Serena
I groan when I wake. I don’t want to get out of bed today, but it’s Halloween, and I told Evie she could come over to get ready. I unenthusiastically crawl out of bed and walk into the kitchen. The sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee fills my senses, and I sigh in relief. I pour a massive cup and head into the living room. Wrapping a blanket around me, I sit on the couch, enjoying the solace and quiet. I don’t know where Mom is, but she hasn’t been home much lately.
Not much later, Evie comes bursting through the front door with a tray of coffee in one hand and our costumes in the other. Her face is so bright and excited for tonight. She tosses the costumes on the back of a chair and sits beside me on the couch, handing me my favorite coffee from the café. I inhale the heavenly scent and lean into her, resting my head on her shoulder.
We stay like that for a while, the silence comforting. I have never been one for liking the silence- too many horrible thoughts would take over my thoughts- but lately, I don’t hear them. The little voice in my head that would tell me everything wrong with me wasn’t there. I feel free from the person I once was. I am slowly finding myself. The silence has become a companion that is desperately needed.
I can feel Evie vibrate with the need to ask about my date last night. I should put her out of her misery and tell her about it, but I wait. She can barely sit still, looking at me through the corner of her eyes. I keep my eyes focused on my coffee. I swear there is nothing better than a good cup of coffee. I can’t help but smirk and chuckle as I watch my friend battle herself.
“How was your date last night?” Her voice is squeaky with excitement. She turns to me and stares expectantly at me.
“It was great.” I sigh. Even just thinking about it makes me feel all the butterflies I had last night. “He is so sweet, funny, and beyond intelligent. Not to mention sexy as hell. He took me to this fancy restaurant last night. Dante had the back rented out for us. At one point, he even had a violinist come in and play while we danced. It was just the most romantic night of my life. Then he dropped me back home and kissed me.”
That kiss was one of the most amazing I had ever had. Dante”s soft lips against mine made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. He was dominating but not too controlling. He never pushed me for more. A slight part of me wanted to invite him in last night, but another part wasn’t ready to take that step. I didn’t think about the Kings once during the date until after that kiss. I don’t want to let them go, but I don’t want to let Dante go. It’s already asinine wanting three guys to myself, but adding a fourth would be disastrous. A girl can dream, though.
Evie bit her knuckle and squealed next to me. She launches herself into my arms and hugs me closely. “I am so happy for you, S. You deserve a guy that will treat you like that.” She pulls away from me, her hands still on my shoulders. “Especially after everything with Evan.”
I am so lucky to have a friend like her.
We crash back down on the couch and turn a movie on to watch. We veg out all morning and a bit of the afternoon before finally getting ready for the party. I know the party doesn’t start until late tonight, but I am not a whiz at makeup and will need all the time I can get.
We take turns showering in my bathroom. I meticulously shaved every inch of my body. This costume leaves little to the imagination, and I didn’t want any rogue hairs poking through. I put on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top while I waited for Evie to get out of the shower. It doesn’t take long for Evie to join me on the floor. We sit next to each other with every type of makeup imaginable in front of us. I barely know how to use half of this stuff. I constantly mess up, making Evie laugh about it before helping me. Her tongue pokes out of the corner of her lips every time she concentrates on her makeup. I place the wig on after getting dressed.
I look at my best friend and smile at how stunning she looks dressed as Harley Quinn. Her blonde wig was in pigtails with dyed pink and blue tips. Her makeup matches the same colors. She looks as good as Margot Robbie did in the movie.
I look at myself in the mirror and hardly recognize myself. I”m dressed up as Poison Ivy: a bright green bodysuit with matching thigh-high boots, fingerless gloves, and a bright red wig. My makeup matches perfectly. It looks like a professional did it.
I have never worn something this revealing before, but I love it. I turn in the mirror, trying to get a good look at every inch. I look hot. I turn to Evie, and she is taking pictures of me. I smile before taking her phone and getting some pictures of her. We take a few together before she sends them to me.
I quickly post a picture on social media- wanting to show off that life is better here, hoping Evan sees it- before turning my phone off and tossing it on my bed. This costume doesn’t leave room for storage, and I don’t want to bring a bag. I grab my I.D. and stuff it down my bra.
It’s fully dark now, and the party started a while ago. I link my arms with Evie, and we walk to her car. She turns on some music, and we sing a long while driving to the warehouse. It’s out on the outskirts of town, far away from everything.
It’s packed when we get to the warehouse. Evie and I walk over to the line. Guy”s eyes focused on both of us as we walked by. In typical male fashion, they whistle and make provocative comments as, but we ignore them and make our way down the line. My mind goes back to the last party. Odin said we never have to wait in line, but the wait will help me prepare myself to see them again. Seeing them with Valerie still hurts, but I refuse to let it ruin my evening.
Evie points to Naomi and Grace in line, so we rush over to them. We haven’t spent much time with them lately. They have been off in their little world once they finally decided to stop fighting their feelings for each other and start dating. Naomi dressed up as a sexy Peter Pan and Grace as Tinkerbell.
We all start talking, catching up while the line steadily moves. When we finally enter the warehouse, my jaw drops. It doesn’t look like the same place it did the last time I was here. The place looks like a Spirit Halloween has thrown up in here. There is even fog along the ground. It’s so spooky in here. I know they go all out for their parties, but how do three teenage guys afford all this?
Like last time, music blaring through the speakers. Girls and guys are dry-humping each other on the dance floor. People doing all sorts of drugs in every corner of the room. People lined up at the bar, but I don’t see the same bartender as last time. Thank God, that guy creeped me out last time.
I look around, knowing the Kings have to be here somewhere. It’s like I can feel them watching me from wherever they are. I excuse myself from the girls and start walking around the open room. Most of the kids from school are here, but there are so many I don’t recognize either. Everyone here seems to be thoroughly high out of their minds.
I’ve seen a few club members scattered around with swarms of people around them. At first, I thought that they were talking until I got closer to a group and saw the little baggies exchanged between hands. I guess that makes sense as to why everyone is so intoxicated tonight. I recognize a couple of the dealers from when I had the misfortune of visiting the clubhouse earlier this month. One young guy I don’t remember seeing gives me a flirtatious wink and smile that makes my skin crawl.
I ignore him and push my way through the crowd. The further I go, the more rambunctious and wilder the crowd is. A few people bump into me. They all look the same, eyes glassy and empty. It”s like they are no longer in control of their bodies. They don’t apologize or even say anything. They just keep moving like they don’t see anyone.
I finally make it through the crowd and back to my friends, who are still on the dance floor. I didn’t see the Kings on my little excursion. A little part of me was hoping to see Dante among the crowd. I mentioned to him yesterday that I would be here tonight. Then again, he could be here. There are enough guys who seem to be wearing masks.
Evie waves me over, and I join her, Naomi, and Grace on the dance floor. Grace hands me a red solo cup that I greedily ingest. I need some liquid courage to get through this night. The burn down my throat warms my body, and I can already feel a little looser.
I grab Evie’s hand, and we make our way to the middle of the dancefloor and start moving our bodies to the beat of the music. I don’t know what song they are playing, but I dance with everything I have. We all dance together, Noami and Grace close together. Eventually, they break away from the two of us, looking for some alone time together. I can’t help but smile as I watch them giggle and run off together. I look at Evie, and she is wearing the biggest smile. I can see how happy she is that her friends are finally together.
I yell loudly over the music that I am grabbing another drink. Evie nods and asks for another one before going back to dancing. I push through the crowd and walk over to the bar. I wait on the side for the bartender to notice me when someone taps on my shoulder. I turn around and come face to face with Batman. I tilt my head, confused about who this is, until he removes the mask. Dante. I jump into his arms and hug him. He holds me close and chuckles into my hair.
He doesn’t want to let me go but eventually puts me back on my feet. He puts his mask back on before anyone can see him. He signals for the bartender and orders a drink for us. I ask for a third, and the bartender nods his head.
I never expected Dante to come tonight. When I brought it up last night, he seemed hesitant about attending the party with me. He told me that he and the Kings don’t get along but didn’t elaborate on why. I tried to ask, but he changed the subject quickly. He asked what I was dressing up as, and I told him. Seeing him in a matching costume makes me feel butterflies. I can’t believe he went out this morning and bought a costume.
The smile doesn’t leave my face while I stand next to him. The bartender comes over with our drinks, and Dante pays for them. We walk back to the dancefloor where I last left Evie. He stands before me, pushing through the crowd so no one bumps into me.
Evie is in the same place I left her, but now she has some company. A guy dressed like a pirate is dancing against her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her eyes locked on him. I bump into Dante and nod my head in a different direction. He nods, and we walk off to the side of the room. We stand beside a wall under a balcony and watch the party happen around us.
The quiet between us is comfortable.
“I can’t stay long,” Dante yells over the music. “I just wanted to see you again. I can’t stay away from you, pup. I needed to see you again and be next to you.” He steps closer to me and looks down at me. I can only see his lips, lips I want to kiss.
As if Dante can read my mind, he leans down and gently kisses my lips. Sparks start shooting through my body. I wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. He takes the lead and kisses me like it’s the last time we will ever kiss. His lips are soft but powerful against mine. His tongue caressed mine. A moan escapes my lips, and he growls in response. He pulls me as close to his body as he can. I wish I could feel his skin against mine, but his costume covers almost every inch of him.
He pulls away and stares longingly into my eyes. “I promise to continue this another day, but I need to leave now.” He kisses my lips one last time before walking away.
I watch as he disappears into the crowd, and he is gone.
I lean against the wall, catching my breath and steadying my wobbly legs. Who knew a kiss could make a girl that weak in the knees? I smile just thinking about it.
“Hey, pretty girl.” A strange voice calls out to me. I look over and see the club member who winked at me earlier. “What’s a girl like you doing all by yourself? It looks like you could use some company.”
I try to step away, but he grabs my arm tightly and pulls me into him. I try to push away from his chest, but he wraps his arms around my body and holds me still. He smells of weed and cheap alcohol. He leans over, running his nose up my neck and inhaling my scent. I wanted to scream, but no one would hear me over the music. I look around, hoping to find someone I know who can help me.
God, this is the one time I wish the Kings were around.