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CHAPTER ONE I. HALLOWEEN PARTIES
HALLOWEEN HAD ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF ASHLEY WHEELER'S FAVOURITE HOLIDAYS. She enjoyed being able to dress up and be someone else for the night without anyone saying a word. It was almost therapeutic for her. She didn't have to be the Ashley that everyone else knew, the one she hated, she didn't even have to be her normal self, the person she was too afraid of people to see. Ashley could be anyone she wanted.
The previous year Ashley had gone to a party at Tommy Hagan's house dressed as Shaggy from Scooby Doo and Rebecca, Ashley's best friend since 5th grade, had dressed up as Scooby. Most girls their age had dressed up as Madonna or Princess Leia from Star Wars and tried showing as much skin as possible. But Ashley and Rebecca weren't interested in dressing up nice to impress a boy, all they cared about was having fun.
So as soon as October had rolled around almost a year later, Ashley was already brainstorming ideas for the end of the month as she had no doubt someone would be throwing a Halloween party. And she was right. When the week of Halloween arrived, Tina, a girl in Ashley's grade, was handing out flyers inviting everyone to her Halloween party. She'd been handing them out at the end of all of her classes, even giving out extra, so almost everyone in their grade and the grade above got one and a few from the grades below. Ashley had been one of the first to get a flyer from Tina, who had made sure that Ashley was going to turn up. Ashley had always liked Tina but she was always looking for validation from others which often made her look desperate, which Ashley hated. Ashley may have acted differently at school and around her peers than she did at home but she never sought validation from anyone.
That year, Ashley and Rebecca had decided not to have matching costumes for Tina's house party. They had been brainstorming ideas for weeks but couldn't agree on anything so the two teenage girls decided against it. So Ashley had to think of a costume herself and the girl was out of ideas. Everything idea she had, someone else had the exact same one. And Ashley was definitely not turning up to the party in a costume that someone else was also wearing. The girl had considered going to Nancy for ideas, because Rebecca was no help, but Ashley hadn't really spoken to Nancy since they'd gone back to school after the summer.
The two girls had never really been that close, at least not in High School they hadn't been, but ever since Nancy had started dating Steve, their relationship had practically been burned to the ground. Ashley could hardly ever see Nancy without Steve being there. Every family get together, every birthday, every holiday. Steve was there. The Christmas just after they got Will back, Steve was there. Easter, Steve was there while they all watched Holly search for Easter eggs hidden around Ted Wheeler's back garden. Her brother's birthday, Steve was there. Invited by Nancy of course. 4th of July. Karen Wheeler's birthday. Ashley was so sick and tired of seeing his face, hearing his voice and she had definitely had enough of Steve trying to be her friend.
