Little Red Teenage Hood
By
Sarah Beal
Zoey paced her crammed bedroom, phone to her ear.
“Oh come on Zoey, we need to go to this party! If we don’t we’ll be cast out into the sea of losers,” Zoey’s best friend Sydney pouted.
“I don’t know.” Zoey contemplated the idea of going to the shindig; she’d been invited by the boy she was crushing on. “I don’t even have anything to wear to it.”
“We’ll go to the costume shop in town tomorrow after school, problem solved. Now just tell me you’ll go and I’ll be happy for the rest of my life.”
Zoey stopped pacing, sat down at her desk and groaned. “Okay, we’ll go.”
Sydney squealed, it was so loud that Zoey had to remove the phone pressed to her ear. When she finished, she simply stated that they were going to the party to have fun and not so Zoey could hook up with Jackson, the boy throwing the party.
Zoey agreed with her since she knew his reputation with girls.
“Well I’m starving, I’m going to eat something, see you tomorrow.” Then she hung up.
*
The next afternoon, the two girls walked into the ram-shackle costume store, but that’s the quality that you get when you live in a small town and have a seasonal store for only one season.
Zoey ran her delicate fingers over the sequins of one dress while Sydney picked up something from the “adult” section. Later she popped out of the changing room in a slutty nun outfit.
“You’re joking right?” Zoey fought to keep her laughter down.
Sydney placed her hands on her hips. “No, I think this is perfect for me. Plus I make a superb nun.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Syd.” Zoey’s mind was wandering, she felt sore and hungry, even though they had just finished eating.
The floor boards creaked under her feet as she made her way through the maze of Halloween racks. Finally, she stopped at an entrancing red cloak made of velvet. She tried it on immediately, liking the way it hung on her slender body, even though the hood was too big for Zoey’s head.
“That’s cute. You should get it and act like that little girl from those Grimm fairy tales.” Sydney said from behind her.
Zoey nodded, she had the perfect ensemble in her head. As they walked up to the counter, Zoey watched as Sydney’s tall frame became very rigid.
“Hey ladies, doing some shopping before the party of the year?” Jackson grinned at them both; there was arrogance behind his blue eyes.
“Yes, we didn’t have costumes yet.” Zoey’s eyes trailed down his arm and landed on the mask he held in his hand. “A wolf?”
Jackson looked into her eyes. “The wolf is a symbol of power. Besides, a friend once told me I should be myself.” He chuckled in a dark fashion.
