FRIDAY

DAY TWELVE

#

LIZZIE

As I rolled up to Parker's house, she walked outside. A light fluttering sensation made my body weightless. My posture perfected as all the ache in my muscles melted away like a fallen dollop of ice cream hitting the hot summer pavement. We were perfectly in sync. She knew how long it took me to drive to her house from mine. Catching my eye, she grinned proudly at her cute accomplishment.

Her ginger mane was braided around her head into a crown and she wore a black sweatshirt that read "This Witch Didn't Burn" that she paired with black and white grid pants. Meanwhile, I wore my usual wardrobe, but with the addition of cat ears on a headband. She hurried down the porch and hopped into my car.

"You look cute," I told her just to watch her eyes sparkle.

"So do you," she said, leaning over our armrests. I tilted my head. My heart worked like a magnet to hers, pulling out of my chest the closer she loomed. I wanted to make contact. We kissed and like every kiss before, I took a deep breath as if I had never captured a proper breath in my life, like the strings holding me up pulled.

"If we keep kissing in here," Parker muttered, between lip smacks and a mischievous flick of her tongue up my lips. I could tell she wore cherry Chapstick and I don't know why that made my mouth water. "Your car is going to become my favorite place in the world."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"It's an I'm never going to want to leave it thing."

I hummed, not really caring one way or the other, but I caught the time on my car's dashboard and a little guilt flicked me in the back of the head. Giving Parker a few pecks just to satisfy her hunger, I leaned away. She moved closer again and I laughed, lifting my fingers as a shield. "We have to go. If we're late, Camille is gonna be pissed."

"Fine," Parker sighed, her body deflating. She leaned back in her seat and I put on a playlist:

Lizzie's "Let's Get Spooky" Playlist:

1. Monster Mash by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, The Crypt-Kickers

2. This is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas

3. Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture show

4. When you're an Adams from The Adams Family (Original Cast Recording)

5. Etc.

It didn't take long to get to Camille's house, but I honestly could've stayed and jammed out a little longer. I parked on the street because of my never dying fear of being blocked by a car and then, I can never leave a party at exactly the time I want to leave so I can go to bed. You know? That kind of fear. I turned off my car, but when I reached for my door, Parker cursed.

"Shit."

Glancing around, hopefully looking as confused as I felt, I watched all the color leave Parker's face. She was looking at her phone and I supposed it was glaring back. Parker looked at me and cringed, her face getting smaller and smaller the more it scrunched together.

"What?" I asked.

"I gotta warn you and I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner." She raised her hand like all she needed was a bible to be sworn in and then, she'd only say the truth and nothing but the truth, so help her. "Emily is going to be there-"

I couldn't help it.

I gasped.

"I know! I know!" Parker shrunk, throwing her arms up to avoid my wrath. "I'll admit it! Bad girlfriend move for not already warning you, but I didn't really think Camille would invite her, but I guess she was put on the spot. I don't know."

A sigh rattled out of my throat. "I don't like being the bigger person."

"Neither do I."

I shook my head. It was amazing. Before I started this trial, I don't think I had ever even met Emily and now, I couldn't get her out of my life, no matter how hard I tried. She was the pimple on my chin that just wouldn't die, with a thousand layers of whiteheads. I finally caught what was on her phone. Emily's Instagram was pulled up and she was posed by a skeleton wearing a top hat. She made a kissy face to the camera.

"Let's go," I said and got out of the car. Parker ran ahead of me to the gate to open it for me. I rolled my eyes as I walked by and headed for the door. Over a dozen fake bats were plastered to the door. I knocked when I finally said what I couldn't shake from my head, "How did she even know about the party?"

"I might have mentioned it at practice."

"Parker!"

"I'm sorry!" She raised her hands again. At least she knew when to surrender. "We started talking and-"

"About what?"

"It's embarrassing..." She dropped her arms. I could tell she wasn't lying by the way a blush spread up her neck and over her cheeks. She scratched the back of her neck and admitted, so quietly I almost missed it, "I told her I was sorry for being such a dick when we were dating. You've helped me realize that sometimes, I'm not as nice as I could be and I... I'm just trying to be better, you know. You've made me want to be better."

Now I made a face.

"What?" Parker shook with surprise.

"I hate that I don't mind it," I grumbled and crossed my arms. It was difficult to get mad when she was being so sincere. It was my own fault for introducing the concept of apologizing into her vocabulary. A smile broke through my defenses and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. I took her hand and said, "I do like you. The you right here."

"Good," she said, and she tilted her head, leaning in front of my face, but before she could kiss me, the door swung open. We jumped and out of panic, I dropped her hand. Camille stood on the other side and cheered so hard, she jumped.

"You're here!" She threw her arms around us like we just got home from the war. She stepped back, threading her arm around Parker's and showing us the way inside as if we hadn't come over a million times... though, to be fair, I couldn't remember the exact last time.

A Halloween Spotify playlist took up the television screen, while the house was littered with strings of little bat banners, Halloween-inspired throw pillows and bowls and bowls of candy. Glancing at Parker, I started for the stairs. "Hey, Parker, I'll be right back."

"I'll miss you!" she yelled after me.

"You'll live!"

I made a quick pitstop into Camille's parents' room to say hello to my auntie, going through the usual line of dialogue about school, about music and how she's sorry to hear I won't be returning to music my senior year and how she misses me around the house.

I answered one of two ways:

"Oh, yeah." and "Yes."

That was it.

A knock on the door saved me and Camille poked her beautiful goth face into the room. In Spanish, she asked for my safe return. Her mother rolled her eyes but shooed us away so she could get back to watching old episodes of Law & Order. Camille was forced to stay a moment longer, so she could hear the house rules for the one hundred and one time.

I expected to return to the commotion of the girls, but from the muffled conversation, I guessed they were all gathered inside the kitchen, dulled further by the music. My foot hit the last step and Emily appeared. When our eyes met, Emily's whole face brightened.

"Lizzie, I've been looking for you," she said, and I gripped the stair railing, readying myself for the looming battle. Her smile was so sugary sweet that I debated skipping the Halloween candy this year.

"If you're looking for Parker—" I started to say, but she shook her head. Her curls bounced around her face, which almost distracted me more than her gigantic orange Jack-o'-lantern sweater.

"We have a mutual friend," Emily explained, so casually I felt gaslighted, like this was the first time we've ever met and there wasn't so much between us, as if there wasn't a giant ginger monster standing between us. "Kind of," she laughed at her own joke. "Do you remember Jenna? Jenna Miller?"

Nausea formed a tight knot in the back of my throat.

Of course, I knew exactly who Jenna Miller was.

Jenna Miller and I dated a full week before she dumped me. She told me I was boring and obviously, not interested in her. Curling my lips, I bit them down so I wouldn't say anything that would make me regret speaking at all for the rest of my life.

"Yeah, she started dating this really cool guy like a couple of days later. I just saw his Promposal the other day. How long has that been?"

"Gosh, off the top of my head? Long," I said, wishing she would just get to the point.

"And do you remember Katelyn?" she asked, even though she must know that I know. She was bringing up my exes for a reason. There was plenty of choice words I wanted to say to convince Emily to get on with her point, but the words just shriveled and died. I hated being put on the spot.

"I remember," I said and attempted to step off the stairs and around Emily, but she bobbed in front of me, her mood still gooey and sweet.

"Well, she's been dating her girlfriend for months."

"Okay..."

Again, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react to this line of questioning that was going nowhere but spiraling down the drain. Emily explained, "I just find it interesting that the girls you date end up in long happy relationships right after they dump you."

My stomach double knotted.

"So?" I asked, pretending to not understand her line of thought, pretending not to care a whole lot about it.

"I just sort of hope I'm the next one Parker sees after you two break up. It's almost been two weeks, right? Time's ticking."

"Get a life, Emily," I huffed and finally shoved her out of the way with my shoulder, acting like a wrecking ball. She might have laughed at me, but my ears were buzzing, filling my head like angry bees as my face just grew hotter and hotter. My body ached for the door, my car and a really good mixtape that understood me better than any actual person. I wanted to throw myself on the couch and screech into the cushions.

But I wasn't leaving.

That was just what Emily wanted.

And I wasn't going. Nowhere soon.

Then, it hit me that history was going to repeat itself. Emily didn't touch on this but I'm the one that gets dumped. I'm the one who gets left alone again, abandoned by the side of the road as cars drive by. I'm always the last girl standing at the end of the movie. Roll credits. It was a tragedy all along.

#

Author's Note

Don't forget to tell me what you think about the chapter! What's your favorite Halloween jam? Do you have an idea for a costume yet? How badly do you want to chuck Emily out the window?

Twitter: @AuburnMorrow

Instagram: @auburnmorrowbooks