"BOO!"
"Oh yeah? Say it to my face"

I lay on my bed, knee throbbing after having just gotten home from my last physical therapy appointment. Scales, my cat, curls up beside me and I space out as music plays in my earbuds.

"Lana!" I hear my name from down the hall.
"Zack!" I run towards his voice.
As I break through the crowd I am finally able to see him. I run to him and hug him tightly.
Once I finally release my grip and start to step back he pulls my face close and kisses my lips. I let myself melt into his embrace as we stand there.
"What are you doing here?" He asks as we pull away.
"Well I have a backpack on and it's the first day of school..." I smile mischievously.
"You're home!?" Zack asks.
I nod, "I'm h-"
"Lana!" I hear Jake behind me and I laugh.
"Hey!" I turn to face him as he comes down the hall, "how'd you know I was here?"
"Seanna told me she saw some girl kissing Zack and I figured it could only be you," Jake laughs.
Seanna was a new girl that Jake had become friends with recently.
"I missed you!" I hug Jake quickly and then return to Zacks side, taking his hand and lacing my fingers between his.

"Lana!" Kelly knocks on the door.
"Yeah?" I take my ear buds out.
"Mom said it's time to get ready for trick or treating!" Kelly calls.
"Got it," I turn off my phone and roll out of bed.
We had gotten home from school early, since it was a half day today. Our mother wanted to take us trick or treating around town until it got a little later and we would come trick or treat on our street until I would leave for Clarissas party at 7.
I slip on my costume, the dress I had worn for Homecoming, and add accessories after doing my hair. I finish up by doodling flames on my face, hands, and neck with the face paint pens I had gotten for my last birthday.

"What're you supposed to be?" My father asks as I step out of my room.
"Demi God, daughter of Hades," I smile, "I made it up-" I finish more bashfully.
"I'm not sure weather to take that as a compliment or an insult," he laughs.
I laugh along with him, "neither? Or a compliment."
"Let's go!" My mother calls.
She shuffles through the hallway with the twins in front of her. Kelly is dressed as an astronaut while Becca is beside her dressed as a purple butterfly princess.
"Off we go!" My father announces as he makes his way to the door.
We exit the house, I have Daisy on her leash. Daisy has a cute, simple, bee costume on.
"Come on girl, let's go show you off," I say to Daisy, making the twins laugh.
"Into the truck, we'll start at the mall, I saw online that they're giving out candy and they're allowing pets in costume- as long as they stay clean and behave."
We all climb into the truck, me lifting Daisy to sit beside me, and start on our way to the Mall.
My phone buzzes and I open the big group chat to see an image from Katy of her dressed as a zombie cheerleader.

Me: whoa, cool!

I take a few selfies and eventually send one to the chat.

Katy: Nice costume!
Jake: imagine dressing up
Me: you're lame 😂
Ella: bow before me, for I am the QUEEN

An image of her, dressed in a grey suit with a fancy silver crown, sends to the chat. As I look at it, I notice her pet Rat, Whiskey, in the pocket where a handkerchief would normally go.

Ella: OF RATS
Me: YES
Katy: we're meeting up to go trick or Treating in an hour 😎
Me: Ooooo
Ash: I'm going to a haunted house with Jake!!
Me: How'd you convince him to go?

Jake sends an image to the chat. Its a bag of sour candies.

Me: yeah, that'd do it

Once we get to the mall we unload, each grabbing a bucket from our mother.
"Well the movie theater is closest from here so let's start there," our father suggests.
We all nod and begin walking to the movie theater.
Kelly shuffles her way to the front of our group as we get to the entrance to the movie theater. We enter the movie theater and head to the front desk. The whole place is decorated with cobwebs and zombie cut outs and the only movies showing are horrors.
"C'mon!" Kelly bounces ahead and Becca and I speed up to join her.
Our parents stand back and watch us as we head to the counter. Our mother has her phone out taking pictures of us on our first trick or treating trip in California.
We get to the counter and let Kelly take the lead.
"Trick our treat!" We chorus.
"Happy Halloween!" An enthusiastic woman smiles at us.
She tosses a bag of that popcorn that comes in assorted chip boxes into each of our buckets.
"Thank you!" Kelly waves as we turn around and scurry back to our parents.
"Next over is the food court and then the shops," our mother says.
We all head through the opening and into the food court.

After a while the sky was dark and the twins legs started to get tired.
"How about we go to some of the neighbors and then take you home?" Our mother suggests.
"That sounds like a good plan, I am pretty tired," Our Father stretches his arms out in an exaggerated yawn.
Mom smacks him in the stomach with her phone in hand, "I meant Kelly and Becca," she laughs.
We all laugh as he just shrugs.
We head back to the truck and climb in.

Me: headed your way
Clyde: Cool, see you soon
Me: we're leaving the mall right now
Clyde: kk

I stay on my phone for the majority of the ride, peeking up every once in a while between messages with Clyde and my group chat of people from back home.
Once we get to our street we park in our driveway. We all get out of the truck and resume trick or treating.
We go house to house until we get to Clyde's house, which is where I wave goodbye and head into the party.
"Hey!" Clyde pulls me into a hug and my body goes stiff.
"Hey!" I smile as he let's go.
"Welcome to the party," Clyde laughs as he gestures around the room.
I look around the room, seeing girls with long legs dressed in small dresses that I'm sure Clyde's parents disapprove of, others are dressed up as spooky things from horror stories, and the occasional person is dressed as a character from something they love. Clyde is dressed as a vampire, fake blood dried onto his chin and neck.
"Interesting bunch," I nod.
"Don't worry, it's not going to be one of those wild parties when the parents aren't home and some football player brings booze," Clyde assures me, "my parents are finishing up taking Chloe Trick or Treating and then they'll drop Chloe off at your house and be back to chaperone."
Chloe would be spending the night with Becca and Kelly after they all finished trick or treating, that way Clyde's parents could focus better on the teenage party.
I glance to the two girls making out on the couch and then to the boy with a girl shoved up against the wall, "they aren't going to be home too soon- are they?"
Clyde laughs, "they shou-" He breaks off as his phone buzzes.
He unlocks his phone and opens a message from his mother.
"Guys, they'll be home in 10 minutes!" Clyde calls out, just as Clarissa stepped into the room open mouthed.
I assume she had just been about to make the same announcement.
I take a step closer to Clyde, even though the music wasn't as loud as at the dance, it was still blaring and people were everywhere.
"Where's Clarissa?" I ask.
"She's in the kitchen," Clyde points to a door off to the left.
"Where does that door go to?" I ask, pointing to a door to the right.
"That one heads to the hallway and leads to all the bedrooms and stuff- oh! And the bathroom is connected to it too. Here, I can show you around," Clyde offers.
I nod and follow him as he heads toward the hallway.
"So the hallway snakes around to the back of the livingroom and our bedrooms branch off of that," Clyde explains.
I nod and we continue walking.
"That room is mine," he gestures to a door with a 'bro cave' sign on it, "there's Chloes," he glances over at the pale blue door with princess stickers all over it, "Clarissa's," a purple door with black streaks, "and pur parents," he pauses at the end of the hallway, "Oh, and the door before mine was the bathroom."
"Cool," I nod.
"Let's head back in there before Clarissa notices we're gone," he laughs.
I smile and follow as he leads the way back through the hallway.
"They're pulling onto the street!" Janie, Clarissa's friend, calls.
"They still have to drop Chloe off at Lana's, just turn the music down!" Clyde calls as we exit the hallway.
I watch as couples pull apart, preparing for the parents to walk in the door any minute now.
Clarissa walks out of the kitchen carrying a tray of what look to be pigs in blankets.
"Can we eat?" I ask Clyde.
"For sure, go for it," Clyde nods.
"Sweet," I head over to the tray and grab two then turn back to Clyde.
"Hey Newbie," Rider comes up from behind, his shoulder brushing mine, "Happy Halloween."
"Hey," I laugh, "Happy Halloween."
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I slide it out.

Amelia: Hey
Me: Hey, What's up?
Amelia: Clarissa invited me to the party, is Rider in there?
Me: yeah

I wait a moment and my phone doesn't buzz again so I slide it back into my pocket.

Clyde and I talk to Rider for a while, one of Clarissa's friends even comes over to talk for a bit.
"Byeeee," she wiggles her fingers in a wave.
"Bye Delilah," Clyde waves back.
"Man, she's exhausting," Rider laughs.
"She talks so fast-" I break off.
"And she has a girlfriend so back off Rider," Clyde laughs.
"Oh shut it," Rider rolls his eyes, "I'm still waiting on Amelia."
"Hello party!" Clyde's mom calls as she walks into the door, "Woooo!"
"Woooo!" A few teens call out.

Eventually people start leaving, heading home or going out to various late night haunted houses.
"Goodnight!" I wave as I head towards the door.
"Night!" Clyde calls.
"Thanks for coming!" Clarissa rushes to the door, "you should come hang out more often! You do live right next door after all."
I nod "That'd be coo-"
"We do movie nights on Thursdays when dad has the day off," Clarissa interrupts, "you should come this week!"
"I'll talk to my parents about it," I nod.
"Here," Clarissa grabs for my phone, "I'll give you my number."
"Sounds good," I open my phone and let her take it.
"Ok, here you go," Clarissa hands my phone back, "I hope you had fun!"
"I did! Thanks for inviting me!" I wave once more and head out the door.
I walk alone back to my house and through the door to my room.