Author's Chapter Notes:
..It's been quite a while :o
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Chapter 10: Red
“Why do they keep giving me odd looks?” Nick whispered to AJ, who was twirling his long grey beard.
AJ looked at Nick from behind his half-moon spectacles.
“Because you’re a tall grown man who dressed himself as a teenage boy. And don’t forget the fake blood you’re drenched in.” Howie said. Howie was wearing a fur-coat and was holding a large staff.
“What’s wrong with that? The Sectumsempra scene was awesome!” Nick imitated the sound of blood gushing out. He took a step forward. Because of the amount of red liquid on his black robe, a pool of darkred blood would form on the ground beneath him.
A young girl nearby buried her face in her mother’s dress. The mother glared at Nick.
“But this is awesome, isn’t it guys?” Nick said smiling broadly.
Brian nodded in agreement. “I cannot wait for the store to open.”
The boys were standing mingled with a large crowd, all waiting for the bookstore to open. It was the midnight party release for the last Harry Potter book. It was a great turn-out. After waiting for a while, a salesclerk came out with a megaphone.
The clerk climbed on a plastic crate, to look over the crowd. “Welcome to the Harry Potter Midnight Release,” he called out through the megaphone. His voice cracked due to the device, but everyone could hear him well. “There are a lot of people here, so if you’re just wanting to find out the end, I’ll tell you.”
“What?!” Nick yelled. What was going on? “This is nonsense!” He complained. He put his hands over his ears and started humming. The rest of the guys followed his example. Nick saw people sauntering off as the salesclerk continued speaking.
This is absolutely ridiculous, Nick thought to himself. A disgrace!
In the end, there was a relatively small crowd left. A lot of excited readers probably went to the bookstore at the other end of the shopping street. It wouldn’t surprise Nick one bit.
“Maybe we should go to the other store too.” AJ grumbled. “I do not like them right now.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
The guys took off and arrived at the other bookshop in less than two minutes. Nick was right, most of the readers came together here.
They all got their copy of Deathly Hallows that early morning and headed home after mingling with the other fans.
Nick returned home with a smile. His friends went with him. They decided to have a sleepover at Nick’s house. Nick prepared the living room with snacks and sleeping bags.
“Okay, I’m going to shower first ‘cause this blood is getting sticky.” He scrunched his nose as he looked down at his robe. “Don’t you guys dare to start reading without me. We have to start together at the same time.”
“Got it Nick.” Brian said. “I’ll guess I’ll change in my pyjama too.”
Howie smacked his forehead. Something very un-Howie-like. “I forgot to bring my pyjamas.” He said with a sullen face as he showed the boys his duffel bag. His toothbrush was the only thing in there. “Must’ve left them on my bed this morning.” He said. “Err.. I mean, yesterday morning…”
“AJ, don’t you have a spare?” Brian asked. The other guy growled.
“My precious pyjamas?” He asked in a small voice. Howie was one of his best friends, but this was one of his pyjamas they were talking about. Of course he brought a spare. He always carried three or more around with him.
“It’s alright J. I’ll just wear my fur-coat to sleep.” Howie smiled.
“You didn’t wear a shirt or anything underneath it?” AJ asked surprised.
Howie shook his head. “It was very hot on with just my fur-coat on.”
“Oh.” AJ said. He looked at his friend who was pyjama-less. Something AJ couldn’t imagine. It must be a great horror, to be separated from his beloved pyjamas. “Here D, it’s Pokémon, I happened to find a large size. Can you believe they only have them for kids?”
“Are you sure AJ?” Howie asked with a shy smile.
“Of course, you’re my friend. A night without a pyjama is like a night without a bed. Or a sleeping bag this time.” AJ said. “I’m sure.”
“Thanks! I’ll make sure not to spoil them with snacks or anything.”
“You’d better not.”
“See, that worked out fine,” Brian said, patting AJ’s shoulder. “You helped a friend in need.”
“I guess I just did.”
At that moment, Nick walked in.
All guys burst in laughter. Nick looked at them with a sour expression.
“Dude,” AJ gasped, “You’re all red.” He managed to choke out before howling with laughter again.
Nick glared at his friends. “I washed it out too late, my skin absorbed it, and it won’t go out of my hair either.” He looked down at his feet. “Even my toes turned bright red!”
“You remind me of an M&M,” Howie smirked.
“It’s going to be alright Nick.” Brian reasoned, a small smile playing on his lips. “It’s not like we’re leaving this house before we’ve finished the book.”
“You’re right.” Nick tucked his book under his red arm. “I’ll try to wash it out again later.” He let out a sigh. “I’m never going to use this stuff again.” He muttered under his breath. He walked over and let himself fall on the large, white couch. “2007 is a pretty good year.” He remarked.
“How so?” Howie asked. He had changed in the pyjama provided by AJ. A tad bit short, but it fit nice. It had had a large yellow beast on it. Pikachu, AJ had said.
“Well, the last Harry Potter book just got released, and in less than 2 weeks Stephenie Meyer’s Eclips will be released.” Nick said, rubbing his hands together. “I cannot wait for that one either.”
“Ah, the vampire story,” AJ said. “That any good?”
“Amazing,” Nick said, giving AJ a knowing look. “Seriously.”
“Hmm, might give it a try,” AJ said.
“But now, let’s start reading Harry Potter!!!”
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To be continued…
