Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization

18

The final bell sounded, signaling the end of the school day at Haddonfield High School. Soon the foot traffic flowing through the halls poured out into the parking lot. After a quick pit stop at her locker, Allyson exited the halls of higher learning and waited beyond the wrought-iron fence for her friends. She glanced to her left and saw the large green handmade poster promoting the “Exquisite Corpse Dance” on the brick wall and felt a flutter of nervousness in her gut. Dave showed up first, so the two of them waited for Vicky while other groups of students walked around them.

The primary topic of overlapping conversations was the Halloween dance: who was going with whom, and in what costume. Some chose to keep their costume plans secret while others solicited suggestions. Allyson cast about for Vicky, letting the snippets of conversations roll past her.

“I can’t go as a hobo again,” Becky Burke, a junior with a blue streak in her black hair, groaned. “Ripped jeans, flannel shirt and burnt-cork smudge on my face? No. Just no.”

“I’m going as an epiphany,” Evan Price, a student council officer said.

“A what now?” his friend Larry something asked.

“Using a wire coat hanger to suspend a lightbulb over my head.”

“That’s a good idea!”

“Thanks—wait, I can’t tell if you’re being ironic.”

As Evan and Larry passed them, Allyson turned to Dave, “What’s taking her so long?”

“Um… she got a call.”

“A call? What kind of call?”

“Made me promise to let her tell you.”

Allyson grabbed his upper arm. “What? Is something wrong? Tell me!”

“Can’t,” Dave said. “According to the promise rules. Seriously, it’s all in the fine print. But it’s not a big deal. Kind of business as usual.”

“Dave, that makes no sense.”

“Then I’ve upheld my duty as a promise keeper.”

“But you’d tell me if it was serious?”

“Um… yes,” Dave said. “Also in the fine print.”

Allyson turned toward the school entrance again, trying not to worry. If Dave said the call wasn’t serious, she had to believe him. And try not to let her imagination run wild. Instead, she casually eavesdropped on more passing conversations.

Of course, those not attending the dance talked about how lame it was. Kid stuff with chaperones. One group talked about attending a kegger instead. Still another discussed their plans for a covert party at one of their houses, after the host’s parents left for a private party at a nearby nightclub. A few teenage misanthropes talked about how they planned to scare any little kids who knocked on their doors begging for candy. “I’ll show the little bastards a trick or two!” Gordo Swanson said, laughing. “Give them nightmares for a month.” One of his friends deemed this endeavor worthy of a fist bump.

“Here she comes,” Allyson said, spotting Vicky walking out the front door of the school. Allyson waved to catch her attention.

Someone honked a car horn several times, startling Allyson.

She turned around and saw a silver convertible roll by at the speed of a parade float, with no less than seven cheerleaders piled into the front and back, standing or sitting on seat backs, wearing their blue-white-and-yellow cheer uniforms and carrying their pompoms. With a nod to Halloween, some wore novelty headgear, including cat ears, a red-and-green-striped unicorn horn and a pair of floppy antennae.

“So many cheerleaders, I should be cheerful,” Dave said. “And yet there’s no room in that car for me.”

“Observe the poor overwhelmed male brain,” Vicky said as she joined them, patting Dave’s cheek affectionately. “So typical.”

Vicky placed her hands on Allyson’s shoulders and frowned. “So, bad news,” she said. “Can’t go to the dance tonight.”

Allyson glared at Dave, but he refused to acknowledge her ire, looking up into the sky and pursing his lips, acting unaware and oblivious. So Allyson turned back to Vicky, “Are you serious?”

“I was at my locker,” she said. “Got a call to babysit for the Morriseys.”

“Vicky, no,” Allyson said. “Really?”

Vicky gave a slow nod. “They need somebody last minute,” she said. “I tried to say no but Mrs M. wouldn’t let me get out that one little word. She was relentless. She begged, wheedled, pleaded, implored, inveigled—”

“Inveigled?” Dave interrupted. “That’s not something dirty is it? I always suspected she—”

“Shut up, Dave,” Vicky said sweetly. “Not everything is about sex.”

“The good stuff is,” Dave replied.

Vicky considered the merits of his statement. “Hard to argue with that. Anyway, it’s not sexual. It’s another word for not taking no for an answer. She was desperate. Poor woman practically exhausted her thesaurus. And… she promised me thrice my rate.”

“Thrice?” Allyson asked, impressed.

“Well, I did mention it was Halloween and my big plans, yadda yadda, so she bumped her offer up from twice to thrice.”

“Leveraging the guilt trip,” Dave said. “Well played.”

“Thank you,” Vicky said, smiling broadly. “Supply and demand. That’s a thing, right?”

“I can’t believe it,” Allyson said, unable to hide her disappointment. “You didn’t let up about me going and then you back out?”

Vicky spread her hands. “What could I do?” she asked. “It’s good for you to go. You’re going with Cameron.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means you’ll hang with his friends,” Vicky said. “You can’t just use homework as an excuse, can you?” Sensing Allyson’s hesitance, she spoke louder. “Can you?”

“Maybe I like doing—” Allyson said, stopping before she embarrassed herself. She’d been looking forward to the dance, but that was when she expected to have Vicky to lean on if things got weird or she needed to bail. She’d agreed to get out of her comfort zone and go to the dance, but only because Vicky served as her mobile comfort zone. Guys had wingmen. And girls had, what, besties? Without Vicky there, a group “hang” would feel more like an honest-to-goodness date. In other words, a lot of pressure. “It’s not like I’m anti-social—”

“You’re not anti-social,” Dave said. “You’re sheepish, but in a very fresh way—”

“You’ll have fun,” Vicky said.

“Vicky’s also gonna have fun,” Dave said, waggling his eyebrows comically. “She said I can come over after the kid’s nighty-night and do cool stuff.” He paused for effect. “Like do dishes, mop up, keep her company.”

“You’re like my helpful pet,” Vicky said, patting his shoulder. “I appreciate you, Dave. If you help me mop and do dishes I’ll take your virginity. Enough of this third base shit, right? We’re adults.”

“Finally,” Dave said, clenching a fist. “Wanna get matching tattoos so we can remember this night forever?”

Vicky laughed.

“Okay,” Allyson said, drawing out the word. “Feeling like a third wheel here, guys.”

“Not always a bad thing,” Dave said, eyebrows raised as he stroked an imaginary mustache.

“Really, Dave?” Vicky said.

“Too much?” Dave asked. “Or… too soon?”

“Just stop.”

“Okay, but nothing ventured, nothing—”

“Dave,” Vicky began ominously, “have you met the friend zone?”

“Oh please, God, no,” Dave said, making prayer hands, “anything but that.”

“Yeah, Dave,” Allyson said, chuckling. “Better quit while you’re ahead.”

“I’ll be good,” Dave said to Vicky. “Until you want me to be bad.”

Allyson turned and saw Cameron and Oscar walking across the parking lot. “Hey, there’s Cameron. I’m gonna catch up with him. You guys go on without me.”

Vicky grabbed her arm. “Okay, but not if you’re pissed at me,” she said. “Are you pissed?”

“No. I just thought…” Allyson shook her head. She really needed to get over her issues. Vicky was her friend, not a social crutch. “It’d be more fun if you were hanging out with me. That’s all. Cameron is sweet, but I’m still getting used to the idea… I don’t know. And his friend…?”

Across the school parking lot, Cameron talked to Oscar for the first time since breaking the news that he was ditching him to attend the Halloween dance with Allyson. The whole Tango and Cash plan had been a goof. At least in Cameron’s eyes. He hadn’t realized Oscar was so invested in the costume dance scene. Now he felt like a jerk for unilaterally canceling their plans.

He should have known better, but everything had happened so fast with Allyson and him. Seemed like they started talking before class one day and made plans to attend the dance together the next. Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. But everything between them had been so effortless. No drama. They enjoyed each other’s company… and decided to go to the dance as a couple. No big deal, right?

Problem was, Oscar could get a little emotionally clingy at times. Lingering childhood insecurities and isolation had made him self-conscious to the point of overcompensating. Other than spending time with Cameron, Oscar was socially adrift. Kind of an oddball, but not the type who endeared himself to everyone. Oscar tended to polarize people. What he saw as charm, some took as smarm. Cameron saw beyond it, all the surface imperfections. Hell, they were all figuring out who they were. Some were just better at it than others. And some were good at faking it. Per one of Cameron’s family mottos: every polished gem was once a rough stone.

“There she is, brother,” Oscar said, nodding toward Allyson and her friends. “What can I say? She’s a knockout. I would definitely take her over me any day. I’m not offended.”

Cameron stared at Oscar, trying to figure out if he should take his words at face value. Sometimes, even for Cameron, Oscar was hard to read. “I like her,” Cameron said. “I’m serious. And I don’t want you to fuck this up by doing something stupid. Please.”

“Now’s your chance,” Oscar said. “She’s coming this way.”

Allyson walked up to them, smiling pleasantly.

There was more car horn honking as the convertible filled with cheerleaders circled around the lot for a second pass from the opposite direction. Oscar made a show of tracking their progress with interest before acknowledging Allyson’s presence.

“Hey, Allyson,” Oscar said, acting super casual. “Guess what? Cameron likes you better than me, but I’m over it. I’ll see you guys later. I’m gonna catch up with Blanca and see if any of those ladies need a handsome escort to Halloween.”

Cameron and Allyson shrugged almost in unison as Oscar hurried off on his professed mission. The worst part was that Oscar wasn’t simply making an excuse to leave them alone. He would approach the group of cheerleaders and troll for a date to the dance, and he would go over the top and make it weird. He couldn’t help himself.

“He’s a mess,” Cameron said, shaking his head as he watched Oscar lope across the parking lot. “What about you?” he asked her. “You okay? I mean, after Bellini’s…”

Cameron sat on a metal bench on the street side of the wrought-iron school fence and patted the spot next to him. Allyson set down her backpack and folded her coat over it. Then, smiling, she sat on the bench, sliding over to press against him, smoothing her denim skirt and crossing her legs. After that bold move, she nervously picked some fuzz off her gray leggings.

“I’m fine,” Allyson assured him. “I couldn’t sleep. I was so embarrassed about last night. I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to see that. It’s a weird time for me, I guess.”

“I understand.”

“I like to think I’m above all that,” Allyson said. “The family baggage. But everything is all tied together. The way I was raised by my mom was a reaction to the weird way she was raised by her mom, and all of that is because of what happened to my grandmother way before I was born.”

“Gives new meaning to the expression ‘the ties that bind.’”

“Guess we carry that stuff with us all our lives. It makes us who we are, and you can’t hide from that. Doesn’t mean it’s not embarrassing, but…”

“Wait till you meet my family,” Cameron said. “Your grandma has nothing on my Uncle Wames. Don’t worry about that stuff, okay?”

Cameron reached up and touched her chin gently.

“Okay,” she said, smiling. “I won’t worry.”