When All is Null and Void

Chapter Twenty-Four

Danielle surveyed Caitlyn for any dishonesty. "Fine," she said. "On one condition."

"Anything!" Caitlyn squealed.

"I'm not going to talk to Jason."

Caitlyn's frenetic nodding gave Danielle whiplash. "Got it. No Problem." She was already tapping on her phone with furious intensity.

+++

Twenty minutes later with snacks in hand, Danielle and Caitlyn lounged on Danielle's bed discussing costume ideas. Danielle was almost certain she knew what she would wear. Having never been all that imaginative when it came to Halloween costumes, Danielle was even less gung-ho when it came to Jason Rivers party.

"Supergirl?" Caitlyn's skepticism irked Danielle and solidified the idea in her mind. "I mean, you can."

"And I'm going to!" She pulled a flannel from her closet and buttoned it over her Superman shirt from freshman year. It was lame--a total cop out--but she even had the old thick-rimmed 3D glasses she could pop the lenses from. It was perfect.

Caitlyn was not amused. "This is a big party. People plan their costumes for months." She hung onto the final word with a saccharine sort of stickiness.

Danielle shrugged. "I'm spontaneous."

"I guess so," Caitlyn replied with a non-committed sigh. "Nothing seems right," she groaned after scrolling for a while on her phone.

"I thought people planned their costumes for months?" Danielle teased, picking up Starbuck who'd nosed into her room looking for snacks. He'd begged for some of the popcorn they'd popped earlier, and Danielle had happily obliged, because her mom wasn't home and she wouldn't be berated about making the dog fart.

Caitlyn scoffed. "I'm not Megan Forbes, Dani."

"Definitely not," Danielle replied. Megan Forbes was a blonde haired, blue eyed senior who got every role in school plays she wanted. She'd played Mary Poppins last year, and Danielle couldn't deny the girl was practically perfect in every way. Only she was just as much a viper as anyone else in the theatre department and no one liked her—well, that was a lie; Danielle hated her, but most everyone else was drawn in by her perfect smile and pretentious, gossipy air.

"So be Wonder Woman," Danielle shrugged. Starbuck snorted, and she was forced to let him down as he wiggled.

"I'm not into superheroes," Caitlyn said. "You know that." Danielle's friend went back to scrolling through Instagram for ideas. Danielle was well aware that Caitlyn hadn't been interested in the same things as her for years now. They were best friends, and always had been, but their spheres of interest were waning with every passing day.

"Okay," Danielle said, sitting on the end of her bed. Starbuck decided he wanted back up into her lap, and Danielle had to keep him from sliding off the bed. "Um..."

She didn't even have a chance to make a suggestion before Caitlyn squealed, "Perfect!"

"What?"

Caitlyn pulled her black hair into two long braids. When she finished, she instantly dropped her smile and stared forlornly at Danielle with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm a homicidal maniac. They look like everyone else."

"Wednesday?" Danielle said a little skeptically. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"It's perfect!" Caitlyn said. "Everyone probably already expects it. I've gotta go. I'll be back in an hour." She whooshed down the stairs, and Danielle heard her front door open slam shut. Caitlyn only lived four houses from hers, so they often rode home together. The house was quiet again, save Starbuck's heavy breathing.