“Good morning ladies,” Alex shouted as he entered the building with the boys Monday morning. “I’ve got news.”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t even tell me, and I REALLY want to know!!!” Jack added, jumping up and down like an anxious child.
I giggled at him. “Come on, Alex. What is it?”
“My parents have decided to throw a Halloween costume party this year, and you’re all invited!” He announced.
“Woo!” Jack replied, fist pumping the air.
“That’s awesome! We could all even pair off for costumes too. Like, Alex and I could work together and so on.” Luna suggested.
“I call having Nora as my partner!” Jack declared.
I rolled my eyes. “Jack, what would we even be?”
He paused, gazing at the ceiling in thought. “Batman and Robin?”
“Hell no! Robin is lame, and you know that’s who I’d have to be!” I said.
“The parents from Home Alone?” he wondered.
“Your obsession is fucking ridiculous, dude. Besides, what kind of a costume is that really?” I commented.
“Wait! I know! We could be Jack and Sally! You know, like from Nightmare Before Christmas?” he mentioned.
I was about to protest before I realized how much I actually liked the idea. “That could actually work.”
“Yeah, and we could be Donald and Daisy Duck,” Luna said to Alex.
He looked at her curiously. “Why not Minnie and Mickey?”
“They’re too mainstream. Besides, ducks are way cooler anyway,” she replied.
“What the hell are Rian and I supposed to do then?” Zack asked with a slight laugh.
“Come on, Zack. We’ll think of something and then own all these bitches,” Rian grinned.
“Jack, your ‘rents won’t get offended by this, will they? I mean, they’re the hosts of a New Year’s Eve party every year,” Alex pointed out.
Jack shook his head. “Nah. They’re 2 completely different holidays anyway.”
“How come I’ve never heard of this New Year’s party?” I wondered.
“That’s not for months, but I’m sure you guys will be able to come to that. Anyway, back to Halloween,” he beamed.
“How about we all go costume shopping this weekend? I mean, we can at least find things similar to what we’ll be,” Zack said.
“How about Saturday? Nora and I can skip our study session,” Jack mentioned.
“Great! We could all meet at my house at like, 2,” I added.
“It’s a plan! I can’t wait!” Alex smiled.
*******************************************************************
Saturday morning, I hopped out of bed excitedly and showered quickly in preparation for my afternoon downtown with my friends. Throughout the week, we had been discussing all the places we could go and look for materials for our costumes. There was a Halloween store that we planned to browse, but we steered closer to thrift stores and other cheaply priced businesses.
The gang arrived at my house, and then we all began the somewhat long trek to the more popular area of our hometown. Rian and Zack still hadn’t decided exactly what they were going to be, so we voiced options that would fit the two boys.
“Most costumes that go together are for couples! How the fuck are we supposed to find something?” Zack groaned.
“Don’t be such a downer,” Alex said. “There’s plenty of things you two could be.”
“You could be the creepy twins from the Shining,” Jack suggested with a playful grin.
Rian punched him in the chest. “We are not going in drag, Jack. If you suggest that more time, I’m going to drown you in the canal.”
Jack jutted his lip out in a pout, and I gently patted him on the shoulder. “How about a crime fighting duo? You know, like Sherlock Holmes and John Watson?”
Zack nodded with affirmation. “I like it. But who would be who?”
“I think you’d be Watson because you’re not as crazy as I am,” Rian joked.
“All you need is a trenchcoat, a deerstalker, and a magnifying class. Zack, you could look a little similar, but we’ll still make it clear you’re John,” I explained.
“Nora! Stop helping the enemy! We’re supposed to be working on OUR costumes,” Jack cut in.
Alex rolled his eyes. “It’s not a competition, dipshit. It’s just a party.”
“We’re still gonna be the best!” He declared.
We found an antique store where we got most of the pieces to Rian and Zack’s costumes before heading to the Youth Ranch’s thrift store a couple blocks away. I sifted through the racks for a dress in the women’s section when a tall lanky boy popped out from the center, scaring me.
“Dammit, Jack!” I shouted, hitting in the arm.
He giggled. “I’m sorry, I’m bored. I’m not finding anything for a Jack Skellington costume.”
I sighed. “Here, I’ll help you.”
We wandered over to the men’s area and I focused on the suits. Jack groaned. “I don’t want to wear a suit.”
“Well if you want your costume to look good, you’ll have to,” I commented.
“God, it’s like you two are married,” Alex and Luna shouted.
I ignored them, pulling a black suit with white pinstripes off of the rack. “What about this?”
“That could work. What what about the bowtie thing?” he wondered.
“I could get some fabric and glue one together somehow.” I added.
“Sounds like all we need for me is face paint. Now what do we do about your Sally dress?” he questioned, skipping back over to where I had been originally and leaving me to carry his suit.
“I’m not finding anything that looks like it...I might have to make that too,” I said, trying to process how I would do as such.
He slipped a plain black dress off of the rack. “You could get this and then add colorful patches to it. I’ll even help you with it.”
“That’s a good idea, but you don’t know how to sew. How could you help me with it?” I asked.
“We could ask my mom to help us out. She’s good at crafty stuff,” he shrugged.
“Ooo, quality time with you, me, and your mom. This could be interesting,” I joked.
“We’ll ask her after everyone else goes home. Maybe you could stay over again?” he said hopefully.
I smiled at him. “I’d have to lie to my mom again...but that could be fun.”
Once we were ready, we all bought our stuff and began walking to one another’s houses to drop everyone off. Luna and Alex had duck masks and a bag of feathers in tow, Rian and Zack their old fashioned clothes, and Jack and I just had the suit and dress. We were all ready for this party, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

Notes

WOO QUICK UPDATES. I'm also doing NaNoWriMo this year, so that's happening. Also, remember the thing about the New Year's Eve party...it becomes important later on ;)