Chapter 5: A Dangerous Dance

Celeste

“So… You like to dance, huh?”

The notification popped up on my screen, causing my heart to leap in my chest. Matt was sitting right across from me in the living room, texting me, and he didn’t even know that it was me.

Jack was sitting between us, playing a video game on the television. The two of them had been taking turns for a while; I would have been hiding in my room were it not for the fact that dinner was in the oven, and I needed to be in close proximity to the kitchen to keep an eye on it.

I shot Matt a glance, wondering whether I should ignore his text for now in case anyone caught on. But as my memories of our night in the bathtub worked their way back into my mind, I couldn’t help but be a little naughty.

“I do,” I replied, angling my phone in order not to be seen. I tucked my knees up to my chest and leaned back in my armchair, hoping that it would only look as though I was playing a game on my phone.

“Well, that’s good,” Matt said. I glanced over at him as he typed, taking note of how fast his fingers flew across the screen. He had an eager glint in his eyes, and it made my heart flutter.

“Why?” I asked.

Matt sent a shrugging emoji, followed quickly by another text. “Do you know about the Moon Goddess Festival ball?”

My heart leaped in my chest again at the mention of it; it wasn’t possible… Was it?

“You’re not inviting me, are you?” I asked.

“Hey,” Jack said, waving the video game controller in Matt’s face. “Your turn, dummy. Quit texting girls.”

“Sorry.” Matt smirked, pocketed his phone, and took the controller. At the same time, I felt my throat close as Jack looked over at me. He didn’t need to say anything aloud, but his eyes spoke volumes; when would dinner be ready?

Silently, I pocketed my own phone and retreated to the sanctuary of the kitchen. I pulled dinner out of the oven, and a few minutes later I was carrying two plates out to the living room.

I set them down on the coffee table in front of Jack and Matt, who were both too absorbed in their video game to even acknowledge me. I took my opportunity to slip out of the living room and retreat to my bedroom without dinner.

When I was alone, I paused in front of my full-length mirror to glance at myself. Although Matt’s compliments still felt fresh in my mind, they were sullied by his indifference when my brother insulted me earlier. I still felt just as ugly as ever.

Tears began to form in my eyes as I looked at myself, taking in my awkward appearance. I quickly whirled away and finished getting ready for bed.

…

The next day wasn’t much different than the day before. I went to class in the morning, where I met Fiona outside of the lecture hall; only this time, she had a sheepish look on her face.

“What?” I asked as I approached. “What is it?”

Fiona grinned. “The ball king and queen were announced,” she said. She nodded her head over toward a bulletin board that was surrounded by other students, mostly girls. “Wanna go check?”

“Uh… Sure.” I followed my friend, although if I was being honest, I didn’t care much who the king and queen were because I knew that I would never even come close to that title. If anyone ever did vote for me, not including Fiona, it would only be a joke.

We approached the gaggle of girls, who were all muttering and giggling as they read the announcement. Fiona pushed her way through them, and I followed.

“Of course,” Fiona whispered, pointing. “It only makes sense. How could it ever be anyone else?”

My eyes followed Fiona’s delicate finger and rested upon the two names on the board: Enzo and Nina Rivers.

Everyone knew Enzo and Nina; they were the campus’s star couple, the most beloved duo in all of Mountainview. They got married a year ago, and were now both seniors.

Enzo used to be the hockey captain, but he passed the title on to Matt so he could instead become the sports program coordinator when he graduated.

Nina was already on track to be the school doctor when she would graduate as well. From what I heard, their relationship was a beautiful rollercoaster. Nina was a little bit like me; shy and awkward, but grew out of her shell when she found her true love. I could only ever dream of being even remotely like her someday.

“Look!” Fiona hissed, tapping furiously on my shoulder and breaking me out of my deep train of thought. “There they are!”

I turned around at Fiona’s behest; and, of course, there they were indeed. Enzo and Nina.

The girls around us gasped and swooned as the two of them approached, hand in hand. Enzo was tall, muscular, and sported a head of curly brown hair. He wore a flannel and jeans, and walked confidently with his textbooks under one arm and his other arm around Nina’s shoulders.

Nina was petite and pretty, with two long, black braids and blunt bangs below which sat a pair of gleaming brown eyes. Her face had a faraway look to it, like she was lost in her own world.

Enzo said something to her, causing her to look up at him, throw one of her long braids over her shoulder, and smile warmly. The two of them kissed before parting ways, and she disappeared into one of the lecture halls.

“They’re perfect,” Fiona swooned, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as we watched Enzo disappear around a corner. “A dream couple.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, feeling a seed of bitterness take root in my heart as I realized that I would never, ever have that. “They sure are.”

…

“Yes. I am inviting you.”

The notification illuminated my phone beside my pillow, jerking me out of my half-sleep. I abruptly grabbed my phone, my eyes widening as I read Matt’s text.

It was midnight, long after Matt had gone home. I was safe now to text him. Smirking, I tapped out a response.

“Really?” I asked. “What, can’t find another date?”

“I have options,” he replied. “But I want you. Besides, you said you like to dance. I could use a good dance partner. You are a student at Mountainview University, right?”

I sat up, running a hand through my frizzy hair. This was dangerous territory; I knew that. One wrong step could result in this all going to hell for both of us.

“I am a student at Mountainview,” I replied, then paused, chewing my lip before I sent out another message. “But I can’t go with you.”

Matt’s response came almost instantly. “Why not? Do you have another date?”

“No,” I replied, stifling a laugh at that ridiculous notion. “It’s just… These sorts of things aren’t for me. I don’t really do dances or balls or anything like that.”

Matt was silent for a few minutes. I thought that I had finally driven him away, and in an odd sense, I felt almost relieved. It was bittersweet; of course I wanted to go with him.

He was handsome and popular. I wanted to live out my fantasy of having a date like that for such a big event, but I couldn’t go with him. It was a horrible idea.

Suddenly, just as I was about to lie back down, my phone lit up again.

“Could I convince you to go if I said ‘pretty please’?”

My heart fluttered at this boyish message. There was something endearing about Matt’s eagerness; he was so different from the aloof, selfish guys who I had sexted in the past. He was sweet.

At least, this online version of him was sweet. When he was with my brother… I wasn’t so sure.

“You’ll have to beg.”

Instinctively, I felt my hand wander down to the waistband of my underwear again. This would be it; we could sext, get our rocks off, and never speak again. Most guys disappeared once they had what they wanted a couple of times.

But Matt didn’t bite.

“I won’t beg,” he replied. “But I do really like you, and I want to see you again. If you came with me, I’d be happy.”

My hand froze, then withdrew from my underwear. I paused for a few moments, chewing my lip as both the best and worst scenarios went through my mind.

The best case scenario would involve going to the ball somehow without being recognized, then going home with my tiny shred of dignity still intact. Worst case scenario… I didn’t even want to imagine it.

Just then, the mask, still sitting on the floor of my closet, caught a reflection from my phone in one of the sequins and glinted in the light. I suddenly had an idea, and I grinned as I typed out my response.

“Fine. I’ll go with you,” I said, typing furiously. “But I like a good mystery… So you won’t see my face, and you won’t know my name. You’ve seen my mask…”

The three bubbles, indicating that he was typing, popped up and danced across the screen. I waited patiently, my smile widening as I finally read his response.

“It’s a deal, Mystery Girl,” he replied. “I’ll be looking for your cat mask.”