County Falls

Chapter 16: Halloween From Hell

The tears started again as soon as I got in to my house. I crawled in to bed and replayed the email over and over in my head which made the tears come down harder. It didn't help when I thought of how busy Jase and I had been that we couldn't even be there for each other when we needed it. I wanted to tell Jase everything because he was the only person who wouldn't judge me, who would let me cry on his shoulder and who would say just the right thing to make me feel better. I couldn't tell Lauren about any of this because she would make me feel bad for feeling this way, I couldn't tell Aidan without telling him the whole backstory, which I was not up for. I definitely couldn't tell Justin, for those same reasons. This would be another thing on the long list of my crap that would drive him away. I hated Jason at that moment. I hated that he was too busy for me, I hated that he was popular and everyone one wanted a piece of him. I hated that he made me trust and rely on him so much, that I felt lost when he wasn't around. Somehow, in all of my rage and murderous thoughts, I fell asleep.

It was 10:30 when I woke up. My eyes burned when I opened them and when they adjusted in front of the mirror, they were red and puffy. The party was probably raging now. If Dana was right, everyone would be falling down drunk and hooking up with one another. Something came over me then when I saw my cheerleading costume lying on my dresser. I didn't want to let this get to me. How could I let one email from an asshole ruin my entire night? I was going to that party, I was going to look hot and I was going to get fucked up.

I ran to my closet and dug out a red dress that Lauren made me buy from her favorite store. It was supposed to be used for my costume last year but I refused to wear it due to the lack of coverage. Wearing a towel would cover more than this dress. It was perfect. I grabbed a box from beneath my bed and grabbed the last couple of things that would complete my costume: stilettos, devil horns, and a red pointed tail. I frantically got dressed, put the perfect sultry makeup to cover the evidence of my day and took off.

I pulled up to Brian's house which was blasting music from the inside. Crowds of people stood in the front yard with drinks in their hands, laughing at a guy dressed as a clown, and someone was throwing up in a nearby bush. It was like watching a scene from a John Hughes movie. Everyone was dressed up in costume. The three stooges were in the corner entertaining, the avengers were dancing on some sexy kittens and there were at least five naughty nurses circulating the room. I walked inside and saw eyes turn to me. I heard some "damns" and whistles from some jerks as I made my way through the kitchen. My costume was definitely accomplishing what I wanted it to. I still hadn't ran in to anyone I knew by the time I reached the alcohol, also known as the magical forgetting liquid. I poured myself a shot of Grey Goose and drank it quickly. The alcohol burned my throat as I drank but the burn was what I needed. I needed to feel something different from the pain I felt this afternoon. I took two more shots and then poured a cup of vodka and cranberry juice.

"Damn baby you're looking good." I heard a voice say behind me. I turned around and saw Marcus. He blinked twice at me "Kai? Is that you? I knew you were hot but damn, I wasn't expecting all of this!" I smiled at him and went in for a hug that lingered longer than needed. The alcohol was already working its mojo.

"Nice costume." I told Marcus and he posed for me. He was dressed as a Spartan from the movie 300. "You're the only one who can pull that off."

"Because of my handsome face and great ass?" He joked.

"And abs. Don't forget the abs."

"Oh I never forget the abs."

Our banter was interrupted when I noticed heads turn towards the front door. Jase came through the front, still in his suit but underneath his unbuttoned shirt was the superman emblem. The costume was appropriate considering I've always thought of him as my personal superman but that was before he left me earlier today. I chugged the rest of my drink and poured another one. Jase came in to the kitchen and immediately spotted me. His eyes widened a fraction as he took in my costume.