1
“Going to the Halloween party tonight?” Ana asks as we step into the pumpkin patch.
“You know I hate parties,” I say, kicking a dried leaf off my shoe.
“Yeah, but you’re a Halloween guy.”
“True. But the party-hating part wins.”
Leaves crunch under our feet, and that smoky, earthy scent of fall tickles my nose. Stands are spread out across the fields ahead, their vendors wearing witch hats and cat ears, selling mugs of warm cider and pumpkin bread.
“Too bad,” Ana presses. “Especially since Caroline’s gonna be there.” She waggles her eyebrows.
Here’s the thing Ana doesn’t know—I’m not actually into Caroline. I made that up to shut down her endless matchmaking. She thinks I don’t get laid enough, which, fair, maybe I don’t. But still. Something’s just... off. Has been for a while. Not sure why I can’t make myself care more.
“Nah, not even Caroline can tempt me out tonight,” I say, eyeing the stand ahead. A tall woman with black hair and darklipstick is selling jack-o’-lanterns. They glow a deep orange, their creepy smiles seeming to follow us as we walk by.
“Well, I tried. But I really think you should go, Sebas. You need to have some fun. Live a little. Hook up with someone. You’re a hot guy, and you’re wasting your prime acting like a recluse. If you want to get into a girl’s pants, you’ve actually gotta talk to one.”
“You think I’m hot?”
“Of coursethat’sthe part you latch onto.”
“Sorry. Just wanted to hear it again.” I grin at her, and she shakes her head, smiling.
Ana and I have been friends since freshman year. We met in the dorms and bonded over a shared love of horror movies. I’d never met a girl as into gory slashers as I was. We became inseparable fast, which is a feat for me, since I tend to push people away. Ana was persistent, though.
She’s pretty, too, with big green eyes, copper-red hair, and a curvy figure, but I don’t see her that way. I don’t think I could, even if she were into me. She feels too much like a sister now. I love her as a friend and nothing more.
Sometimes I wish I could be more like her, though. Confident, easygoing, social. Ana knows what she wants and goes for it. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have joined the theater program. Because, yeah, even though I’m a bit of a hermit, I love being on stage. People say I have a good voice and a knack for bringing characters to life.
Guess it has something to do with how pretending feels easier than being myself. As long as I can play a role, I don’t have to figure out who the real Sebastian is.
“Oh, look, they have candy apples,” Ana says, pointing at a nearby stand. “Want one?”
“Sure. My treat.”
I buy two, and we munch as we walk. The caramel is warm and gooey, sweet enough to make my teeth ache. I can already feel the cavities forming, but it tastes too good to care.
Just as I take another bite, Ana gasps.
“What is it?”
“That guy,” she says, nodding toward a stand where a guy our age is selling pumpkins. He’s got to be at least six-four, with thick dark brown hair and a white long-sleeve shirt that does a terrible job of hiding how jacked he is. A group of college girls is crowded around him, giggling like he’s some kind of celebrity.
“What about him?”
“He’s in one of my classes.” She pauses to chew her apple, her cheeks turning pink. “His name’s Josh. God, he’s sofuckinghot.”
“He looks like a douche.”
“That’s just your bias against guys who look like that.”
“I can tell by the way he’s standing. That smirk. The swarm of girls around him.”
“He’s a football player.”
“Of course he is.”
