Thankfully, no invite was needed to attend the Halloween house party, meaning I didn't need to befriend any 'popular' person. Sure, Linzi, Vicki and Izzi would be there, but at least I could avoid them.
I managed to convince Wednesday and Al to go, as well as Maia — who, to be fair, didn't need much convincing at all. She was all for it; probably because she pined after going every year since we started high school.
"How come you've never been to one before then?" I had asked in confusion.
"I—" Her cheeks had pinkened as she pressed her lips together into an embarrassed smile. "I didn't want to go on my own, and none of my other friends has ever wanted to go..."
"Well, I'm going," I'd told her pointedly. "Plus, who else am I gonna depend on to help me with an outfit and give me a lift there?"
Maia lived just a street away from me, so her dad frequently gave me lifts whenever I was hanging out with Maia. He gave us a lift to the wackiest costume shop in town, some dingy place on a corner of the high street called Spivey's Web.
I'd always crossed the road to avoid walking in front of that place, but the interior was actually pretty cool. Rails and rails of fancy dress costumes lined the walls, while long-forgotten tiaras and faded crystal balls resided behind the counter.
It had taken me several lifetimes to find something that would work for me — I almost gave up a couple of times, convinced I'd end up forgotten and faded like those dusty, trashy ornaments. But Maia was relentless, and I'd found a costume.
By the time Halloween rolled around on the next Saturday, the costumes we had were pretty decent. Courtesy of Maia's artistic style and her saint-like patience with me, we'd made sure that we were dressed like teenagers enough and not just little kids.
Maia went for a classic witch; ripped black tights, a black leatherette mini-skirt, a lacy V-neck bodysuit (that my mother would have labelled lingerie) and a glittery cape. Before the actual party, she'd opted for dying a few strips of her light brown hair jet-black and caking on a heap of makeup.
With a red cape, a red skirt with a criss-cross corset on top, over a white peasant blouse, black boots and deep claw marks on my face, done with latex and makeup; I'd gone as Red Riding Hood.
When we got there, I realised how nervous I was, with butterflies flitting around my stomach. The cold night air encompassed me, all the heat of the car swiftly dissipating as we stared up at the house. Loud music and the yells of teenagers radiated out of the house.
Up until then, I'd never been to an actual house party. The only experience I had was provided by American films and TV shows, which were unreliable and inaccurate at the best of times.
Noticing my nauseous face, Maia reassured me, "Don't worry; at the end of this school year, you'll never see half these people again."
"True." I nodded, grateful for her being there with me.
I reminded myself why I was there; to get closer to Theo.
Taking a deep breath, I linked my arm through Maia's and pulled her towards the house. "Let's do this."
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