One Night Stand

“You couldn’t have just found a party to go to or some trick-or-treaters to scare?” I asked, sighing. “Why does your one night on the town have to include possibilities of dismemberment, disembowelment, and possible possession? That’s just bad planning.” My hands shook a little as I folded my laundry as neatly as I could.

           “I want to see a ghost, and I’m finally seventeen, so I don’t have a curfew for the entire night! Nothing is gonna happe-” his words got cut off as I threw a pair of pants at him. He balled them up and threw them back in the basket. “Besides, I have protection!”

           “Liam, I sincerely doubt that condoms are gonna protect you from whatever you think you’re gonna find,” I laughed loudly as he looked down. He frowned and continued to recline on my bed; “what a pain” I thought.

           This was not an uncommon situation for us; he always came over after school for our Wi-Fi, since he lives out in the middle of nowhere (mom says he lives in BFE, but she never says what that means). I allow him to come over, because he is good company, and he gives great fashion advice (which I *always* need).

           “You should be more trusting, dearest Eggs, you know I don’t mean that kind of protection,” he replied smoothly, pulling a little black book out of his back pocket, “You know I have a sigil, herb, and spell for every occasion.” It was my turn to frown.

           “I don’t like it when you call me Eggs,” I mumbled. “It reminds me of bad things.”

           “That’s why I remind you, as a lesson,” he said. “A lesson never to forget that you have eggs boiling on the stove.”

           “Back to the original conversation, if you would,” I reminded him. “What makes you think that my parents are going to let me stay out all night, at a graveyard, when I have church in the morning?”

           This was another big difference between Liam and I, a huge difference. Liam was a Wiccan; I was a Christian. I did not mind the difference, neither did he. The only thing that disappointed him was when he stopped being a Witch and suddenly only became a male Witch, instead of a Warlock. The only thing that bothered me was when he burned smudge sticks in my room; they are just plain stinky.

           “They’ll let you go because they will think that you’re at the school for an all-night lock-in Halloween bash for the juniors.” He smirked a devilish smirk, which only meant that there was no way that I was getting out of his trip tonight. “You have to come with me if you don’t, then…I won’t buy you any candy.” He crossed his arms and smiled.

           My fate was sealed.

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           “I hate you…I hate you…I hate you…” The cursing continued as Liam and I wandered further and further into the graveyard, away from my car, away from the safety and warmth of it. The night was cold and windy and there was a strong chance of rain too.

           The wind eerily howled through the stones, many of them lit up by those candles that the Catholics put by their stones. A few sprays were left standing around a patch of fresh dirt; there must have been a funeral there earlier.

           “See, isn’t this fun?!” Liam shouted to the sky, with no one but me to hear him. “This is my kind of weather!” His voice boomed and echoed through the trees, just adding to the fear I was already feeling. The slim beam of light from my flashlight did not light up as much as I would’ve liked. Every few moments, I heard the bushes rustling, but I never saw any eyes.

           “I want to go back,” I said softly, my voice catching in my throat. “I’m…I’m scared.” Liam finally realized that I was shivering with cold and shaking with fear. He turned around and walked towards me, embracing me. Somehow, he was warm, even though he was only wearing a light jacket.

           “It’s okay, we can go back if you want,” he said quietly. “I’ll just wait until next year, I’ll take a couple of other buddies, I don’t want you to get sick with as cold as it is.” But I could hear the disappointment in his voice, I knew that this was the only chance he was going to get to experience this.

           “I can keep going,” I said, stepping back and fluffing up my coat. I shook my umbrella threateningly. “Anything in this graveyard has gotta go through me and my umbrella before it gets to you, I will protect you!” Secure in my false confidence, I led the way deeper into the graveyard.

           We were in the old section of it now, the stones beaten into misshapen lumps, the words worn away until there was no remembering of who was there. The moon was high in the sky now and I could hear a distant owl hooting. We sat down on a barren patch of ground, where we set up camp, which mainly consisted of a battery-run lantern, a thick blanket, and a large bag of candy.

           “You look happy,” I said, as the two of us tore into the candy we’d been saving. “Thank you for inviting me to this.” Liam smiled a rare smile and leaned up against a tree.

           “I just didn’t want to be here alone,” he replied, brushing the hair out of his face. “Thank you for coming with me, I know you don’t want to be here.”

           “You know that I would do anything for you,” I said, a smile crossing my face. “You’re my best friend, in the whole world.”

           We sat and ate our candy, happier than we had been for a long time. The wind blew even harder, so we had to pack up the candy and the candy wrappers so they wouldn’t get everywhere. Then, it began to thunder. And then…the pouring rain. We got back to the car soaking wet and freezing cold.

           It was the best night of my life.