Page 7 of A Very Grumpy Halloween

“It’s coming up next week,” I inform him, and he nods.

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t seem as excited about the holiday as I am, and I frown.

“You don’t like Halloween? You don’t dress up? Hang out with friends? Go to a party? Pass out candy?”

“Not really. I haven’t celebrated since before I left for college. Probably not since I was a little kid,” he tells me almost apologetically.

“You can come with me to a party this year! We can pick out costumes together!”

“Do we have to dress up?” He asks, and my enthusiasm wanes.

“No, you don’t have to,” I say quietly.

My eyes start to feel heavy, and I smother a yawn as I lean back against the soft couch cushions.

“You don’t have to go to the party,” I murmur sleepily.

“I want to.”

I nod, my eyes starting to drift shut.

“You don’t have to stay.”

“I want to do that too,” I hear him say before sleep pulls me under.

FOUR

Ryder

“Oh my god,”Maple groans next to me, and I blink my eyes open, watching as her hands come up to scrub at her face.

I smile as she stretches and sighs.

“Good morning to you, too,” I say, my voice sounding rough with sleep.

She gasps, her big green eyes widening as she spots me in bed next to her. A second later her whole face turns as red as her hair.

“Oh my god!” She yelps.

I watch in amusement as she buries her whole head under her pillow. I’m guessing that she regrets drinking so much last night, and I scoot closer to her as I lift the corner of her pillow to peek down at her.

“Is this how you wake up every morning or…” I trail off, and she groans.

I laugh, and she pops her head out, giving me a sheepish look.

“I’m so sorry about last night,” she starts, and I tense, wondering if she regrets getting drunk, oversharing, or inviting me over altogether.

“I had fun,” I tell her honestly, and she looks at me like I’m insane.

“Your idea of a good time is watching someone embarrass themselves?” She grumbles, and I laugh.

“You didn’t embarrass yourself. You were adorable. It was nice getting to see you with your walls down for a bit.”

“I don’t have walls,” she protests, and I snort.

“You have walls and a whole damn moat.”

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