Madeline's Mystery Man's Masquerade Mask

Wow, that's a lot of M's!

Girls' Masquerade Ball Gowns

 Madeline's Outfit

 Lizzie's Outfit

 Andrea's Outfit

 Debra's Outfit

Skye's Outfit

The Masqueraded Man (Chapter 5)

The next day, the girls had lunch in the school cafeteria. They were in an awkward position as they stared at Madeline whose face was lying down on her turkey sandwich.

"You gonna eat that, Mads'?" asked Andrea.

Madeline moaned inside her mouth.

"Is that a no?"

"Are you still upset about the Jerry thing?" asked Skye.

Madeline lifted her head up, exposing soft white crumbs stuck to her face. "Yes!" she whined.

"You have sandwich on your face," Lizzie noted.

"Why did he leave me? Why do they always leave me?"

"Why do you miss him?" Skye questioned.

"Why is the sky blue?"

"Is that question rhetorical?" asked Lizzie. "Because I don't know the answer to that."

"I miss him because I felt a special connection with him. Now that's connection's gone. It's long gone."

"You barely knew him" said Skye.

"You don't have to know somebody to feel a connection. You just feel it; it comes up."

"Like a rash?" asked Lizzie.

"Like a big, ol' rash."

"I think it's sweet that Madeline felt a special feeling towards Jerry," commented Debra.

"I think it's gross," Skye added.

"I think it's-- I don't know," Andrea jumped in.

"Why did he leave?" Madeline inquired in a whiny voice.

"Because he moved," Lizzie replied.

"I know that, Liz'. But I just met him."

"Maybe it's destiny saying that they'll give you pleasure but bring you pain," said Debra.

"I don't know what Destiny Danielson has to do with this," said Lizzie, "but that does not sound very nice of her."

"She's talking about destiny as in fate," said Madeline. "But I have had way too many chances with fate. There has been some errors that came along and it has always been that way every time."

"Maybe you dodged a bullet," said Andrea. "He could have been a sex offender."

"I believe he's a little too young to be a sex offender."

"No, if you offend with sex in any way, you're a sex offender. So it doesn't matter how old you are; he could have been a sex offender."

"Yeah, no. He was and is not a sex offender. He was just a regular guy who went to Tech Club--"

"Yeah, that is one of the signs."

"How is that-- Never mind. I'm ignoring you. There was something about Jerry and I may never know what that was. But it felt good to want to know."

"Aw, that's nice," Debra commented.

"And weird," added Skye. "Like I said, you did not know him."

"Well, you don't personally know Bono and you say he's going to marry you."

"Hey, that is not just a dream; it is a goal and I will not let you crush it!"

The Masqueraded Man (Chapter 4)

Three days had passed and Madeline was still fixated on the blue masked boy from the Masquerade Ball. She continued to pass out flyers but this time, she was permitted to staple her flyers on bulletin boards inside the school. As she stapled one of her flyers on a board inside the hall by the school lobby, she was approached by an unfamiliar teenage boy.

"Hi," he greeted.

Madeline turned around. "Hi. Do I know you?"

"No, I'm Jerry."

"Oh, well, hello, Jerry. Do I know you?"

"No but I just wanted to ask about your paper."

Madeline took a glance at her stapled flyer. "Oh. What about it?"

"Why are you hanging up paintings of cantalopes?"

"For your information, this is not a cantalope; it is a boy. Why is everyone saying it looks like a cantalope?"

"Because it does."

"Well, it's not. I met some dude at a dance here and that resembles my memory of him. Does he look familiar?"

Jerry squinted his eyes at the flyer. "Hmm, I don't know. No, I don't suppose so."

Madeline groaned. "Figures. I meet the best person of my life and I let him slip away from my fingertips."

"Do you even know him?"

"No! But when I looked into his eyes, I felt like I've known him for a decade. But you don't want to hear that. It's too girly."

"No, not at all. I think it's sweet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, if something feels right, you just have to go with it. Follow your heart, not your head."

"That's exactly what I was going for."

"And I do that every day I can. And to make you feel better, your mystery man is closer than you think."

"But you said you didn't know him."

"Actually, I know him a lot better than you think."

"Then tell me."

"Well, he goes to this school, he's been thinking about you as well and his name is Jerry."

Madeline paused. "His name is Jerry?"

"Yep."

"And didn't you say your name is Jerry?"

"Yes, I did."

"Oh." She froze for a while before punching Jerry in the shoulder with force.

Jerry covered his shoulder and made a face of pain. "Ow! Why'd you do that?"

"For making me obsess over you!"

"Look, I'm sorry."

"Why did you kiss me and make me create ugly flyers?"

"Well, me and my friends at Tech club--"

"Ew!"

"--are aware of your popularity here."

"Huh, I'm popular?"

"When people talk about you like we do, yeah. And since the Ball was coming up, I made a bet with my friends that if I get a kiss from you, they would polish my robots for a whole year. It sounded a lot better when we declared it."

"So I'm just usage?"

"Well, when you put it like that--"

"Jerry!"

"Sorry! But when we were dancing, I could not get you out of my head after that. That kiss we had was special and even though we did not know each other that well, I wish we did."

"But why did you leave so early?"

"I had a curfew."

"But you were at school. And it was barely past ten."

"My parents are strict. Listen, I like you and that bet means nothing. I'm sorry for hiding away for a little bit but I didn't know how to approach you after that."

Madeline hugged Jerry, laying her cheek on top of his shoulder. "I forgive you. I am just so glad to have finally found you. Now we can be together."

"Yeah, about that. I'm moving."

"Then I'll move with you. I know how to hug."

"No." Jerry picked Madeline off of his shoulder. "I mean that me and my family are moving away... tonight."

Madeline pulled away from the hug. "Tonight? Boy, what is wrong with you?!"

"I don't know. Look, I'm sorry. It's just that it all happened so soon and... I'm really sorry."

"I can't believe you're moving and I barely know your last name."

"My last name is--"

"Yeah, I don't care right now. I-- I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you more."

Jerry and Madeline threw out their arms at the same time and embraced each other once more.

"What do you say?" Madeline inquired. "One kiss before you head to Neverland?"

Jerry pecked Madeline on the cheek.

"Yeah, that's what I was expecting."

"I don't want to hype you up."

"I'm already hyped."

The two released and took one more glance into each other's eyes.

"Goodbye, Madeline."

"Goodbye, Jerry."

Jerry walked away, breaking his gaze from Madeline, into the hallway. Madeline looked at him walk a distance before ripping her flyer from the bulletin board.

"Why do I get to be Rose in this movie?" she asked herself.

The Masqueraded Man (Chapter 3)

Monday came and Madeline never stopped thinking about the boy who kissed her ever since the dance. She acted as if she had fallen in love with him. So when she arrived at school, she handed out flyers in the second floor that she made with a painting on it and questions printed under it.

She asked passer-bys the same unanswered question when she handed them a flyer which was: "Have you seen this guy?"

After passing out at least twenty flyers, she turned around to Andrea and Lizzie who had just stopped by.

"Oh, hey, guys," she greeted. "What's new?"

"With us, nothing much," answered Andrea. "But with you, a lot."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think it has to do with you handing out flyers," responded Lizzie.

"So what? I'm helping out."

"Yeah, helping yourself," Andrea said, taking a flyer from Madeline's hand.

"That's a bit ego-electrical," Lizzie commented.

"Egotistical."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Did you paint this?"

"Yes," Madeline answered. "It's pretty great, isn't it?"

"Pretty great? More like ugly great. I don't know if this is supposed to be a man or a cantalope."

"If it's a cantalope, it looks pretty delicious," said Lizzie.

"So you haven't seen anyone who looks like this?" asked Madeline.

"Why are you obsessing over this guy?" questioned Andrea.

"He kissed me at the Masquerade Ball and I can't stop thinking about him."

"Was the kiss really good?" asked Lizzie.

"More like really, really good."

"Aw."

"And I need to find him."

"Do you even know his name?" asked Andrea.

"Nope, just a mask."

"Well, he's not going to wear the mask to school."

"I know that. But that would be really helpful if he did."

"So you're going to search for a guy that you barely know?"

"Yeah."

"You're crazy."

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Crazy."

"Please, you can never be crazy with love."

"Love? You love him? You barely know him."

"That's what makes it love."

"No."

Madeline turned her head, taking a glance at an unfamiliar boy who was loitering in the hallway.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "He has brown hair just like the boy at the dance did."

"Um, a lot of boys here have brown hair," said Andrea.

"Some dirty blonds are mistaken as brown-haired," added Lizzie.

"I'm going to find out who he is," said Madeline.

"Please don't," begged Andrea.

Madeline walked away.

"Oh, she's going to do."

Madeline approached the idle boy. She held up her neat pile of flyers so he could see.

"O.A.R.?" she inquired.

The boy looked at Madeline. "What?"

"O.A.R."

"Or what?"

"You know... 'How many times can I break till I shatter?'"

The boy made a face of confusion and looked away.

"Come on, don't you know?"

"Know what? You're freaking me out."

"You can't be freaked out at love."

The boy ran away, scared of Madeline's growing anger.

"Oh, come on!" she threw her flyers down on the ground. Her eyes then widened as she saw another, brunet boy in the hallway. "Hey, you!" she approached him. "O.A.R.?"

The boy ignored her and walked off.

"Forget you!" Madeline shouted. She walked up the hall and went up to more boys who were passing by. "Do you guys even recognize me? 'How many times can I break till I shatter?' This is our song!"

Andrea and Lizzie stared at Madeline walking through the stampede of frightened boys.

"Has Madeline lost it or what?" inquired Andrea.

"I thought she'd get upset every time she watched the ending of Titanic," said Lizzie. 

The Masqueraded Man (Chapter 2)

Three days later, the Masquerade Ball at the school had came. The students who bought a ticket for it were dressed up in extravagant outerwear and creative masks. The Ball took place in the gymnasium, displaying a dreamy atmosphere with exquisite decorations, dark lights and nebular music. The girls, except for Skye, arrived together to their school, all looking gorgeous in their individual dresses and masks. They handed in their tickets to the front table and entered the Ball. They stopped to look at the attractive decor and watch their friend, Skye, and her band performing a song that they just ended.

"Thank you," Skye spoke in the microphone. "Next, we will playing 'Man in the Box' by Alice in Chains."

"I hate Alice in Chains!" said a girl who was standing in front of the platform the band was performing on.

"Then I guess I hate you!"

"No taste," mumbled David, the lead guitarist.

He played a riff on his guitar of the key of E5. Kent, the drummer, played the drums slowly within the riff. David and Sean, the rhythm guitarist, sung into their microphones the vocal introductions of the song.

La la la la la la...

Skye began to sing the first verse in a pleasant, ethereal voice.

I'm the man in the box

Skye started to speak in her regular voice quickly: "If you don't like what you hear, people, you can leave but you can't get your money back."

She went back to singing:

Buried in all my stuff

"Is this song from the eighties?" asked Andrea to her friends.

"The nineties," Debra replied.

"She should play some Gucci Mane."

"Who puts on Gucci Mane at a Masquerade Ball?" asked Madeline.

"Someone who wants a Masquerade Ball to turn up!"

"I'm sorry that you couldn't find a date to the Ball, Maddie," said Lizzie.

"It's okay," Madeline responded. "These guys just aren't ready for my jelly."

"Is that a reference?"

"Yes."

"Nice."

"Oh, I see Hugh," said Andrea. "Excuse me, girls, but I'm about to get my two on." She strutted away from her friends towards her handsome date who was standing by a friend on the dance floor.

"Another reference?" asked Lizzie.

"Yes," Madeline answered.

"Nice."

Instantly, Hank, Lizzie's boyfriend, sneaked up behind Lizzie and squeezed her.

"Hi-ya, cupcake," he greeted while rocking her.

"Hi-ya, muffin," Lizzie replied with a grin.

Hank faced Lizzie. "I almost barely recognized you."

"I barely recognized myself, too. When I was at home, I looked and said, 'Who is that girl?' Then I found out it was just me looking into the mirror."

Hank chuckled. "Shall we dance?"

"We shally-shall."

Hank pulled her away gently into the dance floor and danced with her.

"Well, it's just you and me, Debbie," said Madeline.

"It sure is," smiled Debra.

"Debra!" a boy called.

Debra looked to her right and saw her date waving at her.

"I mean it sure isn't," said Debra. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Madeline smiled. "Have fun."

Debra grinned. She sprinted over to her date, Darrell, who had friends to greet her.

Madeline sighed. "Now it's just me," she mumbled. She watched Skye onstage, rocking out with her band, A New Yesterday.

Feed my eyes (Can you sew them shut?)

Jesus Christ (Deny your maker)

He who tries (Will be wasted)

Feed my eyes (Now you sewn them shut)



La la la la la la...

The band ended the song with them halting from playing their instruments all at once. Few of the attendents of the dance applauded them.

"Thank you, thank you," said Skye, into the microphone. "Now we will be playing 'Shattered' by O.A.R."

Skye took off the microphone from its stand and walked over to the keyboard that was next to her. She connected the microphone onto a little stand that was connected to the top of the keyboard. She started to play the intoduction on the keyboard to keys of B B/A#. Kent later bought in the pop-sounding drums once Skye began to sing the first verse.

In a way, I need a change

From this burnout scene

Madeline walked further into the gymnasium and nodded to the infectious music that A New Yesterday was producing. She turned around when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She faced a male with an indigo-colored mask with white, black and purple lace on its border covering his eye area.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hi," Madeline greeted back.

"Are you here by yourself?"

"No, I was here with some friends. Now I'm not here with some friends."

"Would you like to dance?"

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you."

"Yeah? Then who am I?"

"Do you happen to be related to Princess Diana?"

Madeline paused. "Alright, buddy, you can have your dance."

The boy grinned.

He pulled her gingerly into the center of the dance floor and placed his hands on her waist. Madeline interlocked her fingers behind his neck. To the music, they swayed while looking into each other's eyes.

"That girl's voice is amazing," the boy remarked.

"That's cool; I'm friends with that voice," Madeline responded.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"That's cool. Tell her I think she's an amazing singer."

"Oh, I'm afraid that she already knows that."

"I like this song."

"Me, too. Is it by--?"

"O.A.R.? Yeah, it's called 'Shattered'."

"Cool."

The boy deeply stared into Madeline's eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, it's just that... your eyes look like big, blue ponds."

"Well, we all are made of seventy percent water."

The boy chuckled then lost his smile. Madeline lost her smile as well. Slowly, the boy leaned his head closer to Madeline's face. Madeline stood still, not wanting to push the unknown boy away. He pressed his lips against hers and they closed their eyes. Madeline felt that she and him were the only ones on the dance floor, getting lost in the music.

How many times can I break till I shatter?

Over the line, can't define what I'm after

I always turn the car around

Don't wanna turn that car around

I got to turn this thing around

The band ended the song with the fading of their instruments, leading to more people in the gymnasium applauding. Once they heard the applause, Madeline and the blue-masked boy pulled away. As Madeline opened her eyes and slowly developped a smile, the boy took a look at his watch.

"Oh no!" he called. "I have to go! I-I-I will see you in school." He began to run away.

"Wait, you have to go so soon?" asked Madeline.

The boy turned around. "I'm sorry. See you." He continued to run.

"But wait! Where are you going, Cinderella?"

The Masqueraded Man (Chapter 1)

"We're all going to the Masquerade Ball, right?" Madeline checked in, pulling a spinach leaf from her sandwich.

"Correct," Andrea answered for everyone.

"What are you doing to your sandwich?" asked Lizzie.

"One of the leaves were rotting," replied Madeline.

"You can't eat rotting leaves?" Skye commented.

Andrea giggled.

"No, it's full of bacteria," said Madeline.

"But I saw you picking your ears and you said they're full of bacteria, too," said Lizzie.

"No, no. Shush."

"You still haven't found a date for the Ball?" asked Andrea.

"No, but the Ball isn't until Saturday so I have plenty of time."

"But no one is going to be your date if you're picking your ears," said Skye.

"They were itchy!"

"I can't wait to go to the dance," Lizzie grinned. "I picked the perfect dress."

"My mom is still working on my dress," said Andrea.

"Why can't you just buy a dress?" asked Debra.

"It's cheaper to have it made. Plus, my mom can design like crazy."

"Then maybe your mom can make me a dress that says 'Date-less' on it," said Madeline.

"Don't worry, Madeline," said Debra. "You will find someone."

"Speaking of 'someones'," started Andrea, "who are everyone's dates?"

"I'm going with my boyfriend," answered Lizzie.

"Of course you are."

"I'm going to ask out Gerald," said Skye.

"Who's Gerald?"

"Gerald Sanders."

"You mean Goth Gerald?" questioned Madeline.

"Like there are other Gerald's."

"But he's scary," said Lizzie.

"I like scary."

"But he looks like somebody dug him up and forced him to go to school," Andrea commented.

"Girls, we all have different tastes. If I want to go out with a goth, then let me go out with a goth. It's not a big deal; I like him."

"Enough to date him?"

"That's only if he wants to."

"Imagine Gerald sitting here," said Madeline. "I would not like that."

"Whatever. You can't stop me. Besides, I won't hang out with him that much at the dance because my band is performing there. Debra, who are you going out with?"

"Darrell," answered Debra. "Just as friends, though."

"You only go to dances with your friends," said Andrea.

"Listen, if I find the one, I will snatch him up and make him a dream catcher."

"Your specialty," added Skye.

"I'm going to the dance with Hugh," Andrea answered her own question.

"Are you guys dating?" asked Lizzie.

"No, just talking."

"Well, it's so great to hear you girls talk about your dates for the Ball," Madeline noted. "I will be going out with space."

"You said you didn't have a date," said Lizzie.

"No, I meant that I will be the only lonely person at the dance."

"Aw, Madeline, we'll hang out with you there," Debra insisted.

"I appreciate that but just to make it clear, I am not a third wheel. I will not dance with you and your dates when a love song comes up."

"There's no way you're touching my man," stated Lizzie.

"Hugh said it's a dream of his to be a part of a 'girl sandwich'," said Andrea.

"Well, tell Hugh to keep that dream to himself," Madeline ordered, "because it's not going to happen."

"You can't slow dance by yourself," said Debra.

"Oh, I've seen the movies. I definitely can slow dance by myself."

"Then that means you would be going to the dance with yourself, meaning you're your own date," said Lizzie. "Meaning you won't be dateless at all."

"I see that you're trying to cushion the blow but I still feel the blow, Lizzie."

"It's good to know that somebody noticed my cushion."