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was
pretty damn authentic, down to the hemline that almost showed her
hiney and the white puff balls on her shoes. I couldn’t help but
notice how scantily clad all the teenage girls wandering into the
gym were. When did Halloween become an excuse for a girl to dress
like a tramp in a socially acceptable manner? Guys didn’t have to
take their shirts off and show us how chiseled their abs weren’t,
so why did all the girls have to be bouncy bosoms and bare
backsides?
    As we were walking toward the
entrance, I saw Nate and Xander coming across the parking lot and
had to laugh. Nate was wearing a black suit with the tie untied and
a tight superman shirt—complete with six pack abs I could only
wonder if he really possessed or if they were foam—showing under
the unbuttoned shirt. I could only assume the person with him was
Xander since all I saw were feet, but I recognized those gray
Chucks sticking out of the great white shark’s mouth. The shark
must have been about seven feet long and appeared to have swallowed
my brother from the knees up. I would have laughed, if I could have
taken my eyes off Nate. He even had his hair in the slicked back
with a side part with a spit curl in his forehead and let me tell
you it was H-O-T! And I’m pretty certain those abs were his, not a
foam costume piece. They walked up to us, and he offered Sariah an
arm, giving me a look I almost thought was longing. As she took it
and they headed inside, Xander offered me a fin, and I took it with
a laugh.
    The big gymnasium was decorated with
the typical crepe paper and cardboard cutouts, but somehow the
cheesiness worked. Purple and black streamers hung from the ceiling
and colored films gave the usually harsh lights a muted glow. There
were different stations set up with stuff to do for the younger
kids, lots of food and a huge open space for dancing. Black
streamers draped the entrance to the locker room, where they would
have cleared out the benches and built the haunted house. Loud
music was playing as we wandered along the wall, heading for the
haunted house. As we came out, Sariah wandered off, in search of a
new boy-toy, no doubt. Xander danced with me a few times, before
heading off and leaving me to entertain myself.
    I searched around for Evelyn but
didn’t see her. I wandered to the food table and made a small
plate, then started mingling. I had never really cared for parties
before, but tonight I felt different somehow. I don’t know where
the confidence came from, but I found myself almost craving human
contact. I flirted and danced and laughed, losing myself in the
moment. I was having so much fun I completely forgot about my
assets hanging out.
    I had too much food and punch until I
thought I could burst. I went through the haunted house about three
more times and danced with half the town’s population, I think. The
music called to me, and I found myself answering with whoever
happened to be nearby or by myself if no one was willing. I was
gyrating with a junior I didn’t know in a way that should have
embarrassed me when a hand clamped solidly on my elbow. I was drug
out of the room by the firm grip. As suddenly as it came, the
strange high was gone. The room spun for a minute, and I looked up
into very angry, very familiar eyes.
    “ What the hell, Nate?” I
asked, trying to yank my arm away. He held tight and all I
succeeded in doing was almost popping out of my top—which is a feat
since there isn’t much to pop. His eyes studied me intensely for a
long moment, but he didn’t say anything. It was almost like he was
looking for something, and I wondered if he was finding it. I felt
dizzy and swayed against him. “I… I think I should sit down.” I
leaned into his chest, unable to stand on my own, almost too ill to
notice those abs were indeed his.
    He got me to a chair and things got a
little fuzzy for a short time. I put my head between my knees and
tried to breathe through my mouth rather than hurl right there.