One Night

Chapter 88

Audrey

“Hmm,” the maintenance worker said curiously as he stepped out of the bathroom. “I don’t see any issues.

Tina and I exchanged a look of confusion. “But there was white gas coming out of the vent,” I said, my cyc slightly from the ordeal. “It practically choked us.”

still burning

The maintenance worker gave us an amused glance, leaning closer to get a better look at us. “Are you sure you girls weren’t just smoking in there?”

I placed my hands on my hips. “Absolutely not,” I said indignantly. “We don’t smoke. There has to be something wrong with

the vent.”

“Well..”The maintenance worker sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shrugging at the same time. “I’ll close this bathroom off for tonight and have the vents looked at tomorrow. Thanks for reporting the issue.”

With that, Tina and I turned to head back to the ball. No sooner had we stepped back into the hustle and bustle of the masquerade did we suddenly hear the sound of a familiar voice,

“There they are!” Betty’s voice cut through the noise. We spotted her at the bar with Avis and Gavin.

As we approached, Gavin’s eyes widened. “What happened to you two? Your eyes are all red.”

Betty smirked, leaning in conspiratorially. “Were you smoking pot in the bathroom? Naughty girls.”

“And you didn’t think to share?” Avis asked around a mouthful of cheese and cr**ers.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. “No, nothing like that. It’s a long story. We’ll fill you in later.”

Betty frowned, her brows knit together. “You sure you’re alright

“We’re fine now,” Tina said, shooting me a sidelong glance.”Just a weird incident with the bathroom vents.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Bathroom vents? Now I’m really curious.

“Later,” I promised. “Right now, I think we could all use a drink. Shots, anyone?”

A chorus of agreement went up from our friends. Betty flagged down the bartender, ordering a round of tequila shots for all

of us.

As we raised our glasses, I caught Tina’s eye. She nudged me gently with her knee under the bar, a silent show of gratitude for comforting her earlier. I couldn’t help the way I felt a bit protective over her now that I knew the truth.

I

“To friendship, 1 said, clinking my glass against the others

We downed our shots, the alcohol burning a hot path down my throat. It was a welcome distraction from the lingering sting of that weird gas.

“Now, Gavin said, setting down his empty glass, “who wants to dance?”

We made our way to the dance floor as a group, forming a tight circle with Tina in the middle. I noticed a few students still giving us dirty looks, but we ignored them, creating a barrier with our bodies. I wouldn’t let anyone else mess with our night,

no matter what

O

Q… Rapid VDA

VPM

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21:19 Mon, Sep 16

Chapter 88

After a few songs, Betty piped up. “Hey, we should go look at the raffle booth!”

We made our way to the raffle station, where two large raffle boxes stood-one for men and one for women-surrounded by glittering decorations. I pulled out the card that I had been given at the entrance, studying the number printed on it: 150.

“What number did you get?” Avis asked, peering over my shoulder.

“150” I replied. “You?”

*83,” she said as she moved to look at the awards. -83″ she

Turning to the table. I peered at the various awards, which went from last place to first place: a gift basket for two, two $50 gift cards to the local cafe, two free movie theater tickets, a $200 limit at one of the fancier restaurants in town, and finally, a free all-inclusive date night at the planetarium.

“Looks like the organizers are really playing up the whole date thing this year,” Tina mused, scratching her head as she looked at all of the very couple-friendly awards “Each award has a male and female winner, so I guess they either have to split it or go together.”

I shot her an apologetic look. “Maybe you should make a comment about how it’s not inclusive to only have male and female winners.”

Tina simply shrugged. “Eh, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like it has to be romantic; maybe the winners will make new

friends.

As we turned to head back to the dance floor, a commotion near the entrance caught my attention. My jaw dropped as I saw Max stumble into the ballroom, his tuxedo in tatters and his mask missing. Snot ran down his nose, and he was crying like a baby.

“Oh my Goddess, Betty gasped, pointing. “Is that. Max?”

I nodded, unable to take my eyes off the scene. As Max stumbled further into the room, I noticed that something was titten across his forehead in what looked like permanent marker: “SCHEMER

Laughter erupted from the surrounding students as security guards moved to escort Max out of the event. Part of me wanted to feel bad for him, but after everything he had put me and Betty-through, I couldn’t bring myself to muster up much sympathy.

“Looks like someone got what was coming to them,” Gavin muttered,

“I wonder what happened,” Avis mused.

Tina

tugged on my arm. “Come on, let’s not stare. It’s not worth our time.”

As we turned away, I felt a p**kle on the back of my neck, like someone was watching me. I looked up, scanning the crowd, and for a moment, I thought I saw a man in a dark blue mask slipping away. My heart ski**ed a beat at the sight of those broad shoulders.

Edwin?

But no, it couldn’t be. This man had a clean-s**en face and brown eyes. Plus, Edwin would never come to an event like this. I shook my head, chalking it up to paranoia or maybe even wishful thinking.

“Earth to Audrey Avis…

waving a hand in front of my face. You okay?”

14linked, quickly returning my attention to my friends. “Yeah, sorry. Just thought I recognized someone.”

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21:19 Mon, Sep 16 B G

Chapter 88

“Well, snap out of it,” Betty said. “It’s almost time for dinner, and I’m starving!”

We made our way to our assigned table, settling in as servers began to bring out the first course. The food was exquisite, but I found myself picking at it, my mind still a bit foggy from that weird incident in the bathroom.

“So,” Gavin said between bites, “are you going to tell us what happened in the bathroom?”

I exchanged a look with Tina, who gave me a small nod. “Well,” I began, “we were in there talking when suddenly this weird gas started coming through the vents…”

I recounted the story, of course taking care to leave out the personal details of Tina’s confession. Our friends listened with

eyes, gasping at all the right moments. When I was finished, there was a stunned silence around the table.

wide

“That’s… insane.” Avis was the first to speak. “Do you think it was some kind of prank?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed pretty dangerous for a prank.”

Before we could speculate further, the sound of a microphone being tapped echoed through the ballroom. We all turned to see the vice dean, Ms. Morrie, standing on a small stage at the front of the room. She wore a full-length gown in complete leopard print, with tall white gloves that went up to her elbows and a Venetian mask with cat ears on it.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said, her voice echoing through the microphone. “I hope you’re all enjoying the masquerade. It’s now time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for-the announcement of the raffle winners!”

A buzz of excitement rippled through the crowd. I felt my heart rate pick up as I pulled my card out of my bodice again and memorized the number.

“As you know, to maintain the spirit of the masquerade, we’ll be announcing the winners by their entry numbers rather than. by name, Ms. Morrie continued. “So, without further ado..”

Over the next few minutes, Ms. Morrie announced the fifth, fourth, third, and second place winners of the rattle. Avis and Gavin won the gift basket, and Avis came scurrying back to the table with it clutched in her arms like she had just hunted down a feast.

“I’m eating this all myself,” she said, playfully tugging the basket away from Gavin, who just grinned and s**y before she could get everything.

“And now, for our long-awaited first place winners… A romantic, all-inclusive date night at the planetarium!”

A hush fell over the room, I could see couples sitting close together, clutching their cards tightly as they prayed to win together. Ms. Morrie pulled a card out of the male raffle box and held it up, pausing for dramatic effect as a member of the orchestra did a drum roll. Even I felt myself lean forward in my seat, glancing nervously at my card.

“And the male winner is… Number 491”

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