EpilogueThe sounds of plates clinking together, and the low hum of chit-chat, merged into the background as I listened to Fiona describe her latest assignment. She was stuck in a geography class that she needed for distribution, and it was driving her nuts. Her professor was a mean, curmudgeonly old man, and a notoriously difficult marker.“He gave me a C–. A C–! That was not a C worthy paper.”Jack nodded. “I read it. It was pretty good.”She rounded on him. “Pretty good?”He put his hands up, a small smile on his lips. “Really pretty good?”She huffed but turned back to me. “Your brother is a pain in the ass.”I smiled. “You’re telling me.” They’d only been together for a few years, but they already bickered like an old married couple. Matt and I were actually married, but we didn’t even bicker like that. It was as endearing as it was exhausting.Matt sank into his seat beside me and slid me a cup of coffee. I threw him a grateful look. Our peacekeeping duties had kept us late the
Celeste As Christmas approached, so too did the Moon Goddess Festival ball. It was an annual celebration on campus, one where all my classmates would pair up for a night of laughter and dancing. I was the only one who didn't deserve it. My brother and everyone around me reminded me of that. It was pathetic, really. I was eighteen, legally an adult and a freshman in college, but I was stuck under my brother’s thumb. “Celeste, another round!” Jack's voice cut through the clamor, an unspoken command. I picked up the pitcher of punch sitting on the kitchen counter and obeyed. Laughter echoed around the room, sharp and poignant, another reminder of my outsider status. My brother's friends, arrogant and self-assured, moved about the room in a buzz of excitement, their eyes filled with amusement each time they glanced my way. Jack, as always, was the ringmaster of this circus, commanding the room and myself with equal authority. I had no choice but to obey my brother. He was my
CelesteAn icy wave of shock washed over me as I stared into Matt's eyes.I was exposed, vulnerable in front of my brother's best friend. He was confused and a bit too bleary-eyed for my liking. I was half-expecting an eruption of laughter, but instead, he took a deep breath.“I'm sorry,” he slurred slightly, pushing himself upright against the back of the bathtub. “I had a few too many drinks and needed to escape for a bit... I didn't mean to scare you.”Still paralyzed by shock, I watched as he raked a hand through his messy, dark hair. “I don't think I've seen you around before,” he continued, “but you've got a pretty incredible figure. Should I leave?”My heart pounded in my chest. He didn't recognize me. Matt, the attractive, popular, untouchable hockey captain, was in my bathroom, unaware of my identity as his best friend’s little sister, and—was he flirting?The air between us was electric, the silence so heavy it was almost tangible. A hot flush crept up my neck.“Well?” he as
Celeste Reality crashed over me like a cold wave, jolting me out of the intoxicating haze. I pushed Matt away abruptly,slapping his hand away from my mask before he could remove it. “This was a one-time thing,” I stammered, hastily buttoning up my blouse. “I want to keep the mystery.” “But wait,” Matt protested, reaching out a hand. “Leave me some way to contact you. I—” “No,” I replied, cutting him off. “Like I said. A one time thing.” Matt shot me a pained look at I finished buttoning my shirt and climbed out of the bathtub. My cheeks were still red from the way that he made me feel, but I knew that it couldn’t happen again. He was popular on campus, and he was my brother’s best friend. It would be doom for both of us if we did this ever again. I could only imagine the hate he would receive for fucking Celeste, the fat, ugly girl. “Please,” he said, standing. His tall form towered over me in the darkness, blocking my way to the door. I felt my panties stir
CelesteThe next morning, I awoke to the feeling of wetness in my panties, a pounding sensation in my heart, and a friend request from Matt.My heart fluttered with a strange, thrilling blend of fear and excitement as I accepted it. Within minutes, a message appeared.“Have we met before?” he asked.I chewed my lip, thinking for a moment before replying, “No. Last night was my first time at one of Jack's parties.”“So you know Jack?” He inquired, his digital words laced with curiosity.I paused, my fingers hovering over the keys, but I didn't respond. How could I respond? What if I said that I did know Jack, and Matt asked him about it? Jack would see right through it and would expose me immediately. I would be ruined.“It's okay,” he wrote after a few minutes of silence, noticing that I had left him on read. “I won't pry, Mystery Girl. Let’s find another way to get to know one another…”His words sent a flutter of joy through my heart.“And what would you suggest?” I shot back. My ha
Celeste“So… You like to dance, huh?”The notification popped up on my screen, causing my heart to leap in my chest. Matt was sitting right across from me in the living room, texting me, and he didn’t even know that it was me.Jack was sitting between us, playing a video game on the television. The two of them had been taking turns for a while; I would have been hiding in my room were it not for the fact that dinner was in the oven, and I needed to be in close proximity to the kitchen to keep an eye on it.I shot Matt a glance, wondering whether I should ignore his text for now in case anyone caught on. But as my memories of our night in the bathtub worked their way back into my mind, I couldn’t help but be a little naughty.“I do,” I replied, angling my phone in order not to be seen. I tucked my knees up to my chest and leaned back in my armchair, hoping that it would only look as though I was playing a game on my phone.“Well, that’s good,” Matt said. I glanced over at him as he typ
CelesteI couldn’t hide the secret from Fiona now that I had plans to go to the ball.“I'm going to the ball,” I confessed to her that afternoon as we walked to the campus center in between classes.Her eyes went wide. “Really, Celeste?”I nodded. “But I'll be wearing a mask.,” I added. I paused before uttering my next words: “And, Fiona… you can't spend much time talking to me.”A flicker of confusion, combined with hurt, crossed her face. “W-Why?” she murmured.“That's... private,” I replied curtly, immediately regretting my tone.I saw the flash of hurt in her eyes, but she quickly brushed it off. “All right. But we're going dress shopping. You can't go to the ball in your regular clothes.”A few days later, we found ourselves in the town's dress boutique. To keep my identity a secret, I kept my hood up and a surgical mask over my face.“I still don’t get why you’re going to such efforts to hide your identity,” she said as we walked up to the little dress shop on the small shopping
CelesteWhen Matt entered the boutique, my heart immediately took on an erratic beat.I retreated to the safety of the dressing room, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. Why here? Why now? Why did this only happen to me?I had hoped to go unnoticed, for him to gloss over my presence as he'd always done at school or at Jack's parties. But no, my luck had run its course. This was getting dangerous, and I needed to get out before he or anyone else recognized me.After quickly changing back into my normal clothes, I tugged my hat down harder over my hair, pulled my hood up, and covered my face with my surgical mask.“Let's go,” I blurted to Fiona when I re-emerged from the fitting room, keeping my head low, my face shielded by the hood of my coat. The protective layers felt too thin, but I had no choice. This was the only plan I had in mind.“But, Celeste—” Fiona protested, her voice laden with confusion. But my grip on her arm was tight, insistent, and I shot her a pleadi