Going To A Halloween Party ... Bad Idea

Dear Diary,

I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. I’m never celebrating Halloween. This night has completely messed up everything. I don’t want to remember it. So, I’m not going to write about it.

Yeah, that’s it. If I pretend like it didn’t happen, it’ll be easier. It won’t live in my mind every waking moment of the day. Because I can’t handle that. If I have that picture living inside my head, I’ll never be me again.

I’m Perrie Hughes and I’m okay. There. If I say it enough times, I’ll start believing it myself.

As we wait outside for Hunter’s friends to come, I’m almost feeling a little cold. Well, I’m wearing an off-the-shoulders dress, because my character is a 19th century Californian noblewoman. And it’s the end of October. It’s not that cold, but it’s not exactly warm either.

Hunter holds me under his black cloak, keeping me warm. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you leave without a jacket,” he informs me, making me glance up at him, trying not to shiver too hard.

“The jacket you have in mind would’ve ruined my costume. I don’t have anything classy enough to wear over this dress,” I inform him, making him sigh. Well, at least he’s not cold in his costume.

He’s wearing the hat on a string, letting it hang behind his back at the moment. He’s decided to keep it there until his friends come. You know, so they’d recognize him instantly. “Well, at least you’d be warm,” he remarks.

I look up at him, grinning in a sheepish way. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t get an excuse for PDA. I know you’re enjoying this at least half as much as you’re complaining about it,” I tease him. He can’t keep a straight face as he shrugs in response.

“Maybe I’m not completely bummed about it,” he says, making me chuckle in response. I place my lips on his, hoping that I’m not going to smudge my lipstick too much. Suddenly, I hear whistles coming from not far away.

We both turn around to check if it’s who we think it is. Of course. The first person I notice is Stavros, almost making me chuckle as I realize he’s wearing a toga. Or whatever that is supposed to be. I think he just used a plain white sheet for his costume.

There’s a laurel wreath around his head, making me realize he’s paying tribute to his ancient heritage. Beside him, there’s two more people, Benji and Jessie. The couple I met last year at Family Weekend. And their costumes are matchy, too. Well, I know who they’re supposed to be immediately. Benji is James Bond and Jessie is one of the Bond girls. It suits them.

“Hey there guys!” Hunter greets his friends, who all seem amused by the fact that they caught us kissing. It’s a good thing they’re the only crowd Hunter hangs out with. I’d be dying of shyness, if someone else joined us.

“Oh, hellooo, Mr. and Mrs. De la Vega,” Jessie greets us, making me smile in response and give a little wave. It’s the best I can do. What? I’ve only seen them in person a couple of times. Not since last year, in fact.

“Well, well, Mr. Bond. Another woman on your arm?” Hunter returns the favor, making them play their roles perfectly. Jessie offers us that calculating, mysterious smile, while Benji only smirks in response.

“It seems my reputation proceeds me,” he remarks with that British accent of his. But it’s not as noticeable as it was last year, when I came to visit Hunter on Family Weekend. I blink in surprise.

“You’ve really improved your accent. I understand you much better than I did last year,” I blurt out before I’m able to stop myself. But Hunter’s friends are all completely chill about it. They burst into laughter, while I can feel myself blushing.

“Well, señora De la Vega, my mom would disagree with you,” Benji informs me, making us all chuckle again.

Hunter then turns to Stavros, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you trying to catch a cold, dude?” he wonders. His ex-roommate proudly puffs out his chest, while Hunter’s remark makes me realize that I’m not the only person who must be freezing right now.

“No, isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to catch girls,” he explains to my boyfriend slowly, like he thinks he’s mentally impaired. We all c***k up at his words again, finally deciding to head into the building.

But not before Hunter puts his mask and hat on. I’m not going to lie. It turns me on so much to see him like this. As we head inside, he has to take the hat and the mask off for a moment, so he’s recognized.

However, as soon as he puts them back on again, I find myself whispering to him. “How about we skip the party and just head straight to the part where you do me with that mask and hat on tonight?” I suggest.

He starts laughing so hard, that it makes his friends ask what happened. But he just shakes his head in response, and explains that it’s an inside joke of ours. I smile at them sheepishly, then send him a grateful look. If he repeated what I just said to him out loud, I’d die from embarrassment here and now.

The moment we move away from the hallway and enter the foyer with a grand staircase, I feel like we’ve entered a scene from a movie. It’s literally the stereotypical fraternity house that you only see in movies.

The music is already blasting from the stereos, positioned all around the building, while we’re met with dark lighting, some very gruesome masks and some even more slutty costumes. I’m glad I’m not one of those girls.

I cringe as I see a group of them, so drunk they can barely stand on their feet anymore. Oh, wow. Glad I’m not here with them. I hate to play mother. It’s not like I’m a saint, but seriously, parties are dangerous places. Why don’t they take care of themselves more? A predator wouldn’t even have to try hard to assault them in this case.

“Just ignore them,” Jessie shouts over the music as she realizes who I’m watching. I send her a small smile, nodding more to myself than to her. We turn towards the direction that most students are coming from. The kitchen. That’s where the drinks are.

We all head there, realizing that it’s quite crowded. But still not as much as the foyer. We grab ourselves our red cups, which make me smile the moment I spot them. What’s next? Beer pong? I hope this party doesn’t get as chaotic as I think it will.

As we walk around the house, swaying our heads to the music, we lose Stavros somewhere. One moment I can see him talking to some girls by the gigantic piano, in the next moment, he’s already gone. He probably scored himself a companion for the night already. Good for him, I guess. Not judging anyone.

We decide to go dancing. Benji leads Jessie to an empty space in the crowd in true James Bond style, while Hunter bows at me and offers me his hand in a dramatic way. “Would you like to dance with me, señora De la Vega?” he wonders, his green eyes standing out from the mask, making a stark contrast with the blackness around them.

I curtsy like a true lady, loving every second of this. Okay, maybe Halloween isn’t as bad as I thought. “I’d love to, but I’m not sure I can trust mysterious, handsome, masked strangers,” I remark in response, making him chuckle.

“You have nothing to fear. I’m El Zorro. The helper of people,” he lets me know, pressing a kiss on my knuckles. Mm, Hunter don’t make me all hot and bothered in front of all this people. I really don’t want my hormones to get the best of me at a frat party.

He chuckles as he notices the look on my face. Well, he knows me well enough to be able to guess exactly what’s going through my head right now. He straightens up and takes me dancing, our bodies grinding together to the music.

I’m having so much fun, feeling his hands on me, that I completely lose track of time. Once we’re feeling thirsty, we head into the kitchen, not knowing where any of Hunter’s friends are. We haven’t seen Benji and Jessie around either.

My boyfriend hands me a cup, and we move to the side, giving other students space to get their drinks. And yeah, of course there’s alcohol in them. It’s a good thing we came here with a train. The fact that we’re still not the legal drinking age is a little more troubling, though.

Suddenly, someone pushes past me roughly, making me let out a surprised ‘ow’. The guy turns around and eyes me from head to toe, before his lips slowly pull up into a smirk.

“Sorry, didn’t see you there. Though now that I do, I think it’s a crime that I didn’t notice you sooner. What are you drinking, baby?” he addresses me, making me freeze.

Hunter turns his head towards the guy the moment he finishes the sentence. “What did you just say to my girlfriend?!”