Jesse led me through the packed crowd of students, his warm hand holding mine.

We passed a group of Disney princesses, and I realized it was the cheerleaders. Lindsay and Courtney gaped at me, and I quickly turned away.

Was another Cinderella among them? I wasn’t going to stay and find out.

As we walked onto a balcony in the back, I took a deep breath and sighed in relief. Bright white Christmas lights hung from one tree to the next in the patio, decorating the night sky like fireflies. I could hear the sound of traffic not far off and see the rest of downtown, but other than that, it was quiet here, except for the sound my heartbeat. I prayed he couldn’t hear it.

Baller929 closed the doors behind us and led me over to the small bench.

We sat down, and his hand left mine. I clasped my hands together, willing them not to shake. No boy had ever held my hand, and my mind buzzed with the possibility of us becoming more.

After a minute, he said, “I thought maybe you wouldn’t come tonight.”

I turned to him. “Getting here,” I said, staring down at my dress, “was kind of complicated.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked with a grin.

I liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he did that. He was definitely the kind of person who smiled easily, who was kind by default like Harper.

Not like most of the jocks I had encountered in class.

Jesse went on. “So, do I get to hear the story of how you got here or what?”

I smiled. “Maybe some other time. It involves my evil stepmother.”

His eyes lit up again. “And the evil stepsisters?”

I nodded. “Oh yeah.”

What they’d done in the bathroom seemed long ago now, in the distant past.

I was just glad things had worked out anyway, and I was here. Meeting Baller929 in person.

“So how come you weren’t in the middle of the dance floor waiting for me at eight o’clock on the dot?” I asked coyly.

He looked out to the grass and the parking lot beyond us, shaking his head slightly.

“Evil ex,” he replied.

My heart stopped. I tried to recover and nodded.

“We went out last spring for a couple weeks. We broke up pretty quickly, and tonight she had this idea that we would get back together or something,” he said, shaking his head.

“Oh,” I replied, hoping my voice didn’t give away the twinge of jealousy I felt. “Why’d you guys break up?”

The embarrassed look on his face told me he wasn’t thrilled about our current topic of conversation either, but he answered my question.

“She was not a nice person,” he said.

“Oh,” was all I could think of saying.

“Yeah, but I met someone else.”

I looked up at him. Was he talking about me?

I wish I knew, but we had just met, and no other guy had ever said anything like that to me before.

He had to be talking about someone else.

My heart sank a little at the thought, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t let myself get down during this amazing night.

He asked, “So do I get to see the girl behind the mask at some point?”

That made me smile. “Maybe,” I said. “Are you going to tell me your name?”

I didn’t expect him to just say it. I thought he’d tease me too.

“Jesse,” he said without missing a beat. “Jesse Contreras.”

I know, I wanted to say. We’re in the same chemistry class.

“And, as you already know, I’m on the basketball team. Co-captain this season.”

“That’s awesome. So, there’s two of you?” I didn’t know he’d made co-captain, but then again, we hadn’t talked much recently.

“Yeah, there are two of us. A lot of people think it’s because my dad’s the coach, but he says I’m a good leader.”

“Your dad’s the coach?” I asked, thinking about all the messages he’d sent me about basketball since we met.

He nodded.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense now.”

“Yep,” he replied. “So, what do you do when you’re not in school or tutoring jocks who don’t get math?”

I laughed. “I like computers.”

“That much I knew,” he said. His smile lit a fire in my chest.

I lost my train of thought for a few seconds before I recalled what we were talking about. “I’ve been working this app, actually.”

“The one where you could win the scholarship?”

“Yeah,” I said, surprised he remembered. I had mentioned it to him a few months ago. “The goal is to create something that would make the world better in some way. They’re going to pick one winner for a full-ride scholarship next week. It’s a tough competition, but if I win, I won’t have to beg my stepmom for tuition money.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wow. You hadn’t told me about that.”

“Ms. Moreau told me about it before summer started. I’ve been working on it since then, but I guess you’re the only person I’ve told about it.” I hadn’t even told my friends about it. They weren’t into coding like me.

“Can I ask what the app does, or is that information top secret?” he said.

I smiled, not able to look away from his chestnut brown eyes.

“It’s an app,” I started.

He laughed. “That much I gathered.”

“I’m not done,” I said, laughing too. “It’s an app for teens. Like us. But it’s anonymous.”

“Oh,” he said. “So, what’s it for?”

I pulled my phone out of my dress pocket and opened my pictures, careful not to let him see any photos of me. Maybe I’d take my mask off at the end of the night, if everything kept going well.

I opened the album I kept on my phone just for this project and showed him the basic layout I’d come up with. “So, no one sees who you are, but you can see how many people have joined. It’s configured by the school you go to. You find your school. Then the app asks you questions about specific people at your school.” I swiped, showing him some of the questions.

He read them aloud. “Who has the nicest smile? Who were you thinking about today? Who is most likely to become president? Who makes you laugh the hardest?” He looked at me and leaned in closer. “Can you make up your own questions?”

“Not yet. I think that would be a cool future update, but they’d have to be approved by someone. I’d hate for it to turn into something hurtful. Another way to bully someone.”

He nodded. “That makes sense. Wow. This is incredible.”

“Thanks,” I said, setting my phone down next to me on the bench.

“Seriously. You should be proud of that. I’m going to write a very long letter to those judges if you don’t win.”

That made me laugh. “Thanks.”

Our eyes met for a second. I wanted to sink into the pools of his chocolate eyes all night.

I wondered if this was the moment. Should I take off my mask and tell him who I really was?

He glanced away for a second. “Do you want to find out what my username means?”

I smiled. “Definitely.”

He put his hand over mine.

“Baller929,” he said quietly.

“I think I get the baller part,” I said somehow. His hand on mine clouded all thought.

He grinned for a second before lightly squeezing my hand.

I thought I might pass out.

“But the 929 part.” He took a deep breath. “It’s the day we met.”

I blinked, unable to find the right words. “What?”

He nodded, searching my face for a reaction. “September 29th.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t guess that.” Then the meaning of his words hit me. Butterflies erupted inside me, and time stood still as I realized what was happening between us.

The faint sound of music reached us from inside the ballroom. The DJ must have turned the music up.

He stood up, still holding my hand. “Can I have this dance?”

I got up, my eyes still on him as he put his arms around my waist. I rested my hands on his shoulders. They felt strong, and now that I was this close to him, I could smell his cologne. It made me a little dizzy. Or maybe it was just the fact that we were so close.

We swayed back and forth slowly, and he led me in a lazy circle around the balcony. I’d never danced like this before, but he made it easy. My body relaxed with every second of the song.

It ended, and the DJ said something, but his voice was distant.

“Jesse,” I said. “I’m ready to tell you who I am.”

This was it.

My fingertips reached for the edges of my mask.

Jesse took a step back, the anticipation etched on his face.

Would he recognize me from class?

Would he realize that it was impossible for there to be an us?

Would he change his mind and leave?

It was too late now. I had to do this. I pulled the mask away slowly, my hands trembling slightly.

The sound of tapping at the door stopped me.

We both turned.

It was Harper. She motioned for me to go with her from the other side. The anxious expression on her face told me it was urgent.

I looked to Jesse, who was clearly confused.

“I have to go,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

My time was up. The clock had struck midnight.

If I didn’t get back now, I was sure my stepmom would find out the truth. My life would be over.

I was at the door, my hand on the ornate handle.

“Wait,” Jesse said. “I need to know who you are.”

But I was already halfway gone and didn’t have enough time to explain. I looked back at him.

“I’m sorry,” I said, meeting his eyes one last time.

And I ran. Harper was already several steps ahead of me.

I picked up the sides of my dress and raced after her, ignoring the sounds of the DJ talking over the loudspeakers. Ignoring the clapping and cheering.

I was halfway up the stairs when the blinding spotlight landed on me again.

“And there’s our winner. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of tonight’s costume contest: Cinderella!”

Needless to say, I didn’t stop to accept my prize.

“Where are you going, princess? It must be midnight, because our Cinderella is running away. Anybody see a glass slipper, by chance?”

Rey had my bag and was standing at the top of the staircase with Lena. Harper reached them seconds ahead of me.

We kept walking as fast as we could in heels until we were outside. Lena’s cousin’s car was there.

“Sorry, ladies. Your aunt is on her way back to the hotel as we speak. We need to leave now, or she’ll beat us there.”

But we were already piling into his car. He sped out of the lot.

“What time is it?” I asked. “I need to change.”

“It’s almost eleven o’clock,” Harper said.

“Not quite midnight,” Lena said from the front seat.

It was dark inside the car, so I pulled my server uniform out of my bag and began changing in the back. Lena’s cousin swiftly pushed the rearview mirror all the way up.

I started with my pants, with my dress still on. Then Harper helped me pull the ballgown off so I could get on my button-up shirt, shoes. Finally, I pulled my hair up and back to its boring self.

We pulled into the back parking lot of the hotel, at the same door I had come out earlier.

“Thank you guys so much,” I said, giving them all a hug. “Thank you, uh—”

I realized I didn’t even know Lena’s cousin’s name.

“Don’t mention it,” he said.

I got out and waved to them one last time before running toward the entrance. As I ran, I felt around in my bag for my stuff. The only thing in there, though, was my wallet.

As I walked in and heard the door slam shut beside me, I shook the bag, making sure I wasn’t overlooking the other important item that was supposed to be in here. My phone.

But no. It wasn’t there.

I turned back around and racked my brain as I tried to remember where I’d left it. I opened the door again, but it was too late.

Lena’s cousin’s car was already too far away, and I had no way of telling them that my phone was missing.

“There you are!” The manager shoved a tray of tiny desserts in my hands. “Where have you been?”

“Um, sorry, bathroom,” I said and awkwardly set my bag aside.

Apparently, he didn’t want to know any more than that. He stomped off, yelling at some other girl as he went. She wasn’t much older than me.

She steadied a tray of drinks. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there,”

As I walked out into the ballroom, I realized where I’d left my phone.

On the bench of the balcony.

With Jesse.

Sophia’s voice struck my core like a drum as I handed out tiny desserts.

“Daniela,” she said.

Her tone was carefully measured since we were in public, but I could hear the underlying anger.

I carefully turned around with my tray, pasting a smile on my face.

“Yes, Sophia?” I asked, but she was already pulling me toward the back.

To anyone, it would seem like our arms were interlocked and we were walking together, but she was yanking me along, her long, sharp nails piercing my skin through the sleeves of my shirt .

When we were out of earshot, she came in close, motherly look gone. “Where were you? I know you’ve been up to something,” she said, spewing hate.

I opened my mouth to answer, wishing I had rehearsed what to say, but she cut me off.

“I know it was you behind my car getting towed across town tonight. Do you have any idea how much you’ve embarrassed me? At my own event? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this night, only to miss it?” her voice was getting louder with every sentence, every word, until the other servers, now carrying trays of champagne, couldn’t help but stare as they walked by us.

“Uh—what are you talking about?” I said with the best smile I could muster.

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me.” She got in my face. “This mess happens with my car, and nobody’s seen you all night? It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. And what’s this?” She brushed one finger down my cheek and rubbed the foundation and blush between her fingers. “Makeup? Since when do you wear makeup?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

I tried to control my breathing, my voice. “I, uh, wanted to look nice for the gala tonight. I know it’s important to you.”

I couldn’t look away if I tried. It felt like she was staring into me, like she could see inside me, through the lies.

She came closer, uttering slowly in a low voice, “If I find out that you had something to do with this, and that you snuck off to the dance after I explicitly said you had to work tonight, you can forget about your college tuition, Daniela.”

Her words were barely audible, but I knew she meant every single one of them.