HAUNTED

____________

WHEN MARJORIE FIRST wakes up in the morning, the first thing she thinks about is why she ever has to wake up at all. Her eyelids flutter open reluctantly, and her body is glued to the mattress beneath her.

Even when she's allowed to sleep in for a few more hours, Marjorie doesn't go back to sleep. The girl just stares at the ceiling or wall, laying there, with nothing going through her mind at all. She just lays there.

Until Tara, her close friend and roommate, enters Marjorie's room to convince her to get up. The shorter girl sits at the edge of the mattress, slapping her hands down on the comforter that covers Marjorie's body.

"Sam made eggs and bacon before she left," Tara says as motivation. Marjorie is as still as a statue. "Mars, come on. You gotta get up."

The blonde shakes her head, much to Tara's disappointment. "I can't, Tara."

"Yes, you can. You get up to use the bathroom all the time!" This brings out a slight smile from Marjorie, and Tara mirrors her expression. "Come on, please? Everyone's here. We're gonna go costume shopping and everything."

"Oh, God, it's already Saturday?" Marjorie rolls over to grab her phone off her nightstand, checking the date above the clock. Saturday, October 22. "Ugh—"

A knock echoes off the white wooden door to the girl's bedroom. The pair look to find a tall, light brown-haired boy standing at the doorframe, awkwardly staring back at them.

Tara pauses, waiting for him to say something. "What, Ethan?"

"Uh, Mindy said your guys' food is getting cold."

"Of course, she did," Marjorie mumbles to herself, rolling her eyes and pulling the covers over her face. "Tell her I don't give a fu—"

"Okay, thanks, we'll be out in a minute."

Ethan glances at Marjorie one last time before leaving and joining the rest of their friends in the kitchen.

Tara averts her attention back to the blonde-haired girl. "Please, get up. I'll make sure your eggs stay warm, okay?" The shorter girl raises her brows expectantly, and Marjorie is forced to nod in acknowledgment. Then Tara leaves the room.

Marjorie thinks about staying where she is, pretending that the city outside these walls doesn't exist. But she knows she can't.

So, the blonde drags herself out from the comfort of her sheets and slides her feet into her slippers. Marjorie grabs a pair of shorts and a hoodie off the back of the chair at her desk. After pulling the shorts over her thighs, she yanks the hoodie over her torso, flipping her hair out from the hood before walking out of her bedroom.

Immediately making her way to the bathroom, she wraps her hand around the knob and twists it. Marjorie is startled, to say the least, to find Ethan washing his hands in the sink.

"Oh, shit."

Marjorie gapes slightly, while Ethan's face has formed into one of confusion. She hurriedly backs away from the doorframe and closing it. The girl slaps her palms against her eyes and resists the urge to groan, instead scrunching her nose and pursing her lips.

Before she can even move from her spot in the hallway, the hinges to the bathroom door creak as the boy opens it. Marjorie drops her hands from her face and turns to look at him.

The girl is once again surprised, as Ethan and her are chest to chest. Both of them flinch, with him staring down at her with wide eyes and her avoiding his gaze. "Sorry!"

They both step away, putting at least a five feet distance between them. Ethan's cheeks have flushed a bright red and he rubs the nape of his neck awkwardly. Marjorie, however, tries to hide her embarrassment by standing there with no clear emotions displayed on her features.

"Uh..." Ethan hums in a quiet tone. He pauses, dropping his hand from his neck and to his side. "Sorry—Sorry about that."

"No, no. It's fine," Marjorie says as she shrugs her shoulders slightly. She wishes she stayed in bed just a few minutes longer. "I just... need the bathroom, so—"

"Oh, yeah, sorry—"

The pair moves at the same time, bumping into the other once more in the hallway. Ethan presses against the door, while Marjorie slides past him and into the bathroom. Neither of them wants this situation to continue.

Marjorie rushes to close the door, muttering a small "thank you" before shutting herself inside. She waits by the door until the sound of footsteps echos down the hall and into the living room. Letting out a huff, Marjorie moves towards the sink and flips the faucet on.

She places her cupped palms beneath the stream of water and lowers her head towards the bowl, roughly yet carefully splashing the water on her skin. Then she grabs a towel off the bar behind her and wipes her face until it's completely dry.

Marjorie drops the towel on the counter, sniffling at the cold feeling in her nose before looking up and into her reflection. Nothing has changed about that in the last year. The scars are still engraved into her body, refusing to fade any time soon. Though they are hidden beneath her clothes, Marjorie grimaces at the sight in front of her.

The blonde finishes her morning routine: moisturizing after rinsing her face, brushing her teeth, and mouthwash. Then she walks out of the bathroom to meet her friends in the living room and kitchen.

Chad is the first to see her, instantly displaying a bright grin as he opens the refrigerator. "Morning, Mars."

"Hey," she replies with a slight smile. Marjorie makes her way over to the living room, finding everybody else already sitting there watching TV. "Morning, guys."

Mindy and Tara smile and wave, both of their mouths filled with the breakfast Sam had cooked about half an hour ago before leaving for work. Anika rises from her seat next to her girlfriend and leaps over to Marjorie, throwing an arm around her.

"Oh— okay," Marjorie accepts the embrace and laughs. "Hi, Anika."

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"You saw me on Thursday?"

"Whatever," Anika pulls away and leads Marjorie to the sofas. The older girl takes her place beside Mindy, while Marjorie is left to sit in the only empty spot. The spot to the left of Ethan.

The boy's mouth gapes a little, and he closes it and averts his eyes before she can call him out for staring. Couldn't have been anywhere else?

Marjorie sits down, her body tense and uncomfortable. Seemingly making this too obvious, she receives a side-eye from Chad through the doorway connecting the kitchen and living room, to which she rolls her eyes. She picks up her plate from the table and starts to slowly eat her breakfast. "Where's Quinn?" she asks.

"Probably with her little boy toy," Mindy remarks with a grin, earning laughs from everybody.

Chad strolls into the living room and sets his coffee down before clapping his hands together. "Okay! Now that everyone is here, except for our beloved Sam— Where are we gonna go shopping first?"

Tara shrugs nonchalantly as Mindy scoffs. "Where else is there to go other than Party City?"

"Shut up, Mindy."

"We could try Goodwill," Anika suggests. "That's where I always get my stuff for costumes."

"Goodwill sounds good," Marjorie agrees, raising her index finger for effect as she grabs a piece of bacon and biting down on it.

Ethan listens to his friends' suggestions on where to go before speaking up. "Or maybe we could just make them ourselves?"

Chad pauses, nodding once. "Okay, not a bad idea. Keeping that in mind." His eyes dance over the room, expecting more answers to his question. However, no one else says anything. "Seriously, nothing?"

"I say Goodwill or homemade," Marjorie repeats the previous recommendations and carefully drops her half empty plate on the coffee table and dusts off her hands. "Both are cheaper."

"Or just no costumes at all?" Mindy asks, more as a statement though. The group makes a noise of disapproval, and she widens her eyes and says, "Jesus, never mind."

"Stop being boring, Mindy," Chad glares at his sister, who sticks her tongue out at him in response.

Marjorie manages a smile as she watches the twins, playing with the strings of her hoodie and picking at the material. For a moment, she feels as though everything is normal again: her friends are acting like typical nineteen-year-olds, making plans for one of their favorite days of the year.

Maybe everything will get better.

____________

Chad began to raid the Halloween section of Goodwill as soon as they entered the store. Marjorie and Anika shared a look and grinned at his excitement, and Mindy rolled her eyes and followed the athlete.

Now, Marjorie skims through the aisle of white long sleeve tops. Her fingers brush over the many different fabrics, thinking over which one will best fit the idea of her costume.

Tara talks to Anika as she holds up a cropped black vest, squinting at it and dangling it on her forearm afterward. "Hey, Mars, you find anything?" the brunette calls from the further end of the aisle.

"Not yet," Marjorie replies without taking her eyes off the racks. She grabs a hanger off the metal pole and examines the shirt, shrugging slightly as she decides it'll work. "Now I have!"

The girl makes her way over to her friends and looks at all the items they've gathered so far. Then she glances around the store, her brows furrowed in curiosity. "Hey, where's Mindy and Chad? And Ethan?"

"Oh, Mindy's with Chad in the hats section. Something about making sure he doesn't choose anything weird?" Anika says in a confused tone, tilting her head as well.

Tara and Marjorie chuckle while they nod. "She's doing him a favor."

Anika laughs, then she suddenly perks up at the sight of a curly haired boy wandering Goodwill aimlessly. "Oh, there's Ethan."

Marjorie and Tara peer over their shoulders and see Ethan looking every which way, presumably for Chad, but being unable to find him despite his advantage of height. The blonde girl stares at him for a moment, debating her decision before exhaling softly.

"I'll be right back," she tells her friends, who watch as she walks toward the boy with long strides. Ethan is surprised when she addresses him. "You looking for Chad?"—he nods—"Alright, lost puppy, follow me."

Marjorie turns to their right, and Ethan trails after her with no questions. The pair ambles through the department silently, though Ethan seems awkward behind her as he plays with the cuffs of his sweatshirt.

They find the twins by following the sound of bickering. Ethan and Marjorie stroll into the second aisle of hats and watch as Mindy and Chad fight over a cowboy hat made of straw.

"It's ridiculous, and basic! At least choose something original."

"I don't care if it's basic, it's cool!"

"What's basic?" Marjorie asks, causing the siblings to pause their argument to respond.

"He wants to be a cowboy for Halloween. Please tell him it is the most common costume of costumes!" Mindy pleads in a demanding tone, letting go of the hat to slap her palms together.

Chad disagrees, "No, it is not. I believe that it is just... very popular."

"I think it could be good," the blonde voices. Both Chad and Mindy's heads snap to her with different reactions— Chad is thrilled that she concurs, and Mindy is irritated. "If you get some jeans and one of those gun holsters that'll loop through the hip straps, it'll look great."

As she uses hand motions to describe her ideas, the three listen intently. Mindy seems to be warming up to the costume, while Chad is amazed by her thought process.

"This is why you're my favorite," he points at her, earning a smile from the girl.

Ethan steps forward to meet Marjorie's side, already looking down at her with interest. She tilts her head to gaze up at the boy and raises a brow. "What?"

He averts his eyes from her and stammers, "I—I... Nothing, I just think it's a good idea."

"Thank you?" Marjorie answers in a questioning voice, not sure whether his words were meant to be interpreted as a compliment or not.

However, before Ethan can reply, the pair of siblings in front of them resume their bickering and fill the aisle with their petty insults towards each other. Marjorie sighs, glancing at Ethan with a tired expression on her face.

He smiles back in amusement.