Never Thought I'd End Up Here

by Ann Liang

“We’re meant to wear these when we enter, apparently,” he says. “These?” I raise a skeptical brow as I assess the thin scraps of fabric in his hand. “Will they even do anything? I swear I have dresses made from this exact material and those things are, like, fully see-through.” Cyrus blinks fast. “Why do you own dresses that are see-through? Does that not defeat the very purpose of clothing?” “The same reason I own anything in my closet: because it looks good,” I say. Then, unable to resist a chance to fluster him, I add in an offhand tone: “I even brought one of the dresses with me. Want to see me wear it?” He freezes, blood rushing to his face, the look in his eyes almost panicked. He doesn’t even seem to be breathing until I burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I won’t show you just yet. I can’t have you going into shock before the competition is over.” “I—” He clears his throat. “I wouldn’t go into shock—” “You almost went into shock just now at my mere suggestion. Also, wait, can you help me put this on?” I nod at the blindfold. “Yes. Sure,” he says, moving behind me. I expect him to be quick with it, the way the others are—out of the corner of my eye, I see Oliver tying the blindfold so carelessly that it ends up sliding down to Daisy’s chin—but Cyrus’s movements are like him: deliberate, precise. As the world goes dark, I feel his fingers in my hair fastening the ends of the blindfold, taking care not to mess up my bangs.