Never Fated To Be |✅|

Chapter 5 : Enter, The Blue-Masked Guy

What is wrong with me?

Okay, everything is probably the perfect answer. But what I wanted to mean is that why was I behaving like that? Why did I behave like how I behaved with Jake? One thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to. And moreover, I also gave him a clue about my. . . . curse. But I guess, or rather hope, that that wasn't anything much. And I wasn't even sure if he had heard me right. I'm pretty sure he's confused right now. Or if not-- Ah, I'm thinking too much!

Why can't my heart just stop? Why did my heart have to be like the ones of all those other teenagers around me? And most of all, why did my heart feel like it would jump out of my chest every time I saw Jake, and only Jake? It was seriously scaring me now.
Other guys had tried to reach out to me for their own benefits, yes. But I never felt such unfamiliar feelings around them. Maybe it was because Jake didn't have any intention of benefiting himself. Maybe his intentions were pure. Though he still tried to trick me by using my foolishness.

Whatever it was, I decided that I would completely shut myself again and keep ignoring and hurting Jake until he gave up. I figured it was the only best option. For him and me and everyone else. Maybe.

Anyways, after I answered his question about the masquerade with a big fat no, I didn't see him again for that time. Apparently he didn't chase after me because his friends had popped out of nowhere and dragged him away once more (his friends had peculiarly perfect timing). And since I had walked away, and toward the library, away from my escape route, I had some alone time in the library. But then Mr. Hudson entered after a while.

Well that was unusual. Most of the time, he would return to the library late in the evening. Staff meets? I don't know.

'Aren't you going to the masquerade dance tonight?' He asked me suddenly.
'What? No! You too?' I replied in a frenzy.
He frowned at my sudden hurried behavior.
'Someone else already asked you this question?'
'Yeah, Jake.' Ah, my mouth again!
'You mean Jake Andrews?'
I looked at him,
'What's so good about him?'
'Not much really, except that he has great records in almost everything. Academics, sports and he also dances great.'
I narrowed my eyes at him.
'Anyways,' He abruptly ended the discussion about him, 'Why aren't you going to the dance?'
'Why do you think?'
He sighed,
'You know, you need to wear a mask in this party. Everyone's gonna wear masks. No one will know who's who.'
He did have a point though.
'But I'm not gonna dance anyway. So, what's the point of going?'
'There's gonna be food.'

My expression kinda lifted when he mentioned the word "food".
'And there's gonna be pasta.'
And that's all it took to break half my stubbornness. It had been like forever since I had had pasta. They never seemed to get any in the school cafeteria.
'Really?' I asked him like an innocent child.
He nodded slyly,
'And I have a little something for you.'
'What?'
He beckoned to me and made me follow him to my room. There he pulled out a box from under the table. But it wasn't there before.

He lifted the cover of the box and produced a beautifully embroidered black gown. It was sleeveless with the skirt reaching the ankle. The pretty design started from the waist up and outlined the neck.

'This will look perfect on you.' Mr. Hudson said holding it up in front of me.
'Was this your dau--' I stopped mid-sentence.
He nodded slightly, with an expression that I couldn't quite decipher. He then reached inside the box again and pulled out a pair of matching black stilettos and a glittered black mask.
'Wow!' I admired them in a low tone. And unfortunately but not so unfortunately, they fitted me perfectly. I had my slightly long dark hair stream down my back. I looked like some female super villain with a flashy mask to outline my ferocity. Just kidding, I looked like any other normal, thin, rugged teenager. Or a fancy teenager.