"Who could it be?" I finally managed.
We had been silent for the first horrifying moments after realizing that someone knew my secret, but it was time to narrow down the possibilities. I glanced up only to see that Jarod had absolutely no idea, and I closed my eyes, trying to blot out the sound of that twig cracking in the woods.
"Could it have been Malcolm?" I suddenly asked, remembering that he had accompanied Mina and the others to check on me earlier in the night, but Jarod only shook his head.
"He waited outside the door with me while Mina and Raye came in here and pretended to talk to you. He didn't seem very suspicious considering that you were supposed to be sick, so it's not very likely…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Besides, this letter is way too threatening for it to be a friend of ours. If Malcolm knew, he would have confronted us outside, not sent some creepy note."
I nodded slowly, realizing Jarod was right. I glanced down and read the note again, shuddering at the last words. Whoever it was, they didn't seem to have any love for me, and that was something that could pose a huge problem.
The next day unfolded as Jarod had predicted. The guys pounced on me during breakfast wanting the numbers of all my friends, but I was too preoccupied to really express my excitement at their obvious interest. As happy as I was that the girls seemed to have some really great guys wanting to get to know them better, there was someone in this school who knew I was a girl, and could blurt my secret at any moment. The weather, however, seemed to mock my gloomy state. It had begun to snow the day after Mina and the girls left, and as much as I wanted to enjoy my favorite season, my fear kept me indoors, even as I watched the drifts grow higher and higher each day.
Throughout the rest of the week, I quickly started to become afraid of my own shadow. Loud noises startled me, whispered conversations caused me to whirl around in fear, and my nights were tormented by dreams of a dark menacing figure carrying a megaphone. Everyone had begun to notice the shadows forming under my eyes, and although Jarod was the first to show sympathy, it wasn't long before the other guys were beginning to express concern. I fielded their questions by explaining that I had a busy schedule and I wasn't sleeping well, but I could see most of them were unconvinced.
Despite all of this, however, my feelings for Darien were only increasing. True to my word, I had given him my cell phone number, and every night for the next two weeks, we talked into the wee hours of the morning. It was wonderful that he was getting to know me as a girl, but as beautiful as these conversations were, they were only increasing my fears. The harder I fell for Darien, the more I dreaded discovery. I was always afraid there was someone outside my door, listening to my laugh, my words, and my feelings for a boy who was just down the hall. Although Jarod assured me this wasn't true, I stayed away from Darien and the others, made up any excuse to lock myself in my room, and made up for the distance in the hours I spent with him on the phone. Unfortunately, my efforts to lay low only attracted more attention, especially from my concerned friends.
That Friday, Darien finally managed to stop me in the hallway. I had just gotten out of my last class, and all I wanted to do was collapse into bed.
"Ren, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked anxiously, gently blocking my way.
"What's up?" I murmured tiredly, struggling not to yawn.
"What's going on with you? You're so jumpy, and you're always exhausted! Is everything okay?" His blue eyes gazed worriedly into my own, and I looked away.
"I'm fine. I already told you--it's just school and stuff," I replied.
"I know," he assured me, "but I feel like it's something else. You act like you're scared or something… I mean, the other day I tapped your shoulder to ask you for a pencil and you jumped about three feet!" He chuckled good-naturedly, but I could tell he was really worried. "What's bothering you?" He persisted.
"Nothing," I assured him.
"I don't believe you," he said quietly.
"Why not?" I retorted, slightly miffed. "Why can't you accept that I've been having a rough week and I'm overtired?"
"Don't get pissed, I'm just saying it seems to be more than that!" Darien countered.
"Well it's not!" I insisted, my voice rising. "Why does everyone keep treating me like I'm made of glass? I'm not a baby Darien, I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself!"
"What?" Darien exclaimed, and my eyes widened as I realized my mistake.
"A big boy," I corrected, shaking my head. "I'm sorry," I murmured with a sigh, my voice level finally falling. "I'm a little tired."
Darien sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten so pushy about it. I'm just worried about you, that's all."
I glanced up at him and smiled wanly, but looked away quickly and readjusted my backpack. "I'm going to hit the hay, all right?" I asked.
"All right. Sleep well, and try to relax, okay man? It's only school," he murmured over his shoulder. I smiled and nodded, before turning around and heading towards my dorm room.
As weird as it sounds, Darien words had a strangely calming effect on me. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. This time, the nightmares didn't come, and even though I fell asleep in the afternoon, I didn't reawaken until the next morning.
"Wake up, Serena!" A voice suddenly penetrated my dreamless slumber and I opened my eyes, startled. "It's time to get up!" To my surprise, the form in front of me slowly focused into a very excited-looking Jarod.
"What's going on?" I asked blearily, sitting up and rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.
"What do you mean, 'what's going on?'" Jarod exclaimed excitedly. "This is only the greatest day of the whole year!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
Jarod rolled his eyes and released an exasperated sigh. "It's October 31st… Halloween… Hello?"
"What?" I repeated, not quite comprehending his words.
"Wow… You must have been really out of it this week!" Jarod murmured, shaking his head. "It's Halloween… You know? Candy, costumes, horror movies at all hours of the night?" He asked hopefully.
"It is not!" I protested. "It's October…" I glanced over at the mini-calendar next to my bed, and paled instantly. "It's Halloween," I muttered dumbly.
There was a long silence, and after a moment, I started to laugh. "I really have been out of it, haven't I?"
"That's an understatement," Jarod informed me, and I shot him a death glare that only caused him to chuckle. "I take it you don't have a costume then?"
"You would be correct," I said, throwing my legs over the side of my bed. I ran a hand through my short hair and rose to my feet. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon," he answered quickly. "If you want to take a shower, I'll watch the door for you," he offered, and I smiled.
"That would be great," I answered, walking over to my bureau. I began to rifle through my drawers, finally deciding on a pair of jeans and a large hooded sweatshirt. "So what's the plan for tonight?" I asked over my shoulder, as I casually threw my chosen garments onto my bed.
"Well, there's a dance tonight, and then we usually go down to the bonfire, someone manages to score a little booze, and we hang out and hope the teachers don't come down and bust us," he replied.
"Wonderful," I muttered sarcastically. "Sounds like something I wouldn't mind missing."
"Hey!" Jarod exclaimed defensively. "It's a lot of fun! Last year Nathan and I got really wasted and went streaking in the snow!" He began cracking up, but sobered at my sardonic expression. "I guess you had to be there…"
I sighed and shook my head as I reached down to grab my clothes and shower kit. "Sometimes I wonder just how Raye managed to fall for you…"
"Ouch!" He said with a wince, and I laughed.
"You going to watch the door for me or not?" I wondered, and he smiled as he got to his feet.
"Yeah," he replied. "Let's go."
"So what are you going to be for Halloween?" He asked when I rose from the shower twenty minutes later, dressed and ready to go.
I laughed and shook my head. "You're serious about this?"
"Deadly!" He assured me. "You don't like Halloween?"
"I love Halloween! I just don't want to spend it with a bunch of drunk teens next to a bonfire. Halloween's about trick-or-treating, cute kids in adorable costumes, and me hanging out with my friends… Besides," I added quietly, "I really should lay low for a while."
"'Rena," Jarod began, "you've got to stop this. I love you, you know I do, but you need to relax for one night. You've been a nervous wreck since we got that letter--"
"Wouldn't you be?" I protested shrilly, but he cut me off.
"You've been a nervous wreck since you got that letter, and you need to chill. Has anyone come forward yet?" He asked.
"No, but--"
"No," he finished. "No one has turned you in yet, and you also have had zero fun for two weeks now."
I sighed and shook my head, realizing he was right. "What do you want me to do?" I asked.
"Come hang out with us tonight. The guys miss you, some of them think you're mad at them because of the way you've been avoiding us. They got a lot to thank you for… Most of them are already planning dates with your friends!" He informed me with a sly wink.
"Yeah, I heard," I answered, smiling softly. "All right," I finally relented. "Just for tonight… you got any costume ideas?"
He grinned and stepped back, surveying my form with a sculptor's eye. "We could dress you up as a girl…"
"Jarod!"
"All right, all right!" He said with a laugh. "I'm sure I'll think of something!"
"Oh great," I muttered sarcastically. "I'm afraid already."
"Afraid of what?" A voice sounded from behind us, and I turned my head to see Darien coming out of his room.
"Jarod's trying to figure out a good Halloween costume for me," I answered, and grinned at Darien's raised eyebrow.
"What?" Jarod protested. "I'm great at choosing costumes!"
"Oh yeah, genius? What are you going to be this year?" Darien countered.
Jarod suddenly blushed and looked around for a possible escape, and Darien's grin widened.
"Jarod?" he warned, and finally Jarod gave up.
"All right! Peter Pan." He half shouted, and paused as a deep silence ensued.
After a moment, however, Darien and I broke it as we proceed to laugh uproariously at a red-faced Jarod.
"Raye put you up to it, didn't she?" I sputtered in between bouts of laughter.
"NO!" he protested, but gave up when we shot him looks of obvious disbelief. "Okay, yes. She's going to be my Tinker Bell…" He explained.
Once again, a pregnant pause ensued, but it wasn't long before we were laughing again. Jarod turned and started to walk away, but I reached out and patted his shoulder affectionately, pulling him back.
"Aw, Jarod, that's so cute… I'm sure you'll make an awesome Peter Pan. You want me to check your tights for holes though, just in case?" I joked, and Darien started to laugh again.
"Screw you guys!" Jarod shouted, pulling away from me, but he was starting to smile now. "I'm going to be the best Peter Pan ever!" he declared loudly.
"Dude," a voice from behind us suddenly cut in, and we turned to see Nathan, Malcolm, and a few other guys standing in the middle of the hall. "You're going to be Peter Pan?"
It was at least two hours before Jarod could hold his head high again.
For all of our teasing though, Jarod actually looked pretty good in his costume. His muscular build filled the tunic out quite nicely, and even though the tights were slightly constrictive and the shoes a bit dorky, he managed to pull it off with his boyish grin and comedic personality. By the time eight o'clock rolled around, he was dressed and ready to go, but I was still sans costume.
"We've got to find you something!" Jarod insisted, and I shook my head.
"It's no big deal," I assured him. "Not everyone is going to have a costume!"
Jarod gave me a look that immediately told me I was wrong, and I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"This is a big deal at Madison," he explained. "What can I say? We have fun around the holidays--and it's a chance for all the girls to show off what designer ball gown they got tailored to make them look like Cinderella."
I shrugged, realizing this made sense, and leaned back on my bed, crossing one foot over the other. "So give me a tux then! I'll be Prince Charming!" I joked, but to my surprise, Jarod's face lit up.
"That it!" he cried, and dove for my closet, coming up with a neatly pressed tux Mina had insisted I buy, wrapped up in a dry-cleaners bag. "Wear this!" he commanded, tossing it onto my bed.
I lifted it up and inspected it. "You're serious?" I murmured, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes!" He nearly shouted. "I even have a mask you could wear. It would be perfect! Just be sure to wrap up tight…"
I shot him a disapproving look but he laughed it off. "All right," I finally relented. "Get out of here and let me change."
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