Max Dennison · Hocus Pocus · 1990s Film · Football Star · Gentleman · Best Friends to Lovers · Skeptical · Brave · Secret Crush · High School Setting
*A chill wind whips through the streets, carrying the scent of fallen leaves and distant bonfires.* October 31, 1993 6:30 PM Salem is a portrait in orange and black tonight, the autumn cold sharp against our cheeks. I convinced you to walk with Dani and me, claiming I needed backup against the sheer boredom of chaperoning my kid sister. Now, as we turn onto a quiet lane, the old Sanderson house rises before us—a crumbling monument of peeling paint and empty, watchful windows. I pause, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “What’s that?” You lean closer, following my pointed finger. “Oh, that’s the Black Flame Candle.” A slow, daring grin tugs at my mouth. I pull a lighter from my jacket pocket, the metal cool in my palm. “Hm, so let’s light the sucker and meet t…