masquerade 가장 무도회

masquerade [ch.6]

Day four
"Shawn"

Mary|17

   "Um this invitation," i wave it around by my face as a fan as I talk to the peppy chicks from yesterday, "I don't usually get invited to these types of things- don't get me wrong, it's most definitely an honour to be noticed for once, but I think I'll have to pass on this." I hold the invitation their way and they laugh.

"Darling, you're going." One demands with a poker face. "Think about it; hot boys, dancing, loud music. If you're lucky, you'll find a boy." She wriggles her thin, penciled eyebrows convincingly.

"I don't need nor want a 'boy'." I air quote, "y'all can find yourself a nice guy, and I'll just be at home clearing my refrigerator while watching movies- if you know what I mean." I wriggle my eyebrows right back at her.

"You're going. End of story." The black haired girl steps back into her friend and pulled her to into the sea of different ethnicities, heading to lunch.

   "Or what!" I shout at them, not really expecting an answer.

   "Or your lover won't reveal himself to you, doll face." A guy named Cameron, passes me, not even stopping to talk more. He turns to walk backwards, just sayin', he mouths with his hands raised.

   People bump shoulders with me and some even latch onto me and drag me to wherever they're going. I eventually end up at a humongous lunch table filled with mostly girls and only a few boys. "Sit!" A preppy girl, smiles widely. "You're Mary Santiago?" I hesitantly nod and they bombard me with papers, and questions, asking if I were to go to the party at Maggie's, whoever that is.

   I keep replying with no, until im dragged away from the crowd and into the outside. "Mary."

   "Who even are you?" I distance myself from this random boy. "Me? Well I'm a friend of a guy who really, and I mean really, likes you. That's besides the point. You have to go to that party, he'll be there."

   "I'm not about to walk into whatever trap those girls have planned. Sorry, last thing I need to be is humiliated in front of however many people are in on it."

   "They don't have anything planned, I'll promise you that. But you need, to show at that party, and at exactly one minute before the ball drops and it's the new year, I want you to be out and standing on the balcony. Got it?"

   "Yeeeeaaahh-no." I scoff a laugh, "what happens if I don't show up?"

   "You'll miss out on the best guy, and will already have broken one innocent heart on the first day of 2017. You don't want that, do you?" The boy with the perfect olive skin, slowly comes to a softer tone.

   "We'll see." I brush a piece of hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. The bell rings. "Well I gotta go."

-

"Mary!" Jesus. I walk at a faster pace and hold onto the strap of my bag, hoping that Cameron would go away. "Hey."

"if you're here to convince me to go to that stupid party, I'll find where you live and shave your eyebrows off in your sleep." His mouth hangs, and he covers his brows.

"Actually, I was here to talk about the party, not convince you. Are you going?"

"Let me guess, a friend of yours really likes me, so it's to his benefit that I go so he could sleep well at night."

"Shawn hasn't said much abou-" he slaps his hand over his mouth and he runs away muttering 'shit' as he gets farther away.

  Shawn. Who's Shawn?

   Whatever, he's no affect on my life. I hop onto the bus trying to find an open seat, but there's none.

   A guy with a hoodie scoots over, allowing me to sit with him. "Thanks." I smile a bit, still frustrated from this long day. "Hey, um, could you maybe switch spots? I don't really like sitting out in the aisle."

   He gladly approves and switches with no problem. "I'm Mary, by the way." He simply nods his head, not giving another look my way. He didn't give his name in return so I just observe outside the window as the bus begins to pull away from campus.

-

   The bus stops at its designated stop and everyone clears the bus except him, though he allows me to exit by stepping out into the aisle. "Nice meeting you Mary." He places his hand on my back, giving it a soft push forward.

   "Nice meeting you too." I smile, getting of the bus and making my way home.

😩