Chapter 2
1266 Words
EVIE'S POV
The bass hit me long before we reached the house.
Each beat vibrated through the pavement beneath my feet, blending with laughter, shouts, and the occasional scream from someone who’d already had too much to drink.
The fraternity house looked nothing like it did during the day.
Orange fairy lights wrapped around the porch railings. Fake cobwebs stretched across the windows. Carved pumpkins flickered on every step leading to the front door, while students in elaborate costumes spilled onto the lawn with red plastic cups in their hands.
I tugged at the hem of my dress for what had to be the tenth time.
“Stop doing that,” Lena said, nudging my shoulder. “You’re going to stretch the fabric.”
“I’d be doing it a favor.” I let out a quiet sigh.
“I’m serious.” Lena sighed dramatically before slipping her arm through mine. "Come on. Lighten up. It’ll be fun."
"Yeah, for you."
“Okay, rule number one for tonight,” she declared. “No apologizing for existing.”
“I don’t do that.”
She gave me a look and led me forward.
The moment we stepped onto the front lawn, dozens of conversations blended into one overwhelming wave of noise.
A group dressed as pirates stumbled past us, nearly knocking into Lena.
My eyes caught on a man standing beneath an old oak tree at the edge of the yard.
He wasn’t talking to anyone. Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t holding a red plastic cup either.
A pair of black horns curved elegantly from his dark hair. They looked ridiculously realistic.
For a brief second, our eyes met and a strange shiver ran down my spine.
“That’s a little much for a costume,” I muttered under my breath.
“What?” Lena asked.
“Nothing,” I said as I tore my gaze away from him.
When I glanced back a heartbeat later... He was gone.
A chill lingered beneath my skin long after he’d disappeared, but I forced myself to shake the feeling away. He was just another student wearing an expensive devil costume.
Nothing more.
“Come on,” Lena said, slipping her arm through mine again. “Before I have to drag you inside.”
The music grew louder with every step.
Warm air, smelling of cinnamon, cheap beer, and something sweet I couldn’t quite place, rushed over us the moment Lena pushed open the front door.
The house was packed.
Students squeezed through narrow hallways with drinks in their hands, shouting over the music. Fake spiders hung from the ceiling, orange lights glowed from every corner, and someone dressed as a zombie danced on top of the coffee table while everyone cheered.
I instantly wished I’d stayed in my room.
Lena disappeared into the crowd almost immediately, stopping every few steps to greet someone she knew.
I stayed close behind her, trying my best not to bump into anyone.
My gaze wandered across the room.
I found him before I realized I’d been looking.
Logan.
He stood in the kitchen, talking to a group of friends, one hand wrapped around a red plastic cup. Someone had apparently convinced him to dress as a cowboy.
Or at least... the lazy version of one.
A worn leather hat sat low over his blond hair, a plaid shirt was rolled up to his forearms, and a pair of old boots completed the look.
No effort beyond the absolute minimum.
He laughed at something one of his friends said, the sound carrying even over the music.
The firelight caught the blond strands of his hair, and for a second, I forgot where I was.
I’d always wondered what it would be like to be the reason he smiled.
Instead, I was just another face in the crowd. Another girl he’d probably never noticed.
“Oh my god, Evie.”
A familiar voice cut through my thoughts.
“I almost didn’t recognize you.
Every muscle in my body tensed.
Amanda.
She stood a few feet away, dressed as an angel.
A white satin dress hugged her curves perfectly. Golden wings rested against her back, and a halo sat effortlessly atop her perfectly curled blonde hair.
The irony would’ve been funny...
If it weren’t Amanda.
She smiled. Not with the polite smile she wore around professors or the flirtatious one she saved for parties.
The dangerous one.
The one that always meant I was about to become someone’s entertainment.
“You actually came,” she said, sounding almost impressed.
Amanda stepped closer, her blue eyes slowly traveling over my costume.
Her smile widened.
“I thought you were joking when you said you’d come as a witch.” She tilted her head.
A couple of people nearby glanced in our direction.
Heat rushed to my face and I couldn't get myself to say a single word.
She nodded thoughtfully as she looked me up and down one more time.
“I guess I just expected... a little more effort.”
A few quiet laughs came from somewhere behind her.
Amanda sighed dramatically.
“But don’t worry.” She smiled sweetly. “At least the costume fits.”
She paused.
“...Unlike most costumes from the plus-size section.”
I felt every pair of eyes drift toward me. My face burned.
Amanda frowned ever so slightly.
“Oh.”
She placed a hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
For one ridiculous second... I thought she actually meant it.
Then she smiled again.
“I forgot you’ve always been a little... sensitive.”
More laughter filled my ears.
I lowered my eyes to the floor.
“Leave her alone, Amanda,” Lena said, stepping beside me.
“What?” Amanda blinked innocently. “I was complimenting her.”
She looked back at me.
“I mean... she actually came this year.” She pointed at me playfully.
Amanda clasped her hands together.
“We're proud of you, Evie.”
Another ripple of laughter spread through the small crowd.
I could hear people whispering.
I kept my eyes on the floor. Anything was better than seeing the way they looked at me.
“Hey.” Amanda’s voice turned sickeningly sweet. “You know what?”
She reached up and adjusted the crooked point of my witch hat.
“There.” She smiled. “Much better.”
A burst of laughter erupted behind her. I didn’t have to look up to know why.
The hat wasn’t straight anymore. She’d made it worse.
I reached up with trembling fingers and straightened my hat myself.
No one said anything. The laughter faded almost as quickly as it had started.
The conversation around us moved on.
Someone turned the music up and the party continued as if nothing had happened.
As if I hadn’t just wished the floor would open beneath my feet.
I forced myself to look up and my eyes found Logan again.
He wasn’t laughing. If anything, he looked... like he felt sorry for me.
Embarrassment crashed over me like a wave as our eyes met.
I looked away first.
“I...” My voice caught in my throat.
“I need some air.”
Lena immediately stepped toward me.
“Evie, wait—”
“I’m okay.” It came out automatically.
The same lie I’d been telling for years.
Without waiting for an answer, I turned and pushed through the front door.
The cold night air hit my face so suddenly it almost hurt.
I didn’t stop walking.
Not until the music had disappeared behind me.
- Writer
