Page 128 of Falling for You
‘We don’t have one of these,’ Penny points out, holding up a paper skeleton mask to her face.
‘Well, I thought you can never have too many decorations,’ I say.
‘I’ll make us a tea,’ Penny says, getting to her feet.
Tanya tucks her feet under her on the small armchair and I busy myself looking through the decorations.
Crikey, I did buy a lot … but it’s my weak spot. Everyone is addicted to something. Tanya is obsessed with anything miniature (which I find odd as she’s taller than everyone) and Penny is obsessed with recipes. Pam is obsessed with … well, work. I’m obsessed with Halloween decorations. So, when a shop window drapes itself in light-up pumpkins or flashing bats, I can’t help myself. And really, I don’t think anyone can blame me for that.
‘Here we are,’ Penny says, handing me a steaming mug and plonking herself down next to me.
‘Also, this means that our Halloween party this year will beepic. I mean, our house will look ridiculous. We might even end up on the news!’
Penny and Tanya exchange glances and I suddenly feel as though they’re communicating telepathically.
‘What?’
‘I don’t think I can come to the Halloween party this year,’ Tanya blurts, half hiding behind her mug of tea.
My mouth drops open. We’ve been hosting our Halloween parties every year since our first term at university. We spend the entire week leading up to it decorating the house, making it as creepy as possible. Last year, Penny did this incredible trick with a mirror in the bathroom that made it look like there was someone standing behind you while you were washing your hands. We had to take it down until the night of the party, as we kept falling for it in the middle of the night and waking each other up screaming.
‘You can’t come?’ I repeat. ‘What do you mean? What else are you doing?’
It’s the one night of the year which is etched into our diaries in blood. The Saturday of Halloween is our party. I mean, friends of ours start talking about it in August.
‘I have a work event,’ Tanya mumbles.
‘On a Saturday?’ I cry incredulously.
‘It’s a PR event for a new perfume,’ she says. ‘They’re holding a masquerade ball. It’s one of my clients, I kind of have to go. But I can bring you guys along with me.’
I force myself to pause.Stop being a brat, Annie.
‘Oh wow,’ I say. ‘That’s really cool … sorry, I just really love our party. It’s like our thing, isn’t it?’
I look at Penny who shrugs back at me. ‘Yeah, it’s a lot of work though, isn’t it?’
‘Don’t you like it?’ I cry. Penny reads my expression and quickly corrects herself.
‘No, of course I do. It’s like, the best night of the year.’
‘The best,’ Tanya agrees firmly.
‘But, like, work is insane at the moment,’ Penny says, pushing her fingers through her hair. ‘I could do with not having to spend so much time organising it all. I have to work late every night this week.’
‘Ew.’ I grimace.
‘And this way we can just go to a cool party instead. Like, it’s still fancy dress, right?’ She looks to Tanya who nods happily.
‘Oh yeah,’ Tanya says. ‘People will go nuts for it. It’s a really high-key event too,’ she adds. ‘I’ve seen the budget for it. It’s huge. They have performers there and everything. You could get snapped up!’ She points at me. ‘There will be so many people from the fashion world there, you should take some business cards. I bet you’d sell loads of costumes.’
I smile. Tanya is always offering to introduce me to fashion colleagues to get me in the door as a seamstress or designer of some sort. But what I make isn’t fashionable. It’s cartoonist and grotesque and a bit weird, and not in a cool way. Nobody is going to go to Zara and buy a jacket with manoeuvrable bat wings.
Tanya and Penny are both smiling, and I can feel how desperate they are for me to agree, which suddenly makes me feel like a spoiled child. Have they been planning this conversation?
‘Yeah, of course,’ I say, forcing a smile on my face. ‘That sounds great.’
Tanya claps her hands. ‘Oh yay! I’m so happy! But we’ll do the party as normal next year.’
