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Masked.
Lisa Reznie and Christina Velez have been best friends since the 7th grade. They
finish each others sentences, they eat off each others plate, and they both hate and love
the same things. Neither of them have secrets that the other does not know of. Except for
Christina, her secret was too big to tell, even to her best friend. To make a long story
short, Christina has been secretly in love with Lisa for almost a year. Being a senior in
high school, a “closet” lesbian and captain of the basketball team is no easy task. Neither
is being in Lisa’s situation. Just being told that her best friend of 12 years has just
confessed that; 1 she is a lesbian and 2. That she likes you all in one sentence is rather a
lot to take in. Identity can be one of the most excruciating things to develop your last
years of high school. This is why I write this story; to give an example of, how hard it is
to be yourself. Whether straight or gay, Identity is about knowing what you love about
yourself, and who you are inside and out. Be yourself.
“Crazy isn’t it? I didn’t want to tell you because I thought you would hate me, or
think I was weird.” There was a long pause.
“Why didn’t you just tell me, we don’t keep secrets from each other. Remember?”
Lisa said with a hurt look on her face. “Besides, I don’t care if you like me. I mean it’s
not like I’ m going to reject you or anything. We’re best friends. We will always be best
friends.”
Christina twisted in the kitchen chair uncomfortably. Frustrated that Lisa did not
understand where she was coming from. “Lisa, I know we are always going to be best
friends, but...” Christina stopped dead in her sentence as soon as she saw Lisa’s mother
step into the kitchen. Mrs. Reznie was a hardcore religious fanatic. Whose job, love life,
and social life revolved around God, and the one thing that she could not and would not
stand for is gay marriage. “Hi girls, are you guys home already?”
“Yeah, we had a half day today” Lisa said quickly.
Oh,” Mrs. Reznie said as she reached in the closet for a bottle of “Fantastic”.
“Okay, well I’m going to go clean the bathrooms. You two don’t eat up
everything okay?” She kissed her daughter on the forehead and went to clean.
They both looked at each other, and exhaled. “Look, I think that maybe you and I
should keep ourselves. Only because if my mom finds out that ...you know, she will have
a heart attack. Why don’t you sleep over tonight? My mom will be away at a meeting all
night and we can talk about this then.” Lisa said.
“Okay. What time should I come over?”
“How about 7:30?”
Okay,” Christiana got up, and headed for the front door, with Lisa right behind her.
“My parents are going to dinner tonight anyways, so I don’t see why not.” Lisa
opened the door. Christina stepped out and began to walk down the street. “Don’t forget
7:30!” she yelled, and Christiana gave her a wave. After Lisa, had closed the door, she
could not help feeling, some sort of weird excitement roaming in her body. For some
reason, she was a lot more than flattered that Christina, her best friend, has had this major
crush on her for almost a year. Then a sudden sound, of anger and irritation came from
upstairs “LISA!!” yelled Mrs. Reznie. Then Lisa remembered that she forgot to clean her
room. “I know mom, I’m coming.” And she ran upstairs.
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That evening, as soon as her mother left Christina arrived right on time. Lisa and
Christina ate, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Then after they ate, they sat on Lisa’s
bed in total silence. Waiting for the question that’s been lingering in the air, since
Christina arrived. It was 8:15pm, when Christina asked “I need to know how you feel
about this, and I want the truth.” She said as sternly as possible. She looked up at Lisa
with a hopeful eye, as to having her say what she wants her to say. “Honestly, i'm
actually, kind of flattered that you like me. I mean, like I said before I would never reject
you from being my best friend.” Lisa said.
The look on Christian’s face made Lisa want to change her answer. There was a
long pause, probably the longest one they had all night. Lisa then got up, and said “I want
to change now, I will be right back.” As she gathered up her pajamas, (that only consisted
of cheerleading shorts and a tank top) and headed to the bathroom.
“Okay then I will change here.” Said Christina, not really knowing what to say or
do she got up, closed the bedroom door and sat back down on the bed. She waited. Every
thought she had ever had about Lisa, where all racing at once. Wondering what to say
when she gets back into the room.
As she began to take her top off, the door broke open and there was Lisa, staring
at Christina’s topless body. There was silence, no movement, no breath. Lisa froze and
Christina froze. Then without thinking, Lisa walked in, very close to Christina’s face and
planted a kiss, on her lips. Lisa then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Christina still frozen, slowly put on her pajamas and barley breathing she walked out of
the room and down the hall to the bathroom where Lisa was. She stood in the door way
and asked “What was that?” Lisa looked up, and with a heavy eye looked at Christina and
said “I’m not sure, I saw you. And I... I...” she trailed off. “You got curious, is what just
happened.” Christina said with a disappointed voice. “Yeah, I just wanted to see if it was
different from kissing boys. I didn’t mean for it to, you know, mean anything.” Lisa said.
Christina looked as if her she were about to cry. “Lisa, I thought that you might have…”
“No. I don’t. I’m so sorry I did that. Chris, you know you’re my best friend. We
will always be that way.” Christina turned and walked downstairs and without saying a
word, took her bag and left. Hearing the door slam shut, Lisa felt her heart become heavy.
For some reason though, she could not forget they way she kissed Christina. Strange as it
may seem, she wanted to do again. If felt as if, there was some sweet tasting cloud that
just fell upon her lips and lingered there. She took a long gaze into the mirror. While
looking at herself, she for some reason looked, different.
“Maybe I need to just sleep it off. Then talk to Chris in the morning.” She thought
to herself. As she laid down to sleep, she could not help but to think. To think about Chris
and the way her body looked a lot different without her shirt on, or about how she kissed
her out of impulse. Suddenly gravity took hold of her eyelids, and she fell asleep.
Christina dropped her bag at the front door. Slowly walked herself upstairs and
fell on her bed. “Why would she do that to me? I mean why would she kiss me, and tell
me not to let it mean anything, after I’ve liked her for almost a year?” Her mind began to
race again. Upset and confused, Christina’s eyes began to fall, and she fell asleep.
The next few days at school began to get stranger and stranger. Not only did they
not talk to each other. They became distant as well. Until, a couple of days later, Lisa saw
Christina hanging out with Samantha Krozer. Lisa and Sam have not been friends since
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the 8th grade. Only because Sam thought she was more important than other people, and
began to care a bout no one but her self. Lisa all of a sudden felt a rush of anger in her
face. She had no idea why she felt jelaus. Then without thinking she walked over to
Christina, grabbed her arm and whipped her around away from Sam.
“Wow. How ironic.” She glared at Lisa. “Are we still on for tonight?” Sam
looking at Christina with a pleased look planted on her face. Chris moved Lisa aside and
happily said “Oh yeah, 7:30 at your house. I will be there.” Sam walked ahead to class.
Now being alone and face to face, Lisa said “What the hell are you doing? Are you trying
to make me jealous? Because if you are, it’s not working” Christina looked up at Lisa,
with a heavy head, “Yes, actually I am. So now you know how it feels to be used.”
“I told you I was sorry about that,” Lisa said with almost a whisper. “I don’t know
what came over me. Look lets not argue. I want us to be friends Chris.”
Well maybe I can’t handle us being friends. I want to be MORE than friends! But
you don’t understand that! I was trying to tell you that the night of the sleepover, we can’t
be friends, and I’m too in love with you.” Christina said. Now crying, she ran to the
girl’s bathroom. Lisa, stunned, turned to walk in the opposite direction, took a look at the
clock. The bell had already rang, so now the both of them are fifteen minutes late for
class. “No sense in going to class now.” She thought to herself.
Lisa walked into the bathroom, looking at Christina, who was looking at herself in
the mirror. “You said that you liked me. ” Lisa said in a low voice.
“What?” Christina said with irritation.
“You told me you liked me, not loved me.” Lisa trying to hold back a grin and
failed at the attempt. As soon as Christina saw her grinning, she began to get angry.
“Yeah, well I lied.”
“Why would you lie?”
Look, why do you care so much anyway, huh? You don’t like me, so there is no
point in us talking about what I said. So drop it!” Christina yelled. Crying harder now,
Lisa took a long gaze at her.
“Chris, you’re my best friend in the whole world why can’t we just...”
JUST WHAT? TALK ABOUT IT? I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!
IT’S EMBARRASSING! I TELL MY BEST FRIEND THAT I’VE LOVED HER FOR
MORE THAN A…” and there was silence. Lisa had slowly walked over, and kissed her.
When their lips had parted, Lisa looked at Christina.
“This is the part where you tell me not to let it mean anything...” snapped
Christina. Lisa lifted her head, heart pounding, mind racing. She kissed Christina again,
but this time, longer than the last two. Then finally, Lisa took Christina’s face in her
hands, looked her in the eyes and said,
"I love you too."