Chapter Text
October 30th had finally arrived, and that could only mean one thing: tomorrow was going to be the best birthday of my life! After months of waiting for the university’s big Halloween party, there was only one day left—but there was a problem... Ray had backed out at the last minute, and I’d have to go alone...
“Are you sure you can’t go?” I asked to my already irritated friend for the fourth time.
“For the thousandth time, Frodo: NO! If I fail this exam, I’ll have to repeat the year. I can’t go to the party...” he snapped.
“Then cheat or something, so you can come with me,” I suggested without thinking.
“I’m not like you... Besides, it’s a practical exam. Even if I wanted to cheat, it wouldn’t help,” he replied firmly, making me feel like a total failure.
“What about the costume? Can I at least see it?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away before it turned against me.
“If I show you, will you stop bothering me?” he asked seriously, leaving me with little choice, so I nodded reluctantly, though I was dying of curiosity, since he had told me over and over again that his costume was going to blow my mind, but that he wanted it to be a surprise.
He took his phone and started scrolling through his gallery, then showed me a picture where he had fluffed up his afro even more and shaped it into spikes like a palm tree... Followed by another picture of unusually long shoes and an orange suit like the ones they wear in prison.
That fucking exam was going to force me to go to the party alone like an outcast and rob me of my chance to see Ray as Sideshow Bob! And to make matters worse, I wasn’t close enough to anyone else to have them go with me...
“What a waste... You better pass that shit... And don’t forget my gift!” I said, annoyed… But Ray didn’t say anything; he just rolled his eyes and put his phone away.
I went back to my room, and there it was—my Frankenstein costume, daring me to go and have fun like I had planned for so long (Grow up, it’s not the end of the world). I tried it on one more time in an attempt to motivate myself and come to terms with the fact that Ray wasn’t going...
The place was packed; at most, half the people were “dressed up,” the lights were blinding me, and I would’ve appreciated a playlist that actually had something to do with Halloween... But I was already here, and I was going to make the night worth it (What did you expect? Spooky music and cake?).
With every passing minute, I regretted it more and felt more disappointed in my attempt at celebrating... The only thing keeping me from going back to my room was the girl dressed as Lydia Deetz...
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was pretty tall, dancing like she was in a trance and no one was watching, and even though she wasn’t very curvy, she was the prettiest girl at the party—or at least the most interesting. But just like me, a lot of people had been captivated by her strange beauty and unusual way of dancing, so she kept getting invited to the dance floor or for drinks (You don’t have the guts to talk to her, just go get a drink).
That damn voice in my head... I’ve often wondered if I might be schizophrenic, but if there’s one thing I’d never do, it’s go to a shrink... So I guess I could say I’ve learned to live with it... trying to ignore it most of the time, and accepting the harsh truth when it spits it right in my face...
I went to the bar and started drinking until I felt the shame and fear slowly drowning. I waited for the song to be about to end and walked up to ask her to dance. But the moment our eyes met, my brain froze, and I ended up saying the dumbest thing I could’ve possibly said:
“Lydia, Lydia, Lydia! Wow! It actually works!” The moment I closed my mouth, I felt my heart pounding and a cold sweat running down my back (You fucked up, let’s get out of here). I turned around without saying anything else, grateful that my makeup at least hid how red I’d probably gotten after saying something that stupid—but she grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to face her.
“You’re leaving already? I thought you wanted to dance...” she said, looking down at me, confused and in a voice so low I could barely hear her over the noise of the party, even though we were practically pressed together.
Up close, she was even more beautiful, and I wished I’d had another drink before going up to talk to her—but apparently, there was no turning back now, so I let out a nervous chuckle and tried to play along.
I don’t know what I was thinking—I couldn’t dance, and I was about to make a fool of myself in front of this girl...
“Don’t think, just let yourself go... Like this...” she said as she started dancing, realizing right away that I was an idiot who couldn’t dance without guidance—or at least that’s what I would’ve thought in her place.
I tried to imitate her. I felt awkward, but I told myself that maybe after this song I could ask her to grab a drink and chat, and get myself out of this torture (It’s a party, Iero. Did you know that?).
Those were the longest three minutes of my life, but the song finally ended, and I made my move. Even though she accepted, she looked disappointed...
“If you don’t like dancing... why are you here?” she asked after taking a sip, looking straight into my eyes and playing with the straw in her cup.
“It’s my birthday... and I’ve always liked this time of the year... but... I think I was expecting this party to be different,” I confessed as if I’d known her my whole life.
“Oh! Happy birthday, Frankie, but... what were you expecting?” (Told you so). I froze when I heard the same question, even though her tone was completely different from the one in my head—she sounded genuinely curious...
On the other hand, I was surprised to hear her say my name; I was sure I hadn’t introduced myself... “H-how do you know my name?” I asked, a bit startled.
“You’re Frankenstein, right?” (You idiot.)
“Oh... Right... It’s just that... my name’s Frank too,” I said, looking away, feeling like a complete idiot.
“Well, it suits you, Frank... I... my friends call me Gee,” she said, a little nervous. “So... what were you expecting from this party?” she insisted.
“Hmm... Honestly, I have no idea,” I said with a laugh. “I guess... I was expecting something more than slutty costumes and techno music, you know?” Apparently, the alcohol was finally kicking in, and I could act a bit more relaxed.
“The slutty costumes! I hate slutty costumes! Nice costume, by the way,” she commented, touching one of the plastic bolts I had glued to my neck, making me let out another nervous chuckle. “Besides, you were the first one to recognize mine... I think everyone else just assumed I’m some kind of drugged-out goth girl...” she added, rolling her eyes. “But the music’s not that bad... I’m here to dance... So if you don’t want to, I get it—but I’m going back to the dance floor,” she concluded casually.
Damn, I really wanted to keep talking to this girl, but dancing just wasn’t my thing. I guess my face gave me away, because before I could answer, she questioned me again.
“What kind of music do you like? I can talk to the DJ,” she said. Beautiful, interesting, and kind—Holy shit, I couldn’t believe I almost didn’t come.
“Hmm... I don’t know, punk rock? Do you think it would work?” I genuinely had no idea if the DJ would be willing to change the style just like that.
“Of course! Wait here,” she said confidently, disappearing into the crowd.
While I waited, I decided to grab one last beer—just in case. A few minutes later, this girl reappeared through the crowd at the same time “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” by Arctic Monkeys started playing.
She grabbed my wrist again and pulled me onto the dance floor, bouncing to the rhythm of the song. The way she danced changed completely with the music, and this time I actually felt comfortable copying her and letting myself go with the beat.
Between pauses and jumps, we talked about music, movies, comics, and video games. We had so much in common that, if it weren’t for the fact there was no way she could’ve guessed all the things I knew about those topics, I would’ve thought she was just pretending to be interested...
After she stepped in, the playlist became a lot more varied, and as the night went on, things started feeling more intimate...
Honestly, between the alcohol and the exhaustion, I can’t remember what our last conversation before the disaster was about, but I remember seeing her gaze shifting between my eyes and my lips, slowly bringing her face closer to mine... until I finally leaned in and kissed her...
The problem wasn’t the kiss, or the ones that followed it, or the way she started kissing, biting, and sensually licking my neck... In fact, I wish I could’ve stayed in that moment forever, because the disaster happened right after I invited her to my room...
She stopped everything all at once, pushed me away slightly with her palms, and looked at me in shock for a brief moment, only to then completely avoid my gaze...
“I-I’m sorry, I...” she said, nervously rubbing one of her arms. “I shouldn’t—I can’t... Sorry...” (What the fuck was all of that then?) I think she was about to say something else, but I cut her off, annoyed and a little hurt by her reaction.
“Sorry?! Then what the fuck is your problem?!” I shouted, clearly louder than I should’ve, while flailing my arms in indignation... If her actions didn’t mean she wanted to take things further, then I simply didn’t understand anything.
“No... I… can’t tell you right now... I’m sorry... Bye...” she said with her voice shaking and wiping her eyes before turning her back on me and running off (Great... did you forget the “no means no”? You just made a scene and ruined something that could’ve been good... You idiot.)
I’d fucked it up... but I realized it way too late. I had already yelled at this girl and I didn’t even let her explain... I’m a piece of shit...
I just stood there like an idiot, regretting everything while Gee disappeared into the crowd (Go after her. Apologize. Move, idiot, do something!)
When my body finally reacted, I ran after her, but I couldn’t find her...
It was already starting to dawn when I gave up and went back to my dorm room.