The Boy Band Who Adopted Me!

Chapter 25 - A Thorny Rose and All Hallow's Eve

A nice alternative clothing shop around the corner was where we ended up next. Coffees in hand, we browsed through racks of clothes in varying shades of black.

The whole day dissolved in a matter of hours; and soon, the whole weekend. Gavin kissed me in front of all the boys. I felt my cheeks heat up, but Cody just whistled and everyone else, grinning, minded their own business. Will's smile was a little softer than everyone else's, but still present.

The weeks began to pass just as quickly. It was October, meaning Halloween and Jamie's birthday. not to mention that Maisy Davids, due to the bullying incident, was removed from my dorm. When I came back from my classes one day, the whole left side of my room was completely vacant of all furniture. Principal Safflower told me that I wasn't going to have a roommate for the rest of the year because of what happened to me, but that next year I could look forward to having two of them.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't dance around the room in happiness at the thought of having my own room for the rest of the year. I rearranged all of my furniture until I was making use of the space, then turned my music up and chilled.

On Jamie's birthday, we went to Barsetti's. The kind, plump man who worked there was more than excited to be able to give Jamie free ice cream. The rest of us paid out of courtesy, even though Mr. Barsetti told us we didn't have to - the guys had been regulars since they'd been small, and were no strangers.

Cody got a little too excited on the sugar though. He started singing--"Happy biiir--"

Jamie reached out and clapped a hand over his mouth, blushing. We all laughed.

--

Halloween came up on us like a bandit in the night. The streets glittered with orange lights down in the nearby shopping district, and paper bats hung in the shop windows; my kind of decor. We costume-shopped last minute.

"So let's seeeeee," Cody drawled, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Hmmm...."

"We could be a boy band," Gavin grinned. Emmett slapped him on the back of the neck for making the joke.

"Then what am I supposed to be?" I asked Gav.

"The lead singer. We'll put you in a short wig and my clothes," he teased. I gently punched his arm.

"Let's be Alice in Wonderland," Jamie said absently as he scrolled through his phone.

Everyone looked at him like he was a genius.

"Where did that come from?" Will asked. Jamie just sort of shrugged.

"Nevermind, it's a good idea!" Cody said, clasping his hands together. "Alex can be Alice, and Will can be the Rabbit, and I can be the Mad Hatter! And Gav can be the Cheshire Cat! This will be so cool!" He bolted down the street, dashing across the road just as the lights turned red.

"Oh my God, Cody, you're so reckless," Will sighed into his hands. We all hurried after him.

According to the guys, there was a usually-vacant brick building around the way where kids would go to smoke and skate in the parking lot. A few years back, Carroll students managed to break in and party, said Jamie, but since then the security'd been a little tight.

"I wasn't at that one," said Cody. "But I would have brought the glowsticks!"

Apparently, every September they started setting up to be a Halloween store, and then deserted the lot at the beginning of December after selling all the discounted, last-call decorations and costumes throughout November. It was going to be packed, but that's where we were headed.

"You'd probably want to live there, Alex," Gavin said, winding his fingers around mine. I only smiled.

I could see what Gavin was talking about. Fog from machines rolled out the front door of the store. Blacklights flickered and I could hear spooky sound effects, tinny and cheesy, bouncing off the walls inside the spacious building. Racks of costumes filled the whole store. Tacky Halloween jewelry, knee-high socks with leg bones printed on them, fingerless gloves and hoodies printed with Jack Skellington, ribcages, and zombified figures. Everything was ghastly and perfect.

"Awww, dude! Emmett, this is perfect for you!" Cody put a beanie with a unicorn horn on it right on Emmett's head. His stardust fringe peeked out from beneath it. "You're adorable," I beamed. He hid his face in his hands.

The guys spread out around the store. I stuck by Cody and goofed around. "Alex, try this on! No wait, this!"

"We're on a mission, Cody!" Will called from the aisle full of 1800s period costumes. "Get Alex a cute Alice costume!"

"Fine, fine! Come on, Alex," Cody said, pursing his lips. He grabbed my hand and speedwalked to a different area of the store, dragging me along behind him through evil, animatronic baby dolls and robotic cackling witches. I had to be careful to avoid kicking over the styrofoam gravestones.

I browsed for Cody while he searched for the perfect Alice. "Hey, Cody, how about this top hat?" It had patterns on it reminiscent of patchwork, vintage wallpaper, only in much more trippy colors.

"Alright, cool! Go try this on," he urged, pushing a plastic package into my hand. Deathly Alice, it read. A picture of a generic girl wearing the costume adorned the cardboard in the front; the costume was... black? Usually, an Alice-style dress would be blue, but this was perfect for me. I rushed to the changing rooms and put it on.

The black dress was satin and fit perfectly, with a cupcake skirt and cap sleeves. A white apron with fake patches and blood splatters tied in the back with a big bow, and to top it off-- thigh-high black-and-white striped socks and a pair of tall buckled boots. There was a black headband with a little bow in my hair, peeking up behind my bangs.

I wasn't shy to wearing dresses around the guys since homecoming had just happened, but this was a little more costume-y... I blushed thinking about it.

I emerged from the dressing room at the same time as Gav-- I looked to the left, and there he was. He was wearing a long-sleeved purple striped top, a pair of purple ears, and a matching tail. His necklaces were still draping over his chest, and his Converse were still on. He looked adorable, if a little silly - but if he looked silly, then so did I.

"You're so cute," Gavin said matter-of-factly. I looked at my feet shyly. I could tell he was smiling.

Just then, Emmett popped up wearing a pearly-white button-down and a large, white chess piece in his hair, to the side, kind of like a bow.

"And you're..."

"The White Queen," he grinned. "Or King. Whichever. And Cody's--"

Cody came around the corner at high speed in a full Mad Hatter outfit. Puffy sleeves, a vest and top hat, and a plastic teapot hanging at his waist. "This is where I keep my candy," he said, patting the teapot. Gavin laughed.

Jamie and Will emerged from behind the black curtains concealing the last dressing rooms. Jamie was wearing nothing but his regular clothes; however, he was holding a pipe.

"I'm the Caterpillar," he said with typical Jamie chillness. Then he turned to look at Will, and so did we.

Will was wearing a brown waistcoat and small top hat, with rabbit ears and a tail. There was a pocketwatch pinned to his vest.

"I look ridiculous," he said flatly.

"So do we! Twinsies!" Cody shouted, flicking Will's little top hat. I giggled.

"We all look dumb," Gavin said, "except Jamie." At that, Cody reached above Jamie's head, pulled down a sparkly vest, and thrust it into Jamie's arms.

"Join the crowd!" he exclaimed. Jamie sighed with a smile, and put the vest on.

"Okay, we can all be dorks together," Gavin said. "Time to go pay for this stuff."

--

AN: Halloween night is gonna be a blast, huh? More chapters coming soon now that I'm picking back up with the momentum I had at the start of this story!