Masquerading

Part 1

Chapter 1

“I refuse to go to some masquerade ball for a blind date.”

“Ah, come on, Abby. You were going to go to the ball anyway. Plus, isn’t it you who always says looks don’t-”

Abby interrupted her friend, “Matter, and in my book, they don’t. I mean come on. We’ve both been through our fair share of hot losers. Remember that one you dated?”

Cece shot Abby a death glare, but it didn’t faze her one bit. She was used to her friend dishing it out, but not being able to take it back.

“I thought we weren’t going to bring that up,” Cece hissed.

Abby shrugged her tan shoulders. “And you tricked me into a blind date. Isn’t the world harsh?”

Cece’s glare turned into laughter just as Abby was hoping. Her friend could never stay angry for long. Looking in the mirror, Abby shifted her brown hair off her shoulders. She lifted it up once before dropping the curly mass back into place.

“Keep it down. Everyone loves your hair, and it would be a shame for your mystery man if he didn’t see it in its full glory.”

Abby wondered why everyone loved her hair so much. They all raved about how it shined. She never saw it though. Her favorite feature had always been her grey eyes; the eyes that were passed down from her mother, the eyes that reminded her that she would always be loved, even if she were alone.

She did as Cece ordered though, and dropped the hair back into place. She felt it sweep the middle of her back. Why did she even wear an open-back gown if her hair was going to cover it? Opening her mouth, she went to voice that exact question, but Cece already knew what was on her mind. They had been friends for as long as she could remember, and they always knew what the other was thinking.

“Fine, you are right once again. Come here; let me pull it up into a naturally sexy do.”

“Nope, not going to happen. For you, sexy includes looking like I just woke from bed.”

Cece let out an audible sigh. “Abby, Hun, you look like a goddess, and you need to flaunt it.”

Abby tried keeping the smile off her face, but the task was impossible. Her beauty queen of a best friend had always talked about how much she wanted to look like Abby. Abby never understood it though. Why would people want to look like her when they could look like her blonde hair, blue-eyed friend?

“I know what you’re thinking; so, wipe it out of your mind. You know men love the way you look. Tall and skinny was in years ago, now they want a woman with some curves, and we both know you have great curves,” Cece said.

Abby’s cheeks turned pink as her friend motioned up and down her body. Abby had never been self-conscious. She always loved her body, and knew the affect she had on men. The problem was she didn’t flaunt it like her friend. She never begrudged Cece for using what she has, but Abby was raised a little bit more conservative.

“Okay, it’s time to go. Come over here, let me fix your hair, put on your shoes, and then leave.” The bossy commanding tone was back in Cece’s voice. Her voice was a voice that many people in America listened to because of Cece’s job as top stylist, one of the most famous in the world. One person who never gave into that voice was Abby.

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. She wouldn’t move an inch until her friend said one simple word. They have had staring contests for hours until one of them finally gave in. Both of the women were stubborn as could be, and when you put two stubborn people together, it took a while to get things done. Cece kept the glare on her face for five minutes before giving in. She flashed her friend a smile and said the magic word, “Please?”

The smug smile on Abby’s face showed what many people had complimented on in the past; her smile. She never understood what the big deal was. The only reason why her smile was complimented was that braces in high school had made them straight.

She sat on the stool in front of her vanity as Cece pulled on her hair. It would take minutes of pulling in prodding, but when it was done, Abby knew it would be beautiful. An extra hard pull caused her to almost shout out in pain. Abby’s eyes narrowed; she knew why her friend was pulling harder than usual. Cece had always been a sore loser.

Finally, her friend let go of her hair. Abby let out a sigh of relief and fought the urge to rub her head. Why couldn’t she be friends with a timid mouse?

“Are you ready for your amazing transformation?” Cece asked with obvious excitement.

Abby rolled her eyes. “You only did my hair.”

Her friend huffed. “Fine, look for yourself.”

Abby looked up into the mirror and let out a gasp. Her hair was beautiful. It was piled on top of her head in a mass of curls that looked classy but sexy. Small tendrils hung down to frame her face. It was done in a natural way that even Abby knew was no way near natural. Her hair would never have gone this way if it wasn’t for the magic hands of her friend.

“I love it,” she told her friend.

Cece let out a laugh. “Of course you do, honey. It looks fabulous. Now, go slip on your shoes grab your mask and get out of here. You’re going to be late.”

Abby nodded her head and picked up the pink and brown mask that matched her gown. Placing it on her face, she looked in the mirror once more. The only thing that anyone could make out was her eyes and lips. The mask hid all other features. She took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck!” Cece yelled as she walked out the door.