The unseasonably warm air smelled fresh and miraculous. Especially compared to the last week where a chill and dampness seemed to creep into everything. Tonight had to be magic. Children ran in their costumes, filled with excitement they didn't need to hide under heavy coats this year. Gwynn missed many Halloweens. After his parents died, he lacked the heart to go out alone. Not that he'd forgotten the allure. Free candy and treats, the inherent joy of a night where you could be something, someone...anything else. On Halloween, everyone lived between worlds. Maybe Halloween was the one night he belonged.

A shadow moved in the corner of his eye. He spun around, expecting to see another child, but found nothing. Chills ran up his neck and his head prickled. He couldn't help but take continuous glances over his shoulder.

Despite the 7/11 regularly being a busy hang out, it seemed deserted. Gwynn supposed most people had somewhere better to be. He checked his watch. It read six fifty. Was ten minutes early enough? He didn't see any sign of Sophia, so he decided to kill time inside.

The hard fluorescent lights stung his eyes and washed out the cream–colored walls that had once been white but had discolored with age and grime. A girlie mag occupied the clerk behind the counter— he couldn't even be bothered to grunt some form of hello. Gwynn wandered the aisles, showing enough interest to deflect suspicion, but he didn't intend on buying anything. Anxiety ruined any hope of eating, and the meager offerings on the magazine rack offered little that would entertain Gwynn as much as they did the store employee.

Gwynn took another anxious glance at his watch. The blocky digits caused him further gastric discomfort. Five after seven. He started to worry Sophia asking him out was a cruel joke. In his mind, he had visions of Eric Haze, Sophia, and a half or more of the football team having a good laugh, making bets on how long Gwynn would wander around the 7/11 before giving up. Were they hiding somewhere nearby, so they could confirm the time of his defeat and pay out the winning bet? The back of his throat tightened, something heavy tugged at his core, and his right hand burned with pins–and–needles.

"Go home," a voice whispered.

The cashier remained buried in his magazine and oblivious to the store. Gwynn edged to the end of the aisle and peeked down one, then the other, but there was no sign of anyone else. In one of the security mirrors placed in the corner of the store, he caught sight of dark hair dashing outside of view. Another spin, taking in the store. No matter what he heard, or thought he saw, he seemed alone with the clerk.

Gwynn took a deep breath, counted one, two, three, four, five, and let it out slow. 

I am losing my mind.

Before any phantom voices agreed, a roaring engine and thumping bass outside shattered the quiet. The sound even made the cashier bother to lift his head.

Outside, a black car pulled up— some sports car, though Gwynn had no idea what— having never been much interested. The door opened, and some person Gwynn recognized from school hopped out. Gwynn waited for the pointing and laughing, but it didn't happen. Instead, his schoolmate turned and popped the front seat forward so someone could climb out of the back. Gwynn caught sight of blond curls, and for the first time that day, his stomach settled. His heart beat harder than usual with a joyful rhythm.

"Go home now," the phantom voice said in a growled whisper. Gwynn ignored it. It must be his nagging doubts and insecurities trying to hold him back. It sucked being alone. He didn't want to feel separate and detached. He wanted grounding, to have something warm and meaningful to root him to the world. He wanted to be the one to make Sophia smile.

Sophia got out of the car, searching the area. Gwynn raised his hand in a shy wave. When she caught sight of him, she gave a wide grin and bounced into the store.

"Hey!"

"Hi, Sophia."

Her eyes got serious, and her bottom lip pouted. "Sorry, we're late. Eric had to get gas. You haven't been waiting long, have you?"

Gwynn deflated at hearing Haze's name, but when she grabbed his hand, a surge of invulnerability struck through.

"Come on," she said with a laugh. She nudged Gwynn out of the store to the waiting car.

The guy who let her out still stood holding the front seat down. He gave Gwynn an obligatory "hey" as he came out of the store. Sophia gave Gwynn a shove into the back and then hopped in next to him.

The "doorman" let the seat go, and it sprung back with a thwomp. He flopped in and pulled the door shut behind him.

From the front, Eric turned around with his hyena grin. Gwynn never liked seeing Haze smile. Not a hyena tonight, more like a shark admiring his dinner.

"Hey Gwynn," he drawled, having to shout over the blasting volume of the music. Gwynn couldn't even make out the song; the pounding bass obliterated all sense of melody. "Hope you're ready. We're going to have an awesome night."

The sound of screeching rubber accompanied the car peeling away. With Eric's driving, the night could be dangerous.

Sophia thrashed in her seat to the beat of the music. She laughed wild and high. "Isn't this great? I love this song!"

She seemed out of character. Her happy face seemed forced.

Nerves? Gwynn wondered. No.

Sophia nervous of being with a loser like him? Maybe that was the issue. Maybe she regretted asking him out and worried about what her friends thought. Cold doubt strummed his heart with its icy touch. Maybe this had been a mistake.