What He Heard

Chapter 6

            The loud pounding of music resonated in Willow’s chest as she walked through the gym’s open doors. The wood floored room was dark, lit by pulsing lights and filled with fake fog, while the walls were covered in dollar store Halloween decorations and streamers. The gym was populated only by a few clusters of people gently swaying to the music that came blasting out of the DJ’s speakers. The line at the side doors of the school was ever growing, as everyone tried to be fashionably late.

            Willow turned to look at her partner in crime, unable to help a smile at the sight of the Spiderman mask facing her. She rolled her shoulders slightly, feeling the plastic swords on her back shift. She nodded at Rune and said “What do you think?”

            “Man, you guys have sweet costumes!” A voice from behind called, causing both of them to turn around. “Who are you?”

            They stared at the guy, who was dressed as a pirate, for a moment, before exchanging a glance. “Spiderman,” Rune said at the same time that Willow said “Deadpool.”

            The boy, who Willow thought might be Russell from her English class though it was hard to tell in the dark, laughed. “Nah, not your costumes. Who are you?”

            Willow felt a smile spreading across her face again as she said “Deadpool,” again.

            She thought Rune was as amused as she was by it, because his reply of “Spiderman,” sounded like it held several restrained chuckles.

            “No, what are your names?”

            By previous discussion, their responses were easy. “Jade Wilson,” Willow said.

Beside her, Rune answered with “Peter Parker.” Then he nodded at Russell. “If you’ll excuse us, we have a party to save.”

Willow followed Rune as he turned around, smirking. “You mean you have a party to save. I’m just here for the food. Well, and maybe the décor. You just can’t beat Halloween for stuff on the walls. Of course, your place is already covered in webs, so you hardly have to do anything.”

“Shows what you know. My webs would trap people if I tried to use them as decorations.”

“You say that like it wouldn’t work.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re nuts?”

“Not in a half hour, no.”

“Deadpool, you’re nuts.”

Willow bowed with a flourish. “Thank you, thank you. I couldn’t do it without the support of viewers like you.”

Now Rune shook his head. “Why did I agree to come with you to this?”

“Because you’re tired of people mixing us up. Which is silly. My costume isn’t anywhere as gauche as yours.”

“Says the woman with two swords and two guns.”

“I’m a mercenary and assassin. How else am I supposed to afford my ramen lifestyle?”

Rune stopped in the middle of the gym, glancing around. The room was slowly filling as people trickled in, but still, only a few handfuls were actually dancing. “How do you think this spot looks?”

“Not bad, Spidey,” Willow said, bouncing on the balls of her feet a bit. “I hope you got enough web for this.”

“I’m not the one who has to cross the room before anyone notices what’s going on.”

“I happen to be a professional. I get paid for this stuff, unlike you, the masked amateur.”

“And yet more people know me. You ready?”

“I’m always ready. Or insane. Both really, I think. Or do I just know it?”

“On the count of three. One,” Rune said, bringing his arms up.

“Deux,” Willow said, turning to face the speakers.

“Three!” They shouted together.

Willow took off, resisting the urge to turn around as she heard Rune shout “Happy Halloween!” Moments later shouts and screams erupted but still Willow kept her eyes ahead of her. She dodged around the people who stopped to stare behind her, craning their necks as their mouths gaped open, her feet flying over the polished wood of the floor. Timing was everything, and if they took too long…

She skidded around the desk, coming in behind the DJ’s station, drawing one of her guns as she did so. His eyes widened and his mouth opened, but she pressed the muzzle against his forehead and said “I need your microphone and for you to set-up a song for me. A life depends on it.”

His mouth worked for a few moments before any sound emerged. “Wha-what? Who are you? What are you doing?

“I’m Deadpool, and I have a gun to your head. Now, either you load the song and hand me the mike, or I start getting shooty. Bang bang!”

The DJ flinched, but handed her the microphone. Willow watched him carefully, making sure he had everything set up, her eyes only glancing once at the crowd that was growing around where she’d last seen Rune. As soon as the DJ had everything ready, she nodded at him, holstered her plastic weapon, and flipped the microphone on.

The music cut out, and she said “Stop!” into the microphone.

The sound cut through the chattering, shouting crowd, and slowly, everyone turned to stare at her. Willow waited until she was sure she had the attention of most of the people clustered together before saying “Hammer time!”

The DJ knew his cue and hit play on U Can’t Touch This. Grinning, Willow flicked the mike off, tossed it at the DJ who only just caught it, and vaulted over the table. She landed as the song began and started to do the Macarena, to the open-mouthed stares of most of her classmates. She could feel her cheeks heat up a bit, but with the anonymity of the mask, she was safe enough.

Once people started looking around at each other and she’d heard a few chuckles, she stopped suddenly and pointed towards where the crowd was still tightly clustered. “Look!” she shouted. “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Spiderman!”

As everyone jerked around to stare at where Rune had been until Willow had distracted them, she cried “Run Spidey, run!” in her best Forrest Gump imitation before taking off towards the far doors. She knew Rune would be waiting in the hall just down from the bathrooms, the silly string he’d used for web exhausted. Still, she thought as she rushed out into the less populated hallway. If their second plan went as well as this one appeared to have, this was going to be the dance no one forgot.