The Masquerade Read online

  Adam and I jumped onto our seats, standing above the crowd of students eating outside. People turned and stared with open mouths, some full of food. Shiloh and Hayley looked up expectantly.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please!" I shouted, grinning.

  "We have tickets to see The Masquerade tonight!" Adam yelled and jumped up. When he landed, his feet hit the wooden seat and the entire bench, along with Hayley, shook. She shot him a glare and shoved him off the seat. He stumbled when he landed on the ground, but leaned forward to bow anyway.

  "Who?" Someone shouted in response.

  Another voice, belonging to a catty cheerleader, nearly split the air with its high pitch. "Seriously, no one cares."

  Hayley recognized the girl and flipped her the bird. Shiloh shot across the table and grabbed her hand to restrain her middle finger before an administrator caught her. Our school wasn't very strict, but because we lived in the south, they had absolutely no tolerance for vulgarity.

  When I realized I was still standing on top of the bench, a pair of familiar eyes met mine. The joy, erupting inside of me, ceased. The smile fell from my face as I stared at my ex-boyfriend across the patio. He sat with his group of friends, the friends that were the very reason that tore us apart. Realizing Eli's was distracted from their conversation, two of them looked over their shoulders and stared at me with narrowed eyes. I ignored them and focused on Eli, his brown eyes held my gaze with a force I used to think was sexy. I swallowed hard and pried my eyes away from his, before I bent down and sat in my seat. I adjusted my posture, one elbow on the table to avoid any more collisions with his eyes.

  His stare still gave me butterflies, but now there was a shard of ice in my chest to accompany the jitters. He chose his side, the friends who were notorious for getting into trouble with the police. Despite how much I cared for him, it wasn't enough. I faced that inevitable truth the week before school started. To save myself from more heartbreak, I broke it off. I didn't realize I would feel pain every time I saw him, knowing he was no longer mine and I his. He changed, but my feelings for him never did.

  Hayley's voice snapped me out of my trance. "I hate that bitch."

  "She probably feels the same about you."

  I looked at Hayley who was feigning surprise in response to Shiloh's statement. Her hand touched her chest dramatically. "Why, on Earth, would she hate me?"

  "Isn't that Marcie Asher?" Adam asked, looking at the girl who Hayley politely displayed her middle finger to. With her hair coiffed in an obnoxious bow and a painted on cheerleader suit, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes, like daggers at our table. Adam turned back to Hayley with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you slept with her boyfriend?"

  "Ex-boyfriend and no," Hayley corrected. She paused, "I slept with her best friend's boyfriend."

  "Good Lord," Shiloh mumbled.

  Adam's attention turned in the direction of Eli's table. He looked at me and back at their table. "Ella," he said slowly.

  "I know." I groaned and wished he would drop it.

  He stared at me with scrutinizing eyes. "Want me to take care of them for you?"

  I shook my head, pressing my lips together to hide my smile. The thought of Adam trying to stand up to one of Eli's buddies was not a pretty picture. His skinny '5'7' form was no match to any of them who stood taller than six feet, including Eli. Adam tried to master the tough guy look once but when you have a Justin Bieber haircut it's a little hard to pull off. He'd sported that hairstyle for as long as I could remember. It used to be cute, until that lousy singer became famous and it turned into a bad trademark. The entire school nicknamed him 'Bieber' even after that thing we call a pop star cut his hair.

  "So, where should we prepare for this extravagant event?" Shiloh asked to bring back the initial subject that had us worked up to begin with.

  Hayley shrugged. "Whoever's house has the most bras, make-up, and tampons." She turned to our friend with a smile. "Adam?"

  He frowned at her. "Go away. No one likes you."

  I raised my arm and waved it around like a child desperately trying to get the teacher's attention. Shiloh turned in her seat and called on me to play along. "Yes, you there. Blonde girl with the random purple highlight in your hair."

  "My house!" I said, feeling myself turn back to the bubbly girl I was at heart. Eli's dark scowl faded into the back of my mind...but stayed there.

  "Sour gummy worms?" Hayley asked, eyeing me with scrutiny.

  "Duh."

  "Ella's house it is." She said blatantly before she took a handful of fries from Adam's plate and shoved them into her mouth. He shot her a look filled with malice.

  Shiloh's skeptical eyes moved to Hayley. "What did you have to do to get those tickets?"

  "More like who," Adam scoffed.

  Hayley snickered and, as if on cue, the lunch table behind ours burst into hysterics. I leaned up and peered over Hayley's shoulder to find her stoner friends pointing to her and nodding. My eyes moved back to Hayley. A knowing smile pressed her lips.

  "Are those idiots the same ones that gave you the tickets?" Shiloh snuck a peek at them as well. Hayley smirked and began to sing the chorus of "Everybody Loves Me" from OneRepublic. Adam winced as though he smelled something horrible and held up his hand.

  "Just stop, stop!"

  She cut herself off to glare at him. I grinned at my three friends, sinking into the glorious excitement of the events to come tonight. The thought of being in a crowded room, shoved up against random strangers with the same passion for music, waiting impatiently for the final band to perform was exhilarating. Nothing could disrupt my moments of pure bliss, not even Eli and his incessant issues.

  Three

  One of the first students to exit the building after school, I was on the sidewalk across the street, before I heard the laughter of students celebrating the Friday afternoon. Adam had to stay after school to speak with a teacher about his project grade, which meant waiting for him, taking the bus, or walking home. I wasn't one of the privileged juniors to own a car so I depended on Adam for transportation, but I liked walking.

  We lived in a small town where everything was within close proximity. My school was less than five minutes from my house. When I walked, it took longer, but I loved the time alone to think. It allowed me to venture into my personal demons and the memories I kept locked inside. My life wasn't perfect, but there was nothing I could do to change it, so I lived optimistically.

  A few minutes passed before a car slowed beside me. The glare of the metal cast from the sunlight caught my attention. Squinting, I turned in the direction of the car that was rolling slowly to match my pace. My breath caught in my throat when the baby blue 1967 Mustang came into view. It was a known fact around town that if you saw Vlad, Eli's friend, you were to stay close to your parents or run to the nearest building and stay there. Although I'd never actually seen Vlad hurt anyone the way his friends did.

  The passenger window rolled down. "Ella," Davey said coolly, leaning forward. I noticed his curly brown hair had grown since the last time I saw him.

  "Davey," I responded and gave a small nod to Vlad in the driver's seat. His head turned in my direction briefly before he adjusted his stare to the windshield in front of him. He hadn't changed at all. He still wore the black aviator sunglasses that I'd never seen him without. His black hair was cut to his jawline and the after five shadow was always present. Both guys appeared to be older than seniors, which attracted the girls at our school who were looking for the mysterious bad boys they thought they could change.

  "Need a lift?" Davey asked, a mocking smile in his features. I bit back a scowl in response to his lame attempt to get me in the car.

  "I'm fine." I told him firmly and continued to walk down the sidewalk. I felt something twist in my stomach when I noticed from the corner of my eye that Vlad's car lurched forward to follow me.

  "What are you doing later?"

  I shot him a dirty look. "Not you.
"

  "We'll see." A shudder ripped throughout my body. Ignoring the chill, I turned to see a bemused expression on Davey's face. I stopped walking. The car halted when I turned to face it directly, my arms folded.

  "What do you want?"

  "You." His sharp eyes moved over my silhouette. I stepped back on impulse. He laughed and nodded to me, "I like that skirt." His eyes moved down my bare legs and I instantly regretted choosing a skirt over skinny jeans. Vlad's head turned to the side, a frown creased in his features as he stared at Davey.

  My throat prickled as I swallowed. "What do you really want?"

  His eyes darkened. "Leave Eli alone. He doesn't need any distractions."

  "First of all, I haven't said more than two words to him since August. Second, if he has any problems or distractions, I suggest you look in the mirror to find them. Third," I paused, "Don't tell me what to do."

  Vlad muttered something to Davey who turned to listen. The car slowly began to pull off the road. Davey turned back to me, his eyes narrowed. "Be careful walking the streets alone." There was something in his voice that shot more chills down my spine. I shivered and in response, rubbed the sides of my arms as if I were cold. I couldn't show him I was afraid. He'd love that.

  I glared at him. "Is that a threat?"

  He shook his head. "Just a warning." His infamously wicked grin returned to his face. "Bye, Ella Baby."

  The car pulled into the road, the engine revved as it sped down the street. I watched it disappear around the corner before I continued to walk. The goose bumps still covered my arms while the confusion wavered around me. I couldn't stop wondering if there was actually a point to our conversation or if he was he just trying to scare me. I picked up the pace at the thought, determined to get home safely.

  Four

  "Wanna hear a joke?"

  I laughed, pulled the front door further open, and stepped to the side so my two best friends could walk in. "Sure."

  "Your face." Hayley said while she entered and headed straight for the kitchen. Shiloh and I exchanged eye rolls and followed her down the hallway that led directly to the large kitchen.

  Hayley stopped in the doorway. Her gaze fixated on my mother, who was bent over, halfway inside the oven. Hearing our conversation, she carefully pulled herself out to greet my guests although they practically lived with us. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun. A few smudges of soot were smeared on her face. She was wearing a white shirt; pink Victoria's Secret sweatpants, and yellow Playtex gloves that were pulled up to her elbows.

  "So what is the plan for tonight, ladies?"

  "A concert with the most desired band in the world performing." Shiloh exclaimed, smiling.

  My mom nodded. "The usual. Who's driving?"

  "Adam," I answered quickly. My mom loved Adam to death. In eighth grade, she caught the two of us off guard, during an intense battle of Mortal Combat, and suggested we start dating. Our reactions were pretending to vomit on each other's shoes. She never mentioned it again, especially when he began to lust after my best friend.

  My mom's eyes lit at the mention of his name. I knew if I mentioned him there was no way she could decline the evening's plans. "Well then, I guess you can go." What I imagined to be a mock of heartbreak suddenly crossed her expression. "What am I going to do without you tonight?"

  I wasn't sure how to answer at first. She worked nights at the County General Hospital twenty minutes away from our home. She was the head nurse so she usually didn't get many nights off. It was just my mom and I, so I usually tried to be home on her nights off. It was crucial to our small family that we spent as much time together as possible. Of course, tonight had to be her night off.

  She sensed my distress immediately. She smiled and shook her head. "I'm kidding, El. Have fun."

  I laughed and stepped forward to kiss my mom's cheek, the side that wasn't smeared with soot. "Not as much fun as you will have here with Max." Max was our one hundred and fifty pound St. Bernard. He pretty much lived in our house as if he were a human being. I looked over my shoulder and found him on the couch in our living room, lying on his back, his legs stretched to reach each end of the couch. After ten years, it still amazed me how he could sleep in that position.

  I chuckled and turned back to my mom. "We'll be upstairs getting ready." I began to push Hayley and Shiloh to the staircase. Hayley stopped and turned to my mother.

  "What were you doing?" She asked, motioning to the oven. It was then when I noticed the fire extinguisher and the phone book lying on the floor by the oven.

  "Trying to fix the oven," my mom frowned and looked over her shoulder. "Something broke it."

  "Maybe it's the neighbors," I suggested. "You know they're always getting stuck in there."

  She threw her hands up. "That would explain the smell." My mom and I exchanged smirks while my friends stood in the doorway with blank expressions.

  "My best friend," Shiloh began, "Is a cannibal."

  They both turned to look at each other. Hayley wiggled her eyebrows. "Yummy," their voices chimed together at the same time.

  I laughed and walked behind them upstairs. We gushed about what we were going to wear and how we were going to do our hair, like normal girls. In the end we would wear basic band t-shirts and throw our hair up into ponytails, except for Hayley whose hair always had to be down and perfect, despite the sweaty and hectic conditions.

  "So," Hayley said when she strode into my room. "Who has dibs on who?"

  Our eyes flicked to the large poster above my desk. It was a picture of the five members of The Masquerade posing for a photo shoot. Before we went to a concert each of us picked out one member of the band performing to crush on the entire night. If we were lucky enough to get to the front of the stage, we would try to get their attention, whether it was making hearts out of our hands or flashing them. I never came close to exposing myself, but Haley mastered the technique. Sometimes, we managed to get backstage to hang out with the band thanks to Haley's flashing expertise.

  "Hmm," Shiloh said thoughtfully, staring at the poster, her eyes examining each band member carefully. The similarity in the group was remarkable. Their hair was wild and black, their faces pale and eyes penetrating. "I think PJ is perfect for you."

  PJ, the drummer, stood on the far left side, his hands in the pockets of his jeans; he was shirtless and from what I recalled from their interviews and magazine spreads, he never wore a shirt. Not that he needed one because his chest was nicely chiseled for display.

  I nodded in agreement. "You both like to take your clothes off."

  She shrugged. "I get things done."

  I moved over to my desk and pulled open the bottom drawer to the stash of my favorite poisons. I shoved aside the bags of chocolate covered pretzels and retrieved three packages of sour gummy worms. I tossed a bag to each of them and kept one for myself.

  "Yes!" Shiloh raved, while she tore her bag open with her teeth. "I will love you forever."

  Hayley plopped a few red and yellow creatures into her mouth. She frowned, her stare moved from Shiloh to me. "I won't love you forever," she said dryly, after swallowing. "So you can forget that shit."

  I laughed and fell back onto my bed. The bag rested on my stomach while my fingers rummaged through the opening to pick out the pink and blue candies. I flicked the remaining sugar crystals on my fingers into Hayley's hair while her back was turned. She continued to gaze at the poster while I slyly made her hair sticky with sugar. Shiloh smirked at me.

  "Shiloh," Hayley turned and I dropped my hands with an innocent smile. "You still have to pick one of these gorgeous men to stalk."

  My eyes caught the lead guitarist who stood between PJ and the other guitarist, Max. The mischievous smile that gazed into the camera was mesmerizing. "I think Cam would be perfect for you."

  "The loud and obnoxious one?" Shiloh stated without committing.

  "The impeccable guitarist with killer riffs!" I corrected with a smile, leaning up o
n my elbows.

  "Probably great in bed." Hayley added and smiled at the dirty look she received from Shiloh.

  "Is it impossible for you to go through ten minutes without making a sexual reference?"

  "Pretty much," Hayley smiled at her. "So it's settled, Cam is yours for the evening." She grabbed her black leather purse and pulled out her pink, skull and cross bones, cosmetic bag, bulging from all of the makeup she managed to pack inside. "Ella, I'm doing your makeup. Get over it."

  I chuckled, "Only on a special occasion like this."

  Everyone knew how much I hated wearing makeup. I was always running late for school for to one reason or another. I didn't have time in the morning to apply eyeliner or eye shadow. Besides applying, I also found the makeup removal process too long and ridiculous to hassle with. I normally stuck to mascara and cut out the other junk.

  "There isn't much of a point to it, either. We're going to sweat it off during the show." Shiloh said, coming to my defense.

  I sat up as Hayley stood in front of me, with a stick of black eyeliner. "Don't go crazy."

  "I swear all over that sexy body of yours." She mocked, holding my chin with her hand to keep me still. I closed my eyes and felt the soft pressure run over each of my lids. I knew she wasn't going overboard, but she was planning on having some fun. She didn't get to do my makeup often.

  "Oh, we forgot about you, Ella." Shiloh said when I felt Hayley apply a powdery substance to my closed lids. A frown creased on my face. The spongy brush pulled away from my skin so I could open my eyes.

  "What?"

  She motioned to my poster. "You still have to pick one."

  "Right," my gaze flickered over to the band. I only thought of the band as a whole. I never singled out any of the members to crush on. My heart was always saved for the guitarist from Parkway Drive. When I saw them live as a sophomore, I knew I would never be the same. Luke came on stage, with his guitar in hand and proceeded to electrify the crowd with his mad shredding skills. The girls at our school crushed on fictional characters or movie stars. I was a sucker for hardcore guitarists