Midnight Movie Club Ch. 08

Previously on "Midnight Movie Club" - Four college students cross paths at the beginning of their freshman year at Farragut College; military brat and film lover Julie Wyndham, laid back musician Cole Scales, modern-day flower child Eleanor Freeman, and kind and outgoing Alexander de'Armound. A mutual love of movies and undeniable chemistry lead the quartet to form a club meant to further both their friendships and their sexual maturity.

With midterms finally coming to an end, the Midnight Movie Club invites several friends and colleagues to a late-night double-feature showing of the original "Halloween" and its 2018 sequel. Much to Julie's relief, the first movie and subsequent discussion go off without a hitch, with everyone appearing to have a good time.

During intermission, Eleanor sneaks off and corners Cole in a third-floor bathroom for a lurid round of public sex. Afterward, however, Eleanor lets slip that she had hooked up with Beatrix, her next door neighbor. Cole reminds her that, per a bylaw of the MMC, she should have told him she slept with someone outside the club before their encounter, and as such, punishment would have to come due...

X X X X X

"Yo."

At the single-word greeting, Julie turned towards the door to the student lounge, as did Brian and Beatrix. Julie smiled upon hearing Alexander's voice but her grin quickly morphed into a worried look at his downtrodden expression. His listless shuffle as he ambled through the doorway reminded her of a zombie. He gave Julie a half-hearted wave. "Hey, Julie. Hey guy and girl I don't know. What's up?"

"My level of concern about you, for one." Julie looked at him from top to bottom. Aside from his slouched posture and lackadaisical attitude the young man wasn't exhibiting any physical signs of illness that she could see. "If you're not feeling well," she offered, "and wish to go back to your room, I won't be put off..."

It was then that Julie recognized the significance of what Alexander had been wearing underneath his rain slicker. His shirt was an obnoxiously neon green color, with blue trim along the sleeves and the logo for the e-commerce company Zulily drawn across the front. When Julie's eyes fell upon the patch stitched to the upper left corner, understanding dawned on her. "Let me guess. Your team lost."

Alexander nodded slowly. He managed to put a weary grin on his face, but before he could answer Julie...

"THEY WERE FUCKING ANNIHILATED!"

The smile fell from Alexander's face as a loud voice boomed from the lounge doorway. He rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. "Yeah," he said, "they were fucking annihilated."

"Annihilated nil-five! You guys got CRUSHED!" The harsh mockery was being provided by a tall, wavy-haired brunette. The word 'Amazon' came unbidden to Julie's mind from how the young woman filled the doorway. "I've never seen CenturyLink Field so quiet," she loudly proclaimed as she stepped into the room. "This is the happiest I've ever been to see Seattle lose since the freaking Red Card Wedding!"

"Seriously, Alexander. I thought the Sounders were supposed to be good." The taunt was issued by another brunette, this one well within the first standard deviation of height distribution, whose pale blue eyes immediately grabbed Julie's attention. The newcomer threw a friendly arm around Alexander's shoulders. "Don't worry, there's always the US Open Cup... oh, wait, didn't the Sounders get knocked out of THAT tournament too?" She pointed towards the tall brunette. "By the Timbers, no less?" The tall woman nodded eagerly at the statement.

Alexander rolled his neck to stare at the brunette. "Are you done?"

"For now." The brunette burst out in a loud gail of laughter. "I'm sorry," she exclaimed as she slapped him across the chest, "but you guys got whipped." The tall woman joined in, putting her hand on Alexander's shoulder and vigorously shaking him.

"I'm sorry." Alexander and the two brunettes all turned to look at Julie as she spoke. "I get the banter about your favorite sports team," she said as she motioned towards the three of them, "however it seems that my friend is enduring the brunt of your jokes."

Alexander shook his head. "It's fine, Julie. I talked an astounding amount of trash before the match and now the payment is coming due."

"Are excessive displays of mockery a normal occurrence?" inquired Julie. "I'm unfamiliar with soccer fandom."

"Absolutely. Guys, this is my friend Julie. She's the organizer of tonight's event." Alexander pointed towards the tall woman. "Julie, this is Susan and she's a Portland Timbers supporter." He reached over and lightly smacked the other woman on the shoulder. "This is Karen. She pulls for Real Salt Lake. I'm Alexander," he said, leaning to one side and waving to Beatrix and Brian, "and I rep the Seattle Sounders. The clubs we support all have fierce rivalries with one another, and since my club owns both of theirs regularly..."

"Oi!" cried Karen.

"Like hell you do," stated Susan.

"...this is pretty much what watching soccer is going to be like for the next four years," he concluded. "But it's all in good fun. I am fully prepared to take all razzing and teasing directly on the chin with requisite good humor."

Behind Julie, Beatrix hummed softly. "You are on the verge of protesting too much...Alexander, was it not? If you wish to simply admit that you have a humiliation fetish it might save everyone a great deal of time and effort."

Susan snorted. Karen covered her mouth and chuckled politely. Both Julie and Brian looked at Beatrix with expressions of mild shock. Alexander, the target of Beatrix's comment, blinked in surprise. "I wouldn't call this humiliation. Just penance for my trash talk."

Beatrix crossed her arms. "So you have no qualms with being punished. Fascinating."

Julie looked at Brian. The young man was shaking, one hand over his mouth as he tried to keep his laughter under control. The shaking got worse when the pair locked eyes. Julie found herself trying to suppress a smile of her own, barely managing to succeed. They turned back to Beatrix just as the pale blonde pointed to the two brunettes. "Although considering the clubs that you support, perhaps it's better to say that the both of you have the humiliation fetish."

Karen looked up at Susan. "Did we just get roasted?" she asked in disbelief.

"Perhaps." Beatrix offered a thin smile. "I'm Beatrix Ames, and I am a proud supporter of Vancouver Whitecaps FC."

Both Alexander and Karen threw their heads back, laughing in disbelief, while Susan tossed her hands in the air. Her fingers scraped the ceiling tiles as she cried in dismay. "Oh my God, the Axis of Evil is complete! Salt Lake, Seattle, and now Vancouver! It's a Timbers fan's worst nightmare!"

"OK, something just happened and I have no clue what it was." Brian motioned to the table of refreshments against the far wall. "Why don't you guys hang up your coats, come get something to eat, and you all can walk me through the vocabulary of the last three minutes." The looks of disbelief and dismay gave way to gentle grins and quiet laughter as Alexander, Beatrix, Karen, and Susan joined Brian at the snack table. Julie went to join them, but at the sound of voices coming from the doorway, she turned away.

"...I know exactly what you're going through." Gwen was walking back into the lounge, directing her words toward Piper and Tricia as they followed her. "Watching my Dad's services online isn't the same. It feels like cheating."

Tricia nodded in agreement, as did Piper. "I've attended the same church ever since I was baptized as an infant so I'm familiar with the congregation's quirks," Tricia said. "I find myself somewhat lost with online services. Singing the hymns to my laptop feels more as if I was disturbing Beatrix and less as if I was praising His name."

"If it's a live service you miss, come to church with me next Saturday night," Gwen offered. "It's a laid back, relaxed service for people who can't make it on Sundays. The preacher usually attends in a sweater and blue jeans, but they do offer communion and the other holy sacraments."

Tricia politely shook her head. "Thank you, Gwen, but I'm going to allow myself a few more weeks. I don't want to feel like I'm abandoning my church solely due to technical difficulties."

"Absolutely. The offer stands any time you would like to visit." After a moment, Gwen turned to Piper. "I don't know if you attend church service but I'm moved to extend the invitation to you as well."

"I already have a church," answered Piper, "so I'm good for now. However, I do appreciate the offer. Thank you."

"No problem!" Gwen gave both Piper and Tricia a friendly smile before turning to Julie. "Hey," she said brightly. "Did we miss anything?"

"Tonight is the evening to discuss religion," Julie answered. "You just finished discussing Christianity and over at the refreshment table they are currently discussing soccer fandom."

"I guess that means Karen and Alexander have arrived," Gwen chuckled. "My roommate is a huge soccer fan," she explained as all four women began heading over to join the other students, "and apparently her team and Alexander's team are fierce riv-... oh my word that's a huge woman."

While Gwen's jaw dropped and Piper coughed in surprise at the sight of Susan, Tricia's response was a short, sharp, singular nod of agreement. Currently talking to Brian, who appeared to be listening with rapt interest, Susan gestured wildly in Alexander's direction as she spoke. Alexander was responding in a similarly animated fashion while off to the side both Karen and Beatrix sipped on their drinks, smiling as they did so.

"That she is." Julie waved her hand. "Follow me. I'll be happy to make the introductions..."

X X X X X

"So," Susan asked, "you want to make the first joke, or should I?"

From her spot on the couch next to Susan, Gwen glanced up. The tall brunette was sprawled out on the end cushion, one arm thrown over the armrest and her legs stretched out before her. "I'm sorry?"

"I caught you staring at me." When Gwen tried to sink back into the couch cushion, Susan waved her hand while laughing. "It's OK. I know I'm a freak of nature. I'm pretty sure I'm the tallest woman on campus. And I'd bet you're the shortest."

"I prefer the word 'tiniest.'" Gwen smiled nervously. "And for the record, I've caught you staring too. So, what, you're just looking to break the ice?"

"It's more like I have a joke stuck in my head. If I don't get it out I'm going to go insane."

Gwen's response was to offer a relieved sigh. "Oh good. I've had a joke bouncing around my brain since I laid eyes on you." The petite woman folded her hands in her lap before turning her head to stare at Susan. "At least now I know what God did with the extra inches and breasts He forgot to give me."

Susan laughed heartily, causing Gwen to put on a genuine grin. "Not bad," Susan admitted, "not bad. My turn." She turned her head to one side, shaking out her wavy brown hair. "Next year for Halloween I'm going to just throw on a trenchcoat and tell people I'm three of you stacked on top of each other."

As Gwen chuckled at Susan's joke, Tricia, sitting on the opposite end of the couch next to Gwen, stared at the two women with a politely bemused look on her face that caused Julie to smile. Trica, Gwen, and Susan currently occupied the left-most couch in the lounge. On the middle couch, Lynn had taken Piper's place. The slender redhead was chatting with both Alcide, whom she had accompanied on his smoke break, and Brian. Piper had adjourned to the far-right couch, where the empty cushions were reserved for Julie and the currently wayward Cole. Karen was just now sitting down at Gwen's feet, a red Solo cup filled with soda in her hand, while Alexander had joined Beatrix on the floor where the two were currently discussing something called the Cascadia Cup.

The sight of ten college freshmen mixing and enjoying themselves filled Julie with a sense of relief. She never would have considered arranging such an event in high school. Interactions with her peers mainly involved parties thrown by the cross-country team. She would either find herself quietly leaning against the wall, counting down the minutes until it was socially acceptable to take her leave, or seizing an opportunity to appropriate a nearby television for movie viewing. And now here she was in her freshman year in college hosting an event that had been her idea. An event that had been put together by herself and the other three members of the Midnight Movie Club, of which she was somehow the president.

Alexander's voice pulled Julie from the gently babbling stream of her consciousness. "Hey Julie, when are you starting the second movie?"

"I am waiting for Eleanor and Cole to return from wherever they departed to..." Julie turned her head, peering over the couch at the doorway to the student lounge. "...and when one speaks of the devils, appear they shall."

"Resent that remark. Red in my hair don't make me infernal," Cole remarked as he stepped into the room. Eleanor followed behind him. "Apologies for keeping everyone in wait. Talking to Eleanor, lost track of time."

"I'll take the hit on this one," Eleanor admitted. "I ran into Cole and just started going and going and going." She raised her hand and made the universal 'gabbing' gesture with her fingers. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. I hadn't begun considering sending out Search and Rescue." While Cole and Eleanor headed for the refreshment table, Julie moved to the television before lightly clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "OK," she said eagerly, "now that everyone is finally here, I would like to move ahead with the second half of tonight's double feature. During intermission, we were joined by three newcomers, and I would like to ask them now to introduce themselves and tell everyone their favorite movie." She motioned to Alexander sitting on the floor. "Alexander, if you would be so kind to go first?"

"Absolutely." Alexander spun around, sitting cross-legged as he looked at the other students. "Good evening everyone," he said, flashing the room his beaming, well-practiced smile. "My name is Alexander de'Armound. I am Cole's roommate and hail proudly from the Emerald City, Seattle. What is my favorite movie?" Alexander clasped his hands together in his lap. He lightly tapped his fingers together while he thought. "The Replacements. The Keanu Reeves football movie. It's funny, it's quotable, and it's one of those movies I'll stop to watch when I come across it on television."

"I'll go next!" The offer came from Karen, accompanied by a hand raised into the air. "I'm Karen Zielinsky from Idaho Falls." She reached up over her shoulder to pat Gwen's thigh. "Gwen and I are roommates but I'm also Alexander's study partner for Intro to Psych. Favorite movie? Hands down, Fever Pitch."

From his spot on the middle couch, Brain leaned forward to look at Karen. "Please tell me you don't mean the Jimmy Fallon movie."

"God no... OW!"

Karen rubbed the crown of her head where Gwen had just tapped her firmly with two fingers. "Name in vain," Gwen proclaimed, "remember?"

"Sorry, sorry." Karen took a deep breath. "Heck no," she told Brian, to an approving nod from Gwen. "The original version with Colin Firth. It's about a guy obsessed with an English football team. The Fallon one's a remake and it sucks."

"Guess that leaves me." Susan turned her body to wave to everyone in the room. "Susan Woods, from Portland. I've watched soccer in this lounge with Alexander and Karen a couple of times, and Alexander was kind enough to invite me along after we ran into each other over at the Lake House earlier. I don't have a favorite movie," she admitted. "So I'll go with the last memorable movie I saw, Brightburn. My friends in high school constantly dragged me to all those flashy superhero blockbusters so when Brightburn ended up being a crazy balls-out horror movie I was deliriously happy."

"I've been meaning to view that film," Julie said, "and I will keep your words in mind. Thank you everyone for your introductions." She waited for Cole and Eleanor to take their seats, Cole on the couch next to Piper and Eleanor joining Alexander and Beatrix on the floor, before continuing. "And with that out of the way, tonight's second movie will be 2018's Halloween, the eleventh film in the franchise. Before we had our intermission, Piper asked why it took over thirty years for there to be a sequel to the first movie. It's closer to forty years, but to answer your question, the movie we're about to watch is actually the second direct sequel. I admit that I could spend upwards of an hour discussing just how snarled the continuity of the Halloween has become, however, everyone came here tonight to watch movies, not hear me talk about them.

"Basically," she continued, "there are four separate timelines. The first two movies, Halloween and Halloween II, occur on the same night, with the second movie picking up literally seconds after the first one has ended. In this timeline, it turns out that Laurie, Jamie Lee Curtis' character, is Michael's younger sister. From there, the timeline jumps to the fourth, fifth, and sixth movies, which revolve around Laurie's niece and a Druidic order called the Cult of Thorn. The next timeline begins with the first two movies and then jumps to the seventh one, where Laurie has changed her name and is a headmistress at a private school in California only for Michael to find her again. The eighth one is a sequel to the seventh, but we don't talk about the eighth one. Then there is the Rob Zombie remake from 2007 and its sequel, which is its own timeline. Rob Zombie's remake delves into Michael as a child and how he grew up into a serial killer while the sequel delves into how Laurie deals with the aftermath of Michael's killing spree, with a large helping of trippy dream imagery thrown in for good measure. Which brings us to the latest movie."

Julie quickly scanned the room. So far everyone was still paying attention to her despite the dump of exposition she was pouring out. "After Halloween II John Carpenter was done with Michael Myers and wanted to move on to something else, so he sold the rights to the franchise. Fast forward thirty-five years later and the rights to the franchise were acquired by Blumhouse Films, who sought out Carpenter's involvement as both advisor and music director. The stated goal was to quote, 'make Michael scary again.' And I feel as if they succeeded." She clapped her hands together as she finished. "Apologies for the glut of information. I hope I kept it brief enough. Any questions before we begin?"

Piper meekly raised her hand in the air as she spoke. "You never mentioned the third movie. Did it suck or something?"

"I did skip over the third film," Julie admitted. "I'll save that for after the movie if that's acceptable?" Piper nodded. "Very well then. If someone wouldn't mind switching off the lights we can start the movie."

"I'll get the lights." The offer came from Tricia. The raven-haired freshman primly got to her feet and headed for the switches by the doorway while Julie took her seat next to Cole.

"Things seem to be swinging well," Cole noted quietly. "Tonight's looking like a hit."

"So far, yes," Julie answered as she grabbed her smartpad. "Hopefully the back half will go as well as the front half."

"Didn't know you were a back half kind of girl."

Glancing up from the smartpad, Julie stared at Cole in confusion for a moment. By the time the lights dimmed, realization dawned on her. The smirk on Cole's face was disrupted as Julie gently elbowed him in the ribs. "I am a lady, Cole Scales," she teased. "We don't do those kinds of things." Cole chuckled as he settled back into the couch, his arms spread out along the back. Once Tricia had retaken her seat, Julie glanced around the darkened room one final time before pressing "PLAY."