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“Of course you do,” I mutter, rubbing my eyes. “Can I just go as ‘bored college girl from a small town’? I hear that costume is all the rage this year.”
“No.”
“Can I go astiredcollege student from small town?”
“Is that a different costume than bored college girl from a small town?”
I consider the question, eyes narrowed, and say finally, “No.”
“Then no.”
“Fine. What’s your other costume?” I sigh, wishing I had something lying around that would help me out. “Please tell me it’s not a murdering cheerleader. Or a murdering dancer. Or uh, a murdering anything?”
“A cat,”Nic replies smugly. “It’s not even a full costume. It’s just a tail and a mask.”I can absolutely picture what she’s bringing, and cringe internally at the image of a felt half-mask with ears, and a long, fluffy tail strapped to my ass.
But sacrifices must be made.
“Okay, okay. I’ll take it,” I agree, once again wishing there wereanyother option available to me. “And uh, I’ll dress appropriately.” In black, since I’m sure the cat outfit is a black cat for Halloween.
“Perfect. See you in fifteen? You’re on the way, so please don’t slip money into some crack of my car. I’ve told Nolan to look for it, too.”I doubt Nolan is going to do that, but then again, what do I know?
He’d do anything for Nic, and she’s only partially aware of how much he’s in love with her. I, for one, can’t wait until he finds the courage to propose to my best friend so I can be her maid of honor.
As long as it’s not a costume wedding, anyway. Which, unfortunately, is a real possibility with Nic.
“Sure. I wouldnever,” I lie, trying to sound believable. “Cross my heart and hope to—”
“I get it,”Nic snorts before I can choke out the worddie.“See you in a few. We’ll honk.”
“I’ll already be outside,” I assure her, knowing my neighbors will give me the stink eye if she does sit outside of our house in her beat up old Ford honking like a maniac. Already I’ve had to talk to the security guard for the neighborhood about Nic, Nic’s car, and the fact that sheisn’ta robber or serial killer like the neighbors believe.
“No honking, please.”
Chapter5
If there’s one thing I should know by now, it’s not to underestimate Nic. My best friend—who’d moved to Hollow Bridge in high school and decided the depressed, quiet girl in the back would be her best friend with no say in the matter—has always aimed to impress. Ever since that first day, she’s blown expectations out of the water however she can.
And of course, the cat costume is no exception.
In the minutes before she’d showed up, I’d changed into a short dress, knee-high boots, and a choker, all in matching shades of velvety black. I’d done my makeup as well, though I had no doubt she’d judge me for my lack of great precision in creating wings.
But now, as I sit and stare at the cat mask I’ve pulled out of the bag, surprise is the only thing I can muster. And a soft, “Huh,” under my breath as Nolan puts his foot on the gas pedal to propel us away from the sidewalk in front of my house.
On one hand, it’s definitely a mask. And it’s definitely cat-shaped. On the other hand, I hadn’t expected to be wearing a black catskull.The resin is shiny with polish, and a large, reddish stone is embedded in the forehead of the fake, fanged skull. Instead of just obscuring my eyes, the entire thing goes over my forehead, eyes, and nose. The ‘snout’ comes to a blunt stop inches from the end of my own nose, and on either side, two delicate fangs protrude toward my upper lip.
It’s definitely better than what I’d been imagining.
“So I have ears. But I don’t think you need them. And I don’t think they look that good with it,” my dark-haired best friend says, pulling one of the clip-in furry pieces from the bag. She’s right. It’s unnecessary, especially with the delicate, bony ears that the mask ends in, up past my forehead. Obviously that makes the mask less anatomically correct, but I for one prefer the ‘bone’ look instead of adding clips into my tumbling, unkempt hair that I’d barely managed to run a brush through, let alone tame with willpower and hot tools.
“I like the ears it has,” I reply, running my fingers over the smooth material again. It feels great against my fingers, and I do the action once more before I curb my enthusiasm for the sensation. I’m nothing if not big on textures, and I wonder if Nic knows she’s given me a toy for the night that I won’t be able to keep the pads of my fingers away from when I’m bored. “No fur needed.” This way, I lookscaryrather than cliche. Though if I’d known this was what she was bringing me, I would’ve worn something other than the black, lace up dress with straps and off the shoulder, puffy sleeves. Still, the look works. Especially since everything is black.
“But you have to wear the tail,” Nic points out, her thin lips in a sly grin for my benefit. “Please? It clips onto whatever you’re wearing.”
“As opposed to the kind you wantmeto get,” Nolan sighs from the driver’s seat, sounding dramatic and lamenting.
It takes me a moment, but when it clicks, I snort and look away from both of them. “Still? You’restilltrying to get him to wear a tail like that, Nic?” It’s been her goal for at least a year, though I have no idea why. I’ve started to think that while Nolan complains, he has to be into it for Nic to keep teasing him about it. And for him to bring it up so casually.
But if heiswearing a tail in the bedroom that isn’t the clip-on kind, I don’t really want to know. Hell, I don’t want to know if itisjust a clip on. That would be way too much information about their relationship for me to be privy to.
