“Khloe!” I said. “Oh my God.”
The entire wooden floor was covered in rolling fog. “I borrowed the fog machine from the theater department,” Khloe said with a smile.
All of the tables were draped in satin fabric—silver, plum purple, and black. Real pumpkins with votive candles added a touch of Halloween orange to every table. And that was just what I could see from here. Pop music streamed from a sound system I couldn’t see, and at least a dozen people were already here.
Feathers of all colors fanned around faces. Lighting caught jewels, glitter, and rhinestone-covered masks.
“I can’t tell who anyone is,” I said to Khloe.
“You’re here!”
I turned and two girls lowered their masks. Clare and Lexa had chosen the dresses that Khloe and I had thought they’d like.
“You both look amazing,” I said, with Khloe nodding in agreement.
Clare had found a purple mask to match her dress, and it was draped with black beads. “Thanks!”
Lexa had accented her tangerine-colored dress with a black shimmery mask dotted with pearls. Thin black wires curved into the air from one side of the mask, adorned with black jewels.
“Hey, hey!” Jill said, walking up to us.
Her glasses were gone, and she looked elegant in the coral lace tiered dress. Jill raised her mask to her face—it was bloodred with a fabric gold rose on the side and a matching gold stick.
“Jill, that mask is beyond!” Khloe said.
Jill beamed. “Why, thank you! I love yours, too. Lauren, you found the perfect mask for your dress.”
“Actually, you know what’s perfect?” I asked the group.
They shook their heads.
“You guys and what you did for me,” I said. “This is beyond any birthday party I could have imagined. It’s so luxurious and glam, I almost feel like I’m crashing!”
All of the girls smiled.
“Really,” I said. “I don’t know how to thank you enough.”
Lexa looked at the other girls, then at me. “I think we can all agree that the only way to thank us is to start partying and have a good time!”
“Done!” I said.
We raised our masks to our faces and walked across the floor. I scanned each guy as I looked for Drew. It was practically impossible to tell them apart—some of the guys had masks that covered their heads.
I’d imagined what tonight might look like, but my imagination hadn’t come close to this. The ballroom grew busier by the second. The masks gave off shocks of color—baby blue to royal blue, violet to plum, petal pink to hot pink, sunshine yellow, tangerine, clover green. Not one mask was the same, and each had a different style and coverage of the face.
A girl in a bright-blue mask with gold designs had been put in charge of the drink table.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“I’d love a glass of Perrier,” I said.
Blue Mask Girl poured my bubbly water into a clear plastic cup, handing it to me with a smile.
I thanked her and waited while the rest of my friends got their drinks.
“Happy birthday, Lauren,” a guy’s voice said.
I turned, and he was dressed in all black, including a black mask that revealed little of his face.
“I’m sorry!” I said. “Your mask is so good—I don’t know who’s under there.”
The guy laughed and lifted it off.
“Garret!” I smiled at him. He was one of Zack’s friends. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“How could I miss this?” He swept an arm in the direction of the ballroom. “It’s your birthday, and you’ve got a killer party.”
“You should thank my friends for the party,” I said. “They deserve all the credit.”
“Want to dance?” Garret asked. He saw me hesitate. “Just one. I know who you’re looking for.”
I smiled, glad that he got it. “Let’s dance!”
After dancing with Garret, my friends found me, and we danced until our feet were sore.
“Did any of you see Drew yet?” I asked.
“He’s coming, Laur,” Khlo said. “We haven’t been here that long. Who knows—he may even already be here and waiting for the right moment to approach you, sweep you off your feet, and dip you backward into a kiss.”
The rest of us giggled. Khloe had watched one too many soap operas, but it made me love her that much more.
“I’ll wait to see if the dip and kiss happens,” I said. “But I’ve got to find him first.”
Lexa grabbed my hand, pulling me toward her. “No way! C’mon! You’re not spending your entire party waiting for anyone. Let’s get a group together and play a game.”
“Okay, let’s do it,” I said.
Soon we’d found Zack, Garret, and a couple of people from our classes. I sat next to Jill on the couch and reached for a strawberry on the table.
“The best party game E-V-E-R is obvi One Pass,” Khloe said. “As the official Party Planner to the Stars—in this case, Lauren Towers—I think she should go first.”
Everyone started clapping.
“Laaaureen! Laaaureen!” Zack and Garret chanted.
“Totally game,” I said. “Khloe Kinsella, ask away.”
Grinning, Khloe sat on the arm of the couch across from me, smoothing her dress. “Anyone not know the rules?” she asked.
“I’m a little hazy on them,” said Raquel, a girl from my fashion class.
Khloe nodded. “No big. Rules are simple: One person gets to ask another three questions. The person being asked has to answer every question, truthfully, unless he or she says ‘pass.’ If, say, I’m being questioned and I don’t want to answer the second question, I can say ‘pass,’ and then I have to answer the rest of the questions. Hence the ‘one pass.’”
“Got it,” Raquel said, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder.
“Let’s play.”
I locked eyes with Khloe. “Go for it, KK.”
“First question. Lauren, do you have a crush on any teachers at Canterwood?”
“Ooh!” the girls chorused.
The guys all turned their heads toward me.
I blushed, glad the lighting was soft in this part of the ballroom.
“Time’s ticking, Towers!” Khloe said.
“Argh! Okay!” I took a deep breath. “He’s not a teacher exactly, but I kind of maybe think Doug’s cute.”
“Omigod!” all of the girls chorused.
I hid my face, holding my mask even closer, while everyone said “Ooh” and Garret and Zack made kissing sounds.
“Second question!” I said. “Anytime now!”
“Okay,” Khloe said. “Have you ever been mad at your sisters and done something to get revenge?”
“Can’t wait to hear the answer to this,” said Lacey. She was in fashion class with Raquel, Cole, and me.
Before I could answer, a guy walked up to us. He wore black pants and a black button-down shirt, and his mask made my eyes fly open. The gold mask glittered, even in the dim lights, and tiny gold beads draped in loops around the mask. The gold stick was wrapped to the top in gold jewels, and a single white ostrich feather pulled the entire look together.
“I’m so late, but can I join the game?” he asked. His voice was deep—one I didn’t recognize.
“Only if you take off that gorge mask and let us see who you are,” Lexa said.
The mask lowered and a grinning Cole stared at us.
“Cole!” I said, jumping off the couch to hug him. “You totally fooled me! You got me with the different voice.”
“I’m glad my attempt to be mysterious worked,” Cole said in his normal tone.
“Come play One Pass,” I said, taking his arm and pulling him over to the couch.
The game resumed.
“You have to answer or pass, LT,” Khloe said. “What’s it going to be?”
I thought about what I’d done to Charlotte years ago. Like an immature
kid, I’d filled her shampoo bottle with hot-pink hair dye. She’d emerged from the shower with streaky pink hair and had cried until we’d gotten it fixed. I’d confessed, and Mom had grounded me for a month.
“Pass,” I said.
Surprise showed on Khloe’s face. I didn’t want to recount any of the things I’d done to my sisters and embarrass them by bringing it up. I wanted the DVD to be the first step toward a better relationship among all of us. If I wanted that, truly wanted it, I couldn’t answer Khloe’s question.
“Okay, we have a pass! Laur has to answer the last question now, no matter what,” Khloe said.
I shifted on the couch seat, nervous about what she was going to ask.
“Do you have a crush on anyone our age besides Drew?” Khloe asked.
That one was easy.
“Nope,” I said, smiling.
“You’re done,” Khloe said, standing and motioning for me to sit in her spot. “Now you ask someone else the questions.”
“Jill,” I said.
BIRTHDAY WISH COME TRUE
WE PLAYED ONE PASS UNTIL EVERYONE HAD gotten a turn. My mind had stayed focused on the game, most of the time, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking around for Drew. Maybe he didn’t come over during the game because he wanted to say hi privately.
Students were coming in and out after going on a haunted trail ride that Lexa had planned. I headed back to the drink table, when someone tapped my arm.
I turned and knew. No mask needed to come off. The white mask, which formed a helmet over the top of his head, also covered half of his face. Very Phantom of the Opera –like.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
Without a word, Drew offered me his arm and I took it. I loved that he wasn’t talking—it was as if I was on the arm of a mystery guy. It fit the theme of the night. Weaving around people dancing and feathers swaying in the air, we stepped out of the ballroom. The once-loud music turned to a quiet hum.
The Halloween air couldn’t have been a better temperature—chilly, but not cold. Stars twinkled in the sky, and blackness surrounded us. The only lights came from inside, escaping through the windows, and the lanterns along the sidewalks on campus. A black horse was hitched to a small dark wooden carriage. Tiny twinkle lights had been wrapped around the front, back, and sides of the carriage. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. In the front seat, a masked man waited for us to climb inside. Drew motioned toward the carriage and I nodded.
The closer we got, the faster my heart pounded. There was no way Drew and I wouldn’t kiss after the ride! Lexa said she’d strung lights along a path in the woods and had hung glowing paper lanterns every so often. It sounded très romantic!
Drew led me to the carriage and stopped. He turned to me, taking both of my hands. I held his, hoping my palms weren’t sweaty.
Oh.
Mon.
Dieu.
This was it! It was happening right now! Before I had time to worry about my breath or if my lips were soft enough, Drew leaned in and I closed my eyes. Our lips touched softly, for a few seconds, and we pulled back. Electricity coursed through my body, like I’d touched a hot wire fence. Dazed, I stood there, staring at him. I grinned, unable to hide even a bit of my happiness.
The kiss had been everything I wanted. Actually, it had been more. I’d thought about this moment a million times, and none of my daydreams about kissing Drew had been this wonderful. I didn’t know if I’d ever stop feeling like I was floating.
Even in the dimly lit yard, I could see his smile. I smiled back, rubbing my lips together. They tingled, and I knew it had been real.
I’d kissed Drew. I’d kissed Drew.
“That’s the birthday present that I wanted the most,” I said. “You officially made my night perfect.”
He touched my cheek. “Wishing you happy birthday in person was so much better than over the phone.”
Wait. What? The voice was all wrong. What happ—
The guy reached both hands to his face and pulled off his mask. A shock of cropped blond hair emerged.
I gasped, taking a step backward.
“Surprise,” Taylor said, smiling. “Happy Halloween and number thirteen!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Twenty-four-year-old Jessica Burkhart (a.k.a. Jess Ashley) writes from Brooklyn, New York. She’s obsessed with sparkly things, lip gloss, and TV. She loves hanging with her bestie, watching too much TV, and shopping for all things Hello Kitty. Learn more about Jess at www.JessicaBurkhart.com. Find everything Canterwood Crest at www.CanterwoodCrest.com.
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SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK • COVER DESIGNED BY JESSICA HANDELMAN • COVER PHOTOGRAPH COPYRIGHT
© 2012 BY MONICA STEVENSON • AGES 9–13 • CANTERWOODCREST.COM.
Other books in the
CANTERWOOD CREST SERIES:
TAKE THE REINS
CHASING BLUE
BEHIND THE BIT
TRIPLE FAULT
BEST ENEMIES
LITTLE WHITE LIES
RIVAL REVENGE
HOME SWEET DRAMA
CITY SECRETS
ELITE AMBITION
SCANDALS, RUMORS, LIES
UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION
CHOSEN
INITIATION
POPULAR
COMEBACK
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN M!X
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First Aladdin M!X edition September 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Jessica Burkhart
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Designed by Jessica Handelman
The text of this book was set in Venetian 301 BT.
Library of Congress Control Number 2012942887
ISBN 978-1-4424-3655-8
ISBN 978-1-4424-3656-5 (eBook)
Masquerade Page 14