Chapter 4

It’s Halloween and the day of the Halloween party. I asked the twins if they would like some help setting up for the party yesterday when I called in for my coffee. They were happy to accept my help with setup and I even threw in Chase and Sav to help us too. Sav was more than happy to help unlike Chase he grunted and showed his displeasure in doing something helpful for someone other than family while he’s on what he calls vacation.

The three of us arrived at The Crowes Nest four hours before the party is supposed to start. When we arrived, the girls were already attempting to hang up some bunting and cobwebs. Chase being the big, tall giant he is helped them with hanging the rest of the bunting and webs whilst Sav and I done the tables, DJ booth, drinking counter, and the windows. Before we knew it the place looked close enough to be a haunted house, the twins said this is the best the place has looked for Halloween. Sav and I are pleased with ourselves. We still go it with decorating and party planning after our winter formal.

We went back to my apartment so Sav and I can start getting ready. It won’t take Chase long to change. He’ll shower, style his hair, and get dressed in his Prince Charming costume and that will be him done. Unlike us girls, we need to shower, buff, and polish everywhere we can on our bodies, dry and style our hair, do our makeup, change, and add our accessories. It takes us about an hour and a half before we are remotely ready to go. 

While Sav and I were getting ready I received a text message from Garrett telling me to pack an overnight bag and bring it with me to the party as I am spending the night at his place so he can ravish my body the way it deserves without my brother overhearing what he plans to do to his sister. Feeling my face flush after reading his text a few times, Sav looked over my shoulder and read the text. I felt the gasp of her breath as she went looking for something. While I was putting the finishing touches to my hair, Sav is going through my closet and through my drawers and what looks like she is doing is packing my overnight bag for me. I turn to see what she is throwing into the bag for me, and I don’t see much except toiletries and some clothes for the morning. I don’t see any underwear though. I remind her to pack some as I only ever went commando with Greg, and he will be the only person I go commando for. But something is nagging me and I’m unsure if I am ready to give myself to Garrett as he wants.

Once Sav and I are finished getting ready we walk into my lounge to see Chase sat on my couch, with his feet up on my coffee table, football playing on the TV, texting someone on his phone, dressed in his Prince Charming whilst drinking one of my beers. I would kill him if I could, but I would miss the goon too much. Just wished he asked if he could have one of my beers. He doesn’t notice us enter the room until I make a sound to get his attention.

When he finally turned around and notices our presence the first thing he does is stand and gushes over how beautiful and sexy Sav looks in her shortened Cinderella dress with a pale blue Converse wedged shoe, black neck choker, with her hair up in a messy bun look with a black headband nested inside the bun, and her makeup is a gentle coating of blended blue and silver eyeshadow, a coat of mascara with a thin brush of eyeliner, a beautiful shade of pink blusher called Passion of the Rose, and a similar matching colored lip in a shade darker than the blusher. She is a smoking-hot modern version of the Disney Princess. But when he finally looks at me different story. I’m wearing the jersey of Garrett’s sponsor provided us with his name and the number 114 printed on the back, a pair of black, four-inch, knee-high boots, a pair of goggles I am using as a necklace instead of eyewear, my hair is tied back in a fancy Dutch braid, with very basic makeup on. I done a skin-tone nude eyeshadow, mascara, my daily shade of blush, and a raspberry shade of lip gloss.

“What the fuck are you wearing Jen? Are you seriously considering wearing something like that to a Halloween costume party with a guy you hardly know? And don’t get me started with what it is you’re wearing. Does Garrett know about Greg and motocross riding?” Okay, what is with the third degree from him? I never gave him this much shit when he started dating Candace so why is he giving it to me now?

“First of all, chill the fuck out, will you? Yes, I am fully aware of what I am wearing. We couldn’t find anything in the store that we liked or didn’t clash with you two,” I say waving my hand in their direction to what they are wearing. “Garrett arranged all of this very short notice, so the least I can do is make an effort for a guy who is trying to impress me is wear what he suggested. No, he doesn’t know about my history with Greg, all he knows and needs to know is an old friend of mine rides. I never told him who and it’s gonna stay that way. Do you hear me?” Pointing at Chase so he knows not to say anything and if he does, I will hurt him. I may be a minute and a half younger than him, but I can scare the living shit out of my brother if needed.

“I hear ya Jen, you won’t hear me say anything to anyone as that is your story to tell not mine.” He looks down and spots my overnight bag on the floor by Sav’s feet, then looks back at me pointing at my bag, “Jen? What’s with the overnight bag? Where are you going tonight?”

“Geez who the fuck do you think you are Chase? My father?” I shout at him. This is the last thing I need right now is an argument with my twin brother. I start to head towards my bathroom to give us some space from each other as I walk past him, I deliberately bump into his side letting him know how pissed off I am with him, and he has no right to treat me like a child with all these questions.

Walking down my tiny hallway to get to the bathroom I hear Chase shout down behind me saying “I’m your twin brother Jen I may not be Dad but right now I’m the closest thing to him.” He is right as always. Yes, he is not my dad but right now he is the closest thing to him I have with our dad being back home in California. I slam the bathroom door behind me and lean over the sink, looking at my reflection, and taking some calming, deep breaths before I go back out there. When I felt calm enough to go back out and face my brother, I hear a knock on the door. “Jen it’s me,” Sav says from the other side of the door. “Listen you have every right to be pissed with Chase it was wrong of him to act out the way he did, but he was coming from a good place though girl, just look how Greg broke things off with you two years ago, Chase just doesn’t want history to repeat itself.” I guess she’s right there. “Take your time calming down and when you’re ready to come out we will still be here, and we will support you in every way you want us to. Because that’s what family does for each other.”

It goes quiet signaling that Sav has walked back to be with my brother. I think about everything that happened between me and Chase and what Sav just said, and I know deep down Sav spoke the truth. Chase was wrong to act out the way he did. But my breakup with Greg was two years ago. So why is he still acting overprotective about it now? I’m not the same girl back then as to how I am now. I am a lot stronger and more determined not to be treated like that again and Chase needs to have faith in me that I may still and always will be his little sister, but I am now my own woman and can and will make my own decisions.

Stepping out of the bathroom I check my cell for the time and to see if I have missed any messages from anybody to see that luckily, we still had plenty of time and I had no messages from anyone. Not even from Garrett. I take one last deep, calming breath before coming face-to-face with Chase so we can both apologize to each other. I walk back into my living space to see no Savannah but Chase pacing back and forth with his head down and hands in his pockets. After pacing a little longer, he looks up and spots me standing there watching him. He then rushes over to me almost tackling me into a hug only a brother could give to his sister. Speaking in unison, just like we used to and started doing again senior year in high school we said to each other “I’m sorry.” We stood there hugging each other talking and explaining everything, for it to end out that we both feel just as guilty as the other for how it escalated.

Just as everything calmed down my phone started ringing. It was Garrett. I answered the phone, and Garrett told me he was a few minutes away from my place. Even though we previously discussed about meeting there because I have my brother in town, I guess him wanting me to spend the night at his place gave him other ideas. I said to him I’ll wait for him outside so when he gets here, we can drive off. He agreed and said he can’t wait to see how I look in his gear just before he hung up the phone.

Telling Chase of the new plan after my phone call he said he and Sav would follow behind us, so he knows that I got to the party safely and not been kidnapped and took somewhere else. Sav chose then to come back into the room holding a small box. What is inside that small box? It’s not until she unzips my bag and throws the box inside that I see what the small box is. Condoms. Why has she put condoms in my bag? Surely Garrett would have a big stock of them if he is planning on going through with what he said.

Chase looked a little disturbed witnessing that and he asked Sav where she got them from. How did she find them? And why was she giving me an entire box of fifteen condoms? Sav said the honest truth to him that made him turn almost green to vomit. “Would you rather she has them as a just in case or accidentally catch something or get pregnant?” I don’t think Chase wants to think that his sister is a sexually active woman, I think he still hopes that I’m a virgin. But as far as he needs to know it’s none of his business. I lost my virginity to Greg during Spring Break senior year in high school, but he doesn’t need to know that. Nor should I know when he lost him to Candace, but I do, and again when he first had sex with Sav. Which was prom night.

With my overnight bag finally ready the three of us waited outside for Garrett to pull up. While we waited Chase took some pictures of me and Sav together outside, I took some of them together in their matching costumes, and Sav took some of me and Chase together. Just as Sav finishes taking some pictures of as she called us ‘The Lockwood Twins’ Garrett pulled up. Seeing what we were doing he asked if he could have some pictures of me and him to send to his sponsors for some sort of marketing. It then took another twenty minutes before the four of us were in our vehicles heading towards The Crowes Nest for tonight’s Halloween party.