Hiding Behind A Mask | ✔

C H A P T E R F I F T E E N

"You're a cat," I say, watching Chance as he crawls around on his hands and knees.

After school was over, Chance said that I should come over to his house today. So, here I am sitting on the floor of his bedroom as we play the game 'Heads Up!'. I have my phone against my forehead, holding it up on either side as my eyes follow Chance's movements.

"Wrong!" he says, continuing to crawl around. He shakes his head, causing me to picture him having long, shaggy hair. He now roars in a funny way, giving the answer away.

"You're a lion!" I laugh, and he stands up.

"Finally!" he says, sighing. "That was tiring."

I laugh again, getting up off the floor. I turn the phone around so that the screen is facing me and tilt it down to see the card change to another. I smile at what I'm going to act out but also cringe because what's on the card is one of the things that I dislike the most.

Chance goes to sit down on the floor. I walk over to him and hand him the phone, watching carefully for if he's going to take even the slightest peek at the phone's screen. He doesn't as he just lifts the phone to his forehead and watches me as I do the same to him.

I smile, stepping a few feet away from him. For just a few seconds, I think in silence on how I should act out the card. Then, I come up with an idea as I crouch down to the floor. I lay flat on the floor and then start wiggling my body to move in a forward direction.

Chance is not able to hold his laughter in as he burst out laughing everytime that I wiggle my body. I can't help but laugh too, pausing to catch my breath in the middle of my laughter and acting.

"I don't get it," Chance says, inhaling breath after breath while he's laughing. "Are you a snake? If not, what the heck?!"

I sit up in a fit of giggles, not able to control them. I calm down and look at him with a smile that says - I'm going to burst out laughing any moment now - which I do. "No, I'm not a snake!" I say, grinning.

"I give up, then. What were you acting out?" he asks.

"An alligator!"

Chance and I stare at each other quietly, the both of us just letting the silence overwhelm us for a moment. 

Slowly, my lips start forming into a small smile that seems to change the whole mood that we were going into, which is laughing our butts off. He smiles too, his expression changing a bit to something else, but I don't know what it is.

"I like seeing you smile," he says, causing me to avert my eyes quickly to look somewhere else. "When you're smiling, I can't help but smile along with you."

Is it weird that I feel the same way?

Whenever he looks at me, I have the feeling of shying away but something inside of me tells me to do the opposite and look at him too. While looking at him, it gives me a chance to take in every feature of his face, everything that he does. He seems to do the same thing to me, and it makes me do nothing but question what's happening.

"I can say that I feel the same way," I say, allowing my eyes to slowly move from the spot on the floor to land on him, on his face. "Seeing you laugh seems to... to brighten my whole world like it's erasing all the dark parts of my world and replacing it with light."

I scoot closer to Chance without even thinking about it, causing me to pause mid-way. He notices and decides that he should move closer, closing the distance between us.

I stare deep into his eyes as he does so to me. Those dark, swirling eyes could get anyone trapped in them if they stare too long. I seem to stare way too long into his eyes, getting trapped deep inside them, not noticing as our faces lean in closer.

Chance's hand reaches up to cup my chin in his grasp and I swallow hard. He smiles at my nervousness, finding a bit of amusement in such a moment like this, but of course, I smile with him, because that's what he does to me.

Suddenly, my mind drifts back to my ex-boyfriend that did something so similar to this moment that Chance and I are sharing right now. I close my eyes, seeing Ryan's features cross over Chance's. Ryan's eyes, lips, hair, and nose changing everything about the one in front of me.

I feel as Chance pulls back, his hand leaving my chin and the feel of his light breath on my skin as well. "Are you okay, Annie?" he asks, and I open my eyes to look at him.

"Yeah," I say, breathily.

Chance stares at me long and I can't help but feel embarrassment take over me. I wonder if he feels the same way... If he feels embarrassed for expressing a bit of feeling for me, just like I did for him. I hate that I just ruined the moment by closing my eyes and thinking of someone else who's no longer in my life.

"Are you going to Homecoming that's two days away?" Chance asks, making me feel relief that he's eased the awkward tension.

"I don't know," I say, not sure of my own answer. I've contemplated between going and not going. The two things that are holding me back is Sandra and her girls and the fact that I haven't gone shopping for an outfit. "Are you going?"

"Yeah, I am," he says. "You should come along with me. Be my date to Homecoming?"

My eyes widen at that. 

Be his date to Homecoming? 

What will everyone say? I mean, he's one of the most popular guys in the freshmen year... Me going with him and not alone, will only mean more gossip to surround the whole school. Plus, even though I haven't seen him around school asking everyone to vote for him as Homecoming King, I'm pretty sure he's one of the people that the student body has chosen.

"I... I'm not a perfect fit," I stutter, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"Meaning?" he asks with a small grin.

"Meaning that I wouldn't look equal next to you, who's one of the most popular guys in school. Everyone's going to look at me like I'm a peasant standing next to royalty," I laugh at my last sentence. "Royalty". How funny but ironic in a way that everyone seems to go along with it. It's like this school runs by a monarchy, it's either ruled by a king or queen.

Chance laughs, his white teeth showing with a glint. "Good one there," he says. "Who cares what everyone else thinks? I only care about your answer to my question. It's either a yes or no that you're coming with me. Please make it a yes."

I look into Chance's pleading eyes, thinking about my answer deeply and carefully.

With a long deep sigh, I give him my answer.

* * *

A/N:

Hello there, reader/s!!  Feelings are flying around everywhere while I sit on my bed wondering why the hell am I not in a relationship? Oh, because I'm a lonely potato!? Duh! 

This book is really, really close to the end like the next-chapter end. Isn't that crazy? No? Okay, then... *goes and sit in a corner*

Thank you so much for reading! It means a lot! Please don't forget to vote and leave your comment/s!

- Tanya <3

Song: Belong 2 Me by Slow Magic (feat. Peter Silberman)