Loose Ends

Chapter 49

While Ricky headed home for the night, Ben was pulling up outside Adrian's house. He parked and grabbed a plastic bag filled with junk food as he climbed out. When he rang the doorbell, Adrian answered it with a smile.

"Hey, Benny. Come on in," she said, taking a step back so he could enter and she could close the door behind him. "What's in the bag?" Ben gave her a mischievous smirk.

"Movie watching essentials," he replied, making his way to the kitchen where he set the bag out onto the table. He began pulling items out and setting them on the table after he showed them to her. "We've got popcorn, several different kinds of soda, Twizzlers, Whoppers, Airheads and Reese's pieces. The perfect combination of chocolate, sugar and salty goodness," he told her with a smile. Adrian laughed with delight.

"This is great, Ben!" She gave him a hug. "Tonight's gonna be awesome!" They worked together to pop the popcorn and load up the rest of their goodies onto trays and then headed towards the living room.

"So which movie do you wanna watch first?" Ben asked as he knelt in front of the DVD player where Adrian had stacked several movies.

"Let's start with Chucky," she said, putting a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Chucky it is." Ben loaded up the movie and then turned off the lights before joining her on the couch. Adrian hit play and their eyes became glued to the TV.

At Grant High Grace was talking to one of her fellow committee members about the balloons while Grant sat patiently at one of the round tables that had been set up around the room, watching his girlfriend with a lazy smile.

"So Albert said some of the balloons on the last archway came loose and they had to re-secure them. But it'll be done by the time the dance officially opens." The girl Grace was speaking to nodded just as another girl dressed as a flight attendant ran across the gym floor calling out to her.

"Penny! Penny!" The flight attendant bent over slightly to catch her breath when she reached them. Grace and Penny waited for the girl to explain what the emergency was. "We've got a problem! The cart the photographer was using to move all his equipment inside broke. We need to grab a couple of the guys to help him finish moving or he won't be set up in time!" the flight attendant wailed. Grace put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Take a deep breath and then try to relax, Georgia." Grace gave her a reassuring smile. "That's why we're here early." The committee members worked together to put the finishing touches on the dance and all systems were go when students began to arrive at 8:00. Grace and Georgia worked the greeting table. Grace took students' tickets and stamped their hands to show they'd already paid while Georgia sold tickets to any students who had decided to attend at the last minute and needed to purchase a ticket. Inside, the gym had been decorated to resemble a haunted castle, complete with black lights and fog from a fog machine giving everything an eerie vibe. There was a photo station where students could pay $5.00 to have their picture taken with one of three haunted-themed backdrops and their choice of props from three large plastic bins; pictures could be picked up at the end of the night. There were several buffet tables filled with finger foods, sugary deserts and punch, the punch being carefully guarded by two teachers so no one could try and spike it. By 8:15 quite a few teens had shown up with a large number of them rocking out to the music the DJ was playing. Two other committee members came out to relieve Grace and Georgia so they could go enjoy the dance. Grace found Grant sitting at a table talking to Alice and Henry, who were dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle.

"Hey guys," she said a little loudly, to be heard over the music. Alice and Henry nodded in her direction and then Grace turned to look at Grant, inclining her head towards the dance area. He got up and took her hand and the headed out to join their school mates in shaking their groove things. At the buffet table Ashley and Griffin were loading their plates up with junk food.