Holly, Jolly: Pt. 1

                                    

                                          
I slammed my front door behind me, trembling while securing each lock. I sprinted up to my room and locked that behind me before diving in my closet. I moved my hands blindly across the wall, trying to find the shelf that held my gun. I grabbed it and crouched in the corner, my knees pressed against my chest.
Someone pounded on the door, making me jump. My breathing hitched, and tears sprung to my eyes.
"Please don't hurt me," I muttered.
"Y/n? Are you ok?" Dustin asked, still knocking on the door.
"How do I know you're Dustin?" I called, different theories racing through my mind.
"What?"
"How. Do. I. Know. If. You're. Really. Dustin?"
"I have this condition called Cleidocranial dysplasia. My teeth won't be coming in until-"
Yep, most likely Dustin. I crawled out of the closet and swung my bedroom door open, carefully scanning my brother for anything off. Nothing I could see.
"Are you drunk?" he asked.
"Um, no, I only had, like, two sips of beer," I snapped.
"Oh yeah? How much do you consider a sip?"
"Dustin-"
"No, don't 'Dustin' me, Y/n. It's midnight, Mom is asleep, I was getting ready for bed, then you just burst inside, slam the door behind, and run off. I'm the only one actually being rational here."
I sighed, "Fine. Yes Dustin, I might be a little drunk, but it's nothing like full-blown-I'm-gonna-have-a-hangover-tomorrow."
"That doesn't explain why you did what you did."
"We watched a scary movie," I lied. "When I got here, I thought that the monster was behind me."
"What movie?"
"Uh... E.T."
"E.T?"
"Yeah."
Dustin sighed, "You know what? I'll come talk to you in the morning, when you're sober." He shut the door behind him, leaving me alone in my dark room. My heart rate quickened, my palms suddenly a lot more sweaty.
Was I necessarily scared of the dark? No, but when you were just chased by some freaky alien, having a bit of light was definitely preferred. I switched on the lamp next to my bed and crawled under the sheets, placing the gun under my pillow. I tried to shut my eyes, but every time I did, I saw it. It kept getting closer and closer, its mouthing opening wider and wider each time.
This was gonna be a long night.
***
"Y/n? It's-"
Dustin's sentence ended abruptly when I swung open the door. He gave me a confused look, to which I answered, "Thanks."
"I thought alcohol didn't keep you up?"
"It doesn't," I snapped. Before Dustin could respond, I slammed the door in his face and got dressed. When I opened the door, Dustin was still standing there.
"Why are you so cranky?"
"Why do you think?" I stormed past him and went to the bathroom, inspecting my reflection. Dark circles shadowed beneath my bloodshot eyes. My makeup from the night was still mostly intact, besides the smudged eyeshadow and mascara. I washed it off and applied new makeup, taking special care to hide my eyebags.
My hair was disgusting, but there wasn't enough time to wash it. I sprayed some dry shampoo and pulled it up, calling it good.
By the time I was in the kitchen, Dustin was strolling through the door. He called out, "Bye Mom! Bye Y/n!" and left.