Unexpected

Gabby the Devil

The "biggest night of the year" weighs heavy on my mind, anchoring it in one place- a place away from the quarrels with my parents. When Austin initially invited me to the Halloween party, he did it with the intention of distracting me from the ongoing bouts of arguments with my parents about my future.

It's always the same conversation; they want me to push for prestige and wealth while I'd rather aim for a stable enough income that doesn't require me to forfeit all my free time and will to live. I know better than anyone else that this merry-go-round won't stop unless one of two things happen: either I succumb to my parent's expectations, or I accept estrangement from them with zero financial support. The latter is looking more likely, but I plan to bide my time until that day comes.

I've told Austin of my plans to slowly drain money out of my college fund without my parents' knowledge. God knows they won't miss the meager amount required for a standard public college degree in comparison to any of the eight Ivy League schools or some posh private college they financially planned for. How I intend to pull this off- I'm not sure, but I have over a year to figure it out.

Having come to some sort of decision and already working through a plan has put me more at ease, making it easier to endure the usual nonsense with my parents. The same can't be said for Austin, who's taken my parents' offhand callousness to heart. I think it bothers him to hear me speak so casually about what must seem atrocious to someone with a fully present and loving mother. While I'd never mistake Austin's family as being absent of its own issues, a bruised family is not the same as a broken one. That's apparent enough in the look of horror on his face when I confide in him about the innerworkings of the only family I know.

So when Austin invites me to this year's Halloween party, I jump at the opportunity to redirect both of our focuses to something else, something more light hearted. Although from the sounds of it, plenty of our peers don't see it that way. Apparently, this party is the party. Every year a member of the football team hosts it at their house, and even though it's never mistaken to be school-sponsored, it may as well be with how well acquainted the staff have become with it. On the first of November, everyone who's anyone shows up to school hungover, if they bother to show up at all. The teachers have an unspoken understanding of this, and avoid scheduling anything of importance.

The fact that Halloween is only occasionally on a weekend yet everyone plans to attend without a second thought goes to show the sturdiness of the tradition. I wouldn't be surprised if it dates back several decades, though I haven't felt compelled enough to find out.

Catrina, Sarah, and I are planning on dressing up as "Charlie's Devils" instead of the infamous angel trio. The concept is a bit of a reach, but I don't care. It means that we have an excuse to dress in skin tight leather and make our boyfriends' eyes pop out of their skulls. More importantly, it might increase my chances of losing a card I've had for much longer than intended. While I don't think Austin would turn me down, I want all the help I can in getting my way. In fact, I'd prefer Austin to be on his knees and begging for the opportunity that he passed up the night I came onto him in Alex's bathroom.

Sure, I may still be feeling a little burned from the initial rejection (no matter how well meaning it was), but Austin and I have always enjoyed teasing each other, and this is the perfect chance to do just that.

We talked the boys into dressing up as angels to pair with our devil costumes, but it wasn't hard considering how little effort it takes on their part. They just need to commit to a white t-shirt with a pair of wings on the back.

I remind Austin of this, who's busied himself with scribbling away in a notebook pressed against his legs as he leans against the wall beside his bed. He just smiles, pausing his writing as he glances to me, "Don't you worry, the boys and I know what to do."