Chapter 40 Feelings.
It's finally Halloween night and Stephanie is excited. Normally, she spends Halloween night at home, giving treats to little kids going trick or treating, but tonight, she's going to Jason's party. The last time she went there, she had kissed Christopher. You'd expect Stephanie to be into Halloween seeing as she loves watching scary movies but she isn't. To her, it's just like any other day. The only difference is the decorations and the annoyingly adorable kids asking for treats.
She wasn't planning on going to the party this time around also but when Luke asked that they go together, she couldn't resist. She'll go and try to have a good time. She believes she wouldn't really have to try hard—as long as Luke's with her—she's sure to enjoy the night. She didn't even have the guts to ask him if they'll be going as dates. When she told Brooke about it, Brooke's first statement was;
"As his date or friend?"
She had no answer to that then and she still doesn't. She doesn't care. The fact that he asked her to accompany him is good enough for her. Brooke was in Steph's house about an hour ago. She kept trying to cajole Steph into allowing her to do her face makeup. Steph kept disagreeing and she kept her ground until Brooke got fed up. She also wanted to leave early to get ready for the party. Normally, they'd drive together but things are different now. Brooke is going with Cole and Luke's coming to pick Steph up.
Brooke had wanted to make up her face to look like a cat so that it'll match her costume but Steph didn't concede. She didn't even want to buy a costume but Brooke had all but dragged her to the mall to get their costumes. She ended up buying something simple. She's glad she did though. If not, she'd have nothing to wear as Luke's date. Yes, his date.
Stephanie hears her phone buzz after wearing her outfit. She walks over to her bed after looking at herself in the mirror. She picks up her phone from her bed and unlocks it to read the text from Christopher.
Chris: Are you coming to the party?
Stephanie: Yes.
Chris: You've changed your mind?
She had told him that she wasn't going to any party on Halloween night but that was before Luke asked her. Chris had been trying to coax her into going but she refused. But Luke didn't even need to ask twice.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Chris: Do you need a ride?
Stephanie: Nope. I already have a ride.
Chris: Okay. See you soon.
Steph shakes her head but doesn't reply. She heads back to her closet and picks up her black boots to match her costume. After putting them on, she hears her phone buzz again and heads back to her bed. This time, she sits on her bed as she unlocks her phone to read the text.
Chris: Emily keeps asking about you. She misses you.
She reads the text and smiles. She misses Emily too. She hasn't babysat Emily for two weeks. Last week, Chris was home due to his suspension. This week, his mum isn't occupied during babysitting time so she hasn't seen Emily for a while now.
Stephanie: Aww. I miss her too. Tell her I'll come to visit tomorrow, okay?
Chris: She'll be so excited. Thanks, Hazel. Can I ask you a question?
Stephanie: Sure.
Chris: What did you do? Why does Em like you so much? She has never spoken this much about any of her babysitters before.
Steph laughs after reading his text. She was expecting him to ask a serious question but this is what he asks? She smiles as she types a reply.
Stephanie: I didn't do anything, Christopher.
Chris: I find that hard to believe.
Steph smiles but doesn't reply. She picks her cat ears headband from her nightstand and puts it on. Stephanie takes one last look in the mirror before leaving her room with her phone and a small purse. She meets her dad in the living room.
His eyes rake her outfit.
"Well, this is new." He comments.
Stephanie smiles. "What is?"
"All this dressing up for Halloween and actually leaving the house for a party." Her dad stares at her with skepticism.
Steph shrugs. "Things change. People change."
"When's that boy coming to pick you up?"
Steph knows that as soon as Luke's here, her dad would switch on the protective dad mode and probably bombard him with questions. Even though her dad has never really had to deal with boys coming over to look for her, she believes her dad is adept in that area. Her mum has mentioned it before also.
"He'll be here any minute and Dad?" She gives him an expectant look.
"Yes, Daughter?"
"Please don't embarrass him. Don't ask any serious questions tonight. Don't ask him any questions at all."
Her dad raises his eyebrows at her request.
"Just hold it in for tonight. You'll hopefully get to see him another day. Just don't scare him away tonight," Steph tells her dad pleadingly.
"That's a lot you're asking," her dad drawls.
"Please?" Steph bats her eyelashes and pouts her lips.
"Honey give her whatever it is she wants." Her mum orders as she walks into the living room from the kitchen.
Her dad groans. "Fine."
Steph grins. "Thanks, Dad."
"Look at my baby girl. All grown up, partying, having dates." Her mum coos, holding her by her shoulders before pulling her closer for a hug. "I'm glad you've decided to loosen up, stop being so uptight, and enjoy senior year."
Steph rolls her eyes, smiling but hugs her mum back. They pull away and her mum gives her a once-over.
"Damn. You look gorgeous. Your date would be awestruck."
Steph blushes. "Stop Mum."
"Oh please," her mum playfully flips her off. "I'm just being honest. You know......" She trails off as they hear a car pulling into their driveway.
"That must be him." Her mum says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Her dad huffs and Steph grins. She had planned to invite Luke in so that he can meet her parents but now that he's here, she doesn't think that it's such a good idea. They'd have to meet him another day.
"Bye, mum. Bye, Dad." She shouts as she hurriedly heads for the front door.
Her parents stare at their daughter as she scurries away.
"We want to meet Luke," her mum calls after her.
"Some other time, mum. We're running late," Steph yells back before opening the front door and heading out. She takes a deep breath after shutting the door.
"Hey Steph," she hears Luke's voice say.
He didn't call me Hazel. Thank God, Steph thinks as she walks towards him.
"Hey, Luke. Happy Halloween."
He smiles. "Wow. You look nice. I love your outfit," he says as his eyes do a once over.
Pink tints Steph's cheeks as she looks away. "T-Thanks. You look nice too."
It's only after complimenting him that she realizes she hasn't even seen his outfit. She looks now and sees that he's dressed as Superman. And he looks really good on him.
"Let's go, shall we?"
"Sure," Steph nods and moves towards the passenger's side. Luke does too and he opens the door for her. "Thanks." She says before entering.
Luke goes over to the driver's seat and gets in. A few minutes later, they're on the road, heading to Jason's house with music playing from the radio.
After arriving at the familiar house, they exit the car and head in.
"I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Luke tells her when they get to the front porch. He proceeds to grab her hand as they enter and weave through the crowd. Even though Stephanie isn't exactly thrilled about meeting his friends, she lets him drag her along. What she enjoys though is the feeling of her hand in his. She relishes the feeling as he leads them to a corner where some dudes are gathered, talking and having fun. She recognizes one of the guys as they approach.
"Hey, guys." Luke greets them as they reach their destination.
They all stop their conversation and look at them. They grin on sighting Luke and they proceed to do their bro hug and greetings.
"So who's the chick?" A guy asks Luke as he motions his head to Steph.
"I want you all to meet Stephanie," Luke tells them.
"Your new girlfriend?" Another guy asks with a smirk.
"No." Luke narrows his eyes at him. "She's a very good friend of mine. Be nice."
He turns to Steph. "These are my friends. They're all on the football team and they're all assholes."
They all yell in disagreement at the name-calling and Steph smiles. The familiar guy steps forward and offers his hand to her.
"Hey, Stephanie. Nice to officially meet you. Remember me?" She accepts his handshake.
"You're... Skye, right?"
"Yup. In flesh and blood," he grins and steps back. The others introduce themselves also. But as they tell her their names, it goes in one ear and goes out through the other. Luke asks about Cole after the introductions.
"He went to grab drinks with his babe," a guy answers.
"Thanks. I'll catch up with you guys later," Luke says. He yet again grabs Steph's hand and leads them to the kitchen.
Does he enjoy holding my hand? Steph asks herself.
As expected, they find their best friends with solo cups filled with drinks. Brooke looks ridiculously hot and creepy in her zombie nurse costume. She also has a blonde wig on. Yes, she takes Halloween seriously. Cole is dressed as her hot zombie doctor.
"I knew we'll find you two here," Luke says as they notice them.
"Yeah," Brooke giggles. "We're just having a drink of chopped brains and blood. Want some?"
"Okay, that's just gross. Thanks for putting the image in my head." Luke's face scrunches in disgust which makes others laugh.
"You're welcome."
"Baby girl," Brooke coos at Steph and opens her arms for a hug.
"I'd hug you but what you have going on-" Steph gestures to her costume, "-is giving me the creeps. And besides, I don't want you to eat my brain."
Brooke drops her arms and playfully pouts her lips.
"If she won't hug you, I will," Cole says and pulls her by her waist closer to him. She playfully swats his chest before wrapping her arms around his torso. "We can eat each other's delicious brains."
"You guys are so weird," Steph comments.
Instead of them replying, they grin and share a kiss.
"Want a drink?" Luke asks Steph.
"Sure. Something that doesn't contain alcohol though," Steph replies.
Luke chuckles but doesn't question her choice. Brooke clears her throat to draw her best friend's attention.
"Cole and I are going to....uh....dance," Brooke says, then winks at Steph before dragging Cole away.
Steph knows what she's trying to do.
She looks around as Luke gets them drinks.
"Here," she hears him say. She looks at him to see that he's stretching a cup to her. She takes it and scrutinizes what's inside. She gives Luke and suspicious look.
Luke laughs. "It's just Soda, Steph."
"I know," she smiles. "I'm just messing with you."
They both take seats on the island, leaning on the counter as they sip their drinks in silence—the comfortable kind. Even though it's the comfortable kind, Stephanie is busy wracking her brain for a conversation starter.
"Hey Luke," someone says behind them, breaking the silence. The voice sounds familiar to Steph while Luke knows who exactly it is. They turn to see who it is. It's Ivy in an Angel costume. Steph gives her an incredulous look.
Did she come as an angel? Steph internally scoffs. She's quite the opposite.
Luke doesn't say anything so Ivy gulps and speaks again. "Can I have a word with you? In private."
Since the breakup, Steph hasn't been hearing much or seeing much of Ivy and she's glad. For the first time, Steph looks at Ivy and sees vulnerability. She looks vulnerable right now and it's a shock to Steph. The breakup really did something to her. Luke doesn't say anything and Steph decides to give them privacy.
"I'm just gonna go," she says and walks away quickly.
"Wouldn't it be awkward?" Max asks Chris as they wait for Jason to return with Piper who is now his girlfriend. Jason left to go get Piper who just arrived.
"No, it won't be," Chris replies, taking a sip of his orange juice. He's not in the mood to drink tonight so he opted for OJ. They're sitting on couches in the living room. A moment later, Jason returns with his girlfriend. He makes her sit beside Max and then he sits on the other side.
"Max," Jason calls. "This is Piper, my girlfriend. Babe, this is Max, one of my best friends." He introduces.
"So I finally get to meet the girl I've heard so much about," Max grins at her.
"Good things, I hope." She smiles.
"Definitely. It's nice to finally meet you," Max says.
"You too."
"Hey, Piper. Long time no see," Chris smiles at her from his position on an adjacent couch.
"Yeah. Hi Chris." Piper gives him a small smile. Though she doesn't show it, she feels kinda awkward talking to Chris who she was so desperate to hook up with now that she's dating his best friend. But Chris doesn't seem bothered by it and that's a good thing.
"Can I ask for a favour?" Chris asks her.
She furrows her eyebrows. "Um... Sure."
"Please, don't break his heart," Chris says with all seriousness.
"I won't." She promises. She finds it sweet that Chris cares about his friend like that.
"I saw Stephanie," Jason announces.
"Really?" Max says.
"Hazel? Where?"
"She was leaving the kitchen when I saw her," Jason explains.
"Thank God she's already here. I need to go find her." Chris stands to his feet as he talks.
Max and Jason share a knowing look as Chris walks away.
"Who's Stephanie?" Piper asks, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Oh she's just the girl Chris likes but hasn't realized it or doesn't want to admit it," Max replies to her.
"Oh, my God! Chris likes a girl?" Piper inquires, surprise evident in her voice.
"Yup. He does, babe." Jason chuckles at her reaction.
"This calls for a celebration. I must meet this Stephanie."
Max laughs.
After searching for Stephanie for a while, Chris heads for the backyard with reluctance. He finds a few people loitering around and sights someone sitting on one of the chairs on the lawn. He walks over and sees that it's her. She has earphones in, a purse on her lap and her eyes closed. He smiles and pulls out an earphone. Stephanie opens her eyes in alarm and sighs when she sees Chris.
"Oh, it's just you." She says as she pulls out the other earphone.
Chris takes the seat next to her. "What are you doing here, Hazel? The party's inside."
She narrows her eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you."
"Well, you've found me. Wait, what are you supposed to be?" She asks after noticing he's dressed in a hoodie and jeans.
Chris shrugs. "Myself. I'm not into this dressing up for Halloween stuff."
"Hmmm."
"You look cute."
Steph doesn't say anything which makes Chris smile. "Where's Brooke?"
"With her boyfriend."
"And Luke?"
"What does Luke have to do with anything?"
"Didn't you guys come together?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw Brooke earlier and asked about you. She told me you're coming with Luke," Chris answers.
Steph doesn't want to tell Chris that she left Luke to privately speak with his ex so she says nothing. They sit in silence, staring at the sky.
Until Chris breaks it.
"Hazel?"
"Yeah?"
"Since you love watching scary movies, wanna go see one?"
Steph looks at Chris with excitement dancing in her eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah, I know a movie theater that shows Halloween movie marathons. Wanna go?"
Steph grins. "Yeah, let's go."
Chris chuckles at how excited she is.
An hour later, they're seated in a movie theater watching a horror movie and having snacks.
Chris has been stealing glances at her since they came. If he didn't believe her before, he certainly does now, seeing how her whole attention is on the screen. She even laughs once in a while.
"I don't think this is normal," Chris tells her.
"I know, right?"
"How are you finding this amusing?" Chris questions.
Steph shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe because I know none of it is real. If this happens to someone in real life, I won't find it funny, trust me."
"That's a relief."
"Don't worry. You can hold my hand if you get scared," Steph jokes.
"Very funny," Chris says dryly.
After some minutes of watching the movie, Chris glances at Steph again.
Instead of looking away this time, he keeps staring as if trying to master all her features. She doesn't notice his intense stare because she's too engrossed in the movie.
Ever since that kiss during Spin the Bottle, he has been feeling something. That was the reason he began to look for her. He just wanted to know who she was and after a week, he found her. He told himself he just wanted to hook up with her but he was obviously lying to himself. It has been more than a month since he found her and nothing has happened. He doesn't even think of that when he's with her.
He recalls how he felt different when she called him a man whore. It kinda hurt. He knows he enjoys spending time with her and making her smile. He loves the sound of her laugh and how she's just different from most girls. The fact that she was being difficult and giving him a hard time when he was initially trying to talk to her didn't push him away. If it was a girl he wanted to hook up with, he'd have left her because he can easily get girls with the snap of his fingers.
He remembers how mad he was when Ivy attacked her and how he punched Luke and got suspended. He usually finds himself staring at her sometimes just as he's doing right now.
He loves the fact that she gets along with his sister and his friends seem to like her. He begins to replay everything that has happened from the moment they kissed until now.
When they met at the park. She giving him a hard time. The time they had detention together (thanks to him). Finding out that she's Emily's new babysitter. The party. Their time at the café. Playing basketball on his driveway. Their almost kiss. The day he drove her to school. Their time at Jason's backyard and now—this.
Chris realizes something and it hits him like a ton of bricks.
The moment of Truth that explains everything.
Jason and Max were right.
He likes Hazel.
His eyes widen as he admits it to himself. He has liked her all this while and is just realizing it. He didn't think it was possible for him to like someone again in high school. But he already likes Hazel.
Steph must have felt the heat of his stare because she turns and catches him staring with a look she can't decipher.
"What?"
He shakes his head and looks away.
"N-Nothing."
It's just that I just found out I have feelings for you, Chris muses.