Blank Canvas

Chapter 17 - Sweets, Screams and Set ups

Chapter 17 - Sweets, Screams and Set ups

Eventually, I emerged from my prolonged trip to the loo, and rejoined the others.

Everyone was talking about the movie, much to my relief, when I got back to the table. I was so glad the last topic had blown over...

"It's meant to be one of the scariest movies ever made!" Peter declared as I squished back on the end of the bench, next to Anthony. "Blood, gore, serial killer, the lot!"

I shuddered a bit at the thought, and looked over at Hazel, who seems to be equally unenthusiastic.

"We'll just hide in the loos together," she whispered, winking at me. A grin spread across my face at that. At least we saw eye to eye.

All too soon, I found myself in the cinema, queuing to get tickets with the others for a movie that I didn't want to see....

But I didn't want to let Anthony down for inviting me, I would have to grin (or maybe scream is more appropriate) and bear it.

Kevin had reached the front of the queue by this point, so he stepped forward and quickly got the tickets.

Watching him as he talked to the cashier, I saw a frown cross his face.

"Sweet or salty?" Someone yelled in my ear, making me jump. I looked round to see jake holding two containers of popcorn, a grin on his face at the effect he had had on me.

"Oh, um sweet..." I mumbled, taking the one he passed to me, and trying to ignore his mumbles about there was something wrong with me and that salty was the way forwards.

"Slight problem," he said coming back to us with a wedge of tickets.

"They only had 7 in one row, because apparently it's fairly full, so 2 people will have to sit in the row in front."

It didn't seem so problematic to me, easily sorted.

Slowly, we had our tickets checked by the bored-looking employee. I was right at the end of the line of us, with Anthony just in front of me. I quite liked being behind him... I could watch his muscles flex as he walked. Wow that sounded creepy.....

I continued in my daydream as I handed my ticket to the employee, then walked in automatic mode all the way into the cinema screen they were showing our film in, and up the darkened stairs.

I was only snapped out of it when I noticed that Anthony had stopped in front of me, and was mumbling some rather rude, and probably unrepeatable, words at his friends.

As I looked up, I saw that his friends had taken the block of seven seats and were grinning at us both.

So it hasn't blown over... How awfully discreet they were.

I felt my cheeks redden again, and was suddenly very glad that it was dark.

Couldn't they see Anthony wasn't interested in me? Well obviously they couldn't, it was dark....

Looking back at me, Anthony took my hand, seeing my embarrassment, and led me to the 2 remaining seats we had bought tickets for in the row in front of them, murmuring quietly to me, "Ignore them, they aren't usually like this."

I smiled shyly at him before sitting down and watching the adverts flash across the screen.

"Gotta be said," I mumbled quietly to Anthony, "I'm a bit of a wimp with horror movies."

I looked over at him, a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry, if you need to, you can just close your eyes," he said, avoiding looking at me.