WHY CAN'T IT BE

A Rift in Friendship

"Once upon a time."

Monday, 10 in the morning, the Youth Night-Masquerade Party began in a very large plaza filled with beautiful decorations. Numerous beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen arrived. It was almost impossible to count how many, so the search for the King and Queen of the Masquerade party began. From entering the venue to introducing themselves, everything was observed by some of the event organizers. What's remarkable about it is that every corner of the place had cameras, so every guy and girl getting acquainted could be seen and assessed. Everyone was hidden behind their fancy masks.

A very beautiful woman caught everyone's attention there, especially the men. She wore a simple white gown paired with a black mask, but the simplicity of her attire accentuated her beauty. Her eyes were different, sparkling, especially her lips that smiled; when you caught sight of her, you'd really have to look. She was the talk of the town. Her eyes were striking, her nose prominent, and her lips kissable because of the black mask she wore.

"Look at that girl. Why is she so beautiful!? Her outfit isn't even as nice as ours," a girl remarked, staring intently at the approaching woman.

"Yeah, you can't deny she's really beautiful. Maybe it doesn't matter what she wears because she's still gorgeous," another girl said, also gazing at the approaching woman.

It's Liza! Liza is the one who caught everyone's attention at the party, along with her friend Anne.

Liza's POV

"Hey! Anne! Why are they looking at me? Do I look dirty? Is there something wrong with my outfit? What!?" I whispered in confusion, unable to understand why most people were staring at me. It feels like I'm under a microscope. I swallowed slightly as I made my way into the plaza.

"Oh, come on, Liz. You're so beautiful, even with the mask on. And they don't know that my friend here has a beautiful personality too. Beautiful inside and out," Anne proudly said, managing to make me chuckle.

"Oh, dear. I really shouldn't have come here. It's embarrassing. Let's just sit down for a bit," I suggested, already gesturing towards our desired seats because I really didn't want all the attention. Even with everyone wearing masks, it's still embarrassing. With so many people at this party, why is everyone looking at me? Everywhere I look, someone is staring at me. I just hope to find someone who isn't when I look around. That's what I'm thinking as we sit down.

"Okay! If you say so," Anne agreed with me, but in truth, she really wants to leave and meet the guys she's been eyeing.

As they sat down, the MC suddenly spoke up for an important announcement.

["Good morning to all the beautiful ladies and gentlemen who are here in our first-ever Masquerade party. Today we are here to thank each and every one who supported the projects of each Barangay, especially for the youth. This party is for all the youth as they said, 'Kabataan ang Pag-asa ng Bayan.' Agree? Oh well, I won't prolong my speech any further. Let the party begin! Thank you so much!"] Everyone listened to the speaker attentively. After the MC finished, he exited the stage, and the music started blaring.

People were mingling, some getting close quickly, others not enjoying whoever approached them. It's fun, isn't it? And to meet more people, Liza and Anne decided:

"Liza, I'm going over there. You stay here, or if you want, you can come with me. Come on," Anne said, saying goodbye to me but also insisting. I really didn't want to leave my seat; I just wanted to listen to the music and observe the people around me.

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll stay here for now. There's still plenty of time anyway," I shooed her away. Yes, I literally shooed her because she's persistent. So, she left as soon as I said there's still plenty of time.

Liza was left alone at the table, but many people approached her, and she reciprocated. However, because of her beauty, many felt insecure around her. It's unavoidable, right? So "Insecurity brings them down," they can't do anything about it. When she glanced around, still hoping to find someone who wasn't looking at her, she saw a man in a red tuxedo with his back turned, busy with something. "Finally," Liza whispered softly. She stood up immediately, intending to approach him, but as she rose, many men swarmed around her, asking for pictures and inviting her to dance. They gathered around her, so she couldn't get closer to the man she intended to approach. She gave in slightly to these men, but only for a short while.

Until Liza felt hungry, so she went straight to the long table filled with an abundance of food. The line for men and women to get food was separate for a more organized system, and unexpectedly, as Liza was busy getting her food, a man's hand accidentally touched hers—not because the man just wanted to hold her hand, but because they both reached for the serving spoon at the same time.

"Uh, sorry miss, you go ahead first. I'll follow," the man suddenly said, looking at Liza.

"Sure. Sorry," Liza said to the man without looking at him because she was busy getting her food.

"Sorry for what?" the man asked Liza in confusion.

"Because I accidentally touched your hand," she replied, finally looking at the man because he kept trying to talk to her while she was busy getting her food.

"Oh, no, miss. I should be the one apologizing because I accidentally touched your hand. Besides, I'm the guy here, so there's that," the man said to Liza straightforwardly. They were face to face by now.

They both smiled at each other because of that simple occurrence.

"I'm actually Black King. What's your name, miss?" Another twist of the party was that they could only use code names for now, and because they both had their plates, even though the man seemed to want to hold her hand, Liza couldn't do it.

"Black King?" Liza asked the man in surprise.

"Yes. That's my code name. Why? Does it sound weird? You seem surprised," the man said with a smile.

"Oh. No. It's just that I feel like I've met you before but I don't know where, so I was a bit surprised because I didn't expect we'd meet again," Liza explained.

"Hmmmm. Wait, is it a very beautiful woman hiding behind that black mask? Could it be you? If I recognized you earlier, I would have courted you right away," the man joked. Liza smiled slightly at the man's words.

"You're quite the joker, aren't you?" Liza replied briefly.

"Well, wait a minute. You haven't told me your code name yet. What is it? Oh, wait. I'll guess to make it fun. Hmmm. Is it Angel?" the man asked.

"Why Angel?" Liza asked in surprise.

"Because even just from your outfit, you look like an angel. That's why Angel," the man chuckled.

"How cheesy! But thanks. Really cheesy," Liza couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh or not at the man's corniness. But she kept smiling while talking to him.

"You're the one. Just kidding. You look so beautiful when you smile. Soooooo beautiful," the man said to her in amazement.

"My code name is White Queen, not Angel. It's quite far off," Liza corrected the man.

They talked for quite a while, still standing and holding their plates. They didn't seem to get tired from it. But the man noticed that Liza's feet seemed to be getting sore, so he offered to sit with her.

"Do you want to sit for a while? Can I sit beside you on your seat? Do you have company?" the man asked Liza directly. Liza didn't respond to the man, but they gestured to where she and Anne were seated. When they reached the table and put their food down, soft music suddenly started playing, so the man invited Liza to dance immediately.

"My Queen—or rather, Whitequeen, may I have this dance?" the man asked her, extending his right hand to Liza.

"U-u-uh, sure. Hmmmm. What if I don't want to dance with you?" Liza asked. His hand was still extended.

"It's okay if you don't want to. What can I do? I'm not forcing women," he explained. But you could see the man's expression changed, and he lowered his hand.

"Sure. Sure. I was just teasing you. Let's go. You can dance with me," Liza said with a chuckle to the man. It seemed like only a few moments had passed, and now she was willing to dance.

"Huh? Really? Alright then. Allow me to hold your hands, my Queen—i mean Whitequeen," the man said in surprise and playfulness. Perhaps he thought she'd reject him like she did to the other men who asked her.

Liza just smiled and let the man lead her to the center. They positioned themselves right in the middle. Many men were envious because he was the one dancing with her. Some women were also envious because the man she danced with, wearing a red tuxedo, was handsome and well-built. There were mixed emotions, but they ignored them and just danced, looking at each other.

As Liza looked at the man, she couldn't help but think of Enrique again, even though she hadn't met him yet. She wondered what if her dance partner turned out to be Enrique, given how comfortable she felt with him. She couldn't properly identify him because of the masks covering their faces.

"Are you okay? Do you want to dance again later?" her dance partner asked.

"I'm fine. I'm really okay," Liza assured him. She felt comfortable with the man, so it was okay with her, plus she didn't have anyone else at her table since Anne was gone.

Liza said that to reassure the man, but deep down, she was thinking about it. Until the hours passed. They talked and danced while Anne mingled with people, and Enrique searched for Ken to ask him to go home.

Enrique's POV

I can't see Ken. He just told me he's getting some food and will be back soon. I'm just sitting here on the side, but these girls around me keep bothering me. I have no intention of dancing or introducing myself to anyone. I want to go home and change my clothes. I'm not comfortable wearing this red American tuxedo. Yeah. Ken and I ended up wearing the same thing, even the mask, only our shoes were different. Weird, but it wasn't intentional. So, out of boredom, I decided to stand up and look for Ken wherever he might be. He's really stubborn.

"Um, excuse me. Have you seen someone wearing a red American tuxedo and a black mask? I've been looking for him since earlier." He asked a girl who didn't respond to him because she was staring at him. The girl seemed stunned, so he left without getting an answer because it seemed like she had no intention of responding either. So, he was about to walk again to ask around when a guy suddenly spoke to him.

"Dude, who are you looking for? Because I think I saw the person you're looking for in the middle, dancing with a pretty girl. Do you also want to dance with that girl? Lucky guy, huh. Over there." He pointed towards the middle. He quickly found a dance partner. Well, with so many girls here, he's bound to fool many. "What about you, dude? Don't you have a dance partner?" He continued. I need to leave this place quickly, I sense something different. There's no foul smell. You know what I mean.

"U-uh, me? No. I have no plans. Okay, okay. Thank you, dude. I'm leaving." I just said it directly because he might invite me to dance. I laughed to myself.

Enrique went to look for Ken and squeezed through the crowd just to catch a glimpse of him because he was about to invite him to go home. However, when Enrique spotted Ken due to his red attire, even though Ken had his back turned and was dancing with the girl wearing a simple white gown and a black mask, suddenly, all the lights went out, indicating that the Masquerade King and Queen had been found, so Enrique didn't see him anymore and just stopped where he was.

Now, the chosen King and Queen of the party will be announced. Due to the darkness, no one could see anyone else except for a spotlight that caught everyone's attention. The event's MC began speaking:

"Good evening, beautiful ladies and gentlemen. I will now announce who the luckiest persons tonight are. Are you excited? Of course you are. I have the envelope now in my hands. Who could be the lucky ones chosen by our esteemed officials? But before I announce the King and Queen, I would like to thank all the people who made this event possible. Thank you so much for inviting me and to my sponsors, please stay." The MC joked. "Here it is! I will now say who. But before anything else, let me first tell you what the chosen ones will receive." The MC teased the attendees.

Many were puzzled because they didn't know that there would be a King and Queen of the party, but many were also delighted as they hoped they would be chosen.

"For the chosen ones, it is OBLIGATORY to stroll around, meet, and for more fun, they can bring along one of their acquaintances each. Don't worry because all expenses are paid for a week. It's up to you where you want to go. Is everyone okay with that?" The MC asked loudly, eliciting excitement from the crowd.

"Okay. And now, the moment everyone's been waiting for. Earlier, I had in my hands the names or codenames of our King and Queen of the night. Let's see who will be crowned tonight." The MC opened the envelope and slowly took out the paper inside. "The King of the Night is no other than......................Mr. Black King!!! Please come here on stage." The crowd cheered and applauded in excitement. Ken didn't immediately go up on stage upon hearing his codename. So, the MC called him again. "Mr. Black King, where are you? Come up here before this changes." The MC teased. A man wearing a red American tuxedo and a black mask then climbed up onto the stage. The women cheered as he ascended the platform. He couldn't remove his mask or reveal his real name until his partner arrived. The MC spoke again and briefly conversed with the newly crowned King of the Night before announcing the Queen of the Night. "Wow, our King of the Night, Mr. Black King, is really handsome. Your name suits you perfectly." The MC exclaimed, marveling at the man's handsomeness. "What can you say now that you've been chosen as the King of the Night?" The MC asked. The man didn't know what to say because he didn't expect to be chosen. Although they knew there would be such a surprise at the party, they didn't attempt to get it. But it happened, and he was also happy. "Thank you so much." He said briefly. Many were thrilled by his voice, so the women screamed and cheered again. The MC spoke again to announce the Queen of the Night. "And of course, where is our Queen of the Night? Are you ready to take this handsome man beside me? If yes, let me call you. Our Queen of the Night is no other than.............................................Ms. White Queen!!! Please come up here on stage so you can meet our very handsome Mr. Black King. Wow, it's like destiny. Their codenames are partners." The MC said excitedly.

Liza was shocked to hear her codename, White Queen, and didn't know whether to go up or not due to mixed emotions, while Ken, hiding behind the codename Black King, was ecstatic upon hearing his name. It was evident from Ken's smile that he was very happy with what was happening. Enrique, on the other hand, was also surprised, with a mix of emotions he couldn't quite understand, as he didn't immediately realize that he had seen the girl he expected to see, and Anne was thrilled for Liza. Liza also climbed up onto the stage after being called three times. Her beauty shone, especially under the spotlight. Many men cheered because of the simple beauty of the woman on stage wearing a simple white gown and a black mask. They were crowned, given sashes, and given their prizes.

"And now, they're the first King and Queen of this Masquerade party. Let's give them a round of applause." The MC pointed to the two of them.