---- Gaege ----
As Hannah sat there so close to him, he couldn't help but stare at her. She had so much focus, making every stroke as neat as possible. Her hair fell perfectly around her face. The way she bit her lip as she intently watched what she was doing was a bit sensual. When she finished, she spoke. Her words were soothing to his ears. She took out her eyeliner and grabbed his chin. Her thumb almost touched his bottom lip. She moved his head so dominantly. It didn't take her long to do the eyeliner. They sat staring at each other in silence for a minute. Her eyes were so green they almost looked emerald to him. This was the perfect moment to just lean in, but then she stood and spoke. Gaege stood with her and she lead him out the door, still hand in hand. He checked his phone when they made it out to the car. "On our way," he sent in a group message.
---- Hexxus ----
"Can I?" I pointed to the car radio when I got into the car, holding my phone with Spotify already pulled up.
"Oh, yeah. Go ahead." He fiddled around with a few settings that brought up the bluetooth connect screen. As soon as it connected, I turned on my "Halloween Jams" playlist which consisted of mostly classic rock but had a bit of newer stuff sprinkled in.
As he drove down the road, the faster we went, the louder the music seemed. None of it felt like reality. The salty wind, the perfect night, the loud music all felt like a vivid dream to me. When we pulled up, I was busy jamming to Little Monster by Royal Blood. Occasionally, I'd catch Gaege watching and smiling. He didn't turn the car off until the song was over, presumably because I was entertaining to watch. Before getting out of the car, he winked. I wasn't sure if it was because of the song or because of what waited inside.
He took my hand when we met in front of the car and led me to the door of the bar. It was completely decked out in halloween decor which made me excited. He opened the door and pulled me inside. The TVs played horror movies and the room was filled with chatter of patrons who were all dressed in some way or another in costumes. "Come on." He pulled me deeper into the establishment. There was a clearing near the bar with familiar faces.
"Happy Birthday Hexxus!" They yelled. It was the boys and everyone else who was willing to come. My feet could no longer move and my jaw dropped.
"No. Wait, for real?" I covered my mouth my with hands. "Gaege, I'm going to cry. No fucking way." I could feel my eyes start to swell with joy.
"Don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup," Gaege responded with a grin. The group laughed.
"That's impossible. My makeup is professionally done. it doesn't come off that easily. Holy fuck. I can't believe you though."
"We were told to come as soon as he knew you were coming. He's been planning this for a hot minute," Narrator, who was dressed as his youtube character, spoke.
"Look, she's as tall as Josh," Mullen, who wore a hotdog costume, joked. I couldn't help but laugh because Josh was much shorter than I had previously thought and I was a bit taller in my boots.
"Well, let's get you your first legal drink," Gaege said.
"Let's all do a round of shots first," Eddie recommended.
"Ten," Lannon called out to the bartender. The man working laid out ten shot glasses and in a line, filled each one perfectly. "Happy 21st Hexxus!" We raised our glasses and slammed it down. Some took it easier than others and I ordered a Zombie right after.
"You know the boys but the cat next to Eddie is Gabby. That is Lannon also known as lazarbeam." Gaege started to go down the line. "The girl next to him dressed as a deer is his sister, Tannar. I'm an editor for her and that blonde alien looking thing is Smashing."
"This is so crazy. It's so great to meet you all. I really wasn't expecting this."
"Well, when Gaege told me about this, I couldn't pass it up," Tannar spoke.
"But next time, You're coming to Australia and We'll throw a better party," Josh said taking a swig of his drink. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other. I had told them it was my goal to get fucked up and they made it a priority to do so. I was passed many things from the bartender requested by the rest of the group. Lannon and I even had a competition to see who could take the most shots. It came close but ultimately he won. At some point my flower crown was passed around the group.
"Next stop?" Narrator spoke to Gaege.
"Yeah, lets go get fucking scared dude!" We all made our way out of the building. It was like a convoy heading down the road. I hung my hands out the window to feel the air as it almost turned into a race to make it to the haunted house. We clearly made out presence known as we rolled into the parking lot. This is what I had always imagined I was missing out on in high school after seeing it happen in movies.
We waited in a line after buying tickets to enter. As we stood there making drunk conversation, I took my flower crown off my head and put it on Gaege. "You're really pretty with that on. You know that," I sloppily spoke. He posed for everyone after they saw it.
"Nah," He took it off and put it back on me, "You're way prettier."
"Awe. Stop it. You're too kind. I might just fall in love."
"You'd probably be his first girlfriend," Mully commented.
"Who's first in line?" The attendant asked when we got to the front. Gaege pointed at me.
"It's her birthday." The attendant led us up a few steps to enter. When the door opened, we were instructed to enter the pitch black room. The haunt was probably a 30 minute walk through with many scares and lots of gore. There were more screams out of Eddie and the rest of the group than there was from me. At one point, the group was split in half but we met up close to the exit. When we made it out alive after being touched and sprayed and scared, we all had a laugh.
"Eddie, I am the king of horror!" I yelled.
"Yo, this is real life! This shit was scary. I bet you wouldn't be able to make it through a VR horror game," he responded.
"Bet! I just need to get VR first."
"Ask Juicy," Eddie pointed at Gaege. I looked up at him and gave him a drunk smile. He didn't give me an answer, just a small giggle.
"Let's go guys, I need to get her to bed before she passes out," Gage said.
"Wait, wait, wait. Can I get a picture with everyone?" I asked. They all responded with enthusiasm. After the picture, we all made our way to the parking lot and said our goodbyes. When I got into the car, I sat in the open window and wave goodbye one last time as everyone pulled out one at a time. Gaege stood outside of the car vaping and making sure I didn't fall out of the window. I was able to get myself back into the car and buckle the seatbelt when everyone was gone.
"So?" Gaege leaned into the open window, crossing his arms for cushion on the frame.
"You're crazy."
"No. You're crazy? Do you know how much you drank and you're still conscious?"
"No idea."
"A lot. Let's get you back so you can get some water and go to bed."
"Yeah. lets do that."
