Free Behind The Mask by Terry Towers

Chapter 1
    Trina heard the front door downstairs open, heavy footsteps storm in and then the door slam shut again. She cringed at the slew of curses that came from her stepbrother’s mouth as he made his way up the spiral staircase to the second floor of the house they shared with their parents – her mother and his father.
    Placing her ruby red lipstick on her vanity, she took a glance at herself in the mirror. Dressed in her Poison Ivy costume, prepared for the Comic-Con event she was attending that evening, she didn’t look anything like her normal nerdy self. Her black-rimmed glasses were replaced with emerald-colored contact lenses that covered her natural blue eyes. Her body, which was usually covered with a baggy t-shirt and equally baggy jeans, was restrained within a forest green corset with her breasts threatening to spill out and matching mini skirt covered in fake leaves. For the first time in her eighteen years she looked and felt sexy.
    Her stepbrother’s footsteps continued to charge up the staircase, until they reached the landing for the second floor. In a bout of brazenness she decided to go out and see what was wrong, although she suspected she already knew.
    Opening her bedroom door, she stepped out into the hallway, blocking his path as he rushed down the hallway in the direction of his room. His head lifted from the screen of his mobile phone and he stopped short in front of her. His eyes wandered the length of her body to meet her eyes. For a moment she thought she saw a flicker of hunger in his dark eyes, but as soon as the look appeared it was gone, replaced instead with annoyance.
    “What in the fuck are you wearing?”
    Planting her fists on her hips she returned his stare. “A costume.”
    “You and your dorky friends competing in a ‘who can dress like a bigger slut’ contest?”
    Normally she’d cower under her stepbrother’s wrath, but not tonight. Maybe the costume was giving her a newfound sense of power – she didn’t know or care. She’d been bullied by him for two years and she refused to be bullied any longer.
    “What’s gotten you pissed?”
    “None of your business.” He made an attempt to brush past her, but she stood her ground, blocking him.
    “It’s Claire, isn’t it?”
    His gaze met hers again, his eyes narrowing. “What do you know about her?”
    “What all the school knows. She’s been gloating about dating a college guy, while fucking the captain of our school basketball team.”
    His lips formed into a tight line, the muscles in his neck clenching.
    “It’s true, isn’t it?” she prompted. She couldn’t believe how much she was enjoying seeing him squirm.
    About time he figured it out, she mused as their stares remained locked and she waited for his response. She really had no idea what he saw in Claire anyhow – aside from her looks. She was model perfect, but looks only got a person so far. Aside from looks, Trina couldn’t see the appeal.
    “I didn’t know who it was, until now, just knew she’s fucking around. And if you must know, I just broke up with her.”
    Trina had to force back the smile that was threatening to form on her lips. She knew she shouldn’t be excited to hear the news he was single, but she was. Not like she could do anything about it. Not like he’d ever be interested in the girl he considered his dorky stepsister. She’d seen a slew of women come and go from his life and all of them had one thing in common: They were beautiful, but nothing much else to offer than looks. She was the exact opposite.
    He frowned. “What’s that look for?”
    She shrugged. “I was thinking maybe if you picked your girlfriends with your big head instead of the small one you might find someone with substance.”
    He scoffed. “Yeah, and what would you know about it? You’re barely old enough to date.”
    She formed a fist and slugged his muscular shoulder. “I’m eighteen, asshole. Only two years younger than you!”
    “Eighteen,