Synopsis: Legend has it that Halloween is strictly for the scares. With ghouls and goblins, vampires and werewolves, witches and broomsticks, who could disagree?
However, all this friend group wanted was a little trick or treat. Sprinkle in a few party favors, loud music, and a cabin in the woods, the myth was bound to come true.
Lurking around the corner is danger like never before, eager to bring this night to a bloody finish.
So join these friends as they fight to make it through a Halloween they’ll never forget, proving that "the scare" is more than just a fantasy.
Word Count: 2414
Warnings: none for this chapter
Prologue
Series Masterlist
Emery (Em for short) - outgoing and friendly to most but doesn’t have main character energy in the sense that she isn’t wildly popular and chats to everyone in sight. Though she is super fun and goofy around her friends, Emery takes on a more chill and easy going vibe amongst others. A bit of an overthinker, she’s the mom of the group - displaying a good sense of level headedness and ensuring that things between them is as smooth sailing as it can be. But beware! There’s a shift after the incident and Emery becomes this shell of her former self: sad, paranoid, and borderline pessimistic. Velma for Halloween.
Lynnley (Lynn for short) - a lil slow but she means well. Sexually affirming, Lynn is the hawtie of the crew and fiercely loyal - usually the first to jump to her friend's defense. Even though she’s prissy, she won’t hesitate to clear a bitch. But beware! There’s a shift after the incident and when pushed to her limits, Lynn transitions into the ultimate mean girl, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Daphne for Halloween.
Lorenzo (Lenny for short) - big ole gentle giant. He’s the jokester, corny, and flirtatious one of the group. Goes by Lenny cause Lorenzo sounds too proper. A little stubborn in regard to his silver spoon status, but willing to learn and do better for the sake of his friendships. Takes the feelings of other into consideration, but ultimately puts himself first in most situations. Always down to party! But beware! There’s a shift after the incident and Lenny finds himself forlorn and vengeful. Shaggy for Halloween.
Stephanie (Steph for short) - spicy! She’s the bitch of the group, sometimes mean under the guise of being blunt although she can definitely be that too. Her smart mouth didn’t exactly land her a ton of friends as she usually takes things too far, thus being the apology tour queen. Enjoys the fuck out of her own company so it’s typically the crew or herself. Yet, underneath it all she’s fair; calling out bullshit as she sees it. But beware! There’s a shift after the incident and while this tough cookie has always been so sure of herself, circumstances see Steph more hesitant and even sensitive. Scooby for Halloween.
Julianna (Julez for short) - big, round eyes are her most striking feature and the starting point for most of her friendships. Somewhat cheesy but smooth as hell in the dating department. A social chameleon, she drifts from friend group to friend group but definitely considers this one her fave. Party animal, so she STAYS with the goodies, therefore Julez is usually the first one faded at the get togethers. A genuinely sweet person, she’s quite frankly the nicest one of the group. But beware! There’s a shift after the incident and her lack of cautiousness leaves her the most exposed. Scrappy Doo for Halloween.
The cool breeze blows gently against warm skin, swaying seamlessly between the sea of people. It's about 75 degrees outside and though the sun peeks through the fluffy clouds, its warmth is inescapable, covering every inch of ground. The winds add a comfortable sensation, making the temperature feel a few degrees cooler than it actually is.
There’s a freshness that lingers in the clean air; deep breaths satisfying the nostrils of those in the vicinity. Snacks are pulled out and the crinkling of their packaging adds all sorts of interesting aromas to the mix. There’s a foul odor to the sour cream flavored chips and a sugary scent to the caffeinated drinks. But it's the Jolly Ranchers and Hubba Bubba that add a deep sense of nostalgia.
Bench tables are filled to the brim, laughter echoing from each group of friends as they wait on their ride home. The afterschool chatter varies from crushes to beefs, to class work, and everything in between. Cliques gather around to whichever space is available - crouching under trees, standing near the cafeteria, or simply chilling on the stoop.
Some people choose to listen to their favorite artist, the sound of music flowing deep into their ears. Others prefer the ambiance of the school yard, the different personalities meshing together to form core memories for the future to come. Few students pull their books out to get started on today's homework, opting to spend the rest of their evening leisurely. Even fewer spend their time in solitude, comfortable with their own being. And then there’s them: The Three Musketeers.
“I’m thinking the bowling alley for my birthday this year, ohh and they just got a new skating rink too,” Emery gushed.
“Yes, but you can do neither,” Lynnley butt in.
“That, plus I was thinking dinner at The Atticus would be nice,” Lorenzo chimed. “And I know one of the waiters there who’s willing to serve us alcohol.
“I think the hell not, besides it’s my birthday and you’ll BOTH be there. You can choose whatever you want to do when it’s your year around the sun.”
“Whatever,” Lorenzo groaned.
A comfortable silence fills the air, each person attending to their own current interest; but it’s the presence of each other that brings an added sense of solace. Emery, pen and paper in hand, is making a list of all the things that she needs for her upcoming party, including but not limited to guests, outfits, cake decoration, and skating lessons. Lynnley is currently filing her nails, ensuring that each finger has the perfect curve of a twenty degree angle; lips tutting in unappreciation of her dry cuticles. How she’s managed to let it get this bad, she doesn’t know. Lorenzo scrolls mindlessly through YouTube, enjoying whichever silly video popped up in his suggestions. Every so often, he’ll pan the screen over in amusement for the girls to get a good laugh in too, his commentary sometimes funnier than the content he shows.
Eventually some distant yelling breaks their concentration, heads whipping in the direction of the ruckus to see the commotion. But it quickly turns into annoyance when they realised that the voice belonged to none other than Billy Badass.
“My goodness, I wish he’d get expelled already,” Emery sighed.
“Same here, if only he were into men then I could do something about it. One word from me to my parents and his ass would be done for.”
“It’s such a shame something has to be done to you directly for your parents to use their status for good, Lorenzo.”
“They aren’t vigilantes Lynn - they can’t just go around punishing everyone we hate. And I told you about calling me Lorenzo.”
“Oh yes, my good sir, shame on us for forgetting,” Emery teased, mustering up a poor posh accent.
Billy Badass is a nickname garnered by the crew for a student about two grades their senior. Though his antics skirt on the edge of sexual harassment, no one has ever really called him out on his shit; opting instead to ignore him into boredom. Billy thrives on the banter and reactions that he gets, eagerly bickering with person after person all in the name of free entertainment. However, there’s been talk that his resentment is another prime reason for the endless heckling.
It typically goes like this: Billy spits game at his latest crush, flirting and the sorts in hopes of making things official. If all goes well they get the ‘honor’ of calling each other girlfriend and boyfriend but let's be real, how long do relationships in middle school last anyway?! So this process repeats itself on end, more times than not ending in rejection, which most young girls have come to find out he can’t take. Then comes the name calling and the teasing and the spitefulness. It had gotten so bad that one of his ex-girlfriend went as far as to fight him, Billy's booming voice all but a whisper as he retreated under the guise of not wanting to get physical. And while most people can respect that he won’t hit a young woman, it pales in comparison to the constant verbal attacks he showers them with on a daily basis.
It’s like a fisherman attaching a worm at the end of his fishing rod, ready to cast it into the water in hopes that a sea creature will bite. And when they do, the sharp end latches on the inside of their jaw, their efforts to break free painful and most times pointless as their fate has been sealed. In some cases people fish for sport, throwing them back into the water once the fun has been had and the pictures have been taken. And in other cases, they get prepared to land on a plate. For most ladies, they’ve come to be a fish thrown back into the water, a thing that Billy has no lingering interest in once his fun has been had. But it still doesn’t make the tugging of the hook, sunken inside their jaw, any less painful.
And unfortunately the crew knew all too well what that felt like. It happened to both Emery and Lynnley earlier in the school year, the two bonding with Lorenzo after he stepped in to tell Billy to fuck off. Faced with another conflict, his tail was swiftly tucked between his legs; the group coming to understand that it’s not that he won’t fight, it’s more like he can't fight - and thus, the name Billy Badass was born.
“Ughh, that poor girl, can’t we just kick his ass? I'm sure we can make it look like an accident.”
“A three on one is far from accidental Lynn,” Emery laughs.
“Yeah,” Lorenzo agreed. “Besides as much as the prick deserves it, it wouldn’t sit right with me to assault him like that.”
“Oh my gosh Lenny, when did you become Mother Teresa?”
“Right after third period. Now come on let's see if that chick needs some help.”
Shuffling from their seats, the three amigos approached the scene, Billy scurrying away as soon as he saw them out of the corner of his eyes. Left behind was his latest target, cheeks beet red and fuming. Both fists tightly clenched together, she takes a few steps in his direction, stopped in her tracks by Lorenzo’s harsh grip on her forearm.
“Easy. Trust me we all want to hit him, but you throw the first punch and it’s lights out for you; in the form of expulsion of course.”
“I don’t care about that,” she huffs.
“Well you should. There’s no need to let Billy get under your skin.”
“And you are?”
“Em-”
“She’s Emery, he’s Lenny, and I’m Lynnley,” she interrupted. “And you would be?”
“Out of here, I have a practice to get to,” the mystery girl spat over her shoulder.
“That’s how you treat the people that tried to help you?”
“I didn’t need it, Lenny, is it? I can hold my own, but thanks anyway.”
“Ok miss girl, well I hope you can hold that homework too. You conveniently left for your bathroom break right before it was assigned,” Emery sneered.
Stopping in her tracks, the young lady peers over her shoulder, pride on full display as she contemplates asking for the homework. How badly will this one score affect my overall grade? she thinks. How strong willed do I need to be really? she ponders even further. Would it hurt that bad to let her guard down? New to town and new to school, Stephanie isn’t exactly a hit with the people here. Most of them have formed friendships that spent years in the making and she blows off the few people whose attempt at a conversation with her didn’t immediately result in a favor. Could it really be that bad to try being social for once?
“Lorenzo, Emery, and Lynnley, right?” she asks, hand scratching behind her ear.
“YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN YOU FAT FUCK,” yelled Julianna, who conveniently just showed up.
“Julez baby, thank you, but I believe they’re called plus sized these days.”
“Em, I’m not tryna be considerate with the enemy.”
“And that’s Julez,” Lynn interjected.
“Julez, got it. Well I’m Stephanie.”
“Stephanie is the town's newest hard ass,” Lorenzo teased.
“Welcome!”
“Speaking of Julez, you’re welcomed to come to my upcoming birthday party at the bowling alley.”
“Ohhh the one with the new skating rink?” Julianna gushed.
“I still think you should consider dinner.”
“Or at the very least bowling lessons.”
“You shits, it’s her birthday!”
“THANK YOU, Julez, and just for that, you’re getting the first piece of cake,” Emery promised.
“Sure, whatever. Steph, are you game?” Lorenzo asked.
“She better be, how badly do you want that homework?”
“Just say the word and I can get you the homework WITH the answers to match,” Lynnley winked.
“Besides, you’re gonna love it,” Julianna encouraged.
Chuckling, she agreed to go to the bowling alley for Emerys birthday AND to the homework answers Lynnely promised. Surprisingly enough, she passed the homework with flying colors, briefly wondering how Lynnley had managed to get her hands on the material, not that she cared enough to ask. Stephanie never did make it to practice that day and neither did she have any trouble with ole Billy Badass moving forward.
That afternoon, the group fell into a natural conversation, catching Stephanie up on the latest tea; practice long forgotten. This day would be the first of many for the newest addition to this friendship quartet. Settling into the steps, they each leave one by one, their rides in tow. And though today will serve as a core memory, many more like this eventually become the norm - the five-person clique banding together, day after day, for what they will soon realise will be their last.
