The Games We Play

12. Eleven - Tess

Eleven - Tess

I picked a faraway spot on the edge of campus, secretly hoping X would show up. It’s been weeks, and he’s not visited me anymore. At least, not that I know of.

“Can I sit?” Ryan asks.

“Sure,” I say.

Ryan and I did our classic make-up ritual. But none of that matters. Not really. X has invaded my mind constantly. I catch myself staring at shadows, willing them to turn into my stranger. My chest tightens every time I think that he’s never coming back. I’ve stayed at my house every night like a pathetic loser, hoping he’ll break in or wake me up on his knees between my legs.

God , something is seriously wrong with me .

Ryan nudges my shoulder and raises his eyebrows.

“What?” I ask, reigning in my spiraling thoughts.

“I said, the Haunted Nights are this weekend. Are you still wanting to go?”

Maybe getting out is what I need to get over my delusions. “Yeah, but you’re driving.”

The Haunted Nights is the state’s largest spooky-themed adrenaline rush. It’s a two-hour drive that Ryan and I have made every year since he got his license. There are the haunted woods, a barn, an asylum, and even the dreaded clown house. It's the one place Ryan drags me through—literally—every year.

“I guess Seth is gone, huh?”

“What?” I say a little too loudly. “What do you mean?” Shit ! Does he somehow know ?

“You haven’t noticed he hasn’t been in class?”

I shake my head, and my hair falls between us. “No, I know that. I’ve heard the rumors.”

“I just meant he can’t give you a hard time anymore. Seems like the universe took care of it for you.” He nudges my shoulder.

I snort, “Right, yeah.” If the universe is the embodiment of a man in a mask that breaks into my house constantly .

Seth won’t be bothering anyone ever again.

***

Saturday afternoon, Ryan pulls up to my house, blasting some song I don’t know. I turn it down as I get in, and he gives me a thousand-watt smile. “You’re in a good mood,” I say.

“Just excited to spend the evening with my best friend. I need to stop back by the house before we go. I forgot to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and Dad’s supposed to be home this evening. ”

“Where did he go this time?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember. Some days, I wonder why he even bothers coming home instead of going to the next bank.”

“He probably misses you.” I shrug and prop one foot on the dashboard. I stare out my window as we pull into his driveway, and the front door is cracked.

“Dammit,” Ryan mutters. “He’s early.”

His dad steps out, fixing the sleeves of his suit jacket, and I’m thankful this conversation is forgotten. He waves, and Ryan hops out of the car. The two say something I can’t hear, and Ryan disappears inside. Mr. Collins glances at me and smiles. His eyes look tired, like this traveling job is wearing him down.

“Long trip?” I ask, and he walks down the sidewalk until he’s leaning on the car.

“Long couple of years,” he sighs. “I’m beginning to wonder if the constant travel is worth it.”

I nod, not knowing how else to respond to that.

“Ryan tells me you are going to the Haunted Nights. You two, be careful and stay together. People are crazy.”

Mr. Collins has always looked after me, even more when my dad left. It’s sweet. Honestly, with Ryan and his dad, I never really felt alone.

“We will,” I assure him.

Ryan half jogs back to the car. “All set. How long are you home this time?” he asks his dad.

“I’m hoping for a week or two. I might turn my damn phone off and take a much-needed vacation.”

Ryan’s eyes light up at the sound of that. He may complain about his dad being overbearing, but I know he misses spending time with him .

Mr. Collins continues. “Maybe we could go to the lake for some much-needed R&R?” He glances at both Ryan and me.

“I could ask off work,” I offer.

“Great.” Mr. Collins clasps his son’s shoulder and goes into the house, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ryan and I settle into the car, and he backs out of the driveway before asking, “That was weird, right?”

“What? Your dad wants to spend time with you? I think it’s nice. Coming from someone whose dad moved so far away, we live on different days.”

“Tess,” Ryan starts.

“I’m fine. No. I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s normal, and you should definitely go.”

“Only if you come too,” he presses.

“Fine. But I get the room with the garden bathtub.”

It used to be my parents and me with Ryan and his dad on these weekend trips to the lake. But over time, Dad made excuses as to why we couldn’t go. He made excuses for everything until we were alienated, and people stopped inviting us. As I got older, Dad would let me go with Ryan and Mr. Collins alone while he stayed behind.

I haven’t thought about Mom in years, and most of the time, the fact that my dad lives across the world doesn’t bother me. Lately, however, memories have become more persistent.

Ryan’s hand lands on my thigh, and I jump. “I know the lake house brings back memories for you.”

“I can’t hide from everything that triggers a memory. Maybe visiting that place again will help somehow. It’s been two years.” The space in the car turns somber. I draw my knees to my chest and plant my feet on the seat.

Two years since Dad left . Ten since my mom …

“Hey,” Ryan taps my leg, and I startle. “Maybe you’ll find your masked man here tonight.”

My heart lurches in my chest. How does he know about X ? My mouth opens, but no words come out.

“You know,” he continues. “The ones from those videos you watch. I promise no cock-blocking.” He crosses an X over his heart, and I stare at him, dumbfounded. My body relaxes that my secret is still safe. Ryan doesn’t need to know I’m basically being stalked.

Basically ? I scoff at myself. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…then it’s a fucking duck.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”

“I just want you to be happy, Tess. You deserve happiness.”

I swallow the lump that forms in my throat. “That’s enough mush from you,” I say, lightly bumping his torso. “Find some music that doesn’t suck, and let’s have some fun tonight.”

***

By the time we stop to eat and get gas, it’s dark when we park at Haunted Nights. Actors mill around, looking for their next victims while people wait in line for the attractions to open. The sound of metal scraping on asphalt quickly approaches from behind me, and I grab Ryan’s arm as a man with his face painted white and wearing all black slides along the blacktop beside me, sparks flying from his fingertips and knees.

My eyes fixate on his through the paint and he smoothly stands and saunters closer until he’s towering over me. My heart lurches, and adrenaline burns through my veins. I search his eyes for something, anything. Wishing for recognition, but he walks away from me without a word.

“Scared already?” Ryan chuckles. I release his arm.

“No, he just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Looked like you two needed a room,” he teases. I roll my eyes and walk to the ticket booth.

You know what I’ll do if someone touches what is mine . X’s words play back in my mind. But he’s abandoned his right to call me his when he disappears for weeks. I don’t even know if he is coming back. What kind of pathetic loser would I be if I waited around for someone I didn’t even know?

“Maybe I should ask him for his number,” I say when Ryan catches up to me.

“You’ll have to fight for him.” I turn my head in the direction he is talking. There is a group of girls, probably barely out of high school, grouped around the actor, snapping pictures and fawning over him.

“Let’s just get our tickets.” I slap my money down on the counter.

“I was kidding. You’re way hotter than any of those girls,” Ryan says. I shake off his compliment and pick the Haunted Woods since it has the shortest line.

The breeze picks up, and I tug my beanie down on my head and pull my jacket tighter around me. The hair on my neck prickles, and I glance around for the source of being watched .

“I’m serious, Tess.” Ryan places his hand on the small of my back, and I jump in response.

“What? Yeah, okay,” I say dismissively.

He’s here .

He has to be. Who else would have my body reacting this way? I have half a mind to leave Ryan standing in line and go search for him. A clown pops up in front of me, its serrated teeth dripping some kind of gooey liquid. I scream and fall backward, but Ryan catches me. The actor is round with smudged paint across his face, and manic laughter pours out of him.

He steps closer, and I shove Ryan in front of me. His laughter shakes his entire body as I hold a death grip on his jacket. “Tess, it’s okay. He isn’t going to touch you. They can’t.”

Ryan pries me out from behind him, and the clown holds two pieces of paper out with bracelets.

“What’s that?” I ask. Ryan takes them and reads over them.

“It’s an exclusivity bracelet for the Haunted Nights. We’ll become part of the attractions we walk through. Only a select few are getting these during the events.”

“Like taken?” I ask, my adrenaline spiking.

The clown laughs once more and leaves to harass another group of people standing in line for the clown house.

“This is awesome! Talk about kicking the horror up a notch.” Ryan has my bracelet taped to my wrist before I can process what is happening.

“You idiot! Take this off. I am not wearing this through the clown house!”

“Calm down. I’ll take it off before we get there. We’ll go through it last. ”

“Or not at all,” I mutter and spin the nylon bracelet around my wrist.

The bells ring, signifying the attractions are now open. The crowd cheers, and actors amp up their scaring tactics. I’m grabbed around the wrist and am dragged away from Ryan.

“Wait!” I squawk.

“Tess!” Ryan shouts from behind me, but I’m quickly sucked into the crowd. I can’t see the face of the man dragging me along. He wears black clothing from head to toe, and my stomach contracts while sweat quickly coats my skin. He takes me to the front of the line for the Haunted Woods, and I search behind me for Ryan. The people in line protest at me, going first while simultaneously begging for a bracelet like mine. They can fucking pry mine off if they want.

The dumbass didn’t think about us being split up when he put these fucking bracelets on .

The thumping music from the entrance fades into the haunted sounds of the woods as the door closes behind us. Laughter echoes from the shadows, and hands reach out to brush against my cheek as we quickly walk by. My beanie is snatched from my head, and I try to turn to demand they give it back, but my abductor tightens his hold and pulls me along.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask as he leads us down a dirt path. Red lights illuminate the skeletal face made from twigs and branches that loom over us. I crane my head back to stare into the black pits of its eyes.

Are small red lights burning in the empty sockets , or am I going crazy ?

I’m shoved into the mouth of the fixture by my jacket, and I slip my arms free, losing my warmth but also taking the chance to escape. I spin, looking for a way out of this black space, and someone roars, grabbing my biceps before I can and presses me against the wall with a hand clamped over my mouth. They muffle my screams and pleas to be let go. Not like there is anyone out here to help me, anyway. As a last-ditch effort, I bring my knee up to nail the guy in the crotch, but he grips my knee and squeezes the sides, shooting pain down my leg.

Blue lights flick on, and I freeze, blinking my sight into focus.

Three other actors stand behind the one with his hand on my mouth. They all have white face paint and black clothing head to toe. Each wears black contacts, and their features are void of emotion, simulating quadruplets except for the body types. In the back of the group, one holds a lit blue mask like X’s. He tilts his head to the side when he catches my gaze.

I shove the man’s hand from my face so I can talk. “Where did you get that?” I ask. It’s not impossible for someone else to have a mask like that, but I know what I felt earlier.

Once again, darkness engulfs us as the light flickers out. The heat from the person’s body leaves me, and I turn my head, relying on my hearing. The mask lights back up, and there is only one guy in front of me now, with the mask in his outstretched hand.

“What do I do with it?” Is X waiting for me somewhere here? Is this his way of getting a thrill ?

The actor leans closer, his front pressing into mine, and my body heats immediately. I search his blacked-out eyes and white-painted cheekbones and jawline for recognition. My fingers reach out to touch his cheek, but the light blinks out. The mask hits my hand, and I grab onto it.

“Find me before midnight,” he whispers. “And if you choose wrong, our games are done.”