Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Eloise
An emerald green dress, matching four-inch heels, and a fake diamond bracelet I borrowed from a friend before I left Buffalo comprise my outfit for the evening.
The bracelet is the only symbol of rebellion I own. Technically, I stole it, but since she’s never asked for it back, it’s time to lean into the assumption that it became a gift at some point.
The mask in my hand is another reminder that I’ve only broken the rules in life a few times.
I picked it up at a costume shop in the West Village after I was handed an envelope as I rushed past a restaurant.
I was on my way to blow through a fifty dollar gift card that my mom had sent me through email two weeks before my twenty-first birthday.
It was for a boutique offering clothing that fit into her ‘acceptable range.’ She made it clear that she wanted me to choose an outfit I could wear to celebrate my birthday with my brother at a nice restaurant.
Everything on the racks of the boutique involved a turtleneck, a skirt that brushed my calves, or long sleeves.
Before I could round the corner and choose something I knew I’d alter, a handsome man in a dark suit pushed the gold envelope at me. Hopeful comedians and bands with not quite enough money to record their first song are always handing out flyers, trying to entice people to their free shows.
I took the envelope under the assumption that it was another invitation to spend an evening in a bar that I was a hair too young to step foot in.
My fake ID had always worked its magic when I needed it to, so as I approached the boutique, I ripped open the envelope to find a thick piece of gold cardstock.
Written across it in raised black lettering were the words:
You’re invited to partake in the sins that abound within Skyn tonight.
The address of a building on the Lower East Side and a list of requirements for those who chose to attend the club followed in a lighter shade of ink.
I needed ID to prove that I was at least twenty-one.
Check.
I had to surrender my phone when I entered the premises.
I could handle that.
I had to wear a masquerade mask of my choosing.
Who doesn’t love a little mystery?
And I had to honor the privacy of the other guests.
Definitely doable.
I debated going for an entire second before I shoved the invitation in my bag and bounced into the boutique in search of a dress I could rework to showcase all of my best features.
I found it in a little black dress with a too-high lace neckline and a hem that hit above my ankles.
I saw the revised version in my mind, so I tugged it off the discount rack, used my gift card, and headed straight for the costume shop down the block to grab a mask.
Less than six hours later, I was inside Club Skyn in a dress that looked like it was made for me because, in a way, it was.
I’ll be there again tonight if the gold invitation in my hand is worth its weight in…well, gold.
“He won’t be there,” I say to myself as I take one last glance at the full-length mirror in my bedroom. “Dr. Morgan is always working. He will not be there.”
For all I know, the Club has shut down, or tonight is ‘show your face’ night. If that’s the case, I’ll be back home within the hour.
But, if, by chance, it’s another private party that requires a mask, I’m game to see what might be in store for me, as long as I can get inside.
“You have nothing to lose,” I tell myself as I check my red lipstick in the mirror. “And everything to Gaines.”
I laugh out loud. “Gain, Eloise. You have everything to gain.”