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“You made it,” Fiona whispered.

“You look so pretty,” I said. Her dress, like her mask, was full of purple jewels.

“Thank you. And you are gorgeous. How was the work party?”

“Boring.”

“Not sure this one is that much more exciting,” Fiona said, then stopped herself. “Well, maybe for you it is because your Romeo is here. Your star-crossed lover.”

I blushed. “How did you even get in here?” I asked.

Fiona hooked her arm through mine, and we walked a few steps down the hall. I could see now that this back hallway was lined with cushioned chairs stacked together. In the distance a white curtain was draped across an opening, creating a soft ethereal glow.

“I know someone working the event,” she whispered.

“Who?”

“I don’t reveal my sources.”

I gave her a serious look.

“Link, from art class.”

“Link’s working here tonight?”

“He is cater-waitering it up.”

I slowed us to a stop right before the curtain. “Should we go out there one at a time?”

“Yes, you first,” she said.

I nodded and stepped forward, but she yanked me back by my arm. “Your mask.”

“Oh, right.” I strapped it onto my face. Fiona helped me adjust it. Then I took a deep breath, found the opening in the curtain, and stepped through.

The room was beautiful. Not like pictures I’d seen of high-school-run winter formals with fun streamers or balloon arches. No, this was set up like some royal wedding was about to happen here. So many lights and so many Christmas trees. Each was decorated in a different way: one bursting with large ornaments, another with huge bows, and another with red and white flowers. My chest expanded with how amazing it was. Garlands draped every surface, and waiters carrying sparkling red drinks and trays of food wove in and out of brightly dressed guests.

And masks. Everyone wore a mask.

Ryan was right, I didn’t recognize anyone. Was I even going to be able to find him?

Onstage a band dressed in old-school tuxes played instruments and sang bluesy-style Christmas songs. Ryan had mentioned there were two separate rooms, an adult one and a teen one. This was quite obviously the adult one. I might not have recognized anyone’s face, but gray hair was abundant. This thought made me take a step back and wonder where Ryan’s parents were. Was Mrs. O’Leary here? She had to be. She frequented pretty much all the social events in both Cherry Ridge and Mountain Glen.

Fiona appeared at my side in her purple dress that I could see better now in the light. It sparkled, making her skin glow.

“We need to get out of this room,” I said.

“Agreed. Follow me.” She led me by my hand around the edge of the room. I couldn’t help but stare at the Christmas trees as we passed. I couldn’t imagine how much each one cost to put together. And they were real trees, tall and looming over us, smelling of pine.

“Nothing like spending money where it matters most,” Fiona mumbled. “’Tis the season.”

I didn’t disagree with her. It was all so over the top. Beautiful, but over the top. “Have you seen Ryan tonight?” I whispered.

“Maybe? It’s hard to tell. Everyone looks the same. This will be your true love test.”

“I don’t know about love,” I whispered, blushing. Like Marcus had pointed out, this thing with Ryan had only been going on for a few weeks. But the way my heart started pattering at just the sound of the word made me wonder if I was falling fast. Which scared me, because our future was so uncertain.

Fiona and I walked down a separate hall to another big room. This space was also decorated for the holidays, but instead of trees bordering the room, they were hanging from the ceiling, upside down, the ornaments clinging to their branches. On a small stage was a rock band, singing Christmas songs with electric guitars. Instead of waiters carrying food on trays, the room was lined with tables topped with food arranged into winter-themed scenes. My eyes quickly took this all in, then shot to the people, trying to pick out Ryan from the crowd.