A Gallagher Girls & The Listen Series Promptober

Halloween Sleepover

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Alice Anderson POV / Timeline: Morgan Goode and Alice Anderson's eighth grade year.

Oct. 27th | Halloween Sleepover:

This was a colossal mistake. A mistake of grand proportions. A mistake so bad, they'd never ever live it down.

" Alice Anderson! "

Maggie's eyes in front of her went wide. Alice wasn't afraid of much, really she hadn't found anything that truly made her terrified. But the sound of Headmistress Morgan calling over the alarm just then made her hands clam up, her neck filled with sweat, goosebumps erupted across her skin. A real, visceral, fear response.

She turned slowly, the girls behind her coughing in the white smoke of the fire extinguisher.

Headmistress Morgan had on a matching black pajama set, her arms crossed over her chest, a look in her eyes that could have actually killed her if she had on the glasses.

"Ma'am I-"

She didn't say anything, just pointed down the hallway, towards her office. She hung her head and slowly started towards her doom.

"Grandma, it was me!"

She didn't deserve Maggie as a friend, she could have let Alice take the blame. It was her idea for all of them to play truth or dare while watching scary movies. It was her dare that made Maggie set the 7th grader on fire.

But really, they had it out in like three seconds, seriously, what's the big deal?

"What?"

Alice turned to see Maggie stepping forward holding the exploded candle and metal pieces, "I...uh...thought I could build-"

"Office. Now. "

Maggie scampered past her, falling in step quickly with Alice.

"Ladies, your Halloween sleepover is over. Get to bed before you all get detention, you know the curfew rules."

"Yes Headmistress," all the other girls called, running frantically in socked and slippered feet down the halls giggling and whispering.

Maggie whispered, "It's my fault, you shouldn't get detention or have your mom called, I'll-"

Alice grabbed her hand, "Mags, chill, she'll give us her disappointed speech, we'll get detention, easy peasy."

Maggie shook her head and pulled her lip in, "Alice, this is not like the other times. I set a person on fire ."

Alice waved her hand, "For like five seconds. And it was an accident. And nobody got hurt."

They pushed the heavy wood door to her office open and Alice stopped at the sight of Joe Solomon sitting at the Headmistress' desk.

Maggie ran right into Alice's back and squeaked, "Grandpa. What are you doing here?"

Headmistress Morgan was behind them, closing the door, "He was here visiting me this weekend."

He leaned back in her chair, a small smile on his lips, "Should've guessed it was you two. What'd you do, set a fire in your trash can?"

He took a sip of coffee as Headmistress Morgan cleared her throat and crossed her arms, "Set a seventh grader on fire actually."

Joe Solomon choked on his coffee, hacking it up, "What? Which one of you..."

Alice didn't need to turn around to know Headmistress Morgan's finger was pointing at Maggie's head.

Joe's eyes narrowed at her, " Maggie set a person on fire?"

Maggie nodded next to her.

Alice crossed her arms, "Oh my god, it was only like two seconds! She's fine! We got it out!"

Headmistress Morgan pointed to the two chairs in front of the desk, "Sit."

The girls sat and Maggie closed her eyes, "Grandma, I-really Alice didn't do anything, I take full responsibility and-"

Joe's eyes bore into her and Alice broke, "I dared her to make a handmade blow torch using only things in the common room."

Maggie shot up, "But I could have said no, and I'm the one who pointed it at-"

Alice was standing now too, "That seventh grader walked right in front of her. She's the one who was careless enough to walk in front of a blow torch . Not Maggie's fault."

"Alice will you just let me-"

"No, I will not-"

"Stop it-"

Headmistress Morgan and Joe Solomon's eyes bounced back and forth between the two girls like they were watching a tennis match.

Headmistress Morgan took out two very large files and opened them and rubbed her temple, "I don't even know what to write. What form do I fill out for this? What..." she shook her head trailing off.

The phone rang and both Headmistress Morgan and Joe Solomon's eyes shot to it.

She picked it up, "Hello?"

There was no visible change in Headmistress Morgan. There wasn't a change in her facial expression, or her body language, but Alice could feel it. It was like the air around her shifted, a wave of relief and comfort filling the room.

Alice glanced at Joe and he seemed to feel it too, leaning back in the chair.

Headmistress Morgan smirked, "Yeah, well, I was woken up by fire alarms going off. Hold on, I'll put you on speaker."

She clicked a button and a static filled the room before a familiar voice said, "Well, well, what'd you two set on fire?"

Maggie's face filled with dread at the sound of her father's voice. Alice scrunched lower in her seat, both girls staying silent.

A low whistle came out of the speaker, "That bad, huh?"

To Alice's surprise, Headmistress Morgan crossed her arms, "No, they just set an accidental fire in a trash can and were heading straight to bed now, right girls?"

Maggie and her eyes widened and they both nodded.

Alice chimed in, "Yup, straight to bed. Come on Mags."

Alice stood, grabbing Maggie's arm as she agreed with her, "Yes. Trash can. Bye, love you!"

Several I love yous called out to the two of them and they closed the door and Maggie put her hands in her hair, "Oh my god, what just happened?"

Alice grinned, "That, my friend, was a miracle."

The girls started laughing and a sharp call from inside the office, " Girls !"

The two took off running before Headmistress Morgan changed her mind.