Secrets And Lies

Chapter 23: The Stripper And The Peacock

Ryan

After an early practice, school, and the away game yesterday, I didn't want to do anything but stay in bed until Monday. Listening to my mother's lecture on how to behave while she was gone only made me more determined to stay where I was.

       I succeeded in becoming one with my pillow for most of last night and most of today. I was damn proud of myself for only getting up to use the bathroom and to eat my weight in Oreos.

    "Come on, Ry, get your ass out of bed." Quade jumped on my mattress, making my body fly up every time he came down. I crashed back down each time with a groan.

    "Leave. Me. Alone. Dip-shh..." His jumping was making it hard to talk. Halloween always brought out the annoying kid in my brother.

    "It's seven o'clock; you've been in bed all day. Do I need to introduce you to the shower again?" He laughed at his joke. He really is his father's son.

     "No, I'm up...I'm up," I said quickly, halting his trampoline routine. I pried one eye open; his figure was bleary with sleep. Squeezing my eyes shut and trying again, I let out a short laugh. "Oh my God, please always wear that!"

Quade wore a Jack Sparrow costume. I love my brother, I do, but he always dressed as some sort of Johnny Depp character. Last year Quade posted pictures of himself dressed as 'Crybaby.' The year before that, it was Barnabas Collins, and freshman year, it was Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. I seriously think he has a man-crush.

      My smile faded a little when I remembered that Taylor was going as a pirate too.

     "What?" He asked, standing to his feet.

     "Umm, Tay is going as a pirate too."

"Oh." Quade sat down beside me, staring at his hands in his lap. "So her and Foster..."

"No, just her."

He fixed a smile on his lips before he spoke. "I'm sure we won't be the only people in pirate costumes."

     I raised a brow at his good mood. I was aware that there would probably be several pirates at the party, but how many matched their styles and colors exactly?

     "God..." I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "I'm going to be surrounded by happy couples in cliche couple costumes."

     "You'll find someone, Ry...maybe even tonight!" Getting into character, he flipped his wig flamboyantly, the ends tickling my face. "Then maybe next year you can do the whole couples costume deal, Love." I could tell that he was holding back a laugh.

      I narrowed my eyes and tipped my head back to see him better. "Please don't jinx me. Couple costumes are not my thing." I mean, I'm not totally against it if they are funny. I like them for other people, but the whole tradition is a bit sappy to me.

"I know. I was just messing with ya.."

    "Why aren't you getting ready?" Taylor asked, running into my room in her pirate costume, blonde hair curled in ringlets under a black scarf and brown pirate hat. "We only have an hour till'....oh!." She paused, looking at Quade. "You're Jack Sparrow."

The two of them locked eyes silently. It was awkward, at least for me.

"Are you seriously saying that we are going to show up before eight?" I said, successfully changing the subject and earning their attention. "What happened to being fashionably late?" I asked, air quoting the last two words.

I was trying to buy more time. I looked at my pillow longingly.

    "Don't you worry your pretty little head. We will arrive at just the right time. Foster's getting dropped here, and as soon as you're ready, we will take my car and head to the diner to meet Sloane." Leave it to Taylor to have the itinerary all worked out.