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“They were freaking me out and it was a reflex thing. I couldn’t stop myself.”
“You made her cry.”
“I didn’t know they were drawn on,” he shouts defensively.
I roll my eyes and turn back to the guy waiting for us. “You were saying we needed to be suited up?”
“Follow me,” he says, trying to bite back his laughter. He probably thinks we’re crazy. No, I know he does. It’s written all over his face and the way his eyes drift between us all with amusement.
“You two are too funny sometimes,” Willow whispers as we step into a dimly lit room.
A group of six await us, already suited and ready to go. There are three girls and three boys. The boys look like they’ve just came out of a SYFY convention, their makeup grim, with blood and gore all over them.
CJ suddenly stops, pointing at the group unashamedly. “You do know you’re not the zombies and this isn’t Halloween, right?”
I smack his arm. “CJ!”
His brows pinch together. “What?”
I shake my head at him and address the group. “I’m sorry, he has no filter. You guys look great.”
The tallest of the three boys stares at me distastefully, but the one in the middle steps forward, a creepy grin on his face, not helped by all his makeup.
“Allie?”
I’m taken aback when he pulls me in for a hug, and startled he knows my name. I pull back, feeling a little stiff from a stranger hugging me. I glance at him closer, trying to see if I recognise him. I don’t. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Here are your suits. Just pull them over your head,” the guy from before says, passing us each our own, and then a helmet.
“It’s me—Ian. We share two classes together. You remember Nathan,” he says, pointing to the other guy beside him. Then he gestures to the other, still scrutinising me with that creepy smile. “This is my cousin from home. He’s come to visit.”
“Oh, hi, Ian. I didn’t recognise you with all your makeup.”
He smiles at me, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “This is so cool. It’s great you’re here.”
“You know him?” CJ asks, his arm coming around me when I’ve finished suiting up.
I glance at him, trying to read his mood, but can’t. His face is blank, giving me no clue as to what he is thinking.
“Yeah, he’s in my Historical Literature and English Lit class,” I tell him, then face Ian and his friends. The three girls wait behind somewhat, staring admiringly at Cole and CJ. “This is my boyfriend, CJ. CJ, this is Ian.”
Ian, still smiling, reaches out to shake CJ’s hand, but CJ stands there, unmoving.
Ian clears his throat, dropping his hand to his side. “Well, it’s cool seeing you. Guess we should get started,” he says, rubbing his hands together before turning back to the group.
I turn to CJ sharply. “What was that about?”
He doesn’t even meet my gaze when he answers. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were being rude. You’re never rude. Not so obviously anyway.”
He laughs, throwing his head back. “Cupcake, the dude has a crush on you. I knew who he was when he mentioned sharing English classes with you. Alex mentioned he was flirting with you at the library.”
I don’t know if I’m more shocked that he spoke to Alex, or that Alex shared something really unnecessary.
It’s bizarre, and if I’m honest, I’m a little pissed Alex would twist something around that he knew was innocent.
“Um, no, he didn’t. He asked to work with me on my project, but I said no, that I already had one sorted. I offered to help him, but he said he’d be able to do it. Or something like that. That was the first time I had ever spoken him. And he wasn’t flirting. I may be new to all of this, but I would have told you if some lad was flirting with me.”
