Hi all!

So decorating cookies took longer then I thought it was going to take. It is now 1AM where I live and I am super tired. I can't wait to crawl into bed and prompted pass out.

Enjoy and I appreciate feedback. I do not have a beta so any mistakes are all mine.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, ideas, plots, music, brands, etc. are owned by their respected owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 8

11 years old

The gym was dark and the music was loud. Colorful lights bounced off fake spiderwebs and floating ghosts. The middle school was hosting a Halloween party for all of the 10 to 14 year olds. Edward was standing off to the side adjusting the parrot on his shoulder. His mom made it from paper mache the previous weekend. Mike stood next to Edward munching away at a candy apple. The caramel was getting stuck to the bandages wrapped around his head that his mom insisted he wear with his mummy costume.

"Are we going to dance at all?" Edward asked Mike. Mike shrugged his shoulders taking another bite of his apple. Drool dribbled down his chin.

Edward looked around the dance floor trying to recognize any of his friends behind the different costumes. He spotted Bella and her friends Alice, Jessica, and Angela in the middle of the gym. They were the only ones dancing but they did not care. Bella's fairy wings were flapping back and forth as she jumped up and own. Her mom let her choose her costume this year and Tinker Bell was Bella's first choice.

"My mom said I can spend the night at your house after the dance," Bella yelled over the music.

"Yes! We can watch movies and eat candy. My dad rented Hocus Pocus."

"I wish my mom was letting me spend the night," Angela wished out loud.

"Maybe you can come over tomorrow?"

"We'll see. We have church in the morning."

"Let's go get some punch," breathed Jessica. All the dancing was tiring her out.

The girls giggled their way to the snack table. Renee and Elizabeth were stationed behind the popcorn and chip bowls. They volunteered to be a couple of chaperones for the night.

"Girls, come here. Let's get a picture of the four of you before I forget," Renee directed.

All four girls lined up next to each other. Bella's wings were sticking to Jessica's popstar pink wig while Alice's poodle skirt got tangled with Angela's cat tail. Renee aimed her phone's camera and took three quick shots in a row. Just in case. The flash was bright and their faces washed out due to the dark room. Renee made a funny face behind her phone and captured the girls' laughter.

"Come here Edward. Take a picture with Bella," Elizabeth waved over her son.

"But why?" Edward asked.

"You look like Captain Hook and Tinker Bell! Super cute. Now stand next to each other."

Bella stood awkwardly as her friends went back to the dance floor. Edward slowly walked over and stood about a foot away from Bella. Elizabeth motioned the two of them to step closer together. Bella looked down and stepped to the right some more. Renee smiled and lifted her phone to get a picture for herself. Edward shuffled over and automatically put his arm around Bella's back. His parrot bumped into Bella's wings making glitter fall onto his arm.

"Three. Two. One." Click.

Edward quickly let go and stepped away. Bella looked up at Edward. Her brown eyes glittered as she gave him a small smile before walking back to her friends. Their mom's compared pictures as different kids stopped by the snack table. Edward looked around and found his friends standing by the DJ booth.

"Alright girls and ghouls! Let's line up for some Monster Mash limbo!" The DJ announced over the sound system.

"Come on!" Alice squealed pulling Bella to the line.

"Let's go guys," Edward said to his friends.

The line slowly got shorter as ninjas, scarecrows, vampires, and other creatures of the night got out. Alice and Bella were still in the game with Edward and a couple older kids. Edward's parrot and pirate hat were abandoned on the floor by Elizabeth's feet. He wanted to win and his feathered buddy was getting in the way. There was a ten dollar gift card to Dairy Queen at stake.

"And we are down to our last three contestants! Who is going to win some DQ?"

"You got this Bella!"

"Go Edward!"

"Yay, Bailey!"

Bella was first to go after the bar was lowered another notch. She stepped up to the bar and took a deep breath. Bella bent back and shuffled forward. Her eyes went cross eyed as she slowly made her way under the bar. Kids cheered her on and others tried to get Bella to mess up. Bella held her breath as she tipped her head back trying to clear the bar. Bella smiled feeling triumphant. Jake was a couple feet behind Edward and Bailey. He was pretending to violently ride a horse. A giggle slipped passed Bella's lips as she watched him dance upside down, and she fell onto her butt.

"Oh! So close. Thanks for playing Bella. For getting third place, here is a coupon for a large fry to McDonalds," the DJ announced.

Bella slowly got onto her knees to get up. She looked up and found a hook two inches from her nose. Edward smiled and helped Bella to her feet. The crown clapped as she walked up to the DJ booth to claim her prize. Renee took a quick picture of Bella holding her coupon.

The game went on for two more rounds before Edward was declared the winner. Bailey's flapper feather on her hair just barely touched the bar as she bent to go under disqualifying her. Edward whooped and hollered as he ran up to the DJ booth for claim his Diary Queen gift card.

The DJ congratulated the top three winners and took a quick picture. Bailey stood on one side of Edward holding her gift certificate to Subway with both hands. Bella grinned holding her coupon up close to her face. Edward stood in the middle holding his prize in one hand and his other wrapped around Bella's waist.

I really like this chapter. It brings me back to dances back in middle school. I definitely stuck with my friends and avoided boys as much as I could haha

Thanks for reading!

~ Cat