Peter took off his earphones, seeming a little bewildered. He scratched the back of his head, scrunching his nose. He looked back and saw me. He paused for a moment, then his lips formed a warm smile.

He said, "Good morning."

"Morning, Peter." I answered him, just staring at his smile.

"And, what is your purpose of summoning me?" He asked me, waiting for me to answer.

I stiffened at his question, because I didn't know why I had called him. I subconsciously did it, and I had no clue why I did it. The problem wasn't that I didn't know why, but it was how to deal with it next.

"U-Um..." I nervously stuttered, receiving a serious glance from him.

He said, "Yeah? What do you want to tell me?"

I didn't know that it would come to this, but it did. I said, "A-Ah, it's n-nothing. I-It's not i-important, I-I'll get g-going now."

Before he could say a word, I skittered away, disappearing from his sight. It was embarrassing.

***

"Hey, stop right there!" Someone yelled behind me, making chill run down my spine and causing me to stiffen.

I whirled back, eyeing who seemed to act like a cop for a moment. But, it was Asher. He was running towards me with a wide grin plastered on his face. But, I was furious. As he came, I grabbed my humongous file and hit him with it, shrieking, "What the hell, Asher! You scared me!"

"Fine, sorry!" He said, shielding himself from my hits.

"What do you want?" I hissed, relaxing my angered face expression.

He smirked and said, "I haven't showed you what I wanted to show you yesterday."

"And...?" I murmured, filled with confusion.

"It has to be done tonight, so wait for me in your dorm." He said, smirking.

"Okay?" I answered him, unsure.

Just then, he sprinted off to the other end of the hallway and disappeared in a corner. All of a sudden, I felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Ah!" I shrieked.

"Goodness! It's just me, Damien!" Damien assured me, protecting his face as well. I adjusted my grip on the file and slammed him with him as well.

"Damn, you! How many scares I'm going to get today?!" I exclaimed, hitting him with the file.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Damien said, kneeling on his knees on the ground. I sighed at his pathetic appearance and told him, "Fine, get up."

He stood up from his knees, slightly unsteady from my hits. He cried out, "What did I do to experience this terror?"

"For scaring your best friend," I emotionlessly told him, sighing. "Now, what do you want?"

"I got tickets to see your favorite band." He said, proudly grinning.

A wide grin formed on my face, slowly growing more cheery over time. He couldn't have, right?

"You mean, Crush Reason?!" I exclaimed, already getting excited.

He nodded his head, getting riled up as well. I hopped repeatedly, eventually leaping into a hug. I said, "Thank you, thank you!"

"No worries, you're my best friend after all." He said, letting me go.

"When are they performing?" I asked him.

"Tonight."

***

I kept fidgeting in my seat, feeling exhilarated. Beside me, Damien was sitting much calmer than I was, but he was also grinning widely.

We were already in the stadium, where they would perform. The stadium was colossal, with tall pillars and long rows of seats. A lawn of trimmed green grass sat in the middle of the stadium, becoming the spotlight of the vast area.

"You're excited, aren't you?" Damien asked me, grinning goofily.

I smiled and said, "Yes, I am."

More and more fans came, flooding the seats. Soon, the stadium was filled with big crowds and loud cheers. The lights dimmed down, leaving only colorful spotlights. The crowd cheered along with the lights dimming down, signaling the appearance of Crush Reason. Unknowingly, I also cheered.

A haze of smoke flooded the stage, causing the fans to increasingly scream louder in volume. Rock music started slow, playing in the intro. Just then, Crush Reason appeared on the stage, looking incredibly fashionable and ready to rock the world. The fans went wild, screaming for them.

"Parting with your first love," They started to sing. "May feel like a stinging pain."

Hands clasping together echoed throughout the stadium, drowning the screams slightly.

"Losing the crucial thing in life, that's how it's like."

"A gunshot to your heart."

The crowd roared as the guitar player strung the guitar rapidly. His fingers played like magic, running all over the strings.

"Time goes on, feelings are lost," They sang loudly. "Life goes on."

"New moments are created, just maybe, just maybe," They sang, followed with the chanting of the crowd. "Discover a new love."

Crushing, crushing
Having a new crush
Crushing, crushing
A new love, a crush

They sang, chanting these lines. They penetrated my mind, filling it up with music and melody.

"Fire crackled at night, haze of smoke flew," They continued singing. "Flooding the sky."

"That's how you may feel, an unwanted emotion, filling up your mind,"

"Because of the sight of her."

"Heart thumps faster, bodies stiffen, breaths are shortened," They sang, chanting along. "A pestering feeling, you may think, but it isn't."

"It's love."

Crushing, crushing
Having a new crush
Crushing, crushing
A new love, a crush

"Oh whatever, it'll be like the previous, or it won't be," They continued singing, slamming the drums and striking the guitar. "Who knows?"

"Who knows?"

Crushing, crushing
Having a new crush
Crushing, crushing
A new love, a crush

"Without knowing it, it's a new start to another journey of romance."

"No matter what."

"Risk of heartbreaks, risk of embarrassment," They sang their lyrics. "You won't even think about it."

Crushing, crushing
Having a new crush
Crushing, crushing
A new love, a crush

The song came to a finish, capturing everyone's attention and admiration. The crowd went wilder, clapping their hands like a trained sea lion. Confetti flew in the air, scattered everywhere. Crush Reason stood in the middle of the stage and bowed.

Well, that's how it went that night.

***

"Shh..." Kylie whispered quietly to me, tiptoeing her way back inside.

I just arrived at the dorm, leaving the ended concert. I was bewildered about her whispering, but I found out as I went inside.

It was Asher, asleep on the couch. He laid his head on the satin pillow, against the white cloth. His arms wrapped around his legs, making him look like a baby cub. The room was dark, but not completely dark. A nightlight sat beside the couch on a nightstand, glowing like a lone firefly.

"Why is he here?" I whispered back, demanding answers.

"Don't you remember?" She whispered, eyeing me in disbelief. "I'm very disappointed at you."

"What?" I whispered in confusion.

She sighed and whispered, "He told me that he was waiting for you. You agreed to it and he waited for you until late at night. He told me you made plans with him, but you never came."

I had completely forgotten, forgetting dear Asher. I whispered back, "But I can't turn down Damien's offer, I had the chance to watch my favourite band."

"But it couldn't hurt to call." She whispered firmly, looking at me in disappointment.

I eyed Asher, feeling guilty and pitiful. I had made him wait for me for hours. I whispered, "What should we do now?"

She put her arms up, exasperated, and whispered, "You deal with it, I don't know anything."

I sighed and stared at him again. He was asleep peacefully, barely twitching. I didn't want to wake him up, even though he's a little, arrogant brat. So, confusion filled my mind. Then, I thought of an idea, but I wasn't sure that it's good. Should I call Peter from his phone to help pick Asher up?

I tiptoed towards him, slowly checking his pockets for his phone. I unwrapped his arms from his legs and laid his legs carefully. I ran my fingers in his pockets, trying to search for his phone. Just then, his arms moved and wrapped me in his arms. I tumbled on him, while he just hugged me. My cheeks reddened like a tomato, my eyes widened larger, and my movements stiffened.

Then, a reflective object appeared in inside of his leather jacket's pocket, it must be his phone. Just as his grip loosened, I grabbed the chance by snatching the phone. I slipped off and escaped from his embrace. All of a sudden, I heard a man's groan, which was groggy.

I slowly whirled back, eyeing an asleep Asher. He was fidgeting in his position, laying his arms at the back of his head. I wondered, "Is he awake?"

Fortunately, he fell deep asleep again. I sighed in relief, releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. I tiptoed into the bathroom, furthering the distance so that he couldn't wake up. I closed the door quietly and tried to turn on his phone. My fingers tapped on the screen, trying to search for his contacts.

I accidentally clicked the photos icon, opening an unwanted page. Before I went again to search for his contacts instead, I noticed the oddness of his photos. It was barely a hundred photos, only around twenty. Because of my curiousness, I looked at his photos.

Most of his photos were photos of nature, the city. I didn't know he had a hobby as a photographer. When I scrolled through the screen, three photos caught my eye.

One of them is a photo of a woman waltzing with a man. Even though the woman's face couldn't be seen, I could see the man's face. He was wearing a familiar mask, he had familiar hair colour, and I felt like I knew him.

Wait a minute, was he the man in the mask?

His mask, the Phantom of the Opera mask. His hair, reflective under the colourful lights. His tall body posture, mesmerising as usual. That meant that it was really him, but why did this photo exist in Asher's phone?

The next picture was a selfie. Asher and another guy. Asher didn't dress up fancily, just wearing his leather jacket above a t-shirt. He had arm around the other guy's shoulders, making them look like close buddies. But, that guy dressed up like the man in the mask. He wore the mask and wore the outfit, replicating him exactly.

I swiped the screen, moving on to the next photo. It was also a selfie, the same pose as before. But, this time, the man's mask wasn't hiding his face. I widened my eyes, dropping my jaw. It was...

Peter.

***

"Thanks for bringing him here." Peter said, sighing at Asher who was deeply asleep in his own bed.

I couldn't look at him in the same way as I did before. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that he was the man in the mask, the man that I fell in love with. He was him.

I stayed quiet for a moment and said, "I'll get going now."

I whirled back, until he grabbed my wrist, shocking me. I stuttered, "Y-Yes?"

"Why was he there?" He asked me, tilting his head towards Asher.

"W-What do y-you mean?" I stuttered, feeling anxious. "A-Ah, it was m-my fault."

"You don't need to blame yourself, it wasn't your fault." Peter said, assuring me to be fine. But, I wasn't, not just because of him being the man in the mask.

I shrugged my shoulders, saying, "No, it's my fault. We had plans and I cancelled it without remembering to tell him. I completely forgot about it."

He sighed in disappointment, frowning. He said, "Well, I'll leave it up to you. Good luck."

I nodded my head and left the room, still stiffened.

***

I sighed, feeling mixed emotions. Fury, love, and confusion were some of them, the prior ones. I sat on a grass field in front of the school, shaded by a tree. I could see everything from here.

It was a sunny day, warmth was radiated from the bright sun. People were having fun, either playing around or just reading books while having a picnic. As for me, I was just reading a book, enjoying my private leisure time.

A soft summery breeze blew on my face, moving strands of my brown hair away from my face. Just then, I heard familiar voices. I laid my back against the wooden trunk of the tree, peeking around me.

Two familiar guys walked on a stony path just behind the tree. They were Asher and Peter. I couldn't think well, feeling mixed emotions. I felt sorry for Asher, but I felt my heart fluttering when I saw Peter. Although my heart fluttered, I felt infuriated by him.

Just then, he smiled.

I felt my cheeks reddening, warming up. My anger slowly faded away, filled with an odd feeling. My heartbeat was rapidly increasing, my nervousness began to sprout. I was feeling this way because he was the man in the mask, the man I fell in love with.

"What actually happened last night?" His sultry voice asked, however not directed to me.

Asher shrugged his shoulders and his lips formed a frown. He murmured, "I guess she was busy."

As those words came out of his mouth, I felt my face frowning. Guiltiness and pity flooded my mind, making my heart feel heavy.

"Just wait for her, she probably has a good explanation." Peter assured him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

But, I didn't have a good explanation. I was a jerk, a bad person. I shrugged him off just by a single offer, going to a concert. Although the concert was Crush Reason's, my favourite band, it still wasn't right to forget about him.

My heart hurt, in the midst of confusion. I couldn't be fine, I felt suffocated. A saying I lived by, follow your heart. Even though it may be cheesy, it's true.

I stood up from the ground, releasing a sigh. I jumped onto the path, shocking both of them. Asher murmured, "T-Taylor?"

I stood up straighter, narrowing the gap between both of my legs. I bowed down and abruptly got up again. I said, "I'm sorry."

In the corner of my eye, Peter gave me an assuring smile, telling me that I was right.

And I was thankful for it.

The end... Nah, it's supposed to be to be continued... The sky was beautiful today, a mixture of crimson clouds and the darkening blue sky. One fact about me, I usually write when I'm in cars. It's the time when I have nothing to do, so I write.

Anyway, this is the end to this chapter, not this story. Who do you think should play as Peter here? I kept imagining Peter as Lee Jong Suk/이 종 석, even though he only resembled a few characteristics. But, I don't want to ruin your world of imagination, so feel free to let me know who should be Peter!

Ah, you can recommend me some people to play as Taylor, Asher, Kylie, Damien, Serena, Zeke, if you'd like!

Thank you everyone for reading my story, Cinderella Who, even though my grammar isn't the best and my choice of words. I apologise for that, but still thank you! I hope all of you have a happy day! Bye!