Before I even fully woke up the next morning, my heart was thrumming. I've never been to this Halloween party and I was really nervous and anxious about it. Lucas and I were both sleeping in my bed so when I opened my eyes, I could see his chin. I swear I slept like three feet away from him, and more over, his arm was draped around my waist. I immediately took off the sheets and pried myself away from him. He stirred and opened his eyes.
"Good morning," he said.
"Is there a reason why you came so close to me on the bed?" I asked him.
"I did?" he said coyly. Then he smirked. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
I rolled my eyes and went to the bathroom. Pearl had come this morning to put on my make‐up, since I had no idea how to myself. I would've done it after school since I didn't want to attract a lot of attention, but we only had an hour until the party started. I decided to devote all that time to put my hefty costume and accessories on. I wanted to somehow keep my hair up until the party, but Pearl said in order for her to curl it and put decorative pins in it, I had no choice but to let it down.
I begged her to put it up, and she finally gave in. She curled my hair and tied it in a loose bun so it wasn't going to be messed up or tangled in any way. She put on the same red lipstick I wore every year, the one that wasn't blood‐red or exactly peachy. It was like a Taylor Swift red. Once she was done with the foundation, eyeliner, eye shadow and all that, she turned me to the mirror. I couldn't even recognize myself! To be honest, I don't think I looked that bad. My face wasn't caked with make‐up, so I was happy.
In fact, the features that probably stood out were my eyes because of the thin eyeliner and my lips because of lipstick. I could barely see the eye shadow and I couldn't see the foundation either.
Lucas and I decided to grab our costumes and take them to school so we can change there like most people did. When I exited the washroom, I felt really self‐conscious and different. I quickly grabbed my backpack and costume and climbed downstairs. This was probably much easier for the guys since all they do is put on body spray, and maybe get a haircut to prep themselves. When Lucas saw me, his jaw dropped and I turned my back to him as quickly as I can.
"Alright, can we go now?" I said nervously. Pearl said good‐bye to us and to have fun. Lucas and I put our costumes in the backseat and our guitars in the trunk.
I ducked my head as usual as we drove to school. Especially now since I looked...different. Very different. Not myself. I walked through the park as usual, a slight bounce to my footsteps. I handed in my article and even Mr. Kin didn't seem to recognize me. He had this dead guy costume on, and I think he coloured his hair. I went to the bathroom to make sure my face didn't look like it got ran over by a bus. I spent my time there, just boosting my self‐esteem. I bit my lip and gingerly walked to math class. I saw an explosion of black and colours. People had neat to gory make up on, some people already had their costumes on, and some people were their regular old selves.
I couldn't find Cyrus anywhere, but I could see his twin at her usual seat. I took a deep breath and walked over to Sofia. She looked exactly like a nerd, with two high ponytails tied with black and orange ribbons, a school girl outfit with knee‐high socks, large round glasses with the frames taken out, pink lip gloss, and obviously her braces. When I came up to her, she saw me in confusion first, realization second, and astonishment third.
"Maya, is that you?!" she said loudly and in surprise. I sighed when all eyes fell on me. Did she have to be so loud? Zac came storming over, which I obviously expected.
"Dude! You're looking hot," he said. "Oh wait, let me guess. Is your costume Maya Hart? It suits you." I rolled my eyes and Sofia told Zac to go back to his seat. Being the sister of Cyrus, he obeyed and I sat beside Sofia.
