Love's Rapture

Talon

Two days before Halloween, I knew something was wrong. It was as if a light behind Kelly's eyes went out, leaving her with a blank stare any time she looked at me. She avoided my touch half the time and avoided me altogether the other half. For the first time in my life, I started feeling anxious every time I thought about her, which was all the time, wondering what could be going on inside her head. A part of me wanted to talk to my mom about what was going on, but I couldn't do it. She'd struggled with depression and anxiety ever since Breton's death, and I knew if she heard how upset I was about Kelly, it would only upset her even more. So, I tried to ignore the pit in my stomach.

After days of begging, Robby finally convinced me to tag along to the Halloween bash practically every kid on campus was going to. Everyone would be in costume, and as much as it sounded fun, it also sounded like something I couldn't enjoy. But, I needed to get my mind off all the annoying things that I had no control over. I decided to text Kelly and ask her to go, to which she responded she was already there.

Aggravated, I grabbed my wallet and phone and stormed out the door to meet Robby in his car.

Robby's face and arms were covered with white and gray paint, succeeding in helping him look like a zombie. He was obsessed with the television show, and when he asked me to dress as one of the characters, I turned him down.

"Dude, what is your problem?" he asked when I slammed the door.

"Nothing."

I heard him whisper something under his breath, and I rolled my eyes. It wasn't his fault; I felt so crappy. It wasn't anyone's fault but my own, to be honest. Now I was paying the price for pushing Kelly too hard. The thing that sucked about that was even though I know I came on strong in the beginning, I backed off. I hadn't said or done anything I thought would make her uncomfortable. Even if it was questionable, I didn't think twice about it. And yet, she was a step ahead of me. When I failed to ask her to dinner soon enough, she'd ask me. She initiated kisses and grabbed my hand whenever we were near each other. We were magnets, always feeling this pull to be near the other person.

When we pulled up, and I saw nearly a hundred people in every costume imaginable, I wanted to leave. There were fairies, pumpkins, vampires, and more. Even a couple of guys had come as a horse, but they separated at some point. The rear was dancing with a girl dressed as a penguin, and the head was dancing by himself much too close to the fire.

I wasn't in the mood to be around a crowd, and I definitely didn't feel like I could pretend otherwise, but then I saw a girl with red hair, dressed in casual clothes. She was dancing beside Sawyer, who'd come dressed as a butterfly, and Camden, who showed up as a vampire. I wanted to laugh when I saw all the glitter that covered him. I got out but didn't move toward her. I sat on the hood and just watched. Robby paused beside me, letting out a low whistle.

"I feel like something is about to happen," he said.

"Go on, Rob. Have fun."

He walked away, and I stayed where I was, watching the girl of my dreams be so carefree with her friends when she couldn't even be near me without making me feel awkward lately. Anger was slowly building in my chest. I thought things had been going great between us, yet here I was, wondering what was going through her mind. What had I done wrong in the last few days that caused this shift?

I was starting to overanalyze everything that had happened leading up to the week before when Camden put his hands on my girlfriend's waist. That was all I could take. I stood and started walking. In the back of my head, I knew I shouldn't approach her when I was so frustrated, especially in a place like this, but I couldn't convince myself to stop.