I inhale, but it’s shaky.
Lenora is slower to come up, glancing between us with concern. “You okay?”
“Yep.” I straighten.
“We’ve got to get going.” Claire takes Hanna’s hand, tugging her backward a few steps. No hug goodbye for us, then. “I’ll talk to you later.”
They make a beeline for the closest exit. They’re pushing out the door, and it occurs to me that I didn’t get to ask her more.
What hashtag? Rabid fans? Where have you seen Caleb before?
We pile in Lenora’s car. I let Riley take the front seat and stare out the window the whole way home. It starts raining halfway there, and I remember to check Instagram. I pull up his profile, biting my lip until it loads.
He posted a photo of us that someone else took a couple weeks ago. His arm is around my shoulder at a football game, and we’re both… we seem happy. That’s probably the most shocking part. I’m grinning, leaning into him, and his eyes are on me.
His eyes are always on me.
I stare at it like it’ll give me the answers I need.
Where has Claire seen you before, Caleb?
32
Friday.
Halloween.
The masquerade ball starts at seven o’clock, which means…
Six hours to go.
Only four before kids start trick-or-treating, but I refuse to think more about that. I’ll be upstairs getting ready with Riley, suppressing flinches every time the doorbell rings.
Lenora picks us up from school after lunch. Most of the girls in the junior and senior classes are leaving early, so it isn’t that unusual. Still, it’s fun to follow Lenora down to the arts department wing. She has a goofy smile, and she admits that she wishes she could visit Robert in his ‘natural habitat’ more.
His whole face lights up when she knocks on his door.
A quick peek into his room, a kiss, and then we’re off.
“I booked you a hair appointment,” Lenora tells me in the car. “It’s at the same time as Riley’s.”
My lips part. “What? You didn’t have to—”
“I want tonight to be great.” She pats my thigh. “So just let me pamper you, damn it.”
Riley and I both laugh.
It’s a whirlwind from there. I quickly sift through pictures for the hairstylist and point to something a little more extravagant than I would’ve been able to do myself. When in Rome, right?
The stylist is a master, making a braided crown intertwined with ropes of gold and pearls. Curled ringlets frame my face.
I’m same, yet different.
Once we’re back at the house, Riley and I lay out our makeup in my bathroom. Our dresses are hanging on the door. I wipe off the day’s makeup and think about a plan. It’s setting in that this is real. This is happening.
The doorbell rings, and luckily I’m still removing my makeup, because I almost jump out of my skin.
Riley throws me a curious glance, then crosses the hall into my bedroom. She returns and says, “The trick-or-treaters are starting to show up.”
I shudder.
“Do you not like it? Halloween?”
“Just some bad experiences,” I say. “I don’t really remember them all.”
After a while, just the association with fear is enough to make me want to hide.
I hold up my hand as she opens her mouth. “No pity, please.”
“Got it. So, music?” She pulls out her phone and opens the music app. “Some fun pop, coming right up!”
Justin Bieber starts playing, and I laugh. “How’d you know I had a crush on him when I was twelve?”
She winks. “Didn’t every girl?”
We do our makeup in silence, occasionally belting out lyrics. Robert or Lenora must be sitting on the porch, since the doorbell has stopped ringing. In fact, the house is almost too quiet for a while.
Riley and I take our time on our makeup. I decide to take Caleb’s words to heart, and I don’t pack on the eyeliner like I’m inclined to do. Instead, I fish out my palette of eyeshadows and create a muted, gray-blue smoky eye. It pairs nicely with my eye color, which can be described as warm chocolate on a good day and shit on a bad one.
I coat my skin with a light layer of foundation, contour the hell out of my cheeks, and add shimmer to my cheekbones and eyelids.
Riley is done at nearly the same time as me. She gets close to my face and swipes lightly just under my left eye. “Perfect. Want to see my mask?” She puts the finishing touches on her lipstick, which is so dark red it’s almost purple.
“Of course!” I’m shocked she didn’t show me earlier.
We go into my room, and she rifles through her bag, finally pulling out a box. She had bought herself the black dress. She lifts the mask to her face, and I grin. It’s perfect.
It’s delicate black lace, patterned like flowers. One side is bigger, sweeping up and back. The other side angles down, ending in dainty lace curls.
I love it.
I tell her as much, and she bursts into giggles.
“Thank you. I think Eli got the white half-mask from Phantom of the Opera.” She pouts behind the mask. “We’ll make a great pair.”
I hug her. It’s impulsive. Since when am I the hugging type?
“I know you will,” I say.
Lenora knocks on the door, pushing it open. “Ah, you girls look so pretty! Riley, that mask is gorgeous. We’ve got about fifteen minutes before the boys show up.”
Riley jerks. “Fifteen minutes? Shoot. Len, we didn’t even get to eat anything!” She rushes out the door, down the stairs.
I chuckle, shrugging. I hate to admit it, but as soon as she mentions food, my stomach growls. The week has been an ongoing saga against food. Or for it, depending on the day.
Lenora’s doctor friend came back with her ultrasound machine after I threw up one morning, but she couldn’t find any internal bleeding. Everything else seemed okay.
Riley returns with a plate of crackers and cheese.
Lenora winks. “I bought that yesterday. Just in case.”
“You’re the best.” I grin.
This plate will be gone in a matter of minutes.