Girl’s Night

Marge loved Halloween more than anything. Picking cobwebs off of her dusty, black dress she happily chatted on the phone with Terry, who was painting her sickly green nails. “I’m just saying Ter, his pale skin was so beautiful that I could literally see his veins. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

            “Dude, I’m telling you. Not every boy with pale skin is a vampire, i’m sorry.” Terry replied with a deep sigh. Her phone was laying next to the coffin-black nail polish she used to coat her sharp, skinny claws. She only ever got fancy for this time of year, and even then “fancy” was an overstatement. It wasn’t common for young witches to go out in public, as to not scare people or bring attention to themselves. Halloween was the exception and every year all of the young witches would come together for a big “Witches Ball”. Almost like a family reunion, except there weren’t any nagging aunts, creepy uncles, or stoned cousins. Girl’s night was a special time.

            “Ugh, you’re no fun. Is Bebe still gonna pick us up? I need to know if I have time to iron this thing.” Marge said as she tugged at the sleeve of the black dress. 

            “Yeah, she said seven.” Terry replied. 

            “Cool, I have to go but please promise you are going to wear something decent tonight. Last year, you wore your same smock that you wear everyday. You gotta show out with these things.” Marge whined, which caused Terry to roll her eyes.

            “I’ll wear what I like, thank you. Plus you’re one to talk, wearing the same dress as last year.” Terry carefully put the polish brush back in the bottle and with her left hand, fanned her right fingers to dry her nails. Using magic to exert heat out of her palms, she managed to completely finish her nails within seconds. She then picked up her phone and walked while still talking to Marge, who had begun ironing her old dress. 

            “You saw all of the compliments I got. People couldn’t stop talking about me, so why not wear it again?” Terry didn’t say anything but instead went to pick out her outfit from her antique, wooden closet, whose doors magically opened with a snap. 

            “Well, anyway, I’ll see you in a few. I’m pretty sure Bee will be picking me up first so please do not keep us waiting like you always do. I’ll let you know when we’re close.” As she finished talking, Terry put the phone down and started rummaging through clothes. 

            “Kay, kay. See you guys.” After receiving a half-assed goodbye from Terry, Marge hung up and proceeded to get ready. Only two hours until the big night. 

Bebe roughly combed through her frizzy, red hair with her cursed, wide tooth comb that was given to her by her grandmother. With every stroke, the vibrant color of her hair faded more and more. The only reason she hung onto it was because of the sentimental value and the fact that it was the only tool that could tame her wild, thick mane. As strings of copper curls fell to the ground, her cat, Mitski, would walk by and chew on each strand, causing it to hurl small hair balls. Humming softly to herself, Bebe studied the way she looked in the mirror. Her pale green skin glistened with the translucent highlighter painted on her cheekbones and nose. The black of her full lips gave her a sensual but devious look and the perfection of her bat-winged eyeliner brought out the almond shape of her forest green eyes. For once in her life, she felt presentable. Makeup was a huge no-no for witches, unless it was dark and subtle. So the fact that Halloween allowed her to break the rules, if only for a single night, caused her to want to feel like a “normal girl”. Once she got done combing, she set the now hair entangled tool down and went to look over herself in the bathroom. Wearing a flowing, dramatic, silk red dress with matching pumps and a fishnet top underneath, she felt like a princess. A weird, grungy, creepy one at that. 

After staring at herself for what seemed like hours, she suddenly jumped at the sound of her alarm going off. As she went to check her phone, she realized that she would have to leave now to pick up the girls in order to make it to the party on time. “Shoot!” she whispered under her breath and swiftly opened the door with one finger and motioned her purse, keys, and phone with another. Making sure she had everything, she picked up Mitski and plotted a fat kiss on top of her head. “You be good, Munchkin” she coo’d. With a gruntled meow from her companion, Bebe was out of her apartment and on her way to pick up Terry. 

Back in the old country, all witches were trained to ride brooms and to stay clear of roads. But ever since losing their homes and being overrun by goblins, the community of witches both young and old were forced to move to the city and live amongst the common folk. Thus, the only way to coexist with humans was to become like humans. That involved driving cars, going to regular schools, and listening to Top 40 radio. Life for the trio used to be simple and straightforward. They knew their roles in the world as magical beings and were destined to become powerful ladies. Now, they were a group of confused, insecure, and love-stricken young adults. Reality in the “real world” was no easy feat and adjusting to city life was even harder. However, they had each other to cling onto and that was enough to keep them sane. After moving, they were all transferred to the same public highschool, where they became “the creepy voodoo girls”. Ironically, no one knew that they were actual witches and that it wasn’t a coincidence that they were bad at hiding it. Once they graduated, they all went their own ways and pursued different paths in life. Bebe became a hairdresser, Terry a data scientist, and Marge a dog groomer. They barely saw each other due to intense schedules and wanting to keep a low profile but Halloween was when they shined. This year, specifically, they would shine as bright as the moon seeing that it was the ten year anniversary. 

Riding in her vintage, red caravan Bebe made her way to Terry’s apartment. Making her way there, she snapped her fingers and caused the phone to poof in thin air. She then proceeded to call Terry, to let her know she was coming. 

“Hello?” Terry’s monotone voice echoed through the speaker. 

“Hey, you ready? I’m on the way.” Bebe’s airy voice rang back. She was getting close to the complex.

“Yeah, i’m about to come out now. See you.” Terry hung up and Bebe pulled in just in time to see her. She donned a silky, purple jumpsuit that just barely showed her cleavage. Covered in body glitter and chains, she was also sported a black, wide brim hat that was decorated in cobwebs and fake spiders. Her cracked, scaly skin with the body makeup made her look like a cartoon character. Along with a jet black bob cut, she looked as if she was cosplaying as a modern witch. 

As Bebe parked on the side of the street parallel to the front gates, she watched as Terry looked to her left and then her right. Suddenly, she casually snapped both of her hands and disappeared in thin air. Then, as if it was normal, she magically appeared in the passenger seat. Bebe then pulled off and together, they went to pick up Marge.

Pulling up to Marge’s, Bebe pops up her phone again and begins to dial her number. As the line is ringing, Terry taps Bebe’s shoulder and motions her to look at Marge, who was running towards the car. Her black dress was seen to be cut up, leaving the skirt jagged and disheveled. With fishnet tights, and knee-high combat boots she managed to look the most like a stereotypical witch. To make matters worse, she also carried a broom and wore a pointy, black hat with red detailing. With much annoyance, Terry sighed deeply and looked at Bebe in disbelief. Bebe stayed quiet and focused her attention on the road, pretending not to acknowledge Marge. As Marge got in the back, sitting behind Terry, she gleefully typed away at her phone. 

“Hey guys” she quickly greeted, not even glancing at the girls. Bebe drove off and they made their way to the bash. Terry shifted her weight and looked back at Marge, who was still occupied with her phone, and with much disdain, turned back around. 

“Interesting outfit, Marge” Terry announced sarcastically. This made Bebe smirk, which Marge didn’t notice. 

“Hey….Bee. Did you get those directions I sent you?” Marge inquisitively asked, still typing away. 

“Yeah, it’s gonna be at the old den, right? I know the way.” Bebe replied. Marge reached over to the radio, squeezing in between the girls. The smell of her “Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun” perfume invaded their noses, causing Terry to quickly turn away. 

“Dude, you still use that shit?” Terry asked, disgusted. Bebe let out a small cough and fanned her nose. Marge cackled as she turned on Disturbia and raised the volume slightly. Sitting back, she went back to her phone. 

“Don’t hate just because I can’t afford that fancy shit you wear.” She clapped back. Both her and Terry giggled, Bebe chuckling to herself silently. The rest of the ride was spent with them catching up and humming along to the radio. 

As they pulled up to the old den, Terry noticed something that caused her to question whether they were at the right place. A giant banner with the words: “WELCOME ALL, YOU SPOOKY LADIES” was plastered on in red paint. Bebe’s brow furrowed as she read the sign and studied the people going inside the den. 

“Spooky ladies? That seems…odd.” Her and Terry glanced at each other. 

“You sure this the place, Marge?” Terry inquired. Marge glanced up and saw the banner, then shrugged carelessly. 

“The email said that it would be here. And I mean, witches technically are ‘spooky ladies’” she replied with air quotes. Bebe began to speak,

“Yeah, but-” she was cut off by Marge exiting the car. 

“C’mon, it’s girl’s night, and last time I checked we are spooky ladies, right? So let’s go.” She didn’t even wait for them to respond as she walked towards the entrance. Terry sighed once again and with a low “fuck it” she exited the car as well. Bebe hesitated but figured that if they were in the wrong place, they could always just turn around. Quickly, she then exited the car and caught up with her friends.

As the entered the den, they could barely make out any faces or voices as the darkness of the room mixed with the booming bass of the music limited any level of perception. Instinctively, the girls huddled together and slowly maneuvered their way through the sea of dancing bodies. Strobe lights illuminated certain faces, none of which were familiar. As they found a vacant couch to sit, they shuffled their way over and sat down. Studying the random dancers, Bebe made a face of pure confusion. To her comfort, Terry and Marge mirrored the same expression. One thing was clear among them, this was not the right place. 

“Marge, where the hell are we!” Bebe shouted above the loud music, barely enough so that Marge could hear. 

“I could have sworn that this was this place! LOOK. AT. THE. EMAIL!” Marge screamed. Terry swiftly pulled out her phone and found the mentioned email. As she studied it, her face grew more and more frustrated. 

“Mar…this is not the place. Did you read the entire thing?” Terry shoved her phone in Marge’s face and as she read the small, red text at the bottom of the message, her face dropped. The actual Witch’s Bash was to be held in a pavilion that was on the complete opposite side of the city, miles away from where they were. 

“Oh…….” Marge let out, embarrassed. Terry rolled her eyes and looked at Bebe, who was too focused on the people. As she was entranced by the dancing people, the bickering between Terry and Marge became drowned out by the music. By watching the sporadic movements of the people, she started to have this overwhelming sense of…..freedom. For once, the girls were not the center of attention. For once, they were in an environment where no one knew them and therefore could not be judged. Technically, they were amongst human beings which was seen as breaking Halloween tradition. But she didn’t care. Something in her caused Bebe to rush out into the crowd. After arguing for a few minutes, Marge noticed Bebe’s absence and was taken aback by her dancing amongst the strangers. Terry quickly caught on and looked over as well. They both were in awe of what they were witnessing. Bebe’s free fluid movements with the music looked so beautiful, so freeing. As they glanced at each other, the girls nodded in unison and while holding hands, walked towards their friend. 

Together they danced, laughed, and let loose among their human counterparts. No one paid attention to them and yet at the same time, they were the life of the party. Dance circles were formed around them and in that moment, they shined. Not once had they ever felt this young and carefree since their senior prom. It felt so damn good and the night seemed to last forever. Screw the Witch’s Ball, they thought. This was the first and only night that the three of them could be great, alone. So much for girl’s night.