No More What Ifs (DreamNotFound)

9. The Party

TWs: mentions and use of alcohol, underage drinking

The walk up Dave's driveway was pretty long, considering his driveway was filled with cars all the way around despite us arriving a few minutes early. I was honestly expecting everyone to be late. His main door was open, but the storm door was closed, and I couldn't see much through the tinted glass. I held the door open for my boyfriend and together, we stepped inside.

The Halloween music was loudly pounding in our ears as soon as we walked in. I saw lots of people in many different costumes. Everyone was still pretty calm and no one had any cups in their hands - I guess the drinks hadn't come out yet. Dave set up some LEDs around the house and flicked off the main lights, illuminating every visible room with a purple and green glow. Dave's house had a very open design, meaning I could see the kitchen, living room, and what I assumed to be the dining room, judging by the large table covered in snacks and spooky decorations. However, most of the activity seemed to be in the basement.

Dozens of costumed attendees were filling in behind us, so George and I found a corner to stand in so we weren't in anyone's way. We looked around for people we recognized, but so far, I only noticed Dave greeting some people. Soon, though, a small yet menacing figure was approaching us. They were wearing mostly black with a gray cape and a white helmet with horn-like appendages, and I recognized who it was immediately as they drew nearer.

"Hey, Alex!" I greeted. "Dude, your costume is so good. You made it, right?" 

"Yeah. I've definitely done better cosplays, but I'm still proud of how it turned out." Their voice was a little muffled through the mask that covered their entire head and then some.

"How can you see in that?" George wondered.

"Secret."

"It can't be that secret," he retorted.

Ignoring him, Alex continued, "By the way, I have your wigs. Although, your costumes do look pretty good without them. "

"I'm sure it'll look better with the wig," I said.

"Right. Well, here, try them on." They pulled out the two brightly-colored wigs from under their cloak, passing them to us. Mine came on without any issue, although Alex reached up to adjust it neater on my head. George, meanwhile, was having a lot of trouble. Once they were done with mine, Alex quickly grabbed his wig and basically put it on for him. Once they stepped back and I could get a better view of George, I was in awe. He looked amazing. Well, more amazing than usual, anyway.

"Hey, that looks great," Alex noted.

"Definitely," I added. 

"Thanks so much, Alex," George said.

"No problem."

We stood together for a while, playing catch with the Pumpkaboo plushie for a while until two more people whom we recognized came into sight.

"Hey, guys!" I called, waving at Zak and Bad, who appeared to be lost and looking for us.

"Happy Halloween, you muffins!" Bad greeted, dragging Zak with him. 

"Love the wigs," Zak commented as Bad nodded in agreement.

"George, you look great in that skirt," Bad added. He seemed to be saying it genuinely, but it got a laugh out of all of us anyway.

"Enough about our costumes, though," Alex said, once we all calmed down. "Yours are so good."

"We spent the last few days after school working on them," Zak admitted, adjusting the cardboard box that was covering his head. Neither of them had a full blocky outfit, but Bad didn't have any cubes at all - instead, he was wearing a black cloak with a red trim and a black mask. A single leather strap adorned his torso and a foam diamond sword was adhered to it on his back. He was wearing black jeans, black ankle boots, and simple gray gloves, which strayed from his source material quite liberally. That seemed to be a theme between them both, though, because, besides his cardboard head, Zak wore a bright blue hoodie with duller blue jeans.