The Hallow

1

Music plays loudly through the stereo and I stare blankly at the floor. It's only my cousin and I, Maddy, in her small, two bedroom rented house. I sit on the bed in Maddy's room with dim light coming from a single lamp and the ceiling. She is sitting on her calves in front of her full mirror applying makeup for the fourth time today. Her mouth is hanging open as she brushes her eyelashes with expensive mascara, making me chuckle.

"What do you keep laughing at?" Maddy asks, replacing the cap on the tube of mascara.

"You." I chuckle quietly. Maddy stares at me through the mirror with a plain look on her face. She looks beautiful without the makeup, but I know that she has to put it on in order to complete her look.

"Why are you just sitting there in that towel?" Maddy asks.

"Because you're supposed to help me decide what to wear, remember?" I blurt in annoyance. Maddy smiles, forming an excited look on her face.

"Oh, that's right! Your first party!" she cheers. I roll my eyes as she holds up a finger, then begins to trace her waterline with eyeliner.

"Can't I just stay here?" I ask after a few moments of silence.

"And eat all my food?" Maddy asks jokingly. She pauses for a moment to fix a mistake on her eyeliner wing, then continues. "No way. Why can't you just loosen up for a bit? Go out, have some fun? I told you, you're going."

I sigh and wait for her to be done so she could select an outfit for me. Tonight is Long Beach University's annual Halloween party, and Maddy invited me to be her companion for the night. Though I have never been invited to a college party, or any party for that matter, she insisted I go despite the lame excuses I used to try and get out of it.

"All right." Maddy puffs out a short breath. She shuffles through her enormous closet looking for something slightly appropriate for me to wear. Her fishnet tights and leather shorts make me cringe, but she can pull it off. She can pull off almost anything, unlike me.

"How about a dress of some sort? I could do your makeup, tease your hair," she pauses and half smiles. "After I dry it, of course."

"It's gonna be too cold for a dress." I complain, responding to only one part of her suggestion. Maddy pulls out a slim maroon dress with sleeves that end just above the elbows and a hem that reaches about an inch or two above the knees. It's a pretty dress accessorized with leather and fake zippers on the shoulders. Definitely my style, but clearly too small. I give Maddy a look, and she pouts.

"Come on, this would look so hot on you!" she exclaims. I tilt my head and eye her.

"What about jeans and like, a t-shirt or something?" I ask, receiving and eye roll in response.

"This is a college party, Darcy, not a bonfire." Maddy laughs. I shake my head. After a few moments of exchanging looks, I finally give in and hold my hand out to receive the dress. Maddy jumps excitedly and tosses it in the air, then immediately claps her hands together.

I begin to walk off toward the bathroom to change while Maddy calls after me, "Make sure you dry your hair!" I put my thumb up in the air, not stopping until I reach the bathroom, and close the door.

I drop the towel and look at myself in the mirror. My hair is a mess, and the holes where my earrings are supposed to go look droopy. I search the drawers and closet door for Maddy's hair dryer, and when I find it, I work on drying my hair. It takes what feels like forever, but eventually I give up and allow the rest to air dry.

I lift the dress from the sink and hold it in front of my body, examining it closely. I try to figure out how to put it on, and find a small zipper in the back. I then lower it to the floor and step into it carefully. The dress is incredibly tight, but it looks decent.

Maddy knocks on the door making me jump and gasp. My hands fly to my chest and I let out a short breath.

"You ready yet?" Maddy calls.

"Yeah!" I call, turning my body toward the mirror. I run my hands down the sides of my body and notice that my belly sticks out a little, but not too much. Just then, the door swings open, and I cover myself with my arms.

"Stop that," Maddy sneers, moving my arms out of the way. She smiles wide and brings her bottom lip between her teeth. "you look so good!"

I decide to play along with Maddy because I know that it means a lot to her. She's used to going to parties on a regular basis, so I have to hide my shame for the time being. All of her friends are going to be there along with older boys and mean girls; the whole nine yards. It makes me nervous just thinking about it.

"Your hair is still really damp." Maddy sighs. I nod, knowing already that I had given up on trying too early in in the process. She walks me back into her bedroom and sits me on the floor in front of the bed.

"I thought it would be good enough. I was just gonna let the rest of it dry out on its own." I explain. Maddy shakes her head with a disgusted look on her face.

"No, honey. When you let your hair air dry, it gets flat. Now I'm gonna have to straighten it." she disappears into the bathroom and returns with her blow dryer and straightener. She plugs both of them in, then sits behind me on the bed with her legs on either side of my shoulders. I look down and notice my belly wrinkled up from sitting hunched over, and it makes me insecure.

Maddy finishes drying my hair, then straightens it. The heat on my neck apprehends me. When she is finished she stands and steps over my head to retrieve her make up bag sitting in front of the mirror as well.

"You could have just told me to get it," I blurt. "it would have been easier than having your crotch in my face."

Maddy ignores my comment and squats in front of me. She shuffles through the bag until she finds the eyeliner and mascara she had used before, then tells me to look up.

When the makeup is finally done, Maddy insists we take a picture before leaving. Forty pictures later, we finally begin to leave. My heart pounds as we walk outside and to her car, but I try to convince myself that it will be a fun night.