SEVENS

TEETH AND TONGUE

Phoebe laughed. A big barking laugh. "You look like a fucking idiot."

    "You don't look any better." I adjusted the plastic helmet squeezing my head trying to look a little more put together.

    "I am Cleopatra. I fucking slay. My girlfriend here is Hera she fucking slays too. You look like a shag rug." Phoebe wrapped her bangle covered arms  around Lyla's waist. They were both dressed in wispy robe-esque things that really looked like the exact same thing to me. The only difference I could see between the two of them was that Phoebe's hair had bits of gold woven through her curls and Lyla had peacock feathers sown into the bottom hem of her dress.

    "Is it really that bad?" I had picked my own costume thinking it was more manly than the cow one Raf had picked out for me. I wore a fake "fur" half cape made out of an old brown towel and matching leg and arm cuffs that were strapped to my calves and forearms with shoelaces I'd taken from pairs of Jeans shoes. I could admit that the "fur" leg cuffs looked even more deplorable with the addition of my mismatched boot and worn sneaker combo. But with the plastic sword, shield and helmet I had hoped that it would be relatively unnoticeable. Not that my jeans added to the "fearless Viking warrior" style but I had thought I had done pretty good all things considered.

    "You'll be fine." Lyla offered with more kindness than her girlfriend. I smiled at her.

    "Let's go love birds," Phoebe held tighter to Lyla's waist protectively. "I don't need you seducing another member of the group Hamilton."

    "What's that supposed to mean?" I followed as we left Phoebe's room and to the stairwell at the end of the hall.

    "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Phoebe said sourly.

    Halloween was a bigger deal to the population of St. Josephs than anywhere I had ever seen. The school had been artfully decorated with faux spiderwebs hung from the eves and large black stencils of werewolves and larger than life double headed crows. Actual pumpkins had been hand carved with unique faces ready to be lit with battery fueled flames. I didn't know much about Halloween decorations but I could only begin to imagine how much everything cost.
"Why does the school even host this dumb thing?" I asked
"Raf didn't tell you? Jesus what do you two do with all that time? You can't spend all your time crashing your custard trucks!" Phoebe whined from beside me.

Lyla looked at Phoebe. "What happened to leaving them alone?" Lyla asked.

I tried to wrap my head around what she said but couldn't think of an answer that made sense. "I don't know what you're referring to and I don't want to know." I said.
"Anyways Raf hates me and you still haven't answered my question." 

She and Lyla were thankfully slowing their walk enough for me to keep up on my crutches.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Yeah, alright Mr. 'I don't know what you're referring to', I'll answer your question-"

    "Thanks."

    She glared at me again for interrupting. "Our wonderful and loving," she paused to emphasize 'loving' and look at me for some reaction, which I raised a brow at "Rafael," she paused again. This time making my temper rise.

    "Of for fucks sake Phoebe! I don't hate him enough to get angry at the mention of him!" Actually since I had told him about the scars I had become almost—excited to see him. Not that I thought anyone could tell.

Phoebe rolled her eyes again and Lyla coughed thought I thought she might have been covering up a laugh.

"Sure." Phoebe sighed, she adjusted the little gold belt around her hips. "Well Raf was student body president his freshman year and decided that instead of Homecoming we would do a massive Halloween costume party and it just kind of stuck. It's sort of our replacement for Homecoming."