Chapter 11

Rosalie pushes the door open with one hand, the other holding mine. My senses are immediately ambushed. The assembly hall that I associated with boring announcements has somehow transformed into something almost magical. Fairy lights and bat, pumpkin, and ghost bunting hung from the ceiling. The fairy lights cast a warm glow onto the dance floor that’s been made, students are already dancing to the music that blares with the same passion as my alarm.

Rosa squeezes my hand.

“This is Abigail and her boyfriend.” I don’t mention that I already know who she is, super awkward, instead I give a small wave.

“OMG, you guys are such a cute couple! Aren’t they cute Jake?” Abigail squeals so loud you can hear her over the music.

“Mhm.” Jake murmurs beside her.

“Ignore him, he knows nothing.” She says, punching him playfully on the shoulder, her curled hair bouncing with the movement.

“What are you dressed up this year, Abby?” Rosa asks.

“Merida, of course.” I look at her outfit properly and realise that she makes the perfect Merida.

“A bit childish?” Rosalie mumbles a bit too loudly.

A blush creeps up Abigail’s neck. Rosalie completely unaware or ignoring it goes to say more but I jump in, scared she’s going to be ruder.

“You look amazing.” I say with what I hope is a reassuring smile.

“Thanks.” She manages.

An awkward silence fills the air.

Luckily Zoey chooses this time to enter with her date and walk up to our group.

“Heyyyy everyone!”

“Hi.” I greet along with the same wave I did earlier.

“You must be Serena.”

I nod.

“I am indeed Serena.”

Everyone laughs. This is a laugh with me laugh…I think.

“This is my date.” She gestures to the person towering above us dressed in a Beetlejuice costume. “Alex decided they had to be Beetlejuice and me their bat.”

Zoey twirls and I see kids’ fairy wings that have been turned into bat ones sewn onto her mini raven black dress.

Cassie would love her outfit. I wonder if she’s here? I haven’t seen her yet. Maybe I could go and look…

“I love both of your outfits they are so amazing!” I tell them to continue the conversation as an attempt to forget about Cassie. It’s me and Rosalie. Not me and Cassandra.

Why does that send a pang of disappointment through me though?

“Thank you but I can’t take all the credit Alex did most- “Alex gives her a look; she lets out a sigh with a roll of her eyes jokingly. “Okay, okay they did all of the work.”

Everyone laughs again even Zoey. It puts me at ease to know that it’s not just me they laugh at or with.

“C’mon let’s get on the dance floor!” Abigail yells.

“Yeah, let’s show them our moves!” Alex says so enthusiastically I have to question if it’s sarcasm but then they reach for Zoey’s hand and I see they are completely genuine.

Their enthusiasm leaves me dumbfounded as they head off to the dance floor with Abigail pulling a grumbling Jake in tow. 

Ella and Kelsey never really wanted to do anything so we always ditched parties and would just go to each other’s house instead. At the time it seemed rebellious as well as being more mature than everyone else as we weren’t wasting our time at such stupid things (Kelsey’s words). Yet now, even with the smell of sweat in the air, I can’t see why I ever thought that way.

Rosalie interrupts my thoughts. “Hey, I have to go and do something. I will be really quick.”

My heart sinks.

“Do you have to?” I hate how young and whiney I sound but this is meant be our night. Why can’t whatever it is wait until tomorrow?

“I promise I’ll be quick, in no time at all I will be stepping on your toes. Okay?”

I giggle. Nothing sounds more fun than that.

“Okay.”

She kisses me on the cheek before heading to the doors. I can’t exactly stand here, waiting for who knows how long, especially in these heels. Today shows she isn’t known for her punctuality with time.

As I take a step forward to find a drink or rather anything to do, I trip in my God damn heels. Why did I let Rosalie convince me to wear a pair of her heels? I know why she said they would match my dress better than my converse and maybe if I do what she suggests then I won’t become boring like all of the other exes. I keep hearing rumours in the halls about the circumstances of their breakup with her.

Only then do I remember that I was falling face first into the floor. It’s too late to save myself, I’m inches away with my arms frozen in place at my side. Goodbye nose. I close my eyes ready to accept my fate when arms wrap around my waist pulling me into their chest.

“Rosa?”

They chuckle. Oh, how I love their laugh.

“You should be careful, Lock. Heels are weapons I shall have you know.”

A smile without my permission tugs at my lips.

“Are they now?” I playfully murmur into their shirt.

“Absolutely, they could be used as a murder weapon.”

This time I internally chuckle, remembering my first day, when I thought Rosalie was a serial killer…then Cassie.

I should never have told her that. She’s been teasing me ever since.

“You look beautiful tonight; anyone told you that yet?”

My cheeks go warm.

“Just a few though I believe they’re a tad biased.”

Speaking of beautiful, I have to see what she’s wearing tonight. Someone may have made several guesses last night. I remove my head from her chest and look up to see her wearing an intricately designed fox mask with strays of freshly dyed red hair poking out from behind it.

“Hi, Anderson.”

She opens her mouth in mock surprise. “How could you possibly tell?”

“That it was your mother’s handiwork or you?” I tease.

“Alright I shall accept defeat for…”

“For what?”

“A dance.” She pauses; my surprise must be evident on my face. “Unless you’re too injured from your traumatic fall, of course.”

“So traumatic.” I reply although I’m already pulling her to the dance floor.

We do terrible, terrible dancing for not one or two songs but three. Afterwards as we go to find some free seats around the corners of the room where they and the tables had been pushed to make space.

My feet are killing me.

“Save me, I need a shoe transplant.”

Cassie gives me a disapproving shake of her head. “Why on earth did you wear them then? I’ve seen you wear much more comfortable shoes.”

“Rosalie said that they would go better than my converse and well…” I shrug not knowing how to make it sound any less like I was trying to impress Rosalie even though that was exactly what I was doing. I’m surprised I made it as long as I did without falling over.

“Well, I can’t say much my fashion knowledge is non existent and without my mother’s help I wouldn’t be standing before you however let’s go and get you some more comfortable shoes I have a couple pairs in my car.” That’s Cassandra Anderson for you; instead of prying or judging, she helps you.

“Are you trying to kidnap me? I thought you were meant to use sweets.” I never said I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to make a joke.

She lets out a sigh. “You caught me red handed. I guess you’re going to suffer in those shoes I mean that sucks though of course I understand your wariness about coming to the car.” She’s rambling to bait me.

Unfortunately, her tactic works.

“Fine.” I grumble, though I do have a massive smile on my face.

Without a second of hesitation or double checking she grabs a hold of my hand and weaves us through the crowd.

Outside the cool winter air is surprisingly refreshing, so when Cassie offers me her suit jacket, I say no.

“Seriously, one day later and I could say I was born on Halloween.” She complains while searching her pockets for the car keys. Seems I’m not the only one who loses things easily.

“You could always lie.”

“Yesss, found them!” She opens the boot before returning back to our conversation. “I wouldn’t take you for the lying type. Aren’t you a stickler for the rules?”

I act as no seventeen-year-old would and stick my tongue out. “You don’t know everything about me. I can be quite mysterious I shall have you know.”

“Just this once you are right. What size shoe are you?”

“Five or six it depends on the shoe.”

Cassie snorts.

“What?”

“You have toddler sized feet.” She says matter-of-factly.

“I do not! And even if I did, I save money not having to pay for giant shoes.”

She snorts again.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

How dare she? I have a completely respectable shoe size.

“Anyways luckily for you I have my very old running shoes in here. Take them or leave them.”

I’m about to grumble I will take it when out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of vibrant pink. A girl in a vibrant flamingo pink dress pressed up against a wall, willingly.

My stomach lurches.

It’s probably just another couple.

She wouldn’t.

She would’ve told me.

Right?

“Is that…Rosa?”