Page 2 of The Masks We Burn

This is time spent away from her millions of other duties, and part of me wonders if she secretly wishes she was doing something more productive. I wouldn’t blame her, but at the same time, the girl needs to live a little.

Finally, she shrugs. “I’m tired.”

Lily and I nod simultaneously.

“And I’m tired of being tired. I’m just ready to graduate. That will free up so much time and energy, stacking books and attending board meetings will feel like paradise,” she finishes, leaning against the cement wall.

“You’re almost there, girl. Just a few more months.” Lily tilts her head slightly, and I imagine the soft therapist-in-training sympathetic smile on her face.

I wish people would stop reminding me of the perpetual countdown ticking in my head.

I grab the bat I dropped and shove it lightly into Remy’s hand. “Hit that car over there for every dumb meeting you’ve had this month that could have been an email.”

She pauses for a minute, her large hazel eyes wide in what seems to be surprise. After another moment, she clutches it tighter in her grasp, her knuckles blooming white, and turns for the old Chevy in the corner.

The bat goes far behind her petite frame and then swishes over faster than I expect, slamming into the hood with a brutalthunk. The dent is pretty impressive, and I think even Remy is taken aback as she pauses, her chest heaving.

I yank a pole from a basket of tools and stand next to her. “Good?”

Instead of answering, Remy’s head merely bobs up and down.

“Then let’s do it again, because I know for a fact, there’s been at least ten shit meetings you’ve had that were a waste of time.”

Her cheeks peek out from the top of her mask, and she winds the bat up again, but stops to look at Lily.

Lily laughs, meeting up on the other side of the car, a crowbar hanging at her side. “Okay, okay. Count of three.”

“One.”You have five months left...

“Two.”And if you haven’t chosen...

“Three.” Yourfuture will be chosen for you.

My mother’s words float in the air as our weapons slam into the car almost as one, an earth-shattering clang ringing out and echoing off the walls. The relief in the room is almost tangible, and that’s all it takes. Over and over again, we strike, laying to waste the poor car until it isn’t identifiable even to the best car fanatics.

After we finish, we deposit our gear and thank the attendant on the way out.

“Fuck, that felt good.” I pull on my jacket and follow the girls into the lobby. It hasn’t snowed yet, but the air is nippy as hell, biting into my cheeks as we make our way into the parking lot.

Lily turns, taking turns to hug us both. “Be safe. I think rain is coming.”

“Will do, but text me when you make it home.”

She nods and waves goodbye, leaving Remy and me to walk briskly toward my car. I unlock it just as my phone begins vibrating in my Chanel crossbody.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Or, in this case,she.

I ignore the way my shoulders tense, and the tremor radiating down my spine as I tap on the small green circle.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me. I’ve called you a dozen times now.” Her voice cuts through the phone, and I give Remy an apologetic smile, nodding toward the car door. “Why didn’t you answer the phone,doch’?” Her native tongue is harsh as she says the word daughter. Like I need the reminder she created me, and I’m indebted to her.

“I was with friends and didn’t have my phone on me.” I twist my car fob in my hand, a weariness working through my muscles.

“Eto opasno.”That’s dangerous.

I sigh, rubbing the nape of my neck as I watch Remy slide into the front seat of my Tesla. Something my mom won’t speak of happened in her childhood back in Russia, leaving her to constantly warn me about dangers that aren’t prevalent anymore. “I was safe, Mom.”

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