Loving The Jerk Who Might Have Feelings

Adjusting my curls, I give myself one last look in the mirror. I look perfect, as usual. I decided to wear a fairy costume; pink with sparkles everywhere. The skirt is short and a bit puffy, but completely sexy; the top is a heart-shaped corset with black swirls. Somehow I managed to do this pretty swirl thing at the corners of my eyes with my eyeliner and pink glitter. And, fortunately, the costume didn’t come with ridiculous wings.

Then I sigh happily and step out of the restroom. Surprisingly, Lilith hasn’t gone. She’s leaning over her bed fixing her black converse. Surprise, surprise; Lilith is dressed up as some rockstar princess. Spiked crown and all.

I gasp when she looks up at me. “Er, your brother wouldn’t happen to have a date, would he?”

Even though I’m wearing sky-high pink high heels, I rush over to take a seat next to her and hug her shoulders, “What happened?”

She starts to sob, “K-Kyle said I wasn’t c-cool enough for him” she hiccups and moves closer to me, “H-he’s taking Lucy Scavorzi. God, she’s such a slut—“

I try to clear my throat at the hypocrisy, but she either doesn’t hear me or purposely ignores me. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.

Then she puts her face in her hands and cries some more.

“Don’t be sad, Kyle’s a degenerate and a bad driver. You deserve better” I say patting her back, although, I’m not quite sure I believe it.

She looks at me and sniffles hopefully, “Really?”

No, “Um, yeah... Well, I have to—“

Then she pouts, “So does Nate, like—“

I start to shake my head and tell her he has a date, and that she really shouldn’t use my twin brother as a rebound, but she just looks so sad, that instead I say, “No, he doesn’t, so lemme just call him”

I smile and step out of our room, fishing my small cellphone out of my strapless bra. Sighing, I reluctantly speed dial Nate.

“Yeah?” comes his voice from the speaker.

I sigh again, “I need a favor...”

_______________________

Nate appears at the end of the hall looking cautious as he walks over to me, “And how exactly are you gonna repay me?” He’s dressed up as Count Dracula.

I glare at him, “Don’t act like it’s misery on your part. You like her”

He shrugs, “But I had a date”

“With Bucktooth Becky” I counter.

“I-well, she seems like a nice—“

“Whatever” I say with a roll of my eyes, then I move past him, trying to get to the staircase.

Of course, he just has to stop me. “No, Athena, hold on—“

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to be somewhere” I reply crossing my arms on my chest as I reluctantly look back at him.

“I’m sorry for being mean to you”

I snort, “What are you? Five?”

Nate frowns at me, “I’m serious; I’m super-mega sorry for being irrationally angry at you. It isn’t your fault you’re really bossy”

I cock an eyebrow at him, “Excuse me?”

He laughs and hugs me. Eww, he smells like the undead, “Whatever, I guess I forgive you, ‘cause it makes me look like a bitch if I don’t” I slightly hug him back, but immediately pull away and push him towards the door.

“’Look like’, right” he laughs.

I glare, “Don’t think I won’t hurt you with these heels”

_____________________

When I meet everybody at the entrance, I can’t help but squeal. Everyone looks great!

Arrow is some kind of wood nymph and Peter is... Peter Pan. Joy, of course, somehow decided that dressing up as Rainbow Brite was a fantastic idea. She kinda looks hot, though, with the super short skirt, even if she is wearing rainbow stockings.

“Happy Halloween!” Joy tells me, waving me over. I smile at everyone and hug Arrow and Peter before I start wondering where my date is.

Joy notices, “Oh, hey, Joshua said he’ll be here in a minute”

“Oh, okay” I reply quietly, and listen to them start a conversation on cheese. The music sounds great, even though we’re like a yard away from the Grand Hall’s entrance. The building is really tall, but only two levels and everything is pearly black, matching the dark purple buildings around it.

As everyone arrives, I notice my old ‘friends’. Of course they found it beneath them to dress up. The girls just came in ball gowns (the expensive kind) and the boys put on suits.

Frankly, I think they’re missing out on the whole point of Halloween.

“I love your costume, Athena, where’d you get it?” Arrow asks as she fixes her beautiful curly black hair.

I smile, “Oh, y’know—“

“Paris?” Peter suggests with a smirk. I roll my eyes at him, “Despite my fabulous look, Peter, I assure you, I am not rich and do not travel to different countries on weekends. Feel free to admire me all you want, though”

Arrow laughs and wraps her arms around Peter as he pouts. I laugh and am about to turn to Joy and ask her about the inspiration behind her doll costume, when somebody puts their hands on my eyes and pulls me against their chest. Judging by the firm musclesand lack of cleavage I’m certain it’s a guy.

“Guess who” the person says in an extremely high voice.

I laugh, “Joshua?”

I hear him groan as he turns me around to face him, “How’d you know?”

Joshua is dressed up in tattered white pajamas that are stained with something red. His dreadlocks are sprawled messily all over his head and face, topped with a white top hat, and he’s got blood red lipstick on.

“Not many girls have dreadlocks... but they do have lipstick... should I be worried?” I ask with a cocked eyebrow.

“I’m a ghoul,” he explains, trying to go ‘boo’, but I put my fingers on his lips to quiet him.

He moves back, “Hey, my lipstick!”

And I laugh, turning around, as I try to clean the red off my fingers. That’s when I spot him.

Alex Winters, dressed up as a pirate. A very hot, shirtless pirate. Oh dear, is it me, or is it suddenly really warm out here? In the middle of fall.

I mean, I kinda knew he had a great body since I saw him shirtless that one time, but oh god, never this hot. Eventually my eyes found his and I could tell he knew I was checking him out. For the occasion, he even had on scull lip rings.

“Let’s go” Joshua suggests.

Alex smirks, puts his arm around Joy, and follows Arrow and Nate through the big French double doors. For a second I feel a bitter jealousy that I got stuck with Joshua, while Joy got Winters. But I know what this is about; I took his best friend so he’s taking mine.

I smile at Joshua and let him place his arm around my waist as we enter the Grand Hall. It’s amazingly huge. The first level is a dance floor (equipped with a DJ, flashing lights, and groping bodies), the second floor is basically just an indoor balcony going around the perimeter of the building with a bunch of tables.

We follow Arrow as she takes us up the steps to the second level and we find a table.

Joshua politely pulls out my chair for me, and I make sure I thank him loudly, but don’t glance at Winters and Joy.

He takes a seat next to me and I take a moment to glance over my shoulder at the dance floor.

“Do you want to dance?” Joshua asks as turn back around and admire the centerpiece. It’s a large vase filled with crystal black and orange roses, too bad it doesn’t keep me from seeing Alex’s face.

I smile at Joshua, “Maybe later,” and pop a mint in my mouth.

Almost immediately after I say that, Peter asks Arrow to dance and Alex practically carries Joy to the dance floor. I glare after them, but look around.

I spot Bucktooth Becky at a lone table, in a pumpkin costume, looking weepy as she snacks on the peanuts and mints. I feel a tinge of remorse, but shake it away. If I have to share a room with Lilith rather be on good terms with her.

“Hey, Athena?”

“Yeah?” I look back at Joshua and notice he’s looking at Bucktooth Becky, too.

“Would you mind if I asked her to dance? She looks lonely” Joshua asks quietly.

“Um, of course not, have fun” I encourage, though on the inside I’m begging him not to leave me.

He smiles at me and makes his way over to Becky. When she hears his proposal she looks doubtful, but Joshua is insanely gorgeous so she eventually follows him onto the dance floor. I sigh, they’re playing Firework by Katy Perry and everyone’s having a blast, no pun intended.

Just as I’m thinking about heading to the restroom, who else but Alex Winters drops in on Joshua’s chair.

“Can I help you?” I ask bitterly.

Winters laughs at my tone, “Are you really angry with me? Or just angry that you can’t resist me?” but besides the seemingly light, joking tone, I hear a tone of anger as well. What the hell did I do this time?

“Yes, because I’m the hormonal one here” I retort sarcastically, refusing to look in his icy blue eyes, “And you never act like you hate me one day and pretend to care the next.” Then I look at him with mock surprise, “Oh wait, you do”

He glares, “I never pretended anything”

“Well then your seriously bipolar and in need of a lot of pills” I reply going back to staring at the stupid roses.

“Whatever, your just pissed ‘cause you love me and I—“ he stops abruptly, but I can almost hear the words ‘don’t love you’ .

My stomach twists into a knot, my heart races, my muscles tense, and my throat dries up.
Then he takes a deep breath, “Girls like you don’t belong with guys like me”

All of a sudden I’m in tune with the song currently playing, “It’s not like you to say sorry. I was waiting on a different story. This time I’m mistaken for handing you a heart worth breaking”

“What? You mean pretentious assholes or insensitive jerks?” my voice shakes as I throw the words at him and rise from my seat. I pause and take a deep breath, this time my voice is completely polite as I say “I’m so sorry that you had to endure the pain of my company and affection. It won’t happen again”

As I take off to find an escape from this hell the song’s lyrics follow me, “This five words in my head scream ‘Are we having fun yet?’”