14th ♬

"For someone who was already busted, shouldn't you be thinking about giving up?" Jace asked me again.

I ignored his words, putting on some lip gloss and staring at the mirror to check if my make-up was all right. I had intentionally left the window open as soon as I got dressed and let him see everything that I was doing while preparing for my date tonight.

Yes, I had a date tonight. Taking another look at my cellphone that displayed a photo of Nick in his tuxedo, I started wondering if I was wearing enough.

He sent me a message this morning. Together with his photo, he told me to dress in something that would fit his attire and we would go together to his dad's birthday party. Nick's family was one of the richest ones in town. His dad was famous for being a very prominent investor.

And being invited to one of his party had never crossed my mind. I also had no idea why I had been invited, knowing that we were only faking things. But Nick said that he had no date, so he might as well take me.

"You saying anything?" I shouted back to Jace. Looking outside, I saw him sitting in his room and watching me. I was satisfied with the fact that he was very much going along with my plan on letting him see all this.

I stared at him for a good while, trying to see if he really didn't believe me at all. From what I knew, I had covered up everything last night. He was good at using the situation and making me think that my phone was ringing. And I felt so stupid for not even remembering that there was no reception in the area.

But then, I had created a pretty decent lie, like saying that I was hearing voices. When that didn't convince him, I said that I was deeply thinking about Nick that I'd heard his voice coming from somewhere. He wasn't in the least convinced. I could see that with all the pesky acts that he had been doing ever since last night. His mood changed all of a sudden. From the pissed off Jace that he had been ever since knowing about Nick and I being together, he suddenly transformed to the Jace whom I'd met at my first day of work. Sadly, he was into pestering me again. Like right now, he was doing just that.

I exhaled. Gathering a mouthful of lies, I meant air, I told him, "I'm going out with him. Is it that hard for you to believe?"

"I can now see your plan, even if you don't tell me a thing. Come on, Reese. You're already busted. Drop the acts," Jace said again.

"I'm not acting," I retorted, emphasizing each word. "Believe it or not, Nick and I really have a date tonight. If my floor-length gown is not that convincing, then think whatever you want."

Jace stared at me dully, eyeing the black dress that I was wearing. "Isn't this too much for a date?"

"I'm invited to a formal gathering. What do you expect me to wear? Jeans? T-shirt? It's his dad's birthday party tonight. I should at least look decent," I said to him.

"Are you sure there's such a thing?" Jace asked me conspicuously. "I haven't heard about it."

"What do you mean?" I laughed, amused with his attempt to make me believe that there could be such a thing. "That Nick lied to me?"

"No, I didn't mean that. But if you put it that way, it's possible, you know?" Yes, it was really possible. This jerk right in front of me right now had already done that before—faked everything and let me come up stage alone.

When Nick had sent me that message this morning, the feeling of uncertainty suddenly peered in my mind. First instinct was to say no. But then for the sake of repaying him, I did say yes. After all, this was all I could do to return the favor.

And I told myself that since this was Nick and he had nothing against me, I could somehow believe that there wouldn't be a second time around. Things like that never happened twice, or so I hoped. And aside from this guy next door, Claire, and Mason, no one knew what had really happened and why I had decided to do that foolish act years ago.

"You can assume anything you want. But I'm going to have fun tonight. And maybe tomorrow, I'll even tell you about it," I told him.

"Can you please end all of this now? I already know the real deal, what's the use?" Jace asked me instead, browned off.

I hadn't got a Plan B, so I was just going along. Maybe after tonight, I would find out what I should do next. I might as well put my hope into that.

Despite his eagerness while saying his last statement, I'd decided to act as if I hadn't heard a thing. Instead of wasting my time answering, I just put on a pair of silver loops in my ears. I adjusted my dress, turning it around until the mermaid skirt fit rightfully in place. This beaded, one shoulder evening dress was actually my mom's. She said that she bought this one when she was younger. It was not like I had that many dresses, aside from my only one that I had used for prom.

"You're really going?" Jace continued asking.

"Yes," I answered firmly, meeting his eyes as I held the curtain in hand. He leaned against his window sill, waiting for my response. "Think all you want, but I'll just go ahead and enjoy the night."

As I finished what I was saying, I closed my window and pulled back the curtain. Thinking of what I should do next after tonight, I grabbed my purse and headed out of the door. I couldn't point my fingers to it, but it was as if something told me that I would soon know the answer.

My mom was the only one downstairs, since Dad and my brother did some grocery shopping. For one moment, I almost forgot that my mother wasn't pleased with me dating Nick. She said that I was too young and so on. She was kind of obvious. It was clear that she only wanted me with Jace, any other guy would be out of the topic.

And that was why last night, when Cad had told her about Nick, during the sudden outside camping, she freaked out. I even thought that she might end up having a premature delivery just because I was seeing this guy. That was how freaked out she was.

But of course, Jace told them that maybe it was just a crush, and that I would soon get over it. For whatever reason he had said that, I had no clue. And somehow, they all relaxed a bit after hearing his words, especially my mother.

Of course, as if that should surprise me. I was about to come to my defense and say that it was real. But then after seeing how worn out my mom looked when Nick was brought up, I somewhat confirmed to them that it was just a crush.

An itty bitty crush.

"Be home before seven," my mom said, with no hint of kidding in her voice.

I obliviously looked at her, then at the clock, and then back to her. However, despite the funny face that I was somehow confident that I had, she didn't bulge. "Mom, it's already six. Don't demand for the impossible."

"Fine, then be home at eight," she told me instead.

"Ten," I demanded.

"Eight," she said flatly.

"Mom, be reasonable."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Forcing every word out, she told me, "Ten. But if you go any later than that, you'll be grounded for the rest of the summer."

"Isn't that too much?" I suddenly asked. "All summer?"

"Yes, I'm the mother around here and I can give you just that," she firmly replied.

"Fine, I'll be back by ten," I breathed.

Holding my dress up, I gave her a peck on the cheek, before heading out of the door. As I was only halfway through, the doorbell rang. I was about to grab the knob, but my mom beat me to it, even with all the huge tummy and everything that came with the package of being pregnant. Don't ask me how she did that; I was also wondering how that happened.

Was I that lame?

When the door opened, a man appeared. I was kind of disappointed since I was expecting Nick to pick me up. With a very courteous voice, which emphasized that he was working for that family, the man said, "I'm here to pick up Ms. Reese Burnett."

My mom looked back and threw me a meaningful glance. I already told her that Nick's family wasn't just an average one, and she had confirmed that she knew who his dad was. Yet still, she couldn't help but be stunned. She mouthed to me, 'Is this real?'

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. As I stood beside her, I said in a low voice, "Told you."

Mom looked at me for a while, and I wasn't sure what she was up to, though. I was almost convinced that she would change her mind about my curfew as she looked at the luxurious car that was waiting for me outside. But then, the moment she opened her mouth, my question was answered. Money would never buy her loyalty.

She told the man, "Get her back home before ten."

"Of course, Madam," the man answered.

"But I really thought that the boy was picking you," she mumbled, while I was walking outside the door.

"I don't know. He must be busy," I replied with a shrug.

As I headed to the car, I caught a glimpse of Jace, who was standing outside the Hamilton's front door. He wasn't pleased with me. His face clearly said all that. As the car started to move, I was almost convinced that he would jump in front of the car or something. But he didn't. He just gave me that look—one that was mixed with doubt and disapproval.

Few more seconds had passed, and Jace was out of sight. I wasn't quite sure where the car was heading to. The driver stayed silent throughout the ride, making me bored while sitting at the back and staring at the empty night. When I was certain that the road wasn't heading to Nick's house, I finally asked him, "Where are we going?"

"The party is at another place, miss," he answered plainly. Well, there was no answer actually. It was more like all he did was to let my mind wander off some more.

"Where?"

"You'll find out in another minute or so," he replied instead, somewhat giving an end to the answer-less conversation.

I nodded a bit, feeling uncertain all of a sudden. As we turned right, I saw lights coming from somewhere. I assumed that it was from the party. But then seeing how it had changed its color from blue to purple, and in a moment, it suddenly became hot pink instead, I was puzzled if this was really Nick's dad's party.

We stopped in front the place. I was about to ask if we were here, but the driver already nodded, as if indicating so. I didn't wait for him to open the door, if he was ever planning to, and did it myself. Steadying my steps as I battled the ever tiresome attempts of keeping utmost balance in pumps, I walked out of the car. As soon as I was out in the open, I heard the loud, heart-thumping sound coming from inside.

Out of instinct, as if searching for some kind of explanation, I turned back to the driver. He was talking on the phone. And then in a short while after he had ended the call, the lights were turned off and the loud music became dead silent.

"Mr. Thomtorn has a surprise for you," he said to me, motioning for us to go inside.

That was the obvious. It was as if he had told his master that I had arrived and everything else went mute. So the big question now: what was this all about?

"Wait, I thought that this was his father's birthday party?" I asked him, sounding all the way dubious. I narrowed my eyes in the sudden turn out of events. I wasn't fond with this kind of thing, surprises, I mean, especially if I was unaware of what might happen. Okay, so maybe that was why they were actually called as surprises. You weren't supposed to know a thing beforehand.

"You'll find out soon, miss," he said the words to me again.

"Let me call him first," I said slowly, grabbing my cellphone from my purse. I tried ringing Nick's phone, but it was unattended.

"He's waiting for you inside. I already called him," the man said flatly, waiting for me to move my feet from where I was standing.

Although hesitant, I walked along. With every step, my uncertainty grew wild. I wasn't sure what this was about anymore. A gut feeling told me that something was wrong.

I walked along, thinking if Nick was planning something crazy, like throwing a party for me. With all his well-shown acts that he wanted to be with me, somewhat, and despite the fact that I'd already turned him down, I was also wondering if this was all about his confession and declaration of love. I knew it sounded crazy and no one would actually do that anymore. But then, what could this possibly be except for that?

I was guided inside. The man who picked me up held a flashlight as he led the way. I wasn't blindfolded, but then the place itself was pitch dark, so I wasn't able to see anything, except for the path being lighted by scarce amount of light coming from the flashlight. At one point, the man in a black suit had to help me steady my walking as we trod the unstable wooden flooring of a place who knew where. Then after leading me to the spot, he threw me one bothered look, before walking away.

And I was alone in the utter darkness.

"Wait!" I called out in a hushed voice.

I wasn't sure what I was up to, and there was this chance that the crowd was around me. With all this putting me in the center act, I was almost certain of that. And not to mention the spotlight that was solely made to let me be visible to everyone.

I inhaled heavily, readying my thoughts for whatever there was to come. I had no idea how I should respond, though. For a moment, I started giving it a thought. But then, I was taken back the next minute, as another spotlight gave light to two people, who were standing a few feet away from me.

With her arm linked with Nick's, she held a microphone in her other hand. "Look who we have here."

Nick.

I was aware that he had some kind of a relationship with Brittany. But what was he doing there, looking awkward about all this? Why wasn't he here with me, when he was the one who asked me to be his date? With their arms linked, this couldn't be a declaration of love for me. And why was he only in his trunks, while Brittany was wearing a pair of violet bikinis? Just where did the formal event go?

In an instant, fear crossed my mind. I narrowed my eyes and held my arms around me, looking around the place and trying to make out something out of the complete darkness. Rubbing the sides of my arms, as if saying to myself that I would be all right, I heard soft laughs echoing around.

My knees suddenly became wobbly, barely keeping me in place. The feeling wasn't new. Of course, I had been through something like this before. And keeping me shaking were the memories that were making its comeback, together with the shame that was building up inside of my chest. It was all too familiar.

"Do you remember her? The one and only Mighty Chicken?" I heard Brittany laugh.

I gasped.

Pinching my arm, I'd confirmed that this was really happening. I wasn't sure what she was up to this time around, but I could almost say that it was something within the line of making my life miserable. Her forte. And as I looked at her, she stared at me with that same frigid and deadly gaze, making me feel so little compared to her. As tears formed at the corner of my eyes, I felt awfully miserable.

"Let's hear some cheers," Brittany encouraged the crowd that was hidden behind the dark curtain of the night.

"Here comes the mighty chicken," someone sang from my right.

Instinctively, tears streamed down from the corner of my trembling eyes, as I tried to see who was singing that sickening song. And in complete darkness, I wasn't able to see anything. Wiping away the tears, I tried to run away, but the wooden floor seemed to be even more unsteady all of a sudden, shaking and barely keeping me in place.

I knew what I did before was crazy. It was a complete mistake. That no matter how much you liked someone, there would always be a limit to it. Dressing up in that costume and singing that song was insane. But it was Jace. It was he who had told me so. And I believed him.

The frustrating thing was, I believed him.

"Chu! Chu!" the crowd echoed along.

I swallowed hard, keeping myself together. You know what was really painful about all this? It wasn't just about the humiliation that I was facing tonight. It was more of the betrayal, how someone I'd trusted so much suddenly turned against me, and had betrayed me instead.

Sure, I could lose my face every once in a while. I wasn't someone who was bound to live her life pleasing everybody. But not this way, not with everyone making fun of me out of nowhere. Not one person in this room even had enough reason to do this to me.

"And then the chicken jumps to the right," someone continued the lines of The Mighty Chicken Chu Chu, the one I used to sing while working as a mascot.

Since the restaurant had started, that mascot's identity had been hidden, so as to avoid humiliation. And when my dad was laid off from his job two years ago, I had no choice but to find a part time job that would help our family. And that was my only option at that time, since it fit perfectly with my schedule at school. Only three people knew that I was working there—Claire, Mason, and Jace. Even my own family had no idea where I was working back then.

After a moment of silence, another one cued, "Come on, chick, jump!"

I closed my eyes, clasping my hands in a fist. Their laughs echoed along, singing the song as I stayed there in the midst of them all. My resolve when I came here fell down in an instant. I felt my chest tightened, tears softly flooding the length of my cheeks.

Memories flashed back again, despite my will to conceal them in that vulnerable corner of my mind. And like always, they were the hardest to bear. In my mind, I saw flashes of light coming from everywhere, as I was standing on stage, waiting for someone that night, more than two years ago.

And he wasn't just anyone, not somebody I saw on the street or someone I bumped to in the grocery. He wasn't someone like Nick, who had gone along on a fake summer love affair with me. He was someone I liked so much, if not the one I loved at that time. And I was waiting for him in that cold and mortifying night.

"And in the next stop, the chicken jumps to the left," the song continued.

Holding on to what he said to me, I waited for him. I didn't leave the stage, despite hearing those people who cared for me, shouting that I should go down and save myself from further humiliation. Setting aside the shame that I was going through, I still waited, believing that Jace would actually come.

Because that night before the first incident, he had sent me a message, saying that he would be there with me to perform that song together. He said that it would be us against the world, make the whole school population accept the mascot. Change the norms. He said words to me. Even if I was hesitant to perform that kind of thing, it convinced me, making me believe.

"Chu! Chu!"

And for who knew how long, I had waited, swallowing every last bit of pride that I had left. But then, he didn't come. There was no one who had stood with me that night, as I was dressed in that horrid outfit and singing that sickening song.

Right at this moment, I was thoroughly reminded of what he did to me before, how he had played with my feelings and made me a fool just for the sake of playing a prank. The memories made my heart ache, so badly that I wanted to rip it off my chest and never feel a thing anymore.

In this night, I was going through the same thing once more, hearing that song and the familiar laughter that followed after. It reminded me of him, of the us that we used to be, and of the things that I thought we would have become one day.

And just like before, I was once again alone, as I took the center stage, waiting once more and foolishly holding on to that promise he made before, two years ago. A part of me still believed that he would come, just like he said. And as the song was coming to an end, the echoes of their laughter filled my ears, until it hurt so much that I suddenly became somewhat deaf. I waited for the applause, the taunting one, which surely came around a little later.

Had you ever been humiliated before? Had you ever been humiliated twice? If yes, then how did it feel? I knew the answer full well. It was awful, pathetic, and downright mortifying.

Finding a piece of my strength, I started walking back, telling myself to end that irrational hope. He would never come. But as I took a step forward, shaking, I found myself being stopped by the coming alive of lights from all sides. I squinted my eyes, staggered.

The laughter still resounded around, followed by murmurs from everyone. I felt dizzy and it took me a moment before I finally knew where I was. With all the people dressed in their bikinis and trunks, I realized that this was a resort, and I was standing in the middle of the pool, in a center stage that was created to showcase me. Pathetic. After adjusting my eyes to the place, I started walking away again, dragging myself along.

But as I took one more step, I was suddenly informed what the stage was for. Catching me off guard, the platform where I was standing suddenly collapsed. Looking around, I caught a glimpse of the overwhelming lights as I started to sink. My mind was muddled and my thoughts resounded no firm explanation why I had been going through this same thing again. Nothing ever happens twice. But then right now, I couldn't be too sure. Gasping for air, as my soaked dress entangled me about and pulled me down, I held my right hand up.

'Save me,' I muttered silently. If only I could move freely and the weight of the dress wasn't this heavy, I could swim my way out. But I couldn't feel my feet anymore. Save me. Even if there was no sound, just like a child holding on to a stupid promise, I still believed that he would come.

And then from above, a hand grasped me, holding me tight. It was one life saving act that I knew would change everything. Even if I hadn't fully seen who he was, there was familiarity with the touch of his hand in mine. And slowly, he pulled me up and held me in his arms. And I clung on to him.

Getting out of the water, I gasped for air. Inhaling every bit of oxygen around the place, I looked at him. He was soaked as I was, scanning the place and looking perplexed at what he was seeing. Dressed in the same clothes as before, he really did follow me here.

And I was glad.

When he met my eyes, I was waiting for him to tell me that I should have listened to him. I was eager for him to scold me, to tell me that I should have known better. And somehow, I wanted him to say that this time around, he was here with me. That at last, he finally came. Two years too late, he was already by my side.

It must be some wishful thinking, some kind of yearning for everything between us to make sense. In the end, I knew that I just wanted myself to forgive him for what he had done. I wanted some kind of justification for me to convince myself that what he did was excusable. 'Cause deep inside, I knew that I still believed that this was how things was supposed to be.

Just like how we used to be before. That Reese with the dreamy eyes, who only looked at him. That he could be that Jace, who was always there with me, through it all, just like he was right now. Like always.

"We're outta here. Hope you guys had a nice laugh, even though it was only short-lived," Jace interrupted, as he stood up and put an end to the amusement. The crowd turned silent. It was him, after all. He finally spoke. And this time around, it was to my rescue. In response, no one argued, nor dared say a word.

In a moment, everything wasn't making sense anymore, including the hand that was holding mine. Thoughts filled my head, and the pang of hurt made me want to pull my hand from his. But then a greater voice told me not to.

And somehow, I emptied my thoughts and let the moment be, without the hurt from the past or the uncertainty of the future ahead. Just living in the present, as myself, I held on to his hand, relying on it for comfort, strength and everything else to get me going.