The 7 Nights of Halloween

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

       "I'm telling you, I'm the master at apple bobbing," Maddox said. "There's no way none of you will be able to beat me at an apple bobbing contest. So I dare any of you to challenge me."

       Mason sighed. "Maddox, would you stop trying to start challenges here? We're just having a little party. We don't need to start any arguments or whatever."

       "A little party?" Stetson asked. "I don't think this is just a little party. Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun after all those tasks but this is anything but a little party. Considering someone jumped off the roof and into the pool, another person poured chocolate on themselves, and then there was a whipped cream fight."

       "I'm innocent!" Ray suddenly said, though his mouth was stuffed with pigs in a blanket so it sounded very muffled.

       I was only able to decipher what he was trying to say because of all the times Ray thought it was okay to talk with his mouth stuffed.

       "Ray," Daisuke said. "No one understood what you just said. And stop talking with food in your mouth."

       "He won't listen," I said. "Trust me. Oh, and he said that he's innocent."

       "Ray, we all know that you were the one to start the whipped cream fight," Mason said.

       Ray, thankfully, finished eating this time before he said, "Not really. I mean, yeah, I did throw whipped cream first but it didn't hit anyone because, you know, I can't see so none of you had a good enough reason to throw it back."

       "But you didn't have a good enough reason to throw it in the first place," Sterling said.

       "Anyway," Maddox said. "Which one of you wimps want to challenge me to an apple bobbing contest? I'll be twenty dollars that I'll win."

       "Ooh, money!" Ray said, hopping up from my lap. "I'm in!"

       "Didn't you almost drown the last time you tried to apple bob?" I asked.

       "I did n-- Oh, wait, yeah, I did," Ray said. "But that's only because I couldn't grab an apple and I refused to get up without one. I promise that this time, I'll get up if I start to feel like I can't breath."

       I sighed and stood up as well. "I don't trust you to get up, so I'm going to pull you up if you take too long."

       "Alright, let's get this done, Ray," Maddox said, cracking his knuckles. "Just don't cry if you lose."

       Kotaro led Ray to the apple bobbing barrels, and I followed, knowing my boyfriend well enough that he probably was going to be close to drowning again. I didn't even know how he did it the first time.

       Yeah, it was because he refused to get up without an apple, but you think he would at least get up if he felt like he was running out of air.

       Maddox stood in front of the other barrel, prepared for this absurd competition that was probably going to get out of hand despite it being simple.

       "Reiji, I'm only giving you ten seconds between each bob before I pull you back up," I said. 

       "Ooh, someone said my full name," Ray said. "You're angry about something."

       "He's always angry," Mo said.

       I scowled. "I am not."

       Ray reached up, gently brushing his fingers on my face until he got to my forehead. "You're scowling. So, yeah, I think you're always angry." He went on his tiptoes to kiss my cheek before preparing for the apple bobbing contest.