I carefully adjusted the black and red mask that rested over my eyes. It was threaded through with gold lace, and little red gemstones were lined against the edges. I examined myself in the mirror. I looked different than I usually did. A lot different. Instead of my usual hoodie and jeans, I was dressed in a suit. My identity was hidden by a masquerade mask, which was the dress code of the party.
I walked out of the bathroom, taking a deep breath. Mom came rushing into the hall in a similar ensemble, but instead wearing a dress. The invitation had asked that all families wore the same mask, so it would be easier to identify who was who.
Personally, I didn't understand that sentiment, since the whole point of a masquerade ball was to hide your identity, but I guess rich people had to make their business deals.
Mom looked me up and down, a smile playing on her red lips. She put her hands on my shoulders. I rolled my eyes. "Mom-"
"Oh my!" She said. "Julian! You look amazing. I just know Grace is gonna love you." I internally groaned. Not the whole Grace thing again. For the past few weeks, all Mom and Dad could talk about was setting me up with Grace. I couldn't find it in myself to tell them I wasn't interested.
"You'll love her," Mom had gushed. I'd kept my mouth shut, hoping they would just forget about it, but of course, they didn't
"Yeah," I said dryly. "Can't wait to meet her." Mom squealed, jumping up and down a few times.
"I just know your kids are going to be beautiful," she grinned. I frowned and pulled back a bit. "Anyway, let's go. We'll wait for Dad in the car." We walked the obsidian-tiled floors of our home and out the door, where a limo we'd rented sat before us. The driver was sitting in the driver's seat idly, and perked up as soon as he saw us. He unlocked the door for us to enter. He and Mom started making chit chat, but I tuned it out, letting my mind wander as I sunk into a plush seat.
I leaned against the cool glass of the window. The annual winter masquerade ball was always an important event for New York's high society. It was my first time going today, because children under seventeen were not permitted. I didn't know if I was excited or not. One part of me just wanted to cuddle in my bed and video chat my friends, while the other part of me was curious.
Mom and Dad always came back with some hot gossip, and I mean really hot. Because I was good at eavesdropping, and Mom never could talk quietly, I knew exactly who was having an affair with who, and whose company was suffering, and who was no longer a millionaire. I wanted to see this for myself.
The passenger seat door of the limo opened, and Dad sat down. He was holding a little gold-wrapped box in his lap. "Sorry," he said. "I couldn't find the gift." He flashed the driver one of his award-winning smiles, and started conversation while he pulled out of the driveway.
The driver turned the radio on, trashy pop music filling the empty air of the car. I watched the window behind Mom's head, the trees and houses turning to a blur as we sped by.
We got there in around twenty minutes. We left the limo, and stood outside the house. The winter chill bit at my skin. I shivered. I wish I'd brought a jacket.
The Richardson's mansion was huge, probably even bigger than our own, though none of us would admit that. Somehow, it managed to look a bit gothic and victorian at the same time, with its dull gray paint, and snow-dipped jagged cuts of roof. It was a bit eerie, and uninvitingly large.
I'd been here before when I was younger, to have a play date with the Richardson's son, whose name I had long forgotten.
"Okay, lets go," Mom said. "Whoo, it's getting cold out here!" Dad nodded in agreement, and we trudged through the smattering of snow that blanketed the pathway. I reached out and rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, a woman who seemed to be in her late forties opened the door with a bright smile.
"Oh Martha and Daniel," she gushed. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!" She too, was wearing a mask and an elaborate dress, except her's was silver, the color traditionally reserved for the host. The families usually traded off every year. Her eyes widened when she saw me, as if I was an alien.
"Julian, darling," she pulled me into a tight hug. I stiffened, but still tried to hug her back, patting her shoulders awkwardly. She leaned back and observed me with a tight smile. "You're so tall now! And so handsome too. It's been- how long has it been since you last came over?"
"Seven years," Mom said, smiling. "We all really need to have a dinner with just us once." I wrinkled my nose. I sincerely hoped that would never happen. I wasn't completely antisocial. These kinds of events were okay, where I could just slip into the background. But one-on-one events, where I'd have to pretend to be interested, and where I'd have to speak, were most definitely not up my alley.
I stood by the side, picking at my nails and adjusting my clothes as they talked, until Mrs. Richardson finally stepped aside to let us in. The interior was just as I'd remembered it; Tall, glittering chandeliers that hung over the main hall and mahogany wooden floors. There was a staircase in the middle that split paths, leading to two separate wings upstairs.
Off to the right were two double doors. A faint air of chatter and music bled through them. Mom and Dad said goodbye to Mrs. Richardson, and we headed over to the party as she left to greet another guest.
The ballroom was quite nice. It was large enough to host around fifteen or so tables, one for each family, a stage at the front, and tables of food fanning the edges. But the most interesting part was that everyone was wearing masks. Some were wearing the same masks- family members- but otherwise, it was a sea of an array of colors and designs.
My mouth watered as I eyed the food. More now than ever, I was aware that it had been a whole four hours since I'd last eaten. Dad nudged my side, eyeing me warily. "Don't just eat," he said. "Socialize too." I waved a hand at him.
"Yeah, yeah, of course." I said. The second he and Mom went off to socialize on their own, I rushed to the table. I smacked my lips, grabbing a plate. Yes. This was exactly the reason I tolerated these parties.
I wondered what I should get. There were soups, breads, pastas, rice, pudding, chocolate, anything you could imagine. I stood there for a minute, contemplating my choices. "Are you gonna move, or just stand there?" I glanced behind me to see a boy, looking annoyed from what I could see of his face. He was wearing a green and gold mask.
"Oh, sorry," I said. Remembering what Dad said about socializing, I added, "I just couldn't decide what to pick. There's so much to choose from." I added a little chuckle at the end in an attempt to come across as more friendly.
"Yeah," the other boy agreed. Almost a little too passionately. "Like, do I get a little of everything? Or do I just take a lot of a few." I pointed a finger at him.
"That," I started. "That is it." I shook my head. "I'm starting to think I should just steal some every time my parents drag me off to one of these parties." He snorted. I finally started down the line, grabbing a piece of bread first. I turned my head slightly to watch the other boy. He was taking exactly what I was. When I took a bottle of water, so did he. When I took soup, so did he. Just to test him, I reached for another piece of bread, then pulled my hand away. He did the same. Feeling my gaze, he looked up.
"Are, are you copying me?" I accused.
"Well, yeah," he said. "It's been a long time since I've been to one of these, and you seem like you know what you're doing." The corners of my mouth struggled to stay down.
"Whatever," I said. It was kind of like that one episode of Littlest Pet Shop, I mused. The one where Blythe's friend tried to be like her. I was flattered, albeit a little bit creeped out.
As we reached the end of the line, the boy said, "Hey. Wanna get out of here?"
"Hmm?" I was already munching on some chips. "Oh, sure." Nice. I'd already made a friend here. He led me away from the table. I followed him as we carved a path through the dance floor and made our way to the balcony on the other side.
It was one of those nights that was silent, and was meant to be silent. The stars were like little lanterns floating in the sky, just small pinpricks of light in the vast universe.
We settled against the railing, balancing our plates on the thin edge.
"So," he started. "What's your name?"
"Julian," I said. "Yours?"
"Rome." He smiled. "I like your mask, by the way." I smiled too.
"I like yours too."
"Ours are kind of the same, but the opposite at the same time."
"Huh?"
"While mine is green and gold, yours is red and gold."
"Yeah." And then silence engulfed us again. It wasn't an awkward silence though, like it usually is with strangers. It was oddly.. comfortable.
"I used to live here when I was younger, but I moved away. Now that I'm back, I don't have any friends." I nodded, unsure of why he was telling me this.
"I don't recognize you. We must have gone to different schools."
"What I'm trying to ask is, do you want to be friends?" I laughed out loud.
"Dude, we've known each other for two seconds and we haven't even had a real conversion yet," I pointed out. He pouted.
'Yeah, yeah." He said. "Aren't you supposed to meet friends here or something, though?" I mulled it over. That was true. Besides, he seemed like a cool person. I could see myself becoming friends with him, I guess. And it never hurt to get on someone's good side in this town.
"Okay, friend." I said. "Why do you hate these parties?" In the dark, I could just barely make out the shape of his eyes scrunching in question. In the yellow glow of the party, they'd been a dark gray, but right now they looked black.
"Who said I hated them?" He asked, taking a bite of his pasta. "They have lots of wonderful things to offer. Like, um," he trailed off.
"Food." I finished. He grinned.
"And meeting handsome strangers," he added. I smirked.
"You didn't come across as the flirty type to me," I said. "But thanks for calling me handsome. You're handsome too."
"Thanks," he said. "But why did that low-key sound sarcastic. If you don't think I'm handsome, you don't have to say it." There was a glint in his eye that I couldn't quite place, but I was eager to play along.
"No," I said. "You are handsome. You are possibly the most handsomest man I've ever seen and ever will," I winked, however visible it was through my mask. He laughed.
"That was horrible."
At that moment, we were the only ones on the balcony, since the party hadn't started long ago, and guests were still arriving. Some minutes later, though, a group of women gathered on the other end of the balcony Rome stood up.
"Hold up, I'm gonna go get some more water." I watched as he left, long legs moving gracefully. A second later, Mom came out, a disgusted look on her face. She spotted me and smiled, leaning on the other side of the railing next to where I stood.
"Oh, dear," she whispered. "The Heffners are back." I frowned at her as she paused to take a sip of her shimmering champagne. "The boy who just left, he's their only son. Disgusting people," she shuddered. She looked at the plate on the other side of me. "You weren't.. Talking with him.. Were you?" I looked at her incredulously.
"Yes, Mom," I said. "What's the big deal?" She glared at me. Her cheeks were tinged a light pink, and she had to lean against the railing for support.
"They're bad people," she repeated, chugging the rest of her champagne in one fluid motion. "I don't ever want to see you two talking again," she warned. "Even if you have some classes together at school."
So we were going to go to the same school. Interesting. "Okay, Mom," I groaned. I wasn't planning on taking her warning seriously. I mean, he appeared to be a nice guy. He didn't deserve this.
Nevertheless, I followed Mom off the balcony, leaving his plate alone on the railing.
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