Climb | ✔

Chapter 8 | Cepheus & Cassiopeia

With four out of six midterms finished in one week, Winter was plenty ready for a night of reprieve. Unfortunately, that night had already been reserved for the Halloween party.

"You should have picked something more sexy, Daze," Gina bemoaned, eying Daisy's simplistic costume. She decided to dress as a character from a cartoon she liked as a kid. Her silky locks were done up in round little buns at the top of her head and she sported a red shirt dress and black leggings that complimented her slight figure.

"I'm not you. I can't pull off sexy." The Asian girl checked out her friend, who was dressed head-to-toe in a red, sparkly, form-fitting jumpsuit that showed enough to drool over and left enough for the imagination.

"Well, you can't do Selena without sexy," she said with perk, blowing a haughty kiss at Daisy. "And what about you, Chula?" she said turning to Winter this time. The girl in question was posted at her mirror, carefully brushing in the finishing touches to her extensive make-up job.

"What about me?"

"Where's your sexy costume?" she sassed.

Winter spun in her chair to look at the girls. "What? This isn't sexy?" she said flatly, her face painted with dozens of blue and red Ben Day dots and dramatic eyes and lips in the style of a Roy Lichtenstein painting.

"No, just concerning," said Gina.

Daisy hopped closer for further inspection. "It looks really good!" she exclaimed. "You actually look like one of his paintings."

Winter coyly thanked her before she stood up and ironed out her shift dress with her hands. Then, she removed the curlers from her hair. Gina went to work mussing it up just right until the ends curled out tastefully and the top was voluminous enough to pay homage the 60's beehive look without treading into clown territory. Winter finished off the look by pulling the front of her hair back with a wide headband, which helped emphasize her done-up face.

"Perfect," Gina praised.

They left with Luke at 11:00pm, though not before enduring a torturous pre-party lecture from Aunt Rose.

"I won't tell you how to conduct yourselves but please, for the love of god, exercise caution and common sense. No going off alone with people you just met. No accepting opened drinks. Don't leave your drink unattended. Always use protection when-"

"Okay, Aunt Rose, please!" Winter interrupted. Rose did not let up though. She was determined to finish her lecture and there would be no if's, and's, or but's about it.

The ride to the campsite was much smoother, filled with bickering between Gina and Louis, some indie rock playing from Luke's playlist, and animated chatter amongst the five friends.

"Joe and Amy just left," Louis yelled over the noise. He looked up from his phone. "Bets on who gets smashed tonight?"

"You. It's always you," Gina said without hesitation.

"I resent that," he murmured.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you like always."

"Yeah right," he chortled. He felt a little happy about her proclamation anyway. "You'll be a goner an hour in." 

Gina leaned over Daisy to flick him on the nose. Louis yelped but recovered quickly.

"It's this one we have to get smashed though," he said, wrapping an arm around Daisy playfully.

"Won't be hard given her alcohol tolerance," said Luke. Daisy made some rebuttal and pouted, but Winter couldn't really hear it over the radio and Louis yelling out the window at someone he recognized.