𝑹𝑬𝑾𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 | 𝑽𝑰𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶

Chapter one - 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲'𝐬

KAMARI LOOMIS—or maybe it was Abbot, only few really knew—was not a fan of parties. So naturally, she was going to a Halloween party.

She obviously wanted to dress as the original "serial killer" (who wouldn't?), but she was still pretending to be the "safe friend." Which she wasn't. Not even a little.

So, dressing as a serial killer? Probably not the best call. Instead, she chose something even weirder: she went as herself. Just regular old Kamari, in everyday clothes.

Strange? Definitely. But honestly, who was going to stop her?

She slipped into her coziest red sweatpants, laced up a pair of cherry-red Converse that had definitely seen some adventures, and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt the color of a slightly embarrassed tomato. It was comfort first, fashion never.

THE GIRL—Kamari—waltzed into the party like a cat who'd wandered into a barking contest. Music thumped like a heartbeat having a panic attack, and kids in costumes milled about like confused extras in a low-budget horror movie. She arrived with her merry band: Tara, Chad, Ethan, plus Mindy and Anika.

"After you were brutally murdered at a house party?" Anika asked, quirking a brow. Mindy chuckled like she'd heard that one before (she had).

"No, I think of it more like being struck by lightning," Mindy replied with a shrug that made it sound like getting stabbed was just another quirky Tuesday. Kamari let out a small, amused laugh.

"The odds of it happening twice to the same person are astronomically low," Mindy added, with a smug little nod.

"Ah," Anika hummed knowingly.

Kamari smiled, playing along.

"Guess I should stay close to you, then," Anika teased, nudging Mindy.

"You two are too cute," Kamari chimed in. "Too bad I'm tragically single, or I'd make a fabulous girlfriend."

"You've got Ethan," Anika said, giving her a little wink.

"You two just don't see it."

"He doesn't like me, so I'm not sure what you're talking ab—" Kamari began, but her sentence evaporated mid-air as her eyes flicked across the room.

"Hey, guys..." she muttered, nodding toward Tara and a boy with the kind of face that said frat boy who calls women 'females'. He was leaning into Tara a little too hard, and his vibe screamed "future HR violation."

"Oh, uh... I don't love that," Anika muttered, eyes narrowing. Mindy just made a thoughtful "hmm" like a cat about to knock over a glass.

Anika stepped forward. "Hey! You wanna call it a night?"

Tara shook her head. "No. Uh... I think I'm still gonna hang, but you guys don't have to wait for me."

"Don't worry," the boy said with a grin that should've come with a warning label, "I'll take care of her. I'm Frankie."

Anika and Kamari exchanged a look—the universal "ew."

"And I'm spectacularly uninterested in knowing anything about you," Anika said flatly.

Tara laughed. "No, dude—Anika, I'm not that bad."

Anika rolled her eyes. "Sure, but I am trying to keep you from turning into a Lifetime movie."

Kamari, who usually didn't care much for the sisters, found herself itching to rearrange Frankie's face.

"Hey, big guy. You're needed," Anika called over her shoulder, and like a pair of bodyguards from a slightly chaotic teen movie, Kamari and Chad stepped forward. Chad gave Ethan a pat and trailed behind.