DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

3/4

"TRICK OR TREAT!" All four boys cheered in unison, smiles etched permanently on their faces. Their shining eyes peered up at the portly old woman, her ginger hair falling just past her ears.

"Oh! Well aren't you cute?" She cooed, gazing fondly at the boys. "The little exterminators," she gushed, holding out a bowl filled with smarties, of all candies.

Dustin exchanged weird looks between his friends before being the first to dig his hand into the bowl, scooping up his own handful. He didn't care if it seemed greedy, all that mattered was that he could collect a stash long enough to last him until next year.

Lucas peeked into his half-filled candy bag, a small sigh of disappointment falling from his lips. "If I get another Three Musketeers, I'm gonna kill myself," he exclaimed with complete sincerity, his upper lip curling with distaste.

Dustin skidded forward, blocking lucas's path with his body. His eyes were widened with shock, his arms fanning out to his sides in offense. "What's wrong with Three Musketeers?" He challenged his friend, his eyebrows raising into an arch.

"'What's wrong with Three Musketeers?'" Lucas echoed mockingly.

"No one likes Three Musketeers," Mike interrupted, a sour tone rolling off his tongue.

"Yeah," Will nodded in agreement, a scoff escaping his mouth. "It's just nougat."

Dustin said nothing more, falling back in line with his friends. Sadness grew inside his heart like vines as a memory came back to him. A memory of a redhead's gorgeous smile, a half-melted Three Musketeers, and a tattered and worn bus seat against their backs.

A high-pitched, feminine scream snatched Dustin from his painful thoughts, causing his head to snap up quickly. Lucas let out a loud screech, cowering away from a dressed up figure. The figure wore a black costume except for a mask as it waved its sword threateningly at the group.

Dustin felt an irritated growl emerge from him as he noticed the red hair peeking out from the mask. He knew it was Max before she even peeled off the head piece, revealing an amused look on her freckled face.

"Holy shit you should've seen the look on your faces!" Max chuckled, her blue eyes blazing over each boy.

Dustin and Mike fell back a few steps, their eyes meeting the pavement with annoyance. The two of them seemed to share the same frustration when it came to Madmax. Whatever spell was working on Lucas and Will—mostly Lucas—wasn't gaining the interest of the other two boys.

"And you?" Max glanced at Lucas, cocking a ginger eyebrow. "Who screams like that? You sound like a little girl," she let out another short laugh before beginning to walk away.

Lucas shared a surprised expression with Will, but Mike and Dustin just rolled their eyes in exasperation. Halloween night was slowly going to be ruined by Max's appearance. Despite all of Dustin's wishes, she had actually decided to join the party for trick or treating.

"Hey, you guys coming or not?" Max spun on her heel, gazing at the boys questionably.

"Someone throw me off a cliff," Mike muttered to himself, but Dustin overheard his wry comment.

"Again," the Henderson added, earning himself a snicker from the Wheeler boy. Lucas and Will didn't hear the small exchange between the two boys, and if they did, they certainly didn't show any reaction.