The Sally to his Skellington [Veiled Brides Vlack]

Chapter One

My name is Sally Realname, and I'm your average everyday teenage girl. Well, I used to be, until I got caught up in this totally crazy adventure! It was a good adventure, too, filled with drama, action, excitement, and roooomance! But, my English teacher always says I need to show more than tell, so here's my story, presented to you in vivid Technicolor!

It all started on a normal, boring day at my normal, boring high school. I was at lunch, eating the same kale quinoa tofu superfood salad that I always did, sitting by myself because no one liked me because I'm so totally emo and they just couldn't handle it. Suddenly, while I was doodling teardrops in my limited edition Canadian Beelzebub notebook, I heard a group of girls at the table next to mine talk about a super cool Halloween party happening that night!

Did I mention it was Halloween?

Because it was Halloween.

I was so excited, because I love Halloween, so I exclaimed, "Wow, a party! Can I go?"

"Ew, no!" the girls screamed, throwing their bottles of Voss Artesian Water at me. "You can't come because you're gross and weird and we don't like you!"

"Aw, darn..." I sighed, hanging my head. "Bullied again by the more pretty and popular girls..."

"That's right, you ugly virgin whore!" they laughed at me.

"The ultimate insult!!" I lamented. "Calling to attention my visual flaws while implying I'm both having too much sex and none at all, I can't possibly retaliate!"

The girls laughed at me some more as they threw away their unfinished vegan, gluten-free chicken wraps and left the cafeteria. I wanted to bury my face in my hands and cry, but I had already filled my emotional quota for the hour, so I sat there stone-faced until the bell rang.

By the time classes had ended for the day, I'd made up my mind that I wanted to go to that Halloween party anyway. I came up with the perfect plan to get away with it, too. I'd just dress up in a costume so that no one would recognize me! The plan really hinged on the fact that it was a costume party and not just a sit around and smoke weed party, because otherwise I would be painfully out of place, but I have that special brand of stupidly overblown confidence so I didn't think it was a huge deal.

I walked out of the school building with my earphones in, listening to my favorite song by my favorite band, Veiled Brides Vlack, or VBV for short. I thought that the lead singer, Dandy Bareback, was soooooo hoooooot, but in a really chill and down to Earth way, you know? While many different mean and popular kids pushed me out of the way, I fantasized about meeting Dandy and talking to him about nothing and everything. The thought crossed my mind that it would be so cool if I saw him at the unimportant and honestly underwhelming high school Halloween party I was going to that night, but I dismissed it, because it seemed too impossible.

Oh, how young and naive I was back then.

~+~

When I got home, my mom was standing in the kitchen, stirring a spoon around in an empty bowl while staring off into the distance. I tried to sneak past her and upstairs to my room, but the toe of my combat boot caught on the side of the wall, and I sprawled onto the floor with a yelp.

Mom spun around as soon as she heard, yelling, "There you are, you little emo piece of garbage! Take off that dumb fishnet shirt and do some chores!"

"UGH," I screamed, very defensive of my outfit, which consisted of a fishnet shirt, black tank top, black tights, black booty shorts, and black combat boots, all tied together tastefully with various skull and crossbones accessories. "FUCK YOU, MOM, YOU DON'T FUCKING GET IT."

"WATCH YOUR GODDAMN LANGUAGE," she screamed back at me like a whistling tea kettle (We're British.) "I DON'T NEED TO GET IT, I'M OLD AND STUBBORN IN MY WAYS."

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE ALONE IN A DITCH YOU HAG," I bellowed.

"THAT'S IT," she shouted. "YOU'RE HELLA GROUNDED, GO TO YOUR ROOM."

I made a noise somewhere between a shriek and an even louder shriek as I picked myself off the floor and stomped up the stairs to my room. "THIS IS WHERE I WANTED TO GO ANYWAY."

"GOOD."

"GOOD."

I slammed my door and threw myself onto my bed, sobbing so hard it felt like my spine was going to break in half. Nobody understood me, not even myself, but especially not my bitch of a mom who thought she could control everything I did. After I finished crying and reapplying my eyeliner, I decided that I wouldn't let her tell me how to live my life. So, with oodles of determination and teenage rebellion, I snuck out of my second-story window and disappeared into the night.

I was going to go to that party.

Nobody was going to stop me.