“Has he already been drinking?” Daisy asked.
Anthony nodded.
“It’s going to be one hell of a night,” Tabitha said.
Arriving at the high school twenty minutes later, Anthony parked the car on the edge of the lot, giving them plenty of room to make an escape if needed.
Climbing out of the car, Daisy needed a little help as the skirt was so short and she didn’t want to show off her panties to the rest of the world. “You had to pick the most risqué and daring skirt around,” Tabitha said.
Daisy chuckled. “You helped me to pick.”
Screams, laughter, and music all came from the school.
Staring up at the imposing building, Tabitha experienced the yearning deep in her heart for Simon. She always tried to ignore it because usually the fear of having to deal with questions, to have answers, to know what she wanted, was tough. To have Simon, she was going to have to make a choice.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Miles said, taking the lead as they headed into the school. There were already couples making out on the hoods of their cars.
Daisy put a hand through hers. “I hate this.”
“Fun, remember?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t like scary things.”
“I thought you loved Halloween.”
“I do. Movie marathons, silly candy, and names for food. I like the kiddy stuff.”
“This is going to be fun.”
They entered the school and a life-sized zombie doll dropped down from the doorway, causing Daisy to scream.
“I’m going to need a drink.”
Kids were walking through the halls as there was supposed to be a haunted theme.
“There’s a dance with food and drinks at the main hall,” Tabitha said. “I’m going to head to the bathroom. I’ll join you?”
“Sure.” Daisy kissed her cheek and took off. Her friend knew what she wanted to do.
Anthony was already following after her. Her brother and the others were gone to enjoy their own stuff.
Taking a deep breath, she felt off about the whole thing, not connected.
She watched her friends, hoping Daisy finally realized Anthony’s feelings for her and didn’t dismiss them.
Still, it was a hard one.
She turned and headed toward one of the bathrooms. It was empty, and she went straight to the sinks, turning on the water and splashing her neck rather than her face.
Looking up, she stared at her reflection. She looked sad.
Stepping away, she made her way into one of the stalls and pulled out her cell phone. Picking the video option, she pulled up Simon’s number. There was a chance he wouldn’t answer. He did warn her how involved he planned to be with Halloween. She wished she’d offered to go and see him, but with the grounding, there was no way that was going to happen. She was lucky to be going out at all, and she knew if it hadn’t been for Anthony, she’d still be grounded and enjoying a night like the one Daisy wanted.
“Hey, babe,” Simon said, accepting her call.
He wasn’t in his home and she saw past his shoulders, the streets of Piston County where he lived. His home was in a nice neighborhood. She’d visited him a couple of times. More often than not, Chaos Bleeds came to Fort Wills rather than the other way around.
“Hey,” she said, hating how alone she felt.
“What’s up?” Simon’s smile was instantly replaced with concern.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t say that to me. I know you.”
She took a breath. “You know me so well.”
“Always. Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing. Honestly, I don’t get it.” She ran fingers through her hair. “I don’t know. It’s Halloween and I think it has been so long since you’ve been here.”
“I’m missing you too. Where are you?”
“The school bathroom. The others have gone, fingers crossed, dancing and having fun.”
“I command you to have fun.”
She snorted. “You command me?”
“Yeah, I command you. I wish I was there but I’ve got to stick around here and make sure it all works. I want you to have fun. You’ve got a right to it. Take pictures. Send them to me. I want to see it all as if I was there.”
“Simon, come on,” a young girl said. His phone jerked as his arm was pulled.
“Go, I will go and do as you command.”
“Good. You deserve to have some fun and I want to hear all about it.”
“I will, sir!” She saluted him.
“Love you.”
“Love you too.” She hung up the phone and sighed, sitting on the toilet. She pocketed her cell phone and held in a groan as the doors opened.
“He’s just so dreamy. I get that he has the whole bad boy vibe, but come on. I would so do anything for Anthony. I would love to see his head between my thighs, if you know what I mean.”
Tabitha frowned. She didn’t recognize the voice.
“I don’t know how you can make a choice. Think about Luke,” another girl said.
“One of the Dogs?”