Tears threaten the backs of my eyes. “Jude can’t know about this, Wren. Not yet. Please, promise you won’t tell anyone. Please?”
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Wren promises. “But you and Jude should talk about it.”
I shake my head fervently. “Not a chance.”
“Oliver–”
“I’ll figure something else out,” I blurt. “Jude doesn’t have to know. Nothing has to change. I can just…manage it.”
Wren strokes my back to comfort me, but says nothing.
“I mean, it’s just a crush, right?” I say through a nervous laugh. “It’ll pass.”
Wren winces. “Famous last words?”
A smile tugs at my lips. “‘I am not afraid to keep on living.’”
They frown. “What?”
“‘I am not afraid to walk this world alone.’”
Their face lights up in recognition. “‘Honey, if you stay, I’ll be forgiven–’”
We finish the My Chemical Romance lyrics together: “‘Nothing you can say can stop me going home!’”
“Well, now, I have to play the song before we can sleep,” Wren says, crawling back to their air mattress to retrieve their phone.
“Naturally,” I reply, settling back into my sheets, happy to have successfully concluded another serious conversation.
Saturday, October 25, 2025
“Welcome, welcome! Oh, hi, Barbie! Hi, Ken!”
I grin widely, recognizing the hostesses’ costumes right away. “Ooh, Glinda and Elphaba! Y’all look amazing!”
“Thank you!” Elphaba replies, slightly bowing her head. “I’m Grace, Theo’s older sister.”
“And I’m Chloe,” the girl in the Glinda costume says.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Jude, this is Nikki, and this is Celeste.”
“Jude and Celeste, you’re friends with Theo’s roommate Max, right?” Grace asks, consulting a clipboard that matches her painted green skin.
“Yes, and Nikki is my girlfriend,” I clarify.
“Great!” Grace checks something on her clipboard, then stows it on a nearby table. “Sorry to be so formal—just trying to be responsible with all the underagers here. I promised my little brother a safe place for him and his friends to get shit-faced, andthat’s what I intend to do, no matter how cringe it is for everyone else.”
“We appreciate it,” I answer honestly. “We’ll follow any and all house rules.”
“Good to hear. Well, come on in!”
The three of us step through the door and are instantly immersed in the Halloween spirit. The chorus of “Monster Mash” rises over the low hum of party guests chatting. Purple, green, and orange lights illuminate every room, and skeletons, bats, ghosts, and spiders decorate every surface. The sweet scent of pumpkin spice and caramel fills the air, beckoning us deeper into the house.
“I love your outfit,” Chloe says to Celeste. “I know I recognize it, but it’s not coming to me yet.”
“Ooh, I have a guess!” Grace interjects, grabbing hold of Chloe’s forearm. “Can I guess?”
Celeste smiles. “Go for it.”
