Masqued

5. Strange Clouds

Chapter 5

I gasped as I ran toward Sam.  I ripped my mask from his hand and went back to the bathroom before he could say another word.  My heart was pounding as I tried to get my mask back on.  My hands were shaking so much that I was having a hard time tying the ribbon at the back of my head.

Just then, I heard the door to the bathroom open and saw Sam standing there, mouth open.

"Oh, my God," he said again, staring at me wide-eyed.  "You're..."

I finally got the ribbon tied and I turned around to face him. 

"Don't say anything!" I said.  I bent down to make sure there wasn't anyone in the stalls before I went and locked the door.  Turning around, I strode back toward him.  I looked up at him, eyes pleading.  "Please don't tell anyone.  David and his fiancé Cami are the only people who know who I really am."

"But how...?"  He shook his head.  "Why don't you tell people who you really are?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head.  "Because at school, I'm Dani Sinclair, the geeky girl who everyone loves to pick on.  This life is a total one-eighty from that one.  I'm a different person when I'm DJ Masque."

"But seriously..."

I put a finger to his lips to stop him from speaking.  "No," I said.  "I know what you're going to say.  I want to keep this life a secret."  I sighed.  "And now you're the third person who knows who I really am.  So please, please, don't say anything.  Don't tell anyone."

He looked at me for a moment before nodding.  "Okay," he said against my finger.  His warm breath sent a shiver down my spine.

"Thank you," I said, and started for the door. 

He spoke right as I unlocked the door.  "So I'll see you around?" he asked.

I looked back at him.  "I don't know," I said, and walked out the door.

My heart was still pounding as I made my way back to the booth.  David was still there, my headphones on his head.  When I walked up beside him, he looked over at me and grinned. 

"I look pretty hot in these headphones, huh?  I think I might have to steal...What's wrong?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing when he saw the expression on my face.

I shook my head, took my headphones off of him, and turned off the mic so no one would hear our conversation. 

"Sam knows," I said, looking down at my laptop to start the next song. 

"What do you mean he...He knows?" he practically yelled.  Thank goodness no one could hear him over the pounding bass. 

I nodded, looking back up at him.  "I ran into him on my way back here and I had my mask on the top of my head.  I was going to put it on when I was about to get back out here.  But when he bumped into me, it must have fallen off and I didn't realize it.  We talked for a few moments and then I was about to come back out here when he picked up my mask.  He put two and two together."

David ran his hand through his hair.  "You don't think he'd tell anyone, do you?  I could pay him off to make him not..."

I shook my head.  "He wouldn't do that," I said. 

"How do you know, though?  Come on, at least let me threaten him," he said. 

I laughed, shaking my head again.  "No," I said.  "I believed him when he said he wouldn't.  I just hope that I don't see him again..."

David rolled his eyes.  "You know that's not going to happen," he said.  "You see him every day at school.  Hell, you probably give him a good eye fu-"