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darley1101 · 6 years

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Halloween Trick

A/N I love writing the creepy, spooky, and angst-riddled, which makes October and Halloween an exciting time for me. I had several prompts come in that sort of melded together into this one shot. It started with a request from @endlessly-searching-for-you “What God awful demon possessed you to wear that?” “There will be a lot of screaming tonight.” and “The legend said it only goes after virgins...so sucks to be you I guess.” Right after her request came in I got one from @choicesfan44 for a heated argument between Chris x Aria/MC, followed by an anonymous one for them to go to a haunted house. How could I not combine those three requests together? Especially since Braidwood Manor is nearby.

Characters: Aria/MC, Abbie, Kaitlyn, Zack, Tyler, Chris and Becca (Please note that Chris is technically with Becca but very much has feelings for Aria)

Setting: This is set during The Freshmen. I am taking some liberty with the time frame, so Chris is still bumbling through his so called 'relationship' with Becca.

Rating/Warning: Mature readers only. Strong language

Halloween Tricks

“The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun.” -Midgard Morningstar

Uncertainty flickered across eighteen year old Aria Forbes pretty features as she studied her reflection in the full length mirror that was fixed to the back of her closet door. She barely recognized the creature staring back; which was the point she supposed since it was Halloween. “You need to let your hair down Ari,” her best friend Kaitlyn had told her. “Like, literally let your hair down. And it won't kill you to let Abbie do your make up. You've moped over Chris long enough.” It had been futile to protest because deep down Aria knew Kaitlyn was right, she had spent the last two months either crying or moping around over some guy that had ditched her for a sorority girl who put out. Silently acknowledging that Kaitlyn was right didn't keep Aria from wanting to just spend the evening curled up with a feel good romance novel that made her forget her bruised ego and cracked heart. In the end, she had caved under pressure and quietly sat on a stool while Kaitlyn did something with her long brown hair and Abbie, like the artist she was, transformed her face from fresh faced to sultry. She'd even submitted to putting on the over sized orange sweatshirt with a jack-o-lantern face printed on the front that Kaitlyn insisted counted as a costume. Now, as she stood before the mirror, staring at the end result, she doesn't know if she can go through with whatever plans Kaitlyn cooked up. She wanted to wipe the make up off, exchange the Halloween sweatshirt for the old flannel shirt she'd stolen from her dad, and hide under the covers.

“Don't even think about it,” Abbie warned from the doorway, her arms crossed over chest and her eyes steely with determination. “I am not going to be stuck partaking in whatever Halloween hi-jinx Kaitlyn has planned without some back up.”

“I don't like Halloween,” Aria sighed. She turned away from the mirror and strode across the room to plop down on her bed. “Do you know how many times bigger kids stole my candy? Or how many parties I was intentionally excluded from in high school?” Her nose wrinkled up at the unpleasant memories. In grade school she had been the smallest and the slowest, which made her an easy target for the bigger, meaner kids out to steal as much candy as possible. In junior high and school she had been persona non grata thanks to her mom being the high school principal; nobody wanted to date, befriend, or invite Mrs. Forbes precious daughter. To say her formative years had been lonely was an understatement. It was probably why she latched on to her suite mates as quickly as she had. Especially Chris Powell. Her cheeks flushed, thinking of the fool she'd mad of herself over him. Their first night in the suite she had let Kaitlyn talk her into a drinking game that had led to her inviting Chris back to her room. She'd been just drunk enough to make a complete fool of herself by rambling about her pathetic high school experience and how she was probably the only virgin in her graduating class. The V word had been like throwing ice water on Chris. He'd gone form hot and heavy to Mr. Cuddly.

“Girl, you're preaching to the choir. The last time I went out on Halloween I ended up covered in what I pray was fake blood and not something those assholes picked up from the butcher shop.” A visible shudder rippled through Abbie's slender body. “My parents used to try to make me take my younger sister...childhood experiences and memories...” she paused to roll her eyes, “but we usually found some church having a fall festival and then hit up Wal-mart for a bag of mixed candy so mom wouldn't question us.”

Bending slightly at the waist, Aria tugged on the black above the knee socks Kaitlyn had given to her when she'd forced the sweatshirt. Apparently they, too, were part of the so called costume. The only thing Aria could figure out was she was supposed to be some sort of sexy pumpkin. Didn't Kaitlyn realize pumpkins weren't sexy? “Think we can get away with talking Kaitlyn into something similar?”

“Yeah right.” Abbie rolled her soft brown eyes before moving to stand in front of the mirror. She leaned forward, patting her middle finger next to her eye where a clump of glitter had settled. “She's not in it for the candy, she's in for the scare. I overheard Zack telling Tyler that she was bragging about knowing how to get into Braidwood Manor.”

“Braidwood Manor?” A chill rippled down Aria's spine. Why did that name sound so familiar?

“Yeah. It's this abandoned estate about fifteen minutes from here. Supposedly its haunted.” Abbie continued to pat at the glitter, spreading it up into her hairline. If Aria was a sexy pumpkin, then Abbie was a sweet ghost with a fetish for glitter. “And supposedly that's where we're all going tonight.”

“We?” Aria's heart lurched and a familiar panic started tightening in her chest. Please don't let Chris or Becca be part of that we. For about five seconds Aria had thought Chris liked her, that maybe just maybe a boy was looking at her and actually seeing her. Ha. What an idiot she had been. The same night she worked up her courage to tell him that she liked him, he hooked up with the blonde bitch that had dumped iced coffee on her the first day of the semester. Becca Davenport, president of some stupid sorority that wore too much pink and so beautiful it hurt. Chris had wasted no time in sliding in Becca's designer silk sheets, leaving Aria confused, heart broken, and a pathetic mess that cried at night when she thought her suite mates were sleeping. College was turning out to be another round of high school.

“Yeah. And before you ask...I don't know who all that entails. I think half of Hartfeld goes. Its sort of a right of passage. Seeing which students last the longest.” Abbie turned from the mirror, a sympathetic look on her face. “If they do show up, maybe we can push her down a set of stairs and blame it on a ghost.”

Aria let out a small laugh. “We can't do that Abbie.”

“Uh, yeah, we can. Bitch has it coming. She's a heinous troll.”

“Whose a heinous troll?” Kaitlyn demanded. She breezed into the room in a cloud of colored hair spray and Victoria Secret's Love Spell. “Ohh. Wait. Let me guess.” She cocked her head to the side, chewing black lip stick off her lower lip. “You wouldn't happen to be talking about Becca would you?”

“What gave it away? Heinous, troll, or bitch?” There was no ignoring the sarcasm in Abbie's voice or the tension that was crunching up her features. “Seriously, Kait, if that bitch is there...”

Kaitlyn chewed off the remainder of her lipstick, her gaze dropping to the floor before darting up to meet Aria's. “Look, I didn't invite either of them but I can't guarantee that they won't show. Darren knows, plus going to Braidwood Manor on Halloween is a Hartfeld tradition.”

Swallowing the lump of dismay that was threatening to form in her throat, Aria forced a wobbly smile. “Who cares about Chris and Becca? They deserve each other.” The words tasted sour on her tongue, a lie she told herself to ease the pain of rejection. It seldom worked and now was no exception. Despite his unholy attraction to Becca 'Queen Bitch' Davenport, Chris was a nice guy. He deserved better than the blonde viper he was currently sleeping with.

“That's the spirit!” Kaitlyn exclaimed clapping her hands together in excitement. “Okay, let me put on some more lipstick and we can blow this joint.” An excited squeal followed her out the door.

“You're getting better,” Abbie murmured. “I almost believed you this time.” Aria opened her mouth to deny the accusation but let her lip fall into a sad smile. What was the point in arguing against a truth she had just acknowledged herself? “And my offer to be the friendly ghost that does the world a favor by pushing her down a staircase still stands.”

A real smile spread across Aria's lips as she hooked her arm through Abbie's and motioned for her other best friend to lead the way. “Shall we see if that opportunity arises?”

“We shall,” Abbie laughed. Her laugh faltered when they entered the living area of their suite and found Chris chatting with Tyler while Becca stood nearby with a scowl fixed on her face. “Great,” she muttered. Aria started to pull back, to retreat to her room and lock the door. “Oh hell no,” Abbie whispered, “I'm not going to let you give that bitch the satisfaction of you running and hiding.”

“I don't think I can deal with her tonight,” Aria pleaded. She tugged her arm, trying to free herself from Abbie's grip but it was pointless. The other girl had an iron grip.

“There will be a lot of screaming tonight,” Zack squealed, his eyes shining bright with a feverish sort of excitement. “A guy in my lit class said you can practically hear the ghosts of the children crying out for help. Can you imagine...being murdered by your own mother because she wanted to protect you?” Chris responded with something Aria couldn't hear over the buzzing in her ears. Why did he have to look so good? His tall, athletic form was garbed in the traditional Grease T Bird uniform of dark washed jeans, white t shirt, and black leather jacket. Of course Becca was dressed to perfection as a Pink Lady. It was enough to make Aria gag.

“Ew.” Becca let out a sneer, her full lips twisting into a ugly grimace that made her look a lot like the heinous troll Abbie insisted she was. “What god awful demon possessed you to wear that?” It took Aria a moment to realize that she was the one Becca was talking to. “Would their name happen to be Abbie?”

“Actually,” Kaitlyn cleared her throat, “I'm the one who picked it out and I happen to think she looks amazing.” The smaller, petite girl strode over and wrapped an arm around Aria's waist. A defiant look crossed her face. “Don't you agree Chris? Doesn't Aria look amazing?”

“Yeah,” Chris answered softly, his blue eyes colliding with Aria's. For a moment the connection Aria had felt that first night sparked to life, holding them hostage.

“Whatever. It's not like she's going to last long at Braidwood Manor.” Becca rolled her eyes. A wicked grin stretched across her pink lips. “The house, specifically the mother, loves girls like Aria.”

“What's that supposed to mean,”Abbie demanded.

“Oh. Haven't you heard. One of the things the mother was trying to protect her precious daughters from was the wicked, delights of the flesh. She couldn't stand the idea of her innocent daughters succumbing to lust. So... she protected them by killing them. So now that's what the house craves.” Her grin spread even further as she leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Aria. “The legend says it only goes after virgins...so sucks to be you I guess.”

It felt as though ice cold water had been thrown on Aria. Everything in her froze. How the hell did Becca know that she was a virgin? And then it hit her. Chris. Chris had told Becca about that first night and how Aria had chickened out on having sex because she wanted her first time to be special. “You're such a fucking asshole,” she screamed, blood rushing to her pale cheeks. “I can't believe I ever thought you were...” Her lower lip started to tremble and the room started to blur. She could hear Becca laughing. Abbie threatening to punch someone's lights out. And Kaitlyn...Kaitlyn was rubbing small circles on her back, telling her it was going to be alright. Aria jerked away. “It's not going to be alright,” she sobbed. “I'm sick to death of not feeling good enough, of people acting like there's something wrong with me because I don't...I'm not...I'm not Becca.” She spun around to glare at Chris. “I trusted you. I thought you were at least my friend. Turns out you're just like her!” She jabbed a finger at Becca.

“And what would that be Aria? Beautiful? Popular?”

It took every ounce of her will power not to walk across the living room and smack Becca across the face. “No, an empty shell of a human being who makes up for her own short comings by trying to make others feel bad about themselves.”

“I'm not...that isn't me,” Chris protested.

Aria snorted. “Right.” She pushed past Abbie and yanked open the door to the stairs that led up to the roof. Her feet thundered against the wood, her eyes burning as her tears liquefied her mascara and eyeliner. She let out a gasp as the cool autumn air hit her, a strong gust of wind pushing her hair off her face. Wrapping her arms around her middle she ignored her chattering teeth and stood staring out across campus. Students of all ages were running around in various forms of costumes, laughing and having a good time. If not for Becca, she would have been one of them. It was pathetic that she was letting one person ruin her night but that was her middle name: Aria “Pathetic” Forbes. She let out a sound of disgust. Was this really the person she wanted to continue to be?

“Can we talk?”

Her body stiffened at the sound of Chris's voice. She should have known that he would follow her outside. It seemed to be a pattern. Becca would make her feel like crap, she would run off and Chris would follow. In the past she had used it as an opportunity to beg him to pick her, to choose her. He never did. His loyalty to Becca was baffling. “You're the last person I want to talk to,” she bit out, tightening her arms around her middle. Her fingers twisted into the soft fabric of Kaitlyn's sweatshirt. “Why don't you go run your mouth to Becca some more. You seem to be good at that.”

“That's fair,” Chris sighed. “But I'm not going anywhere until we talk. Not until you let me apologize.”

“What is there to talk about?” Her fingers twisted tighter into the fabric, pulling at it. “Every chance she gets, Becca makes my life a living hell. A lot of times right in front of you. And you're either too blind to see it or you just don't care. Either way, don't you dare stand there apologizing for sharing personal information with someone who openly hates me.” Untangling her right hand, Aria reached up and wiped at her cheeks, grimacing at the smears of black that were left on her fingertips. She could only imagine the mess her face was. All of Abbie's hard work down the drain. “You know,” she whispered, “I am sick to death of being made to feel bad for being nice or wanting to wait for the right person.”

“There's nothing wrong with being nice or waiting Ari.” His voice was closer, so close she could feel the heat radiating off his body. “I need you to know I didn't tell Becca. Not directly. Darren and I were talking about why I pulled back from you. I told him I didn't want to hurt you, that I'm not in a good place for a serious relationship and that's what you deserve. I didn't want to be that guy who took advantage or for you to look back and regret your first time because you threw it away on a guy who doesn't know what he wants.”

His words cut to the quick. It would have hurt less if he had told her that he had intentionally told Becca. “You need to leave,” she whispered. “You say you don't want to hurt me but you being here, telling me these things, knowing that you're going to walk out the door with Becca...that hurts. It hurts more than you will ever know. So please, if you care about my feelings as much as you claim...just go.”

There was a pregnant pause, silence hanging heavy between them, before the weight of his jacket settled on her shoulders and the soft sound of the door clicking shut echoed in her ears. Aria bit back a sob, burying her face in the still warm leather. No matter how many times they did this song and dance, she couldn't bring herself to let him go. It wasn't an obsession, she'd considered that. It was more like this awareness that there was something between them that could be magical if he would just give it half a shot. Instead, they both spent their nights miserable. Her crying alone in her bed while he lay next to someone who was mean for sport.

Tagging people I think might enjoy: @mysteli @brightpinkpeppercorn @theroyalweisme @kinkykingliam @fullbeaumonty @cocomaxley @annekebbphotography @bobasheebaby @brightpinkpeppercorn @captain-kingliamsqueen @ehkw1989 @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @innerpostmentality @kennaxval @katurrade @kawairinrin

Chris x MC tag: @maxattack-powell @starstruckpixelberryhistoryvoid @syltti78 @jellybean-marshmellow @flowerpowell

Perma tag: @debramcg1106 @josieschoices @speedyoperarascalparty @zackzilberg @christopher-powell @tmarie82 @mfackenthal @hamulau @endlessly-searching-for-you @damienazariostan @drakelover78 @penguininapinktuxedo @stopforamoment @writtenbycandy @lizeboredom @alicars @leelee10898 @choicesfannatalie @liamxs-world @katurrade @jadedpixiescribbles @indiacater @gardeningourmet @boneandfur @blackcatkita @umccall71 @eileendannie @choiceslife @hopefulmoonobject @hellospunkiebrewster

#pixelberrychoices #choices fics #choices the freshmen #choices chris x mc #darley1101 writes

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