “I never cared for another girl before, Mark. . . . I didn’t know what it felt like to care, or even to love another girl. . . . I was just interested in beyond beautiful girls, and making sure I got laid by them. . . . But, with Legend, she’s so beautiful, and yet I don’t care if I have sex with her or not. I mean, all I want is for her to stare at me, and say the same feelings to me that I have for her. . ..

“I just want to hold her forever, and never let go. . . . So, the answer to your question . . . is yes. . . . I do care for Legend, but I know she’s with you, and you’re like a brother to me. For that, I just have to get over it,” Stephen explained.

Mark got up from the ground and dusted off his pants.

“You know, Stephen, you’re right about me wearing a mask in front of her. But the thing is, I don’t think I care for her as much as you do. . . . I mean, whenever I’m around her in public, I’m there only for the attention I get from the media when they see me holding Legend Conaway’s hand. Or, when we’re alone, all I think about is having sex with her, and then leaving her be. . . . I admit, I do have something special, but I don’t think she’s as special as you do. . . . It’s all in the eye of the beholder,” Mark said with complete honesty and sincerity. He never did that before. He realized Stephen was truly in love with her, and for that, his tone showed seriousness to it, a type of solemnity that he never showed before. “I tell you what, I’ll break up with her tomorrow.”

Stephen jumped up from the ground.

“No, no, no, don’t do that, you’ll only hurt her. I told you already, I have to deal with this, it’s okay. . . . She’s your girlfriend, all I’m saying is for you to realize that she’s the best thing you ever had,” Stephen said. They both walked toward the back doorway.

“Well, she’s the best thing that you ever had, too, it’s just you know it mentally,” said Mark. They entered the house again and headed to the foyer.

“Well, it’s going to stay in my mind, and that’s it. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Stephen said. He began to walk up the staircase, and leave Mark standing by the front door when he suddenly stopped on the eighth stair, and turned around. “Wait a second, what is it you had to tell me before?”

Mark opened up the front door and said, “Oh, I just heard that some popular charity event wants Legend to give a speech.”

“Oh, yeah, I already know that. She’s going to do it this Sunday.” Stephen then continued his journey up the staircase and Mark exited through the front door. Stephen entered a hallway, and walked to Dina’s room.

Suddenly, he noticed a door open, and realized it was Legend’s room. He looked inside, and saw her sleeping body. The window to the balcony was wide open. So, he felt the draft from the wind soaring through the window, and decided to shut it. As he walked in, Dina left her bedroom and wandered down the hallway, in search of Stephen. Dina passed by Legend’s room, saw him passing Legend’s bed, and coming up to her window. Dina hid behind the wall, and stuck her head in the bedroom doorway, suspiciously watching Stephen walk through the room of the girl who Dina was most envious of.

“Who’s there?” Legend asked. Stephen turned around and realized she was still sleeping. “Leave me,” she said. Stephen smirked, knowing that she was talking in her beauty sleep.

“It’s only me, Legend,” he said. Dina still watched his actions from a distance.

“Mom, I’m sorry for not calling you,” Legend said in her sleep. Dina listened more closely and Stephen walked out onto the balcony, admiring the view. “I am beautiful, but it’s a mask,” she said. Dina’s face settled into confusion.

Stephen strolled back inside, shut the window and said, “Well, I shut the window for you, have a good rest.”

“I love you,” Legend said.

Stephen stopped walking and turned around to face this beautiful sight.

He walked up to her, Dina watching with jealousy, and bent down by her bedside. He caressed Legend’s blonde hair and moved his hand down to her gentle face. “You know, Legend, I watch you a lot while you’re sleeping, and you never answer me as to who you love,” he whispered. “I don’t care if your eyes are shut, it would still mean so much to hear you say you love me, even if you are dreaming.”

“I love you,” Legend said. Stephen slowly kissed her on the forehead and then got up from his knees.

“Yeah, I know you love Mark,” Stephen said. He headed toward the doorway and Dina ran back to her room before he entered the hallway.

As soon as Stephen shut the door, Legend whispered, while her beautiful eyes were still shut, “I love you, Stephen.” She woke, but fell into slumber again.