All Hallow's Eve: The One Day It's BAD to Be Good by Carolyn McCray Read Free Book Online Page B

in-between?”
    Tears sprang to Cecilia’s eyes before she even realized that she felt sad. But she did feel sad. Sad that no, she didn’t think there was anywhere in-between. She needed to get home, find out where Jeremy was, and probably go to the store to get her mom some ginger ale and aspirin.
    But Francesca seemed equally unwilling to let it go. “When’s the last time you dressed up for Halloween?”
    Cecilia was barely keeping the tears at bay when Michael caught up with them.
    “You guys talking about the All Hallow’s Eve concert?”
    Luckily, Helen was more than happy to answer Michael as Cecilia tried to stop her tears. She stifled a sniffle as Helen gushed.
    “Oh, yeah! We’re trying to figure out how to snag some passes!”
    “Well…” Michael said, uncharacteristically slowly. “I just happen to have a cousin who knows a cousin of Diana Dahmer’s.”
    Cecilia feared that Helen was going to have a coronary right then and there. “Oh, my Gawd! You are kidding! You’ve got to be kidding!”
    “No, I would never kid about something so awesome.”
    Helen grabbed Michael’s arm with both hands. “Tell him I will sacrifice small stuffed animals to curry his favor.”
    As the group continued through the parking lot, Michael gently extracted himself from Helen.
    “That won’t be necessary.” He looked over at Cecilia. “However, I do have six tickets burning a hole in my pocket.”
    Even Francesca was beside herself. “Oh, we’ll be your bestest of friends!”
    “So, are you girls interested in going?”
    “Yes!” Helen and Francesca yelled.
    Horrified, Cecilia countered, “No!”
    Michael frowned, but Helen threw her arm over Cecilia’s shoulder and pulled her in tightly. “Don’t you worry, Michael. We’ll get her to come around.”
    Normally, Cecilia appreciated Helen’s jubilance. It helped to counteract Cecilia’s distinct lack of jubilance. However, in this her friend had gone too far.
    “Well, I certainly hope you can,” Michael responded.
    Abruptly, Cecilia removed Helen’s arm from her shoulder and said, “Don’t hold your breath, or anything else that might give you a headache while waiting.” She knew that she had been too harsh, but all Cecilia wanted to do was get out of there and get home.
    “See you tomorrow,” she said, slightly less angered, and headed off.
    “Hold on,” Michael said as he trotted up next to her. “How about I drive everyone home?”
    Helen and Francesca clapped their hands with joy. They really were easy to please.
    “I really need to find Jeremy and walk home with him.”
    Helen rolled her eyes rather theatrically. “ Please! He hasn’t shown up to walk with you since elementary school.”
    Cecilia was about to argue when John drove up in his convertible. “How about a ride home?”
    What was it with John? She thought he had accepted her thousandth “no.” But looking over at the dark-haired Michael, Cecilia was pretty sure what had stoked John’s renewed enthusiasm. Jealousy.
    While she really did not want a ride home with Michael, the thought of walking home and having John trail her the whole time kind of spooked Cecilia in a way it never had. John’s earlier outburst had lingered throughout the day.
    With all the stress at home, she really did not need any more now.
    To everyone’s surprise, and particularly her own, Cecilia said to John, “Sorry, but Michael’s already offered.”
    There was the slightest delay, and then Helen and Francesca whooped.
    Cecilia was glad someone was happy about it.
     
    * * *
     
    As the car skidded around the corner, Paxton noticed that Ruth grabbed the door handle. At their speed, he wasn’t surprised. However, it seemed that her hand still shook. The aftermath of adrenaline from the near miss back at the bookstore. She hid it well, but not from him. He had felt her sigh of relief when the owner of the store had agreed not to lodge a complaint. Of course, Paxton doubted that the guy knew