A Frenzy Love

MY EYES LINGER ON THE material that clung onto my body like glue, convincing myself that my appearance was exceptional, despite the negative thoughts forming in my head. I run my fingers through my strawberry blonde locks, to loosen the curls, deciding that look suited me better.

"He's not going to know what hit him." A voice spoke from behind.

I whirl around to face my best friend, Veronica, who was idly fixing the tarnished gold tiara on her head. The tiara that matched the bracelets on her wrists, tying her Wonder Woman costume together.

Veronica blows out a sigh of frustration as she speaks, "You're doubting the costume, aren't you?"

Veronica knew me too well. It was the reason she was my best friend. I pick up a sweet scented perfume, spraying some on my bare wrists, before rubbing them together to spread the scent.

"No! I just—maybe a little." I admit, unable to face her. "Are you sure I can't wear my other costume?"

"You can't chicken out now, Skylar. Tonight is the night." She continues to voice her opinion as she walks over to the nearest mirror to check her appearance.

"Isn't this the part where you tell me this idea is crazy and we should stay home to watch scary movies over candy and popcorn?" I propose.

Veronica laughs lightly, shaking her head before responding, "I'll admit the idea seemed silly to me at first, but then..."

"Then?" I urge, tying the last knot on my left shoe.

Her eyes fleet to mine, giving me a look that only I knew how to read, "It'll be easier to talk to him behind a mask."

"But-"

"No buts. You can do this." She emphasizes the last sentence.

Usually, I was the one encouraging Veronica to come out of her shell. It was weird to be on the other end of that. I grab my oversized hoodie that rested on my bed, throwing it over my head. The material engulfs me, hiding most of my costume. Veronica hands over my mask with a reassuring smile, and I shake off my anxieties away.

"You're right. I can do this." I affirm, with a weak smile.

"Now come on, we need to leave or Maia will have an outburst if we don't get there in time." Veronica says, with a serious expression.

"In that case, we should take our sweet time." I joke, wrapping a throw blanket around myself.

Reaching for a cherry tinted chapstick and my phone from my bed, I tuck them both in the pockets of my hoodie before heading out the door. I am glad my dad was at a friend's house for a birthday celebration, otherwise he'd have a fit about my costume. He didn't mind my former costumes, and even encouraged me to wear the George Washington one, once he realized boys were starting to look at me differently.

Maia Gold’s Halloween party was the most anticipated event of the entire week. It was the only thing anyone at school could talk about. Halloween was one of the town's most hyped up holiday—complete with a fall festival and trick or treating downtown. Rich kids like Maia Gold took advantage of throwing ragers disguised as costume parties while her parents were out of town.

We drove to the richer part of town where gates led to Maia Gold's brick colonial house. Drunks and cars flooded the driveway—leaving us to park at a distance. I didn't mind the walk though. The bleak weather eased my nerves.

"We leave at midnight. Not a minute further." Veronica reminds me.

I nod in acknowledgment. Veronica had a curfew that was graciously extended a couple of hours and there was no way we were going to risk losing it.

It was barely a few weeks ago, when she showed up at my house with red rimmed eyes, to inform me that her relationship of one year was over. It broke my heart to see my best friend in a depressed state and I think her parents noticed. They knew this party was exactly the distraction she needed.

"I know we came here for me, but can you promise me one thing?" I request.

"What?" Veronica softly sighed as if she knew what was coming.

"Promise me you'll enjoy yourself. You don't need Tony or some guy in a lame costume to have some fun." I said.

"I promise." She said.

The entrance was crowded by guys in toga costumes. I dread the short walk from the driveway to the main door, still not used to the stares that came with wearing this costume. Luckily we manage to sneak by.

The inside is illuminated by lights and by party guests covered with bioluminescent paint. Veronica and I ditch our sweaters in a nearby coat closet and scan the area. I recognize the host before Veronica does, who was busily handing out glow in the dark sticks to her guests. Adjusting the mask on my face, I weave through the crowd to get to her. It took less than two seconds for Maia to recognize Veronica, who looked more like herself than I did.

My eyes focus on Maia's sparkly red costume with horns, which may be her best costume yet, but I wasn't about to tell her the reasons why I thought so. The moment her eyes dart to my costume, she dramatically spits out her drink. I roll my eyes under my mask, preparing for her snarky remarks.

"Skylar Echols, is that you?" Maia raised her voice.

Maia was a close friend of ours. The term friend was used loosely.

"The one and only." I confidently say, posing for her amusement.

"Wow. Who knew you had it in you?" She forces a laugh, her lips barely cracking a grin.

I return the phony enthusiasm, pretending we held a secret. I wasn't fond of Maia and I knew she wasn't fond of me.

"We are going to go." I inform her, and Maia raises an eyebrow at her comment.

"Don't forget we need to get the girls together and get a group photo." She says, with a smile.

"Sure, let us know when." Veronica agrees.

"Where is everyone getting the body paint from?" I interject.

"Oh! Go see Tia and Trevor by the punch table. They'll take care of you." Maia points to our fellow classmates.

With a wave, we head towards the twins. Tia painted intricate swirls on Connor Bowen's bicep, while he flirted with her. Her dark skin glowed in her princess Jasmine costume, looking as perfect and gorgeous as ever.

"Two bodies are in dire need of painting." I announce to the duo standing before us.

The taller twin focuses his attention on us, realizing I was the one speaking. He was dressed as a luchador. A bright red mask covered his face, but I knew exactly who he was—the star of the basketball team and in the hearts of many girls, including our dear friend Maia.

"Just so you two know, I only paint the two most important things below the neck. Or should I say four?"

Trevor's voice is muffled, under his luchador mask. But you could practically see his smirk under that mask. Veronica rolls her eyes at his comment, exchanging a look with me.

"Just so you know, we don't normally talk to guys who are all talk and no show but here we are." She snaps, while motioning towards his precious jewels.

Trevor scoffs, leaning forward to speak closely, "Wonder Woman, you clearly don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I don't? You know how in rear view mirrors there's words in tiny print that say, 'Objects in mirror are closer than they appear?' Well, in your case objects in person appear smaller than people say." Veronica responds calmly, earning an amused gasp from Tia.

Trevor leans away, a low chuckle escaping him as he slightly cocked his head.

"I'm Trevor and you are?" Trevor asks my best friend, his tone holding curiosity.

"None of your business." Veronica said, walking forward while I follow her.

"Can you believe that guy? What an asshole." Veronica exclaims, her mouth pressed into a tight line.

I mock Trevor, lowering my voice ten octaves. One of my hands comes in contact with a hard chest and my heart drops. I turn around with reluctance, afraid to see who the victim was this time. My cheeks warm with embarrassment and I'm suddenly thankful for the darkness.

"Sorry!" I blurt.

"No worries, gorgeous." The stranger says, holding me steady by the shoulders.

Recognizing my fellow classmate, dressed in a Cher costume, I gasp.

"Monty?" I ask, suppressing my surprise.

"Skylar?" He asks, his eyes widen along with mine.

"Mama, you look hotter than a southern summer's day!" He leans back for dramatic effect, then tosses his long wig over one shoulder.

"Don't thank me, thank Vera here." I said. "She helped me put my costume together."

"Oooh Vera, you can be my Wonder Woman." Monty exclaims, twirling my friend around.

"Where's Sonny?" Veronica asks him.

"I don't know. Last time I saw her, she was talking to a palm tree. From the looks of it, they seemed to be hitting it off." He casually says, referring to his best friend Kyla.

"You mean that palm tree?" I point to the plastic palm tree in the corner and Monty slowly nods.

"Monty!" Veronica scolds him.

"I didn't want to intrude!" Monty says, defensively.

"You should probably go find her." I suggest, causing Monty to nod rapidly. "Who knows what she's on."

"Yeah...I probably should, huh?" He says, giving us a wave as he left. "See you chicas later."

A Halloween song blasts in the background and my anxiety kicks in. We were practically in the middle of the dance floor and I scan the room for my target—Kai Kalani. My crush on Kai Kalani has extended to an embarrassing seven years. He mentioned he’d be wearing a Spider-Man costume. Yet, Spider-Man was nowhere to be found in a room full of people.

“What if he doesn’t come?” I asked Veronica.

Veronica gave me a pointed look and said, “If Boomer’s here, Kai has to be here.”

I searched for a sign of either of them, but a quick scan of the room showed nothing.

“Just relax. I’m sure he’s somewhere around here. It’s a big house.” Veronica assured me.

I nodded. We wandered through the house with hopes of finding a trace of Kai in a Spiderman costume or Boomer and no luck. We even danced and I served myself a ginger ale drink to pass the time. I was starting to feel hopeless. I put in the effort to wear a revealing costume and he wasn’t even here.

“Oh my god!” Veronica about splattered her drink on the floor from the whack she gave me

“What?” My eyes go wide with curiosity.

"There." Veronica points to Spider-Man walking away from a large group of guys.

I watch him for a moment before I allow my heart to lurch forward. That was his stance and body build. That was him behind the costume.

"That's Kai." I confirm.

"Go get your man." She said. "Meanwhile, I'll be waiting here alone."

"You act like guys aren't going to approach you." I tease, handing her my glow in the dark stick.

"Not the one I want." Veronica says, her smile fading.

"Screw Tony. Tonight's not about him." I assure her with an encouraging smile. "It's Halloween, so I expect you to have some fun."

"Yeah. Yeah." Veronica smiles, pushing me in the opposite direction.

I start walking at her request, my heart beating a million miles a minute. I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. My idea of a party was grocery shopping for my favorite snacks for a movie night in. I didn’t drink. I didn’t party. I had goals for myself, with a one way ticket to the town’s private college. Dating never came easy to me, much less flirting. I also knew I intimidated guys because I rarely dated, but then again I rarely dated because I intimidated guys. Ironic, wasn’t it?

I come to a slow when I find Kai standing by himself in a dim hallway. Even the low lighting favored him, making him look particularly hot. It took one glance at him to push all my doubts away. I muster every bit of confidence I had in me and walk towards him again.

I watch my feet, praying I wouldn't trip over my shoes. I spent all week practicing what I'd say to Kai in a mirror. Kai and I had been friends for as long as I could remember, and I wanted him to see me as something more than his loyal friend and bandmate.

Once I was within hearing distance, my pulse rose by the second. Kai faces me and even though his face was concealed behind a mask, I start to clam up.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." I said in a low voice, that sounded similar to Batman’s raspy voice.

"Wha-" He tries to speak, his voice short of surprise.

"Don't say a word, it'll ruin the moment." I plead and he slowly nods under the mask.

Feeling brave, I grasp his hand pulling him with me into the nearest closet. My hand is now clammy under the thin material of my costume and I suddenly realize how difficult it is to breathe in the tight fabric of my costume.

I close the door behind me, enclosing us in darkness. I drew in a breath, letting my fingers trail up his arms, until they find his stone hard, chest. Hello, muscles. His chest contracts under my hands and I take that as a sign to make my move. I reach for the end of his mask, peeling it off, until I was sure his lips and nose were exposed.

Okay. Here goes nothing.

With my mind swirling and my breath shallow, I traced his parted lips with my fingers. I counted to ten in my head to calm myself down, but it doesn't work. His lips were much softer than I expected they'd be and the desire to kiss him intensifies.

Three, two, one.

I stand on my toes to softly press my lips against his. His body froze at the contact, while my heart roared in response, sparking every inch of me alive. It takes Kai a moment to realize what I'm doing but when he does, his lips move with mine.

With an arm wrapped around my waist to hold me close and a gentle grip at my neck, I about melted then and there. His chest rose and fell where my hand rested, a heavy thud beating repeatedly. I broke the kiss with a smile, then hide my embarrassment into Kai's chest even though he couldn't see me.

"Whoa." He whispers, while I bit my lip to keep myself from squealing.

Keep your cool, Skylar. Keep. Your. Cool.

"Whoa, indeed." I manage to respond, feeling high off the kiss.

"That was one hell of a kiss." He said in a voice that wasn't quite Kai's.

Oh no. OH. NO.