Jace's POV
I was lost.
I knew that the minute I was stuck in the middle of the dance floor, hundreds of guys and girls swarming around me.
However, the only person I was looking for was a certain brown-haired girl with sassy comebacks.
There are about a million girls out here, I thought, slapping myself mentally. Just snap out of it.
Hence, I made up my mind to dance with the first girl I see, regardless of her looks, attitude, or well, anything.
After all, they were all juniors or seniors there.
As I looked around, my eyes fell on a girl you couldn't miss, especially since she was dressed in white. She was leaning on the table and popping chocolate-covered strawberries in her mouth, looking around like she was lost.
Her brown curls cascaded on her shoulders, highlighting the shape of her face and her lips were bright red, giving it an intimidating look. Her mask was holographic, coated with a layer of thin glitter.
She looked familiar, though I couldn't place her. It felt like a well-known person in disguise and since it was a Masquerade ball, it probably was.
Telling myself not to dwell too much on it, I slowly approached her, a small smile dancing on my lips.
She was looking at me out of the corner of her eye as if internally debating if she wanted to dance with me or not. Soon, she started walking forwards and gave me a hesitant smile when she was closer.
I moved towards her a little more and offered her my hand.
She eyed it for one long minute, hesitation obvious by her actions. Her hands were shaking slightly; her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. Finally, after a lot of deliberation, she slipped her hand in mine.
We walked quietly towards the dance floor, neither of us saying a word. It was only when we were nearly at the center of the stage did I open my mouth to speak. "Do you want to dance . . . ?" My voice was rough and deep, owing to the fact that I was trying to disguise my own pre-puberty tone. I almost laughed out loud at how ridiculous it sounded.
"Sounds good," she said, giving me another small smile. She didn't seem shy, or nervous for that matter, anymore. There was an air of confidence in the way she walked, and her voice was soft and steady.
The second the slow song ended, I mentally prepared myself, determined not to embarrass myself as I had done on countless occasions. I could dance, I knew that, but I just needed to have a clear mind.
And then she started dancing.
She danced as if she didn't have a care in the world, and she didn't care what the people around her thought. She just danced, her gracefulness radiating off her smooth steps.
There was only one statement to describe that. She was good.
Out of my own accord, I started dancing too, a huge grin splattered across my face. I danced along with her, and for once, I managed to do it without embarrassing myself.
We danced for a good ten minutes before the second song ended when we both stopped, gasping for breath.
Before I could say a word, the Mystery Girl grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a bench, making me sit down next to her.
"You're good," she told me, her breath still coming out in fluttery exhales.
"I've had practice." I smiled dorkily and rubbed my neck, screaming internally at myself. Could you be more awkward? "You're good too," I said, to break the uncomfortable silence, my cheeks tingeing pink. I really meant it, though.
