The One Who Ran Away

Chapter Twenty-Four

The moment Jo shifted the car in park, four boys dressed in terrible costumes raced over to check it out.

"I'm going to marry this car," said the baseball player. He had on a ball cap and carried a wooden baseball bat.

The football player next to him dropped his football and asked Jo if he could touch it. Jo rolled her eyes but consented.

"What's your name?" One of the guys asked her. Jo couldn't recognize him but he was dressed in a very poorly put together ghost costume. Jo looked him up and down and didn't bother to answer.

"Jo!" Scarlett called out to her from the entrance. "Stop flirting with that sheet and get your ass in the building!"

Jo laughed and grabbed Luke away from the car. She locked the doors and heard four groans from four extremely disappointed boys.

"Sorry, boys. Show's over."

Two cheerleader girls were taking tickets and inspecting costumes.

"There's two prizes at the end of the night for best costume. One for single costumes and one for couple or partner costumes," the blonde cheerleader explained. She was dressed up as Barbie from some movie and was wearing a poofy princess dress. The other had dark brown hair and appeared to be Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz but Jo couldn't be positive. Her costume was practically nonexistent.

Scarlett rolled her eyes but let the cheerleaders inspect their costumes. "So are you guys allowed in the competition or not?"

"Nope," the blonde pouted. "We decide the winners so we can't compete. But it's okay, we get to make the football players clean up." At that she grinned and allowed them to enter the gymnasium.

The place was transformed beautifully. Convincing cobwebs dangled precariously from above. A gigantic witch cauldron was serving punch. A photo booth in a creepy woods backdrop. Tables with black table cloths and fake spiders and eyeballs dotting the scene. A disco ball hung from above shooting red, green, blue and purple lasers everywhere. A thumping beat pulsed through Jo's chest and she was reminded of her terrible date but she ignored it and smiled. Jo was impressed. The cheerleaders didn't do half bad.

"Isn't this sweet?" Scarlett squealed. Spook kissed her cheek and led her over to a table. Luke and Jo trailed behind the television couple.

"Ohmigod, Jo?" Jo turned and saw Frankie bearing down on her with a grin. She was decked out as Cleopatra, of which she was one of two others Jo had already seen.

"I knew you'd come!" She said by way of greeting. Jo stared at her deadpanned and Frankie hesitated as to what to say next. Instead her smile returned and she addressed Luke.

"I thought you two were coming as a couple?"

"We are, nitwit. If you're too ignorant to know what we are then I'm not telling you," Jo rolled her eyes. Luke shrugged at Frankie and pulled Jo to sit down at their table. Frankie hovered awkwardly for a moment longer but when she realized she was being ignored, she left to annoy someone else.

"This isn't half bad," Scarlett admitted as she glanced around the room. "It's actually pretty damn good. Okay, who's hungry? I smell meatballs." 

Scarlett wasted no time pulling Spook up and dragging him over to the refreshments table where a zombie cheerleader and a cowgirl were serving. Luke smiled at Jo, his eyes wandering to the dance floor. Jo pretended not to notice. In her attempt to not notice, she spotted the most unusual sight. 

Eli and Claire were arguing. They were dressed, as promised, as Anna and Kristoff. Claire's wig was coming loose and Eli's shirt was ripped. Eli looked furious and Claire looked upset.