It must have been a law that every Uber driver had to have a weird smelling car. Fortunately Dani was excited enough that she could ignore it. It would be her first time wearing makeup in front of her peers. She had gone into public with it on before a handful of times with Ryan. And among those times, she never once saw someone she knew.
Now though, she was breaking new ground! More progress for her transition, what could be better?
Well, to start, she had no idea how people would react. While this certain group of acquaintances had never done anything too heinous, she had heard a few jokes here and there that worried her.
That was the benefit of a costume party, she supposed. Claiming it was part of her costume if things came to a head.
There was also the matter of Simon. She had been avoiding her best friend for a few weeks, not wanting to be plunged any deeper into drama.
It was his fault for making things weird! Why would he say that he likes me… What was he even expecting??
She did miss him, though. As fun as the few weeks with Ryan were, she wanted to be able to talk with her best friend about all the changes in her life.
Thankfully he extended an olive branch just before she left. Not only did he help her find her mascara, Simon apologized for what he said! Apparently his relationship troubles with Rachel got him all confused and he blurted out some nonsense in the heat of the moment. What a relief!
That was what he told her. And that was what Dani chose to believe.
It has to be true. It means we can go back to being friends.
To her left, Ryan was chatting up the Uber driver. She was tuning him out semi-effectively up until now, but a few words caught her attention.
Their driver was a middle aged man wearing a sports sweatshirt displaying his favorite football team. He reminded Dani a bit of her father, though she hoped this guy would be a little nicer. Not that she even wanted to talk with him. However, Ryan made that difficult to manage. The moment they got into the car he started talking about sports with him. Then it was the Halloween party, and now their costumes.
“You and your girlfriend have the right idea,” the driver said. “Keep it simple. Why shell out for some expensive costume when a bed sheet works just fine!”
Under normal circumstances, Dani would have wondered why he was so passionate about costumes. But the moment the word “girlfriend” entered her ears she lost all ability to think.
Oh my god, he thinks I’m Ryan’s girlfriend! At least I pass in this costume. But it is dark out, maybe it doesn’t mean anything.
Still, the smile on her face wouldn’t go away. She turned toward the window to try and hide how happy she was. If she hadn’t just put on a bunch of makeup she would have pressed her forehead against the cool glass to relax.
In the reflection, she could see Ryan looking unsure of what to say.
Hopefully he isn’t grossed out by that idea.
Her smile started to fade.
“Ah, yeah,” Ryan finally said. “It was kind of a last minute thing.”
He didn’t correct him!
The smile recovered. This time stronger than before.
While Dani contained her excitement, the two mens’ conversation drifted back to sports, which she promptly ignored again.
Maybe people at the party will think I’m someone else! Ryan’s mysterious date. Ryan’s girlfriend. The hot roman chick who–
A buzz from her phone interrupted her fantasizing. It was from her mom. She hadn’t heard from her family at all since the day she picked up her belongings.
What does she want? It’s not like people get wished a Happy Halloween over text.
She knew that whatever it was her darling mother wanted to say, it would kill her mood. Yet, she opened the text.
It read: “Just letting you know! Don’t plan on coming home for Thanksgiving unless you come with a haircut. God made you a handsome man, and that’s who we want to be thankful for! Love, Mom.”
The smile was gone.
Why did I read it. Right before a party too.
Dani focused on the window again. Danny looked back at her. The boy she had grown up as, that used to love spending time with mom. Gone. Hidden under a costume.
The lump in her throat brought her back to reality.
I can’t cry, my makeup will run. And Mom is the one who cut ties, not me.
She swallowed back the tears.
I’m going to have fun at this party no matter what.
***
At last, the ride was over. Ryan could see the driveway packed full of cars, with scattered groups of people in costumes funneling into the house. He assumed that he would have even recognized a few if not for the fact most had a face covering or hat disrupting their silhouette.
The car stopped once it reached the mailbox on the curb.
“Alright, here we are!” The driver said. “You two have a good time, drink as much as you want, ya didn’t drive! Hah!”
Ryan laughed knowing he would in fact drink as much as he wanted. “Thanks, man. Good talkin’ to ya.”
Dani gave a limp wave to the driver before promptly hopping out of the car. Ryan followed by sliding over to her side.
I wonder if she’s upset that I kept talking about sports the whole time, Ryan thought. Or that I didn’t correct him when he called her my girlfriend.
As the car pulled away, Ryan met up with Dani, who was waiting for him in the grass. Music could already be heard coming from the house, along with lots of movement inside the windows.
I guess she’s a little nervous. Hasn’t been to a party this big in… wait has she ever gone with us to one of these?
He had picked up on a vibe shift during the ride but wasn’t sure if it was all in his head. Now, though, he definitely saw Dani shivering.
“You all good?” He asked.
“Yeah!” Dani replied instantly. “Just cold is all. Not wearing a lot of layers for the middle of fall.”
Oh, true, it is cold. Guess I was overreacting.
“Well a drink will warm you up, let’s go inside.” Ryan set his hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the door.
Up ahead he spotted a couple in matching vampire costumes, complete with black and red cloaks.
Wait, maybe they’re just matching. That doesn’t mean they’re a couple, maybe just good friends!
Behind him he heard voices. He didn’t recognize who they were, or what they were talking about, yet the urge to turn still pestered him. His hand drifted away from Dani’s back.
At the door, which was already half-open, someone inside yelled out.
“There he is! I told you guys he would never bail!”
Immediately Ryan recognized Elliot’s voice. He also recognized he was talking about him.
“Woah, who thought I was gonna bail?” Ryan asked as he entered.
Elliot was sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand, dressed as a pirate. Next to him was a girl he recognized but couldn’t remember the name of wearing a tutu and next to her was Garret.
Ryan’s mood sank.
He was wearing what Ryan assumed was his high school football jersey and… that was it.
Somehow I’m not in the least creative costume here.
Garret and Ryan were actually best friends.
…In the eleventh grade.
Nowadays they just made small talk at parties and nothing more. There was no huge fight or agreement to stop being close. But when Ryan started distancing himself from his father’s worldview and trying to be what Simon called a “better person,” he found that Garret kept dragging that negativity back into his life. So, he just stopping being around him. And Garret, not one to ever delve into his feelings, never bothered talking with Ryan about it.
“Ah, just Amy,” Elliot responded to Ryan’s question. “She was worried we wouldn’t be drink everything without you!”
Ryan smirked and started a retort when Garret interrupted.
“Who’s she?” He asked, pointing behind Ryan.
To his left, he noticed Dani had slid in next to him.
“It’s Danny,” she said in her guy voice. “You remember me, right?”
Ryan broke into sweat.
It must have been a law that every Uber driver had to have a weird smelling car. Fortunately Dani was excited enough that she could ignore it. It would be her first time wearing makeup in front of her peers. She had gone into public with it on before a handful of times with Ryan. And among those times, she never once saw someone she knew.
Now though, she was breaking new ground! More progress for her transition, what could be better?
Well, to start, she had no idea how people would react. While this certain group of acquaintances had never done anything too heinous, she had heard a few jokes here and there that worried her.
That was the benefit of a costume party, she supposed. Claiming it was part of her costume if things came to a head.
There was also the matter of Simon. She had been avoiding her best friend for a few weeks, not wanting to be plunged any deeper into drama.
It was his fault for making things weird! Why would he say that he likes me… What was he even expecting??
She did miss him, though. As fun as the few weeks with Ryan were, she wanted to be able to talk with her best friend about all the changes in her life.
Thankfully he extended an olive branch just before she left. Not only did he help her find her mascara, Simon apologized for what he said! Apparently his relationship troubles with Rachel got him all confused and he blurted out some nonsense in the heat of the moment. What a relief!
That was what he told her. And that was what Dani chose to believe.
It has to be true. It means we can go back to being friends.
To her left, Ryan was chatting up the Uber driver. She was tuning him out semi-effectively up until now, but a few words caught her attention.
Their driver was a middle aged man wearing a sports sweatshirt displaying his favorite football team. He reminded Dani a bit of her father, though she hoped this guy would be a little nicer. Not that she even wanted to talk with him. However, Ryan made that difficult to manage. The moment they got into the car he started talking about sports with him. Then it was the Halloween party, and now their costumes.
“You and your girlfriend have the right idea,” the driver said. “Keep it simple. Why shell out for some expensive costume when a bed sheet works just fine!”
Under normal circumstances, Dani would have wondered why he was so passionate about costumes. But the moment the word “girlfriend” entered her ears she lost all ability to think.
Oh my god, he thinks I’m Ryan’s girlfriend! At least I pass in this costume. But it is dark out, maybe it doesn’t mean anything.
Still, the smile on her face wouldn’t go away. She turned toward the window to try and hide how happy she was. If she hadn’t just put on a bunch of makeup she would have pressed her forehead against the cool glass to relax.
In the reflection, she could see Ryan looking unsure of what to say.
Hopefully he isn’t grossed out by that idea.
Her smile started to fade.
“Ah, yeah,” Ryan finally said. “It was kind of a last minute thing.”
He didn’t correct him!
The smile recovered. This time stronger than before.
While Dani contained her excitement, the two mens’ conversation drifted back to sports, which she promptly ignored again.
Maybe people at the party will think I’m someone else! Ryan’s mysterious date. Ryan’s girlfriend. The hot roman chick who–
A buzz from her phone interrupted her fantasizing. It was from her mom. She hadn’t heard from her family at all since the day she picked up her belongings.
What does she want? It’s not like people get wished a Happy Halloween over text.
She knew that whatever it was her darling mother wanted to say, it would kill her mood. Yet, she opened the text.
It read: “Just letting you know! Don’t plan on coming home for Thanksgiving unless you come with a haircut. God made you a handsome man, and that’s who we want to be thankful for! Love, Mom.”
The smile was gone.
Why did I read it. Right before a party too.
Dani focused on the window again. Danny looked back at her. The boy she had grown up as, that used to love spending time with mom. Gone. Hidden under a costume.
The lump in her throat brought her back to reality.
I can’t cry, my makeup will run. And Mom is the one who cut ties, not me.
She swallowed back the tears.
I’m going to have fun at this party no matter what.
***
At last, the ride was over. Ryan could see the driveway packed full of cars, with scattered groups of people in costumes funneling into the house. He assumed that he would have even recognized a few if not for the fact most had a face covering or hat disrupting their silhouette.
The car stopped once it reached the mailbox on the curb.
“Alright, here we are!” The driver said. “You two have a good time, drink as much as you want, ya didn’t drive! Hah!”
Ryan laughed knowing he would in fact drink as much as he wanted. “Thanks, man. Good talkin’ to ya.”
Dani gave a limp wave to the driver before promptly hopping out of the car. Ryan followed by sliding over to her side.
I wonder if she’s upset that I kept talking about sports the whole time, Ryan thought. Or that I didn’t correct him when he called her my girlfriend.
As the car pulled away, Ryan met up with Dani, who was waiting for him in the grass. Music could already be heard coming from the house, along with lots of movement inside the windows.
I guess she’s a little nervous. Hasn’t been to a party this big in… wait has she ever gone with us to one of these?
He had picked up on a vibe shift during the ride but wasn’t sure if it was all in his head. Now, though, he definitely saw Dani shivering.
“You all good?” He asked.
“Yeah!” Dani replied instantly. “Just cold is all. Not wearing a lot of layers for the middle of fall.”
Oh, true, it is cold. Guess I was overreacting.
“Well a drink will warm you up, let’s go inside.” Ryan set his hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the door.
Up ahead he spotted a couple in matching vampire costumes, complete with black and red cloaks.
Wait, maybe they’re just matching. That doesn’t mean they’re a couple, maybe just good friends!
Behind him he heard voices. He didn’t recognize who they were, or what they were talking about, yet the urge to turn still pestered him. His hand drifted away from Dani’s back.
At the door, which was already half-open, someone inside yelled out.
“There he is! I told you guys he would never bail!”
Immediately Ryan recognized Elliot’s voice. He also recognized he was talking about him.
“Woah, who thought I was gonna bail?” Ryan asked as he entered.
Elliot was sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand, dressed as a pirate. Next to him was a girl he recognized but couldn’t remember the name of wearing a tutu and next to her was Garret.
Ryan’s mood sank.
He was wearing what Ryan assumed was his high school football jersey and… that was it.
Somehow I’m not in the least creative costume here.
Garret and Ryan were actually best friends.
…In the eleventh grade.
Nowadays they just made small talk at parties and nothing more. There was no huge fight or agreement to stop being close. But when Ryan started distancing himself from his father’s worldview and trying to be what Simon called a “better person,” he found that Garret kept dragging that negativity back into his life. So, he just stopping being around him. And Garret, not one to ever delve into his feelings, never bothered talking with Ryan about it.
“Ah, just Amy,” Elliot responded to Ryan’s question. “She was worried we wouldn’t be drink everything without you!”
Ryan smirked and started a retort when Garret interrupted.
“Who’s she?” He asked, pointing behind Ryan.
To his left, he noticed Dani had slid in next to him.
“It’s Danny,” she said in her guy voice. “You remember me, right?”
Ryan broke into sweat.
