Storytellers (Getting Even Series Short Story for Halloween 2014)

Part II - Rachael

(Rachael's POV)

I was standing by the door of my house, my sister and friend Kenya standing beside me. We were all waiting for Sara to finish up with whatever she was doing.

Kenya pulled out her phone and scoffed, "Great, the party already started. We're going to show up late."

The party Kenya was talking about was Kalel Cullen's. Normally she and I, nor Kenya and Natalie, don't talk. It's simply because she's popular and we're aren't really popular. The only reason I was invited to this party was because of Anthony, who sits next to me in two of my classes and talks to me all throughout class. Also Sara got invited and she was kind enough to invite Natalie and Kenya to come with us.

Natalie scoffed, "I'd much rather be trick-or-treating right now."

I looked down at her, "You're fifteen, Nat. You shouldn't be trick-or-treating anymore."

Natalie glared at me, "Oh don't try to tell me that. You know if it wasn't for this party you would be trick-or-treating with me." I rolled my eyes, just as Sara walked down the stairs, dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a Pikachu sweatshirt she had gotten from Hot Topic.

"What took you so long?" Kenya asked as we opened the door and walked out of the house, me informing Nat's and my parents that we were leaving before Kenya closed the door behind us.

"None of your damn business," Sara snapped at her.

We all hopped into Kenya's car. She and Sara sat in the front, obviously with Kenya driving, and my sister and me in the back. She pulled out of the driveway and off we were to the party. Except when we were sitting at a red light at the intersection of the road Kalel lived on, and the light turned green, Kenya made the wrong turn.

"Isn't Kalel's house the other way?" I inquired, looking back as we drove away from Kalel's street.

"Yeah, but I need to pick someone up first." My sister, Sara, and I all groaned. "Oh shut up. Once you see who it is," Kenya looked in the rear view mirror and I swear she was looking directly at me, "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

I rolled my eyes and looked out my window, seeing Joey Graceffa's house as we passed by. He was walking out with his little brother, dressed up for Halloween. He wasn't really my friend but he and I usually got together for Halloween and trick-or-treated with our siblings. But this year he doesn't talk to me. He doesn't talk to anyone. It's like he's drawn himself back into this little corner where no one wants to go.

Just then, Kenya made a sharp turn into whoever-she-was-picking-up's driveway, causing Natalie to slide across the back seat and crushing me against the car door. I groaned in pain as Kenya got out of the car, leaving Sara, Natalie, and I behind. She walked up to the door and raised her hand, knocking twice. A few seconds passed before the door swung open. She was blocking the door, so I couldn't see who it was. But when she turned around and began to walk back, the person following her, my heart nearly stopped. The person she was picking up was Andrew, a guy I've had a crush on since ninth grade. (I was a senior now.)

Kenya opened the door for him and told me to move over for him. Natalie moved back into her seat and I moved to the middle. Andrew got in and his arm pressed up against me as Kenya closed the door and hopped in the front.

"Are we ready to go?" She asked, looking back at us. No one replied to her and she just returned her attention forward before backing out of the driveway and finally going to the party.

*****

The five of us had walked into the house. Music was blasting and lights were flashing everywhere. I felt very out of place there, and so did Natalie, Andrew, and Kenya. Sara just walked right in, though, and blended right in with the crowd. A thing she's always been able to do easily because she's friends with almost everyone in the whole school.

I scanned the room for someone I knew that wasn't standing beside me, specifically Anthony. Thing was, I had a crush on him too. I mean, I don't think there's a single girl in the school who didn't have a crush on Anthony. He was the hottest guy in school.

Natalie gasped and started smacking me on the arm. "Rachael. Rachael. Rachael. Rachael! RACHAEL!"

"What?" I replied to her, smacking her hand away before rubbing my arm that was starting to hurt.

She grabbed my arm tightly before saying in a whisper, "Ian's here."

I met her gaze and saw the familiar bowl-haircut. He was standing by the wall talking to Anthony.

Ian wasn't as popular as Anthony, but I guess they've been friends ever since sixth grade. Anthony was held back a year, and that's why he's a year older than all the seniors. I guess on the first day of school, Ian's mom approached Anthony and asked him to make sure Ian went to the nurse about halfway through the day to take his meds. Ian blushed with embarrassment (or so I heard) but Anthony agreed, telling her he would be sure to do that. And ever since then...they've been friends.

Natalie had the hugest crush on him, even though he was three years older than her (she was a freshman and he was a senior like the majority of us).

"Why don't you go talk to him then?" I suggested.

She looked up at me and her eyes widened, "Are you crazy? He probably doesn't even know my name!"

"Well you won't until you go and talk to him, right?"

Natalie glanced over at Ian once more before looking back at me, "You really think I should go talk to him?"

"Yeah, I mean, I don't see why not. What's the worse that can happen? He doesn't know you're name?"

She gave me a quick smile before detaching herself from me and walking over to him. That left just me, Andrew, and K- Scratch that, Kenya's left and was talking to some guy whose name I believe was Tod. Maybe Toddy? I can't remember. So it was just Andrew and me.

"So," I tried to spark a conversation, quite loudly, might I add, so that he could hear me over the loud music. He looked down at me and I choked up, nervous. "Um...so, w-who invited you?" I hung my head as my cheeks grew a bright red color.

"I actually wasn't invited," He answered with a slight chuckle, slipping his hands into his pockets, "Formally, at least. Kenya and I were talking after Spanish one day and she asked if I wanted to come, you know, because me and...um, me and..." His voice trailed off.

"You and...?"

It was his turn to hang his head, "Me and my girlfriend just broke up."

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry to hear that."

He shrugged his shoulders, "It wasn't your fault. Things just weren't working out for us anymore. I guess Kenya was worried or something because-"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Almost everyone froze in their places. All talking had ceased to a stop and the only sound was the music. Kalel made her way through the crowd (out of nowhere) and parting the blinds so she could look through them. "About time he showed up," She said to herself before turning around and looking at all of us.

"Is everything okay, babe?" Anthony shouted from across the room.

She muttered a few things under her breath and I swear I saw her eyes turn green. Before I could even process anything, things went black for me.