Ah, where was Kylie when I needed her?

An unsettling flutter was trembling my heart, just like butterflies at the pits of my stomach. My breathing pace was rapidly increasing, almost hyperventilating. My cheeks felt warm, burning like flames. I didn't feel relaxed at all, instead I was panicking like my twitching eyes and my rambling thoughts.

They were just words, Taylor. Don't panic. Why was I panicking?

I didn't have any feelings for him...right? I was all about Peter, the man in the mask. I felt comfortable in his embrace, but why did I keep going to Asher? He couldn't like me, he had a girlfriend. What kind of sick bastard did not have feelings for his own girlfriend and for another?

"Ms. Peaksons!" Someone shouted out my name loudly and firmly, pulling me back into the reality.

Everyone's eyes were on me, staring wth utter annoyance and confusion. In the lecture room, I felt embarrassed. In front, the teacher was mad. Her eyes large enough to gouge themselves out of the eye sockets and her teeth were gritted like an enraged wild beast. Even Asher was surprised by me. He was staring at me, stiffened or frozen to be exact.

"A-Ah, sorry." I muttered out loud enough for the teacher to hear. But, her annoyed face expression still remained.

"Pay attention to the class, Ms. Peaksons." She firmly commanded me, before continuing her lecture.

I sighed in disappointment, disappointed by myself. All of a sudden, a hand pressing on a yellow memo slid in front of me. It was Asher, passing me a message.

Are you alright? You've never daydreamed that ignorantly before...

I wrote back, as if you knew that I was daydreaming.

Is it because of earlier?

I paused for a moment, deciding whether to say yes or no. I had no idea and he noticed it. One of his eyebrows was raised and he pulled back the memo to him, writing something again. He passed it back to me and I read it.

There's no need for you to think that I confessed to you or something. No matter what I do, just ignore it...

I sighed in a sense of relief, but somehow a little disappointed. It might be the fact that he didn't have feelings for me, but again...it's probably not. Did he dislike me or something?

Okay. ~ Taylor

Please do address yourself as "princess" ~ knight

I covered my giggle with my hands, not wanting to show it. It was still a petty effort, but it's funny.

***

"Boo."

I yelled in response, "Ah!"

I whirled around to see Peter smiling at me with his hands on both of my shoulders. My breathing pace was fast, inhaling and exhaling air every second. My eyes were widened in response to his glimmering ocean eyes that smile, an eye smile. His lips were curved widely, radiating joy. His brown hair was luxuriously lustrous, glossy under the lights.

"Why the heck did you need to scare me?" I whined, yanking his hands away.

"Haha sorry...lil sis." He said, sputtering lil sis quite bitterly, or was it just my feeling?

I dusted my clothes for no complete reason at all and said, "Yes, what do you want?"

"I've got an offer for you." He told me, smirking.

"What is it?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow and tucking in a few strands of wavy, hazel hair behind my ear.

He smirked, saying, "Two tickets to see an opera. I was going to go with Asher, but he was called for a detention and he was dragged around by that girl."

"Detention?" I mumbled out in confusion.

He looked at me weirdly, giving me an odd stare. But, he shrugged it off and said, "Yes, because of his sudden leave not long ago."

"Ah..." I sighed, blinking a few times.

He ran his fingers through his brown hair, dishevelling his hair in a dapper look. He said, "So...is it a yes to the opera?"

Shaking off my frown, I brightened up and gave him a wide smile. I answered him, "Yes, indeed."

***

"The Phantom of the Opera?" I questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

The theatre was dark, illuminated by merely spotlights and dimmed lights. The seats, clothed with fine, red cloth—rows and columns that could fit hundreds of people. The stage was as grand as ever, showing its glory.

Meanwhile, Peter look amazed by the whole colossal theatre. His ocean blue eyes were glimmering under the dimmed lights and his grin was goofy—something that I didn't usually see. His brown hair was reflective under the dimmed lights, dapper. He was sitting abruptly straight, a few inches forward.

"Yes, an exquisite opera." He mumbled out in awe, still eyeing the whole theatre.

It seemed wonderful, but suspicious at the same time. He really was the man in the mask, the phantom. Suspicious, I asked him, "Why?"

He turned his attention to me, averting his attention away from the glorified stage. He leaned backwards, adjusting his comfort. He told me, "It was an opera that Asher and I watched together while we're young, before we were separated."

"Separated?" I questioned him, feeling pity and frowning.

He nodded slightly, explaining, "Asher had to move out of the country for quite a long time, due to his father's business. We only met each other when we're in high school."

Asher's father's business and high school. I had just known about this. I must find out more, it might concern the prom.

"How did you guys meet?" I asked him, curious.

He paused for a moment and said, "To be honest, I kinda forgot about it. I think it was when our high schools had the same destination for a school trip and we decided to go together, school and school."

"Ah..." I mumbled. "So, where did you guys attend high school?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, he went to Redford and I went to..."

Nearing him, I said, "Where?"

"Eastside High." He answered firmly.

Eastside High? That was the same high school I had been to, where I had been living my forsaken life. Why couldn't I remember him?

"Ah...that's interesting." I said, not trying to seem suspicious.

However, he stared at me oddly. It was a mixture of amusement and suspicion, he probably noticed. But, his lips curved into an amused smirk–which was unlikely of him.

"You're his euphoria." He murmured out, averting his attention away.

"What?" I mumbled out in confusion, but he didn't answer back.

***

"During high school, did you go to school a lot?" I asked him, licking a strawberry-flavoured popsicle.

He whirled his head around, running his fingers through his disheveled brown hair. He raised an eyebrow and licked his pineapple-flavoured popsicle, slowly dripping. He asked me, "Why would you ask me such an odd question? Of course I went to high school everyday."

"A-Ah, I'm just asking." I nervously murmured, looking at my shoes.

Why couldn't I recognise him if he went to my high school? It's understandable if he went overseas a lot, but he said that he went to school daily. It was odd and I couldn't solve it.

"I was very different back then," He explained. "I was much chubbier than the present time."

I kept thinking, slowly regaining my memories. There had been a fat kid in high school, always bullied. He's been an outcast and I had been an outcast, but we had never been friends. I didn't care much, but I did sometimes. Sometimes, I would want to go up to him and ask if he's alright. Sometimes, I would want to give him a burger which I could only afford to buy. But, I had never done all those things and I had never known his name. But, he was nicknamed Chunk Eatsalot.

"Chunk...Eatsalot?" I mumbled under my breath, preventing him from hearing it.

He sighed in utter unhappiness and said, "I really hated the nickname they gave me, as if I were a very disgraceful kid. Chunk Eatsalot, pft!"

It was him, he was Chunk Eatsalot. But, how did he change so much? Chunk Eatsalot had had chubby cheeks, puffy. He had looked like a plushie, but it was a hundred-eighty degree change. Peter looked willowy, tall and graceful—and thin. He was a modish guy, it's just hard to see him as Chunk Eatsalot.

"How did you overcome it?" I asked him, couldn't believing his words.

He looked at me and smirked, saying, "Strict diet and workouts everyday."

I forced a smile, in which he smiled back at me. He suddenly eyed his popsicle and said, "Why did we eat popsicles on a cold, autumn day?"

"I have no idea."

***

I was beyond bewildered, lost in complicated thoughts. Was he really the man in the mask? No one could possibly become thin and willowy just in a short time, considering that he hadn't been really thin just a few days before the prom. Then again, I didn't know.

But, there was the proof, the photo. I had to check the date of the photo was taken. This was mission impossible, just like the movie. How could I get Asher's phone without him noticing?

"Hello? Princess? Are you here or in a castle up above the clouds?"

I blinked back into the reality, facing Asher whom was sitting right across from me. We both were in the library, working our heads off studying. Somehow, my mind drifted off.

"What?" I hissed, making him smirk back.

"You're drooling, princess." He told me, making me touch the skin under my lips. It was wet, he was telling the truth. I wiped it off, embarrassment creeping into my mind.

"Um...you still got a bit right there." He told me, pointing his finger at my face. Obediently, I followed his direction and tried to wipe it off. But, I couldn't find it. He sighed and wiped it off for me with the ends of his sweater, the arm.

"Thanks..." I mumbled, earning simply a nod from him.

He flipped the pages of his textbook, his eyes scanned the words and sentences, and he looked so intense for once. Nosily, I asked him, "How long have you known Peter?"

He tilted his chin up, staring at me wide eyed and with a raised eyebrow. He said, "Since our childhood, or shall I say high school."

"Ah." I murmured, tucking strands of my hazel hair behind my ear.

"Aren't you going question my answer?" He suddenly asked me, causing realisation to creep in. I forgot that he didn't know I knew, how should I confront this?

"Nah, I don't want to seem like an intrusion." I told him, hoping that he didn't suspect anything. I stared at him wide-eyed, searching for odd signs. He scrunched his nose and scratched the back of his head, he said, "Alright then, princess."

I wanted to sigh in relief, but it would reveal so much. I asked him again, "Have you ever attended a prom before?"

"What's with the question? Just study." He answered me, not answering my question.

I sighed and folded my arms, laying my head down on the table. I frowned and stared at the pages of the textbook, sighing again. I was bored and I had to get that phone somehow. I stared at Asher, observing him. The light from the opened windows were penetrating his thick, brunette hair—making it look kinda brown. His jade orbs were focused on the pages in front of him, intense and illuminating. His complexion was warm under the lights, creamy as well. He was chewing his lower lip, probably thinking. That's how he had looked when he was studying for real.

He suddenly twitched his jade orbs and stared at me wide-eyed. He asked me, "What are you doing?"

"Feeling bored, why?" I answered him, staring at him with puppy eyes.

"God, please just study, princess." He ordered me, making me frown.

"God, please just study, princess." I imitated his words, abruptly sitting straightly.

"Taylor." He said with his silky voice. I think he was mad, because he rarely uses my name.

"What? The bad boy, Asher, is finally studying hard." I teased him, giggling afterwards.

He raised one of his eyebrows and widened his eyes. He said, "Bad boy?"

I shot open my eyes widely and said, "A-Ah yeah! Don't you know what your reputation is?"

Reluctantly, he shook his head and went back to studying. I plopped my chin on the table again and tapped my fingers on the table annoyingly. Annoyed, Asher laid his hand on my fingers and stopped me from tapping.

"What...?" I mumbled out, shy.

He got up from his seat, with his hand still hovering over my hand. He pushed the chair backward merely with his standing up. He leaned in closer, only a few inches away from my face. I was staring at him eye to eye. He whispered, "You're such a flirt, y'know."

With that statement, my cheeks reddened like a tomato. I felt his breath on my face, repeating itself every second. My eyes were widened largely, yet I couldn't blink. His chin was also laying on the table, just a few inches from me. Not able to handle it, I lifted my head off and sat back.

I averted my gaze away from him, fiddling with my fingers. He pulled his chair back and sat again. He returned to his studying and hinted a smirk. Alright, I needed to get his phone.

"Um...Asher?" I squeaked like a tiny mouse, due to the embarrassment. He didn't notice, instead he kept on reading the pages.

I repeated myself, "Asher?"

He finally looked up and murmured, "Yes, flirty princess?"

I looked at him in disgust and said, "Can I borrow your phone?"

He raised his eyebrow and asked me, "For...?"

"I think I left my phone in my dorm, I
have to make some calls." I lied to him, patting on my left pocket of my jeans.

Staring at me for a moment, he finally took out his phone and slid it across the table. I caught the phone and said, "Thanks."

I got up from the seat, pushing it in afterwards. I walked towards the exit, slightly antsy and nervous. My footsteps were similar to tiptoeing, because I was scared that he might find out. I pulled the door open and walked out of the library. Looking for a hidden corner, I went to the spot where I could spy on him, the window spot.

I tiptoed there and leaned against the wall in relief. I turned on the screen, opening the photos icon. I scrolled the screen to look for the exact photo, looking intently. There!

I clicked open the photo and checked the date, it was way long after the prom. It was a year after the prom. So, did that mean that Peter wasn't the man in the mask? It was practically impossible for him to lose weight in a whole lot amount in a short time.

Someone grabbed my wrist, yanking me to face him. I squealed, "Eek!"

I was twisted around to face...Asher.

End of chapter seventeen. Did you enjoy this chapter? I know I certainly did. What do you think will happen to Taylor? Leave your answers in the comments down below!

Hello, guys! I'm back here again and I have a terrible news. Cinderella Who will be on a hiatus for around a week, because I'm having my exams. But, don't worry! I'll be back with a whole lot chapters! So, I guess I'll see ya in a week, goodbye!