Chapter 1 #2
Before I could respond, there was a flutter of movement on the edge of my vision—another guest!
I reeled around fast enough to put a kink in my neck, but I only managed to see a flash of tuxedo and blond hair.
Judging by the growing commotion, whoever had arrived was important, but there were too many people blocking my line of sight to see who.
Just as I was about to turn back to Asha, a tall woman with a pixie cut stepped out from the crowd and made her way in our direction.
Even with her mask on, I immediately recognized her as Sandra Hogan, our boss.
“Look,” I said, nodding toward her. “Maybe Sandra is cutting us loose early. We could catch the tail end of cocktail hour!” A half grin spread on my lips, but I contained the smile before my excitement grew out of control.
There was no guarantee that Sandra would let us attend the ball after our shift.
Using a single finger, Asha twirled her phone in circles on the countertop. “You say that like you plan on staying.”
My head jerked up. “Don’t you?”
“Definitely not,” she said, her nose wrinkling. “As soon as we’re done, I’m heading home.”
“Aw, come on,” I complained, my gaze still focused on our boss. Sandra paused in the lobby to talk to one of the guests, and my shoulders slumped. Maybe we weren’t being let off early after all. Still, I said, “You can’t leave early. You’re my ride.”
“Sorry, Felicity.” Asha shrugged halfheartedly. “I have a date with my computer. We’re going to spend a long, romantic evening on Tumblr.”
That was no surprise. Asha had been obsessed with Tumblr ever since her fandom blog about Immortal Nights, the hit TV show, went viral.
Nowadays, she spent more of her free time creating memes and reblogging GIFs of the actors than interacting with actual people.
In fact, that was why she was volunteering for the CCA.
Asha’s mom had gotten so fed up with her daughter’s antisocial behavior that she made her get a summer job.
Not wanting to work the local Dairy Dream drive-through or sort shoes at the bowling alley, Asha opted to volunteer with me.
And as long as it got her out of the house, Mrs. Van de Berg didn’t care what Asha did.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Don’t you want to see how the party turns out?”
Asha scoffed. “I have no intention of spending my night with a bunch of stuffy socialites.”
“But it’s a masquerade ball.” Beautiful people, gorgeous dresses, music, and dancing—what wasn’t to love?
“And?” Asha said, snatching her phone. She pressed a few buttons and set it back down.
Three seconds later, a soft melody started playing.
The music wasn’t loud—we’d get in trouble if we disturbed the cocktail reception—but there was just enough volume for me to recognize the opening lyrics of “Astrophil,” the latest hit from the world-famous boy band the Heartbreakers.
If there was one thing that Asha was more obsessed with than Immortal Nights or Tumblr, it was them.
After listening to the first verse, I sighed and answered her question. “And the event’s going to be glamorous, obviously.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, and I’m the epitome of glamour.”
Okay, maybe my best friend wasn’t known for being fashionable.
Her normal school attire consisted of yoga pants and T-shirts.
And since all the CCA volunteers were required to meet the black-tie dress code, she’d spent three days panicking about what to wear.
In the end, she decided on her mother’s traditional silk sari, which looked a whole lot better than the getup I’d thrown together.
While I loved wearing dresses, my closet was filled with floral-patterned cotton ensembles that I bought at thrift shops, not ball gowns. I didn’t own any formal wear, not even a prom dress. Last semester when I went to the dance, I borrowed my next-door neighbor’s in order to save money.
So yesterday morning when I still didn’t have an outfit for the fund-raiser, I took the bus to the mall and tore through the sales rack at Macy’s.
I managed to find a pink, floor-length A-line that didn’t clash with my red hair and only had a few ruffles.
The price was under a hundred bucks, but I had to dip into the money I’d been saving for college to purchase it.
And that meant passing on a new pair of heels and cramming my feet into the pumps I wore for eighth-grade graduation.
“We’re already dressed up,” I said. “Besides, aren’t you the least bit curious to see if anyone exciting comes? What if Gabe Grant shows up?”
That got Asha’s attention.
“He won’t show,” she said, but from the look in her eyes, I knew she was second-guessing her decision to leave. Gabe Grant, Asha’s biggest celebrity crush, played the sexy werewolf warrior Luca on Immortal Nights. She only had about fifty shirtless posters of him taped to her bedroom walls.
“You never know,” I singsonged, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. “How upset would you be if you went home and he ended up coming?” Asha pursed her lips in consideration, so I ambushed her with my best pout. “Please?”
“Okay, okay. You win,” she said. “But we’re only staying for a little bit. Long enough to survey the ballroom and see who’s here. Then we’re gone.” She turned away. And her avoiding eye contact was the only hint I needed to figure out she wasn’t staying because of Gabe.
Asha knew that today was Desertion Day and, more importantly, how much I hated it.
That she would stay to keep my mind off Rose made me want to cry, but in a good way, because let’s face it: the chance of Gabe Grant coming to the ball was nonexistent.
This was something she was doing solely for me.
More girls seriously needed BFFs of Asha’s standards.
“Yes!” I kissed her on the cheek. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re the bestest best friend of all the best friends in the history of friendships?”
“Keep laying it on. You owe me.”
“How’s it going back here, ladies?” Sandra asked, and I jumped at the sound of her voice. Somehow, in the midst of our conversation, she’d made her way over without me noticing.
“Fabulous.” Asha’s voice was drenched in sarcasm. “We’ve checked a grand total of zero coats, but we did point a few people in the direction of the bathroom.”
Sandra laughed, pulling up her mask so we could see her properly. “Well, since most of our guests have arrived and nothing has been checked, you’re both free to go home.”
“Miss Hogan?” I said, and Sandra turned her intimidating gaze on me. “I was wondering if… I mean, you mentioned that we might be allowed to stay?”
“I’m glad you’re so eager to help out, Felicity,” she said, “but there isn’t anything else for you to do.”
My smile faltered. “Actually, I meant to stay and enjoy the ball.”
Pretty please, I silently begged.
Sandra gave me a hard look as she considered my words. “Yes, I suppose,” she finally said, “but you’re required to wear a mask, and I can’t give away any of CCA’s for free. You’ll have to purchase one.”
“Don’t worry. I have that covered.” I grabbed my canvas messenger bag from underneath the counter. “I made these last night,” I said, pulling out two handmade masks for her to examine. “You know, in case you decided to let us stay.”
After the mall yesterday, I’d gone to Craft Corner.
By using coupons and shopping out of the bargain bins at the back of the store, I was able to get all the supplies I needed at a relatively low cost. The masks the CCA had ordered for the ball were all different animals—from peacocks and swans to tigers and lions—so I made sure the ones I constructed were as well.
For Asha, I’d created a blue jay with an array of white and cobalt feathers that I knew would match her eyes perfectly.
My own was a butterfly, made with a dusting of pink glitter and fake jewels.
“I should say no since everyone else is wearing our masks,” Sandra said, picking up one of my designs. “But these are simply stunning.”
I beamed. “So we can wear them?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose so.”
“Heck yeah,” I said, not believing my luck. “Thank you so much, Miss Hogan. This means the world to me.”
Sandra was already walking back toward the lobby, waving a hand over her head without looking back. “Have fun, ladies.”
I had every intention to.