Halloween '23 at Adonis

**Halloween '23 at Adonis** is the seventy-second chapter of Push to the Limit and the four hundred forty-seventh chapter of the series overall. It is 17,065 words long and told entirely in third person.

The gang celebrates Halloween. Alex finds out about Caleb's ultimatum and decides to make his final move towards winning over Julie.

## Plot

Travis is very excited to learn that Airplanes is now at number two for the week, making it his biggest success to date.

Shana watches a Snapchat video of Travis celebrating and Kayli says that'll be then one day, but Leila says it won't be because they will go straight to number one. They discuss the Halloween masquerade ball at Adonis and decide to all go.

Dean performs Psycho Killer with his band and Ryder watches, enjoying the song. After he compliments them, they ask if they can perform it at the Halloween party and Ryder reluctantly agrees.

Julie does not approve of Dean's plan to perform at the party, saying the band isn't ready, but he informs her that they have been rehearsing while she's been busy hanging out with friends and ending dates in fights. Julie caves and agrees with them doing the gig, as long as they rehearse nonstop. Dean goes off to schedule practices and Stefan and Bree arrive to deliver costumes for Julie and Kitty. Sensing Julie's hesitation, Bree sends Stefan outside and asks her what is wrong. Julie tells her about Caleb's ultimatum, revealing that she does have some feelings for Alex maybe, and Bree insists that she must choose Alex and perhaps she can take the time to really explore the possibility of there being a spark between them.

Amity is at the label listening to La Vida Es Un Carnaval and singing along when Christopher interrupts. She shares that she wants to educate herself on her Cuban roots and has started with the music, as Celia Cruz was a legend to her people. Christopher tells her that he is there because the label wants him to build another floor above the building for the label to expand. She says that the roof means much to her friends and Christopher promises to design a similar roof for them to use in the future. The two work side by side and Amity feels that being there with him is natural.

John tries on the costume Lyric has picked out for him, a mobster to her flapper, and complains about the fake mustache she wants him to wear, saying he won't take any pictures if he has to wear that. She agrees and there is a knock on the door, which John opens to discover Tabitha is in town and wants to know why Alex is living with Sam.

Sam and Alex write a song together but Alex is distracted. He tells Sam he wants to get away and do some traveling in a European city or something of that sort so Sam asks if it has to do with Julie. Alex says that he just wants a break away from the noise but Sam says that in the meantime they have to focus on making their album deadlines. Tabitha interrupts them and Sam invites her to stay with them for the week, much to Alex's dismay. Bree arrives and tells Alex that she needs to talk to him privately.

Alex and Bree arrive at her office in the W&H store and she tells him about Caleb's ultimatum, saying it's now his chance to step in, but Alex thinks that Julie will choose Caleb over him. Bree tells him that Julie is considering possibly choosing him, giving him all the hope he needs to go for it. She convinces him to dress as Batman, as Julie will be Catwoman, and finally convince her that she should be with him.

Kayli, Riley, Jeremy, and Zoe get ready for the masquerade together. They are all impressed by how great Zoe looks, complimenting her as Kayli says that they will go show off at the party.

Julie is still getting ready when Dan calls her and Kitty goes to answer a knock on the door. Dan tells Julie that he is back in town and she goes downstairs to find that he is there, with Harmony. Dan and Julie talk privately and he asks her to let Harmony stick around for the weekend, as he has nowhere to put her up and she doesn't want to stay with him at Rory's. Julie is upset that he would bring her to her home at all, especially since he seems to think Theo is dangerous, but Dan begs and she agrees to let Harmony stay, even letting her borrow a costume.

Alex arrives at the club two hours into the party and tries to find Julie, but Tabitha takes him to John instead and they watch Lyric on stage performing When Love Hurts. Leila watches, too, still upset over the song Lyric allegedly wrote about her. Tabitha leaves John and Alex to get a drink and then heads up to the balcony, where Julie is hanging out with Stefan, Bree, Kitty, Sam, Ryder, Marley and Dean. She also sees Amity, Dan, Rory, Christopher and Harmony but doesn't go to them, as her goal is to help Alex out. She convinces Julie to go dance with her downstairs and as they leave Alex comes upstairs, just missing them. Will and Emma arrive and Marley, Ryder, Sam and Stefan go down to greet them.

Emma congratulates Ryder on the club and Finn suggests that Will perform a number, but he is more interested in watching his old students sing. Blaine and Sam decide to go up and do their 'senior year Halloween number' which turns out to be Godzilla. Tabitha dances with Julie and asks her what's happened with her and Alex, but they are interrupted by the beginning of the next performance. While Sam and Blaine sing, Alex searches the crowd for Julie in a Catwoman suit, unaware that she went with a different costume, and sees her with Tabitha. He sits back down at his table and Tabitha joins him, asking if they are fighting but Alex says that he just wants to talk to her. Tabitha says she will help and leaves. A stranger dressed as Eeyore bumps into him and Alex decides to give him his Batman costume, paying him to trade with him.

Leila and Luke are miserable sitting in a table together and watching their friends have fun. When Leila says she is still thinking about Lyric's song, Luke tells her to get over it and be an artist because they will all write songs like these at some point in their careers. Luke is upset because Travis is dancing with groupies and Leila tells him not to care, inviting him out to dance with her.

Finn announces that he will be singing a song for Will but asks Jesse to sing with him. They go up to the stage together and Bree is relived to see that Stefan hasn't gone up. Marley joins them, talking to Dean again as Finn and Jesse begin to sing Dream Warriors. Marley tells Dean she isn't a big fan of the scary and he says he isn't surprised. He then compliments Finn and Jesse, with Marley agreeing that they are both incredibly talented and that teaching the New Directions proves how much more good Finn is doing than everyone else. Dean diverts his attention to a glass of alcohol left behind by Sam and Marley decides to take him downstairs to dance. This is not enough of a distraction, however, as the dance floor is filled with people drinking and even exchanging drugs. When a guy passes pills to a girl and tries to hand one to Dean, Marley takes his attention from it by kissing him. After the song, he tries to get an explanation but she just continues to dance, glad that he hadn't cracked under the pressure.

Rhythmix go up on stage and perform Lightning. Everyone in the audience is amazed by their high production value and overall musical talent, including Will who is wowed by Kayli's voice. Emma says that she will buy their album but is interrupted when the lights go out as part as the performance. When the song ends, Kayli and Shana go back to their friends and Sam compliments the performance, but Kayli warns him that they are coming for Crystal Army to become the biggest group in the world. They fight and Sam feels confident that Crystal Army will remain on top.

Luke and Leila are dancing but the former is exhausted from watching Travis flirting with random guys. Travis goes up on stage and drunkenly performs Fun, during which Marley decides to slow dance with Dean. Meanwhile, Luke goes to the bar and sits with Sarah and Cleo, who are as miserable as he is. Cleo is tired of being ignored by Stefan and Sarah has seen Jeremy and Kayli dancing together, while also realizing that Ryder is old and boring. Luke invites them to go out and dance with him and Cleo takes him up on his offer. Lyric takes her place, talking to Sarah who is upset that she is surrounded by people she dislikes, as Charlie and Isaac did not attend. She tells Lyric about her crush on Ryder and that he wants someone more exciting and he needs to be with Brooke. She tries to leave but Lyric makes her stay and encourages her to put more effort into being nice to people.

Will asks Kurt to sing next and he forces Quinn to go up with him. As they begin singing Monster, Alex searches for Julie again but John says he doesn't know where she went. He goes off looking for her again and Tabitha arrives, asking John if he's finally poured his heart out to Julie. She sees Julie heading out the backdoor and follows her, while John goes after Alex who is heading upstairs. Alex asks Bree and Kitty if Julie is around, saying he is tired of chasing her around. John arrives and tells him to stop, but John says that he has to take what little chance he has and stop putting John or Caleb's needs in front of his own. Kitty and John try to convince him not to say anything, but Bree tells him to man up and go tell her he loves her, reminding him that Julie already said she feels something but isn't sure what that something is yet. He tells John that it's different now and explains the ultimatum, saying the slight possibly that she might feel something for him is enough. John wants him to perform instead, saying Ryder wanted to sing with them and Will wanted to watch. Alex agrees and stops searching for Julie to join him.

Tabitha finds Julie outside getting fresh air. She asks why Julie is avoiding Alex and making him run around looking for her. Julie admits that she doesn't know what she's going to say to him because she has yet to figure out how she feels about him or if she can feel enough. Tabitha says she has never seen her brother care so much about someone and advises her not to let him slip away because he's a great guy. Julie asks what if he just likes the chase or if her affections aren't enough for him but Tabitha tells her that she won't know if she doesn't try to find out.

When Julie goes back inside, Alex, John and Ryder are on stage and beginning to perform American Beauty/American Psycho. Dean dances with Marley, teaching her how to dance to a rock song, and Tabitha sees Amity saying goodbye to Christopher, asking who that is and if he's single. Amity says he isn't, as she is going on a date with him. Tabitha is impressed, as Christopher seems to be her age, and the two go dance. Luke dances with Cleo, the two getting down and dirty as Luke stops caring about Travis. Lyric dances with Sarah, forcing her to try to let loose. Sam asks Julie if she's ok and she says yes, but she is anxious about talking to Alex. She forces herself to go to the entrance, where she catches Alex's eyes and signals him to meet her outside.

Julie walks across the street to Amelia's, where Alex meets her and tells her that what he feels isn't just a crush or infatuation. He says he fell for how screwed up she is and seeing her at her worst, most vulnerable self made it impossible to get over her. He adds that before he's had to be someone he's not with other girls but he can be himself with her and that's why his old tricks didn't work to seduce her. He acted like a jerk because he couldn't accept that their friendship might fall apart due to his feelings. He also adds that he wants someone like her, who is insane and can keep up with how screwed up he is, wishing he'd fought for her the moment he realized how he felt, which was before she and Caleb got serious. Adding that her happiness matters most, he asks her to tell him if there's any chance that she feels something beyond friendship for him. She cannot answer, however, speechless, which he interprets as her not feeling the same. He decides to leave her alone and return to the party.

As he leaves, Julie realizes that it's not that she doesn't feel something for him; it's that she's scared of her friendship with him falling apart the way it had with Sam, Ryder, and Jake, especially since Alex had helped her through so many hard times. She agrees that perhaps she should just let Alex think he doesn't like her but she can't, so she returns to the club, where Ryder tells her that Will wanted to watch her perform. Julie agrees to do it and gets on stage, announcing to everyone that she loves Halloween because she can be someone else for the night, and tonight what she wants is to be honest. Julie performs The Wire, which Alex has interpreted to be about trying to open up to people but shutting down when the relationship became too serious. He wonders if that means that she is having trouble opening up to Alex in a different way or if she doesn't want Alex to be her excuse to shut down with Caleb. During the performance, Julie admits to herself that she is interested in Alex romantically even if just out curiosity and clearly everyone else had already realized that.

After the song, Julie goes outside and is soon joined by Alex, who asks what the song meant. She responds that there might be chance that she feels something for him if she's being entirely honest and he says good, because that's all he needs to show her he is the right choice for her. Back inside, they return to their friends where Will insists on taking a picture with one person representing each graduating class he taught before he has to leave. Stefan, Jesse, Quinn, Julie, Sam and Alex take the picture with him and Julie can tell that now that she has told Alex the truth everything has changed.

## Songs

### Billboard 200

* "Black Roses" - Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 10
	+ Last Week: 11
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 32
* "Don't Look Back" - Travis Hilton
	+ Number 16
	+ Last Week: 13
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 17
* "Who I've Been" - Crystal Army
	+ Number 17
	+ Last Week: 14
	+ Peak Position: 1
	+ Weeks on Chart: 43
* "No Pressure" - Jake P.
	+ Number 30
	+ Last Week: 30
	+ Peak Position: 6
	+ Weeks on Chart: 7
* "Generation Love" - Sarah Linley
	+ Number 47
	+ Last Week: 25
	+ Peak Position: 25
	+ Weeks on Chart: 2
* "Stand Down" - Rhythmix
	+ Number 121
	+ Last Week: 119
	+ Peak Position: 4
	+ Weeks on Chart: 30
* "Amity Hills" - Amity Hills
	+ Number 166
	+ Last Week: 154
	+ Peak Position: 3
	+ Weeks on Chart: 33

### Billboard Hot 100

* "Airplanes" - Travis Hilton featuring Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 2
	+ Last Week: 3
	+ Peak Position: 2 (NEW)
	+ Weeks on Chart: 6
* "Jet Black Heart" - Crystal Army
	+ Number 9
	+ Last Week: 6
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 11
* "Chains" - Nick Jonas
	+ Number 10
	+ Last Week: 8
	+ Peak Position: 8
	+ Weeks on Chart: 10
* "Ride" - Travis Hilton
	+ Number 16
	+ Last Week: 14
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 31
* "Me and My Broken Heart" - Jake P.
	+ Number 20
	+ Last Week: 20
	+ Peak Position: 14
	+ Weeks on Chart: 13
* "Here" - Amity Hills
	+ Number 21
	+ Last Week: 19
	+ Peak Position: 5
	+ Weeks on Chart: 29
* "Hair" - Rhythmix featuring Sean Paul
	+ Number 27
	+ Last Week: 25
	+ Peak Position: 25
	+ Weeks on Chart: 4
* "He Could Be The One" - Juliet Vasquez
	+ Number 30
	+ Last Week: 18
	+ Peak Position: 10
	+ Weeks on Chart: 15
* "Heartbeat Song" - Santana Lopez
	+ Number 44
	+ Last Week: 37
	+ Peak Position: 37
	+ Weeks on Chart: 5
* "Leavin'" - Jake P.
	+ Number 45
	+ Last Week: --
	+ Peak Position: 45 (DEBUT)
	+ Weeks on Chart: 1
* "Hollow" - Lyric Heron featuring Travis Hilton
	+ Number 68
	+ Last Week: --
	+ Peak Position: 68 (NEW)
	+ Weeks on Chart: 10 (non-consecutive)
* "I Got The Boy" - Sarah Linley
	+ Number 70
	+ Last Week: 75
	+ Peak Position: 70 (NEW)
	+ Weeks on Chart: 8