Time after everything became very strange. The days seem to almost pass us in the blink of an eye while the nights dragged out for so long. Then again, it may have been me being sober for most of that time. Soon enough, Nathan was busy again with the preparations for Halloween. No way was the Vortex Club not going to have a party on that night. I decided just as they started hanging posters that I wasn't going to be a part of the fun. It just wasn't for me to be perfectly honest. Nathan could care less about what I was up to. So long as I wasn't getting in the way of things for him. That reminded me, he was still unaware of the pills being changed. A part of me felt guilty since he did seem to look more and more frustrated at his "medication" not working. At the same time, Jo confirmed my suspicion of what the medication was. It was a dopamine reuptake blocker. When he told me what he had found, I took a moment to try and process what that meant.

"They were blocking the amount of dopamine his brain was producing…" he tried to explain. My mouth was agape.

"But why?" I asked, though not really knowing who was gonna answer. It wasn't like Jo nor I knew what Nathan's circumstances were.

"I mean, my mom explained that it's usually used for depression, though I doubt that out of all the fucked up things in his head, depression isn't one of them." I nodded my head. Nathan would sometimes be out of it but I always assumed it was because of the drugs he was taking. Then another thought came to mind.

"What are the chances of Frank getting his gritty hands on those pills?" I asked. Jo took a moment, examining the now empty bottle sitting on the table between us.

"They're pretty hard to come by if they're not prescribed. Unless Frank knows someone who has depression but has decided to stop using, then there's no real alternative."

"What about the dark web? I heard there were black market websites, they could probably have this stuff."

"I mean, I doubt either Frank would ever want to involve himself in something as shady as that. But I can't say I don't see Nathan trying to pull something shady for pills." He replied. We sat there in the booth of the diner. It was pretty late in the evening, and on a school night. I hoped no one was listening in on us. It'd be pretty strange to explain why two teens were talking about black markets with someone else's prescriptions in front of us. I took the bottle and hid it in the pocket of my jacket.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"I don't know. Nathan hasn't budged on what exactly it is that he has. Without knowing what's really wrong with him, I can't help him get the right medication. And I'm pretty sure he's noticed that his current pills aren't what were originally prescribed to him." I sighed and leaned back into the seat. I felt a headache forming at the thought of the size of the fit he would throw if he realized someone stole something like that from him. The thought didn't help my increasing guilt.

"So you giving up you're Nathan Prescott reformation project?" he joked. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I don't want to reform him; I want to help him ease his tension. It's almost like he's always having hundreds of things on his mind at once."

"Poor kid," he said sarcastically. I huffed and decided to leave. I figured this was the extent that Jo was gonna be helping me with Nathan.

"Thanks for your help anyways, I gotta go so I'll text you later," I said and walked off. He only nodded his head, shifting his focus to his phone.

The courtyard in front of the dorms was hardly empty as some students were still hanging around outside. I hardly understood why. The weather was starting to chill as nights felt like a creeping winter approaching. Just as I neared the doors, they swung open as Victoria and her posse followed behind.

"Oh, Mattie, you scared me there. What'cha up to?" she asked with a childlike tone. I was sure she was eager to drag me out somewhere.

"Nothing… what are you-"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked. We need help picking out a dress theme for the Vortex Club Halloween bash. Who better to help spook up the place than a goth right?" She responded quickly. I crossed my arms and lifted my eyebrow.

"Please, I keep giving Nathan suggestions but he says he hates all of them!" she clasped my still crossed arms. I rolled my eyes and huffed.

"Fine, but if you ever say 'a goth to spook up the place' I swear I'm never talking to you weirdos again." She gave an awkward half-smile and led the way to the school. It was no surprise that it was still open since I'm sure there were still teachers in there being miserable. To no surprise, Victoria led us to the photography room. We picked out the table I usually sat in and took out some printing paper from the printing table. Jefferson said before that the photo printer was in his office. My guess was he didn't want normies like myself breathing all over an expensive thing. Like some sort of kindergarteners, we sat there sketching out different ideas. According to Victoria, Nathan still wanted the party to be monster themes, but with a twist. That seemed to be what Victoria was struggling with. None of the gimmicks were impressing him much. After a while of spit balling ideas and goofing around, one of the teachers seemed to have heard us and warned that the school was about to close. Victoria made the empty promise that we were almost done. When the teacher left, she sighed.

"Well, I guess we'll stick to a normal monster party." She said dejectedly. I was a little surprised by her reaction. Thinking back, I realized how passionate bot Nathan and Victoria were to the club. As elitist as they were, they still liked the idea of leaving some sort of memories for the school.

"What about victims?" I suggested. The three turned their heads to me.

"What do you mean?" The idea in my head makes me giggle.

"You know, like bandaged up kids with blood oozing out of them, from like freak accidents or something. Like an 'Everybody's a Victim' type of thing." They give me odd looks but still interested.

"That could be interesting, oh!- and then everyone can give some far fetched story about how they got all messed up haha!" Victoria adds on. The other two seem to like the idea too, though I take it to mean they're just liking what she's liking. We make some possible posters for her to hand into Nathan and finish up before they turn off the last lights in the school. At the exit, Victoria is still on a high.

"Oh this is so exciting, I already have so many ideas of what I'm gonna do for a costume. Maddie, you have to join for a shopping spree this weekend!" she suggested with a wide grin on her face. I smiled shyly and shook my hand/

"Nah thanks, I decided I don't really wanna go to a party on Halloween. Chances are I'm gonna be super busy that day." I try to sound convincing, thinking maybe Jo would be up to going to the drive-in again. Though a large part of me highly doubts it. Victoria huffs and continues.

"Fine, but you have to help me put my costume together, got it," she teases. I giggle and respond with an okay.

The rest of the week goes by without much happening. Nathan invites me a few nights over to his room though we spend most of it just watching movies. He decided that we needed to get into the Halloween horror mood and played a bunch of horror movies. From Japanese horror movies to John Carpenter classics. He didn't like me falling asleep in the middle of one and would nudge me awake. At this point, the idea of me doing his bidding hadn't crossed our minds and I enjoyed it while I could.

Finally, the exciting day of Halloween came upon us and everyone walked out of the dorms wearing some level of costume. Face paint was prohibited so a lot of them relied on the actual costumes being convincing enough. Neither were the skimpy outfits with animal ears allowed so I hardly saw anyone wearing anything even close to animal ears. Victoria had decided to wear a different costume she had found at the Halloween store instead of the costume she had prepared for the party. She said she wanted to reveal it then. So instead she stuck with a Cleopatra costume. Taylor and Courtney went with their "victim" costumes which were both skiing accident victims. It was a good thing it was 57 (F) degrees out, otherwise, they'd be turning into puddles in the heavy coats they wore. I went with a dead body look. I had a simple skeleton costume underneath a funeral outfit I threw together. Some jewelry like I had been buried with it and my makeup was done like I was truly dead. I decided to use some black liner to draw over my lips and make it seem like my mouth was sewn shut.

Walking towards the school I saw plenty of others with quite interesting costumes. I made sure to take advantage of the early hours and take pictures. I had informed the rest of the newspaper club to do the same. However, for the party coming up that night I had to ask Juliette to take the pictures of the "victims" there. When I had found her that morning and asked for this favor, she first looked at me with an odd expression but ultimately agreed. I decided to pry.

"What's wrong? You don't have to if you don't you'll have a chance to…" I say, remembering that Juliette's favorite past time was sucking face with her boyfriend. She shook her head.

"No, I just thought that you would be able to do it this year?"

"Why so?" I asked in confusion. She seemed a little amazed at my response.

"Well isn't Nathan your boyfriend?" she asked a little quieter. The picture finally clicked in my head.

"Ahh, no, you see I think I'm gonna be busy tonight so I'm sorry to say I'll be relying on you for the pictures." I tried to sound convincing. She wasn't buying it.

"Look, if you have some problems with Nathan, you know I can help you out," she had her arm wrapped around my shoulder, "you've always helped me out with school stuff, it's only fair I help you out with boyfriend stuff." It was kinda funny to realize that Juliette was the only person that I knew who was in a … well, a floating relationship. Victoria was too busy pining over Jefferson to have anyone else. Kate seemed the abstinence type and Alyssa had high standards. Warren was far beyond my reach to get and that was about it. Jo could never really help me out either. I sighed and thought carefully what to say.

"We're not fighting but, sometimes I feel like Nathan isn't there. I mean, I know he's busy with a lot of school stuff. Being in the football team, his photography and running the Vortex club, but sometimes I wish I knew if he was all in or not."

"Well… how exactly did you guys start dating?" This was turning into dangerous territory. But If I didn't get it off of my chest now, I wasn't going to be able to later.

"We didn't start like normal couples. Neither of us said we liked the other, it just sort of happened over a short period." I could hear the air struck in her throat as she gasped.

"Well, there's your problem! Just tell him you love him and I'm sure he'll understand. If not, just give him a good one-two," she giggled. I couldn't help doing it either. I couldn't ever fathom doing something so brave. I always figured his response would be something dismissive.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot, tonight though. I need to work up the courage and find the right time." I tried to convince myself.

"Oh come on girl. You interviewed the freakin' mayor before. This should be nothing!" she exclaimed. She still had her arm around me as we entered the school. Seeing the others in costume I realized I hadn't praised her costume yet.

"Oh by the way! I love your costume!" I commented. She flipped her hair off her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. She was in all black with extra arms sticking out of her sides hanging to her real arms with black thread. So her fake smaller hands moved along too. She had also fashioned a headband to have extra pairs of eyes.

"Naturally, but it's all thanks to Dana. We decided to be a pair."

"But what about the 'victim' theme?" I asked.

"We got it all figured out. I'm a spider that got squished under someone's shoe and she's gonna be the snack I had before I died." I tried to imagine Dana with something like fairy wings or the like wrapped in stretched poly-fil like a mummy.

"Interesting," I replied. We continued talking in the middle of the hall before we were met by Alyssa and Kate. Alyssa had a long white choir gown with her hair loosely tied back. She wore a lighter foundation on her face but nothing else. I snapped my finger and took a guess.

"A ghost!" I said, she gave a small smile and nodded her head. Kate wore her usual button-down shirt with a cardigan and skirt. When we asked why she didn't dress up she mentioned she didn't celebrate the holiday but enjoyed everyone's costumes. After talking some more and taking pictures together, we went our separate ways. Walking around some more, I notice the teachers don on some simple costumes. Ms. Baker had a simple yellow and black striped shirt with little honeybee antennas headband. Mr. Miller, one of the gym teachers, had an old ripped track suit with blood stains and his skin painted green. He must've been comfortable wearing something he'd end up smearing with sweat since the gym was closed for the final preparations for the party. Mr. Wells didn't have a semblance of anything on. Made since he didn't look like the dress-up type. I decided to head to my first class, knowing that Nathan was probably at his busiest today.

The day continued and I saw more interesting costumes. Some with quite the clever spins. By the end of the day, the rest of the Newspaper kids gave me their memory cards and emailed the rest of the pictures. I decided to wait for the next day to look through all the pictures and decide on a later day what the final pictures would be. I wondered how Mr. Jefferson would react to me determining other's photo quality. Just as I was putting everything together into a file, Juliette walked in.

"Oh right, here's the special camera." I had it sitting next to me. I didn't really know the specs of it but Juliette insisted it was the best quality we could get for our pictures.

"So… did you talk to Nathan yet?" she asked as she approached. I avoided her gaze and gracefully said no.

"What! It's the end of the day already. He's gonna be tied up in the party for the rest of the night you know."

"I know, and that's exactly why I'm waiting for tomorrow." I tried to weasel my way out. She groaned.

"You're never gonna be satisfied with your relationship with him if you don't speak up! You'll end up hurting yourself in the long run if you don't say anything."

"What if he rejects me? I'll look like the idiot that hung around him and his friends trying to cling onto the rich kid." I could feel a lump in my throat. I held back the tears from spilling. It probably made no sense why I was feeling so insecure. If only she knew.

"Then…" she lifted her hand but dropped it back to her side, "then it'll be a hard pill to swallow and you'll just have to move on." She finished. I nodded and she left for the door, giving me a final good luck before completely disappearing.

After I finished up with the photos I banged my head on the keyboard. An error sound came from the computer and I shut it down. In the stillness of the room, I could hear the D.J's mix echoing faintly. They were playing something that sounded like disco. An odd selection for a spooky party. I decided to call it a night and headed out. To my surprise, at the ground level, I found Nathan walking out of the boy's room. All day I hadn't seen him, so I got a little spooked at the first sight of him. He had a dirtied shirt with what looked like a tire mark across his chest. His clothes were battered, and he had some face paint on. I guessed he must've added that on after school. I got closer and realized there was something shiny hanging in front of his chest. As I got closer, I realized they were crystals hanging off a chain. Probably meant to be glass shards.

"Hey there stranger," I called him out. He was rubbing his temple, so some of his make-up smeared on his hand. He looked annoyed.

"So what are you supposed to be?" I asked. He lifted his button-down shirt that was barely hanging unto him.

"Roadkill," he replied. I snorted. Unexpectedly, my hand reached for the make-shift necklace.

"Very nice," I rubbed a crystal between two fingers. It was a cheap plastic one but it still shone in this low light.

"What about you? The theme's supposed to be 'victim'," He pointed to my get-up. I thought for a moment.

"I am a victim, a fashion victim…?" I said, unable to finish the sentence. I chuckled a little more, though I calmed down when Nathan only smirked. I tried to think of something else to say.

"Anyways," I cleared my throat, "I wasn't really planning on going to the party anyways." He circled me grabbing hold of my shoulders.

"What are you talking about? Have you seen Victoria's costume? I knew she was a drama queen but not by this much," he was pushing me forwards towards the gym. I tried to look for a way out but before anything could come to mind, we had crossed the hallway and were in front of the doors into the gym. The music was blasting from the other side along with the loud thumping of the students bouncing and dancing. Nathan stepped in front of me and pulled me in. The lights were a mix of orange and red with yellow and black holograms projected onto the ceiling and walls. They were in the shape of witches, pumpkins, and bats. All across the gym, I could see large masses of students wrapped in some bloody "bandages", dirtied clothes from "freak accidents" and various other monsters "victim" costumes.

"Everyone's a victim," I said to myself. Nathan was ahead of me fist-bumping some guys and talking with them. I felt so out of place. Maybe I could find some red punch later and douse myself in it. After another look around, Nathan came back and held out his hand. I stared at it for a second.

"I'm taking you to Victoria, otherwise you're gonna get lost." He still had his hand out. I gave in and grabbed it but decided to act like I was annoyed. Looking at him in this new environment, I could see why he was president. His voice was loud and confident. His look was stern, and everyone didn't trip up when he demanded something. If only he would use it for better things. At the end of the crowd was an area blocked off by blackout curtains. One of the jocks stood outside while a dismayed Courtney sat on a table outside. She noticed us and lit up.

"Maddie you came!" she cried out standing from her seat. I gave her a shy smile and a wave.

"I'm gonna show her Victoria's costume," Nathan explained. She gave a nod and an, "Ohh." Without hesitation, Nathan continued to pull me along into the makeshift area.

"What is this place?" I ask as soon as we pass through the curtains. I hadn't noticed it before, but there was a loud smell of weed in the air. The bass of the music made everyone bounce to the beat. A small couch area was at one of the corners where some girls laid past out. Others just sat there looking at the ceiling.

"Welcome to the VIP area," he responded. Someone else approached him and Nathan handed him a paper bag. I hadn't realized he was carrying that around. Maybe that was why he was still hanging around the halls. He'd probably left that in his locker.

"Party favors huh," I commented under my breath. Nathan didn't seem to notice. While he was distracted, I decided to walk around the area. Sadly, a lot of the costume ideas for them were lame. The ones that looked to have more effort were those who had drawn on "stitches" over their arms and face. Then my eyes ran across something that shocked me to the core. Dancing almost completely alone was a figure in normal attire but drenched in blood. Holes riddles her chest and stomach while a large gash ran across her throat. There were even signs of dried blood at the corner of her lips.

"Oh, my stars!" I blurted out. Of course, Victoria would go for the scream queen in a slasher flick. She noticed me in the distance and ran over.

"You're here? I thought the Vortex Club was too good for Ms. Maddie." She teased. I could hardly respond, mesmerized by the realism of her "wounds"

"Told you it was over the top," Nathan spoke behind me. He made me jump coming up behind me. My skin tingled where he brushed his arm on my back.

"Well, you're the one who made it a contest. I had to look like the most iconic victim here," she said, stroking her gash on her neck like it was a necklace. I shook my head but couldn't help but smile.

"Yea, too bad it's a waste since you can't participate," he replied and handed her a folded card.

"The tallies been counted, but aren't you going to announce it?" she spoke with dismay. He placed a hand on my shoulder and lightly began pulling me back.

"Kinda busy," he shrugged his shoulders and turned away completely. I followed, hearing Victoria's cursing blend with the music.

"Isn't she gonna be super pissed that you didn't let her win?" I asked. He was silent for a second.

"She'll get over it," he replied. Soon enough, I heard the sound of a door opening. From what I could make out, it was the science lab.

"What are we here for?" He didn't answer though he was rummaging around something. Suddenly a light went on and I was blinded for a few seconds. As my eyes readjusted to the light, I noticed Nathan behind the light looking stand-offish.

"Can you stop pointing that stupid light in my face?" with my eyes tearing up I went with the last resort and completely blocked my eyes with my hand. I heard footsteps, thinking he was probably coming closer.

"Listen, Thorne," he spoke so close to me I could feel his breath on my hand, "I've played along with whatever it is you were up to, but now my patience is wearing thin."

"What are you talking about?"

"So you're gonna play dumb even now?" he pulled my hand away, "My medicine, Thorne!" He gritted through his teeth. My mind was drawing a blank.

"I don't have your medicine, Prescott."

"Bullshit!," he slammed his hand against the table next to us, "you're the only person that has stayed in my room late at night this past couple of weeks. And of course, the night my shit disappears you're gone the very next morning!"

"Why would I even want to take your medication, what makes you think I'd bum that shit off of other people?"

"Hmm, let's think about it real quick. How did we become associated again?" he pretended to think about it but kept his glare on me. There was no way I could avoid it nor pretend to not know. I sighed.

"Even if I did take them, it's not like I have them anymore," I spoke sheepishly. I looked down and noticed his knuckles becoming so white they were almost translucent.

"Did you seriously sell them off to one of your junky buddies or something? To who? Justin and his brain dead lackeys? Or maybe to one of your pals up north?" I didn't speak. Maybe pushing it to one of the guys would be easier than telling him what was going on. Either way, there was no way of knowing how he'd react.

"Answer me dammit-" He threw his fist towards me and I caught it with my opposite hand. My breath was caught in my throat, a lump I was trying to swallow. I could feel my eyes burning towards him as I dug my nails deeper into his skin. He gritted his teeth. I couldn't tell who, but one of us was shaking violently enough to shake the others arm.

"Don't think I won't hesitate Nathan. Just because I like you, doesn't mean I won't defend myself." He loosened his hand from my grip as he cackled.

"You can't be serious, you steal my shit, threaten to beat me up and you still have the balls to say you love me? Hahaha, quit your bullshit… it's over. I'm done." He stopped looking at me, at anything and left. I wanted to reach out to him. What right did I have to do that? My head started spinning and then I couldn't feel anything around me anymore.

Hello everyone! Just really quick, with everything going on I hope you are all being safe and taking proper precautions. Thank you for reading and for always being so patient with me!