Page 54 of The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

"Oh, uh, I'll just have a ginger ale."

I tapped my fingers in time to the beat against the bar. I tried to sneak a look at Jake out of the corner of my eye, but my mask got in the way. I turned my head slightly to the right to see him.

He scanned the room. He was definitely looking for someone.

Could it be me?

I felt lightheaded, a little queasy and my palms were sweaty. But it wasn't from my cold.

The bartender offered me my drink, and I took it gratefully. Having something in my hand made me feel better. The ginger ale soothed my throat as the bubbles fizzed and popped.

My phone vibrated and I pulled it out of my black clutch. Ella had sent me a text message that said, "Good luck!" I looked around, but didn't see her. She could obviously see me though. Which wouldn't be too hard considering that in these heels I was ten feet tall.

I put the phone down on the bar just as someone came up on my right and stood way too close to me. The person encroaching on my personal space? Scott Martin. I tried to move as far away from him as I could without drawing attention to myself.

"Hey. How you doing?"

Was he actually talking to me? I looked behind me and didn't see anyone else looking at him.

"Excuse me? Are you talking to me?"

He looked me up and down, which was just as repulsive as it sounds. Then he leaned in close so that I could hear him better. "Yeah. You want to get out of here?"

"With you?" I clarified.

He nodded and gave me a leering grin.

I wished Mercedes could see him now. "Don't you have a girlfriend?" I shouted.

"I don't see a girlfriend here, do you?" He moved even closer to me and I tried not to shudder. He ran a finger down my bare arm. "I have a room upstairs."

Ugh. I jerked my arm away. "Not even if you were the last man on Earth and had Robert Pattinson's face."

His expression turned ugly and he loudly called me a choice name before walking away.

I should have been angry. Scott was the one who put that horrible line in Jake's speech. He was a disgusting jerk. But I wasn't angry. Instead, I felt a giddy hope. It made me believe that this could actually work. Scott hadn't recognized me and had even hit on me, which admittedly made me feel like I needed to shower for a week, but it might mean that Jake wouldn't recognize me either.

The music turned off, and there was a spotlight on the makeshift stage at the top of the room. Ms. Rathbone stepped up to the DJ's microphone. "Attention, everyone. If everyone will please sit, it is time to announce the winners of our student government election, and then we will crown our Masquerade Ball king and queen."

A dull roar broke out as the dancing couples made their way back to their tables. This was my chance. I wanted to talk to Jake before the announcement was made. Either way, I had to know the truth.

He had his arm propped up on the bar and was still looking around the room. I stood next to him, playing with the straw in my ginger ale. I waited for him to notice me. To say something. He turned back my direction, and I could feel his gaze lingering on me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I took that as my invitation to break the ice.

I'd never tried to get a boy to notice me this way before. I didn't know what to say. "Wanna make out?" seemed just a tad forward and desperate. I wished the earlier Scott method of just standing there and getting hit on would work again.

Ms. Rathbone started rattling off the winners' names from some of the "lesser" offices. I had to speak a little louder than normal to make myself heard. "Can I buy you a drink?"

His head turned slowly toward me. "It's an open bar, I'm underage, and I don't drink."

He had said it so dismissively. I don't even know why I said it. Obviously it was an open bar. I was holding a free drink in my hand. And I knew he didn't drink. It was part of his whole "I'm an athlete and my body is a temple" thing he had going on (a temple I would really enjoy worshipping at, I might add). I had thought it would sound sophisticated and seductive. Instead, it was just stupid. Especially since I didn't ever drink either.

But maybe that would work in my favor. Mattie knew Jake didn't drink. Exotic me didn't. It might throw him off track.

I tried again. "I'm, um…" My mind seriously went blank. I couldn't even think of a fake name. So I said the first thing that popped into my head. "I'm Tilly. What's your name?" I had to hope that Ella had never called me Tilly in front of Jake. She was usually pretty careful ever since I'd made an enormous deal out of her slipping up when we were eleven.

"Jake." He turned to look at me, and it was disconcerting. He had just sort of glanced at me before, but now he looked at me like he knew me. "Have we met before?"

"I don't think so," I said. I still felt bad about the lying thing. But I had to know. He turned his gaze away from me again.

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