Rosa got to her feet. She couldn't put this off for any longer. The clock had just struck eight. Drew, Ivon, and Tim were all present already. It looked like most students had arrived as well, and she was willing to guess that the rest would be along shortly. She took a deep breath and mounted the stage. A hush fell over the students as the noticed her. She stood in front of the old fashioned microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, teachers and students, I welcome you all to a new term here at Umbrase. I'm glad to see you all back. This year is to be no different than any other. But that talk is for another time. I am pleased to open tonight's masquerade ball!"
She stepped back from the microphone, leading the applause for the band as she returned to the floor. She headed for Ivon and Drew. While they were masked, she knew their habits- and she had heard Ivon's distinctive accent as he entered. She grinned at them as she approached and folded her arms. "So, gentlemen. What does a woman have to do around her to get a dance?"
Stefan grinned as Lily chided her roommate and came around to help him up. Alex appeared and took some of his weight. "You know, the pain meds you're taking must be shit." Stefan chuckled a little as Alex went into the bathroom. He'd had to tell his roommate that he'd hurt his back over the holidays as an excuse for taking the pain meds. He wasn't going to tell him he'd actually gotten shot twice. "Nah, just slow acting." He called. When his roommate emerged from the bathroom, smartly dressed, Stefan gave him a thumbs up.
As Alex went over to Lily so she could fix his hair, he asked Stefan, "So who's the lucky lady?" Stefan grinned. He went over to the door, suppressing his limp as much as he could. "Who knows? I don't!"
The old Stefan would never have said that. As he closed the door, he imagined their faces and grinned. The pain meds had finally kicked in to their full strength and his limp was barely noticeable. He entered the hall just as Ms Ferri finished speaking and the band started playing. He spotted a few people sitting by the tables and glanced in a passing mirror. He winked, confident that he wasn't going to be recognized, and headed over to them. There was one girl in a silver dress with his back to them. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned into her ear to whisper, "May I have this dance?"