The Masquerade Read Free Page B

responded and gave a small nod to Vlad in the driver's seat. His head turned in my direction briefly before he adjusted his stare to the windshield in front of him. He hadn't changed at all. He still wore the black aviator sunglasses that I'd never seen him without. His
    black hair was cut to his jawline and the after five shadow was always present. Both guys appeared to be older than seniors, which attracted the girls at our school who were looking for the mysterious bad boys they thought they could
    change.
    "Need a lift?" Davey asked, a mocking smile in his features. I bit back a scowl in response to his lame attempt to get me in the car.
    "I'm fine." I told him firmly and continued to
    walk down the sidewalk. I felt something twist in my stomach when I noticed from the corner of my eye that Vlad's car lurched forward to follow me.
    "What are you doing later?"
    I shot him a dirty look. "Not you."
    "We'll see." A shudder ripped throughout my body. Ignoring the chill, I turned to see a bemused expression on Davey's face. I stopped walking. The car halted when I turned to face it directly, my arms
    folded.
    "What do you want?"
    "You." His sharp eyes moved over my silhouette. I stepped back on impulse. He laughed and nodded to me, "I like that
    skirt." His eyes moved down my bare legs and I instantly regretted choosing a skirt over skinny jeans. Vlad's head turned to the side, a frown creased in his features as he stared at Davey.
    My throat prickled as I swallowed. "What do you really
    want?"
    His eyes darkened. "Leave Eli alone. He doesn't need any distractions."
    "First of all, I haven't said more than two words to him since August. Second, if he has any problems or distractions, I suggest you
    look in the mirror to find them. Third," I paused, "Don't tell me what to do."
    Vlad muttered something to Davey who turned to listen. The car slowly began to pull off the road. Davey turned back to me, his eyes
    narrowed. "Be careful walking the streets alone." There was something in his voice that shot more chills down my spine. I shivered and in response, rubbed the sides of my arms as if I were cold. I couldn't show him I was
    afraid. He'd love that.
    I glared at him. "Is that a threat?"
    He shook his head. "Just a warning." His infamously wicked grin returned to his face. "Bye, Ella Baby."
    The car pulled into the road, the engine revved as it sped down the street. I watched it disappear around the corner before I continued to walk. The goose bumps still covered my arms while the confusion wavered around
    me. I couldn't stop wondering if there was actually a point to our conversation or if he was he just trying to scare me. I picked up the pace at the thought, determined to get home safely.
     

Four
    "Wanna hear a joke?"
    I laughed, pulled the front door further open, and stepped
    to the side so my two best friends could walk in. "Sure."
    "Your face." Hayley said while she entered and headed straight for the kitchen. Shiloh and I exchanged eye rolls and followed
    her down the hallway that led directly to the large kitchen.
    Hayley stopped in the doorway. Her gaze fixated on my mother, who was bent over, halfway inside the oven. Hearing our conversation, she carefully pulled herself out to greet my guests although they practically
    lived with us. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun. A few smudges of soot were smeared on her face. She was wearing a white shirt; pink Victoria's Secret sweatpants, and yellow Playtex gloves that were pulled up to her elbows.
    "So what is the plan for tonight, ladies?"
    "A concert with the most desired band in the world performing." Shiloh exclaimed, smiling.
    My mom nodded. "The usual. Who's driving?"
    "Adam," I answered quickly. My mom loved Adam to death. In eighth grade, she caught the two of us off guard, during an intense battle of Mortal Combat, and suggested we start dating. Our reactions were
    pretending to vomit on each other's shoes. She never mentioned it again, especially when