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chapter thirty-one: halloween
{a/n:
beware.
hope you all enjoy!! commenting and voting are greatly appreciated}
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FOUR DAYS LATER, Vera finds herself standing infront of a full length body mirror with a face of dark makeup, a fresh blowout, and wearing the sexy vampire costume. Her features were curled into an expression only herself could read; appalled.
When Julie first held the outfit up that evening, it looked way less revealing. But with it now on, she felt like she had to be careful or some things would fall out.
"Oh my God." Julie practically squealed as she walked out of the bathroom. She was in a very similar looking costume, except it was a pirate. "Vera, you look... can I fuck you?"
Vera spit out a chuckle and turned away from the mirror. The compliments were nice, but it didn't hide how self-conscious she suddenly felt.
"Like, screw the party, lemme take you right here." Julie giggled. She grasped onto Vera's hand and spun her around.
The brunette almost tripped over her heels. "I think someone broke into the booze a little too early."
"It was only a shot." Julie grinned.
Vera rose her brows.
"Okay, maybe two. But it hasn't even kicked in yet!" The blonde had broke away and was walking over to her desk. She picked up both of their handbags and strided back towards the door. "Now, we need to get our asses moving. We're basically already late!"
The brunette caught up with her and they left the room. "It doesn't start for another hour." She said. "We've got plenty of time."
Julie shook her head with sigh. She changed the subject. "So, do you think Adam will be able to keep it in his pants for the majority of the party? Or-"
"Julie!"
They arrived at the party almost a half an hour later, and the second Vera got out of the car, she wanted to get back in. Though, she wasn't able to as Julie hooked her arm around her shoulders and began leading her towards the door.
Cher's party was everything people were living it up to be. Almost every student was there, and Cher's parents were nowhere in sight. All sorts of halloween decorations lined the halls, and the speakers were vibrating, the music was blaring. Girls in skimpy costumes were dancing in the kitchen.
There was already a keg stand competition out in the living room, and Vera couldn't help but chuckle at a boy's attempt. He was wearing a 'Batman' costume.
"Poor boy has zero upper body strength." Julie giggled. She already had a wine cooler in her hand. "Someone get him a gym membership."
"Robin would be disappointed." Vera snickered, then reached for her own drink out of a big blue cooler.
Then Julie spotted a few of her teammates walking in and she put her finger on her lips and grabbed Vera's hand. They walked over to them and Julie engulfed Connie into a hug. "Ms. Moreau!"
"Jules!" The brunette squealed back. "It's so good to see you!"
Vera stood there for a second, awkward clutching onto her handbag and unopened drink. When Connie finally noticed, her face lit up. "Vera, right? Oh my gosh, hi!"
"Hey Connie, how's it going?" She replied with a smile.
The brunette gave her a look. "Pretty decent, but I should be the one asking you that. Well-- more like ask how are things going with you and preppy?" She bit down on her lip with an eager look on her face.
"Well, it's go-" she started, but of course, that was the moment he decided to walk in. On the opposite side of the house, Adam and Guy came in through the sliding glass back door.
Guy was dressed as a greek god and Adam; a vampire. Vera's eyes widened as she realized that they were matching.
He stood tall, chest stained with fake blood and a dark grey dress shirt that left little to no imagination with the way it was unbuttoned and showed off his chest and lower stomach. There was a bite mark that sunk deep in to his neck, and pairing that with the crimson red contact lenses assisted the whole vampire costume together. Although, there seemed to be another addition to his look that made Vera's knees tremble, which was the dull scar that slit down from his left eye.
It was like she could feel the drool falling from the corner of her mouth.
"...it's going." Her finishing words came out in a croak.
Noticing the sudden hesitation in her voice, the two other girls followed her gaze and immediately understood the reason for the word delay.
"Damn, I didn't think he'd actually do it." Julie said smiling proudly.
Vera couldn't help but scoff. Not in a rude way, more of in amusement. She nudged her shoulder with the blonde's. "Of course you were the one who set this up."
She just shrugged, trying to not look guilty, and took a sip from her wine cooler. "I thought it would make a cute picture."
By then, Connie had already made her way over to greet her boyfriend.
They were up against the wall kissing.
The girl watched as Adam walked around the couple, patting his friend on the back before marking his way across the house. She bit down on her lip in an attempt to get rid of the blush that was crawling up to her cheeks. She was beyond nervous to talk to him.
But to her surprise, Adam avoids making eye contact and strode past the two girls, disappearing into the kitchen.
With eyebrows knitted into confusion, Vera turned to Julie, her eyes filled with longing.
"Maybe he didn't see you?" The blonde said. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Vera interfered.
Shrugging, she said, "He literally brushed my shoulder." The lump forming in her throat was hard to hide. She hated how small her words came out. "Of course he saw me, Jules."
That was true.
Adam did see her and he hated it.
He hated how he couldn't find himself to approach her, not with her dressed like that.
How could he? She was absolutely beautiful.
And Julie was right. That costume was doing something to him — unspeakable thoughts were already swarming in his mind.
What made things worse was the way every guy at this party was free to see her in that damn costume, and how they were all drawn to her. He tried not to feel jealous let alone self-conscience, but it was hard.
She could slap any one of these guys in the face and they'd still fall at her feet.
He figured the safest option to go with was avoidance, at least for a minute. He just needed some time to gather his thoughts and calm his racing heart. So, Adam pretended not to notice her, which he regretted the second he walked into the kitchen.
"But, there's a chance he didn't. He's been exhausted lately so it wouldn't be surprising if he'd just spaced out." Julie set a reassuring hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Don't overthink it."
"I can't help it!" She snapped. "It's been a week since we hooked up in that storage room and we haven't spoken since and it's been killing me, Julie. I wanna start something. I can't ignore these feelings anymore. But now, he just acted like he didn't see me and I-"
"Okay, Vera, shut the fuck up for a sec."
The brunette's eyebrows shot up at the sudden change of her friend's voice. He mouth was left slightly parted, and she tilted her head to the side.
"You've gotta stop doubting yourself." Julie sighed. "I've known him long enough to know that he's just really nervous, but trust me when I say that he wants you."
Vera bit down on her lower lip and turned her gaze towards the floor. He wants her?
"If you're finally ready to start something I'd go find him. This is literally such perfect time cause' you both look hot as hell. But, keep in mind that he's never started anything serious with a girl before. This is all new territory."
The brunette glanced back up and Julie was staring back at her with an innocent, stupid grin.
She licked her lips. "How do you know that he wants me?"
"It's written all over that cake-eater's face! Have you seen the way he looks at you?"
Vera was looking at the kitchen entrance now with a raging blush on her cheeks. Her palms began to sweat as a risky idea came to her mind.
Snagging Julie's wine cooler out of her hands, she took a long sip — for confidence — and shoved it back into her hands. "Wish me luck." She didn't wait for her to respond as she headed for the kitchen.
Her eyes panned around the room the moment she walked in. There was a bunch of drunk teens doing body shots on the counter and the area was a complete disaster, but no Adam.
He'd left, but she figured he couldn't have gone far.
Vera still felt the fiery anxious clawing at her chest. Desperate to relieve the ache, she spotted a another blue cooler in the corner of the kitchen. She grabbed two beers. Maybe it would be best if she talked with him over a drink.
So, ventured out into the hallway, with every intention of finding that boy and confessing everything.
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ADAM WAS SITTING ON the armrest of a couch in the basement when she found him. She had cautiously made her way over and sat down on the side where he was.
"Hey, Banks."
He tried not to look at her. He tried to fix his attention on the loose thread at the hem of his shirt and not on how close she was to him.
But then, he went ahead and mumbled, "Hey, Bellucci."
Cher propped an elbow on the top of the sofa back and said, "Having fun?"
"Sure." Adam's stomach started to hurt. Running away from her seemed like a good option, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No, it's okay."
Cher was dressed in a very cheeky angel costume. She smelled like artificial vanilla, courtesy of her overpriced perfume, and smoke. She must've been out by the bonfire. The party happening around him was getting really loud and honestly, all he wanted at this moment was to be alone with Vera. He should've talked to her when he had the chance.
"So, Banksy."
"Yeah?"
When he finally turned to look at her, she'd suddenly gone serious. Her face was flat, and she looked around the room incase there was any eavesdroppers before leaning up into his ear. "I need to talk to you, alone."
There was no way in hell that was going to happen without any context.
"About what?" He asked, trying not to sound freaked out.
She answered amidst getting up from the couch. "Can't say yet, but it's important, I swear."
"You're going to need to give me a clue first." He said when she tried to grasp onto his hand to pull him up.
"Why?"
"Cause' what if you're tricking me into doing something stupid?"
Cher let go of his hand and folded her arms across her chest. "You think I'd try something with you?" She let out a laugh and Adam grew confused. "I swear this isn't funny business. It's deadass important."
When Adam didn't seem to be convinced, she pulled out her last card.
"It's about your team placement."
And that was all that was needed for Adam to get up and follow her up the stairs.
We're just going to talk. He told himself. If she's lying, I'll leave and go find Vera.
What Adam didn't expect was to be pulled up to the top floor and practically shoved into Cher's bedroom. He got that this was going to be a private conversation, but being alone in a place such as this felt oddly intimate.
Her room was fairly neat. Adorned with pastel colors, fluffy pillows, and a canopy bed. Trendy fashion magazines scattered her vanity table, and her closet was bursting with designer clothes. The room itself was a dream to every teenage girl, but to Adam, it felt like a nightmare.
She motioned him to her bed and he took a seat on the edge, gulping nervously.
She sat beside him and cleared her throat. "So, you may be wondering how I know about your placement."
"I think everyone knows." Adam joked. Maybe she was being serious about having a genuine conversation.
Cher giggled. "Yeah, well... uh." She didn't know how to approach this. She rose from the bed, nervously toying with a ring on her finger as she now stood in front of him. "Listen, you're going to be upset for a moment but you have to hear me out."
Now, Adam was scared. His features fell slightly but he kept himself composed and nodded.
"I might've had something to do with it."
"...What?"
"Yeah. I'm partially responsible for how you ended up on section six." She briefly admitted.
His eyes were wide open, lips parted slightly as he couldn't believe it. "How- wait, why?"
Something Cher Bellucci was very good at was making herself sound like a victim. She'd learned how to since her dad was always at her throat about all the terrible decisions she makes. Sugarcoating every detail was the just of it.
So, she figured the same strategy would work on Adam Banks.
"Listen, you're not allowed to get upset, but I switched you around on the roster. I made my dad make up a bunch of excuses to keep you on that team." She noticed that the boy started to get visibly upset. His fists were balled up and jaw was clenched. "But I did it to protect you!"
"Protect me!?"
She flinched and covered her face using her arms. Anyone else could tell it was a fake act, but Adam was blinded by his own anger.
Cher mumbled, "Please don't yell, I swear I was just trying to help."
Adam managed to keep himself from blowing up at her. He kept his composure and let his shoulders slump, turning his gaze to the ground. "Sorry..."
She bit back a smirk. It was working.
"It's just that... some boys threatened to mess with you because they were jealous. You know Hayden? Hayden O'Levitt?"
When Adam nodded, Cher didn't waste a beat. "Yeah, well, I overheard him claiming that he was going to get some his friends together and jump you if you made a higher team than him! He said that he wanted to see you suffer and make your entire life miserable!"
Deep down, the blonde knew all of that was bullshit. Yeah, Hayden O'Levitt was a douche, but he wasn't the type to get like that.
But Adam was very frustrated. He'd been working his ass off, so much so that he was basically killing himself. All of that to find out he had originally made it and was cheated out?
"I can't believe it." He murmured.
Cher reached out and gently touched his shoulder. He went tense for just a moment, but then looked up at her.
"I've been feeling so guilty about all of this, Adam. I know how hard you've worked and... and I wanna do something for you."
Slowly and carefully, she climbed onto his lap. Her legs wrapped around his torso, and her arms crossed behind his neck. "I can help. Just a little talk with my father and I can have your position switched back... but you have to do something for me."
Adam was frozen in place.
He couldn't move at all. He wanted to shove her off and yell at her and run out, but he couldn't.
He couldn't because he was too drunk off the thought of finally getting the place he deserved.
Where he was meant to be.
This might be the way out.
Cher leaned in close and whispered, "You didn't make Varsity. You were too good." She bit down on her bottom lip and let her eyes flicker between his. "They put you with the college kids... NHL coaches sell out those kind of games, you know, scouts..."
Adam backed his head away, just a bit. "I-I don't know if we can..."
"Oh, c'mon, Addy." She sighed. She reached down and gently grabbed his hands and hovered them above her waist. "I just want a kiss. That's all, just a tiny, stupid kiss."
The blonde's eyes trailed back to the bedroom door. He knew Vera was out there, downstairs, maybe even looking for him.
He couldn't do this to her.
Cher's fingers brushed against his cheek softly and nudged his head back to face her. "She won't find out. I promise." Her lips brushed against his as she spoke, and before Adam could respond, she fluttered light kisses down his jaw.
He didn't want this.
A couple seconds had passes and he still hadn't moved an inch. Cher thought simply it was because he was enjoying it, which was far from the truth. Instead, the reason why he sat motionless was because, frankly, he had no idea what to do. He should've pursued the idea of shoving her off and yelling at her then leaving, but it was as if he'd been shocked with a tazer.
"Guess I'm the vampire now, hm?" The girl mumbled seductively against his skin, and the hairs on his arms stood up.
"Cher..." He managed to pant. "Please."
The blonde pulled away with a grin tugging on her lips. She adjusted his shirt innocently. "Please, what?" She was already imagining herself unbuckling his belt with her teeth.
"Please, stop."
Meanwhile, Vera's beers had gone warm to the touch of the bottle. She was beginning to loose hope in ever finding him at all, and wondered if he'd left, which didn't make sense considering all of his friends where still here.
She found Russ Tyler outside on the patio, some girl running her hands through his hair.
"It was just so wasteful and distasteful of you, Tyler." Some guy argued.
Russ didn't miss a second to shoot back, "That's what yo' mamma said when she brought you into this world."
Vera's small chuckle gained his attention and he smiled upon noticing her. "Yo, you Banksy's girl, right?"
"Well, we aren't-"
"You're lost. Are you lookin' for him?"
When she nodded, the boy motioned to the backdoor entrance of the house with the tip of his drink. "I saw him a couple minutes ago heading upstairs. I heard there was some fight and Charlie probably dragged him up."
Vera thanked him and immediately rushed back inside. She didn't know how long she could hold everything in for. The urge to just confess everything was profound, and she felt like her heart was going to explode.
It was hard making her way up the staircase. A lot of people were coming down, so she assumed the fight was over, but Adam wasn't amongst the crowd. He was probably still up there.
So, she climbed her way up with a bright smile and began to check every room, and she found him soon enough.
He had her in his lap, sitting on the bed. She was running her hands along his body, up his neck and down his chest. Her heels were sprawled on the floor and bare legs wrapped tightly around his torso. And Adam had his hand on her hip.
She saw her first. "Oh, hey Vera." she spoke.
That's when Adam looked over and saw her standing in the doorway, pale as a ghost.
"Oh, ...shit," She tried playing it off, but the croak in her throat gave it all away.
A devilish smirk pulled its way to Cher's lips.
"I thought this was the bathroom, my bad..."
"I would say you could use the one in here but, as you can see, we're a little busy." The blonde girl said. "There's one right when you walk out and to the left."
Everything in Vera seized up, pulled in tight. She backed out of the room slowly but once she made it to the stairs she began to run.
She ran past all the drunken teenagers in the living room and she could hear Adam coming after her.
"Vera, wait!"
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mari speaks!
uh... so how y'all doing? feel free to comment your thoughts
these next few chapters are about to be painful. so just a warning :)
thank you all for reading! I hope wherever you are, that you all have a blessed day or night commenting and voting are greatly appreciated! they boost my motivation sm
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