Dane wraps things up, then passes the phone to Sterling. By the time I get it back, it’s nearly game time.
“You got a text,” Sterling lets me know.
Clutching my helmet, I glance at the message.
‘Overheard Lexi and that bitch talking about plans to hit up Marcus’s party tomorrow,’ Parker wrote. ‘Mind if I get creative?’
She loves this more than she should, and that isn’t lost on me. Sometimes, I wonder if she sees it, the weird chemistry between Southside and me. It makes me question whether it’s the reason she volunteers for evil shit like this.
Probably.
I shoot her back a message then follow the rest of the team out onto the field.
‘Have fun. Just don’t almost kill her this time.’
@QweenPandora: Who’s ready for the annual Monster Bash? Time: 10:00 pm until the cops show up. Location: Nice try. You know I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Check back an hour before the soiree for an update. Until then, don your costumes, pile on a few layers of Mommy’s makeup, and meet me there! Can’t wait to count all the slutty devil costumes! Looking at you, Dance Squad.
Later, Peeps!
—P
Chapter 30
BLUE
Yep, she talked me into it. And here I am, in the middle of nowhere, walking uphill through the darkness to some centuries-old cemetery.
Condensed version: the whole thing is creepy AF.
“Dude, are you scared or something?” Lexi teases.
I peer up at her as we climb, seeing nothing but the moon’s reflection in her round, tinted glasses—the staple to her John Lennon costume.
“First of all, only a psychopath wouldn’t be scared,” I point out. “But there’s also the fact that I’m doing all this walking in go-go boots and a minidress. Because someone insisted that I come dressed as Yoko Ono tonight.”
Meanwhile, she’s sporting a white, bell-bottomed pantsuit with matching turtleneck sweater—looking very Lennon-esque. She sprung for wigs for us both, and I can’t remember a time I’ve ever been more uncomfortable in clothes.
“We lucked out with this weather, though, right?” she points out. “Otherwise, you’d be freezing your ass off.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m trekking up a mountain in platforms.”
Laughing at my exaggeration, Lexi loops her arm through mine. “Come on, Yoko, I’ve got you,” she teases, helping me the rest of the way.
At the top of the hill, the scene has been set. As far as secret, teenage, Halloween parties go, it’s pretty decked out. Someone’s taken the time to set up and decorate snack tables, and a bunch of pumpkins have been carved with cartoon faces. Others are a bit more abstract. Like, the one of a penis, fully detailed with testicles.
Boys.
From what I can tell, there’s even designated security. Granted, those patrolling are merely underclassmen dressed in black t-shirts and jeans, but at least they’re keeping an eye on the food and drinks. I imagine this is the closest most of them will come to getting invited to a party like this any time soon. Basically, they’re likely elite hopefuls, vying for a spot within the ‘in crowd’.
Poor, disillusioned souls.
Dim lanterns hang on hooks near every other headstone. Most of the markers are aged and leaning to one side, which adds to the terrifying ambiance. Fake hands positioned on some of the graves give the appearance of the dead reaching out from the great beyond. It’s in poor taste, but creative, I guess.
Loud music blares from huge speakers at all four corners of the party space, and I refuse to scan for … him.
He’s definitely in my head, though.
Always.
“How’s your aim?”
I glance toward Lexi when she asks. “Fine, I guess. Why?”
Without further explanation, I’m dragged across the grass to a beer pong table. One with LED lights that blink to the bass pounding from the subwoofer beside it.
Lexi turns when I laugh. “It’s a little soon to start drinking, don’t you think?”
She pops a shoulder. “I figure, the sooner I get a little tipsy, the sooner I’ll forget I’m mostly partying with a bunch of losers. Then, from there, the possibilities are endless.” A huge grin brightens her face.
She steps up for a turn and I pat her on the back with a laugh. “This one’s all you, Mr. Lennon. Rock on.”
With another shrug of her shoulders, she takes a ball and it doesn’t take long for her to find a willing partner to take on the twosome across the table. After that, the next twenty minutes are a blur of flying ping pong balls and red cups going bottoms up. It becomes super clear super fast that this girl can drink most under the table. It’s Lexi’s turn and she sinks the ball into one of the other duo’s cups with ease, and those gathered around cheer her on.
“I’m gonna go grab a drink,” I lean in to tell her. “Be right back.”
She catches my wrist before I go. “Don’t take anything that isn’t sealed,” is her warning, although that’s not something I’d ever forget.
When I salute her and walk away, there’s more cheering at my back and I laugh. You’d never conclude she’s not the social type. Guess she was right. Get a few beers in her and she’s the life of the party.
One of the mini security guards eyes me as I snag a bottle of water from the cooler, and then stop to scoop some snack mix from the bowl into an orange sandwich bag. I shoot him a coy wave and keep it moving. The platform boots make walking over the uneven terrain a challenge, but I’m pretty sure no one sees the couple times I nearly face-plant into a head stone.
The music’s good and, so far, no one I hate has ventured too close to me. Parker and her girls are always lurking, but they’re mostly concerned with being seen in those red horns and the skimpy, red lingerie they’re passing off as costumes. I almost wish we weren’t experiencing a mild heatwave, so the sluts could
