Disconnected

October 31st 2014

Oct. 31st, 2014

    "Wow hot momma." Andi turned around and almost dropped her clutch that looked like a playing card. Bradley was standing behind her, his messy curls slicked back. He was wearing his normal black skinny jeans but with Converse instead of Vans. He also wore a white V-neck (the only V-neck Andi had ever seen him wear) and a black leather jacket. Their couples costume was so going to rock this Halloween party.

    Andi had wrapped her hair with a snood and all. With her clutch she also had high waisted shorts and a Pink Ladies jacket and some heels. "Tell me about it...stud."

    Bradley smiled. "You're not Sandy though."

    "So?"

    "That's Sandy's line. Also I'm not Danny Zuko. I could never be that dumb."

    "Tell that to your GPA."

    "I fucking hate you."

    Andi just smiled at Bradley. "Let's go meet Audrey, Daniel, Karson, and Karson's mystery lady." Andi grabbed Bradley's hand and drug him out of her house.

^^^

    "Audrey! They're here!"

    Audrey and Daniel had sort of, kind of, not really made up. They were still going as a couple (sort of) for Halloween though. Audrey was going to be a cat and Daniel was going as a mouse. She checked her fangs in the mirror (they weren't the cheap plastic ones, gross) and made sure all ten of her press on nails, or claws, were still perfectly in place. She fluffed her dress and slid on her heels before touching up her red lipstick. Going as a white cat instead of a black one was her way of branching out.

^^^

    When Bradley's minivan pulled up in front of Karson's house and Karson walked out dressed like Prince Charming Andi's immediate reaction was to be upset that she hadn't thought of that idea. Bradley would make a hot Prince Charming and she would have made an amazing, brunette version of Cinderella. This thought flew out the window when Alice exited his house after him in a Cinderella dress. Apparently Audrey was just as surprised because she leaned forward and slapped both Bradley and Andi. The girls made up their minds to ask him about it at the party.

^^^

    When they got to the party the boys immediately went to the kitchen to get drinks. The girls hit the dance floor.

    "So Alice...anything interesting going on with you and Karson?" Audrey was wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, a skill she'd learned from Bradley during Andi's cheer try outs.

    "No, I didn't have any plans and he needed a date so he wouldn't be fifth wheeling the four of you so he asked me."

    "Okay." Andi and Audrey exchanged a look while Alice wasn't looking. They both knew better, or at least thought they did.

    Eventually, after five dances, the girls got thirsty (and their feet were hurting- but they wouldn't admit to this) so they decided to go get drinks or Andi and Audrey did. Alice had joined a group of girls from school off to the side of the dance floor and they stood around and whispered while staring at the people who were actually dancing.

    On the way to the kitchen Andi locked eyes with Bradley who was coming their way with a concerned expression on his face. Andi made a face back, she wanted to know what could possibly be ruining this party. Then Audrey was gone, running towards the stairs. Upstairs meant bedrooms. Bedrooms meant sex. Audrey and Andi had promised to not go off alone tonight. The buddy system was always to be used when in stranger's houses on creepy holidays like Halloween. Andi was confused until she saw Daniel at the top of the stairs with some junior from the basketball team. Andi felt sick and turned to look at Bradley again but he was gone too. Andi fought her way to the kitchen to try and find Karson. He was sitting alone at the kitchen table with a beer in front of him.

    "Hey Karson." Andi tried to sound upbeat, but failed.

    "Hey Andi, I guess Bradley didn't get to you guys in time huh."

    "Nope." Andi popped the 'p' and plopped down in the seat beside him. He reached into the cooler at his feet and slid her a beer. She thanked him and popped the top before chugging half of it.

    "Well, I always knew Daniel was a tool. There are only three types of men who wear scarves when they aren't just to keep you warm. European men, gay men, and tools."

    Andi sighed, "Can we talk about something else?"

    Karson nodded. "Please."

    "Do you like Alice?" Andi took another sip of her beer when she finished. She'd shifted in her seat to stare at Karson.

    "No."

    "Then why'd you ask her and dress up as her Prince Charming?"

    "So I wouldn't be the fifth wheel. And last year before my old girlfriend moved to Florida we went to a costume party as Prince Charming and Cinderella so I still had the Prince Charming costume."

    "Why'd Alice have a Cinderella dress?"

    "I dunno. She maybe bought one, I'm not sure."

    "Well, I think you like her."

    "I don't Andi."

    "You so do!"

    "I don't!"

    "Then who do you like? You have to like someone!"

    "Andi, drop it."

    "No! You can tell me! We're friends, right?"

    "Yeah we are, but I'm not telling you."

    "It's not Audrey is it?"

    Karson scrunched up his entire face like he'd just sucked on a lemon. "How gross do you think I am? God no."

    "Then who? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me-"

    "For God's sakes Andi it's you!"

    That shut Andi up.

^^^

    While Andi and Karson had been talking in the kitchen Audrey had almost made it up the stairs. She hadn't seen what bedroom Daniel and that other girl had gone into, but she had seen them go up the stairs, so that was a start. She prayed to God he was just finding a place for her to lie down because she was too drunk to function, but somewhere in the back of her head she knew that wasn't it.

    She was almost to the top of the stairs when someone grabbed her and she was thrown over their shoulder and carried down the stairs. She didn't realize she was crying until Bradley put her down at the bottom of the stairs and said, "God Audrey, I'm so sorry. Don't cry okay?"

    She sniffled and wiped away her tears, smudging her eye make-up. She thought she had it all together as Bradley put an arm around her and lead her to the kitchen. Karson and Andi sat in silence at the kitchen table. As soon as Andi locked eyes with Audrey, Audrey burst into tears all over again. Andi was across the room in seconds, pulling Audrey into a hug.

Andi, Audrey and Alice rode in the backseat together. Karson and Bradley rode upfront together. The car ride was silent other than occasional sniffles and the girls muttering things like, "You don't need him." Or, "He's such a pig."

    Karson felt guilty for confessing to Andi. Bradley was one of Karson's best friends, he hated that he had a thing for Andi and he'd absolutely hated her reaction. Karson wasn't good at social cues but he understood that a stunned silence wasn't very good, especially from a girl as talkative as Andi.

     It felt like everything was on the verge of falling apart. Karson had never been more right about anything in his life.