Friday, October 30th
The Present
Built in 1917 to house injured World War I veterans that lived locally, Clearmont High was converted into a schoolhouse in 1943 and rebuilt with bricks instead of wooden logs after a fire in 1950.
Since it was originally designed by hired hands living in the area, Clearmont High had always looked down upon Crystal Lake and its surrounding forest of towering pine and oak trees.
During autumn and winter, however, the deciduous trees lost many if not all of their leaves, providing scenic views of the lake and the nearby campgrounds.
In 1957, Clearmont High, when it was a school for all ages, lost one of its less-popular students, a reclusive, sadistic boy named Jason Voorhees, whose mother refused to believe that her son suffered from any sort of mental retardation.
It was obvious, however, from Jason's slurred speech, deformed features, and twisted attitude that he was, in fact, disturbingly unhinged.
After the boy's accidental drowning within the waters of Crystal Lake, Pamela Voorhees went on a deranged killing spree the following year, blaming unobservant camp counselors for her son's apparent death.
Clearmont High was quick to change its age requirements and erase any mention of the dead boy from the school records upon confirmation of the woman's involvement in the violent murders.
Now sporting a top-notch faculty and three hundred-something students, Clearmont High was one of the more prominent local schools, and the building's principal, Miss Lynch, liked to keep things that way; she did not accept excuses from pupils, and was speedy to dish out punishments.
For the most part, students were satisfied with their classes, their teachers, and the way things were run.
Gwen Stevenson was an exception.
Gwen sat every afternoon during last period in the same seat, the seat closest to the classroom clock, watching the minutes tick by.
Last period; Mr. Norwood, World History.
Gwen hated Mr. Norwood, his class, his visibly fake toupee, and damn World History to boot.
Thus, the day before Halloween was no different from any other day.
"And so, in 1493, Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon concluded his travels in the Caribbean, and continued onward to Hispaniola, where he then proceeded to anchor his ship off of the coast of an island we now call Puerto Rico..." Mr. Norwood, a tall, menacing-looking man who kept a yardstick that he used to whap desks close at hand, droned on tiredly.
Gwen, a heavily-Goth student, clad in her typical black top, black miniskirt, black leggings, and black high-heeled boots, continued to peer fixedly at the clock, doing her best to drown out Mr. Norwood's inane lesson for the day.
"...Surprisingly," Mr. Norwood continued, rapping his desk with his long, bony fingers, "...Ponce de Leon's activities for the next several years, basically up until 1502, remain vague and...".
Suddenly, his eyes drifted over to the front-most desk, where Gwen sat, head resting atop the small table, eyes feverishly gazing up at the clock.
Mr. Norwood's lips curled downward into a sour frown.
"Miss Stevenson?" he called, visibly perturbed.
A few heads turned to face Gwen, who continued to pay no attention.
How long has that minute hand stayed on the big five?
"Miss Stevenson?" Mr. Norwood yelled once more, his eyes bulging slightly and his face turning pink with fury.
Gwen, however, merely muttered beneath her breath, "Come on, come on..." tapping her pencil against the polished wood of her desk.
Mr. Norwood removed his spectacles and squeezed his eyes shut in frustration.
"Miss Stevenson?" he barked, his body trembling with anger.
The students surrounding an oblivious Gwen burst out into laughter.
At the sound of her classmates' jeers, she snapped to attention, her eyes wide with confusion and fear.
"What-?" she breathed, looking around for some explanations.
Had I been asleep...?
Gwen nervously looked up at Mr. Norwood, who was massaging his throbbing temples.
"Do my history lessons bore you, Miss Stevenson? Are you anxious to leave?" he demanded, his hands clenched into fists.
Gwen frantically tried to think back to how she had handled such a situation with a teacher before; thus, she plastered the absolute sweetest, most innocent smile on her pale face, batting her long eyelashes playfully.
"Oh no, Mr. Norwood! I find Ponce de Leon's excursions to then-uncharted regions of our glorious world fascinating and inspiring. As you can see, I am hanging on every word of your enlightening discussion with us. Who are we but simple, eager students? We do not deserve to be taught by a man of your caliber. You are without a doubt the most capable man I have ever had the pleasure to learn under."
Gwen then thought she heard some snide remark about her being under Mr. Norwood more often than everyone thought; but what did she care? Let them think what they wanted to think, it made no difference.
As long, of course, as she wasn't sent to Miss Lynch once again that week.
Turning to the jockstrap she assumed had thought up the immature piece of commentary, she mouthed, "Piss off, asshole" before turning back to her teacher, smiling her infamous smile.
Mr. Norwood simply smiled artificially himself.
"I'm glad to see that you are so enthralled with World History. Perhaps banging erasers after class will make you even more interested in my teachings? It might even make you rethink what you have to say before you say it."
Turning to face a diagram of Ponce de Leon's first ship that hung atop the map-infested wall, Mr. Norwood paid just as much attention to Gwen as Gwen paid to him for the remainder of the period.
Suddenly, the school bell shrilly rang, and everyone leapt up from their uncomfortable seats.
Gwen, eyeing Mr. Norwood angrily, quickly dashed out through the classroom door while he was rearranging his toupee.
Banging erasers. Ha! Not on her life.
Brushing past a horde of lumbering jocks that were passing a pig-skin football back and forth, Gwen thought she heard Mr. Norwood shout, "Happy Halloween! Oh, and be sure to study for Monday's quiz on Spanish conquistadors of the 15th and 16th centuries..."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."
Making her way down the bustling hall, Gwen gritted her teeth as some hulking idiot rammed into her, sending the textbooks she had pressed against her chest flying everywhere.
Muttering curses beneath her breath, she bent down, and began to reclaim her belongings.
Every so often, a random scumbag would purposely kick one or more of her textbooks out of her reach.
Gwen would then tastefully flash the moron a certain finger before jumping up to uncover her property.
Just as she was bending down to grab the course book, a slender, tan arm swiped it, casually flipping through the picture less pages.
Gwen was just about to utter a string of profanities when she recognized the thief; tall, dark, and supremely gorgeous, there was only one Nathan Matthews.
Nathan was Gwen's age, and one of the few football players that also sported a brain. He had chilling sapphire eyes the color of a wild ocean, and unkempt, light brown hair that seemed to complement his bronzed skin tone.
Gwen felt a hesitant smile creep across her face.
Nathan cocked his head to one side, his eyes shimmering in the faint light of the hallway.
"Why so glum so close to Halloween?" he asked in a smooth, velvety voice.
Gwen did not respond immediately. Instead, memories began to flood her mind, unpleasant memories of Cabbage Nights past, nights during which she could have sworn that she saw "perfect" Nathan egging her house with a group of snickering goons.
The smile rapidly evaporated from her face.
Grabbing her textbook from Nathan's strong hands, she began to make her way down the hall, toward her locker.
"Aren't you a little afraid that your pals will see you talking to some nobody like me?" she asked coldly, shooting an angry glance in Nathan's direction.
Nathan shoved his hands into his pockets, embarrassed.
"Hey, don't be like that; we were great friends last year!"
Gwen snorted rudely.
"That was before you made the baseball team."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, irritated.
"Baseball's my thing, Gwen...my only chance to make it big."
Gwen, shaking her head, threw open the locker door, and began sorting through its unorganized contents.
"You change pretty fast, then, huh?"
Slamming the door shut, Gwen turned to face a new arrival, an impeccably-beautiful young woman, with sharp emerald eyes and a shock of blonde hair.
Gwen bit her lip in frustration; could her day possibly get any worse?
The bubbly girl smiled artificially, clinging onto Nathan's lean arm.
"Hiya, Gwen!" she beamed, her wide mouth full of gleaming white teeth.
Gwen returned the smirk with a slight, visibly-fake grin, and began to turn away when the girl shot out an incredibly-fast hand, clenching Gwen's arm in a death vice.
"Why so blue?" the young woman asked, her tanned face the perfect image of a concerned friend.
Nathan shifted uncomfortably in the background.
"Must've been a rough day." he mumbled beneath his breath.
The girl continued smiling dumbly, her eyes sparkling with blazing green flames. Gwen, however, knew that some intelligence laid behind that searing gaze.
"Let go of my arm, Nicole." she snapped, her faltering voice barely above a whisper.
Nicole Goldman, accustomed to people taking orders from her, was taken aback momentarily, her jaw clenched in anger.
Head cheerleader of Clearmont High since her sophomore year, Nicole had had her eye on the main prize, the title of homecoming queen, before she had even taken her first step within the school. Though every vote counted, she knew that one ballot cast against her made no difference.
"By the way," she began, making sure that her voice was loud and clear so that her fellow students roaming the hall could easily hear her, "I just love your costume. What is it again?"
Gwen watched as Nicole's eyes morphed into cold, reptilian slits.
"Oh, that's right; the suicidal, Emo freak. Suits you well."
Allowing the remark to sink in, Nicole, proud of herself, folded her smooth arms across her protruding chest, as Nathan quietly objected to such a coarse comment.
Gwen, however, thought up a comeback so quickly that her head began to spin. Eyeing Nicole all over, it did not take Gwen long to notice the violet, minx tail that was partly stuffed down into her enemy's tight pair of jeans; because Halloween was on a Saturday that year, Miss Lynch allowed students to wear their costumes on Friday.
"Oh no, I love your costume," Gwen exclaimed. "The feline school slut!"
A few gasps resounded throughout the nearly-desolate hall.
Nicole's face turned a dark shade of red as Gwen continued with her observations, arms gesticulating wildly for emphasis.
"I'd tell you to look out for guys grabbing that tail of yours, but since you already let them grab your ass, it wouldn't do much good."
Nathan could not suppress a slight chuckle as Nicole began to tremble, infuriated.
"What did you say, you little bitch?" she stammered, her voice wavering uncontrollably.
Gwen's slight smile blossomed into a full-fledged grin.
"Losing your hearing, Nikki?"
At that last remark, Nathan felt his insides freeze; no one, not even Nicole's closest friend, a fashionista named Chloe, could call her Nikki, a name that she had been stuck with all throughout her childhood years. It was just as shocking as calling Mr. Norwood 'dude'.
It was then that Nathan realized just how enraged his girlfriend of two months was.
Extending her left hand with lightning-fast reflexes, Nicole made a move for Gwen.
Gwen felt the hard sting of the back of Nicole's hand before she realized that she had been slapped across the face.
Tenderly stroking her raw cheek, Gwen watched in fear as Nicole came ever closer, her breathing heavy, and her eyes burning lividly.
"Call me that again," she hissed, her lips curled back into an ugly, evil smirk, "and I swear to God I'll -"...
A firm hand on her shoulder caused Nicole's shrill voice to trail off.
Gwen looked up from the struggling young woman before her, and focused in on the man towering above the three of them.
"Is something the matter over here?" Mr. Norwood asked in his typically deep, menacing voice.
Nathan smiled as genuinely as he could, though he was in fact terrified of the man before him.
"Nothing's the matter, Mr. Norwood; just some high school drama."
Mr. Norwood eyed Nathan suspiciously for a moment before his gaze drifted to Gwen, who was pathetically trying to cover up the handprint now painted across her cheek.
"High school drama that's turned physical?" he boomed, motioning at the inflamed side of Gwen's face.
Nicole suddenly turned a shade paler, her eyes wide with fear. Her expression, however, told Gwen to keep her mouth shut.
"That wouldn't happen to be your hand mark, would it, Miss Goldman?"
Gwen looked on in amusement as Nicole desperately tried to elucidate her actions. The explanation was actually quite humorous; apparently Nicole was being followed by "some pervert" throughout the school. For some reason, Gwen had "snuck up on her" and, thinking that she was being attacked, Nicole had slapped Gwen "without realizing that she had in fact slapped the wrong person".
Mr. Norwood, however, was not amused.
"So who was this pervert?" he asked, unconvinced.
Nicole answered the question without a second thought.
"Derek Myers."
Derek was a close friend of Nathan's, and the only African-American student to make the hockey team. He was tall, lean, and always had some remark or some piece of commentary to share. He also had a knack for getting in trouble; so, obviously, he made the perfect scapegoat.
Mr. Norwood frowned, aggravated.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to bring the four of you down to my room for some answers. There's something else going on here, so don't feed me lies about predators and perverts."
Nicole was quick to plaster a sweet, innocent smile across her face.
"I think Derek's gone home already, Mr. Norwood; you'll have to wait until Monday."
Mr. Norwood, still unhappy, began to turn away solemnly. Nicole was quite correct; the punishments would have to be postponed for the weekend.
"Ah, well, it's almost Halloween, anyway. Just be sure that you four are in my classroom as soon as last period ends."
The trio nodded rapidly, waiting until Mr. Norwood had turned the hallway corner before speaking.
Nicole's eyes were like burning pits in the depths of Hell as she turned to Gwen.
"Now look what you've done, you little skank! Our entire Monday afternoon is ruined because we have to rot away in World History 101!"
She glared at Gwen for a moment, her hands clenched into fists.
"Some of us havelives outside of school, you know!"
"You didn't have to drag Derek into this mess in the first place." Nathan mumbled in the background.
Gwen was fast to turn on Nicole as well, her entire body shaking unsteadily.
"Yeah, you're the one who shoved that half-ass story down Mr. Norwood's throat! A sex predator? Jesus, how stupid are you?"
Nicole would have gladly slapped Gwen a second time had Nathan not intervened.
"Come on, baby, we gotta go," he chimed in as sweetly as he could, caressing Nicole's arm. "We'll be late for the movie if don't hurry."
Gwen raised an eyebrow as Nicole hesitantly took Nathan's outstretched hand.
"Sure you're going to a movie?" she asked, smirking. "Maybe it's just another make-out session at Seven-Eleven; gonna use the tongue tonight, Natey?"
Nathan, ignoring the second question, looked up at Gwen.
"You are going tomorrow, aren't you?"
Gwen frowned, slouching against the lockers.
"What's tomorrow?"
"Didn't you hear? Derek and a few other guys are hosting this big Halloween party down at Crystal Lake. Anyone who's anyone is gonna be there."
Gwen felt a stab of pain strike her in her chest. Why hadn't anyone invited her?
Nicole, soaking up Gwen's visible misery, smiled coldly.
"Is someone a little jealous?" she asked, her face darkening with pleasure.
Gwen stared at the floor, her expression changing from anger to sudden despair.
"I couldn't go anyway, and why would I want to?" she breathed, barely above a whisper.
Nicole once again took on the form of a concerned "friend".
"Oh, but I thought you were into ghouls and ghosts...?"
Gwen looked up from the floor, irritated.
"Oh, and I thought you were into keeping promises; whatever happened to that virginity pledge your parents made you take your junior year?"
Gwen, however, did not get the response she had expected; instead, Nicole simply thrust herself against Nathan, grinning pleasurably.
"I broke it." she whispered seductively as Nathan began to melt beneath her gaze.
Gwen frowned, nauseated by this vulgar show of affection.
"Well, if you two lovebirds are done, can we go home now before Mr. Norwood gets back?"
Nathan gently removed Nicole from his bulging physique.
"Gwen's got a point; this can wait until the party, right? Isn't there a cabin or something in the woods?"
Nicole's blazing eyes temporarily lost their luster.
"Nah, I told Miranda that she and Kevin could use the lodge...it's falling apart, anyway."
Passionately kissing Nathan on his trembling lips, Nicole brushed past Gwen and disappeared from the hallway.
Forcing an awkward smile, Nathan turned to Gwen.
"I guess I'd better be going, too..."
Merely nodding her head, Gwen stepped aside, allowing Nathan to pass; the baseball player, however, continued to stand where he was, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm...sorry about that," he said as light-heartedly as he could. "You know how Nicole is sometimes; she's used to getting her own way."
Gwen shrugged her shoulders.
"I was asking for it; I called her a slut, after all..."
Nathan forced a chuckle, wringing his hands as if there was something else he wanted to say.
"You...can come tomorrow night, you know," he breathed, nearly choking on his own words. "If you want to, I mean. After all, she can't stop you from living your life."
Gwen felt a slight smile creep across her face as she began to turn away from Nathan.
"You'd be surprised what they're willing to do; they'd just as soon shoot me then let me crash their party."
Nathan hurried after Gwen, panting slightly, tripping over his own feet.
"It's not gonna be such a great party, anyway," he said, trying to be comforting. "You know, the typical high school stuff: booze, drugs..."
Gwen shot Nathan a look of disappointment.
"...Sex." she mumbled beneath her breath.
Nathan smiled faintly.
"Sex." he agreed with a nod of his head.
The two slowly made their way down the hall in silence before Gwen eventually spoke up.
"That's what Nicole is after, right?" she asked, slightly embarrassed. "I mean, she doesn't keep you on a leash for your brains, does she?"
Nathan looked down, ashamed.
"You've summed her up pretty well."
Without warning, Gwen tenderly took Nathan's hand in hers, rubbing his slender, tan fingers.
Nathan suddenly felt something blossom inside of him, but it died away almost as quickly as it was sparked.
Removing his hand, he awkwardly smiled at her, his words jumbled and his voice faltering.
"I think I've gotta get going," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "See you tomorrow?"
Gwen gazed up at him, frowning.
"You still think I'm going after all that Nicole said...?"
Nathan smiled, his eyes twinkling.
"Just think about it, okay?"
Gwen looked away, smiling herself.
"Maybe." she muttered, trying to suppress a laugh.
Nathan put a strong, comforting hand on her left shoulder.
"There's my girl!" he cheered, turning away to follow Nicole.
Blushing all over, Gwen felt herself backing up against her locker. Had she just been invited to a Halloween party by Nathan Matthews?
It was like a date, except for the fact that it wasn't a date.
And besides, he already had Nicole Goldman.
Nicole.
Innocent, little Nikki.
A light jab from behind made Gwen snap to attention.
Spinning on her heel, she came face-to-face with a relatively short young woman with pale skin, fair hair pulled back into a ponytail, bony cheeks, and archaic glasses. The girl wore a bright, lime green top, and khaki pants that were obviously too short.
She, like Gwen, was not dressed for Halloween.
Gwen hesitantly smiled, her heart racing after her encounter with Nathan.
"Hey, um..." she began before trailing off; what was the girl's name? Obviously not something memorable...
The young woman, however, returned the smile with a wide grin.
"I'm Erin," she said helpfully. "You know, the Erin that sits next to you in Science with Mr. Peterman...?"
Gwen stared at the new arrival blankly for a moment before exclaiming, "Erin Benet!"
The girl nodded her head rapidly.
"That's me." she chimed.
The two young women began walking down the hallway, making rather uninteresting conversation.
"I'm really bad with names," Gwen explained as they reached the end of the row of lockers. "Sorry that I didn't remember yours."
Erin shrugged.
"Well, we've only been going to the same school for three years." she said with a slight laugh.
"Good ol' Clearmont High." Gwen added with a smile.
A thousand memories of classes and teachers past flooded her mind as they headed back in the direction in which they came.
"Anyway," continued Erin, "I just wanted to congratulate you for taking a stand against Nicole."
Gwen turned to her, shocked.
"You heard us?"
Erin nodded, chuckling.
"It's not like I was listening in on purpose; I was helping Miss Drake clean things up after class when I saw Nikki slap you."
Gwen suddenly touched her raw cheek.
"I told her off, didn't I?" she asked, smirking, the pain disappearing from her face.
"Totally." Erin agreed.
They were both silent for a moment, Gwen staring down at the floor, and Erin fiddling with her ponytail.
"Are you...going to the party tomorrow night?" the latter asked suddenly.
Gwen looked up from the floor, contemplating her options.
"I don't know...I was told I could go, but -"
"I wasn't invited, either." Erin quickly murmured.
Gwen nodded solemnly.
"It's sucks, doesn't it?" she muttered, angry at Nicole, angry at the school, angry at the world. "Being unpopular, I mean. Everyone looking down on you just because you don't have as much money, you don't have as many friends..."
"...Because you have more brains than they do." Erin added with a faint smile.
Gwen laughed.
"You always do ace those pop quizzes in Science, don't you?"
Erin shrugged jokingly.
"Guilty as charged."
"Popularity isn't everything, anyway." Gwen mumbled knowledgably.
Feeling another long drawn-out period of silence coming on, Erin impulsively asked, "So...what's the deal with you and Nathan Matthews?"
"God, you heard all of that, too?" Gwen moaned.
"Well, it sounded like you two were getting cozy...at least your hands were, I mean."
Gwen leaned atop the lockers for support.
"I really don't know what came over me...he's happy with Nicole, and that's that. I've got to accept the facts of the situation."
"It's always nice to slip away from reality and dream...for a little while, I mean." Erin breathed tiredly, closing her eyes.
"It looks like you're about ready to fall asleep yourself." Gwen laughed quietly.
"You still haven't answered my first question," Erin mumbled, suddenly changing the subject. "Are you going to the party or aren't you?"
Gwen looked away for a moment, weighing her options.
"I'll go if you go." she said at last.
Erin's eyes fluttered open.
"I told you already," she muttered sourly, "I wasn't invited."
Gwen shrugged.
"Neither was I," she said with a laugh, hands on her hips, "and I'm still going."
Erin stood thinking for a moment, a slight smile slowly creeping across her face.
Why the Hell not...?
"What time?"