At 9:34 p.m. Chase’s car pulls into the driveway. My mom is at work, so I send her a quick text, knowing she probably won’t even respond until later. She’s a flight attendant, so not answering is nothing new. Tonight she’s on a long haul to from Seattle to Australia, so I won’t see her for a couple of days.
Here, now, in King City, I’m going to do things differently. I may have already screwed up my plan to keep my head down all year, but I am going to have friends. I want to have friends. I want to live through a normal school year. I want to finish my senior year at one school and one school only—King City High.
I lock the door and head toward the car, where Charlotte is getting out of the front seat so we can admire each other’s costumes.
“You look hot!” she says with a smile.
I’m dressed as a ’20s flapper, in a black dress and dangling beaded necklaces.
“You too!” I smile back at her.
Charlotte’s dressed as a Pink Lady from the movie Grease. The look is complete with her curly, mocha-colored hair tied in a high ponytail and a small black scarf tied around her neck.
“Um, hello?” Chase interrupts us as he walks around the front of the car from the driver’s side. “Why has no one commented on my hotness?”
Chase is wearing black cargo pants, a tight navy-blue T-shirt, and a black hat with the word SWAT on it in white block letters.
“Very creative, Chase.” I roll my eyes as we all get into the car.
“Yeah, never seen that one before,” Charlotte adds sarcastically.
“What? Like a Pink Lady and a flapper are any more creative,” he replies as he pulls out of my driveway. “Besides, I figured almost every other girl is going to be dressed as an army/SWAT team girl, a nerd, some superhero, Thing One and Thing Two, or a Minion. So I figured if I dressed to match one of them it’d be easier to get laid. I took my chances with the SWAT team.”
Charlotte looks back at me from the front seat and we share an eye roll.
“Very strategic, Chase.”
Missing Charlotte’s sarcasm, he smiles and continues driving.
“Are you drinking tonight, Chase?” I ask. “If you’re drinking, I do not want you to drive us home.”
“Duh, it’s no fun being the only sober person at a party.”
“But alcohol makes you do stupid things, Chase. Remember last Christmas when you tried to do a backflip from the roof into Mason’s pool?” Charlotte points out.
“Hey, in alcohol’s defense, I’ve done some pretty stupid shit sober as well.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Charlotte mumbles.
I feel anxiety bubble up in my chest. “Come on, guys. If Chase is drinking, how are we getting home?”
Charlotte looks back at me. “Chase is crashing at Noah’s with the other guys. My brother is going to pick us up when I call him.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, and Charlotte and I go back to talking about our costumes.
About ten minutes later, we pull onto Noah’s street. His house is easily identifiable from the teenagers loitering around the front, and the loud music pouring out of the open door. There are a lot of people here already. It’s almost ten—clearly this is the time when most people show up.
Chase parks the car a couple of houses away on the street, and for late October, it’s not that cold out. Walking up the driveway and saying a quick hello to the few people outside, we head up to the open front door and walk into the awaiting Halloween-themed pit of drunken, hormonal teenagers and the imminent promise of making bad decisions.
The music is a lot louder inside, and I start moving my hips a little in automatic response. As we follow Chase through the house, we see that he was right about what girls would be wearing. The crowded house is full of Thing Ones and Thing Twos, army and SWAT team girls, devils, angels, and lots and lots of cats.
/> Many of the guys aren’t dressed up, and those who are, are wearing creepy masks, or are dressed in last-minute costumes like doctors, and there are lots of Federal Boobie Inspectors. Ew.
“Booze!” Chase exclaims when we enter the crowded kitchen, and makes his way over to the counter stocked with different types of alcohol.
“Don’t overdo it this time!” Charlotte chases after him, leaving me standing awkwardly in the doorway.
I’m not quite ready to drink just yet; maybe I’ll have a shot after I check out Noah’s house, looking for exits and familiar faces. The house is big, but not so huge you’d get lost in it. For my own sanity, knowing the fastest way to get out of here in case something happens or someone shows up is a good thing.