Halloween Party

The day Erin had been waiting for has finally arrived! She was going to her first party, and she wasn't going to let anything get her down! Though, the thought was constantly on her mind during class, she became worried about Cameron. She had never gotten into a fight with her, or anything more than a minor disagreement. She couldn't get to deep into thought before the final class bell rung. The classroom emptied faster then any regular day, it could only be assumed that a lot of students had plans for that night.

3:30 PM, October 31st, Friday

Erin gathered her notebook, stuffed it inside of her backpack, and rushed through the halls. Convenient enough, she saw the trio walking down the same hallway. So, Erin ran a bit to catch up to them.

"You guys, wait for me!" Erin finally was able to catch up to them. The girls looked back and noticed she was breathing heavily.

"You need something?" Responded Adelaide.

"Yeah, uh, can I get dropped off home again?" Erin embarrassingly asked. "You see, I want to get changed as soon as I can for the party."

"I'm sorry, but I have some errands to run for my dad, since my mom's going to be flying in tonight." Sammy rubbed the back of her head. "But, I can reassure you, that you won't miss anything." She said as she smiled to Erin.

"Alright, if you say so." Erin couldn't ever reject Sammy's warm smile.

The girls eventually said their goodbyes before departing from each other. Erin made sure to rush herself when walking home.

3:48 PM

Erin had finally made it home. After a while, she decided that rushing herself home wouldn't be the best, so she took her time. As soon as she walked inside her home, she noticed that it was surprisingly peaceful. She took advantage and went to the kitchen to get some snacks. She opened the refrigerator, and saw a Juice Box. She took it, then headed upstairs. When she opened the door, she was disappointed to see that Cam wasn't there. She had thought Cam would've returned when Erin left for school. Erin decided to shrug this off and get ready for the party.

Erin rummaged through her closet to find something nice to wear. She eventually decided to settle on a black strapless dress. It had ruffles on the bottom, and had purple glitter, all over it! It was something she never recalled ever wearing, but figured this would be the perfect occasion. She felt really good about it until she looked in the mirror. She got really self conscious. She began to think the dress makes her look fatter. Erin then looked down and poked at her stomach. She knew she was heavier, but she really sunk in on the thought just now. She sighed then looked at her face through the mirror. She was at least happy that she got invited to a party. So, she decided to ignore all of her internal problems and get ready for the party! 

8:01 PM

It was about time to go. Erin was ready, and all she was waiting for is her mom to take her. She sat downstairs by the window, just looking outside. She was thinking on what had happened with Crystal a while ago, it bugged her. What irked her the most was how she accepted her so willingly. She was both upset at herself and Crystal. Though, she soon snapped out of it when she heard the footsteps of Melanie. 

"You ready to go sweetie?"

Erin then cleared her thought to pay attention. "Yeah, I am more than ready." Erin then gets up and heads outside with her mother. They walk outside to her car, then as soon as she knows it they're off! Despite Erin being worried, she was excited and didn't know what to expect. 

After a few minuets passed, they finally made it at the address Crystal gave to her. It was a small home inside of a cul-de-sac. When Erin looked up from her phone, she saw what really would seem like a huge party. She saw light flashing through the window, people outside with drinks, and just it all was a lot for Erin to handle. Though, she was excited to go to her first party. 

She turned over to her Mama Melanie and gave her a big hug, almost hardly letting go. "I love you Mama, thank you for taking me." 

"I love you too sweat pea, have a great time, and call me if you need anything, ya hear?" 

Erin just nodded and eagerly hopped out of the car, and before she knew it her mother had already left. With a deep breathe, Erin walked up to the house, passing and ignoring the people around her.  Once she got inside of the house, she was introduced to a large group of people, scattered around the living room. There were a group of people on the couch, some in which were making out, then you got the mini groups of people either drinking or chatting. Erin felt uncomfortable, so she just found a corner alone and stood there, until she was approached by Sammy.

"Hey Erin, I'm glad to see you at the party." When Erin turned around, she saw Sammy in a pin-up clown outfit. 

"Yeah, it's good to see you too." Erin began to rub her arm.

"I'm gonna leave soon, but I thought I would at least say 'Hi' to you before I go." Sammy smiled and placed her hand on Erin's shoulder. Erin smiled back and hugged Sammy.

"Woah, this is sudden!" Sammy then gained a dark red blush on her face, she was flustered. 

"I'm glad to see you too." Erin said before letting go. Sammy could only giggle from nervousness before gaining the composure to speak again. 

"I've got to go now, but you should try going around and finding some people to talk to. It'd make me happy if you made some other friends here." Sammy then gave Erin a quick hug before she pushed through the crowd to leave the home. 

Erin had a deep exhale before gaining the courage to attempt talking to someone. Luckily for her, a spot opened up on the couch! She took advantage of this and sat down. On her left, there was a couple making out, which there was no way she was going to try breaking that up. On her right was man. He had sweat clothes on, scruff on his chin, and messy hair. Though his appearance didn't look ideal, she found this attractive for some reason. She was mesmerized by him. She thought, maybe she might find love here. She made the first move by tapping his shoulder to get his attention. He turned over and looked her in the eye. He was drinking alcohol and somehow looked a bit heavier from the front, but Erin wasn't bothered by this. 

"Hey there girlie, what's up?" He said with a tired voice. 

"Uh, well, I want to get to know people, so uh y-" She was interrupted.

"Alright, I got it, so uh. What's your name there?" The man asked her as he fixed his position on the couch, giving her as much attention as he could manage. 

"My name is Erin, as in Erin Cruz." Erin then put her hand up to be shaken. The man then firmly shook her hand.

"My name is Bryan. You've got a cute little name, Erin." He then placed his free arm around her neck. This made Erin flustered, and red with embarrassment. She didn't expect this all to happen so suddenly, it would seem to good to be true. 

They then spent a good few minuets talking to each other about minor things such as, favorite movies, games, etc. She was getting more comfortable with him, and began to like him more and more. 

Bryan took the last drink of his bottle and sat it down on the ground. "So, baby, whatcha doing later tonight? huh?" He then started rubbing Erin's upper thigh. This made her extremely uncomfortable, but she dismissed it. 

"Uh, I am going to go home an sleep? What about you?" She then nervously laughed and looked away.

He ignored her, as he got up from the couch to stretch. He then took a second before he looked down at Erin. She had a slight loom of concern. Then suddenly, he tightly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her up. She tried to pry him off, but it would seem as if the more sbw struggled, the tighter the grip got. He then started to make his way to the bathroom, taking Erin along with him.

"Let me go!" Erin tried to tell and get the attention of others. The only problem was, no one was willing to do anything. As she was looking at the people passing by, she made eye contact. She looked at her, with pleading eyes, and even mouthed the word 'please help.' Crystal just walked away. Erin felt her gut sink, she didn't know what was going to happen.

Once Bryan has both of then in the bathroom he shuts the door, and barricades it with his body.

Erin backs up as far as she can, as she begins to cover her body. Erin even begins to cry, shaking her head and hoping it would end, similar to when she was getting beaten up by the girls.

Bryan then pinned Erin against the wall and towered over her. He then chuckled before leaving over.

"You're precious." That's all he said before kissing sloppily onto Erin's neck. Erin was panicking internally, she didn't know what to do. She was frozen by fear. Until, she decided to act. She pushed him with all her force. Though, to her surprise, it actually got him off momentarily.

Bryan was caught off guard, but quickly returned to Erin before she could have a chance to escape. Erin opened her mouth to get ready to call for help, but Bryan grabbed her by the throat.

"Your making so much noise. It's really fucking annoying." Bryan said as he began to pull down her dress. All she could do was cry and whimper. She felt like a part of her was being lost, right there and then.

Suddenly, the door swings open. Both Erin and Bryan look back and notice a guy walk in. He doesn't seem to notice what's going on until he steps in, and notices them as well.

Bryan then mumbles some swears under his breath.

The man takes only a second to process before walking over and forcefully pulling Bryan away from Erin.

"The fucks your problem d-" Byan gets decked in the face before he could finish his sentence. A trial of blood follows him as he lands on the ground. He is unconcious.

"You okay kid?" The man asks Erin. She then nods while trying to re adjust her dress. 

"I-I'm okay. W-why did you do that?" Erin asked.

"It pisses me off when dudes press themselves on girls." The man said in an almost monotone voice. "Listen, this party sucks ass, want to go out and get some ice cream?" Erin then nodded once more before following up alongside him. They make their way past the crowds, and then outside.

"So do you know where we are going?" Erin then asked while walking closely next to the man. "I have so many questions, like what's your name? Why were you at the party?" 

"Yes, I live next door. My name? Haru." He said while walking forward, without batting an eye to Erin. So far, he's only been a singular tone. He seems like a mystery to Erin, but it intrigued her. 

"That's cool!" Thats all she could respond with. She didn't really know what to say for almost the entire walk. It was practically silence til they approached the Ice Cream Shop. They joined the small line, and decided to conversate finally. 

"You know, I always thought this place had a weird name."  She looked up and awaited a response. Haru chuckled a little bit before responding. 

"Yeah, it does huh?" He said, again, sparing any sort of glance what so ever. Then, theh finally make it up to the front counter.

"Hello, what can I get you?" Asked the lady at the desk. She looked about in her mid 20's. 

"Just a Vanilla cone." Responded Haru. He then looked down at Erin, prompting her to respond. 

"Yeah, uh, I'd like a strawberry cone with sprinkles, and gummies!" Erin then smiled. "Please."

"Do you really think I have that kind of money!?" He then groaned in an irritated tone. He then read Erin's body language. She went from excitment to anxious in almost a snap. He then sighed, and pulled out his wallet and paid for it. "Fine, that's fine." 

"You didn't have to do that Ha-" He then interrupted her. 

"Its fine alright, now shut up before I change my mind."  He then began to observe the lady make their orders. Erin was confused. So far he has sort of a rude tone, but he is doing all this kind stuff for her. She found it kind of flattering. 

Once they had their ice-creams, they found a seat and sat down across from each other. Similar to the walk there, they were silent for a while, until Haru broke the silence. 

"So, why was a girl like you at a party like that?" 

"I was invited by Crystal." 

"Crystal. She may be pretty now, but all that won't matter once your six feet under ground."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Did I stutter? All the glam isn't going to mean shit when she's fucking dead. Not her body anyways."

Erin wanted to know more about his relationship with her. Though, his answers were so direct, it intimidated her. She ate her rice cream silently, while observing Haru, curiously.

Haru then extended his arm over to Erin's hand. He firmly grabs it and makes eye contact with Erin.

"A girl like you would make a nice wife." Haru said as he grinned a little. Erin blushed at the compliment.

"Really? Me? You think I would?"

"Yeah. Really." All of a sudden, he shifted from a cold and intimidating man, to someone soft. Erin didn't mind though, he was comforting to her.

Finally, they were able to strike up a good conversation. Despite it being pretty lengthy, all she found out about him was what school he went to, and what he was looking into Anthropology.

11:56 PM

Eventually, Erin's parents picked her up from the Ice Cream Shop. Even though it was pretty late, her mother's were happy she was getting the chance to get out and live a little. During the car ride, Erim wanted to discuss the events that happened. But was too afraid to. She felt as if, it would make them afraid and upset. Therefore she dismissed it, and left it all simply as, she met a new friend.

Once she got home, she rushed quietly up to her bedroom. She slowly opened the doors, and to her surprise, Cameron was there. Not only that but she was still awake. Erin then ran over to her side of the room and hugged her tightly.

"Cam, I'm so sorry I missed you so much!" Erin began to cry tears of joy.

"Hey little stinker. I'm the one who should say sorry. I acted like a petty little baby. But, hey, I'm back.' Cam then grinned before hugging back Erin. They hugged for a moment before Erin changed into some pajamas.

~

"Hey, can I sleep with you tonight, please?" Erin anxiously asked Cam.

"Yeah, why the hell not." Cam then scooted over. Erin the hopped in right next to her. Not to soon after, they both fall asleep.

Erin may have some skeletons in her closet, but she is glad she's able to come home to her safe space, and that's with Cam. She almost completely dismissed all the earlier events, just from being with her. Though, little did Erin know. This was only the beginning of her bump on the road.