"Jesus, I didn't think this day would end," Danny yawned, perking up immediately when he saw his house come into sight. "I'm sure that Mr Richards was a drill sergeant at some point in his life."
"That would explain why his face always turns red whenever someone so much as smiles in his presence," Peter pulled up to the curb, leaning down to get a better look at the silhouette in the upstairs window, very aware of who the shapely shadow belonged to. "I'm amazed that the vein bulging in his neck hasn't detonated yet, that thing is big enough to have a mind of its own."
"All we need to do is stick it out for a few more months, then we'll never have to listen to another one of his tirades," Danny replied, stretching back to grab his backpack from the rear seat.
"Except in our nightmares, that's one voice you'll never get out of your head," Peter shuddered. "You still sure about not coming tonight? Mark Kelman swears that he has a bulletproof ID, he's going to try it out tonight to see if he can get his hands on a keg of beer. This Halloween is going to be one of the best yet."
"Mark Kelman also once said that he had permission to drive his dad's vintage Cadillac to school," Danny countered with a smirk, one that Peter imitated. "Remember how that ended?"
"I don't think he ever lived down seeing his dad's pride and joy getting lifted by a tow truck in the school parking lot."
"Which is exactly why I don't want to be anywhere near the situation he's going to create when shit inevitably hits the fan," Danny pulled the door handle and climbed out, shouldering his backpack as he turned to his friend. "Thanks for the ride. I don't have a clue what happened to Samantha."
"Something tells me that it might have something to do with that Halloween ball Rebecca Carlisle is throwing at her parents' mansion. You seriously need to talk your folks into getting you your own car, I don't get why they'd get one for Samantha and not for you," Peter said, messing with the dials on his radio. "And speaking of your sister, tell her that I said 'hi'."
"I will, but I don't know why you bother sniffing around her. Samantha always has her eyes on the jocks, she's a sucker for a letterman jacket."
"I can only live in hope, my friend. See you tomorrow," Peter waved, pulling away from the curb. "Don't eat too much candy, you'll be bouncing off the walls all night."
"I'll try," Danny laughed.
Danny waited for the car to turn the corner before he headed up the path splitting his front yard in half. A scent of freshly cut grass lingered in the air, a sign that his father had taken advantage of the brief window of good weather to mow the lawn one final time before winter kicked in. The flowers and roses lining the length of the soil bed running along the front porch were beginning to wilt and shed their petals, forming a kaleidoscope of colors that stood out against the white painted wooden slats. Danny's parents had always taken pride in the appearance of their home, spending countless hours scanning the yard for any signs of weed growth and potential infestations. With the local homeowners' association constantly prowling the streets in search of the mildest of imperfections, Danny's parents' vigilance never wavered.
Jumping up the steps, Danny pushed the front door open and kicked his sneakers off, cautious about tracking dirt and mud on the carpet. Dropping his bag, Danny moved down the hall and opened the door leading to the garage, frowning when he found his twin sister's car still parked up. Intent on finding out why she had neglected to pick him up. Stalking into the kitchen, Danny found his parents rushing around to gather up their belongings, both with stern expressions plastered on their faces.
"Er, what's going on?" Danny sidestepped his mom when she brushed by to retrieve her purse and phone, throwing on a grey blazer on that she only wore for the most serious of occasions. "Did someone die or something?"
"I wish," his father replied, plucking his car keys from the glass bowl beside the microwave. "Cara got pulled into the principal's office again."
"Ah," was the only reply Danny needed to give. His younger sister had always been somewhat of a menace, both at home and at school. Nothing she did ever bordered on being malicious or harmful, but her inquisitive mind had a habit of getting her into trouble whenever something became the focus of its attention. "What did she do now? Not another one of her science experiments?"
"Cara and a couple of her friends decided to test out a theory of hers involving chemical concoctions," his father explained. "I didn't understand most of the jargon her teacher spouted off over the phone, but what I do know is that your younger sister somehow managed to fill her chemistry classroom with chlorine gas."
"I know I should be shocked by that. But if I'm being honest, we all kind of knew that this sort of thing was inevitable with Cara," Danny said, far more amused by the situation than his frantic parents were. Before they set off to face a likely apocalyptic principal, Danny took his chance to change the subject. "By the way, does anyone know what happened to Samantha? I had to hitch a ride with Peter."
"I'm sorry, honey. If it hadn't been for Cara's little chemical weapon I would have come to pick you up myself," his mom gave him an apologetic look, huffing as her eyes flicked in the direction of the bedroom directly above the kitchen. "One of Samantha's friends is throwing a big fancy dress party tonight, Rebecca I think."
"I heard about that," Danny replied, grimacing at the mention of Rebecca 'Becky' Carlisle.
Her family owned the largest chain of grocery stores in the state, and she was never shy about showing off her family's wealth whenever she could. Danny knew his parents disapproved of Samantha's friendship with Becky, having heard enough about her numerous expulsions from prestigious private schools for her party-girl lifestyle to know she was a bad influence on those around her. Becky made sure to only associate herself with the girls around school who were attractive, outgoing, and lacking inhibitions, categories that Samantha slotted into perfectly. Within weeks of arriving at school, Becky had turned the cheer squad into her own personal cabal of sycophants, having risen to the rank of head cheerleader under suspicious circumstances.
Wanting to impress her new and incredibly influential friend, Samantha's entire demeanor had undergone a metamorphosis in a relatively short amount of time. She had become more outgoing, especially when it came to how she dressed. Before Becky's arrival, Samantha's wardrobe consisted of trendy -- but relatively conservative -- clothes that weren't particularly much to look at. Rarely did she ever wear anything that could be deemed revealing, with her preferences swinging more towards sweaters and modest skirts, outfits that did nothing to flatter her figure.
But within weeks of entering Becky's inner circle, Samantha purged her wardrobe of anything that appeared out of step with her new friend's tastes. Skirts shortened, tops gradually became more form-fitting, Samantha even swapped her sneakers and sensible ballet flats for heels of ever increasing heights. Danny wasn't the least bit surprised by how mortified his parents were whenever she wandered into the kitchen in the morning, her increasingly provocative ensembles were certainly selected on the basis of testing the limits of what she could get away with.
As horrified as his father was by the sight of his scantily-clad daughter, Danny quietly developed a newfound fascination for his twin. It was only when she made the drastic change to her appearance that Danny was able to appreciate the figure that had been hidden behind baggy layers for so long. Danny was aware of the inherent wrongness of allowing his gaze to turn to Samantha, tracing the curves of her slender form when he was confident that no-one would catch him doing so. But he couldn't help himself, not when Samantha was intent on competing with her friends for Becky's affection.
"Rebecca sent all the girls a different costume to wear to the party. We haven't seen what she expects Samantha to come dressed as, your sister hasn't left her room since she got home. Honestly, I'd prefer not to know what she's wearing," Danny's mom shook her head. "I don't know what Samantha sees in that girl. Seriously, how can someone with her parent's level of influence and financial backing get herself kicked out of schools that cost well over ten-thousand dollars a term?"
"It's certainly a mystery," Danny lied, deciding the real answer was better left unsaid.
During a trip to the girls' locker room, sent at the behest of the coach of the football team to find out why the cheerleaders were running late during the pre-game build-up, Danny arrived just in time to overhear a story Becky told the others. It concerned her proudly boasting about using her feminine wiles on the head of the English department at her previous school, whose wife happened to stumble upon him spraying a frothy load down Becky's throat. Predictably, the school set to work covering things up to prevent a reputation-tarnishing scandal from reaching the media, which happened to involve the exchange of funds to keep certain individuals quiet and the removal of the cause of the incident; Becky.
"Whatever the reason was, I know it can't be good. If her parents couldn't get away with a bribe, then it can only mean that she really kicked up a storm," his mom stated, swearing under her breath when she heard her phone ringing. "That'll be the principal."
"Impatient bastard," Danny's father muttered, earning an elbow from his wife. "Ah, sorry. Slip of tongue."
"He is a bastard," Danny whispered conspiratorially once his mom was out of earshot, sharing a smirk with his father. "He runs that school like his own personal military camp."
"We'll have to make a move now, I just know the traffic is going to be a nightmare," Danny's mom announced, opening up the fridge doors to show Danny the foil-covered plate resting on the top shelf, along with two bowls of candy resting on the nearby countertop. "I don't know how long we're going to be gone for, and I have this sinking feeling that it's gonna be a long while. So I put together a quick meal for you if we don't make it back before dinner. It's nothing too special, all you'll need to do is put it in the microwave for ten minutes and you're good to go. And make sure to feed the trick-or-treaters, I'm still finding egg shells around the front yard after last year's incident."
