"I know, but we're going to the drive-in," I said with a smile.
"Why don't you wait until the weekend?" my mom asked.
"Because tonight's half price if you wear a costume. Becky and Matt are going, too."
"Becky?" my mother asked, surprised.
"Yes, my little Becky. It'll be our first double date. Besides, I already did my homework, and we have a sub for first bell anyway."
"Seems like you had all your excuses lined up," my father said.
"I'll take care of the dishes all week," I said to my mother. "And Dad, I'll wash your car."
"Last time you washed my car, you put Wicked Wiccas stickers on it."
"But you have to admit, it looked cool."
"And last time you took care of the dishes, you broke Grandma's teapot," my mother remembered.
"Fine. Then we have a deal," I began. "I'll just go to the movie, and I'll save you trouble by not doing your chores."
"How did that just happen?" my dad wondered, as I headed for the front door. "And when you're finished with that blond wig, your mother needs it back."
I slung my backpack filled with my Kissing Coffins accessories on my shoulder and grabbed a container of garlic powder from the kitchen. I held it tightly in my hand, as if I were holding a can of Mace, as I walked to the Mansion. If Jagger jumped out at me, I wanted to be protected.
I felt a familiar lurking presence as I turned the corner to Benson Hill. I saw a rustling in a bush and blond strands poking through the branches. I took a deep breath, and I quietly opened the container of garlic powder and threw it hard, directly into the brush.
"Ouch!" a male's voice cried.
Trevor jumped out of the bush and held his forehead.
"What are you doing?" I shouted at him.
"I saw you coming up the road and wanted to scare you," he said, rubbing his wound.
"You don't have to hide. Your face alone could scare Frankenstein."
I grabbed the container from the sidewalk and replaced it in my purse.
I walked away, and Trevor continued to follow me as we drew closer to the gate.
"I really don't have time for you anymore," I said. "I'm going to the drive-in." And I slipped past the slightly open iron gate.
"You have a pretty good arm. You should try out for the baseball team. And tell your gothic boyfriend," he called, "if he wants to apply, they could use a batboy."
I left Trevor and was walking up the Mansion's driveway when I overheard him talking to someone outside the gate. I glanced back and saw my nemesis from behind, standing next to a guy with white hair.
I stopped. Jagger and Trevor? A dangerous duo.
I sneaked back down the driveway and hid behind a bush next to the wrought-iron gate.
"Hey, watch out, dude!" Trevor hollered. He must have bumped into Jagger in the darkness.
I could only imagine Trevor's reaction to the shock of seeing the pale, tattooed, multipierced Jagger walking alone on a darkened street. I wasn't sure if Trevor would hit him or take off running.
"Sorry," Jagger said in a cool voice. "I didn't see you coming.
"It's so dark around here," Jagger continued, shifting his feet.
"Yeah, I think the Sterlings knock out the streetlamps on purpose."
Jagger laughed. "That babe you were walking with. She's your girlfriend?" he asked.
"Raven? She's my nightmare. No, she hangs out with the dude who lives in the Mansion. I've never seen you around here before," he said, scrutinizing him.
"I'm just visiting. I'm Sterling's friend."
"Friend? I didn't think he had any," he said with a laugh. "Well, you better catch him before they go to the drive-in."
"The drive-in?" Jagger asked.
"Yeah. It's built on an ancient burial ground," he whispered, as if revealing a secret. "I've heard that late at night, you can see ghosts eating popcorn."
"Burial ground?" Jagger wondered aloud. "Perfect."
"For what?" Trevor asked, confused.
"Uh…a club initiation," Jagger rambled. "But it's a very exclusive club…Maybe in the future you could join."
"Thanks anyway. Soccer takes all my free time. Besides, Sterling doesn't seem like the type to belong to a club."
"He's already a member. I just have to persuade Raven to join. Maybe I'll surprise them there," Jagger said. "Can you point me in the right direction?"
"Follow me," Jagger's new ally said. "It's on the way to the game."
As the two left together, my mouth hung open in disbelief.
Jagger was planning to have a covenant ceremony tonight at the drive-in, with me as his covenant girl!
I needed a plan fast.
I took a deep breath and tried to think. If I canceled our double date, Jagger could return to my house, putting not only me but my family in danger.
I didn't have much time to find a way to keep Jagger away for good without ending up as his dinner. Why couldn't Alexander and I just enjoy a movie together? Like Kissing Coffins, which reflected my own imminent situation—a movie about the vampire Vladimir Livingston, who tried to save the innocent mortal ingenue Jenny from the depths of the darkened Underworld.
And then it hit me.