After Hilly apologized for not hanging out for a while, and was forgiven by the guys, everything seemed to go back to normal. She would hang out with the guys after school, grab some food in town, and watch tv with them in the dorm until she had to leave at 9. And it was a lot of fun. Sure, there would be fights, and she would be there, being the voice of reason, breaking it up before it got physical, but what did she expect from a bunch of boys? It was exactly how that saying goes. Boys will be boys.
The one thing that was very freeing for her was allowing herself to get close to the guys and form this bond with them. It felt so good knowing that she could go out and have fun, and be close with people, without having to worry. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this good. Even Gary's constant pestering and attitude wasn't bringing her down anymore. She loved it.
This change was noticable in her appearance too. She was looking less tired; the bags under her eyes gone, which meant she didn't need to apply as much makeup on her in the morning. There was a glow to her face. She looked almost rejuvinated in a way. And she started to take pride in the way she looked in her uniform. To her, it was no longer nerdy coutoure. She actually liked the way she looked in it. It was funny. It was almost the end of October, and already she felt like good changes were coming her way. Things could not be better.
It was Halloween, and everyone was excited for the evenings activities. There weren't going to be any prefects on school grounds, so it was pretty much a free-for-all in terms of fun. Which was really great. Knowing how the prefects were, they'd probably shut down any fun that people tried to have. Seriously, what was with those guys? Seniors in the school or not, they were once just like everyone else.
Hilly had gotten a couple of invites to different functions going on that evening. Beatrice and her friends were going to the fun house at the carnival, and she said Hilly was more than welcome to come. And surprisingly, she got an invite from Bif Taylor, one of the preps, to come to their invite-only Halloween Party. When handed the invitation, Hilly was totally confused. Why would she, a nobody at this school, be invited to one of their parties? And she asked him just that when he handed her the invitation.
"I'm very flattered that you're inviting me. But...why? I've never once talked to any of you guys since I started going here" she told him, invitation in hand. The tall redhead simply smiled and gazed at her.
"Because you have the makings and beauty to almost be one of us" he simply said, flashing her a smile before turning around and leaving. What the hell did he mean by that? That just confused the shit out of her. Someone walked up behind her and she turned around to see who it was. It was Beatrice, and she saw the whole thing happen. She had the biggest grin on her face when she approached Hilly.
"Did Bif Taylor just invite you to Harrington House's anual Halloween Party?" she asked excitedly.
"Yeah. I'm not sure why. I have never interacted with a single one of them since I got here. Well...except for Pinky that one time she asked me where I got my headband. But she lives with us, so I'm not surprised if we've talked for at least a second"
"OH MY GOD! You HAVE to go! I've never been, but Christy has, and she told me that Harrington House's Halloween parties are EVERYTHING! They have the best food, premium candy, the house is decorated so scary yet so tasteful, and the guys there are soooooo cute. Christy said that Derby Harrington is friends with some of the Aquaberry male models and he invites them every year" she gushed.
"It does sound fun...but, I don't know how I'm going to fit it into my schedule. I mean...you invited me to go to the fun house...and I'm sure Gary's going to want me to be with him and the guys for a good portion of the night..." she started to tell her. But Beatrice cut her off.
"You can miss the fun house, it's not a big deal. You and I will just go on the weekend or something. And I'm sure Gary and the guys wont mind. And if he has a problem with it, who cares? It's not like he owns you or anything" she pointed out.
She did have a point. Gary didn't own her, so therefore she could do what she wanted. But that didn't mean he was going to be happy to hear that she was going to a party that night.
Then again, who says Gary had to know...
Later on, Jimmy returned to the boys dorm from class and was ready for Halloween. He walked into his room to see Gary, in an SS uniform, lounging on his bed.
"I bought you a costume. Go put it on" he told him, pointing to the closet. He hoped it wouldn't be something lame, and if it was something embarrassing, Gary was going to get it. Thankfully, it wasn't lame, or embarrassing. It was a skeleton costume, and some facepaint. Jimmy opened th door to his bathroom and changed in there, since it seemed Gary was quite comfortable, and didn't plan on moving. Once his costume was on, and the facepaint done, he walked out and turned his attention to Gary.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, walking over to him. Gary sat up from lounging and looked at Jimmy.
"Not much, I was just lying here; wishing I could be more like you" he said with a wistful tone.
"Yeah, whatever"
"But, I'm cursed" he continued to say, that wistful tone still there. Jimmy gave him a look at that statement.
"Yeah? Really?"
Then, Gary got up.
"Yeah, cursed by BRAINS. Do you know what torture it is to be thinking, all the time? No, of course, you don't"
Over dramatic Gary strikes again. Jimmy held up his hands and just decided to play along.
"Yeah, you're cursed. You're great. Whatever. What else is going on?"
"Not much, lemme see...uh...it's Halloween. All the prefects are at some party, and the teachers are "entertaining", I use that word loosely, the kids. No, I'd say the opportunities for fun are pretty much nil" he told him.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Come on, you'll see."
They left Jimmy's room and saw Petey in the hallway, getting stuffed in the garbage due to the pink bunny suit Gary bought him to wear. He pulled himself out and followed them out the door.
"Guys, I look like a jerk"
"Oh you look fine. I picked out costumes that suited everyone, and yours is just perfect. Now, let's go pick up Blondie and be on our way"
But they didn't have to pick her up. Because she was already walking down the sidewalk towards their dorm. And once they saw her, they were stunned.
"Wow...her costume looks great" Jimmy said.
"She looks amazing" Petey chimed in.
"She's...she's...perfect" Gary stuttered aloud, hoping the others didn't hear him.
And perfect she was. Hilly that year for Halloween, decided to go as Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. And that's just what she was, a goddess. She had a long white, toga-like gown on, with gold detail. There was a slit up the side that showed she was wearing gold sandals that strapped all the way above her knee. She had on gold jewlery, gold laurels in her curled blonde hair, and even her makeup was perfect, golden lips and golden eyeshadow. She was serving greek goddess realness, and everyone she passed by was living for her look.
"Hey guys!" she walked up, lifting up her dress a little so she wouldn't trip. No one answered her. The guys just continued to look at her in awe. They never saw her look so beautiful before. And she realized that's why they didn't say anything. She smirked and shook her head.
"Alright you three, enough gawking. Yes, I'm dressed as Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. And yes, this may sound vain, but I look great. Now, lemme take a look at your costumes"
She looked at all three of them. Jimmy's was really good, especially the face paint. Petey looked adorable, even though she had a feeling this bunny costume was so not what he wanted to be. And Gary...well...his costume was just offensive.
"An SS officer Gary, really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A greek goddess Princess, really?" he mocked, his tone getting all high pitched as if to taunt her. She frowned and snatched the riding crop from his hand and whacked him on the leg with it.
"OW! What the hell!?" he cried out, holding his hand over where she it. She handed the crop back to him.
"Don't mock me. Besides, you come across as someone who likes getting whipped" she teased. Before they all walked, he took a moment to bring his hand back and whack her back, right on her ass. She jumped forward a little and looked at him. He looked really pleased with himself.
"I am. But I also like to do the whipping" was all he said as he walked past her with a smirk on his face, leading the gang away from the dorms. For a while, they all walked around campus. Jimmy and Gary started pulling pranks on people. The usual stuff; kick-me signs on other students backs, throwing eggs, stink bombs, and itching powder on them, setting off fireworks that exploded and sent kids falling on their asses, and even throwing marbles on the ground for people to slip on. Gary and Jimmy seemed to be having fun, but Hilly and Petey wanted to do something else. Like trick or treating for instance. And also, Hilly wanted to check out that party that Bif invited her to. Even though she knew she'd be going alone, and Gary probably wouldn't like that.
After a while, Gary had come up with the big prank he wanted Jimmy to pull. He lead the group to Harrington House, and Hilly's stomach started to knot up. She could see people going in for the party, the sound of music blasting in the building. God it looked like fun.
"Okay, here's the deal. We're going to feed Chad's dog some of this rancid meat, wait for him to take a dump, and then-"
But he didn't finish his sentence because he was cut off by Petey. The thought disgusted him, and he didn't really want to be a part of this.
"What the hell!? I'm out of here!" he announced, walking away. The thought grossed him out, and he didn't want to spend time picking up dog poop. Besides, he was worried Gary would decide to dump the bag on him, and he'd be covered in it. He'd stink for days if that happened. Gary just rolled his eyes.
"Whatever Pete. Okay, let's do this" he said. Hilly hesitated as well.
"Actually I'm going to go with Petey. This sounds really gross, and I don't want to get covered in that stuff. I'll see you guys later" she said.
Gary didn't want her to leave. He turned to her and pointed his crop at her.
"You said you'd be spending all of Halloween with us, Princess" he said, his tone menacing. She held up her hands to calm him, feeling a tantrum from him coming on.
"I know, but I just don't want to be dealing with shit, that's all. Plus, I want to get some candy. It's Halloween after all. Look, I wont be long. I'll grab some candy for you guys too, alright?"
That offer seemed to apease him, because he lowered the crop and his features became less angry.
"Fine. But don't get me anything with caramel. I hate caramel" he simply said. She smiled and rushed off to catch up to Petey. When she got to him, she asked him if he wanted to go trick or treating. His face lit up, and soon, they were on their way into town, to get as much candy as they could carry, laughing and having a good time the whole way.
After about two hours, and two heavy sacks of candy later, Hilly and Petey were back on campus, excited to trade candies and endulge in their hard earned sweets. But still...that invitation was in the back of her mind. It was only 8 when they got back inside the gates. And Beatrice's words were still fresh in her mind.
"...And I'm sure Gary and the guys wont mind. And if he has a problem with it, who cares? It's not like he owns you or anything..."
Remembering her words, Hilly stopped Petey before they got any further.
"Listen Petey...I'm about to do something I've never done before, and I need you to do me the biggest favor in the world"
"Is everything alright? What's the favor?" he asked her, nibbling on a chocolate bar.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, then told him.
"Bif Taylor invited me to Harrington House's Halloween party...and, I'm going to go. I know Gary's not going to want me to go, and is going to try to stop me. So I need you to do me a big favor and lie about where I am. If he asks, I felt sick and went back to my dorm, or we stopped at my parents house for candy and I decided to stay there for the evening. Anything. Just don't let him know where I went, okay?" she pleaded, a desperate look in her eyes.
Petey was torn at this point. He knew the consequences of lying to Gary, if he found out he was lying to begin with, and he really didn't want to get kicked in the balls again. But he could see that Hilly really wanted a bit of freedom. He knew Gary was obsessed with her, and hardly let her out of his sight. She must be dying for a little freedom, or even just some breathing space.
"Sure, I'll do it. You have fun, alright? And be safe" he said, giving her a smile. She grinned and pulled him into a hug.
"You're the best Petey!" she gushed. She parted ways with him, dropped her candy off in her room, and made her way to Harrington House, constantly watching her back to make sure she wasn't being watched.
As he walked back into the boys dorm, Petey was on edge. No, on edge was not the correct way to put how he was feeling. He was down right terrified. He knew how Gary felt about Hilly, and he almost lost it when she didn't hang out for three weeks. Imagine what would happen if he found out that she went to a party without him, but with another guy?
Trying to calm himself down, Petey went to his room and got out of that stupid bunny costume, switched into his regular clothes, and decided to pass the time by having some candy, praying that if he ate enough candy, he'd go into a sugar-induced coma, and then he wouldn't feel whatever Gary decided to do to him once he found out Hilly was gone.
It was another hour before Gary and Jimmy decided to head back to the dorms. They pulled a few more pranks on people before heading back. They had a lot of fun, and couldn't wait to take part in the candy Hilly said she'd bring back. But when they got inside, no sign of her.
"Hmm, strange. They should be back by now" Gary said aloud to no one in particular. A low groan could be heard coming from his room, and he went down the hall to check it out, Jimmy following behind.
There was Pete, sprawled out on his bed, chocolate and sugar on his face, and a ton of candy wrappers surrounding him. But no sign of Hilly. Garys face dropped, and his eyes drifted to his roommate. Jimmy decided to help himself to a little of Petey's candy, while Gary leaned over him to find out what he wanted to know.
"Where is she?"
Petey looked up and then his eyes widened. He didn't quite make it to a sugar coma, which was unfortunate for him, because soon, Gary was pinching his arms, trying to get an answer.
"Where is Hilly Petey!? Tell me where she is and don't lie. Remember what I do to people who lie to me!"
That's when Petey started to get scared. That was the first time that Gary EVER said her name. Normally, he either called her Princess, or Blondie. Never Hilly. He had a feeling something was about to happen to him, and he wasn't going to like it.
"She...She...She didn't feel good...so she went to her parent's house..."
Shit...he really fucked that up didn't he.
Gary was getting annoyed, and this wasn't good. He pulled Petey up by the arm and made him stand up.
"I can tell that's a lie! That doesn't even make sense!" Gary said frantically. He was just about to kick Pete in the balls when Jimmy stepped in between them.
"Gary calm down! Pete, where did she go? Is she okay?" he asked, trying to stop this. At this point, Pete was terrified. So he did the only thing he could do to save himself. He told the truth.
"She's at Harrington House! She got invited by one of the guys to their party and she really wanted to go! That's where she is!" he called out, holding his arms out to protect himself.
Gary stopped. His arms dropped to his sides, and his expression was stoic and emotionless. The wheels were turning in his head, and he couldn't stop it. She was with...someone else? A mixture of different emotions were running through him, all of which weren't so good. Then, his hands balled into fists, and he quickly turned around, heading for the exit.
"I'll be right back"
Meanwhile, at Harrington House, Hilly was having the time of her life. When she got there, she was greeted by Bif, who, ironically, was dressed as a greek god for Halloween. It was cute really, matching her costume with someone else. They ate, they talked, they danced together, and had such a great time in each other's company. He even offered to take her to Aquaberry one day to have her fitted for a new uniform. She always did like they was those uniforms looked.
"We'll have you looking like one of us in no time"
When he said that, she couldn't believe it. A clique wanted her to join them? She was stunned. And out of all the cliques to be in, the Preps wanted her? She wasn't exactly rich or popular. But hey, at least they knew how to have a good time, right?
At around eleven Hilly decided that it was time for her to take her leave. She was a little tired, filled to the brim with Beam Cola, expensive candies, and delicious food they had. Before she left, she said goodbye to Bif.
"I had a really great time tonight. Thank you so much for the invite. The party was a blast" she said with a grin. He gave her a charming smile and took her hand in his.
"Come back whenever you'd like. Derby said you're more than welcome, Princess" he said, leaning down to kiss her hand. When he said Princess, she was a little shocked. Gary called her princess all the time...and he had a crush on her...did that mean that Bif...?
Taking her hand back slowly, she smiled awkwardly and made her way out. She felt weird. Hearing Bif call her princess and not Gary felt nice...but it wasn't quite right. Although Bif was nice, very sweet to her, and wanted to see her again...having him call her something that another guy already called her...
It felt wrong...
Deciding she needed to clear her head before she went back to her room, Hilly walked down the sidewalk to the football field. Thank god the prefects wouldn't be on campus tonight. She was already out past curfew and if they were around, she'd most likely get in trouble. The sounds of crickets echoed in her ears as she paced around by the bleachers, lost in her own thoughts.
"If Bif likes you...you might just get a boyfriend this year"
"Yeah but..that's not fair to Gary. He liked me first, and I've spent more time with him"
"He's nuts and you know it. He doesn't like you, he likes controlling you"
"Gary's my friend! I could always give it a chance and see where it goes. If not, we can always be friends again"
"Do you really want to get involved with the school's token sociopath like that? Now that you just found popularity"
"HILLY!"
Her inner thoughts were instantly silent once she heard his voice. Gary was coming down the steps, and he didn't look happy. But, she wasn't scared. She saw this coming.
"So, how was the party with your new boyfriend?" he asked, venom in his words.
"What are you talking about Gary? What party?"
"I know where you were. You went to Harrington House's party. You ditched us, so you could go hang out with them! So which one is it hm? Is it Gord? Parker? Derby's little bitch and fuck buddy Bif!?"
The minute he said Bif's name, she felt upset. How dare get mad at her for having a little fun? Was it really that big of a deal? Was he really that jealous?
Gary stood there, his eyes narrowed at her. He watched as she moved back and forth, trying to think of what to say to him.
He always said never lie to him. So, she might as well tell him the truth.
"I went because I knew you wouldn't let me, alright? Jesus Gary, you're always watching me, and keeping me close at all times! I never get a break. And the minute I want space you freak the fuck out! I know you can't help it! I know it's not you, it's how your mind works. Because I've seen sides of you that turn out to be decent. But is it so wrong for me to go out and just have a little fun on my own!?" she asked, finding those words to be the best words to get her point across.
"Listen here, Princess. You have no idea how my mind works, alright!? I keep you close because you're my friend! You said you would be my friend from day one, and friends don't ditch friends to go hang out with other people!" he said, clearly frustrated.
"Oh would you shut the fuck up with the friendship bullshit already!?"
His eyes narrowed further at her, and he got really close to her. He looked at her as he closed the space, almost challenging her.
"Make me"
She didn't know what else to do. All these thoughts and emotions were running through her head, and she just couldn't think. She wanted him to shut up, but she knew nothing she tried ever made him shut up.
So, she did something she never tried before.
In one swift motion she knocked his SS hat right off of his head, so she could press her hand to the back of his head, and grabbed onto his uniform with the other hand, pulling him into a kiss. Her first kiss to be exact. Time seemed to slow down as this happened. She pressed herself against him as she felt his body stiffen up, but then, he seemed to relax.
It wasn't just a peck on the lips either, oh no. This kissed was fueled by something. Adoration? Lust? Desire? Anger maybe? She didn't know what it was. It was deep, and a tingle ran down her spine when she felt that he was kissing her back. She felt his hand trace the curve of her hip and that brought her back to reality really fast. She pulled away, shocked at her own actions. And there he was, that stupid smirk right on his face as he looked at her. She couldn't believe him.
"God damn it! You just had to say "Make Me", didn't you! You knew exactly where this was going to go, didn't you!? Well!? What do you have to say for yourself!" she said, loud enough to wake up the entire campus. She was all flustered, and she hated him for making her feel this way. He just shook his head and pulled her back over to him. She wasn't expecting that. She felt her cheeks go red, as she remembered this moment from that dream she had the night she stayed over.
"G-Gary?" Hilly asked abruptly, as the space between them closed. He looked down at her with those piercing brown eyes of his. That chill went down her spine again. In this moment, she couldn't help but like the gaze he gave her. As if he was the only one in the world who could look at her. His smirk pulled against his lips, and his hand moved up to caress her cheek.
"You know, I love it when you get all flustered, Princess. Gets me so excited thinking about how innocent you really are, and how easily I could change that" he told her. He took a moment to just look at her. That perfect face of hers. She was, in that moment, a goddess. His goddess. And he never wanted this to end. He never wanted her to leave his side. This girl was officially his, and it was staying that way. His lips brushed against hers, and she closed her eyes, ready for his kiss...
And this time, she didn't wake up. It wasn't a dream, it was reality. She kissed back. If only just to make him shut up again as the night drolled on, and the crickets continued their beautiful harmonization.
