I sighed dramatically and threw my hands into the air. “What happened to originality? At least half the girls from school will be dressed up as Wonder Woman. I think it might be better if I just skip the party this year.”
Mandy narrowed her eyes at me, glancing around at the crowded store, as if someone was going to be offended by my dislike of super hero costumes. “What’s got you wound up so tight today? Usually, you love picking out your Halloween costume.”
She was right. This was one of my favorite holidays. I loved the theatrical bit. Playing a part that wasn’t me. Last year, I’d dressed up as Arya from Game of Thrones. She was everything I wasn’t: bold, confident, and went after what she wanted. But this Halloween felt so much different.
“I don’t know.” I leaned on the wall display of wigs, shaking my head. “This year has been such a disappointment. My parents’ divorce, my dad’s new marriage, and then the whole mascot thing. I thought working on the centennial performance would make everything better, but it feels like everything is just getting more complicated.”
Trina grabbed a purple wig from behind me and put it on her head. “Aren’t you and Collin getting along?”
“Yeah, I thought so. I was under the impression we were becoming friends. But then, last night, he basically says he only wants to be friends because he doesn’t know anyone else who plays music. It’s like I’m some last resort and he’s desperate. I’m not sure how to feel about that.”
“I thought you didn’t want to be friends with him,” Mandy said with a shrug, holding up an angel costume against her shoulders. “In fact, I think I remember you saying that he was insufferable.”
“Yeah, but that was before.”
Before we spent weeks side by side, working on a song. Before I got to see another side of him, the layer beneath that cocky, bad boy exterior. Before our epic karaoke performance at the bar where I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
“That’s because you like him,” Trina said, picking up a magic wand and bopping me softly on the nose with it. “You want him to want you.
I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out at her. “Collin and I could never be anything more than friends. He’s so...Collin. And I’m me. Plus, I know for a fact that he could never fall in love. He told me so himself. So there’s no point in even going there.”
Mandy made a face and cocked her hip. “Why does he think he can’t fall in love?”
“I don’t know. Some people can’t sing. Some people can’t drive. I guess Collin can’t fall in love.”
“Strange.” She went back to shuffling through costumes. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t fall in love with him.”
A disgusted noise escaped my mouth. They were starting to sound like a broken record. Yes, Collin and I had grown close over the last couple weeks. I liked playing music with him. And it was sort of fun to watch him play on the football field, knowing that he was my singing partner. And sure, I felt a sort of thrill every time we touched or when he looked deep into my eyes. But that was to be expected. He was incredibly hot. But we were friends. Just friends. Nothing more.
“What do you think his family’s like?” Trina pinned me with her big blue eyes. “Do you think they’re nice?”
I shrugged and examined an adult Elsa costume. That was a character I could embrace. Strong, resilient, queen of her own domain. Nothing like me.
“His foster mom was pretty cool. I guess I’ll just have to wait to find out at dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully, they like me.”
“I wouldn’t count on that if I were you.” Savannah appeared between the racks in front of me, holding a Harley Quinn costume in her claws. With a nasty sneer on her face, she looked me up and down. “They know you’d never be good enough for him.”
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I sighed. “Don’t you ever get tired of this act, Savannah?”
She pointed at me with her firetruck red manicure and smirked. “That’s Captain Savannah to you. And no, honestly, I don’t. But I know Collin will get tired of you. And real fast. So don’t get too attached.”
I tucked my arms around my waist, grumbling to myself. As much as I wanted to argue with her, she had a point. He had a reputation to protect. A school to run. I would only get in the way.
“Did you forget to take your Midol this morning, Savannah?” Mandy asked, stepping next to me to glare at her. Mandy never backed down. It was one of the things I loved about her.
“Ah, Amanda.” Savannah’s eyes hardened like steel. “I should’ve known that hopeless shopper was you. With man arms like that, it’s no wonder you have a hard time finding a costume to fit.”
Mandy didn’t have man a
rms. Not even close. But she was muscular and toned from all of her time spent in the gym training during the off season. I’d always envied her arms. Mandy’s eyes flared with a furious fire and she opened her mouth to respond.
“Come on, guys.” Trina stepped between them. Her beautiful face was turned down into a sincere expression of hope. “Can’t we just get along? I mean, we’re all going to be graduating together this year. Don’t you think it’s time we made a little more effort?”
“Sure.” Savannah lazily examined her nails and glanced up at Trina. “And while we’re at it, we’ll go skipping through a field of sunflowers and braid each other’s hair. Tell each other our deepest darkest secrets. As always, great ideas from Miss Daisy Sunshine. You must be a joy up at the hospital. All those cancer kids dying to hear about your silver linings.”
I’d learned how to live with Savannah’s abuse. She could use me as her punching bag all she wanted, but the way Trina’s hopeful smile crumpled at Savannah’s words made me raging mad. Enough was enough.
“You know, you used to be a lot nicer,” I snapped. “Grandma Ivy would’ve hated to see you like this.”