Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
BJ’s eyes have gone dark, and I slowly extricate myself in the predawn hours. I stayed awake after the movie ended, soaking up the nearness of him while waiting for someone to show up at any minute and ruin everything.
I sneak into the house and fire up my desktop to start looking for real estate. Somewhere far away with a large barn or pole building. I won’t have enough time to build something here, but I will make anything work as long as I can keep us together.
I’ll have to empty my account for a down payment while I wait for this place to sell, but there’s no choice now. I only hope this isn’t too little, too late.
I don’t think I can even tell Dawn my plan, which is a bummer. I really like her and the rest of the Spooky Bitches. But no one can know where we go. Glancing at the clock, I see I have a few hours left until the inevitable line of fans will show up. Hopefully, the police won’t.
I take the time to hastily pack a bag and add my important documents. Then I head to the garage and get out all the ropes and tie downs I have. I’ll load BJ up into the bed of my pickup, Bertha, cover him up with the tarps and moving blankets from the tent, and get him the hell out of here.
My mind is running a million miles a minute, and I can’t finish one task before I’m darting off to another, leaving a tornado of papers and bags and bungee cords in my wake. I make myself stop in the kitchen and fix a cup of coffee just so I can watch it drip.
“Focus, Tori. One step at a time. You can do this. You have to do this,” I say to myself, a pep talk for what lies ahead.
The comforting sputter and hiss of the coffee grounds me once again. I walk to the fridge and grab the creamer while I continue to talk to myself.
“First, finish packing,” I say while I stir in the white liquid.
“Then, find a place to hide while you look for something permanent,” I continue while adding in the sugar.
I take the first sip and sigh out, “Tonight, we ride off into the sunset.”
As I put the spoon in the sink to deal with later, I look up through the window to see a line has already formed.
“Shit, they’re early today,” I mutter.
When a familiar group of young women in matching black shirts stroll into my driveway, I walk out to meet them, forcing calm I don’t feel into my voice and actions.
“Wow, what a crowd,” one of them exclaims.
“Yeah I guess since tomorrow is Halloween, everyone wants a final chance to get their pictures with BJ,” another says.
The lie springs easily to my mouth. How on earth am I going to pack him up and escape this crowd? I can feel our chance to escape slipping away with every passing second.
“I, uh, I think I might need to cancel today,” I say and rub the back of my neck.
Three heads snap to me, tripping over each other with their questions and exclamations.
I don’t know how to explain this to them. “Can someone call Dawn? I really need to talk to her.”
They look relieved at the idea of calling their leader to take care of the awkward situation they have found themselves in.
A few moments later I'm told she’s on her way. I head into the back yard to find BJ all set up, vampire cape blowing gently in the fall wind and the early morning light glinting off his vampire fangs.
My thighs clench at the memory of pleasuring myself on them last night. I need to get him out of here. Not just for the sex, as fabulous as that is, but because I’m in love with him. I know it's ridiculous, and I don’t care.
I love him, and I have to save him. Save us.
I give him a sad smile as I look over the setup that has grown over the past few weeks from a few pumpkins and hay bales to an elaborate staging area where people can stand on different levels. Even I have to admit, these photographs have been some of my best portrait work.
I walk back out through the tent, running my fingers over the tables set up for check in and check out. Smiling at the t-shirts and stickers and buttons proclaiming Team Bonejangles, We Heart BJs, and Less HOA More Halloween.
This has been a lot of fun. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had. The most friends, and the most strangers, in my life. But it all pales in comparison to the twelve-foot skeleton that has captured my heart.
A commotion out front pulls me from my musings, my feet running before my mind can catch up. That shrill voice can only mean one thing.
Time’s up.
I pop through the gate and back out front to see three cars pulling in. Dawn, of course Lois, and the local police.
Lois stalks up the driveway towards me, face indignant, staring down her nose.
Dawn moves to intercept her, but Lois throws out her hand to ward her off while using the other one to wave a cellphone in the air.
“Officers, thank you for meeting me here at the scene of the crime,” she calls to the police who are warily approaching the scene.
“Arrest this woman, and take away that, that, thing,” she sputters, gesturing with the phone towards me and then the backyard.
“On what charges?” Dawn asks, giving Lois a wide berth and circling around to stand next to me.
The officers look back and forth between us.
“That thing is alive, and she was… Well, being a lady, I can’t even say out loud what she was doing with it,” she shakes her phone towards the police. “I have it all right here.”
My heart pounds out, too little, too late, too little, too late, in a frantic staccato beat. The blood drains from my face, and all I can do is whisper, “I’m sorry.”
The police look at Lois, then me, and back to Lois. The older officer crosses his arms and says, “I’m sorry, Lois, but you’ve gone too far. I know you don’t like Tori’s Halloween decorations.”
My jaw clenches. I want to yell that he's not a decoration, but when I take a breath, Dawn sneaks her arm around my shoulders and squeezes.
“But I have proof,” she says, voice shrill as she shoves the phone at them.
The younger officer takes it and stares at the screen.
Despite the Fall air, I feel hot sweat break out across my skin as my cheeks heat. What does she have on that phone?
The officer looks at her and then passes the phone to the other one. He watches it, and then they give each other a look.
“Lois, we’re going to have to ask you to come with us,” one says.
She smirks at me and nods, “Of course, officers. I’m happy to come to the station and give a statement right after you arrest her.”
The officers give each other a cryptic look again and then the older one takes her arm and says, not unkindly, “Lois, all you have there is proof that you were trespassing and spying on a woman in the middle of the night. There’s none of the, um, allegations you said.
No activities and certainly no proof that a plastic skeleton came to life. ”
“It’s there. Watch again. I saw it. I saw them,” she shrieks, hysterical as they escort her to the car.
The crowd surges forward, phones out as they follow her, and I know that I’m going to go viral again.
Lois looks around bewildered as she just keeps repeating the same line, “I saw them!”
Dawn claps me on the back. “So, she finally snapped.”
I look at her face, at the crowd around me as the police car pulls away with Lois in the back seat, pounding on the glass and screaming something I can’t hear at me. People are shaking their heads and talking about how the HOA lady finally lost it.
And I lose it, too.
I start laughing, and once I start, I can’t stop. I laugh until I’m crying and breathless, and I collapse on the ground.
Dawn looks at me, mildly concerned, giving a small chuckle. “Yeah, that would be pretty funny, huh? We love spooky shit. We’re the Spooky Bitches after all, but that’s kinda wild even for us.”
I look up at her from where I’m sprawled on the ground, eyes streaming. I wipe at them with my sleeve and say, “Yeah, I have no idea how that could happen. A twelve-foot sentient skeleton.”
Dawn gives me an indulgent smile, like maybe she’s just a little worried about me, and helps me to my feet.
I still want to pack up BJ and leave. But now I have time.
No pressure to run away together off into the Halloween Eve sunset.
With the threat of Lois behind us, we can plan a life together.
The thought of looking at properties together has me smiling and knowing how helpful the money today will bring has a bounce in my step.
Today is the last day, and with all the videos I’m sure just got posted, I expect a huge influx of people for the last chance at a picture with the viral Mr. Bonejangles.
Tomorrow is Halloween, and we will be officially closed to celebrate all day long. After all, that’s what started all of this.