The One Where Veronica Sneaks Out

The door closed.
Veronica watched the clock until the number slowly arrived at 10:30.
She crawled out of bed and softly made her way across the floor. Opening the bottom drawer of her dresser slowly, she extracted a pair of sneakers. In the hall between the kid’s bedrooms was a closet and all the shoes were lined up neatly. Veronica knew her parents counted the shoes periodically in the night to make sure no one was sneaking off. Another nice thing about having a job was being able to by pairs of shoes without her mother adding it to the rolling tally of things that proved people were where they were suppose to be.
Shoes on, coat on, and Veronica slid out of the window onto the front porch. She crept across the porch to the cherry tree, swung onto a branch, and landed solidly on the ground.
The dog’s tail wagged enthusiastically and a low-pitched whine emanated.
“Don’t you dare,” Veronica whispered.
The dog barked.
“Traitor,” she hissed before sprinting down the street.
Up the street, where it became paved again, Seth was waiting in his rusting Dodge truck.









Halloween Parties Are the Best When the Police Don’t Show Up

There was a party but it was ten miles away in Shutt’s Pasture, far enough away from the main road no one would notice twenty cars and a bonfire. Ghosts towns were good for secrecy.
Veronica watched the road recede from the back window of the truck.
“Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?”
“Do I?” Veronica forced herself to face forward.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know, just a feeling. Look, did you think it would be funny to follow me a Kath tonight?”
“And blow our cover or not dating and totally hating each other?”
Her parents were weird. Not strict, just weird. No boys. Keith made that absolutely certain, no boys. Ever.
“Did you?” she asked with fading hope.
“Not I.”

Party scene here

“It’s Junior!”
The cry spread through the crowd faster than wildfire. The junior Laudermilk was a Sheriff’s deputy and seemed to enjoy extracting whatever joy broke up the monotony of life in the uber small town. He had the swagger of an older man use to abusing power.
Veronica wasn’t sure how she did it, but she was back in Seth’s truck and it was motoring too quickly through the pasture.
The truck slide as it lost traction on the patch of mud. Veronica felt her stomach lurch in horror of the familiar feeling. Seth have a whoop of joy, hands gripping the wheel tightly.
“Slow down,” she said. “You’re going too fast.”
“Relax, this is fun.”
“Slow down!” Veronica’s voice quickly reached an octive of distress that cause Seth to ease up on the gas peddle.
“Fine, fine. Happy now.”
She nodded. She heart was pounding in her chest and she knuckles were while and the single terrifying thought that the seat belts did not work in the truck raced through her mind.
“Fuck, that’s close.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. Is he following us?”
The headlights from a dozen vehicles scatter in the night like an exploding star. The red and blue lights remained stationary.
“I think he just wanted to scare us.” Seemed to be a lot of that going around.