Trick or Treat Read online

  Trick or Treat

  An On the Rebound Prequel Story

  L A Cotton

  Contents

  Trick or Treat

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Author

  Published by Delesty Books

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  eBook Edition

  Copyright © L A Cotton 2020

  All rights reserved.

  * * *

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

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  Edited by Andie M Long

  Images Licensed from Adobe and Shutterstock

  Calliope James would rather live life through a lens than in the spotlight.

  * * *

  So when she reluctantly agrees to go with her best friend to a party, she doesn’t expect to find herself on the other side of the camera.

  * * *

  Zachary Messiah left Bay View High School without so much as a word.

  * * *

  Now he’s back.

  * * *

  He’s not the boy she remembers, but she’s exactly the girl he’s tried so hard to forget.

  * * *

  They should stay away from each other.

  * * *

  But it’s Devil’s Night ... and tonight, even good girls might be tempted to the dark side.

  “Oh my god.” Madison leaped in front of me as I filed out of class. “Guess what I heard?”

  “They found out the Earth is, in fact, flat?”

  “Nope.” She grinned, taking a big suck on her cherry sucker. “Guess again.”

  “Tupac isn’t dead?”

  “Wrong.”

  I tapped my lip for effect. “Tilly Myers is actually a virgin and didn’t sleep with half of the football team over the summer?”

  Madison snorted at that. “We all know Tilly loves baller dick.”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  Football. Basketball. Volleyball. It didn’t matter. If a guy wore a jersey, he was fair game to the HBIC of Bay View High School.

  “Okay,” I played along. “I give up.”

  We stopped at my locker bank so I could trade some textbooks. It was already the end of October and senior year was kicking my ass. My GPA was good, but I still had to nail my application if I had any hopes of getting accepted into the program I had my heart set on.

  “Zach Messiah is in town this weekend and Amelia heard from Brendon who heard it from his mom, that he’s going to be at the Devil’s Night party.”

  I froze at the mention of his name, my heart plummeting as I sucked in a shaky breath. Luckily, I still had my head stuck in my locker so Madison couldn’t see my face. Because I knew it would betray me.

  “He is?” I composed myself, shutting the door. “That’s nice.”

  Her brow quirked up. “That’s nice? That’s all you have to say? Calli, come on. It’s Zach.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  Zachary Messiah was in my past, where he belonged. It didn’t matter that my heart beat a little harder or my body stirred to life at the mention of his name. It was just anger. The deep sense of betrayal I still felt over the boy who had promised me the world and then pulled the rug out from under me and watched me fall like it was nothing.

  Like I was nothing.

  So yeah, that’s all I had. As far I was concerned, Zach Messiah could rot in Hell.

  “I thought you might be more... I don’t know... intrigued?” She cast me a wary glance.

  “Zach hasn’t been a part of my life for almost two years.” Dammit. The fact I remembered that pissed me off.

  “I know.” Her expression softened. “I just thought... it doesn’t matter.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re still rooting for us?” God, she was such a hopeless romantic.

  “But you guys were so good together.”

  “Yeah, until he became Mr. Popular and decided to play with the cool kids.”

  Instead of the odd girl with a chip on her shoulder. The girl who preferred to take photos than star in them.

  I’d always had a strange fascination with photography, seeing life through a lens. Kids still teased me about it now. But not Zach. He’d said it made me interesting.

  He’d said our hopes and dreams and passions made us special.

  He’d said I was special.

  Until one day, I wasn’t.

  I still don’t know what happened. I was in tenth grade and Zach was a junior, and we had the entire world at our feet.

  And then everything changed.

  Just like that, Zach cast me aside like I was nothing, and he flourished while I sank into the shadows.

  Then junior year rolled around, and Zach and his family were gone.

  I’d later found out he’d earned enough credits to graduate early and had gone off to college to play ball.

  I hadn’t seen or heard from him since.

  Zachary Messiah was just another person in a long line of guys who had abandoned me.

  So no, I wasn’t intrigued that he would be at the annual Devil’s Night party.

  Not even a little bit.

  I never was a very good liar.

  “Oh look, it’s Clickope.” Tilly enunciated each syllable, smirking while her friends—aka, the Clones—snickered, as I walked past their table in the cafeteria.

  “That was lame when we were in eighth grade,” I said dryly. “Now it’s just pathetic.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” She clutched her chest and feigned surprise. “I have a whole plethora of insults; would you like to hear another?”

  “Plethora?” I quipped. “Has someone been reading the dictionary again?”

  “I know what plethora means, Calli.”

  “I’m sure you do, Tilly.”

  “You’re so fucking annoying. No wonder you don't have friends.”

  “You’re really pulling out all the big guns today, aren’t you?”

  “Whatever,” she mumbled before turning her attention to the Clones.

  I smiled to myself as I weaved my way through the tables to join the lunch line. There was a time when Tilly’s words would have hurt. But we weren’t thirteen anymore, and I’d finally realized that I would take being the slightly quirky, slightly weird camera-girl over being a vapid bitch any day.

  “There you are,” Madison caught up to me. “Did I see Tilly giving you crap again?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve grown to enjoy our verbal sparring sessions.” I added a pre-packed sandwich and an apple to my tray.

  “I won’t miss this.” Her nose screwed up as she surveyed the less than appetizing lunch options.

  “Seven months.” Not that I was counting.

  “And then freedom,” she said around a grin. “Although I still can’t believe you’re applying to SU.”

  “I’m not going to let my brother dictate where I can or can’t go to school. I’ve always wanted to study at Steinbeck.”

  They had an excellent photography and arts program, one of the best in the state.

  “I know,” Madison sighed, “but won’t it be weird, being on campus with Callum?”

  “He won’t even know I’m there.” Except for the odd strained phone conversation and obligatory birthday and happy holiday text message, my brother and I hadn’t s
poken in almost three years.

  Callum James was a baller.

  One of Steinbeck University’s rising stars.

  He lived with my dad in Steinbeck, and I lived with my mom here in Bay View.

  One family torn apart by secrets, betrayals… and basketball.

  It was better this way though. I could depend on Mom. She didn’t push me to be someone I wasn’t, and unlike Dad, she hadn’t spent my entire childhood comparing me to Callum.

  “I’ll stay in Bay View and drive back and forth for classes,” I added.

  SU was only a thirty-minute ride in traffic. I planned to stay at home freshman year and work part-time to save some cash for my own apartment.

  The divorce had been messy, and Mom worked hard enough as it was to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I already helped out at the camera store downtown on a weekend to contribute.

  “Are you sure that’s the right decision?” Madison followed me as we paid for our lunch and found an empty table. “You could get financial aid and live on campus.”

  “With all those other people?” I fake shuddered.

  “Not everyone is as bad as Tilly. Besides, it’s college, a chance to spread your wings and all that.”

  “I don’t want to spread my wings.” I air-quoted the words at her.

  “It’s college, Calli. Not the apocalypse. You’ll find your people there.”

  Because God only knew, I sure hadn’t found them here.

  “I have my people—you.” I grinned at her as I took a bite of my apple.

  “I’m glad you think so, because I...” She hesitated, guilt washing over her expression. “I-kind-of-told-Finn-we’d-go-to-the-Devil’s-Night-party-with-him.”

  “You did what?” I balked.

  Finn was good people. He and Madison had known each other in forever, and although he played basketball for the Bay View Vipers, he wasn’t like most other guys on the team.

  I was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact he’d been in love with my best friend since eighth grade. Right about the time she got rid of her retainers and started to grow boobs.

  “You should go,” I said, ignoring the fact she’d said we’d go.

  “Nooo, Calli. You have to come. It’s senior year, our last year to make memories.” She pouted. “Every kid graduating Bay View has been to the Devil’s Night thing at least once. We have to go.”

  The Devil’s Night party was an annual thing held the night before Halloween down at Travers House, an old abandoned beach house on the edge of town. Rumor was the guy who lived there in the seventies had killed his wife and kids before turning the shotgun on himself. But they never found their bodies, just the gun and the bloodstains. It was a local mystery and exactly the kind of excuse kids needed to party.

  “I still can’t believe they haven’t torn that place down yet.”

  “No way. It’s a local tourist attraction. People live for that stuff. Besides, the party isn’t in the house, it’s down at the beach. Only the brave doth enter.” She waggled her brows. “I bet it would make for some killer photos for your portfolio.”

  My head snapped up and I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not playing fair.”

  “I know.” She smirked. “But I really want to go to the party, and I know the only way I’ll get you there is if you can bring your trusty little friend.”

  When she said it like that, it did make me sound weird. But over the years, I’d learned the best shots were often found when you were least expecting them. Some of my favorite candids were of people out in the community, going about their daily lives. A couple sitting on a park bench admiring the morning sun, a dog walker enjoying a walk on the beach before the crowds arrived, or people going about their jobs. There was so much beauty in the mundane.

  “I have enough shots for my portfolio.” I lied. It was still missing something. I’d poured my heart and soul into it over the last few months, and yet, it still felt... lacking.

  Mr. Gomez, my mentor, had suggested I move away from my penchant for photographing random people and look introspectively into my life. My experiences.

  “Art is a form of expression,” he’d said. “The admissions board will want to get a sense of Calliope James from your portfolio.”

  I knew he was right.

  Even if it did suck.

  “Calli, work with me here.” Madison let out an exasperated breath. “You know, a bunch of people always end up going into the house. You could sneak in and take a few shots.”

  “No one will want me there.”

  “Has it ever stopped you before? Besides, people like to moan about you hanging around with the camera, but secretly, they love it. Everyone wants their five minutes in the spotlight.”

  I rolled my eyes at that. “I’ll think about it.”

  The party would give me a rare opportunity to photograph the house against the backdrop of reckless teen spirit. It could be the perfect addition to my portfolio.

  “Yes!” Madison slammed her hand down on the table, far too pleased about my concession. “It’ll be fun, you’ll see. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a cute guy to—”

  I levelled her with a hard look. That was the last thing I wanted.

  “At least if Zach does show up, he’ll know that you’re not still moping around after him.”

  “I did not mope.”

  “You did, just a little.” Her expression softened, a note of sadness clinging to her words. “But it was totally justified. He was an asshole.”

  “I really don’t care about Zach.” I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug. “We were just kids, and he’s moved on with his life now. He probably doesn’t even remember me.”

  But as I said the words, my fickle heart clenched.

  Zachary Messiah might have forgotten all about me.

  But I would never forget his betrayal.

  I hated school spirit.

  From an early age, when it was apparent I wasn’t going to be an athlete like my brother, I’d found the whole institution unnecessary. Maybe it was my aversion to large crowds or noise or the simple fact that I couldn’t abide the God-like worship my classmates bestowed on guys who could throw/kick/dribble a ball.

  Over the years, Tilly and her friends said it was because I was jealous. Bitter that I would never attract the eye of a baller. My dad said it was because I would never understand what it took to be a professional athlete, that I couldn’t possibly understand the level of skill and determination required to make it.

  Because learning photography was obviously a walk in the park.

  Maybe I was bitter and jealous. After all, I’d spent my entire childhood competing with my brother and his natural affinity for handling a basketball. Our dad had missed recitals, father-daughter dances, teacher-parent conferences, he’d even missed my first exhibition down at the local gallery, all to support Callum follow his dream of one day playing in the NBA.

  It was hard to love the very thing that had been a constant reminder you would never be good enough.

  Kids didn’t understand photography; they understood pep rallies and parties, celebrating their team’s latest win or commiserating a crushing defeat. Bay View High was home of the mighty Vipers, anyone who was anyone supported them, and if you didn’t…? Well, then you were no one.

  Madison let out a little shriek as the team jogged into the gym. I cast her a sardonic look.

  “What?” She grimaced. “It’s hard not to get swept up in it. It’s a big year for Finn.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I grumbled. Even I knew the Vipers had a shot at going all the way this season. And Finn deserved it, he did, but it still pained me to sit here and listen to Principal Garth’s speech about how the Vipers were the pride of our beloved school.

  “Give it up for your captain and the man of the hour, Finn Hopple.”

  Madison was out of her seat now, cheering like a girl possessed, right alongside every other girl in the school.

  “Hopple, Hopple, Hop
ple.” His name rose above the crowd, a monotonous thud. As if his name was the very heartbeat of the team.

  I rolled my eyes, pressing my fists to my chin as I watched the team bounce around, spurring on my classmates, as if they’d already won the damn championship.

  “What’s up Bay View?” Finn said into the mic. “Are you ready to play ball?”

  The noise was deafening, so much so, I slipped on my hood and pulled the strings tight. There was nothing like a school pep rally to put me in a bad mood.

  I’d almost skipped out, but after spending half my life fighting for my father’s attention, and failing, I had what my last therapist referred to as an overachieving personality. It was a nice way of saying his constant neglect, my sense of worthlessness, and low self-esteem had compounded into the irritating need to avoid negative judgement from the remaining adults in my life. I liked working hard, I liked getting good grades, and I was more than a little proud of my impeccable attendance record.

  But sometimes... God, sometimes I just wanted to break free from the constant self-doubt and gnawing anxiety festering inside me.

  Sometimes, despite all my better judgment, I just wanted to live.

  Madison nudged me and I sat upright, trying to figure out where Finn was up to in his motivational speech. Finn wasn’t a bad guy; he’d just made some poor life choices by deciding basketball was the sport for him.

  “And don’t forget, this weekend is Halloween... so you all know what that means.” He grinned over at us and Madison let out another shriek. She was so obvious. I couldn’t understand why she was playing so hard to get.