He Is My Roommate

Chapter 20: The Masquerade Ball

The week passed by with so much excitement and commotion over the Masquerade dance. Students asking each other what they were going to wear, and boys sneaking into classrooms to ask out girls to be there dates. One guy even dressed up as  Phantom of The Opera and barged into a class on a rope to ask a girl out.  Trish was asked out by a hundred guys already, but she rejected them all claiming Damon was bound to ask her out someday. It was delusional and ridiculous, but as long as she wasn't the one initiating it, it was fine. Workers, event planners, and construction designers, were seen running around campus with equipment and schedules. It was really interesting and I unconsciously found myself joining in on the excitement.  

But as Birminton bustled with the celebration and fuss, Damon was hiding in the shadows completely isolated from it all. He had been studying alot lately and kept vanishing whenever he wasn't. I only saw him late at night when he'd return to study, and I kind of felt relieved everything was falling back to normal. He would type in some assignments on his laptop, take his vitamins, and then sleep early without bothering nor disturbing me. My guess was he wasn't attending the dance, nor did he give a shit. I have to admit a part of me missed our bickering and constant teasing or quirky remarks, but another part of me was relieved he wasn't messing with my head anymore. 

Friday had finally arrived and I was standing in Trish's room staring down at my dress on her bed. Aunt Silvia had given me one of her beautiful scarlet sequined ball gowns and I was so thankful she let me borrow it. But the only thing missing was a mask...

"Hey Trish?" I called out to her from the bathroom.

"Yeah?" her voice echoed from inside. 

"What the hell are you doing in there?" 

She had been in the bathroom for almost twenty minutes now. 

"Are you pooping a cow?"

" Ha ha ha very funny", she yelled back sarcastically.

"I" she opens the door twirling into the room towards me with her hands behind her back, "have a surprise for you ~"

Her excited expression was contagious. 

"What surprise?!" I laugh flashing her a smile.

Trish then reveals a beautiful silver mask embedded with white pearls and shimmering  faux diamonds. 

"Is - is -this" I can barely let out the words still stunned by the mask's beauty and detailed perfection.

"Yours?" Trish smiles gently," Why yes I designed it for you myself."

I was still staring at the shimmering masterpiece in her hands completely dumbfounded.

" I mean I guess it matches your dress," Trish studies the mask then eyes my dress on her bed. "Scarlet and silver look good toge-"

But before she can finish her sentence I pull her into a huge bear hug.

"I swear it pisses me off so much", I tell her, "that your parents cut ties with you because of fashion design when they don't know how talented you are."

"It's okay" Trish shrugs as I cling onto her, but I know she isn't.

"Well what are we waiting for?!" she pulls me back, "we have a dance to go to!" 

"Yeah!" I exclaim happily holding back a tear of joy. 

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The Halloween Masquerade ball was taking place in one of Birminton's large chapels that had been transformed into a luxurious ballroom. The ceiling was adorned with diamond chandeliers and in between the chandeliers hung orange see through drapes, and artificial cobwebs. Boys were dressed up in tailored tuxedos and the girls looked magnificent in floor length ball gowns, all of them adorned with excessively extravagant masks shimmering under the lights of the chandeliers.