Blue Moon.

Chapter 40

Halloween was creeping up on all of us quickly. This year it was conveniently on a Friday, so the week before Halloween naturally had everyone in a buzz of excitement. Plans of costumes and parties loomed over everyone’s conversations, and I couldn’t help myself but feel just as thrilled. Halloween was my most favorite holiday,after Christmas.

Usually Cassie and I would get dressed in some kind of witty costume and sit on my front doorstep and hand out candy to the trick or treaters, but this year Cassie was subjected to trick or treat duty with Missy and their little brother Ty. When I offered to accompany her, she gave me a gracious smile before eyeing me with a grin.

“If you don’t have plans with Liam, I would be more than happy to have you come with us.” She said, elbowing me teasingly in the ribs.

In response, my face blushed scarlet and I forced my eyes back onto the excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn we were reading in communication arts, falling into my own thoughts. I had been hoping Liam would invite me to do something that night, but as I waited the week through, he never mentioned any special plans.

Of course I was happy to spend Halloween with Cassie, but seeing as the way things were going with Liam and me, I thought he might ask me to spend it with him.

Wednesday evening came along, and I was currently sunk into the plushy leather sofa in the mansion’s living room, the TV showing a rerun of Tom and Jerry, the cat and mouse rivals. Liam sat by my side, his chemistry text book open in his lap and his head bent over a chemical reactions worksheet, pencil in hand.

“Can you help me with this one?” Liam’s voice found mine, interrupting my laughter caused by the TV. Jerry had just avoided all of Tom’s mouse traps, and in anger Tom scampered after him, running straight through his own traps and falling to the ground with a howl.

I looked over at Liam with an airy smile still on my face. “Well, there’s hydrogen in the empirical formula, so the equation would ultimately be…?” I prompted, and Liam’s face pinched together in thought.

“Acid based?” he asked with a doubtful face. I grinned cheekily at him and patted his knee.

“You’re a genius.” I said with a grin, and he rolled his eyes as he jotted down the answer.

“Yeah right, I don’t know what the hell’s going on in my chemistry class.” He growled, setting his pencil down in his book and placing his face in his hands. His shoulders tensed up as he drew out a long breath, trying to let out his stress.

I pouted with sympathy and laid my hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly. “Awe Liam, chemistry isn’t too bad. If you’re having so much trouble, I could tutor you or something.” I suggested, and with that he took his face out of his hands and glared at me.

“That’s a joke. Like we’d get anything done.” He scoffed, and at his words I felt my cheeks blush.

A smirk slithered onto my lips and when his words sunk into his own ears he perked up with surprise. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant that well… we’re friends and we’d just get sidetracked, and you don’t stop talking anyway, so really we wouldn’t get anywhere-” he scrambled to explain, but I stopped him by taking my hand off his back and ruffling up his hair playfully.

“I know what you meant, Liam. It was just a suggestion though, so no worries.” I shrugged, crossed my arms over my chest and relaxing even further into the couch until almost my entire lower half was sunk into the cushion.

Silence found the both of us, our eyes stuck on the television. Tom the cat had just gotten hit by a giant hammer, and as a bump rose from the top of his head, Liam laughed with a chuckle that shook his body.