ok? You've been staring at those two girls for about twenty minutes. I think they're starting to freak out."
Rich looked around. He was sitting on a bench outside the school. "Why don't you introduce me, then? I'm Rich, I just moved to town."
"I'm Stan, pleased to meet you. Their names are Liz and Alice. Try not to freak them out anymore than you have."
"I won't, but there's something so familiar about those two..."
"What, like they're girls?"
"HA!"
After that, the school day went pretty normal. Rich was pleased he had made a few friends so quickly. Alice even drove them all home after school and the group set up a carpool. They became the best of friends.
The next month flew by. They would all hang out randomly at one of the four or five places kids could hang out in a small town. Eventually, Rich and Liz even started dating. A fifth joined their group, a jock named Franklin, who had a thing for Alice. The feeling was not mutual.
"There's a party out by the old Willard Creek camp site. We should check it out."
Rich was not enthusiastic. "The old Willard Creek camp site? You're kidding, right? We're the Scooby Gang now?"
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's a real place with a real party. Liz will be there."
"Only one of those facts is entirely true. Fine, let's go."
Rich hated parties in general. He especially hated these little social gatherings where he knew no one. He had to over-dependently stick to the few people he did know like glue, or fake his way through crappy conversations with people he didn't like. Like the jock that had him cornered by the punch table right now.
"You're that guy who sang at Lenny Smith's birthday bash."
"Nope. Don't sing."
"Oh, wait. You're that guy who got suspended for putting fireworks in the bathrooms last year."
"No. Not crazy either. Just moved here."
"Damn. Why am I talking to you then?"
The guy walked off as he noticed Liz next to him. "Having fun?"
"Always nice to meet new people. What's up?"
"You give any thought to Stan's idea?"
"To go check out the murder house? Doesn't seem like a good idea to me."
"Oh, come on. It's like a paranormal investigation."
"It's like breaking and entering. I can't get in trouble with the law. I'm too pretty."
"Uh huh." She gave him a little kiss on his nose. "Come on. Alice and Stan are waiting."
Now he had to go. It was one of those “rite of passage” moments of stupidity, combined with the whole “impress a cute girl” stupidity moment. "Oh yeah, this is going to end well."
As they pulled off the lighted highway into the overgrown gravel driveway, Rich knew he had made a mistake.
"This is a great idea, guys. We'll go down in Desolation Falls High history! Woo hoo!!"
As usual, Franklin had a unique view of things. Most people Rich's age seemed to think they were indestructible, immortal, and that nothing could happen to them. Then, of course, there were the damaged ones; the ones that something bad had happened to. The kids who knew better. Alice had a touch of that. Rich was one of these people. He knew that bad things happened all the time. He just couldn't quite place where that feeling came from.
The house looked like something abandoned by time. Nature had already started to reclaim its rotting foundation. That was creepy enough, not considering the darkness which surrounded them.
"What a craphole," Franklin said as he kicked in the front door.
"You wanted in here." Alice followed him in. Liz hesitated, as she often seemed to. "What if it's a trap?" Her comment froze Rich's blood. "What do you mean by that?"
"I...I don't know. I guess I meant to say what if we get into trouble?"
"Right… We're not going to get in trouble. Just be careful. I know this place is dangerous. I can
Rich looked around. He was sitting on a bench outside the school. "Why don't you introduce me, then? I'm Rich, I just moved to town."
"I'm Stan, pleased to meet you. Their names are Liz and Alice. Try not to freak them out anymore than you have."
"I won't, but there's something so familiar about those two..."
"What, like they're girls?"
"HA!"
After that, the school day went pretty normal. Rich was pleased he had made a few friends so quickly. Alice even drove them all home after school and the group set up a carpool. They became the best of friends.
The next month flew by. They would all hang out randomly at one of the four or five places kids could hang out in a small town. Eventually, Rich and Liz even started dating. A fifth joined their group, a jock named Franklin, who had a thing for Alice. The feeling was not mutual.
"There's a party out by the old Willard Creek camp site. We should check it out."
Rich was not enthusiastic. "The old Willard Creek camp site? You're kidding, right? We're the Scooby Gang now?"
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's a real place with a real party. Liz will be there."
"Only one of those facts is entirely true. Fine, let's go."
Rich hated parties in general. He especially hated these little social gatherings where he knew no one. He had to over-dependently stick to the few people he did know like glue, or fake his way through crappy conversations with people he didn't like. Like the jock that had him cornered by the punch table right now.
"You're that guy who sang at Lenny Smith's birthday bash."
"Nope. Don't sing."
"Oh, wait. You're that guy who got suspended for putting fireworks in the bathrooms last year."
"No. Not crazy either. Just moved here."
"Damn. Why am I talking to you then?"
The guy walked off as he noticed Liz next to him. "Having fun?"
"Always nice to meet new people. What's up?"
"You give any thought to Stan's idea?"
"To go check out the murder house? Doesn't seem like a good idea to me."
"Oh, come on. It's like a paranormal investigation."
"It's like breaking and entering. I can't get in trouble with the law. I'm too pretty."
"Uh huh." She gave him a little kiss on his nose. "Come on. Alice and Stan are waiting."
Now he had to go. It was one of those “rite of passage” moments of stupidity, combined with the whole “impress a cute girl” stupidity moment. "Oh yeah, this is going to end well."
As they pulled off the lighted highway into the overgrown gravel driveway, Rich knew he had made a mistake.
"This is a great idea, guys. We'll go down in Desolation Falls High history! Woo hoo!!"
As usual, Franklin had a unique view of things. Most people Rich's age seemed to think they were indestructible, immortal, and that nothing could happen to them. Then, of course, there were the damaged ones; the ones that something bad had happened to. The kids who knew better. Alice had a touch of that. Rich was one of these people. He knew that bad things happened all the time. He just couldn't quite place where that feeling came from.
The house looked like something abandoned by time. Nature had already started to reclaim its rotting foundation. That was creepy enough, not considering the darkness which surrounded them.
"What a craphole," Franklin said as he kicked in the front door.
"You wanted in here." Alice followed him in. Liz hesitated, as she often seemed to. "What if it's a trap?" Her comment froze Rich's blood. "What do you mean by that?"
"I...I don't know. I guess I meant to say what if we get into trouble?"
"Right… We're not going to get in trouble. Just be careful. I know this place is dangerous. I can
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