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AUTUMN

H e’s watching me and I know it.

I don’t know why he’s here or better yet why he’s back. He hasn’t come this close to me in a year and now on Hallows Eve he’s here, watching me . Wearing that darn black and orange mask he wears every Halloween.

I don’t understand.

I gulp down more of the fruit punch from my cup, ignoring the burning of his eyes on the back of my head.

I need to move from this spot. I carefully weave through the crowd of bodies, as they are not really paying attention to me trying to get through.

I try to blend in with the crowd to get away from Heath.

Last time I caught him in the corner of my eye, he was outside glaring at me through the window.

It made my stomach twist into knots. I haven't felt the nervousness of having him around for months, I suppose I never lost the butterflies he gave me. I finally spot Maya by the beer pong table and go over to her. Thankfully, I am able to find her again, I haven’t seen her much since we arrived at this party.

“Autumn! Finally, you’re back.” She hugs me.

“He’s here.” I tell her.

“Who?”

“Heath. My ex.” I reply. I look around, trying to find him in the crowd. I can’t lose sight of him. If I can’t see him, then he can get me alone and lord knows why he is here.

I turn back facing Maya when I accept, I can’t find him.

“Maybe he just heard about the party and came.” Maya says, shrugging.

“No, he doesn’t like parties.” I say. He’s always hated loud and crowded events. He only ever went to parties for me.

“Maybe you should get your mind off of Heath and go find Cole.” She suggests.

“Okay, I’ll try.” I sigh and go off to find my current boyfriend. We separated when I went to get punch because he wanted to stay and talk to his friends. I was thirsty, so I let him be. But that's when I realized I wasn’t going crazy, and Heath was here.

I take in a breath, hoping to ease my nerves. I have a feeling I know where I’ll find Cole. We’ve been having problems lately, plus he’s been hanging out with his project partner, Nema, a lot. I just know he’s up to something.

I find Cole talking to Tyler by the staircase.

“Hey babe.” I greet him, grabbing his hand and locking our hands together.

“Autumn, you’re back.” He says, taking his hand out of mine.

“Yeah, I just went to get some punch.” I say.

“You look hot tonight.” His friend Tyler says.

“Doesn’t she.” Cole laughs. It’s always slightly weirded me out.

He let's his friends, especially Tyler, say things like that. I’m so used to someone telling his friends to shut up.

Or not look at me. Heath was very possessive.

Cole is very dismissive. We’ve been together for about a year and over time, it seems he cares less and less.

“You getting some tonight?” Tyler asks. Cole shrugs.

“We can.” I smile at him, batting my eyes, hoping it works. We haven’t had sex in weeks and it’s worrying me.

I want to be touched.

I need to be touched.

I’m deprived.

“You can have sex with me,” Tyler suggests, wiggling his eyebrows. Gross.

“Ew no.” I don’t know why he tries; I would never sleep with him.

“Hey Cole, can we talk?” Nema asks, rubbing up his arm seductively. It causes me to grimace internally. I hate her. And I hate that he pays attention to her.

“Yeah. I’ll be back.” He tells us.

They are definitely up to something. Now he’s just brushing me off for her and I know I’m not ugly, so why is he just all over her? I mean for God's sake I’m trying to have sex here and I’m dressed as slutty Red Riding Hood.

“We can sneak away.” Tyler says, but I ignore him following Cole and Nema upstairs. I couldn't care less about Tyler.

I need to see for myself what Cole is doing. They have already made it upstairs, as I waited around a bit before following them. Once I am upstairs, I begin opening doors.

I make it to the second to last door on the right and my hands start shaking as I hear moaning on the other side of the door. I can do this. I knew this was happening.

So why is it so hard?

In a rush of courage, I turn the golden knob and push the door open, finding Cole and Nema making out heavily with Cole’s hand under Nema’s skirt.

He’s fingering her!

“You shit faced asshole!” I yell at them.

“You weren’t supposed to find out.” Cole says as he whips around, looking at me.

“Well, next time do a better job at hiding it or better yet, don’t cheat on your girlfriend.” I say marching up to him.

“I just didn’t…” I don’t give him time to finish as I punch square in the face before turning around and leaving with tears streaming down my face.

That bastard. I hate him. I hate her. But most of all, I hate myself. I wasn’t good enough, and it came back and bit me in the ass, he cheated because of me.

I couldn’t please him. Make him happy.

I’m nothing.

I may feel like shit right now, but I can not go back downstairs with tears streaming down my face and my makeup ruined like this, I’ll look horrible.

I must be classy about this, so people think I’m the innocent girlfriend who was betrayed and they’ll have no choice but to feel bad for me.

I find the bathroom and pat my face dry with a towel before grabbing my mini bag I strapped to my thigh and begin fixing my makeup.

I cover the tear strikes with powder, fix my mascara, add more blush and highlighter. Before I know it, I look brand new and really fucking hot.

I open the bathroom door only to see a man in all black standing there; I don’t dare look up catching a whiff of a smell I only associate with one person.

“Excuse me.” I slide past him and run downstairs. It can’t be, why would he come that close to me? But God he still smells like the bourbon cologne with the faint scent of tires from his dad’s workshop. I adore that smell.

I find Maya standing in the living room, which now has a crowd lingering around. “Maya!” I call out to her.

“Autumn, it’s starting.” She pulls me to her side as I get closer.

“What?” I ask.

“Predator. Ya know the maze game. The one where the guy hunts down the girl.”

Yes, I know the game. It’s played every single year in Grimstone.

The guy chooses his girl, and you have to hide and run like prey, hoping he doesn’t catch you because if he does, he can have his way with you, although some want to be caught.

The goal is for the male to return with a token from the female.

It’s an extremely popular game for Halloween here.

No one knows who invented it. The game has been handed down through generations.

There is a legend that goes around that says in 1984 at Camp Grimstone some old town leaders made it.

Just for shits and giggles during summer and then they took it to Halloween, and it became this tradition that all the teens and college kids look forward to.

“Cole is cheating on me.” I blurt out. Maya turns towards me slowly.

“That asshole. He doesn’t deserve your sexy ass.” Maya hugs me tight.

“Alright, you horny fucks, listen up!” I look to the front of the room, seeing Justin Raves standing on a table. “We are handing out the papers now! After you get yours, get on one of the hayrides outside.”

“I’m so nervous.” Maya clenches onto me. She’s been crushing on this guy for the last month, and they only really interact when she goes to her favorite smoothie shop, which he works at and in their graphic design class. It’s still super cute though.

“He will choose you.” I reassure her.

“You’re the best.” Maya says.

Justin and a couple of other guys go around handing out the slips of paper to the girls at the party. As the crowd gets smaller, my stomach starts to churn. “Maya.” Justin hands Maya her paper and she opens it rapidly.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” She cheers, bouncing up and down. “He chose me.” She says, showing me her paper that says ‘ You have been chosen by D.J.’

“I’m so happy for you.” I smile.

“I’ll see you outside. I’m saving you a seat.

” Maya says before running outside. I’m one of the very few girls left as the last rounds are made.

I have no idea what to think right now. There’s no way Cole is choosing me after I caught him with Nema and as far as everyone knows, I’m taken so I’ll probably be left alone.

“Autumn.” I look up, seeing Justin hand me a paper.

“I gotta say, I wish it was me.” He says as I take the paper.

“Thank you.” He lightly smiles and retreats outside, probably to get ready to blindfold all the girls. We aren’t allowed to know where the maze is.

I open the paper carefully, revealing my note.

I’m coming for you tonight.

-Yours Truly

They didn’t put a name, but I’ve been chosen. It’s not Cole that’s for sure and there is only one other person I know that was here at this party that would do this.

Heath chose me.

But why?