Costume Party

As she returned from the kitchen with a fresh drink, Jesse felt an overcoming tingling sensation to say something.  Call her out, but add in a splash of humor since making the right impression was everything.  And so while rejoining the group in the corner, she flourished her switchblade with a flashy swish.

“Which one of you said my costume was BASIC?”

The words came out of her mouth harsher than she had meant for them to sound.  What, inside of her head, had been meant to come out as a playful, sarcastic joke didn’t land as such.  It quickly became obvious to her that no one around her had found it funny and in fact, many now looked to be taking it as a serious threat including the girl who Jesse had heard make the comment in question.  Panic ensued.  The din of the party softened as faces from other groups turned toward her, flawless smiles morphing into opaque disgust as Jesse attempted to backtrack.

“Oh… I, uh… Live in a pretty rough neighborhood.”

Not a single ripple in reply to her tiny throwing stone of an excuse.

“It… it was just a joke,” Jesse mumbled.  Tucking the blade back into her pocket, her temperature skyrocketed as embarrassment crept up along her neck and onto her face.  Unable to lock eyes with any of them including Dylan, her one friend in a sea of snotty prep schoolers, she hurriedly turned to escape.  A series of snickers and snide comments followed her, tunneling deep into her ears before she could bring the bathroom door closed behind her.  Back leant against it, Jesse slid down onto the floor with her head falling heavily into her hands.

Why… Why did you do that?  How could you possibly think that that would be funny, Jesse thought to herself.  Why couldn’t you have just hung out and been normal?  Why can’t you just fit in?

Emotions swirled within her, coalescing into an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.  She felt like throwing up.  As she sat stewing in her self loathing, a knock landed on the door.  Another knock came a moment later.

She didn’t respond to the knocks, deciding to simply ignore them until they eventually stopped.  Forcing herself up and over to the mirror above the sink, Jesse turned on the water and stared back at her reflection for some time, letting the nausea slowly fade.  Unhealthy thoughts boomeranged back and forth throughout her mind.  Overly critically, she picked away at her flaws and silently wished she could be anyone else.  Maybe someone without her curly, permanently messy hair.  Someone like that other girl, a perfect smile and who didn’t always say the most stupid-

A series of rapid knocks landed heavily on the bathroom door, jolting her away from the mirror.  

“Um… Jesse?  Hate to bother, but uh… I need your help with something.”  

Jesse let out a low sigh and turned off the sink to better hear him.  

“What do you want Dylan?”

“I… I don’t know how to describe… it’d probably be better for you to see for yourself.”  An angry shout followed by a high pitched shriek bounced into the bathroom from underneath the door, filling her head with confusion.

Once she was fully satisfied that her eyes looked clear and dry, Jesse opened the door to find the party had mostly dissipated.  Dylan, now profusely sweating, nervously motioned her over to two individuals in the corner of the living room.  A ghostly pale girl sat hunched over another prep schooler.  As they slowly drew closer, Jesse could hear the violent gnashing of teeth.  Seemingly unconcerned with anything besides the body below her, a girl with a perfect smile shoveled flesh down her throat at an alarmingly fast pace, blood dripping down onto her chest.  Fearful eyes from a group too afraid to cross the room pleaded with Jesse.  One such pair belonged to a girl that had once looked at her as a critic was now holding back tears.  A self deprecating notion reverberated within as she slowly retrieved her switchblade, feeling not a single once of joy at the current turn of events.  It’s only when they need something that the popular few end up embracing people like her.  It’s us, the weirdos and freaks who end up cleaning up their messes.