“I know you are, but this will be good for you.” She placed her hand on my arm, squeezing it briefly. “I promise you’ll have fun.”
I didn’t really have an excuse. I was only going to be spending the evening home alone, anyway. Again. It was rare that my aunt and I both had an evening at home together these days, where I wasn’t busy doing homework or sewing costumes and she wasn’t working another overnight shift at the hospital birth unit where she was a senior midwife.
“Okay,” I said finally. Turning back to my computer screen, I mumbled, “I hope I don’t regret it.”
“You won’t regret it,” Lena promised me. “You get to be in disguise, too, so you don’t even have to worry about people recognising you if you don’t want them to.”
My fingers paused, mid-type, and I twisted in my seat, giving her my full attention. “A disguise?”
“Costumes,” she elaborated. “It’s Halloween. You do know most people will be wearing costumes, right?”
Right. “Oh, yeah.”
“No need to sound so enthusiastic.” She rolled her eyes, grinning at me. “I think you should make something. Use your talent for costume design.”
“Hmm. I guess I could. So you want me to come up with something that disguises me? Why don’t I just wear a full body suit?” I smirked at her. “Ooh, I could go as a hot dog.”
“Did you actually make a joke?” A proud smile spread across her face as I shrugged, then nodded. “Yay! This is a breakthrough. You’re becoming comfortable enough to joke around me.” The smile disappeared as she narrowed her eyes at me. “But you are not going as a hot dog. Think of a sexy disguise.”
I laughed. Sexy was just about the last word anyone would use in relation to me. “Fine. I’ll see what I can come up with. What’s your costume?”
“Harley Quinn, or an approximation, at least. It means I can mostly wear my own clothes.” She shrugged. “You know me. I’m not one to conform.”
For the hundredth time, I wished I had her attitude. How freeing would it be to be yourself, completely? “That’s true,” I agreed. “Okay, so I need a costume. I don’t have much time, but I’ll see what I can put together. Anything else I need to know?”
“Nope. Nothing I can think of. I’ll meet you by the main park gates beforehand, and we can take it from there.”
“Okay.” I returned my attention to my screen, scrolling back to the beginning of my essay so I could read through everything I’d written so far. As a group of people entered the room, Lena leaned towards me, lowering her voice.
“You need to have fun. I mean it. This is your last year at school, and you don’t want to have regrets.”
I sighed. “I know, and I’ll try.”
“Good.” Her voice was satisfied. “I’m glad you’re coming.”
“Me too.” I think. How had I been talked into this? Lena was right, though. This was my final year. And if I couldn’t do this, how was I going to manage when I was at university at the other end of the country?
Engrossed in my work, I didn’t notice the large body sliding into the seat next to mine until the scent of spiced cedar hit my nostrils. Lena remained oblivious on my other side, headphones on, tapping at the calculator next to her keyboard as she chewed on the end of a pen.
“Done with your essay already? It’s not even due until Monday.”
I jumped, swinging my head to face Carter so quickly that my ponytail flew around and smacked me in the side of the face. He smirked, and I felt my cheeks heat. Counting to ten in my head before I replied, I wrestled my thoughts under control, the mix of apprehension and awareness that I felt at his presence churning uncomfortably in my stomach.
“Some of us like to be ahead of the game,” I said primly, turning back to my screen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his lip curl, and he opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly another body was sliding into the space between our seats, breaking the connection between me and Carter and allowing me to breathe. I looked up to see Dylan Rossiter smiling down at me, and I returned his smile with a relieved one of my own.
“Hey, Raine. I’ve been looking for you. Would you still like a lift home after drama club on Monday?” He stared down at me, his soft brown eyes full of warmth. Dylan was also in the drama club, where he worked on set design and helped out behind the scenes. After Carter had left me crying in the hallway yesterday, Dylan had caught me wiping away my tears, and, concerned, had immediately asked me what was wrong. Not wanting to get him caught up in Carter’s drama, I gave him a vague explanation of needing to find a way home from drama club on Mondays, otherwise I may have to drop out. He lived in the opposite direction to me, but he’d told me that he might be able to sort something out.
“I’d love one.” I eyed him hopefully.
“In that case, I’ve got you. Wait for me after drama club.”
“She doesn’t need a lift. She’s coming with me.” Carter’s voice came from behind Dylan, his tone daring me to disagree.
“But you— But I—” I spluttered, caught off guard. What was he playing at? He’d made it crystal clear that he wanted me to find another way home on Mondays.
Dylan’s face fell and he glanced at Carter, taking in what was probably some kind of threatening expression on his face, before turning back to me. He mouthed sorry, then mumbled, “Oh, okay. If your situation changes, let me know.” Then he fled the room, leaving me staring at Carter in disbelief.
“What was all that about?”
Carter stared at me silently for a moment, before he turned his back on me, leaning over to talk to his friend Kian, who was sitting on his other side.
A frustrated huff escaped me, and I glared at the back of his head. What was his problem?
4
Adjusting my costume, I attempted to suppress my rising discomfort as I eyed myself in the mirror. In the end, I’d put together this particular outfit because it was the exact opposite of everything people would expect from me, and therefore, I’d hopefully be able to remain incognito if I ran into Carter and his friends—or anyone from Alstone High, for that matter. I was banking on the fact that other local schools were attending, and no one would imagine that I would show up. Plus, the whole idea of me attending the event was to push me out of my comfort zone, and this was most definitely set to do that.
The mascara I’d applied somehow made my lashes look long and lustrous, framing my hazel eyes and making them appear bigger and more intense, and the toner I’d put in my hair earlier had made it look darker, richer, redder, rather than the usual light brown. Supposedly the toner washed out easily—I hoped so anyway. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this at school on Monday. Shaking my hair free of its ponytail, I picked up my curling wand, and half an hour later it hung in soft curls down my back. After slipping on the green fabric mask that covered my eyes, I was ready.
The Uber that I’d splashed out on roared away, and I turned my attention to the huge wrought-iron gates leading into the two-hundred-acre space of greenery and sports facilities that made up Parton Park, where Fright Night was already underway. I stopped dead outside the gates, taking it all in. Rides and stalls in bright neon colours were set up in large clusters throughout the grassy open area that was normally used for casual sports games and summer picnics. A large Ferris wheel stood tall at the near end, and at the far end where the grassy area ended, before the skatepark area began, stood a haunted house, the entrance a huge, sinister-looking gaping mouth. Sweeping lights illuminated the huge space, and thumping music boomed from speakers all around us. A steady stream of people moved in through the gates, and the scent of popcorn and candy floss hung heavy in the air.