The Masquerade by Alexa Rae Read Free Book Online Page B

audience laughed while, beside me, Hayley came close to hyperventilating.
    Jesse feigned offense, "Fuck you, man."
    "Fuck your mom." Ben shot back, sending the audience into a frenzy of laughter.
    When Ben said this, PJ walked on stage. He stopped and stared at Ben with the same straight face he always seemed to wear. A slight
    smirk, he turned to Jesse, "I already did."
    While Max took his place on the stage, furthest from us, Cam strode back onto the platform, his chin high. He stopped in front of his microphone stand and shouted, "Who the fuck wants more?"
    The crowd went insane, jumping up and down, rocking the floorboards, creating its own beat. I looked up to see Ben move to the middle of the stage, only a few feet away from me. Cam and Max began to strike the
    most electrifying chords that brought Ben to the first scream of the song. His eyes on the new microphone stand, someone from the stage crew brought out, with one hand wrapped around the microphone like a possessive child. I smiled a
    little, watching him as he sang the first verse. Someone behind me stepped on the back of my heel. I winced, feeling my skin tear, but I didn't bother looking down. I had better things to keep my eyes on.
    I instantly recognized the song as one of my favorites and I
    began to sing along with others in the crowd. This time I didn't hold back; I sang my heart out with a grin, watching Ben pounce around the stage, throwing his head back and forth every other beat. He was monstrous in his own movements
    but that made the audience love him even more.
    Jesse backed up the vocals while I belted them along with him. I extended my notes higher and added a little more resonance for exaggeration. I was voted most dramatic in choir. While I sang along, I shook
    my head back and forth, reciting the words among the screams in the crowd. A finger poked me in the side. I turned to Shiloh's wide eyes focused on mine. She motioned to the stage. I followed her gaze and noticed the guitar players
    had moved to the center of the stage to relish in the attention that the screams of the crowd brought.
    Then my eyes found his . Ben's impenetrable gaze locked with mine while he sang. My open mouth closed slowly, cutting off the
    note I was prepared to hit. He tilted his head to the side as his eyes never left mine. There was a strange spark of curiosity in his expression with an urgent force that led time to stand still
    I couldn't move. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to.
    I heard one of the girls behind me, grunt and spit a nasty remark to someone beside her. The vulgarity was meant for me. I had definitely consumed Ben's attention and people around me were beginning to notice.
    Jesse came back over and screamed into his microphone. Ben looked away and leaned his back against Jesse's. Together, they pushed, providing support for the other. While Jesse rocked the bass, his hand moving quickly over the neck, Ben screamed into the microphone, his eyes closing to
    the roar that left his mouth. Goosebumps shot down my arms, listening to the two of them.
    They pulled away after the chorus ended and both exchanged unmistakable glances. A million secrets spilled between them. Jesse shook his
    head, before he moved back to his microphone to follow up another scream. Ben's eyes narrowed slightly at Jesse before he pushed his microphone closer to his mouth and screamed the words to the song. His scream pierced through the
    melody, unlike anything I had ever heard before. Jesse's and Cam's backing screams were good, but Ben's were on a different level, deeper, darker...chilling to the core.
    After the bass player's silent exchange with Ben, our eyes never
    met again. I pretended not to notice or care, but a knot in the back of my throat tightened. I wanted him to look over at me again but there was nothing. The band seemed focused on the other side of the stage.
    When the second to last song began, my phone vibrated in the
    back of my pants. I pulled it out,