Deviating from the Norm (A "Freaks and Geeks" Fanfic)

Chapter 5 - Masks

'Um, hey, what are you doing for Halloween?' I heard Nick ask Lindsay. The word that really triggered me out of my mini-trance was 'Halloween'. It was the following day and I was actually feeling a little excited. If there was any 'holiday' I would claim for myself, Halloween would definitely be it. Decorations had been popping up in stores and around people's homes for the past week and, while some were pretty good and inspired, none could truly compare to what my folks and I had put up for display. I continued to listen to the two talk about plans for the next night.

"Oh, I have to hand out candy with my mom."

Nick let out a little laugh and I could see that Lindsay began to look embarrassed.

"I know, it... sounds really dorky. Um, she gets really into it," Lindsay explained, shrugging her shoulders.

In yet another display that she was not too fond of the newcomer, Kim interjected mockingly, "Oh, Lindsay, I don't think that sounds dorky at all." She was barely able to contain a laugh that bubbled over. Under normal circumstances, her joke would be considered friendly ribbing, but there was still bad blood between the two. I didn't understand it. Either I was extremely lucky to get on Kim's good side within two weeks of knowing her or Lindsay was never gonna make the cut... cause she had been hanging out with us for almost a month by that point.

I expressed a little smile as Nick hastily jumped in to defend her.

"You know what- at least she's being nice," he opposed, keeping a smile on his face as he pointed at Kim and joked with her. "Just because you hate your mother doesn't mean that everybody else does, okay?"

"No," Daniel joined in, barely able to contain a laugh as he spoke and kept his eyes glued to his girlfriend, "everybody hates her mother."

The statement made Kim howl, and I could only imagine how true it was if she found that much humor in the simple quip.

As I sat silently next to Ken, I could see that Lindsay wanted to steer the conversation back on track.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"I'm gonna be hanging out with my folks at home, too. Handing out candy, psychologically scarring children for life... you know, the normal stuff," I answered.

"Oh my God! Two dorks!" Kim blurted out and I simply rolled my eyes at her, the smile still hovering on my lips.

"Halloween is more sacred than Christmas in the Matsen household I'll have you know, missy. We enjoy our scary shit."

Daniel spoke up, sitting sideways and holding Kim between his arms. The two seemed very couple-like that day. It was actually a bit weird to see them so all over each other. I was used to them taking advantage of a captive audience for their make-out sessions, but even this was a little more tacky than usual. "Well, Kim, Nick and I are going out, borrowin' my uncle's big-ass caddy, and... thought maybe you'd like to come with us."

I figured he had to be talking to Lindsay, as Daniel and I had already set up plans for them to drop by and pick me up later on in the evening.

Lindsay's gaze shifted from Daniel back to Nick. "You mean like a double date?" she asked, and I could swear I saw a bit of a grin show up on her face at the utterance of the words.

Nick merely smiled and smiled and smiled, sheepishly averting his admiration for her for a mere moment before affixing his attention to her again.

I was beginning to second guess my assumption that Linds was into Daniel, but then again, I was striking out with my ability to understand women overall lately. I knew for a fact that she was sending Nick the wrong signals if she wasn't interested, though. Some guys tended to take even the slightest nicety or inferred flirtation as a solid fact that the person on the other end of it was, in fact, madly in love with them... and though I had only known him for a little while, Nick definitely struck me as one of those guys.