Clouds of Violet

Chapter Twenty-One

Friday, October 10th, 8:55

"So, Sky, I was thinking that since Halloween is coming up, you and I do matching costumes?"

I have first period English with Zara and Aaron, and usually they're gushing over each other. But Aaron's not here today, which means Zara is bored enough to talk to me.

I chew my bottom lip, flipping through pages of How To Kill A Mockingbird, trying to find my best annotations. Ms. Maria is reading with her feet up; her face tells me that she's happy it's Friday and that she can't wait to get out of here.

I look over at Zara, who's waiting for a response.

"There's a serial killer on the loose and you're concerned about Halloween costumes?"

"We can go as serial killers!" Zara exclaims, ignoring my statement. "Like the original Scream killers. Billy and Stu! I can go as Billy, since he's the hotter one, and—"

"And I get to be Shaggy on drugs," I say, finish her sentence for her. "No thanks."

"Well, who else then?"

"I don't want to go as anything," I say.

"Come on!" Zara groans. "We're in high school now. We get to go to a party! Alex K's hosting it at his house this year. He's this super hunky senior and I need to be there. And I need to look good." Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, like she's had some great epiphany. "Forget serial killers, I need to dress to impress! We could go as angel and devil. I call dibs on devil!"

"Dude, I already told you." I pull out a sticky note, scribble a quick annotation across it and stick it onto a page. "I have no interest in going to some stupid party."

"Max is gonna be there." When I look at her, she's smirking and her eyebrow is arched. She's folded her hands together, like a scheming villain.

"I'll think about it."

She smiles, knowing that she got her way.

Again.

***

I have detention, so when I pack my bag and see Max in the corridor, I decide to walk with him to Ms. Kendall's classroom.

"Hi!" I say, bumping shoulders with him.

"Hiya, Sky!" he exclaims. "I've had a revelation!"

I furrow my eyebrows, and he smirks.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a secret." He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and I swear they're just like the ones my Dad has. Well, had. He donated it to a thrift shop.

"Max, where'd you get those jeans?"

"Huh? Oh, the jeans." He scratches the back of his neck. "I dunno, I got them a while back."

"Cause my Dad had those jeans in the 80s, they're like, vintage," I say. "He gave them away to a thrift shop, though."

He nods and we stop outside Ms. Kendall's classroom, where we hear yelling. It's Ruby-Jo, one of the new twins. I don't know her that well, but she seems nice.

"Oh my fucking God! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Might not wanna yell that while there's a serial killer on the loose," Max says, as we walk into the classroom. Her sister, Blair, is perched upon a table, listening as Ruby-Jo rants and shouts.

"Ugh, I don't care!" she groans. "That ass crack has ruined my life!"

"Who's ass crack?"

I look behind me to find Ayeza closing the classroom door behind her, taking her headphones off.