CHAPTER 3

It’s Just a Mask!

The next day after school, my mom took Suzie and me to the party store to pick out costumes. As we pulled up, Suzie pointed out the window and yelled, “Oooo … look! That is the coolest costume ever!”

In front of the store, there was a guy dressed in a zombie costume carrying a sign that read “The Best Costumes in Town!”

“Freddy, isn’t that a cool costume?” Suzie said. “Maybe you want to be that this year.”

I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to get out of the car. That thing was really scary. I had to look away.

“Uh, Earth to Freddy. Earth to Freddy,” Suzie said, waving her hand in front of my face. “What?”

“I said, isn’t that a cool costume that guy is wearing? Don’t you want to be that this year instead of some dumb old shark?”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said, smiling weakly. Who was I kidding? I wouldn’t put that costume on if you paid me a million bucks! It was way too scary. I wouldn’t even be able to look at myself in the mirror.

My mom stopped the car, and Suzie jumped out. I didn’t move. I was still trying to talk myself into getting out of the car. “It’s just a guy in a costume,” I mumbled to myself. “It’s just a guy in a costume.”

“Did you say something to me, Freddy?” asked my mom.

Just then, when I wasn’t expecting it, Suzie knocked on the window, and I let out a scream: “AAAAHHHHH!”

Suzie started to laugh. “You are such a fraidy-cat!” she yelled through the window. “Let’s go, or all the good costumes will be gone!”

I got out of the car and grabbed my mom’s hand. Suzie ran ahead and ran right up to the zombie. I was planning on avoiding him altogether, but then Suzie yelled, “Hey, Freddy, come over here. Check out this awesome costume up close.”

I really didn’t want to go over there. I wasn’t ready to get that close. Not just yet. “I’m sure they have it inside,” I called back. “I’ll see it when we get in there.”

“Whatever,” Suzie said.

We all went inside. The place was packed with kids trying on costumes. A princess, a pirate, a ninja, Frankenstein.

“Oh, look, there’s Frankenstein,” Suzie said. “I hope that means they also have his bride. Let’s go look in the girl’s section.”

“Uh, I’ll just stay here and wait,” I said.

“Freddy, honey, it’s really crowded in here,” my mom said. “You need to come with us. I don’t want to leave you by yourself.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll just stay right here.”

“No, you need to come with us,” my mom insisted, pulling me by the hand. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“Can we go this way?” I asked, pointing in the other direction.

“Freddy, what is wrong with you?”

“I know what’s wrong with him,” Suzie piped up. “He’s too afraid to walk past the wall of masks.”

“The what?” my mom asked.

“The wall of masks. That’s where they hang all the really scary masks, and you have to walk past it to get to the girl’s section.”

“I am not afraid of that dumb wall,” I said. I really was, but there was no way I was going to let Suzie know that. “I, uh, just don’t want to watch a bunch of girls try on silly princess costumes.”

“Well, you don’t have a choice,” my mom said, dragging me down the aisle. “We all need to stay together.”

As we walked, we were getting closer and closer to the masks. My palms were starting to sweat. Those masks were so freaky, staring down at us with their evil eyes. My heart started beating faster. What was I going to do? I know. I would just not look at them. I’d keep my eyes on the kids trying on costumes. Pretend to be interested in that….

“Freddy, look,” Suzie said, interrupting my thoughts. “How about that one?” She was, of course, pointing to one of the scary masks on the wall.

I just kept walking.

“Freddy, did you hear me?” she said, tapping me on the shoulder. “I said to look at that one that looks like a werewolf. I think you should be that for Halloween.”

There was no avoiding it. I had to look at it, or she would never stop calling me a fraidy-cat. I lifted my eyes slowly, took a quick peek, and then quickly turned away. “Nah, I don’t like that one.”

“You didn’t even look at it,” Suzie protested.

“Yes I did!”

“No you didn’t.”

“All right. Enough, you two,” my mom said. “Suzie, you need to let Freddy choose the costume he wants, and you choose the costume you want.”

“Well, if the fraidy-cat can’t even look at a mask without getting freaked out, I don’t know how he’s going to go to a haunted Halloween party.”

“I am not a fraidy-cat!” I yelled at Suzie.

“Freddy, we are in a store,” my mom said, putting her finger to her lips. “Please keep your voice down.”

“Tell her to stop calling me a fraidy-cat. I am not a fraidy-cat.”

“I know you’re not a fraidy-cat, sweetheart. Don’t let her get to you. You know your sister says things like that just to bother you.”

Just then, we rounded the corner to the girl’s section. Suzie ran to find her costume, and I finally started to breathe a little easier. At least I didn’t have to look at those scary masks anymore. Maybe Suzie was right. Maybe I really was a fraidy-cat. I mean, I was actually afraid of masks. Masks! Just looking at those horrible things made my stomach do flips.

“I got the last one! I got the last Bride of Frankenstein costume,” Suzie called as she came running over to us. “I’m so excited. It is the coolest costume.”

“Great,” said my mom. “OK, Freddy, now it’s your turn to look.”

“Uh, that’s OK, Mom,” I said. “I think I’ll just be a shark again this year.”

“Fraidy-cat,” Suzie whispered in my ear as she ran off to pay for her costume.