-Josh-

The Halloween party doesn't start terribly, but it starts heading more that way when Ezra stops me as I start to walk away from him.

"What?" I ask, maybe a little more rudely than really necessary.

"Tonight, your friends are my friends." He turns me to where the two guys he always hangs out with are (one of whom looks vaguely familiar). "Good luck with Mark and Tommy."

I groan. "Fine."

I don't know why I even agree to this, and I'm already mad at myself as I awkwardly stomp my way over there.

The one I know-- I think that's Mark?-- laughs and jokes, "Wow, Ezra, have you gotten taller?"

I roll my eyes. "Ha-freaking-ha. I look like Ezra because I didn't have a good costume concept until he suggested switching lives for a night."

Mark(?) raises an eyebrow. "Huh."

"Yeah."

The second guy (Tommy?) doesn't say anything, but gives me a weird look nonetheless.

"Oh! Dunno if we've been officially introduced, but I'm Markus, and this is Thomas-- Mark and Tommy." So I was right about who was who. "You almost got me expelled over a pencil once."

I nod. "I remember that. Uh... sorry. I guess."

"No sweat, I'm pretty much over it. It was eighth grade, after all." He shrugs.

I shrug, too. "I guess. I'd almost forgotten, but it's hard to completely forget the times when you're a giant dick for no reason."

"I think I mostly remember it because I was nearly expelled," he admits. "But yeah. Just wanted some closure since I have the chance."

I nod. "Fair."

Tommy tugs on the hem of Mark's shirt-- I vaguely recognize their costume as being from some sort of movie in the 80's or something (I'm not much of a movie buff, I just know I've seen it before). "I want something to eat."

"Okay." Mark gives me a grin-- that seems fairly characteristic of him. "We'll be back in two seconds."

I just wait, and when they get back I ask, "What's your guys' costumes from?"

"Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," Mark tells me. "He's Bill, I'm Ted. It's sort of a guilty pleasure movie for both of us."

"Oh, that's cool." I've seen that movie, but only, like, once.

"Yeah."

We stand in awkward silence for a while, until I hear Kieran's voice call, "Hey, goth boy!" and I know he's talking to me.

I give Mark and Tommy a slightly apologetic look and head for the group of other football players (and Ezra, of course). It's a little slow, because I'm still not good at walking in these boots, but I manage to get over there eventually and ask, "What?"

"Just wondering if it's true that this was his--" Kieran gestures at Ezra-- "idea to do this. Doesn't seem like something you'd really do, you know?"

I roll my eyes. "It was his idea, yeah. Does it really matter whose idea it was?"

"I mean, not really, I just needed to hear it from your mouth." Kieran shrugs.

Ezra looks so freaking awkward right now-- like he doesn't really feel like he belongs here, or like he needs to be part of this conversation. He's shrinking into my Letterman jacket like he can just melt into it and disappear.

I give Kieran a good-natured arm punch. "You're a dick. And stop torturing Ezra, I can see it in his face."

Kieran laughs. "Okay, okay. I'll lay off him. Didn't think you'd care."

"If I ever become more of a dick than you, Kieran, I want you to kill me."

That gets us both laughing after a moment of build-up-- Kieran's doubled over, like a cartoon.

Ezra just slowly backs away.