FRIDAY'S GIRL ·ϿʘϾ·

Chapter 13

***DRAFT***

My false white eyelashes were trembling as Grace and I split the taxi fare. We had lied to our parents to get around the curfew, claiming each of us would stay over at the other's house during Halloween night. Until the last second, I believed we were going to get caught since it was the first time we used that tactic; however, nothing happened, and now we were in a place as sinister as it was poorly lit.

"Statistically speaking, the odds of us getting raped and murdered are pretty high," I commented, watching the taxi drive away, leaving us alone in an alley that looked like the set of a horror movie.

"Don't be such a harbinger of doom." Grace discreetly put on her ghastly mask and let out a sudden "boo!" that made me jump, clutching my chest. My reaction caused her to burst into laughter. Although she was still down from her breakup with Emma, she tried to appear as if she felt fucking great. "Nowadays, you can get raped and murdered at any time of the day."

"Wonderful! Between the fright and your words, I now feel much more at ease."

The silence of the outskirts, broken by the wind's moan among the factory buildings and an occasional meow, contrasted with the rapid beating of my heart. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by ghostly and intimidating shadows, southeast of Fairfield, on the side of Interstate 80.

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat. It's part of the job, sister. We have to know how to control fear and anxiety; I just wanted to help," continued Grace, whose figure was enveloped in a black suit that contrasted with the pallor of Billy's mask, the disturbing puppet from the "Saw" movie. The bow tie and handkerchief matched the red shoes. Her hands were covered in white gloves, and she carried a recorder in her pocket. "Tonight we're going to infiltrate that party and expose all their shit. I have a feeling this article is going to make it to a national newspaper. You'll see!"

"Ouch! My face is so itchy; I'm not used to wearing so much makeup." I carefully scratched my nose to avoid ruining the white foundation that covered all my skin; I was dressed as a catrina.

Grace had done an incredible job with my makeup; I couldn't even recognize myself. I wore a white wig down to my waist, adorned with a large crown full of colorful flowers, and violet-colored contact lenses. The white blouse with ruffled multi-colored embroidery matched a very tight black corset; it barely let me breathe. Moreover, the puffed skirt had endless stripes that spanned all the shades of the rainbow.

"Put on your mask. We might run into someone who recognizes you," my friend urged me, heading towards where the party was supposedly going to take place. We were only acting on a tip-off, so we could arrive at the specified place and find nothing.

"The weather forecast said we should expect rain today," I commented, looking at the clear sky with some dark clouds in the distance.

"Well, I didn't bring an umbrella," she replied, indifferently, more worried about not finding the party than getting wet.

"Me neither."

We walked for a while following the GPS directions until we began to hear the noise of music and commotion.

"It seems our informant hasn't deceived us," my friend let out a sigh of relief. "Are you ready to blend in with the crowd, Cat?"

That was my undercover name. Naturally, my friend had chosen Billy.

"I shouldn't have let myself be convinced to wear this costume. It's so uncomfortable, and all these colors are driving me crazy," I protested, pulling up the fabric of my neckline to avoid revealing too much.

"That's exactly why it suits you. Who in their right mind would think that this voluptuous babe in front of me is you? Your color palette only goes from grey to black and from black to grey."