The red envelope was still on Ezra's desk when Dominic barged in.
"You're not seriously thinking of going, are you?"
Ezra didn't look up. "It's just a masquerade. We've had them before."
"This one's different. That flyer? That wording? One dance. One confession. One choice?" Dominic crossed the room, picked up the invite, and waved it like a warning flare. "This is Kai's version of Russian roulette."
Ezra finally looked at him. "Then maybe I'll win."
Dominic's eyes narrowed. "Why are you playing this game?"
"I'm not."
"Ezra."
Ezra stood, slowly. "Because for once in my life, I don't want to be predictable. I don't want to be the golden boy, the heir, the guy who always does what's expected. Maybe I want to feel something… even if it's dangerous."
Dominic's voice dropped. "You want to feel him."
Ezra didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
Elsewhere, Kai stood in the ballroom, watching as the decorators prepped the space. Red silk draped the columns. Dim chandeliers flickered with programmed candlelight. A string quartet rehearsed in the corner, their music haunting.
He imagined it now: masked faces, secrets swirling like perfume, lies and truths dancing in tune.
He could already see Ezra in black, standing by the edge of the room, glass in hand, mask slipping down his nose—like a king who didn't know he was already at war.
"You've got a flair for the dramatic," Jun said, stepping beside him.
"It's only dramatic if it fails," Kai replied.
"And if it works?"
Kai's mouth curved. "Then he'll hate me."
Jun cocked his head. "You want him to hate you?"
"No," Kai said. "I want him to remember me. Forever."
By Friday, St. Dismas Academy was a theater of masks and rumors.
Every student got a custom invitation. Some in gold, some in black, some—like Ezra's—in crimson red. No names. Just room numbers, seating orders, and a single word:
Confess.
Yuna caught up to Kai outside the dorms. "What exactly are you planning?"
Kai adjusted the cuff of his black uniform. "Nothing criminal."
"Yet."
He turned to her, deadpan. "You should wear blue."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Because you're going to dance with Jun. And he likes blue."
Yuna blinked. "You're matchmaking now?"
Kai winked. "I can be generous when I'm in a good mood."
The night of the ball arrived.
The ballroom was unrecognizable—like a dream dipped in candlelight and shadows. Students floated through the crowd in elegant suits and tailored gowns, faces hidden behind feathers, velvet, and lace.
Ezra walked in wearing black-on-black: a fitted suit, a sliver of silver at his collar, and a mask shaped like a wolf's face. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears.
Dominic flanked him, dressed in deep navy. "Still not too late to bail."
"I'm not running."
"You might not have to. Everyone's watching him, not you."
Ezra followed his gaze—and found Kai.
Kai stood at the center of the dance floor, dressed in all white. His mask was crimson and sharp, shaped like a fox. His lips curled slightly as he raised a champagne glass and toasted Ezra silently across the room.
Ezra's mouth went dry.
The music swelled. The dance began.
Pairs swirled across the floor.
And when it was Ezra's turn, he didn't hesitate.
He crossed the ballroom and stopped in front of Kai.
"I'm here," he said.
Kai held out his hand. "Dance with me."
Ezra took it.
They moved like they were made for it—steps perfectly in sync, tension humming between them like electricity. Everyone else vanished. It was just them. Always them.
"I see you got my dare," Kai whispered.
Ezra didn't answer.
"You look scared," Kai said softly. "Don't worry. I only ask one truth tonight."
Ezra looked up. "And if I lie?"
Kai leaned closer, lips brushing his ear. "Then I'll know."
Across the room, Yuna danced with Jun—reluctantly at first, but warming into the rhythm. He spun her, dipped her, then whispered, "You know he's going to break his own heart, right?"
She glanced toward Kai. "Maybe that's what he wants."
Jun's face sobered. "Or maybe that's all he knows how to do."
When the music stopped, the lights dimmed.
A bell rang once.
Then again.
And a voice crackled through the speakers—Kai's voice, recorded and ghostly.
"You've all played the game. Now comes the choice. One confession. One secret. One person. Choose who you trust… or who you betray."
The room froze.
Students looked at one another, confused.
Then screens lit up across the walls, displaying anonymous messages typed in real-time.
Ezra kissed Kai on the roof.
Dominic's in love with Ezra.
Yuna hacked the school's grade system last semester.
Jun blackmailed a teacher.
Chaos rippled through the ballroom.
Ezra turned to Kai, stunned. "You planned this?"
Kai didn't flinch. "I dared them to confess. They did."
"You humiliated everyone!"
Kai's eyes glittered behind his mask. "No, Ezra. I gave them a chance to be free."
Ezra stepped back, hurt flashing across his face. "You think this is freedom? Making people bleed in public?"
Kai's voice dropped. "You think hiding it helps? You've hidden everything—your fears, your feelings, your desires."
Ezra's breath hitched. "And you think you know me?"
Kai touched his mask. "I see you."
Ezra yanked his own mask off, chest heaving. "Then see this—I'm done."
He turned and walked out of the ballroom, the crowd parting around him.
Kai didn't follow.
Not yet.
Back in the hallway, Ezra stopped to catch his breath.
Dominic appeared seconds later.
"I told you," he said quietly. "He'd hurt you."
Ezra looked at him, something breaking in his expression. "And yet… it still felt real."
Dominic stepped closer. "Because for you, it was."
Ezra didn't stop him when Dominic reached up and gently touched his cheek.
"I'd never use you like that," Dominic whispered. "Never dare you into love. I'd just… love you."
Ezra closed his eyes. "But you're not the one I want."
And that, more than anything, was the cruelest dare of all.