AN: I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it is the first of a three part Halloween chapter!
Two things: First, I'd love it if you would all check out the tumblr (anewdirection-ff), I do some fun things there that I'd love for you to be part of. One of the things I'm doing there right now is taking suggestions for the game of Truth or Dare, or Never Have I Ever, that the club might be playing in the next part. The suggestions not used in the chapter will be answered on the tumblr.
Secondly, I'm still open to character submissions for members of Rival clubs. So if you still want to submit a character for the story, there's still time.
Thirdly, enjoy the chapter!
Song list:
Skinny love - Bon Iver
Monster - Lady Gaga
"Wake up, sleepyhead, I've got breakfast," Mark called out to his sister as he came up the stairs Saturday morning carrying two plates of blueberry pancakes. Shouldering the door to her room open Mark backed into the room. "What is this? I just got back from Todd's and you're still sleep-"
Mark's morning had been full of surprises. He had expected to wake up in a bed, but had instead been forced to sleep on the couch when Todd had brought a girl back home with him. So much for that sleepover. When he got back home he had expected to find Stella awake, probably freshly showered after her morning run. When she wasn't awake, he had expected to find her sleeping in her bed, sprawled out like a starfish. She was asleep in her bed, no surprise there, but she wasn't sprawled out. There wasn't a lot of room for her to sprawl because most of her bed was taken up by Tobias Blake.
Mark left and shut the door behind him as fast as he could.
The sound of the door slamming shut woke Stella up, and she was almost as surprised as Mark to find Tobias sleeping next to her. Her dozing mind had left behind all thoughts of the night before and left her unprepared for waking up to a mostly naked boy in her bed. A knot in her stomach immediately coiled around her internal organs and tightened. Grateful she had put on a t-shirt before falling asleep Stella considered the best course of action. She didn't know if waking Tobias would be less awkward than trying to get out of bed and get dressed without disturbing him. Turning and stretching Stella leaned over the edge of her bed to get her phone and check the time. It was well past 11, making Stella feel like she'd wasted the entire day.
"Morning," Tobias groggily yawned from behind her.
"Good morning," Stella turned back to him, making sure to lie on the edge of the bed to keep some distance between them.
"How do you feel?" Tobias asked, adjusting his arm under his pillow to get a better look at her. His eyes were squinting a bit in the light and his hair was a mess. If Stella hadn't remembered what they had done the night before his bedhead was evidence enough. "Are you sore at all?"
"A little, I think" Stella said, shrugging a little. Even though they were both on their sides on opposite sides of the bed they were lying pretty close. "But it's not so bad."
"Good," he smiled at her a little and yawned again. Stella felt a sympathetic yawn coming on, but tried to hold it back. "And was it okay, last night?"
"Uhm, yeah," Stella said, and felt her face go scarlet. "It was okay."
"You don't regret it?" The question took Stella by surprise. She wasn't sure how to feel about it yet, a lot of conflicting emotions were wrestling in her. The catholic guilt brewing in her stomach wasn't being quenched by her rationalising, but felt like a vine steadily growing and grabbing hold of her. Her fantasies of having her first time with someone she loved were loosening their grip and slipping away. She had felt like she had outgrown those dreams, but now that they were an impossibility they didn't feel so silly. A voice whispered in her ear that maybe if she had waited for someone she was in love with she would have liked it more.
"No," Stella said, deliberately looking away from Tobias so he wouldn't see the uncertainty in her eyes. He hadn't done anything wrong, she was sure that it was she who hadn't tried hard enough to like it. "I don't regret it."
"Good," Tobias smiled at her again, oblivious to her inner turmoil. He stretched his arms up and rolled his shoulders back, then sat up in her bed and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'll head back home now, if you don't want me to stay?"
"No, I'm good," Stella said, hoping she didn't sound too rude. He climbed over her to get his clothes and when he leaned down to her she hugged him goodbye. She didn't offer to walk him to the door.
"Okay, guys, there's not going to be an assignment this week," Everett said when he thought his entire club was present in the choir room. "I'm posting the cast list for the musical after rehearsal today, and spoiler alert, you're all in it, so we'll be focusing on that for the next couple of weeks. Who's excited?"
About half the club half-heartedly clapped.
"Well, I'm excited," Everett smiled at them, ignoring their lack of enthusiasm as usual.
"This is the glee club, right?" A boy with dirtyblond hair confidently strode into the choir room, looking less uncertain than his question would suggest. A guitar was slung over his back on top of his leather jacket.
"Yes, it is," Everett answered, glancing uncertainly at the other members. Dakota shrugged but smiled, and the others looked either intrigued or bored.
"I'm Levi, and I'm auditioning," the boy said matter-of-factly, grabbed a chair and sat down by the piano. Taking his guitar from his back and playing a few chords, probably to make sure it was tuned. "You're still taking members, right?"
"Yes," Everett said, a little too enthusiastically, earning a furrowed brow from Levi. Rolling his eyes and shifting his seat, Levi started playing his guitar.
"Anyway, here's Wonderwall," Levi said, mischievous smile on his face. A few of the members chuckled, a few looked confused and some rolled their eyes.
Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
Everyone, including the people who had rolled their eyes, sat up straighter when Levi started singing. Levi's voice was strong, surprisingly resonant. Dakota and Tobias exchanged impressed looks, Iris' mouth hung slightly open and Everett had the goofy grin that seemed reserved for auditions he really liked.
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall
I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines
Out of the corner of her eye Emilia looked over at Brielle, but the dark-haired girl was staring straight ahead, too absorbed in the performance to notice the blonde watching her. Or maybe she was ignoring her on purpose, the way she had ignored all her calls over the weekend.
Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full; so slow on the split
I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines
Levi didn't really do anything with his performance, he just sang and played his guitar. He barely even looked at his audience, his eyes were closed for most of it.
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Come on skinny love
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
"Welcome, Levi!" Everett said, applauding with the rest of the club. Levi just shrugged and moved his seat over to the other members. A small smile quirked up the corner of his mouth.
After Everett hung a single sheet of paper on the board next to the choir room the entire club flocked around him. They hadn't seemed excited during the lesson, but when it actually came down to it they were all eager to know their parts. Squeezing past the students Everett moved to join Iris and watch the cast react to their parts. Emilia beamed proudly and tossed her ponytail, shrugging nonchalantly. Stella turned to Brielle to congratulate her, Dakota and Tobias high-fived. Brielle smiled at Stella, but looked over at Emilia with a meaningful look.
Glinda - Emilia Delaney
Elphaba - Brielle Donahue
Nessarose - Hazel Aria
Boq - Dakota Vasko
Madame Morrible - Stella Barrington
Doctor Dillamond - Franklin Foster Jr.
Fiyero - Tobias Blake
The Wizard - Winchester Sylvers
Chistery - Kalyani Khan
"Hey, Frank, can we talk?" Tobias tapped Frank on the shoulder after hurrying to catch up with the junior. Frank started and looked up at Tobias with wide eyes. Tobias was only a couple of inches taller than Frank, but something about the younger boy's posture and attitude made Tobias feel like a giant, and not the big, friendly kind. "I just wanted to say that you don't need to be scared of me."
"I'm not scared of you," Frank mumbled, not meeting Tobias' eyes.
"You just jumped three feet in the air when I said hi, you're scared of me," Tobias said, and made a face. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and I'm not going to throw you in the dumpsters anymore, or slushie you."
"Is this a trick?" Frank looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd. He seemed to physically pull into himself, slouching even more. Tobias felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.
"No, dude, I'm not messing with you," Tobias answered. "We're on the same team now, and I feel really bad. We'll be working together a lot, so I don't want you to be scared that I'm going to do something to you."
"Why?" Frank asked, meeting Tobias eyes for the first time. His eyes were wide and he was blinking fast.
"Because I'm trying to do better," Tobias answered, shrugging and glancing over at the group of glee clubbers that still huddled around the board. "I've been really crappy to you, and I don't want to be like that anymore."
"Um, okay," Frank said unsurely, looking back down at the ground.
"Okay, I'll see you in rehearsal," Tobias said after a few moments of tense silence. Not thinking he tapped Frank's shoulder as he turned away, causing the other boy to start again. Tobias wanted to punch himself in the face, but instead he scrunched up his face and took a breath before heading to his locker. To relax the knot in his stomach that had formed during his talk with Frank, he told himself that nothing was going to change overnight.
"So, spill, how was your night with Jackie Chan and Chris Hemsworth's lovechild?" Was not a sentence Stella had imagined she would ever hear in her life, but Monday after glee club those words left Arcelia Cortez' lips.
"Good morning to you too," Stella murmured, opening her locker. She didn't answer the other girl, and busied herself with putting books from her bag into her locker. Stella didn't need to look at Arcelia to see the latina rolling her eyes.
"Come on, Joan of Arc," Arcelia pushed, playfully kicking Stella's shin. "Is the cherry popped?"
"Joan of-? I don't get it?"
"Joan of Arc, the Virgin warrior, it's clever," Arcelia said, a superior look on her face. "My hilarity aside, how was it?"
"I'm not really comfortable talking about it here," Stella whispered, hoping Celia would let it go. She should have known better. Instead of leaving it alone the dark-haired cheerio grabbed the blonde by the arm and pulled her into a nearly empty classroom.
"Scram," she told the group of freshman in the room, and they obediently left. Arcelia jumped onto the teacher's desk, and dangled her legs off it. There was always something effortless about Celia's movements, every move seemed planned out. Stella wasn't clumsy, but she doubted she possessed any of Celia's near-feline grace. "So, how was it?"
"I don't know," Stella sat gingerly on the edge of a desk with her hands on her knees, looking at the ground. She hadn't felt comfortable telling anyone about losing her virginity, it all felt too fresh and sudden. All of her friends in England felt too far removed from her new life, and telling them about a milestone happening in Ohio would feel like the beginning of a wall building between them. Stella didn't know how to tell them that her life was happening in Ohio now, that they wouldn't know any of the important people in her life, or see any of her accomplishments. It was easier to not say anything.
"Well, did it hurt?" Celia asked, a more tender look in her eyes. Celia really was a confusing character.
"No, not really," Stella said timidly.
"And he didn't leave straight away?"
"No, he stayed all night."
"Did it feel good?" Celia asked casually, but Stella felt her cheeks go scarlet. One day she would be mature enough to talk about sexual pleasure without blushing, but today was not that day.
"I don't know," Stella focused on her manicured nails instead, to distract herself.
"It was your first time, it's usually not good, so I wouldn't sweat it," Celia shrugged and moved off the desk to stand closer to Stella. "Think of it this way, you took control of your body and your vibe now is slightly less sexless. Before your vibe was very 'part-time nun, part-time librarian'."
"And now it's more?" Stella asked, not sure she wanted to know.
"'Missionary with the lights off'," Celia smirked. "You know I'm right, don't deny it."
Stella blushed a deeper shade of scarlet.
"Come on, let's get to class," Celia took hold of Stella's arm and walked her out.
As Tobias and Kalyani opened their lockers two identical deep red envelopes fell out and landed at their feet. Looking quizzically at Tobias Kalyani bent to pick them up, handing one to him. Their names were written on the backs in elegant, swirling script. Turning the envelope open Kalyani ripped hers open, glancing over at Tobias who had already torn his and was smiling at the paper inside.
"You're both invited to the Halloween extravaganza of the year!" Arcelia appeared behind them, grinning widely. "Costumes are compulsory, you will be escorted off the premises if you fail to wear one."
Kalyani wanted to laugh, thinking Celia was kidding, but Tobias shook his head.
"I'm inviting everyone from Glee, so don't feel special," Celia smirked and winked at Kalyani. "Be there by 9, and it's BYOB."
"Why the envelopes? Why not just invite everyone over facebook?" Kalyani asked.
"I'm extra," Celia shrugged and turned on her heel and left them. On her way away from them Celia handed red envelopes to Iris and Brielle as she passed them.
"What was that?" Kalyani asked, turning back to Tobias.
"Bring your own booze, it means she won't-"
"I know what that means," Kalyani interrupted, but smiled. "But what was the rest of that?"
"Celia always throws a big Halloween party for all the jocks and cheerleaders," Tobias explained, putting his envelope into his backpack and fishing out a couple of books. "It's kind of a tradition. Her dad's house is huge and he's always away in October."
"And this," Kalyani waved her envelope. "Is just part of that?"
"Yup, these are actually pretty tame," Tobias shrugged. "Last year the invitations were hidden in little buckets in everyone's lockers. When you opened your locker the bucket would drop red confetti with the time and place for the party. Celia dressed as Carrie that year, it was pretty great."
"Speaking of Carrie, how do you feel?" Kalyani asked, putting her envelope in her backpack and closing her locker. Tobias put his own envelope and a couple of books in his backpack before answering.
"I've been better," Tobias sighed and closed his locker, turning to lean against it. "But it's not like I don't deserve it."
"I saw you talk to Frank," Kalyani said, leaning her shoulder against her locker. "How did that go?"
"I said I was sorry," Tobias said. "Don't know if he believed me."
"Probably didn't," Kalyani shrugged, but smiled reassuringly up at him. "But it's good you're trying."
Frank Foster was rarely invited to parties. It had been that way ever since middle school, when kids stopped inviting everyone in their class to their birthday parties and instead only invited their friends. As a shy kid, Frank didn't have a lot of friends so that meant he was invited to a very small number of parties. High school didn't change that. If anything it reduced the number of parties he was invited to, as his old friends found new groups to hang out with. So on Monday when he was handed a deep red envelope by a certain latin cheerio, he figured it had to be some prank. Paired with Tobias Blake being nice to him earlier that day, he was sure something was up. So Frank decided not to go.
Then on Tuesday he decided he had to let go and take some chances. Go with the flow. Take some risks.
Wednesday he nearly had a heart attack thinking about all the people going to the party.
Thursday he kicked himself for being such a coward.
Friday, the day of the party, he figured a quiet night at home watching "The Nightmare before Christmas" was a much better way to celebrate Halloween. Unfortunately his mother found the invitation that same Friday, just as Frank was about to pop some popcorn and get settled in. Crystal Foster was quite an intimidating woman, and as unsure about the party as Frank was, he was pretty sure staying at home with his mother knowing he was supposed to be at a party, was going to be less comfortable.
So on Friday night Frank Foster found himself outside of Arcelia Cortez' house, ready for the party. Ready meaning he had showered.
"Where is your costume?" Arcelia answered the door, wearing a tight purple jumpsuit. Half of her hair was curled, and she had clip-in bangs that were too long hanging in front of her face. "And why are you here now?"
"I don't have one," Frank said, already regretting coming. "The invitation said to come now, -"
"Whatever, just come in," Arcelia ushered him in and motioned for him to follow her upstairs. Following her Frank found he was not the only one who had shown up early, but he suspected he was the only person who had shown up early without intending to. Stella wore a yellow plaid skirt with a matching blazer, and sat on Celia's bed braiding Kalyani's hair. Well, it wasn't Kalyani's hair, but some sort of extensions attached to the top of her head. Kalyani wore loose pink pants and a pink crop top. Frank was already feeling underdressed.
Arcelia wasted no time and immediately dove into a box she had standing by her door, fishing out a pair of cat ears, a red bandana, a tiara and veil, before uncovering a pack of stickers and ripping the packaging open. She quickly scribbled something on them and stuck one to Frank's shirt.
"There, now you're an identity thief," Arcelia beamed, and handed him the rest of the pack. It was a pack of stickers that said "Hello my name is" and Arcelia had filled in the names of various members of the glee club. Lingering in the doorway Frank attached the rest of the stickers to his shirt. Arcelia disappeared into her ensuite, leaving Frank with Stella and Kalyani.
"There, all done," Stella said as she secured the end of Kalyani's braid. The Indian girl lithely jumped off the bed and unto her hands, proclaiming that her aura had never been pinker. Frank had no idea what that was supposed to mean.
Arcelia returned with her hair fully curled and her bangs cut. Sitting on her bed she adjusted her bangs using her phone camera as a mirror. By the way she pouted her lips and looked up at the camera Frank assumed she was taking selfies.
"Who are those for?" Stella asked, leaning over to see Arcelia's phone.
"No one," she replied, pressing her phone to her chest in response. "I take sexy selfies for my own enjoyment."
"Liar," Emilia chimed in, poking her head out from Arcelia's ensuite.
"Fine, they're for my hot Italian liaison," Celia admitted, sitting up on the bed.
"You still talk to him?" Kalyani asked, leaning against the dresser.
"That's sad, Celi," Emilia came into the room wearing a turquoise unitard with a chunky pink belt. "Long-distance doesn't work."
"Worked for dad and Charles," Celia shrugged.
"I think it's romantic," Stella smiled softly.
"Of course you do," Celia breathed, rolling her eyes fondly. "I just don't think it hurts to give him a little something-something to remember me by. But as enticing as you seem to find my love life, let's get this party started."
Pressing her finger to her phone Arcelia's speakers started playing. Frank didn't recognise the song, but all the girls smiled devilishly at each other in recognition.
Arcelia:
Don't call me GaGa
I've never seen one like that before
Don't look at me like that
You amaze me
Arcelia twirled and leaned against the wall, while Kalyani and Emilia made their way to the bed to kneel on it next to Stella. The three girls on the bed were all turned toward Arcelia, who mouthed the spoken lines with great emphasis, like she was an actress in an old silent movie. Singing to each other and vogueing on the bed, the three girls seemed to have forgotten that Frank was even there.
Stella, Emilia and Kalyani (Arcelia):
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart (You little monster)
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart out (You amaze me)
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart
He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart
Arcelia threw herself onto the bed to the other girls, who were dancing rhythmically. Singing to one of the girls at a time and exaggerating her facial expressions, Celia was clearly having fun.
Arcelia:
Look at him, look at me
That boy is bad, and honestly
He's a wolf in disguise
But I can't stop staring in those evil eyes
As if on cue all four girls leapt off the bed and grabbed one box of decorations each. Chasing Frank out of the room, Arcelia shoved a box into his hands and all of them started throwing it around. Stella stuck fake spiders to the walls, Kalyani threw fake spiderweb around and Emilia tossed paper pumpkins around. Arcelia carefully placed colourful bottles with worn labels around the house. Frank suspected they were all filled with alcohol.
Arcelia and Emilia (and Stella):
I asked my girlfriend if she'd seen you round before (oh yeah)
She mumbled something while we got down on the floor baby
We might've fucked not really sure, don't quite recall (oh yeah)
But something tells me that I've seen him round before
As they were finishing up decorating the doorbell started ringing continually and more and more teens stumbled into the house. About half of them already seemed intoxicated. Frank was embarrassed to find he was the only one who had shown up without a costume. He couldn't say that he got what everyone were supposed to be, but he doubted Iris Phan normally wore her hair in three buns, or baggy white shorts under yellow coverall dresses on a daily basis.
Arcelia and Emilia (Stella and Kalyani):
He's a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster er-er-er-er
Despite his conversation with Tobias earlier in the week, Frank felt a knot form in his stomach when the tall jock appeared at the party. The fact that he was dressed like the Winter Soldier didn't help ease Frank's nerves. Standing next to Dakota, who was dressed as Captain America, they looked like they'd just stepped out of a comic book.
Stella, Kalyani and Emilia:
He ate my heart (I love that girl)
He ate my heart (I love that girl, she's hot as hell)
He ate my heart (I love that girl)
He ate my heart (wanna talk to her, she's hot as hell)
For her bit Kalyani danced up to Tobias, grabbed his hand and twirled towards him, ending beside him with his arm over her shoulders. Then she let go of his hand and pushed him away playfully. Stella did the same thing to Dakota, adding in an "As if!" as she pushed him off.
Kalyani:
He licked his lips, said to me
Girl you look good enough to eat
Put his arms around me
Said "Boy now get your paws right off me"
Wandering around the party Frank saw a lot of strange things. There were zombies making out, powerpuff girls doing shots off each other and Winchester, dressed in an eccentric suit with a tophat complete with white rabbit ears, blissfully ignoring them and trying to lure Arcelia's cat out from under the coach.
Arcelia, Emilia and Stella:
I asked my girlfriend if she'd seen you round before
She mumbled something while we got down on the floor baby
We might've fucked not really sure, don't quite recall, oh yeah
But something tells me that I've seen him, yeah
When Todd arrived Emilia was immediately glued to his side. It wasn't until he saw them together that Frank could see that they were Barbie and Ken from Toy Story. With Emilia in the bright unitard and Todd in a blue leopard print shirt and blue shorts, the resemblance was striking.
Arcelia and Emilia (Stella, Kalyani, Dakota, Tobias)
He's a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster (m-m-m-monster)
That boy is a monster er-er-er-er
He ate my heart (I love that girl)
He ate my heart (Wanna talk to her, she's hot as hell)
He ate my heart (I love that girl)
He ate my heart (Wanna talk to her, she's hot as hell)
As more and more people arrived the house started getting crowded. The impromptu dance floor they had set up in Celia's living room was filled with jocks and cheerios dancing together. The kitchen was full of cheerleaders doing shots and jocks chugging beer. Frank felt lucky he hadn't walked in on anyone having sex yet, but judging by all the kissing that was going on in the corners, he guessed it was just a matter of time.
Arcelia:
He ate my heart he ate my heart instead he's a monster in my bed
He ate my heart he ate my heart instead he's a monster in my bed
Stella:
I wanna just dance but he took me home instead
Uh oh! There was a monster in my bed
A guy Frank didn't know was led off the dance floor by a latina cheerleader, and on his way past Frank he shoved his beer into Frank's hands, winking at him. Smelling it Frank made a face, and held it away from himself.
Arcelia:
We french kissed on a subway train
He tore my clothes right off
He ate my heart and then he ate my brain
Uh oh uh oh (I love that girl) (Wanna talk to her, she's hot as hell)
Out on the dance floor Frank spotted a single figure who caught his eye. She was wearing a loose black shirt with holes cut out in the shape of a human ribcage. The white tank top she wore underneath shone through, creating a pretty cool effect. When Katrina spotted him she smiled brightly and gestured for him to come join her. Taking a deep breath and a swig of his beer, Frank went out on the dance floor.
Stella, Emilia, Kalyani:
He ate my heart he a-a-a-ate my heart
He ate my heart (Wanna talk to her, she's hot as hell)
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster er-er-er-er
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster m-m-m-monster
That boy is a monster er-er-er-er
AN: Thank you guys so much for reading! Don't forget to review and hit me up on the tumblr!