Masquerade of Lies

by Wendy Hinbest

  “Uh…watch the lip gloss.”

  “Oh…sorry.”

  Josh and I exchanged looks because of what transpired earlier that day.

  “Shane!” Katie blared as she lunged towards him.

  Her eyes were glittering with inner light. Shane modeled a black tuxedo with royal blue accessories. He had shaggy blonde hair and sky blue eyes that were spaced evenly apart. He had a rectangular face with a defined chin and strong jawline. Mark stood there looking confident with his hands in his pants pockets. He had on a black tuxedo with a black tie.

  “Hey gorgeous.” I lowered my head and smiled coyly.

  “Hey Mark.” His cheeks dimpling as he smiled.

  “Okay, ladies, let’s bounce. Your limo awaits,” said Josh.

  “You got a limo?” Claire shrilled. She dashed to the door and peeked outside, then clapped her hands in delight.

  We all piled into the black stretch limo. There were long leather seats, and bright blue lights beamed from the interior roof. In-between the seats was a compartment full of ice, which contained two bottles of Dom Perignon, a few bottles of water, and a couple of Canada Dry ginger ales. There were also several wine glasses. Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off boomed from the speakers. All the girls were bouncing to the music in their seats, and the guys were recapping plays from the homecoming game. Claire and Josh were snuggling, which made my teeth hurt. I still didn’t understand what he saw in her, besides having a flawless face and a body to die for. If Katie and Shane were any closer, they’d be having sex. Mark and I sat next to each other and he had his arm around my neck.

  “How’s your head?” he whispered.

  “Better, thanks.” We smiled at each other.

  Suddenly, Claire sprang from her seat and grabbed one of the champagne bottles and a corkscrew. When the cork came out, it made a pop sound.

  “Let’s get this party started!” she squealed. “Who wants champagne?”

  “I’ll have some,” Katie called out, then fetched one of the wine glasses and handed it to Claire to fill up. The champagne bubbled as she poured.

  “What about you, new girl?” Claire looked at me in a she-doesn’t-do-anything-fun kind of way. I wasn’t really in the mood to drink, but then I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction.

  “Sure, I’ll take some,” I said.

  She filled my wine glass halfway and handed it to me. Eventually, everyone had a glass of champagne in their hand. Claire lifted her wine glass in the air.

  “Let’s make a toast. First, we kicked The Vulchers ass last night, and tonight Josh and I are going to be crowned homecoming king and queen. Drink up, bitches!”

  There was a “Woohoo!” here and “Yeah!” there from everybody in the limo.

  “Nice one, babe,” said Josh.

  “I know, right?”

  “It’s too bad Jessica couldn’t be here tonight,” said Katie sympathetically.

  Claire rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah, where is she tonight, anyway?” inquired Josh.

  “Oh…she drank too–”

  “She OD’ed on some pills,” Claire blurted, cutting me off.

  “No way!”

  “Way. Her mom probably has rehab on speed dial.”

  The others were quick to laugh, but I paled.

  Soon, we pulled up to Willowdale High. The school looked so different at night; it reminded me of a jail with all the bright lights in the front. We all spilled out of the limo. All the girls looked stunning. Some wore backless dresses that molded their bodies perfectly, while others strutted in flawless gowns that flowed to their toes. Diamonds occupied their ears and neck, and their feet looked flattering in their strappy heels. I noticed all the dresses worn were either white, blue, or silver. Even Katie and Claire were wearing blue dresses. I looked down at myself and examined my yellow dress, then thought about the fact that the theme for the homecoming dance was “winter wonderland”, so it only made sense for the girls to wear blue or white dresses. Wait a minute…Claire bought me this dress! Did she set me up to look like an idiot? It was obvious she got off on making others look bad so she could feel better about herself. I felt a rush of heat to my face.

  Claire hooked her arm around Josh’s, and Katie did the same with Shane.

  “Shall we?” Mark said to me as he waited for me to link his arm.

  I took a deep breath, and we locked arms as we headed towards the double doors. I could feel people staring at me. A couple girls wearing stunning chiffon dresses flat out looked me up and down and laughed in my face. When we entered the gym, my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Blue gossamer was draped around the room. Snowflakes and mini lights were strung from the ceiling. The whole room glittered with blue LED lights, and each table occupied a large martini glass filled with lit up ice cubes. A winter wonderland arch decorated with metallic sheeting stood at the back of the gym by the stage. Blue and white balloons were clustered on the dance floor. Demi Lovato’s Heart Attack blared throughout the room.

  “Where is Ariana Grande, Claire?” I asked dubiously.

  “She’s coming,” she hissed. “By the way, did I forget to mention how…golden you look in that dress?” She grinned before she spun on her heels and strutted to the bar for a drink.

  Golden? Clearly, she was being facetious.

  Katie and Shane wandered off into the crowd, while Mark and I stood by the doorway. We glanced at each other and then he took my hand. I had feelings for Mark, but the truth was, I liked Josh a little bit more. My mind flashed back to when I lived in Deerwood. It was the winter formal, and of course, Marisa had a date. I, on the other hand, had to go solo. I really wanted to go with Simon, but he ended up going with Stacy Carter. I was devastated. When I realized he didn’t share my feelings, my devastation quickly turned into rage. I started thinking about how I acted and the terrible thing I did.

  “Hanna!” Mark’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “Do you want a drink or something?”

  “Sure,” I replied.

  He escorted me to an empty seat at one of the tables and headed towards the bar. Originally they were going to serve punch, but the school was afraid students would spike it. Claire’s dad paid for a bar, but Principal Drake said we could only serve non-alcoholic drinks. I spotted Katie with a glass of what looked like ginger ale in her hand. She sipped it through a red straw. She spied me sitting at the table and danced towards me, pulling Shane along.

  “Where’s Mark?” she asked, trying to talk over the music.

  “He went to get me a drink!”

  The music was pulsing in my chest. Shane pulled out a chair for Katie, and she sat down, then he sat down at the seat next to her. They made a really cute couple.

  My throat started to feel dry. I glanced at the bar to see what was taking Mark so long with my drink when I saw Josh. He was standing next to Claire, who was talking with her hands to a girl wearing an embroidered Gucci chiffon sleeveless gown. He caught me staring at him and smiled softly; my heart flip-flopped. I quickly looked away. Just then, Mark came back with my drink.

  “I got you 7 Up! I hope that’s okay!”

  “Yeah, that’s fine! Thank you!” I bellowed as I took the glass from his hand. He sat down in the unoccupied seat beside mine. I felt a tap on my shoulder and craned my neck to see Stephanie standing there. She wore a black short high neck lace dress. Her raven hair was loosely curled, and her red dip dyed ends stood out against her dress. Her skin looked pale, and her eyes were heavily lined in black. She looked like she was going to a funeral. Suddenly, I wasn’t so self-conscious about my dress.

  “Hey, Steph! You look…sexy,” I said.

  “Thanks. You look very yellow,” she said.

  Both of us started laughing. I guess both of us missed the memo about wearing a color-appropriate dress.

  Claire walked up to our table with Josh. “Wow…look at you two,” she said. “Together, you guys look like a bumblebee.” She giggled as she sat down at our table.

  “So, wh
o did you come with?” I asked Stephanie.

  “Me, myself, and I. A girl has to keep her options open.” I laughed. “Mark Edwards…nice” she said in a low voice, gesturing at Mark. I smirked. “By the way, how’s your head? I can barely see a bruise.”

  “It’s fine, thanks.”

  “Cool.”

  I put my hand on her arm. “How are you doing?” I asked. Stephanie had had a break down about her father one night when we were hanging out at my house.

  “I’m over it.”

  “Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t you sit down with us?” I offered.

  She glanced at Claire. “No, that’s okay,” she said.

  I looked at Claire, then back at Stephanie. “Oh…okay.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  With that, she was gone.

  Mark and I decided to share a dance. Maroon 5’s One More Night was booming when it suddenly got cut off. A spotlight lit up the stage, and everybody looked in that direction. Principal Drake walked on the stage and stopped in front of the microphone stand. The light bounced off his bald head. He had an oval shaped-head and beady eyes. His belly protruded underneath his royal blue dress shirt, and sweat began to sprout on his forehead. He wore grey slacks and a grey tie.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Winter Wonderland Homecoming 2015!” The crowd roared. “Now without further ado, this year’s homecoming queen is…”

  Rebecca Quail, the senior class president, walked gracefully across the stage in a long white spaghetti strap gown as her luscious curls bounced against her back. She handed Principal Drake two envelopes, then the room grew quiet as he slowly opened one of the envelopes and everybody waited in anticipation.

  “Hanna Clark!” he announced.

  Everybody began to clap. My mouth fell open as I looked around in disbelief, and my heart hammered in my chest. “Woot! Woot! Shouted Mark.

  “Ohmigod,” I whispered. This is what I get for dating Mark; a popular senior, I thought.

  My eyes darted directly to Claire, who was standing there with clenched fists. Her face became a dark mask. Meanwhile, Josh’s face was glazed with shock.

  I cautiously walked towards the stage; it felt like I was heading towards my execution. The way Claire was looking at me, I probably was. I trudged up the stairs. I couldn’t see anybody because the light was blinding me. As I approached Rebecca Quail, she placed a rhinestone crown on my head and wrapped a sash that said Homecoming Queen 2015 across my chest. For the first time in my life, I felt like royalty. Everybody was looking at me. They were clapping for me. In Deerwood, I was always the shadow behind Marisa. Even though we were best friends, she was always the popular one, the pretty one, the confident one; I was just the girl behind her. For once, I wanted people to notice me. Finally, that day had come–although it had come at a price. Claire was pissed at me, and I wasn’t sure what Monday would bring. She knew my secret. She knew I’d been in a mental institution. She wouldn’t tell everybody…would she?

  I sauntered to the microphone. “Thank you, everybody!” I squealed.

  A high-pitched noise pealed from the microphone. I didn’t really know what else to say, so I stepped back and Principal Drake took my place.

  “And now…this year’s homecoming king is…” He opened up the second envelope. “Josh Banks!”

  Everybody looked astonished. I could hear people gasping and whispering. Principal Drake clapped, and eventually everyone else followed suit. I caught Claire’s cold, hard eye glaring at me before she swiveled around and stormed away. Rebecca placed a similar crown on Josh’s head and wrapped a sash across his chest that said Homecoming King 2015. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me; I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

  “Now it’s time for the king and queen to have their dance!” Principal Drake announced.

  Josh stretched out his hand so I could take it. He smiled at me adoringly as our hands connected. We gracefully descended down the stairs as the spotlight followed us. Everybody cleared the way so we could dance. As Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing started playing, Josh placed his hands on the small of my back. It felt like a million butterflies were fluttering all over my body.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I said.

  “I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

  “I didn’t expect this to happen! I would never go behind Claire’s back to be homecoming queen!”

  “Relax. It’s no big deal.”

  “Not to you maybe, but to Claire…all she talked about was being crowned homecoming queen. Do you think she’ll ever speak to me again?”

  “Don’t worry about that right now.” I looked to my left and noticed Mark staring at us.

  “I should get back to Mark. After all, he is my date.”

  “Is that all he is? Your date?”

  “Not sure yet. We never really talked about it.”

  “Oh.”

  The corners of his mouth curved into a smile, and he gazed at me provocatively with his gorgeous blue eyes.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” I said.

  “Nothing…it’s just that…well…you’re glowing.”

  “Yes! I’m the only one wearing a yellow dress! I know!”

  “No…I mean…you look beautiful tonight.”

  “Oh...thank you.”

  As I took a deep breath, I felt the redness in my cheeks. Our eyes locked, and just for a moment it felt like we were the only ones in the room. He slowly leaned in to kiss me.

  “Um…I-I’m sorry,” I stammered.

  I stepped back, detaching myself from him. The song we were slow dancing to had finished, and One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful started playing. The dance floor became flooded with students. I turned my head to look at Mark, but he wasn’t there anymore.

  “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I said. I whirled around and filtered through the crowd. As I dashed towards the bathroom, I overheard a girl shriek, “I love this song!” When I finally reached the bathroom, I pushed on the door and it made a squeaking noise. I looked inside; the bathroom appeared empty. I walked in, stood in front of the mirror, and stared at my reflection. I gripped the sink with both hands and leaned over the sink. He tried to kiss me! I thought. Why would he do that? Is he into me?

  I took a deep breath and straightened my back. The music pounded through the walls. I adjusted my hair a little bit and gently touched my face. I thought about the idea of me and Josh as a couple and gave myself a small, delighted smile. I swiveled around and dashed into an empty stall, then locked it when the white fluorescent lights began to flicker. Suddenly, I was in total darkness. A small crack of light filtered onto the floor from the bathroom door opening. I heard somebody walking. With every step, there was a whooshing noise. I peeked through the stall door, but I couldn’t see anything. I leaned my ear against the stall door. I could hear slow, shallow breathing. I was paralyzed. Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door. Then, several more. I jumped and stumbled backwards. I covered my ears with my hands. My breath quickened. Tears began to pool in my eyes. My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to burst out of my chest.

  Suddenly, the banging stopped. I could hear something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

  “Who’s there? Wha…what do you want?”

  Whoever was out there didn’t answer me. The lights came back on, and my eyes shifted from left to right. As I crept up to the door and put my hand on the lock, it started trembling. I took a deep breath and swallowed a huge lump in my throat. I didn’t hear anything except the buzzing of the music. I slowly unlocked the stall door and pushed it open, then warily stepped out and looked around. I flinched at my reflection, then noticed something red on the mirror. I sauntered a little closer and gasped. Only three words were written in red li
pstick:

  LET IT GO.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN—MY NAME IS HANNA CLARK, AND I’M A MENTAL PATIENT

  I dashed out of the bathroom and thudded into Mark. “Ohmigod!” I shouted.

  Mark grabbed a hold of my shoulders. “Hanna! What’s wrong?” I was breathless and tears flooded my eyes.

  “Did you see anybody come out of the bathroom?”

  “Like who?”

  “I don’t know! Anybody!”

  “No, I didn’t. I just got here. Why? What happened?”

  “Somebody is after me!”

  “Who would be after you?”

  “I don’t know!”

  He put his arms around me and I broke down. “Ssh…it’s okay. You’re safe.”

  “Can you please just take me home?”

  “Okay…okay..let’s go.”

  ***

  It was Monday morning, and I really didn’t feel like being at school. I was still totally freaked out by what had happened at the homecoming dance.

  Let it go, I thought. Who could have written that? Whoever killed Brooke was obviously afraid of getting caught and wanted me to stop digging and just let it go. Then I thought about the fact that Claire was so pissed at me for winning homecoming queen. Maybe she saw Josh try to kiss me and she was warning me to let him go or else?

  As I sauntered through the hall, I noticed everybody staring at me. One guy jumped in front of me and imitated a crazy person as his buddies laughed. People all around were whispering and gawking at me.

  Stephanie stopped me in the hall and put her hand on my shoulder. “Hanna…I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” she said.

  “Tell you what?” I said, confused.

  She handed me a flyer. As I peered at it wild-eyed, my heart skipped a beat. It had a picture of me at Hessner, standing in line for breakfast. I was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans and a grey sweatshirt. My hair looked like straw. Underneath my picture in big bold letters, it said: HANNA CLARK IS CRAY CRAY!

  The flyer trembled in my hand.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked.

  “I found it taped to my locker.”

  I looked up, and almost everybody had the same flyer in their hands. Dozens were scattered on the floor. I snapped my neck to the left and spotted a few more taped to the wall. Almost every student that walked by had one in his or her hand. They were everywhere.