Masqueraded Identities

Chapter Eleven

I walked out of the auditorium with a sigh and a downcast look. I had totally bombed my audition. The director looked so un-impressed it made me want to cry. Previously, I had been known to make auditioners poker faces with my monologues. This time? Not so much.

Mark was waiting for me when I came out. He looked eager until he saw the look on my face, which caused his own face to drop.

"What?" he asked, concerned.

"I failed that entirely," I stated.

"I doubt that. I've seen you in theatre."

"Well, the director looked very unmoved."

"He's supposed to look like that."

"Not with me! Whenever I audition, I always break the poker face of the auditioner or director."

"Well, our director is made of stone. Bet you got in."

"Yeah, okay."

"Seriously. I bet you if you get in, you have to be my girlfriend," he said mischievously.

I raised my eyebrows, my depressed mood suddenly vanishing as a happy blush rose to greet my cheeks. "And if I don't make it?"

"You be my girlfriend, anyway."

"It's shame I have to wait until tomorrow for this," I managed to say. What the hell? Did I actually flirt correctly?

"You don't have to. I just wanted an excuse to ask you out."

I smiled and bit my lip, hoping I looked cute and not like I had a twitch. "Well, it worked."

"So, is it a yes, or a no?"

"It is most definitely a yes," I said, disguising my voice to sound like I was rejecting him.

His smile faltered, then he realized I said yes instead of no, and he broke into a giant grin, again.

"I was hoping you would say that," he mumbled as he wrapped me in his arms.

Two hours later I was back in my dorm, re-telling the story of how Mark asked me out so cleverly to Tay. We squealed like little girls, when Tay suddenly asked, "What about your masked stranger?"

I bit my lip as my stomach dropped. Right. That. "Uh, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I was so caught up in the moment I didn't even think. I completely forgot I had a possible love triangle dilemma."

"Well, putting the love triangle aside, let's think positive. Do you think Mark is him?"

"Well, he's as sweet and as charming as my masked stranger was. I'm not entirely sure, though. He hasn't really given any clues away as to whether or not he could be."

Tay nodded thoughtfully. "Go figure. Well, regardless, that is too cute!"

I smiled knowingly and logged into Facebook. I had a relationship request from Mark right away and I quickly accepted it with a big, cheesy grin on my face. Immediately after it showed up on the news feed, Ryan messaged me.

RYAN: Hey.

ME: Hi there.

RYAN: Mark, huh?

ME: Yes, Ryan.

RYAN: Be careful. He's not who you think he is.

ME: Really, Ryan? Haven't you meddled with my life enough? Now I can't be in a relationship without getting crap from you?