Chapter 704
“If Chloe’s too scared to handle it, we can always pick a different theme,” Eloise said gently, trying to give her friend an easy way out.
“Humph!” Chloe slapped her hands on her hips and stuck her chin out defiantly. “Who the heck said I’m chicken? I’m anything but!”
Deep down, her mind was already racing through all the terrifying scenes she’d have to face, and her heart was beating so fast she could feel it hammering against her ribs. But she absolutely couldn’t back down now. If she acted like a coward, how could she possibly keep up with Christina and prove she belonged in their group?
Christina was fearless and amazing at everything she did. Chloe refused to be the pathetic weak link who held everyone back. She had to prove she could pull her own weight. She made up her mind right then and there. The first step was to build up her courage.
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” Christina asked, studying Chloe’s face with concern.
“I’m completely sure, and I want the scariest, most terrifying script you’ve got!” Chloe declared with fake confidence, going all in despite her terror.
Dylan was completely shocked by his little sister’s sudden bravery, especially since she was the same girl who got terrified by horror movies and hid behind pillows during scary scenes. She literally jumped out of her skin at every creepy sound effect in movies, not to mention the actual jump scares that made her scream and cover her eyes.
“Are you really sure about this?” Eloise hesitated, clearly worried about her friend. “Maybe we shouldn’t push it. There’s no shame in picking something easier…”
“No half measures.” Chloe planted her hands firmly on her hips, puffing out her chest with fake bravado. “Don’t underestimate me, guys. I’ve totally got this!”
Seeing how determined Chloe was, even though they all had their doubts, they finally agreed to go along with her plan.
“Let’s grab some breakfast first,” Dylan said, clearly trying to buy some time and maybe give his sister a chance to change her mind.
“On my way!” Chloe replied cheerfully.
While they were eating their breakfast, Chloe suddenly asked, “Can I invite Morse to come with us?”
Morse wasn’t the type to get scared by horror at all. Chloe figured that having him there would boost her courage and make her feel less terrified.
“Sure, that sounds great. But hasn’t he been busy lately? We haven’t seen him around in a while,” Christina said.
“He was out of town on a business trip. He came back last night,” Chloe said happily, clearly excited to have her safety net available.
“Okay, perfect. Then let’s definitely have him join us,” Christina agreed with a smile.
Dylan paused for a moment, as if he were thinking something over, and then said, “Count me in.”
“Dylan, you’ve never been into this kind of stuff. Ralphy practically begged you to come to these things before, and you always said no, so why…” Chloe’s voice trailed off as a sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d almost forgotten that Dylan had developed feelings for Christina and was looking for any excuse to spend time with her.