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But these masks … they even the playground.
They allow me to live the life I remember I used to have.
And I crave it so badly that it feels like I’m starving, hungering for a simple taste, a touch of a girl I’m not supposed to have. A girl I’m not supposed to take.
“What are you cosplaying at?The Phantom of the Opera?”
I sigh out loud at the snort that follows. “Thanks for your amazing compliment, Milo.”
“Well, what is this fit even?” He grabs his suit and tugs at the fabric like he wants to tear it off and strut around butt naked, and honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. If not now, then at least by the end of the night.
“I feel like an owl in a suit, hoot hoot!” He does a weird little dance, sticking his fingers above his head like he’s trying to summon owls from outer space. “Look at this fucking mask. It’s ridiculous.”
“I think they look nice,” I say, crossing my arms as I lean against the thick wooden beam supporting the banisters. “Besides, we’re not called the Phantoms for nothing.”
“True,” he responds, placing his hand on my shoulder. “But that’s not what you made them mandatory for, is it?”
I frown as my heart rate picks up.Has he found out the truth? Or is he just playing me to pry information from my head?
“Relax,” he muses. “I know you don’t like it when people see your face. So you made everyone hide. Big deal.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Yeah. It definitely helps.”
“Then why are you still up here?” He grins. “Go and have fun, enjoy your party. Mingle. Dance. Get some donations. Empty some pockets. Get drunk.” I shake my cup, which his eyes follow, and he leans in to smell. “That ain’t liquor.”
“Coke mix,” I reply.
“Mixed with what? Apple juice?”
He snorts, so I shove his face into the cup and force it down his throat.
“There. Now you know.”
He coughs and heaves, throwing the cup aside as he licks the droplets from his chin. “Fuck. That actually tasted good. Strawberry?”
“Told you,” I retort, walking off with my hands tucked in my pockets. “Black cherry vodka and grenadine, if you must know.”
“Wait, you’re just gonna leave me with a drenched face?” he asks. “Who’s gonna clean it up?”
“You can beg Nathan,” I muse, winking at him. “I know he likes it when you do.”
He rolls his eyes, but I make my way downstairs, determined to find the girl I’ve set my target on. She’s gotta be in the ballroom, dancing away the night with her friends, having the time of her life as though nothing could go wrong. But I know she saw the pure and utter chaos waiting to swallow her whole in those few seconds our eyes connected.
I walk into the ballroom and stalk around the dance floor from the sidelines. The music blasts in my ear, but I pay no attention to it as I scour the room looking for her. It’s not hard to spot the ribbon among the crowd. It stands out like a red flag, luring me in.
Until I spot the one thing I didn’t take into account.
Her dancing with another man … And it makes me wild with rage.
He’s clutched her waist, and he’s getting so close, rubbing himself against her that my blood begins to boil.
His hands are all overmywoman.
And if he doesn’t take them off swiftly, I’ll personally cut them off tonight.
* * *
Lana
