Friday, October 31st. 9:00PM Chilly, with a slight eerie fog. Perfect for the occasion.
Halloween night had came in full force in the small town of Sterling Heights. Kids ran around crazy collecting candy from lit up houses, teens caused trouble, and even adults got in on the fun- finding solace in “parties” where people got drunk and talked about the monotony of their work day. Bernadette Blackwell found herself outside walking towards Ron’s house for what would be ultimately the best party of that month. Without a driver's license nor a ride from her parents, Bernie had wanted to show a bit of independence and walk there herself.
She regretted this situation almost instantly.
The girl clung to herself as she walked up the sidewalk, arms wrapped tightly to her poor excuse for a costume. Something very cheap and basic, Bernie adorned herself in a black blouse, and some black short shorts, and a pair of black fall boots that rested just above her ankles. A pair of cat ears sat upon her head, also very basic and cheap representation of the night. It seemed however fairly appropriate for a night that was just going to be spent with her closest friends.
Ronald had been nice to enough to host tonight. It would just be the ten friends together, and they probably would spend the night watching movies and just gossiping about things that were going on in the town. Reaching the door finally, the girl knocked on the door with three loud knocks and two impatient presses of the doorbell.
Bernie had came earlier to help Ron set up as she had promised a week ago. Although she had came about a half hour later than originally said, she had at least arrived at all, which she thought he should he should be thankful for.
Ronald had passed out the last piece of candy for the night as he turned the porch light off and walked back inside of his home, closing the door behind him. He almost had everything set up for the Halloween party that he was hosting in the basement and some of his closest and their closest friends were invited but he wanted to keep the number of people down to a minimum. Ronald quirked a brow up after looking down at his watch and wondered where the hell Bernadette was since she did offer to help set up.
He wouldn’t have been mad at her or anything but if she wanted to back out of not helping, she could’ve said to him. He would’ve been all right either way though. Ronald did have on a venom costume earlier since it was seemingly the most popular one for the time being but now, he had dressed in a party outfit like he was going out tonight. This felt a little bit more appropriate for him though, just in case he was going to get lucky tonight.
He had set out some chips, dip, finger sandwiches, beer and a mixture of other alcoholic beverages along with an assortment of candy, of course. Ronald had pointed at everything and said check inside of his mind while he was really getting worried about Bernadette now. He had pulled out his phone to send her a text but decided to send Arabella one first since she did not make it quite clear if she was coming to the Halloween party or not. ‘She better come.’ Ronald thought to himself with a stiff chuckle.
”Hurry up Ron, I’m freezing!” she yelled through the door, hoping that her friend was somewhat nearby so she could get out of the cold. This however wasn’t a time for patience as Bernadette began to pound on the door once more, ”Ronald Miguel Callowaaaaaaaay!” her loud voice called as her head fell back in distraught, it hadn’t been a minute yet since the first knock.
Once he sent the message, a familiar voice shouted out and of course, it had to be Bernadette. He had half a mind to leave her out there until she freezes to death. The thought made him chuckle a little bit before he climbed up the stairs and toward the door, removing the curtain to look through it. “Oh, you want to come in?” He had to tease her a little bit and smiled brightly while doing so. Ronald had dropped the curtain now and unlocked the door, opening it to let Bernadette come in. “Now you show up. I was getting worried about you.” He had mentioned, closing the door once she was inside. “I think I got everything set up but just check to make sure, please.” With that, he had went back by her side.
Bernie pouted but had to laugh, ”I’m sorry!” she cooed, as she took off her boots at the front door, revealing some warmer socks underneath. She made her way downstairs and admired the work Ron had already done. Nodding over at him, ”Everything looks great, I hope they all show up.” she added in, pulling out her cell phone to see if anyone had messaged her about canceling.
Hearing that everything looks good made him gleam up a little bit. He shrugged his shoulders and muttered a rather arrogant reply toward her. ”Well, you know how I do.” He had laughed and nudged her gently before he nodded his head at her last remark. ”Agree. They all better or when we get to school. I’ll have to bash some heads in.” Ronald muttered while his fist met the palm of his hand. He was only joking, of course and Bernadette would know that quite well.
Soon their other friends would arrive and the fun would begin.
Augie looked at himself in the mirror after he had his full costume on. It wasn't of anything specific, but he attempted to go full creepy. He had puffed all his hair out and painted his whole face except his around his eyes pale white, which he'd painted black veins around. He was wearing an old gas mask he found in his garage, and a bunch of old, torn up clothes that he'd applied blood spatters to. He even had a small bottle of salty water in his pocket that he'd drop into his eye when he got there, to make them red and puffy. Satisfied, he gathered his stuff, put his headphones on, and started walking. He could've got a lift with his mother, but the fog was nice and refreshing so he decided to walk. Ron's house wasn't far, anyway. As soon as he stepped out the door, he regretted tearing a huge hole in the side of the flanelette he was wearing, even though it did make him look that extra bit shadier.
After a little while, Ron's house was in sight. Augie figured that now was as good a time as any to use that saltwater, so he pulled it out of his pocket, cradling it in his hand as he regarded the small bottle of pain, fully regretting this decision.
Well... go big or go home, Augie, he thought, as he unstoppered the vial. The pipette was raised into the air, almost reverently. He considered stopping here, but no. There was no going back. He squeezed hard on the pipette, and a small stream flew through the air, landing square in his eye. "Gah! Mother fucking salt fucking water!", he screamed out as his hand shot straight to his eye. If Ron hadn't heard, he would have been surprised. After a short while of cursing himself, he repeated the ordeal for the other eye, only this time he was prepared for the pain.
He walked up to Ron's door and knocked hard, blinking through the ocean in each eye. He checked his phone for the time, and he was about five minutes early. He messaged Ron to let him know he was outside, and waited to be welcomed in.
Isaac looked at himself in the mirror again and sighed. He didn't have to go. He could give as many excuses as he wanted to. Most of them good ones.
He looked at his phone, scanning through the texts. No. He had to go. He'd kick himself if he didn't.
Isaac stood, feeling a little bit silly in his getup but also a little proud of himself. He'd probably spent something like 30 bucks on the stuff for this stupid costume. Alright. He'd go. Otherwise all this effort was for nothing. Besides, maybe he'd...
He stopped himself from going down that road mentally. Not a good idea.
Isaac pulled his coat on and made his way to his truck. He might need some of his things while he was there, after all. It took 3 tries to get the engine to turn over but it did, and he made his way towards Ron's place.
He pulled up to the house and sat in his truck for a little while, just taking in the sights before he did anything. Getting his bearings. With a huff of air, he opened the door and scooched out onto his feet, leaving the comfort of the heaters.
He knocked on the door in his particular rhythm. Everyone knew when he was at the door, because he always used the same knock. It was a silly habit that he couldn't seem to shake.
When they door opened, the guests in attendance would be treated to the sight of Isaac wearing a sequin-covered cowboy hat, a giant pair of sunglasses, a loudly red coat with tassles on the arms, and a surprisingly good impression of Randy Savage saying "Oh yeah, Brother!"
Isaac smiled and laughed at himself sheepishly after. "Not too bad, right?"
Claire looked at herself in the mirror and smiled back at her own reflection. She was utterly pleased with her Halloween costume. She was dressed in an all black bodysuit with white bones neatly and expertly painted all over it. She had also arranged with a make-up artist who owed her a favour to paint her face with realistic looking skull paint and this was all going the way she had envisioned it to be. Her long black hair went along really well with the whole black and white colour theme of the costume.
The thoughts of reactions from the others already was starting to make her grin. She took a look at her phone, checking for any texts from anyone. No new ones just yet, just the most recent one telling all of them to make sure to attend the party at Ron's place.
Gathering her haversack, and whatever else she need, she slung it on her back and left the house, getting onto her bicycle. Claire couldn't afford a car, and cycling everywhere was easy and convenient enough for her.
She managed to turn a few heads from curious people she passed along the streets, it must have been an amusing sight to see someone with skeleton face paint clad in a black and white jacket riding a bright yellow bicycle, her hair flying in the wind.
Some of them even gave her a thumbs up sign, especially from those fellow Halloween-goers. She finally reached the house, and saw the familiar sight of Isaac's truck. He must already be in there. She knocked on the door with a series of quick taps, trying her best not to grin. Whoever opened the door would find her there in her black and white skeletal glory as she announced "Treat or Treat"!
”I swear: when the guys see us, they are going to lose their shit...”
Rob was doing his best to hold back his laughter, instead settling for a grin stretching from ear to ear. In front of him was his long time friend Ara, and she had allowed him to let loose on her face with makeup. That fact alone would be enough to shock their friends. But on top of that, Rob had a rather drafty number on that would likely cause a few people to pass out from fright. “I mean, let's be honest: I am totally rocking this outfit. And by time I get finished with your face… There's no way we can't win Halloween!”
With a few more brush strokes to the girl’s face, Rob was done. He could not longer hold in his laughter and erupted into a rapturous chuckle as he looked over his masterpiece. “You look absolutely fucking amazing.” He reached past Ara and grabbed hold of a mirror, holding it up for her to see. “So, what do you think?”
The loud, high-pitched sound of a female’s laughter filled up the empty spaces of the Jennings household. It was Halloween night, and Arabella Jennings was currently in the final preparations of her costume. For this year’s friend get-together, Ara had decided to pull out all the stops and do something completely different. It would probably be the last time they would be able to celebrate the holiday together, so she wanted to make sure it would be one for the books. And in order to achieve the feat of impressing her best friends while slaying this yearly holiday, she had enlisted the help of her long-time best friend Robert Cadogan.
“Oh my God!” Ara finally cried out once the laughter had died away, green eyes wide as they examined the job Robert had done. “This is crazy! I literally can't even tell it's my own face!”
Rob put the mirror back down, being careful not to brush against the freshly painted cheek of Ara. He took another look at her face and the laughter made way for a smile of sheer joy. “Do you know how long I've wanted to get you painted up?” The rhetorical question didn't need answering but in reality it was always something he wanted to do for the fun of it.
“Um, let me guess… Since, like, literally forever?” the girl said with a wink, waltzing across the room to examine her bestie’s handiwork in the floor-length mirror. Ara had gone all out for tonight, sporting a black Slayer T-shirt, a pair of black skinny jeans and a pair of knee-high, black leather combat boots. Her blonde hair was hidden underneath a black wig so long it reached her mid-back; and the petite, gentle-looking face had been painted completely black and white. To top it all off, she’d borrowed one of Caddy’s long, black leather trench coats to finish off #thelook: a metalhead diva straight out of a heavy metal album cover.
“You know it… But anyway, I think it's about time you do something to my hair… Ddo your worst!” Turning around and carefully sitting down in front of Ara, Rob crossed his legs and freed his hair from it's restraints. As he let it loose it fell freely down his back, tickling at the areas of skin his costume exposed. He shuddered briefly at the sensation before stretching taking a deep breath. “I had better look fabulous by time you're done!”
“When have I ever let you down?” she asked him with that soft smile still in place, taking a few strands of Robert’s surprisingly silky hair and starting to gently but firmly braid his hair. “You know when I do something, I do it right. And just you wait until I do your makeup. The sparkly smokey eye will be the cherry on top of your bombshell sundae.”
Ara was right: she had never let him down before. In all their years as friends she had been as good a friend as anyone could ask for: open, honest and there for him when he needed it. Now, she was there for him again; this time making him look like some sort of flamboyant man-unicorn. The thought of what she had planned for him forced a laugh from deep inside him, although it was stemmed out of fear than humor.
“The more glitter, the better...” On the inside, he was praying that the Gods - whichever one was listening - would magically make all her glitter disappear into the abyss. However, he knew that - deep down - he was going to be a glittery princess tonight, and no deity was going to stop Ara having her way. “...I mean, I can’t remember agreeing to make-up. But may as well go overboard.”
The girl merely shook her head. “That’s because wasn’t up to a debate, Skullcandy,” Ara reminded him somewhat bossily, playfully tugging his hair. “Makeup was already part of the deal. Just as you never do a gig without corpse paint, I never perform without makeup. Easy peasy.”
With Arabella’s many years of experience as the cheer team’s designated hair stylist, Robbie’s braid was finished in record time. A pink bow finished off the look, tied around the very end of the braid to prevent it from coming loose. The girl stared at her handiwork for a few long seconds, eyes squinted. There was something missing from this, the final touch to glamourize things...
Suddenly, it came to her. Letting out an excited shriek, Ara jumped up from her seat on the bed, ran to her dresser, grabbed a spray bottle from the selection of hair care products and rushed back to where Robbie was sitting. She ripped off the container's lid, tossed it somewhere next to her and let out the battle cry “Mind the eyes!” before pressing down on the top of the can and spraying the substance all over the man’s hair.
A few seconds later, Robert's braid was covered in gold and silver glitter. The small flecks shone and sparkled when caught in the light, bringing attention to the hairstyle on the male's head. Giggling, Ara grabbed the mirror from the dresser and gave it to her best friend. “Done with the hair!” she announced cheerfully, an excited and anticipating expression all over her corpse-painted face. “What do you think, Alvin?”
Rob took the mirror and stared at it blankly for a moment before he broke out into laughter. “I must say, it is rather… Unique...” He had dreaded the thought of glitter - anything but glitter -but somehow, in some strange way, he managed to pull it off. “... But I love it. Everyone is going to lose their minds when they see it.”
“Yay!” Ara exclaimed cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Robbie to give him a quick, big hug. “I’m so happy you like it! I really tried to make you look drop-dead gorgeous.”
The young man rose to his feet and turned to Ara, trying to fight back the laughter. “This is the single greatest idea we've ever come up with. We are absolute geniuses!” He slightly adjusted the short skirt he was wearing, trying to pull it low enough to avoid showing off his rather tasteful Sponge Bob Square Pants boxer shorts - another brilliant suggestion from Ara. In the corner of his eye Rob spotted the clock and realised that time, as it usually did when they were together, had flown by.
“Come on then, Chick. We should probably look at leaving soon. This sexy piece of ass needs a beer.” Standing there gesturing at himself with his thumbs Rob chuckled as he waited for Ara to finish getting herself ready.
This earned him a snort from Arabella. “A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early,” she said with a sassy shrug, effortlessly quoting Queen Clarisse from The Princess Diaries. “And, by the way: just because you're wearing the outfit doesn't mean you get to wear the ego as well,” she teased, having grabbed the mirror to organize a few strands of her hair before turning back to Robbie. She had indeed been ready to go when her eyes fell on his bare face. “Oh no, we can't go yet! I haven't even done your makeup!” she whined, lips pressed together in a displeased pout.
“Are you sure you want me to put makeup on? I mean, seriously. People will not be able to keep their hands off me,” Rob gestured at his body with his hands before stretching his arms out wide. ”I mean: look at me now… I'm gorgeous!”
“Oh, shut up, you!” Ara replied immediately, rolling her eyes but with a grin that indicated she was amused and not annoyed. While she spoke next, she took Robbie's hand and guided him to sit on her vanity chair, where her makeup station was located. “Have you seen what I look like? One glare from me and a few gruffly lines of satanic goat sacrificing for the Devil and they'll be looking away from you in no time,” she said proudly, grabbing the tub of primer from the vanity and squeezing a pea-sized amount in her finger to smear it over Rob’s face.
“Bitch, please… You wish. I'll have everyone's attention. Look at this ass.” Turning his back to Ara, Rob pushed his butt out towards her before making a ridiculous attempt at twerking.
Arabella couldn’t help but collapse into a fit of laughter as she watched the young man doing the saddest excuse of a twerk . At school, most people took one look at Robbie and his social media and immediately deemed him as an abomination to society because of his music tastes. The jewel-eyes girl wondered what they would say if they saw the ‘mean, scary metalhead’ in his tailored cheerleading costume trying to twerk in the middle of her bedroom.
“I literally can’t deal with you right now…” the girl muttered under her breath, chest heaving with the aftermath of her laughing fit. “Alright, alright… C'mon, you flat-assed hoe. Get your ass back in this chair. I have a ton of work to do,” she playfully scolded, smacking his backside with the handheld mirror and pulling him back towards the floor.
Rob sat back down in front of his best friend and scoffed. “I could walk into this party and take anyone I want home… I look that damn good.” he teased, shutting his eyes and leaning forward, waiting for Ara to finish his transformation into a super mega ultra unicorn cheerleader princess. Frankly, he looked ridiculous, but the kind of ridiculous that you could laugh off if you had the right personality. That was why he was being so overly ridiculous. In reality, he was by no means as self centred or egotistical as he was acting. It was all part of the show, and would ensure that he would ‘win’ Halloween, as he kept putting it.
“Really?” Arabella drawled as she applied eyeshadow to Robbie's face with gentle brush strokes to the eyelids. “So who are you thinking? ‘Cause you, like, have a lot of options. You have Issie-bear, DJ, Augie, RoRo, Deusie… Though if it was up to me I'd pick one of the last two. If you'll take someone home might as well take home the big guns, if you know what I mean,” she teased, letting out an amused bark of laughter at the thought of Robbie trying to seduce one of their friends with his slutty cheerleader outfit.
“One million percent Isaac. I mean, the guy carries tampons on him. That's the kind of a guy a girl could really use in their life.” Rob managed to keep a straight face for all of a second before the two best friends erupted into laughter once more. They took a moment to compose themselves before he continued on. “I have spoken to him quite a lot over the past few months when I've gone hiking, and I have to say he really is a good guy. I know not everyone needs to be in a relationship - I mean, I'm still single - but he’s got a lot of love to give, I think. He just needs to find the one person he's willing to let in.”
Ara quickly nodded in agreement, remembering the most gentle soul out of their friend group. If anybody deserved all the happiness in the world with someone who would love him for exactly who he was, it was Isaac.
After a few minutes of bickering over Ara telling Robert to stay still and the latter protesting that he couldn’t and she just needed to finish already, the task at hand was finally finished. “Okay, I'm done!” she announced proudly, smiling at Robbie while waiting expectantly for his reaction.
Rob opened his eyes as the makeup application approached it's end, seeing an almost unrecognisable face before him. “Damn! I am hot!” He turned his head to get a full view of his almost completed costume and cheekily grinned. “Even one of the girls may get tempted with me looking this damn sexy!”
“How about no?” came Ara's response, a little too quickly and a little too seriously. Realizing how she'd sounded, the girl felt herself compelled to change the subject before anything regretful could be said. “Honestly, though? That smokey eye looks good on you. Golds and reds are, like, literally your perfect colors.”
“If you're trying to get me to wear makeup regularly, you're totally barking up the wrong tree.” Rob scratched at his neck as the final touches were about to applied, while Arabella laughed at his comment. “I know I paint myself up for gigs, but that's just because it looks badass. I mean, look at you! Don't you feel badass right now?” Raising his arms in the air he jokingly flexed. “Like you could just go out there and take on anyone or anything that gets in your way?”
Ara visibly cringed. “Um… no,” she told him, shaking her head vigorously. “I'd rather take on the world as a Disney princess like DJ calls me than to go around looking like… this,” she said, motioning to her get-up. “No offense to you, of course.”
Shrugging, the young woman walked back to her bed and grabbed her phone from where it had been charging on the nightstand. A text from her RoRo had been sitting in her inbox for the better part of twenty minutes… Which meant that they were running late for the get-together.
“Shit!” she cried out, typing up a quick response to Ronald before pocketing her phone and running towards Robert. “It’s twenty past nine, Rob! We have to go now!” And without waiting for the man’s response, Ara grabbed his hand and raced down the stairs and out of her home.
The pair left the house seemingly on a cloud, they had nailed their costumes. Everything they had visualised beforehand paled in comparison to the true glory of what they were wearing. From Ara's Slayer t-shirt and epic corpse paint, to Rob's short skirt and crop top, they had absolutely pulled it off. The one problem Rob had however was that the temperature had plunged as the fog rolled in. Usually a t-shirt and a pair of jeans would mean he'd be fine but he had more skin on show than clothing covered.
“I'm not saying I regret this costume, but damn, it's cold… Gimme your coat, Chick!” Rob playfully pulled at the sleeve of Ara's coat as they made their way to Ron's house, while she giggled and slapped his hand away. It wasn't a long walk, but Rob had a misplaced concern that he would end up losing some limbs to frostbite.
“I told you to get one of my coats from the closet! But noooooo, ‘I’m Robert Cadogan: lord of the underworld, who never gets cold because he lives in hell’!” she teased, using air quotes to emphasize that last sentence. “This is what you get for not listening to me.”
”Remember on the group chat I mentioned frolicking with goats?” Rob asked Ara, choosing to ignore what she’d just said - even if she was right, after all. The girl nodded, eyebrow raised in curiosity as to why he’d brought that message up in the first place. “Well, let's frolic all the way to Ron's so I don't freeze to death!”
Without waiting for his best friends response, he took her hand and began to skip down the road. With every leap, his skirt revealed a bit too much of his Spongebob Squarepants underwear, but he couldn't have cared less. He was starting to feel warmer, and was once again laughing at his own expense.
He turned to Ara with a sincere smile, ”I bet you didn't see this happening ten minutes ago.”
“I never saw this happening period,” Ara said brightly as she skipped beside him, hands still strongly linked together. “But I'm definitely glad it's a thing now. I’m, like, literally having so much fun with you right now.”
Rob poked his tongue out through his lips and let out a surprisingly loud fart noise in response. “There is no way this is becoming a thing!” he said fighting back the laughter. “I’m just cold. And, quite frankly, feeling fabulous, so this is a total one off!” He winked at Ara before throwing her a wide smile.
“If you say so…” the blonde replied in a sing-song tone of voice, sticking her tongue out at her best friend. “Who knows? Maybe you end up liking the feeling of wearing a skirt. The Lord works in mysterious ways, after all.”
At that moment, the headlights of a car drew closer to the skipping pair. The roar of its engine quietened as it got closer before eventually coming to a stop. ”Oh shit!” Rob muttered, stopping in his tracks as he recognised the car. No sooner had he said this that the driver’s side window wound down, and from within came a deep voice that caused Rob to wince in embarrassment, lowering his head into his chest.
“Excuse me, I don’t suppose either of you have seen my son, have you?” A raucous barrage of giggling and guffawing poured forth from the car.
“No, sir, I haven't,” Arabella promptly replied, making her most laughable attempt at a deep, gravely voice. “Only one I've seen tonight is this beautiful young lady here,” she said, wrapping her arm around Robbie's exposed torso.
Soon the head of a young boy emerged from the passenger window, his hair long and flowing free. “Looking good, bro! I always knew you were a big girl!” The head of the boy soon returned to the car as the driver pulled him back in.
Rob raised his head to see his brother protesting with his father against being told to stop the tirade of abuse, while his best friend tried hard to bite back her laughter. Soon enough, his younger brother was sitting cross-armed and sulking as the smile on his father’s face grew.
The older man then turned to Ara and tipped the peak of his cap. “Good evening, Arabella. Could you please make sure my daughter gets home safe later?”
“You got it, Mr. C. Your princess is always safe with me,” the blonde replied, choosing that moment to plant a big kiss on Robbie's cheek.
There was an audible groan of frustration and embarrassment with almost every word from his father. Rob could feel his stomach knotting and twisting but it only got worse as a bright flash illuminated the immediate area.
“Jesus, Matt, leave your brother alone!” Karl reached across to the youngest of the Cadogan clan and took his phone from him. He returned his hands to the steering wheel and began to pull away. “You two have a good night! And Rob… Don’t worry about that picture.”
Rob mouthed the words thank you as his father pulled off down the street, leaving the odd pair to carry on to Ron’s.
“That was the single worst experience of my life. I mean, it’s one thing being dressed like this around you guys, but my family?! Oh God...” Rob’s head fell into his free hand, only that moment realising he and Ara were still holding hands.
“Oh, you'll be okay, Caddy,” Ara said, squeezing his hand and waving away whatever insecurities he had as they walked up the steps to Ronald's house. “It’s just a silly costume! Your dad knows that, and we both know he won't let Mattie do anything crazy.”
Ara's words held some comfort, and ultimately, he knew it would be tomorrow's problem. He paid her back with a smile as they reached Ron's front door. He looked at it for a moment before turning to his new personal makeup stylist. “Still can't believe how much better than you I look tonight.” With a final poke of the tongue he hit the door with the knuckles of his hand.
“Keep telling yourself that, sweetie,” the young woman replied smugly, shooting Robert a playful wink as they waited for any of their friends to open the door.
”Yoohoo! RoRo! Oh, Ronald! Be a sweetie and open this door! I'm being held captive by Satan's offspring!” The voice he chose was most certainly high pitched and quite passable for a woman...a woman who had smoked fifty a day all her life.
“You asshole!” Arabella shrieked with laughter, smacking Rob’s shoulder. “I literally can’t deal with you right now!”
Her breathing was heavy, carrying a rasp to it as she bolted down the dark street. One might have noticed her reddened face, glistening ever so slightly with sweat had she not been wholly obscured by the jet black hoodie covering her head and the scarf tightly wrapped around her neck. Every time she went out, she knew the clothing choice was a mistake. Was it a fashion statement or purely functional? She'd have to settle on a happy medium...
The bounding of Alice's shoes impacting the sidewalk was loud enough to wake backyard dogs into a barking frenzy. Or perhaps it was the clanking of the heavy satchel draped over her shoulder as it whipped in the October winds. Alice didn't care. No, now wasn't a time for silence. Rather, haste was all that mattered in the mind of the young girl. She had taken much longer than anticipated in her night out. Alice had only come to that realization as she tore down the sidewalk, picking up her pace even more. The harrowed party with her friends was fast approaching, and there she was not dressed up or ready at all and still blocks from her house. It was either an error in judgement of time or Alice was trying to put off having to deal with a large group of rowdy teenagers as long as possible. They were her friends of course, but exhausting nonetheless. She would have chuckled at the thought was she not so fervently sprinting. Strange to call a simple gathering exhausting considering her current predicament.
Alice skidded to a halt on the side street. Finally her house was in sight. She didn't have a lot of time to work with, but she imagined she'd make it to the party nonetheless. Her friends would likely string her up if she bailed, or at least, she imagined they would. Bail one too many times and suddenly there's a witch hunt. Alice would have to work fast, though. She had quite the plan, but shooting through her back door and into her room, she realized her arrival was going to be a bit more delayed than first expected. At least her father wasn't around to bother her. Had he been at the church that late? Alice would never find out, nor did she particularly care. It was all enigmas in the small weaver family. Taking her hood down, Alice huffed as she looked into her full-body mirror. Covered in sweat, hair disheveled, and without makeup, she had some work to do. Without hesitation or even a moment's rest, Alice skidded across the floor to her laptop. It only took a few seconds to queue up some music. With her favorite indie hip hop jams on repeat, Alice wasted no time in getting ready. She had to appear perfect after all— the only way she'd dare portray herself.
After a quick shower, Alice ran her hands through her short brunette locks. She certainly didn't have the perfect hairstyle for her costume or the perfect hair color for that matter, but she figured it was light enough for the meaning to get across. Her outfit was already laid out and ready to wear. Before she put it on, Alice spent a moment admiring both her handiwork with the costume and her mental ingenuity that had birthed the idea. She had conceded to the fact that her idea was universally the best costume idea that she could ever come up with within a minute and a half of contemplation. It took a bit more finesse than she had first expected. Having done little to no sewing in her life before this, though, Alice was entirely impressed with the blue and white dress sat before her. Of course, it was mostly complete as she had it, but the lace flourishes that were embroidered along its lining were all her own work. Alongside that, Alice had made a point to lengthen the dress a bit to allow it to just brush her knees. It looked more rough, but she was pleased with it nonetheless, whether for fear of the cold or the opinions of others.
It was the perfect fit for her— in a number of senses. An homage to Carroll's nineteenth century literature and modern humor that was basically required for Halloween costumes. At least, that was what Alice thought. Without cleverness, who would she be? Definitely not Alice on her Adventure's in Wonderland. A unique blend of wit and puns while still maintaining a cute look— exactly what she needed. Of course, the costume alone wasn't nearly enough, no. Alice as Alice, had to go beyond simplicity. Leaving her hair almost the exact same way it was normally styled save for a simple headband that accentuated the color she had draped around her body, the next move was makeup, and that was where Alice would shine. Her look was subtle, as always, but Alice still managed to fit herself with some flair with small symbols of each suit in a deck of cards just below her eye. The perfect mixture of diminutive while also showing off... Just like her...
In her rush to get out of the door, Alice spent quite a bit of time not rushing and instead hesitating to make sure she had everything she might need. She never did leave the house without one of her satchels. There were too many handy things to carry around. Tonight, her bag would be filled with a small makeup kit to provide touch-ups and it would also offer a place to store the black zip-up hoodie when she arrived at Ron's house alongside whatever else may have already been prepared in the bag's various pockets. Of course she wasn't going to be wearing that dress out in the open. It was by far to flashy for her usual style, but it was time to shine for the holiday. In transit, however, Alice reverted to her covert look from the earlier hours of the night. Anything to take eyes off of her.
Alice always enjoyed the quiet walks she took at night. More often than not, she found herself ambling along the dim streets near to her home, but in this instance she moved with purpose. Late enough as is, Alice had somewhere to be. Luckily for her, little Sterling Heights made her journey a quick one. Distracted by the hypnotic patterns of distant fire in the sky, Alice arrived before Ron's house before she knew it. There was a brief moment of hesitation in her step as she crossed onto the house's driveway. Was she late enough? Perhaps she should have waited longer. Shaking the silly thoughts from her head, Alice made haste to escape the cool outside for the much needed warmth within, shedding the hooding and draping it over her arm as she knocked upon the door.
"Time to go among the mad people," Alice spoke in a introspective voice as she mottled the Carroll quote. There was more where that came from. She knew that, and reveled in it as much as her friends may have dreaded it. There was almost a bit of a dance to her step as she entered, only continuing in her tirade.
"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle..."
Ronald had gone back up the stairs for a moment as he went into the kitchen and grabbed himself a shot and a bottle of tequila. He downed three shots before washing out the glass, placing it back along with tequila and was fixing to head back down to the basement until a knock came over the door. His eyes cut toward the door and he walked over to it, looking out the curtain beforehand because someone egged him before and he wasn't having it this year. It was Augie and Ron unlocked the door, opening it with a greeting smile. "Aye. What's up, Augie?" He had stepped aside to let him in. "Party is being held down in the basement. Bernie is already down there so go join her and make yourself at home." Ronald muttered as he had closed the door behind him, locking it again.
Just as he took two steps forward, he had to take two steps back and did not look out the curtain this time, just unlocked the door and opened it, seeing Issac dressed as Macho Man Randy Savage. Ron's eyes scanned him and he let out a small laugh. "I can dig it, Issac." He said as he stepped beside him after closing the door again and started to walk down toward the basement. "Dude, I have to announce you. This moment is too good to pass up." He had muttered as he walked down the stairs and eyed Bernie along with Augie and made the announcement for Issac dressed as Randy Savage. Ron even went as far as to hum Randy's entrance music as he came down the stairs, still laughing just a little.
From that moment, he did go back upstairs and heard another knock. 'Why couldn't everyone ride together or something?' He had thought then heard a voice call out trick or treat from outside. 'Aw, shit. It's them little bastards again.' Ron thought while he grabbed ahold of an umbrella from beside the door then stretched out to unlock and open the door, along with ducking while opening the umbrella in the process. After a minute of nothing hitting the umbrella, he had looked over it and seen Claire, clearing his throat before he enclosed the umbrella and placed it back. "Uh, you see, what had happened was..." Ron started then shrugged his shoulders, not really wanting to explain to her what happened before. "Well, nothing. What's up, Claire?" Ron leaned down and gave her a small hug, smiling big then forgot about her face paint as he quickly stood back upright, pointing her in the direction of the basement and letting her know who was all down there already.
By then, his phone vibrated inside his pocket and he grabbed it from his pocket, seeing the text from Ara, which he did not bother to answer to. No real reason but he did wonder what the surprise was. Not only that but why was she riding with Rob? Ronald shrugged his shoulders then went back down to the basement for a moment, peeking down there. "You guys okay?" He'd ask them and wait for some of their responses before he headed back upstairs since there was yet another knock upon the door. When he opened it, he had seen Rob and the metalhead beside him had to be Ara since they were riding together. "Oh. Hey, guys. Party's down the basement and just make yourself at home." His response to them was rather bland but not out of jealousy but because he was hoping that Ara came as something sexy or just something rather than a metalhead.
Ron had closed the door behind them and trekked closely behind them, grabbing Ara softly by her arm. "What the hell is this?" He'd ask her motioning to her costume or whatever the hell it was. Another knock came over the door and he looked at the door then back at Ara. "Hold on a moment." He said with a groan as he walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey, Alice. Party's down the basement and just make sure at home and help yourself to some snacks." Ron then went back over by Ara and arched a brow up at her. "Well?" He said in a questionable tone then folded his arms over his semi-muscular chest but not in a defensive way, just in an 'what the hell were you thinking?' type of way.
Augie took off his headphones when Ron answered the door, and with a smile, said "Hey, man. Not too bad, how about you?". He realised that Ron couldn't see his smile under his gas mask halfway through his sentence, but he didn't bother taking it off. "Party is being held down in the basement. Bernie is already down there so go join her and make yourself at home.", was Ron's reply. Augie shrugged, and walked down the stairs. He paused whatever song was playing on his phone on the way down, stopping the faint beat that had previously been surrounding him. The awkwardness of walking around other people's houses washed over Augie as he stepped into the surprisingly nice basement. The stark silence of the room took him off guard, and only made him feel a little more strange. "How's it hanging, Bernie?", he asked quietly. Raising an eyebrow, he regarded the girl and her costume "You would've been cold on your way here.", he said.
Just then, Ron walked down the stairs, humming the Randy Savage fanfare, Isaac in tow. "Oh, Isaac would really be hating such a flamboyant entrance. I think..." Augie thought with a chuckle. All up though, it was quite impressive. "Dude, you pull that off so well!", he said with a laugh and an impressed shake of the head. As awkward as poor Isaac probably felt, the entrance broke right through the ice Augie felt. He could already tell this was going to be a good night.
Brown bedazzled cowgirl boots crashed into the floor one after the other through the hallway. It was quite clear that the wearer wanted to wear these all year, as running in them seemed to be so natural. She probably would've worn them all year if she could, thus it was unsurprising that Jessie from Toy Story was the one she chose to be for Halloween. Although her ensemble was nearly complete, she was missing something. As such, it'd once again come down to her Auntie to save the day. Jetting past the steps, through the living room, and into the kitchen, the eccentric 4-year-old was met with her Aunt in the kitchen, making dinner for the night.
"Auntie!" The girl called again, now gaining her aunt's attention from the stove for just a moment. The middle-aged woman of ebony skin smiled down at her.
"Well, don't you look like a fine little lady. Are you ready for your night out?" Ms. Morris asked the little one, to which she received a flamboyant shaking head.
"Not yet! I need my hat! Do you know where it is?"
"I don't, Diana. Maybe ask Messy if he can help you find it, real quick." She responded. With that, Deena raced off from the kitchen and nearly tripped up the stairs to get to her brother's room.
~~
Amadeus, on the other hand, was just about ready to rock. He should've probably left a little bit ago, but it took a while to get his mound of hair all curly to fit the mold of his costume this year. It wasn't going to be a speculation as to what Deus was going to the party as. His scarlet jacket was going to be the largest indicator, with it's sharply pointed tabard-like shoulders, the black diagonal lines forming a 'V', with the collar popped, the young man's classic choice of costume was The King of Pop himself. The finishing touch, was the trademark magic sparkling glove.
But before that, a knock bounce off of the door to his eardrum and he spun in his chair, away from his computer desk to face the door. "What's up?"
"Uhm, Messy, did you see my hat?" His little sister asked.
Deus immediately started looking around his, fairly clean, room to find that it was on a handle of his dresser. Ever since she got it for Halloween, she wore it in the last few reaction videos to varying movie trailers. Although Amadeus found reaction videos to be a little redundant, he did them every once in a while when he didn't have time to do something else. He chuckled a bit and got up to grab it. Without opening the door yet, he instead walked a little slower to it, spinning the hat on his finger. "Oh...I think I might have lost it after the last video." He started before he opened the door, trying to hide his smirk. "Did you need it for something?"
Deena's head was dipped down with the slightest quiver at her lips, genuinely heartbroken. "Yes..." She nearly blubbered.
It tugged at Amadeus' heartstrings and he crouched down, even still he was taller than her. This was why people loved her reactions. They were too real. The young man smiled kindly, despite being the one pulling the trick. "Well, it's a good thing that I have..." He pulled the hat from hidden behind the door and placed it on her head. "This."
Deena's eyes widened as her distraught expression went back to being ecstatic. "Yay! You found it!" She squealed, and Deus rolled his eyes; grinning nonetheless.
"Just make sure to pay attention to your stuff so that this doesn't happen again, okay?"
"Okay." She replied before trotting away to go back down the stairs. "Auntie! Messy found my hat!" She echoed on the way down.
Deus shook his head. He loved that silly little cowgirl. His phone buzzed as more people talked in the group chat that DJ had setup a couple days ago. Looks like it was about that time. Finishing the swag, Deus tugged on the glittering glove. After that, he took his phone and entered into the group chat:
"On my way."
~~
It wasn't that long to walk over there, and as he was approaching, he could actually see people coming up ahead of him. He froze in place as an idea came to him. As it was pretty clear that no one had noticed him yet because of the fog, he used it to his advantage. Waiting for the last person to head closer to the door, Amadeus walked around the house toward the back. Hopping the fence pretty casually, he crept to the back door. Knowing well that it was probably locked, Amadeus reached to the top of the high door frame to grab the hidden key to unlock it. After practically living here for a little while, he learned some things that his boy, Ron, and the fam did. He turned the handle very slow to make the least amount of noise possible.
Once inside, he made sure to slam the door hard, to throw listeners off. A few seconds of silence followed, and Deus turned the volume up on his phone. Out of nowhere, and the opening theme to Michael Jackson's Thriller blasted off of the walls in Ron's house. Simultaneously with the music's sudden burst, Amadeus slid smooth into view with his black and red Air Jordans. His head was aimed down, but he quickly turned his head up and smiled slyly.
Ron left to let more guests in as Bernie helped herself to some of the snacks and refreshments the host had put together. She took a paper plate in hand and filled it with a handful of chips, a spoonful of what she assumed was a dipping sauce, a small sandwich, and then grabbed a beer to wash it down- for now. Bernadette intended on getting a little drunk tonight, but not too wasted. She had told her parents that she would probably sleep the night at Ara's- which was a lie, but her parent's did not want her sleeping over at a boy's house, let alone the reason for said sleepover being that she was underage drinking.
"Woops!"
Bernie dropped a few of the chips from her plate onto the ground as she shifted to pick up a cold beer, and then whilst picking up the chips a few more fell off the plate. Not wanting to sacrifice anymore snacks and kind of starting to panic, she swiftly kicked them under the side table that had all the food on it. She made a mental note to herself in the group chat to clean it up afterwards while no one was looking.
Not but a minute afterwards, August came as Ron directed him downstairs. Bernie stepped away from the snack table a bit, plate in hand, un-opened beer in the other as she greeted Augie in return, "Hey Augie, I like your costume!" she smiled, nodding her head at his second comment, "Yeah...I didn't think it was going to be THIS cold." she shrugged, her attention going to the upstairs entry way as Isaac was introduced quite loudly. Bernie couldn't help but laugh, the costume was humorous and Isaac was, well- Isaac was alright.
As more people came, Bernie gazed over their costumes, praising as they came down the stairs, "Ooh I like that so much!" she cooed to Claire, admiring the girl's idea. Ara and Rob came next, although Ara remained upstairs for a moment. Probably taking a moment to make out with Ron no doubt. Robert's costume however surprised Bernie as he came down the stairs, "Those legs!" she cackled, laughing and shaking her head. She wondered what Ara was dressed as, knowing that these two had been planning something for a week now. Alice came next as Bernie made eye contact with her for a moment, the small pattern's under her eye as Bernie placed together what she was meant to be.
Taking the couple bites needed to finish her sandwich, the light bulb eventually went on as Bernie said, "Alice, you're Alice!" she giggled nodding. That was a good costume too, very good. Bernadette eventually found herself a bottle opener around the various liquor bottles and took a swig of her beer. It wasn't the best tasting, but it would wash away the crumbs and make her seem "ready to party" without going overboard only a few minutes into the party. Adjusting the hem of her shorts, she tugged them down slightly as she leaned against the back of the couch as she devoured the rest of her chips, her fingers rubbing together to dust away the residue.
Ron would probably have some type of game in store for them to play soon.
Isaac was not so shy as people believed. He'd been in theater, once upon a time. A long time ago, to be sure... but once upon a time.
As Ron introduced him, Isaac played it up a bit. He flexed, he did the common "I can't hear you" pose, he threw out a few classic Randy Savage lines in a fairly good impression that got worse as it went because it hurt to do it. He really only stopped when he saw Bernie looking at him, when he came to a rather abrupt stop and looked a bit sheepish about it. "Hey Augie. Hey Berns." He was considering saying something more when the next batch of guests came down. He gave Claire an approving smile and a golf clap. "Nice, Claire. Spooky and scary."
When Rob came down, Isaac laughed and cheered. "Oh yeah, sister!" He shook Robs hand and verbally commended him for his courage in the face of challenge. "You're a braver man than me, Rob. But if I were you I'd change quick before the ladies get jealous."
As Alice came down, Isaac nodded. It was very clever. He saw Bernie's wheels turning, so he refrained from saying anything until she'd figured it out. No sense in spoiling it for her. Then he looked back at Alice. "A very merry unbirthday to you, Alice." He gave a little bow. It seemed that for now, everyone was here... until Thriller started to play upstairs. Isaac had a very short list of people in his mind who would play that song at random. And since there were speakers down here, it probably wasn't Ron.
Isaac sat on the floor in front of the couch, leaving room for anyone who wanted to sit somewhere soft. He'd spent enough time sitting on rocks and logs that a carpeted floor was like heaven as far as seats went. And he could lean against the arm of the couch. He didn't eat anything, and he definitely hadn't brought any alcohol nor grabbed any that was apparently available. Isaac had quietly elected himself Designated Sober Person for the evening, so make sure there was someone in the group with their head on straight. That was fine with him, he'd never drank before and didn't intend to. He did, however, take a water bottle from a cooler. He closed his eyes and pressed it to his cheek for a second, taking a deep breath. Okay.
He opened his eyes and was back to mostly people-watching. Not many in the group engaged him in conversation on their own, but that was fine. He'd long since resigned himself to his role of being the one who--
His phone buzzed. He picked it up and glanced at it. Note to self table?
Isaac reached over and patted Bernie's knee. "Berns. Berns. Table?" He pointed to his phone and gave a confused face. It was definitely the weirdest thing he'd received in a while from her. Not that she'd never texted strange things to him, often in the late hours of the night. He had theories about what "ahe ag ognoth" meant, other than being a prayer to Cthulhu. But somehow Berns didn't strike him as the kind of girl to deal with the Elder Gods.
When the door to Ron’s house opened, the excited pair that was Robert and Arabella were greeted by the host himself. But instead of erupting into laughter and complimenting them for their genius idea, Ron took one look at them and his face turned into pure and utter disappointment. In an instant, the blonde’s smile fell from the beaming grin she’d been wearing just seconds before to that of a child who’d just been told Santa Claus does not exist.
"Oh. Hey, guys. Party's down the basement and just make yourself at home." was Ron’s only reaction, sounding about as bland as boiled potatoes.
After stepping inside, Arabella nodded curtly and started to follow Rob downstairs when she felt Ron grab her arm. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to face him, her green eyes hard. Already she could feel that this first interaction was not going to go too well.
"What the hell is this?" the young man asked her, motioning to her costume.
“It’s my costume. Duuuuh,” Ara replied as if speaking to an illiterate five year-old, giving a small twirl to give Ron a look at all angles of her costume. But when the young man’s face hadn’t changed from the bewildered expression he’d been wearing since she walked in, she let out a huff of annoyance. “Jesus Christ, Ronald: lighten up! I thought Rob dressing up and me and me dressing up as him would be funny. Excuse me for having a sense of humor…” she spat defensively, her face quickly going from excitement and happiness to disappointment.
Their tense conversation was interrupted momentarily by the arrival of Alice, looking beautiful in the costume of her namesake character. Arabella’s sour expression softened a bit as her eyes scanned the other girl’s costume.
“Hi Ally! You look absolutely gorgeous!” she chirped, wrapping the petite young woman in a quick hug before turning back to the annoying man in front of her. The soft demeanor vanished on the spot, to be replaced by the irritation she’d had moments before.
“You know, for someone who claims he’s not the jealous type you’re surely acting like a real asshole right now,” Ara blurted out, venom in her words and very clearly looking for a reaction from Ron that wasn’t his usual ‘i’m too cool to care’ act.
It wasn't easy driving with a bunch of empty cereal boxes taped to your shirt, but for the sake of being the highlight of the party, DJ was willing to sacrifice his comfort.
While he wasn't normally into the horror scene, DJ loved no other holiday like Halloween. It was the only time of year that you could where whatever the hell you wanted AND get free candy for it! The only real problem was coming up with a new and exciting costume every year. Due to DJ's lack of employment, he had to settle for his current costume choice, which he still thought was pretty good. At least Isaac would get a laugh out of it.
DJ pulled his uncle's truck up to the curb outside Ron's house before turning off the ignition. After his dad died, his mom sold his car to support them, and her brother let them have his old truck after he got a new one. It wasn't "cool" in the traditional sense, but it worked, and that was all DJ could ask for. After a quick look in the rearview mirror, DJ hopped out of the truck and headed for the front door.
After ringing the doorbell, DJ decided to have a little fun, as he usually did.
"Open up," he shouted. "I've got toilet paper, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
Good luck explaining that to your neighbors, Ronnie.
When the door opened, Claire was almost hit in the face by an umbrella. Fortunately, her reflexes had been quick enough that she managed to avoid the sudden assault. She waited to see who was behind the attack, and the face revealed itself a minute later to be none other than Ron himself. She gave him a "what-the-fuck-just-happened" look and he tried to explain his behaviour before giving up about it. He settled with a "what's Up" and she jokingly replied, "Geez, endangering the lives of trick-or-treaters Ron? Really?"
She returned his hug before heading down in the direction that was pointed to be the location of the party. She camme across Bernie downstairs, and she happened to be the first one to comment favourably about her costume which brought a grin to her face. Clearly the girl had good taste, just like her. When the unexpected duo arrived, Claire headed back upstairs, hoping that it was Ara and Rob. She'd heard that it was something to be expected. And true enough when she saw them, she was clapping in excitement. Firstly, Robert looked like the butt of some joke, and secondly, Ara looked metal-as-heck. She was glad to know that she wasn't going to be the only one with a painted face at the party.
Claire had to give it to her. The face paint was definitely nicely done and she was definitely giving her a run for her money as far as face paints was concerned. She walked up to Ara who seemed to be having some kind of fight with Ron. Quoting another famous villain with face paint, Claire exclaimed as she walked to Ara before placing an arm around her shoulder. "Hey Ara! You look bomb. Why so serious?"
When Augie saw Claire, he found he couldn't help himself. His eyes widened, and tough his mask muffled it, the volume was still clear as he started singing: "Spooky scary skeletons send shivers down your spine! Shrieking skulls will shock your soul Seal your doom tonight!". He'd learned the first few verses specifically because he had hoped someone would dress as a skeleton. He was absolutely thrilled he could put his knowledge to use so perfectly.
Thoroughly chuffed at his wit, he went and grabbed a small handful of assorted snacks. When he turned around, he saw something he never thought he would. Rob, the metalhead, dressed in a skimpy cheerleader outfit. For a moment, Augie just gaped. By turns, his face was surprised, amused, confused, and then it seemed that a moment of clarity came over him, and he almost jumped right into the air. "Oh my god Rob... You fucking madman! Now..... it all makes sense! This is why you're singing Dancing Queen! Because you're a dancing queen! You know what you really are though", he said, looking the madman straight in the eyes, "You're a bloody genius.". When Alice came downstairs, Augie looked away from Rob and his ridiculous getup to see what she was dressed as. Augie didn't get it immediately, but when he did, you could tell by the smile and slow nod of comprehension. He waited for Bernie to get it to speak up. "Very clever, Alice. Seems we've got your Queen of Hearts here, too!", he gestured to Rob, raising an eyebrow. He realised how deranged he must look, what with his hair sticking out at all angles, gas mask, bloodshot eyes, and pointing at a guy dressed as a cheerleader. He promptly rectified this situation.
Still paying attention to who was talking, he found a cup and poured himself some cider. Unclasping his gas mask, he hung it around his neck and took a sip.
The second the pair had entered the house it was clear for all to see that Ron was less than impressed with their choice of costume. For all the fun they had turning the other person into a copy of themselves, Ron had sucked all the fun out in one fell swoop. Rob simply smiled and patted him on the shoulder, simply saying "Hey man," as he made his way towards the staircase. After a few steps he felt Ara stop behind him. He turned his head slightly and caught Ron chastise her on her costume.
"What the hell is this?"
Rob wanted to stop and call him out but Ara wasted no time in responding, defending herself as she normally did when Ron got pissy. Rob could have intervened to help out his closest friend but she seemed to be doing a good enough job on her own. At that moment Alice walked through the open door and momentarily distracted the arguing couple. Rob gave her a smile as she approached. "Hey there Alice, loving the costume." Given her name the costume choice was obvious, but she pulled it off well.
Continuing towards the stairs Robert stopped at the top as he heard Ara call Ron an "asshole." He tried his best to stifle a laugh because Ara was always funnier rather than intimidating when angry. Even so she was clearly upset by the greeting she'd received from Ron, so Rob being her Skullcandy decided to pipe up. "Jesus Christ you two, get downstairs and chill the fuck out. The show is about to begin and if you miss it then you will not be getting a lap dance off me later." Rob teasingly raised the back of the skirt to reveal the always sexy Sponge Bob boxer briefs he was sporting. Then with a cheeky wink he lowered the skirt and began to descend down the stairs.
Most of the group were in the basement already and he could immediately see the reactions to his costume. Rather than give them a chance to make fun he leapt straight in with his best impression of Ara. "Heya all! I'm Arabella Jennings and i'll literally like be your karaoke host tonight...cause like...I am that amazing." With the facade soon dropped he was approached by Augie who was as excited about his costume as Rob was.
"Oh my god Rob... You fucking madman! Now..... it all makes sense! This is why you're singing Dancing Queen! Because you're a dancing queen! You know what you really are though, you're a bloody genius." Rob laughed and nodded in recognition. "Your costume is pretty sick. Didn't think you'd crack out the ol' gas mask."
Sharing a smile Augie became distracted by Alice as she made her way down the stairs. Rob gave him a soft tap to the shoulder and a wink before heading over to the table that had a fairly vast selection of alcohol on it. He wasn't a pretender who would try and drink all of the spirits to prove some sort of point, he would stick to what he liked and what he liked was beer and lager. He had a heavy tolerance for it but that wasn't to say he wouldn't get into some states. After a recent party he woke up in a bush with a family of raccoons, suffice to say his journey home was more of a crawl than a walk. He picked up a can from the table and popped it open. He had a preference to drink straight from cans or bottles rather than pouring them into cups. There was no real reason behind it, it was just how he preferred his drinks.
With drink in hand he made his way to the tv in the corner and began to set up the karaoke station. He had already picked out songs for everyone else, sending them to the group chat. Some people were excited, others not so much but that was to be expected. The group had quite a few introverts but several alocholic drinks and peer pressure would ensure everyone would get on the microphone at some point. It wasn't long before the machine was set up but Rob had made an alteration to his choice of song. There is no way i'm singing the normal version...
Rob tinkered with the speakers turning the volume up to a level which would undoubtedly lead to noise complaints but it was Ron's house so it didn't matter. With everything now ready, the single greatest performance of Dancing Queen was approaching. Microphone in hand he spoke, "Well I would like to literally thank you all for like coming tonight. Ron has like literally made a massive effort. So anyway I will like literally start us off with my like literally amazing rendition of Dancing Queen."
With a press of a button the music began and Rob burst into song. Throughout the performance he made his way around the room dancing in the sexiest way he could. There was alot skirt lifting, lap dancing and twerking in between each gutteral roar. However, unfortunately for the devastated public the song had to come to an end.
”Good to see you guys,” Alice offered with a smile on her face. It was really all she managed before Ron and Ara both got back to conversing amongst themselves. Alice dared let her eyes linger on the pair for a moment more before she made her way towards the basement of Ron’s house. Their demeanor, their gestures, their words, Alice was all too familiar with people acting in such a way. It was almost like a facade, but it was also not her business. With a swift aversion of her gaze, the quiet girl dared not intervene with her friends. She knew them better than that, and she knew her own capabilities.
Upon entering into the more occupied basement, Alice momentarily surveyed the room. It was only when she met eyes with Bernie that her friend spoke up. After a moment, she had discovered Alice’s costume’s intent. In response, Alice offered a bit of a flourishing curtsy in acknowledgement of Bernie’s comment. ”And you, a perfect representation of the night. You look good, Bernie.” Alice would have left it there, but she could only have imagined Bernie’s trek to Ron’s house. ”I don’t know how you managed to make it here like that, though.”
With that, Alice remembered her own method of staving off the October winds, and unslung her satchel from her shoulder. Her eyes drifted around the room, looking for a place to set her bag and jacket. Her gaze was soon set upon Augie in his conglomerated attire that certainly caught the eye. What particularly drew her in the was reddened guise of his eyes. Had he been crying or something? Alice would never discern that, nor would she press it. It was his words that managed to drag Alice’s gaze from the offputting attire onto Rob, where she only found herself more shocked, stifling a short chuckle. ”You’ve both done great this year… On opposite sides of the whole scary versus cute aspect at least.”
One more voice chimed in as Alice felt she was essentially on the runway, her costume getting all the initial judgements as she entered the party. This time it was Isaac, offering a vague reference to the very story Alice’s idea emerged from. She quirked her eyebrows in response, offering Isaac a pleasant smile. ”More than one holiday all at once, it seems.” After she spoke, Alice spent a moment looking Isaac up and down. When her brain finally seemed to click, it was evident on her facial expression. Alice was wholly surprised to see Isaac of all people in the attire. She laughed a bit before speaking up once again. ”Ready to rumble even when relaxing. You’re a perfect lookalike. I’m sure you could get hired for one of those crazy WWF matches. Alice paused in her speech, nodding her head a few times to show her recognition of Isaac’s stellar effort.
As Isaac sat on the floor, Alice took the perfect opportunity to grab her own seat upon the couch at his side. She set her bag next to her on the couch’s end, rather protective of the satchel at her side. It seemed she evaded the room’s main floor space just as Rob took to the microphone. How perfect her timing had come as well. Without any attention on her, Alice was content just to sit and observe her closest friends, not requiring sustenance or any sort of drink just yet at least. With a cross of her legs, Alice watched fully engaged as she expected nothing less of Rob— rocking his lyrics perfectly in the exact style one would have expected of him. Of course, his outfit only made the whole spectacle even greater. Upon his crescendo at the end, Alice dared to be the first to lightly applaud his show.
Ronald let out a scoff as his arms were still folded over his chest and his eyes rolled at Ara. He had a sense of humor but this was no humor to him. He wanted to see her dress like one of the spice girls not dress like one of the hex girls with face paint. That just killed his mood a little bit along with his other mood, too. Ronald tried not to let her costume get to him but at least everyone was in a costume with the exception of him. So, he couldn't be too mad at her, he guessed. "Hey, I have a sense of humor, Ara but this..." He let out one hand to motion to her costume again before folding it back underneath his folded arm. "Is not humor. It's ridiculous." He had muttered then rolled his eyes at her next statement.
"I'm not jealous!" Ronald yelled then closed his eyes for a moment before he repeated the same words but more in a soft tone. "I'm not jealous. I was just hoping to see something cute or sexy from you. Not all deathcore like." He had spoken to her, his tone much more of a calming one because he did overreact just a little bit. Ronald had unfolded his arms and they dropped by his sides just as the doorbell chimed. "Oh, what's up, DJ? You came at the right time." He had joked as he side-eyed Ara when he made that comment before he closed the door behind him. "Hope you got some jokes or pranks or something lined up for tonight." Again, sent a side-eye toward Ara. "Oh, where's the toilet paper?" He had asked with an arched brow.
It was then he had walked back over to Ara, still listening to and waiting for DJ's response. The word asshole still plagued his mind and it really affected him because it came from Ara. He wanted to return a word of his own but Claire had come just in time to prevent that from happening. It probably would've caused an explosive name-calling match if she hadn't done so. "You know her, Claire. Little Miss Serious." He had felt a bit proud of that comment as he wrapped his muscular arm around Claire's arm and slightly pulled her off of Ara. "Let's go downstairs, shall we?" But Rob came and suggested the same exact thing and Ronald rolled his eyes at him and shielded his eyes when Rob exposed his Spongebob briefs before he looked at Ara then down at Claire.
"Come on here, girl." He had walked with Claire, more like dragged, descending down the stairs that led to the basement and came in time to hear Alice's comment to Isaac. "Please, do not give him any ideas." He had let out a chuckle as he unwrapped his arm from around Claire's and walked over to the food. He did not really grab anything but some peanut m&m's then went to sit down on the couch that was down there. Within that moment, he had patted the seat beside him and wiggled his finger for Claire to come and sit beside him. 'Take that, Ara.' Ronald thought to himself as Rob started to begin his show, impersonating Ara.
Then he performed a metal cover of Dancing Queen and Ron just sat there, popping m&m's in his mouth. Obviously not all that amused by the display. It was then Rob started to move around the room, becoming flashy and Ronald groaned silently to himself. All good things, or not so good things, must come to end and finally, his performance had ended. It was then he had asked who was next and Ronald stood up. "Forget all of this karaoke shit. Anyone in for drunken truth or dare?" He'd ask, eying everyone present to catch their reactions to his question. It was Halloween, dark and it was a party, damn it so truth or dare had to be played. Especially among this ragtag group of friends.
Amadeus just kept on bobbing his head to the song as it continued playing. He didn't really mind all that much that no one acknowledged it really, he always was a little extra to begin with. Thus, as he made his way through the house, he noticed some of the others that came up to greet. He waved to Allie, DJ, Rob, and Ron just the same while he was soon to make his way down. Though, as he was passing, did Deus double-take. Ron was standing a little close to Rob, but looking past, it became more clear. That WASN'T Rob, it was some other girl in KISS makeup. Well, that cleared up any immediately awkward questions that could've came up.
From further observation, Deus could tell that it was Ara. She looked pretty damn convincing in with the rocker look. Though, with that said, it made him wonder what the hell Rob was actually wearing. It'd be corny to wear his band attire to the halloween party, even if it was probably fitting for the occasion. Though overhearing Ron be a little stern perked his attention. What was he on about now? When he turned around to head to the basement, Deus raised his hand to dap him up, but dude kept walking like he didn't even see him. He knew Mike had a song named Ghosts, but this was ridiculous. His eyes bounced between them for a minute, but he didn't think too much on it.
Just some usual silly shit between them, right? Though, Deus wouldn't ignore that their 'close-but-not-a-couple' thing could be a bit much at times. Sometimes the prodigy wished that they would just say fuck all the bullshit and just crown themselves the King and Queen together. That'd probably make things a hell of a lot smoother. Though, as a shining glove raised to Ara again as the others already started down, there was always that tug that made him hope that they never did...
He hurried downstairs to keep from more MJ songs spilling into his thoughts about her. As it seemed though, some other music was playing down here, so he turned off his intro music on his phone. Nothing could prepare him for what was down there. The first flash of Spongebob drawls made his face twitch just a bit. "What...the...hell?
It had to be nothing short of an exorcism going on down here. He was seen way more of Rob's body then he EVER wanted to imagine. Now it was ingrained in his head forever. Of course it had to be Ara he was cosplaying. He could all that to Dancing Queen. Amadeus wanted to laugh and cry so bad once it finished, so he ended up stuck chuckling with tears almost leaving his eyes. It was too early for this shit. This would be too hot for youtube.
Deus was soon to clap right along with Allie, but it was clear Ron wasn't having it. Bro was still feeling burned from whatever Deus had missed during his surprise entrance. To smooth over the surely ensuing awkwardness that would probably follow, Amadeus merely chuckled. "Tryna get crunk already, huh? Let the folks get settled in a little first." He suggested with a lighthearted tone, making his way to the food.
The gentle smack to her knee caused Bernie to gasp out of habit, she looked to Isaac with a small smirk forming on her lips. "Um!" she replied to his question. Squatting down to the ground, she leaned into Isaac and said in a hushed tone, "I spilled some chips under the table and made a note to myself to clean it up later when people were asleep or left for home." she gave an innocent nod to her friend hoping that he would not rat her out to everyone else.
Isaac raised a brow at her and turned his head towards the table. He spotted the chips. It was… really not all that many. ”Oh, that? Don't worry. I've got you covered.”
Isaac hopped up for a second, making his way to the snacks table. He picked up a few things and then, as he reached for some chips, spilled a few in basically the same spot. ”Aw, hell. My bad.” Not enough to attract undue attention or make a show of it, but anyone looking would know why Isaac was now scooping up some chips into a small trash can. He brushed the crumbs from his hands with a clap-like motion and a few flicks of his fingers. With that, he sheepishly stood and made his way back to his original seat at the foot of the couch.
”There you go. Now you don't have to worry about it.”
As Bernadette watched Isaac she felt a bit of nervousness, his sly movements were almost invisible as the rest of the group arrived to the party. Most of the attention was on them and their costumes, so he didn’t even need the charade- but he did it anyway for her. When he arrived back she exchanged a small grin, her teeth showing ever so slightly, "Thanks" slipped from her mouth and into his ear, and his ear alone, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Going from the floor to the arm of the couch, she took a seat, leaving her empty plate on a coffee table in front of them.
Alice joined the two on the couch not too long after and Bernie laughed appropriately at her comments to Isaac as well as her own blunder, "It was very...very cold, and Ron made me stand outside for what seemed like forever!" she exclaimed, her hands dancing in conversation.
Isaac waved to Alice as she sat, realizing he was sandwiched between two girls, now. He felt a smidge smug about it, if he were being perfectly honest. But mostly he was just nervous. Isaac knew little about the female species except that they were somewhat dangerous and inventive, socialization-wise. The ones who seemed socially inept were no exception.
Ok, that was an exaggeration that his dad had given him. But Isaac still felt like he should keep on his toes. Stuck between wanting to stay put, because being situated between a pair of attractive girls is always nice, and wanting to be somewhere else, because he suddenly felt nervous.
He put his water bottle to his cheek. It was warmer now, but the cool sensation cleared his head.
He just had to sit. Getting up would be weird, nothing was happening, even if Alice had implied he was buff enough to be a wrestler. Just a normal compliment, from a friend. He'd been staring off into space with an inquisitive look for almost two minutes now.
Luckily, Isaac was forcefully dragged from his cerebral acrobatics by the spectacle that was Rob. Damn. That was a man with infinite confidence.
Bernie clapped during Rob’s performance as he belted out songs, she parted her lips to yell out another request when Ron came bolting down the steps and called an end to the karaoke almost as quickly as it started. "Oh." the defeated girl was ready to hear all of her friends sing, but perhaps the game of truth or dare would include singing anyways. She turned her body so she could see Ron, who looked mildly perturbed. Deus must have felt the same as he added his two cents in.
Not wanting Ron to lose his cool Bernie decided to pitch in, "I think it’s a good idea!" she exclaimed, "Everyone can grab their food and drinks and come sit over here, since there are three of us on the couch already." she nodded, before continuing once more- "Since DJ got here last, he can go first." she said with a mischievous laugh. The boy would be allowed to ask anyone he thought fit for his “truth or dare” round. They then would then respond with one of the choices, or drink
Isaac needed a few seconds to get caught up on everything that had happened in the past two minutes or so. He'd heard everything, but was too wrapped up in his own headspace to get it. ”Wait, DJ's here? DJ!” Isaac called out, beckoning his friend over. That would alleviate some of his nerves. But…
The rules of this Truth or Dare didn't sit well. He was refusing to drink, so he'd probably have to always give his Truth or Dare. And he'd probably need to opt for a Dare more often than not. Meaning he'd be doing stupid shit while stone-cold sober. Great. Or maybe he could just always pick Truth and hope nobody asked anything too… personal. Shit. This not going to go well. Too late now, it seemed. He wasn't about to make a scene about it. If these folks got drunk enough they might forget any embarrassing tidbits. He'd have to bank on that.
”Sounds good to me.” Isaac hoped to God that nobody was planning to use this as an opportunity…
1x Laugh
