Kim Scissorhands and Edward Boggs

Chapter Three: The Invitation

The afternoon sun was hot and blinding as Edward and his girlfriend Jennifer exited the school building. It was the second to last day of tenth grade. The entire high school was itching for the freedom they'd receive the next day. No one, however, would truly be having fun unless they went to Jen's brother's senior party.

Edward sighed as he balanced a cigarette between his fingertips.
"Is Rob actually gonna invite me this time? Or do the twins and I have to sneak in three years in a row? Last time I checked, he still hates my guts."

"I don't know, Ed. I'll try and convince him. There'll be so many seniors there, he probably won't even notice you," said Jen.

"Yeah," Edward exhaled smoke with frustration. "But I doubt he'll keep an eye off of his baby sister, no matter how drunk he gets."

Jen glared at him, but then brushed off the statement with a reassuring smile. Her grin was one of the most beautiful and soothing things that Edward loved about Jen. At that moment, he truly believed that she'd be able to shake an invitation off of Rob.

The groaning engine of the school bus entered the soundscape. It came to halting stop by Edward and Jen, and they got on automatically. When they reached the end of the bus seats, they found Edward's twelfth-grade sister already sitting there.

"Tina? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were still on that camping trip!" Edward sat in the opposite seat, unhappy to see his sister back so soon.

"Well, we had to come back for graduation, you know? And I couldn't afford to miss out on Rob's party this year. It's rumored to be the best one yet."

They both stared at her funnily, for she had to be fibbing. Jen spoke up, "Why on earth would he invite you? You guys broke up only a month ago, and he hates your guts. How'd you get him to change his mind?"

"Here's the story," yawned Tina as the bus started speeding away from the school. "I asked him during English if I could come. Of course he said no. However, I told him I'd bring a date, just to make him jealous. It worked perfectly. He then invited me just so I could prove it.

"Now here's the thing - I don't actually have a date. I did, however, manage to worm an invite out of a friend of mine who couldn't go, so I still have a way in. Rob probably won't notice. That leaves me with two extra invites, and I had an idea... Ed?"

Edward snapped back to the conversation. He had been staring at the blurry blues of the lake as they passed by.

"Yes?"

Tina's face erupted in a seemingly innocent grin. Not a good sign. "Since I know how much you've been dying to go to this party, I'm gonna let you and your girl have these 'vites. But I need you to do a little favor first."

His heart raced in excited nervousness at the mention of these words and the wide turning motion of the bus. Tina's "ideas" were forever getting him in trouble.

"Okay," he muttered. "I'll do it... wait, what am I agreeing to?" He brushed his dark locks behind his ears, an act always done when he sensed a dangerous situation.

"Last Friday, I was with my friends at the haunted mansion on the end of the block. You know which one I'm talking about. I was dared to go past the gate and knock on the door. Before I could, the police nearly spotted us and we had to dash. The thing is, I left Grandma's diamond bracelet there and Mom still doesn't know. If you could go and grab it, I'll give you the invitations and my sisterly love forever." She added a snort at the last remark.

"C'mon... You're not actually gonna do it, are you?" Jennifer asked. "I mean, I do a ton of crazy stuff with you, but you can't possibly get away with it this time. It's too risky."

Different standpoints racked around in Edward's mind. If he agreed to do it, he'd get admission to the grooviest  celebration in town, and his bad-boy reputation would be positively updated. On the other hand, if he failed, a night of partying could turn it into a night in the slammer. Jennifer was right; the risk was enormous.

The answer was as clear as day.

"I'll do it."

Jen was mildly shocked at the news, and gave him a kiss for doing something so daring for the both of them. When her lips interlocked with his, it was a guarantee that their mission would be a success. She always gave him a good-luck kiss, and it always worked.

Not this time.