Episode 20 (7.2)
November 18, 2008 02:46 PM
* * *
Levon’s Beans was lit with dark orange lights, with some black lights shining on the walls. Cobwebs and other decorations hung from the ceiling, covered the walls, and the windows. Costumed guests mulled about, enjoying themselves and drinking goblets of punch. A stage has been set up in the back corner of the coffee shop; a black curtain hung over the back, behind which was a table with various trophies and awards for the annual costume contest.
Lynne Hathaway sat at the doorway, taking money from the customers as they arrived. She handed out ticket after ticket, the chance for an individual to win one of the many prizes the family had put together. Charlie, dressed as Lurch, continued to silently open the door as each customer arrived.
Carleen and Levy Hathaway, dressed as the Frankenstein couple, worked the room, trying to strike up a small conversation with every attendee. Levy’s hand rested against the small of Carleen’s back and she smiled softly at that comfort.
Isabel and Julio, dressed as a French 18th century, royal couple, stepped inside; Isabel opened an elegant fan and waved it in front of her face as they moved into the party.
The Brady’s arrived, a vibrant Shelly, dressed as the Fourth of July, leading her family; Nicki, as a sexy Santa, took in the sights of the room. Jackson, wearing his bunny outfit and carrying his basket, scowled, while Edmund, looking like John Fawkes, came last. When nobody was looking, he took a small swig from a flask and then returned it into his pocket.
Alicia, dressed as a genie, carried trays of food from the back for serving. She stopped short when she saw her brothers and mother standing in the doorway. Jillian, dressed as sexy Dorothy Gale, paused when she saw her daughter’s much more revealing outfit. Jason “Harry Potter” and Allan the “Marine” also appeared to be slightly surprised by their sister’s costume choice. Jillian made a move towards her daughter, but stopped short when Misha, wearing the same costume as her, walked past. The two women did a double take of one another, while Alicia took this as her cue to slip away, wishing she could melt into the walls.
Lee, wearing his Luigi outfit, emerged from the back kitchen; he held the door open for Regina, dressed as Princess Toadstool, to follow. Carleen, seeing her son, ran over and embraced him; As Lee introduced her to Regina, she smiled brightly.
Tyke Diore, dressed as “Alex” from A Clockwork Orange, made an unsuccessful pass at two young women; they rolled their eyes and moved away. Undaunted, Tyke walked up to Keira Prescott, dressed as a nun; Keira did her best to try and get around him, ignoring the signs of Tyke trying to strike up a conversation. She finally turned around and slipped away into the crowd. Abby, grinning, walked by and gave her brother a supportive squeeze on his shoulder.
Molly and Shane entered, dressed as Hester Prynne and Al Capone, followed swiftly behind by the masked duo of Tori and Timothy. Tori hung back as Tim walked up to Lynne and paid their entrance free. The two nodded at one another, then broke apart, each looking for their “date”.
* * *
Carleen sat behind a table with a signup sheet for the costume contest. Couples were walking forward and signing their names, then moving to the side so Charlie could take a polaroid of them in costume. Isabel and Julio stepped forward.
“Isabel McCaulley and Julio Martes.” Carleen sat back in her seat, obviously impressed by Isabel’s costume.
“Isabel, you look amazing.”
Isabel hid behind her fan, coyly, “Why, thank you.” Julio gently led her over to Charlie to get their picture taken.
Jillian and Misha both walked up next. Each tried to say her name, but they did so at the same time so it came out sounding like “Jillsha.” Carleen watched them with amusement.
Shelly walked up next, followed by her family, each looking slightly less enthused than their mother. “Hello Carleen.”
“Shelly, I love the costumes.”
“Thank you, I made them myself,” Shelly added with pride. “We’re entering as the Brady family.”
“I think you have a pretty strong chance of winning this year.”
“Really!” Shelly squealed with delight, which made Jackson and Nicki wince. Edmund looked around the room, bored with the entire proceeding. As they walked to get their pictures taken, Levy sat down beside his wife. He handed her a plate of lasagna and a cup of tea.
“Figured that you might be a little hungry.”
“You’re a doll,” She kissed him gently on the cheek, leaving behind a lipstick stain on his green paint. She laughed and gently tried to wipe it away, only smudging it a little more. Watching the two interact from afar was Tori, her features stone, arms crossed, eyes hidden behind her white phantom mask.
* * *
“Alicia?” Alicia glanced up from the punch table, where she’d just put down cups. Keira stood there, looking uncomfortable and nervous. Alicia smiled, wearily, her mind racing back to the accidental kiss Shane had planted on her recently.
“Hey Keira.”
“I,” Keira was looking at her costume and Alicia once more felt like dying, “wasn’t expecting to see you wear something like that. Didn’t you say you were going to be a ghost?”
“Yeah, well, last minute change and all,” Alicia forced a weak smile. The two girls stood there, awkwardly.
“I’ve never come to this party before. My parents aren’t really big on the whole Halloween thing.”
“Because of their religion?” Alicia asked.
“No, because of the candy.” Keira explained, “They are both dentists.”
“So what made you decide to come out this year?”
“I was hoping that I might see someone.” As if on cue, Shane slid up to the punch table, not noticing the two young ladies standing there. He glanced up and saw Alicia first and looked a little panicked; he then caught sight of Keira and grew even more uncomfortable.
“Oh, er, Molly needs a drink.” Shane flew off, nearly knocking two young children unto the ground.
Alicia, ignoring her own annoyance, saw that Keira had tears in her eyes. “Oh, hey, don’t worry about that. He’s just being an-” Keira had already raced off, “idiot.” Alicia sighed and walked off to find Lynne to see what she should do next.
* * *
Tyke sat down next to Regina. “So Princess, huh? I know a little castle that we could go escape to.” Regina glanced at Tyke, not really sure if he was being entirely serious. Tyke leaned back in his chair, stretching an arm behind hers. He smiled confidently at her, but he was coming off more ridiculous than charming. “So how about we go test out some of our fire power? I don’t see Mario anywhere around.”
Regina struggled to contain her laugh, “Actually, I’m here tonight with Luigi.” She pointed to Lee, who’d just returned with two plates full of food. Tucker rolled his eyes and got up from his chair, stalking off to find another conquest. Lee sat down by Regina and handed her a plate.
“What was that about?”
Regina shrugged, “I honestly don’t have any idea.”
* * *
Timothy yanked his sister aside; she pulled free from his grasp and straightened out the suit that’d he mussed up with his grab. She hissed, “What?”
“This is a total bust,” Timothy’s eyes were looking around the room. “I haven’t been able to find Isabel at all. Worse, her idiot brother got into a conversation with me while we were standing at the bathroom. I had to pantamine my answers like an idiot.”
“I haven’t had much success either.” She glanced over at the table where Lee continued to sit with Carleen. “Maybe we should just go.”
Timothy, however, had stopped paying attention to his sister. Sliding by them was Isabel, momentarily without Julio. Watching her slide by, Tim felt like he could have fallen in love with her once more.
“Tim? Tim? Timothy Rickler?!” Tori pinched her brother, who turned to her dazed. “Did you hear me? I said that maybe we shou--”
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Tim walked into the crowd, trailing after Isabel, leaving Tori standing there, fuming.
* * *
Lynne ignored Tyke as he trailed behind her, showering her with inane compliments. Tyke stopped short when he noticed Molly, letting Lynne escape. “Scarlet Letter? Nice. So does that mean you’re down with the Adultery.”
Molly rolled her eyes, “Wow.”
“What, baby?”
“Are you serious? I’ve watched you move around this room the entire night. I’ll give you credit, I’m amazed at how many sad lines you were able to come up while unsuccessfully hitting on every single girl here.”
Tyke smirked, attracted to Molly’s directness. “I was trying to keep in theme with the Holidays.”
“Admirable, I suppose.”
“So what lines should I try? Specifically, which ones would work best on you?”
Molly leaned in closer, “You really want to know?”
Tyke’s eyes widened, “Well, yeah.”
Molly stood back, “Drop the lines and learn how to talk to a girl like a human being. When you’re not acting like a total tool you might find some better luck with the ladies.” With that she turned and left Tyke staring after her.
* * *
Abby stumbled forward as someone from behind bumped into her. She managed to recover her drink before it spilled unto Jillian. Edmund coughed up an apology, his accent suddenly more noticeable, and then stumbled off into the crowd. In his wake was Shelly, her mask of happiness starting to fade slightly.
“I’m sorry Abigail, Edmund’s . . . a little tired. He was going to stay home tonight, but he said he understood how much this meant to me.” Shelly apologized to the two women, while her eyes continued to follow her husband.
“Tired?” Jillian gave Abby a knowing look.
“Yes, he’s been working so much lately and then, with that whole ordeal the boys went through.” Jillian and Abigail nodded. “I’m surprised he’s able to stand tonight, but no harm done, right?”
“No, I’m fine, bu-” Jillian stopped Abby from talking with a look.
“Good, Good, well I’ll see you two later.” Shelly quickly raced after her husband.
“Tired?” Abigail glanced at Jillian, “More like completely drunk. Please tell me she’s not completely clueless?”
“I think that’s more like denial.” Jillian bit her lip, showing slight concern. “But what can you do?” They cringed as Shelly extract Edmund from a conversation with one of the costumed dummies.
* * *
Jason carried over a drink to Lynne. “Here, you look like you might need this.” Lynne took the punch and a sip, then cringed.
“What’s in this?” She held up the drink to the dim light, looking into it.
“Eh, whatever Allan smuggled in under his coat.” Jason rose his glass, “Cheers, lady, you’re throwing a pretty good party.”
Lynne sighed, “Well at least you’re able to enjoy it.”
“Not enjoying your role of the hostess, huh?”
“Yea, not so much.” Lynne glanced at her watch. “Crap.”
“What?”
“Costume Contest. You have any desire to help line up a group of children?”
“Lynne, we’ve been friends for years,” Jason glanced as parents, cognizcient of the time, began to round up their sugar-fueled children, “but that’s a bullet I’m not willing to bite. Good luck.” He winked and walked away, while Lynne sighed and resigned herself to her fate.
* * *
Nicki, Jackson and Allan had staked out a corner for themselves. Shelly rushed over to them, urgently. “We have to go!”
Jackson and Nicki shot up in alarm, “What’s wrong? Is it Dad?”
“No, It’s the costume contest!” Jackson groaned, audibly, but Shelly ignored her son. “We have to line up, come on, let’s move!” She grabbed her son’s hand and looked at her daughter impatiently.
“I’ll be there, Mom, let me finish this.” Nicki held up her soda. “You two hop along.”
Allan and Nicki burst out laughing as Shelly led away her son. Jackson shot them both the bird, which only led to increased laughter. Nicki found herself leaning against Allan, who placed an arm around her shoulder to steady her. Against him, she began to calm down, and grow quieter. They stayed there, for a moment, eyes trailing to one another’s. Nicki was leaning forward when Edmund stumbled past them. “Gotta go, mom’s waiting.” Nicki broke away from Allan, then glanced at her father with concern.
“I uh,” Nicki motioned to the direction of her departing father.
“Later,” Allan nodded.
“Yeah,” She walked off, wistfully glancing behind her.
* * *
The participants had gathered around the stage. Lynne stood in front announcing to the crowd the participants in the contest; they would then emerge through the curtain and do a little show for the other customers. Polite applause and cheering would meet each. The Brady emerged, Edmund being supported by his son and daughter. They smiled weakly at the crowd, more worried about the evident drunkness of their father. Shelly seemed oblivious, soaking in the applause as if they’d been it’s only recipients.
Jillian and Misha both emerged together, each displaying their costume and then trying to one up one another on stage. Jillian finally got the upper hand when she bumped into Misha and sent her sprawling into the crowd. Misha stumbled up and struck a pose, but it was Jillian who triumphantly remained on stage.
Isabel and Julio emerged and did a twirl. The applause was the strongest for this couple, with Isabel’s costume dazzling all those present.
* * *
Jason stepped out of the bathroom and stopped short. Darren, dressed as a chippendale waiter, stood before him. Jason’s eyes trailed down his naked body, taking in the sight of his coworker’s muscles and tan. He flashed back to their encounter in the staff room, where for a moment there seemed to be a mutual attraction; then Darren had freaked out later that day. Thinking he was reading into things, Jason thought about leaving things be, but Darren caught sight of him. He waved at Jason, who reluctantly walked over.
“Hey man, didn’t know you’d be here tonight.” Darren seemed genuinely happy to see him.
“Yea, my family and I come every year. Best friends with the owners and what not.” Jason tried to keep his focus on Darren’s face and not the body he was finding so attractive. “What made you come out tonight?”
“My girlfriend.” Darren seemed to remember who she was and half-heartidly looked around for her. “She’s into the whole Halloween thing. I wasn’t really into it though,” Darren shrugged, “A few too many students are roaming around.”
Jason smirked, “I think that’s one of the hazards of living in the same town as the high school you work in. Bound to run into students every now and then.”
“True,” Darren smiled and it seemed like their encounter the day before was completely forgotten. A young woman slinked up to the two and put her arm around Darren’s. She was skinny and pretty, dressed as a nurse. Her blonde hair was tied back behind her head head and she had a dark, commercial tan. She looked Jason over, obviously judging him. “Oh hey sweetheart!” Darren leaned over and kissed her openly on the lips; Jason looked away, uncomfortably.
She broke off, “Who’s this?”
“Oh, this is Jason. He works with me at the High School. Jason, this is my Samantha.”
Jason held out his hand, which she halfheartidly shook. “Pleasure,” though it didn’t sound like she meant it.
“Yea, same.” Jason felt like making some effort, so he asked, “What do you do for a living?”
“I work as a financial agent.” She smiled up at Darren, “I need to make money so that Darren can go play with the kids.” Darren smiled, but it was an uncomfortable smile. Jason rose a brow.
“Well, luckily eventually you’ll make some dough in a few years. Like twenty.” He joked.
Samantha didn’t break a smile. “Honey, I’m really thirsty, let’s go get something to drink.”
“Yeah, sure, uh, see ya later Jay.”
“Yeah.” Jason tried again with Samantha, “It was nice meeting you.”
“Uh huh,” was all she offered as she led her boyfriend away.
* * *
Isabel stood behind the stage, adjusting her outfit. They waited for the “judges”, Carleen, the mayor, Levy and two others, to make a final decision about the winners in the contest. Isabel felt a tug on her arm and turned around, expecting to find a child who needed help. Instead she saw a tuxedoed man in a white mask.
“Could I help you?”
“Actually, yes.” She recognized the voice before her took off his mask. Tim smiled, that bright, big-toothed smile; “You look beautiful.”
Isabel began to sweat and the pain she’d only recently felt came rushing back to her. “What-What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you for a few days now, actually. Iz, I came back for yo-”
Tim was cut off by the announcement of Isabel’s name. Shelly grabbed her arm and rushed her towards the stage. Julio stood behind the curtain waiting for her, smiling; Isabel returned his smile weakly and looked at her curiously. She brushed it off and emerged from the curtain. People were clapping and cheering, but she couldn’t focus on anyone. It felt like the room was spinning. She saw Jason, Allan, Molly, her mother and then she focused on one face, staring up at her. Julio was tugging her arm, trying to get her attention, but all she saw was Tim.
Isabel turned and bolted from the stage, pushing through the crowd, and scrambling for an exit. Julio called after her, but she ignored him, everyone; she just wanted to escape.
Posted at 11/18/2008 by beck | Comments? (1)