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“It’s all courtesy of your father!” she exclaimed. “The community nominated him for an award, and he won. He recently helped close a massive case and put some awful people behind bars. Our whole family is coming to celebrate him! Isn’t this just exhilarating?”

I shook my head. Why didn’t they just hand him the Nobel Peace Prize while they were at it? What a load of crap.

“Aren’t you...excited, dear?” My mom asked, noticing my gloom.

“Sure, mom. Great for him. Can I go to my room now?”

She frowned. “Sure, honey.”

I turned to head upstairs.

“You can invite whomever you please, hon. You get a plus one,” she added before spinning on her heels and scurrying away to gab with one of the housekeepers.

“Noted,” I remarked, more to myself as my wheels began to turn.

DELANE

“Hey.” I answered Noah’s call with a smile.

“Hey, are you at school?”

“Uh, yeah, why?”

“Come outside. I’m in B Lot.”

“Umm, alright.”

I hung up my cell phone and scurried out of the rec area and into the parking lot of our campus. It took me a bit to walk across to the second lot, but just as I suspected, Noah was there, waiting for me, leaning against a car that I couldn’t name if my life depended on it. It looked expensive.

“Hi.” I grinned.

He smirked and moved closer to me. I faltered almost instantly, remembering our interaction from before.

“Um, was there something that you wanted to...” I stared into his dark eyes, growing lost. “...to tell me?” I completed the question, holding my breath.

“My family is having this thing,” he said with a shrug, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket and handing it to me.

I read over the fine print, the golden droplets of text flashing the words: Empirical Masquerade.

“I want you to come with me.”

My breath began to come out in weak, short intakes. My heart raced. Was he joking?

“Is this...like...a dance?” I asked shyly. It was my expectation that he would turn away, saying it was all a prank. In the center of my chest, a knot was starting to form.

He smiled and my eyes darted to the ground. I touched my cheek and almost screeched at the heat that was radiating from it. He hadn’t even responded yet, and I was immediately flushed.

But that smile...

“Yes, there will be dancing, Delane,” he laughed lightly. There was momentary silence before he inquired. “So, will you come?”

“As a...date?” I felt ridiculous for asking.

Maybe he just would like it if you came to the party and you’re making something out of nothing.

“Yes.”

I blinked. “What?”