“So I'll see you tonight at the costume party?” I ask as Matt pulls over in front of my dorm.

“Yeah.” He kisses me softly and pulls away. “Are you still not telling me your costume?”

“Nope.” I jump out of the car and make my way to my bedroom.

Jess

I don't think y'all are

ready for my costume

daisy 🌼

and i know youre not

ready for mine

Jamie

that’s because you haven't

seen mine

Allie

We’ll see about that

I close the door behind me and scream when I see Daisy lying on my bed. “Damn it, Daisy! Are you trying to scare me to death?”

“Good! You’re finally here!” She jumps up with a big smile.

“What are you doing here? You have your own room, you know?” I laugh and set my things down.

“Yeah, but I need your help to get ready for tonight.

“Ok, but it’s just over 6pm. We have, like, four hours.”

“I have a wig and I don't know if it will fit on my head with all this hair, so I need you to help me.”

“You have a wig?”

“Of course.”

“Ok, let me just take a shower and change out of these clothes.” I open my closet and pull some comfortable clothes.

“Oh yeah! You spent the night at Matt’s! Oooh! Did you have sexy time?”

“‘Sexy time’?” I burst laughing.

“Yeah, you know. Slam the ham.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I laugh even more. “Feed the kitty… As your best friend you are obligated to tell me.”

“Yes, Daisy. We ‘fed the kitty’.”

“Good for you!” she yells as I close the bathroom door.

I take my shower and after that I start helping Daisy, but things aren't going so well. We try a lot of different things to make the wig fit, but she has too much hair.

“It’s not going to fit,” I tell her after nearly one hour and a half.

“Try again! Please!”

“Babe, you already have a lot of hair and then you probably have at least doubled it when you got the braids…”

“What am I going to do?” She whines. “If I can't wear the wig then I won't even have the ears ‘cause they're attached.”

“Can’t you just not have ears?”

Daisy stares me for a few seconds. “Are you serious? No, I can't ‘just not have ears’! She’s a cat and cats have ears!”

“Ok… so can’t you, I don’t know, make buns with your hair and say they’re cat ears?” She stops moving completely. “Daisy? Are you ok?”

“You are a genius!” She jumps off the chair she was in and hugs me. “What would I do without you? Seriously! I love you!” She rushes to the mirror and I just stand there laughing.

“Seriously?” Daisy just stares at my costume. “Moana?”

“Why not?” I twirl to show her the whole thing.

“Isn’t it a little too old now? How many years has it been since it came out?”

“I don’t care if it’s old. When you’re half Filipina and finally there is a princess that looks like you, you better wear that costume until it’s falling apart.”

“So I should be Tiana then?” She laughs a little.

“Well, I know Tiana, so for me it would already be better than what you’re wearing.”

“How dare you?” Her face fills with disbelief, eyes squinted and eyebrows furrowed. “I must tell you that Mew Mew Power is a very famous anime and that Ichigo is a beloved character. Just because you don’t have culture, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is the same.” Suddenly she starts smiling. “And this outfit is so cute!” She turns her back to me and shakes her butt. “It has a tail.”

I just laugh and send a message to Jamie.

Allie

We’re ready

What about you guys?

Jamie

pretty much

jess finally finished her

makeup and is putting

on her shoes

Allie

Ok

We’ll meet you at the

lobby then

Daisy and I make our way downstairs and sit at the chairs near the entrance. She is telling me the entire plot of the anime and out of nowhere she suddenly lets out the loudest, most blood curdling scream. I jump to my feet and turn around to see Jess walking towards us in the most terrifying costume of The Nun, and Jamie following her wearing a shark onesie. I can only laugh at both Daisy’s reaction and Jamie’s ‘costume’.

“Why the fuck would you wear that? This is horrible! Now thanks to you I’ll be having nightmares for the next month!” Daisy yells at Jess while I keep laughing.

“Isn’t it amazing? I found this awesome makeup tutorial on YouTube and I had to dress like her.” Jess smiles.

“And on the other hand we have this.” I point at Jamie.

“What? It’s a shark costume that happens to be a onesie. And it has pockets!” She shows the openings at her sides. “And you’re Moana? Isn’t it a bit-”

“Iconic?” I cut her off. “Why, yes, it is. Thank you very much.” She giggles.

“And what are you supposed to be?” Jess asks Daisy.

“I’m Ichigo from Mew Mew Power! I know that without the wig it may be a little confusing, but don’t you think the half-up space buns make up for it?”

“Yes! It looks great! Where did you get this dress? It looks so good!” Jamie gets closer to Daisy to get a better view of her costume.

“Thank you! My mom helped me make it. I knew we’d have this party and I wanted to go big.”

“You know this show?” I ask Jamie and she gasps.

“Of course I do! It’s a classic!” She stares at me with slightly furrowed eyebrows. “My favorite is Minto.” She smiles and turns back to Daisy.

“Can we continue this conversation while we walk to the car?” I point to the door and we go outside.

“Yeah, but I have to sit in the back ‘cause I have to stay at a certain angle so my tail doesn’t bend.”

“I’m cool with that.” I laugh as I take the passenger seat in Jamie’s car.

The whole drive to the party, Jess keeps trying to freak Daisy out at the back seat until Jamie tells both of them to shut up so she doesn't crash the car.

Once we get outside the frat house, I can already feel the bass thumping through the walls and when we go inside the music gets louder.

“Let’s go get some drinks!” Jess pulls us towards the table filled with all kinds of beverages.

While Daisy gets some beer for her and Jess, Jamie and I grab cans of soda since neither of us drinks alcohol.

“Hey, cool costumes!” a guy with brown hair says as he gets closer to Daisy and Jess. “You look really scary and I really like your anime taste!”

“Thank you, Scott!” Daisy gives him a big smile and then turns to me. “I told you people loved the show! Guys, this is Scott, we were together in a class last year. Scott, these are my friends, Allie and Jamie. And this psychopath that decided to wear this… thing is Jess.”

“My costume is not a ‘thing’, it’s one of the best characters in recent horror movies. The whole Conjuring franchise is the best thing ever!” We all laugh at Jess’ excitement.

“And your costume is straight up fire!” Jamie points towards Scott and the few baseball bats attached to him. “I love a good pun costume.”

“I don’t get it.” Daisy stares at his clothes as if they were going to tell her what they were.

“He’s bat-man. Get it? Batman?” Jamie starts laughing on her own and I can’t help but laugh at her.

“I like you. We should talk more.” Scott smiles walking towards Jamie and puts an arm around her shoulders. “And I appreciate the onesie.”

“Don’t even bother, Scott, she’s not into men,” Daisy says after finishing her beer and getting some more.

“Who said I’m not into men?” Jamie’s face scrunches as she faces Daisy.

“You did.”

“No, I didn’t. I said I prefer girls,” she corrects Daisy. “Most men are garbage anyway.”

“Can I get an amen?” Jess shouts

“Amen!” I shoot back and we all laugh.

I yelp as I feel a pair of arms pull me in a hug.

“Speaking of the devil…” Daisy mutters and I stare at her.

“Hey, Pumpkin,” a voice whispers in my ear.

“I don’t know why I even bother saying I hate that name.” I turn around in his arms and softly kiss him. “Hey.” I look down at his costume and look back at him filled with disappointment. “Football player? Again? And the same jersey? Couldn’t you at least wear a different one? We’ve been to three costume parties together and you wore the same shirt at every single one of them.”

“It’s a classic. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.”

I sigh as I take another look at the ‘costume’ I’ve already seen before.

“And what are you?” His eyes trail down my body as he takes in my costume.

“You don’t know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I did.”

“I’m Moana.” He just blankly stares at me. “From Disney.” He doesn't move. “The movie about the Polynesian girl.” Nothing changes. “Matt, I’ve told you about this movie so many times! I told you how much it meant to me that Disney was making a movie that represents part of my culture.”

“Oh that one! Now I remember, it’s the one with The Rock, right?”

“Yes…” I roll my eyes at the detail he remembers. “Anyway, I’m Moana.”

“Ok.” He takes another look at my costume and frowns.

“Is anything wrong with it? Did I spill something?” I look down, trying to find what he was looking at.

“No, it’s just… Don’t you think you’re showing a little too much ribcage?” he asks.

“Wha- No…” I frown. “It’s just a crop top. It’s fine.”

“Well, I think it’s a bit too small.”

“And I think it’s just fine.”

“I don’t like you showing that much. The guys keep looking at you.”

“So let them! It’s just skin, Matt. Everybody has it.” I laugh a little. “And so what if some guys are looking? Let them! They’re not getting any of it, you are.” I touch his chest to help him calm down a little and it seems to help, but the universe seems to have other plans.

“Hey, Moana! Wanna go to a room and see how far we can go?” A guy approaches me and Matt's face hardens.

“No, thank you.” I barely turn to look at his face.

“C’mon! Let’s have a little fun!”

I hold Matt back a little, seeing that he’s getting mad. “Not interested.”

“That’s a shame, but if you change your mind I'll be playing beer pong.” He points towards some place I don't even register.

“She won’t.”

The guy laughs and walks away.

“I told you, Allie. These assholes can’t control themselves!” His voice starts getting louder.

“Matt, calm down.” I pull him to a quieter place. “Nothing happened. Nothing will happen. If you’re really bothered we can leave, but the girls and I just arrived.”

He stays quiet for a while, as if wheels are spinning inside his head, and then huffs. “We can stay, but if another guy tries anything else, we’re leaving.”

“I’m ok with that.” I smile and give him a little peck on the lips, but he pulls me in for a harsher kiss. He starts to kiss down my neck and it starts getting a bit too rough. “Don’t you dare mark me, Matthew!” I pull his hair to get him away from me. When his eyes meet mine, they’re no longer the usual light green, they're dark.

“You’re mine. I can do whatever I want."