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Her blue gaze assessed me, and she nodded. “I get that. I know it’s hard for you.”
“How are you so confident?” Maybe she had some tips.
“Honestly? I literally don’t give a fuck what any of these people think of me. You should try it sometime. It’s liberating.”
“I wish I could.” I sighed. “Remember, you’re school royalty, though. You’re a Drummond. Not only that, you’re badass.”
“I am,” she agreed with a smirk, propping her hand on her elbow and posing with her baseball bat, before she laughed and rolled her eyes. “Not really. I just don’t care what people think. Wanna play one of the games before we meet up with the others?”
“Yeah.” I smiled, relaxing at her words, grateful she was easing me into tonight’s celebrations. I had so much trouble letting anyone get close to me, but I wanted to let Lena in. I needed a friend. Someone to confide in, to be myself with.
“I never lose at these.” She tugged me across to the hook-a-duck stall, waving to a couple of her friends that were standing nearby drinking bright blue slushies. I recognised them from my Economics class, but there was no recognition in their eyes as they casually scanned me.
The girls and the game were both forgotte
n as the music suddenly cut out and all the lights dimmed. A hush descended over the entire park, as from the PA speaker system, a sinister, crackling voice announced a five-minute countdown.
“Countdown for what?” My heart was suddenly thumping way too fast, and I swallowed hard.
“Halloween games, probably. I think Carter and his friends were planning something for tonight.” Lena waved an unconcerned hand. “Come and meet my friends.”
Carter? I was just about to ask her to elaborate on the games comment when a loud, insistent beep sounded from somewhere near her waist, and she dug her phone out of the pocket of her jacket.
“Shit,” she muttered, her face falling. “Raine, I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry.”
“Go? You can’t leave me all alone here!” I was panicking.
“Fuck, this is the worst timing,” she muttered. “Listen to me. You’ve got this. Join the fun, be somebody else for the night. Look how dark it is now—no one will have a clue it’s you. I didn’t even recognise you to begin with. You’ll be fine.” Her eyes met mine, and she stepped closer as her voice softened. “I’ll introduce you to my friends before I go, okay? I won’t leave you alone if you’re not happy.”
No. I could do this. I was here, and I was going to at least try to stay. I attempted to channel her confidence. “I’ll stay for a bit. That’s all I can promise at this point. Don’t worry about introducing me. I kind of like the thought of staying anonymous.” As I said the words, I realised I meant them. There was something liberating about no one knowing who I was. I could be whoever I wanted to be tonight.
She studied me closely, then, seemingly satisfied, flashed me a quick smile. “Good. Stay safe, and call me if you need me, okay?”
I nodded firmly. “I can do this.” I watched as she slipped away through the gates, leaving me standing alone next to the stall. Taking a moment to get my bearings and plan what I was going to do next, I headed over to the chain-link fence that ran down the side of the part of the park we were in.
My newfound confidence evaporated as soon as it had arrived. I was suddenly too hot, despite the fact that “skimpy” didn’t even cover the costume I was wearing. Leaning my head back against the cold metal of the fence, I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm my racing heart.
This was ridiculous. Something like this shouldn’t be so difficult. Why was I so awkward? Why did I find it so hard to be around most other people?
A new determination filled me. Enough was enough. I was going to be a normal, sociable human being for one night in my life. I was going to mix with everyone else and have fun, even if it pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes.
For a split second, time seemed to stop. My whole body stilled, poised on a knife edge, waiting for the cut.
Then, it happened.
“This is an emergency broadcast announcing the commencement of the annual Fright Night. When the siren sounds, let the games begin. Good luck to you all.”
As the unnecessarily dramatic, robotic voice faded from the speakers, smoke began swirling through the night air, and the sound of a siren blared all around me. Strobes lit up the area in sharp flashes, illuminating the surroundings for milliseconds at a time before plunging us back into darkness.
Beyond the rides and food stalls, in front of the haunted house, stood a group of masked, hooded figures, dressed in black. The masks glowed with neon LED lights, creating sinister slashes over their eyes and mouths. Most of the guys had green, yellow, or orange masks, but the three centre figures had red, purple, and blue masks.
I immediately knew who they were. The three kings of Alstone High.
Kian, Xavier, and Carter.
The guy in the blue mask seemed to stare right at me, and it felt like my heart stopped. Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew it was Carter. I edged closer to the chain-link fence, trying to stay out of his sight.
