Autumn's Kiss (8 page)

The next day I'm back on my Taylor/Leo mission. J.J. drives me to school and I put my books in my locker just like always, but instead of hanging with my friends on the lawn before class starts, I slip into an empty classroom and I write Leo's name on the map.

I appear across the school, immediately outside the boys' bathroom, so close to the door that Leo practically slams into me when he walks out.

“Hi!” I say.

He screams.

I link my arm through his and steer him toward an inconspicuous corner. Class is starting soon and I don't have time to dawdle. “So yesterday. I know you like Taylor, but I noticed you didn't really talk to her.”

He pushes up his glasses and looks down at his shoes. “She makes me nervous,” he admits. “I never know what to say to her.”

“Say anything!” I tell him. “You see her every day at rehearsal, right? Just jump in and say anything.”

“It's hard,” he says. “She's always with the other actors. Especially Ryan.”

“Forget Ryan,” I say. “He is not an obstacle.”

He looks pained. This might be a lost cause.

“I'm trying to help you here,” I tell him, “but if you don't like her enough to go after her…”

I start to walk away, but he quickly grabs my arm and stops me, just like I hoped he would.

“No, I do,” he insists. “I'm just…I'm not good at this kind of thing.”

“But now you are because you've got me in your corner. Tell you what,” I say, getting an idea, “I think you just need a different environment. The theater's hard. She's onstage, you're behind it, right?”

“Kind of above and in front of it, but yeah.”

“So we get you away from there. My friend Reenzie's having a Halloween party Saturday night. Taylor will be there. So will you.”

“Reenzie…
Tresca
?”

Leo pales. Now that we're friends, I sometimes forget Reenzie is still the awe-inspiring It Girl of Aventura High.

“I don't think she'd want me at her party,” Leo says, “and she's not so nice to people she doesn't want around.
You
know that, I know.”

I also forget that while most people at my school have very short memories, some do remember the hell Reenzie put me through last year. Some also think
I
was the one at fault and putting people through hell, but they're mistaken. Generally I'm happier with the people who've moved on to the next shiny thing and forget any of it ever happened. Just makes life easier.

“She'll be fine,” I say. “I'm inviting you. Plus, you'll be in costume, so you won't stand out. Wear a
Phantom
costume. It's Taylor's favorite musical. You'll blow her mind.”

“A phantom?” he asks. “Like a ghost costume?”

“Phantom,”
I say. “
Phantom of the Opera.
Just do it. Trust me.”

I actually don't really care if he trusts me, I just need him to listen. It's class time after that, so I have to run. I consider making him give me his phone number so I can check his progress, but then I imagine Taylor flipping through his texts once they're together and seeing how I helped arrange everything. I'm not sure she'd appreciate it. I'll just have to pop in on him…which I do Friday night. Taylor, J.J., Jack, Reenzie, Amalita, and I all go to the away game to cheer on Sean and basically drive Ames to her date with Denny McNack. I excuse myself at one point and walk out to a tucked-away corner, where I write “
Leo
” on the map.

Suddenly I'm in his bedroom, standing in a pile of dirty laundry right next to his unmade bed. The room is a disaster of books, clothes, and papers. Leo's diagonally in front of me, sitting at his desk and completely concentrating on Internet chess, so he doesn't see me.

I'm about to tiptoe out of the room, scurry out his front door, and ring his doorbell, when I notice a bag on his bed. It's from a costume store. I edge closer. I have to peek.

The bag is closed, so I lift it open the teeniest bit….

It crinkles so loudly, Leo spins around. I hit the deck and roll under the bed just in time.

“Is someone there?” Leo's voice is nervous, but I don't stick around to hear more of it. I saw what I needed to see. Inside the bag is a
Phantom of the Opera
costume. Leo's a diligent pupil. My superhero powers remain strong. Before he can get any closer to my hiding spot, I write the name of the football stadium on the map and blink away.

I appear on the deck of a giant boat, and a couple locked in a heated kiss looks very confused when they suddenly notice me only two feet away from them.

“Great cruise,” I say. “I love this liner.”

Then I run until I'm beyond their sight and write the stadium name on the map again, correctly this time.

“What took you so long?” Taylor asks when I get back to my seat. “Denny just scored a touchdown!”

“And what did he do after?” Amalita asks.

Taylor smiles. “Held up the football, then pointed it right at Ames.”

“Only the beginning,” Ames says. “By Reenzie's party tomorrow, we'll be in matching costumes.”

“Gag me,” Jack says.

“It can be done tastefully.” J.J. glances at me when he says it. He's heard my Halloween stories. I smile.

“You only say that because you got roped into matching Carrie Amernick's,” Reenzie says.

“You and Carrie are on again?” I ask J.J. “How did I not know this?”

“Because we're not,” he says. “She got me to tell her my costume, and now she says she's going to match it.”

“Total waste,” Jack clucks. “I offered her the chance to be D.C. comic royalty, Batman and Catwoman.”

“Give it up,” Ames tells Jack. “Carrie is not now, nor has she ever been, into you.”

“You also shouldn't be so desperate for J.J.'s sloppy seconds,” Reenzie says. “It's a little pathetic.”

“Pathetic meaning you think I can do better?” Jack asks. “Are you saying
you
want to be my Catwoman?”

“I am two seconds away from scratching your eyes out for even suggesting such a thing,” Reenzie says.

“Totally cool with that,” Jack says.

Our team ends up winning the game; then we all wait around afterward until Sean and Denny are both showered and out. We're all planning to grab some food at a diner nearby that J.J. Yelped, and Sean invites Denny and Ames to come along…which nearly gets him slaughtered by Ames. She's safe, though—Denny says he already has other plans for them.

The rest of us go out and we're seated in one of those semicircle booths. I can see Reenzie jockeying to get next to Sean, but I manage to signal J.J., who is a true friend and gets it. He wraps her up in complete nonsense questions about the party tomorrow night, and by the time they're done, Sean is snugly ensconced between myself and Taylor, with me on the end and Jack on Taylor's other side, so Reenzie can't even get close. The restaurant is cheap, greasy, and loud, so it's impossible to talk to anyone except the person right next to you. Perfect.

“Halloween tomorrow,” Sean says, leaning close. “You okay?”

I'd told him about my whole Halloween tradition too. “Sort of. I mean, it's good we're all hanging out. That makes it a little better. Thanks for asking.”

“If it helps take your mind off it, you can just concentrate on other things…like how valiantly I led our team to victory tonight.”

“You mean how humbly?”

“Absolutely,” he says. “I'm always humble.”

“That's good…'cause I'm pretty sure it wasn't
your
butt I saw running into the finish area four times.”

“End zone,”
he says. “And are you really just watching our butts when we run?”

“I'm not the one who put you guys in tights,” I say. “Nor am I the one who called it the
end zone.
”

We spend the entire late-night-breakfast chatting as if we're the only ones at the table. And even though the booth is big enough to give us all a little personal space, he keeps his side pressed against mine. It's like Sean's body has already decided we're back together. I just need his head to get the message.

Tomorrow at Reenzie's party. I already have it set up for Ames and Taylor. Now I just need Sean to come through and we'll all have the peace and harmony we deserve.

My phone beeps. It's a tweet that mentions me. From
@CatchesFalls
, which is my mom.

@AutumnFalls, Happy #H-ahhhhh-lloween!

Attached is a picture of her at the spa, wearing a white robe and a white towel-turban, lying back in a chaise, cucumbers over her eyes.

There are a million things wrong with this, and I'm not even talking about the obvious fact that this is not how we celebrate Halloween. I know she thinks the “ahhhh” in her H-ahhhhh-lloween is supposed to be like a relaxed sigh, but everyone will think it's a scream. Then there's the fact that you can't use dashes in hashtags. And that even if there were no dashes, #H-ahhhhh-lloween is way too cheesy to trend, so it does
not
merit a hashtag. Finally there's the picture, which isn't something I feel like the world needs to see.

Basically, what I'm saying is that for their own protection, moms should not be allowed near social networking. They only embarrass themselves.

I love my mom, though, so I tweet back:
@CatchesFalls—love it! #H-ahhhhh-lloween!

See, I even used her dorky hashtag. That's how supportive I am.

I'm glad I'm going out tonight. Erick is already gone, and obviously Mom's away. The house is completely empty of Halloween decorations, and I've left all the lights out except the one I'm using in my room so trick-or-treaters don't even dream of coming by. We don't have any candy in the house. If I weren't bugging out of here, I'd be totally depressed.

Sean and I getting back together tonight would be the perfect way to turn around Halloween and make it good again.

It's dark out but still early in the evening when my doorbell rings. Taylor, Sean, Ames, J.J., Jack, and I are required to get to Reenzie's an hour before the party officially starts so that when other people start showing up, it'll seem like it's already in full swing. Sean lives right next door to her, and Ames said she'd go with Denny, but the rest of us are driving together in J.J.'s car.

I'm spending the night at Taylor's, so I grab my duffel bag, then check myself in the mirror one last time. Bloodshot contacts, dark eye circles, rat's-nest hair, railroad-track scars, a little blood trickling down my chin, tattered white dress.

I like it. I look hideous and kind of great at the same time. I hope Sean thinks so too.

I run downstairs and throw open the door to find J.J. in a very proper dark suit complete with vest and bow tie. His eyes and cheeks are gray and sunken, and his hair is pitch black. He holds a cloth napkin over one arm and a domed silver tray in the other hand.

“Vampire butler, at my service?” I ask.

He gives me a dangerous smile, revealing sharp white fangs. “Indeed. Perhaps a snack for the zombie bride?” He lifts the dome on his tray and shows me a human brain. A plastic one. I assume.

“My favorite,” I say. “You always know the right thing to bring. Shall we?”

“As you wish.”

He gives me his non-tray arm and walks me to his car, where I manage to slip off my shoes and get my feet on the dash even in costume, which I feel is no small accomplishment. On our way to Jack's and Taylor's, J.J. anagrams our costumes. I'm “imbibed zero,” which seems like a smart plan for the party, while he is a “veritable rump,” to which I respond that I'll take his word for it.

Taylor went girly this year. She's the Tooth Fairy, and she has to take off her wings and slide them into the trunk before she can fit into the car. She's a cloud of pink and sparkle, and all I can think is how Leo will lose his mind when he sees her.

Jack's wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and a T-shirt.

“What about your costume?” I ask him. “I thought you were going to be Batman.”

“That was only if I had a Catwoman,” he says. “Without that, I went cooler. I'm Star-Lord, from
Guardians of the Galaxy.
”

“When you say ‘cooler,' ” J.J. asks, “to what exactly are you comparing it?”

“Hey, watch it,” Jack snaps. “Star-Lord is unbelievably cool.”

“And you say ‘unbelievably' because I totally don't believe it?” J.J. asks.

“Just wait,” Jack says. “Girls will be dying for me tonight.”

“Because you're planning to poison them?” J.J. asks.

I break it up to ask for anagrams for the Tooth Fairy (“Thy Tooth Afire”) and for Jack's costume (“ ‘Ill Partner Leg'—you wanted an anagram for ‘Girl Repellent,' right?”), and soon we're at Reenzie's house.

I get a little heartsick when I see it from the outside. My dad would have loved it. It's illuminated by just enough well-placed, eerie lights to show off the cobwebs draped over every surface. Ghoulish jack-o'-lanterns flicker from the porch and are scattered over the lawn, and electric eyes peer out from the bushes and trees. Wails and screams tickle the edge of my hearing, so soft I almost think my ears are playing tricks on me. Then, when we're halfway up the walk to Reenzie's door, a coffin pops open and a skeleton bolts upright. Jack screams.

“That was in character,” Jack says when he recovers. “Star-Lord would totally scream at that.”

“Right,” J.J. says. “Because he's so cool.”

Inside the place is even better. The party is in Reenzie's basement, which has been transformed into a combination of crypt and dance club. Black lights give everything an unearthly glow, music pounds through the room, and a fog machine pours a layer of gloom over the floor.

Reenzie's dressed as a mermaid, with blue and green eye shadow and sparkles all over the parts of her body not covered by her seashell halter top and tail-skirt. Her hair extensions are braided with green and blue “seaweed” and hang down below her rear end.

No shock—she looks disturbingly gorgeous.

While she works on the music, making sure she has the right playlist going, Sean's on his hands and knees adjusting the fog machine.

“What was that you were saying last night about the end zone?” I ask.

“Hey!” He quickly jumps up. Then when he sees me, something happens to his smile. It changes. All of a sudden, it means something else. “Wow. You look…fantastic.”

Pretty sure my whole body smiles. This is
exactly
what I wanted to happen tonight. “Thanks,” I say. “You look…not in costume.”

Sean's wearing his football uniform.

“Not true,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “This uniform is my brother's, from college. That makes it a costume.”

I shake my head. “Demerits for lack of creativity. You could have at least splashed some blood on it, tossed a set of fangs in your mouth….Haven't you ever seen the movie
Beetlejuice
? There's a whole dead football team in it. You easily could have been one of them.”

“You're saying I failed Halloween.”

“Horribly. Hopelessly.”

He keeps moving a little closer and a little closer as we talk. Now he's so close I can feel the space between us. It's electric.

He reaches out and runs his finger along the scar on my cheek. “
You're
really good at it. The party hasn't started yet. Maybe you could help me fix my costume.”

Is he saying what I hope he's saying?

“Autumn!” Reenzie screeches. She races over with the teeny steps her tail allows her. “Where's your veil?”

“I don't have one,” I say.

“You're a zombie
bride,
” Reenzie says. “You need a veil. Go up to my room. Tall dresser against the wall by the window. All costume stuff. I was Corpse Bride a few years ago; you'll find a veil.”

“Really?” I feel a little nauseous at the idea, and not just because I don't want to break up whatever's going on with Sean. Reenzie and I are friends and we hang out and all, but I haven't been in her room since last spring…when I snuck in and Sean caught me trying to steal files from her computer. That makes me sound evil, I know, but I swear I had a good reason.

Obviously I would never do anything like that now, but I still feel weird going up to her room.

“I'll go with you,” Sean says, and I don't know if it's because he wants to be alone with me or because he's thinking about the last time too and is suddenly worried I'll do something bad.

“No way,” Reenzie says. “I need you to keep working on the fog machine. Everyone else will be here soon.” Then she looks at me. “You remember where my room is, right?”

Is that a dig? “Reenzie, I…”

She rolls her eyes. “Get over it.
I'm
over it. Just go.”

There's no denying Reenzie. She gives me a shove to send me on my way, then assigns everyone else jobs that they have to do immediately, before the crowds show up, so I'm on my own.

I
do
remember where it is. As I trot up one flight of stairs, down the hall, then up another, I wonder if even a little bit of Reenzie's generosity has to do with improving my costume—or if it's a hundred percent getting me away from Sean.

My guess is a hundred percent getting me away from Sean.

Whatever. I'll find the veil quickly, then go back.

I get into Reenzie's room and immediately see the tall dresser she was talking about, but something else catches my eye before I get there.

Her computer…which I know is the last thing I should be looking at after what happened last time, but this time I think Reenzie would approve. I'm looking because I see
myself
bouncing by on the screen.

Reenzie's screen saver is a slideshow from her iPhoto—the images float around and change after a little while. Right now the one bobbing by is a selfie Reenzie took of the two of us. It's from a football game—the first of the season, I think. I remember I was still shocked that we were hanging out together, but even more amazed that we genuinely kind of clicked.

I shouldn't have been that surprised, I guess. Even during the worst of last year, we bizarrely had some good times together. Granted, I was in the middle of an evil scheme at the time, but hey, it all worked out for the best.

I watch the screen saver for a little while more—it's all pictures from this year: the beach, the football games, hanging on the lawn at lunch, the mall…goofy stuff.

And just a year ago my entire life was falling apart. I guess I've come a long way.

I'm about to go get the veil when I see another picture float by. A picture of Sean grinning next to a statue of an enormous green man dressed in a leafy toga.

My heart stops.

I know that picture.

I pull out my phone and scroll to my cache of photos, the ones Sean sent me from his summer tour of the U.S. “because he was thinking of me.”

The picture of him with the Jolly Green Giant on Reenzie's computer screen? It's the same one he sent me.

I keep staring as all the familiar images pop up: Sean with the sock monkey statue, with the giant beagle-shaped inn…they're all the same as mine.

Did he send her the same texts too? Did he say he knew she'd appreciate each picture? Did he say he was really looking forward to seeing her when he got back home?

Is he asking
her
if she'll help him fix his costume now that I'm upstairs? Before we all got here to the party, was he sitting pressed up next to her the way he was sitting with me last night?

The room is spinning. I have to get out of here.

I rummage through the tall dresser. Reenzie wasn't lying—it's crammed with all kinds of costume pieces: masks, capes, sashes, bloomers, and eye patches…the kind of thing I'd normally want to pick through so I could start planning next year's Halloween costume now, but all I want to do is grab the veil and get out before those pictures cycle around and come back on Reenzie's screen.

The veil's in the last drawer I search. I grab it and run down to the basement. I was gone long enough that the party's in full swing now. Music blares, and a stew of conversation buzzes through the room. Lights strobe, and with the sprawling basement full of people in costume, it's hard to see who's where.