October to October

{Chapter Thirty-Six}

     Halloween night. 

   It was almost seven, and Lauren was getting ready in her bedroom. Joan was going to be there in a few minutes to pick her up so she had to hurry. Joan, Lauren and Wren were dressing up as the Sanderson sisters from the movie Hocus Pocus which was a favorite of Joan's as a child, and she made them watch several times. 

   Henry was going as a fairy princess as he found a ballerina's tutu at a thrift shop, and then he borrowed a plastic tiara from Wren that she'd won at a beauty pageant when she was ten. He still teased her about the pictures from it, but he kept one in his wallet anyway as he said it was adorably atrocious and never failed to make him smile. He also had a wand with a big yellow star on the end that Joan made him, and they covered a pair of white sneakers with glitter and sequins to be his fairy princess slippers.

  "There is a boy in a fairy costume dancing outside our house," Monroe said with a knock on the door and opened it to find Lauren fixing her witches hat. "Awesome costume!"

  "Thanks," Lauren said. "I guess they're here if Henry is out there dancing. Did he have his wand?"

  "Of course," Monroe said with a grin; she was wearing a Marilyn Monroe costume that she bought at a store the day before while Ruth bought an angel costume which made Lauren roll her eyes. Ruth was already turning into their mother. "Ruth and I will be there in a few minutes. She's finishing up her makeup."

  Lauren almost dropped her broom. "You and Ruth are coming to the party?"

  "Of course," Monroe said and looked surprised. "Wren invited us. She said she really wants us to come and clear the air. I don't have an issue with her, but she hasn't talked to Ruth in ages. Hope either. I haven't talked to Hope that much myself actually so it'll be great if she shows up."

  "Hope is coming too?" Lauren felt her night slipping away.

  "She said she would," Monroe said. "I'll call her in a bit to make sure she doesn't bail on us. Does my dress look okay? It isn't too revealing is it?"

  "It's gorgeous," Lauren said. "And it's supposed to be revealing. You are Marilyn Monroe."

  "I guess," Monroe said with a bit of a nervous smile. "Maybe I'll wear a shawl though..."

  Lauren was in a terrible mood as she walked down the stairs, but she had to smile at Wren and Joan in their witch's costumes as they greeted her with witch cackles and quotes from the movie. Lauren called her girlfriend a nerd, and then they piled into the van towards Wren's house. 

  Lauren didn't say anything about Wren inviting Lauren's sister and best friend. It was Wren's house and party after all. She had every right to invite who she wanted, but Lauren had been looking forward to spending the party with Joan and not having to worry about people they knew. She guessed it would just be like every other night they went out. No touching and acting as if they were in love. Just like every day of their life.

  The party was already up and running five minutes after they arrived. It looked as if half of their school had shown up. Lauren felt slightly over-whelmed as they danced to the Halloween playlist that Joan and Henry compiled. Wren and Henry were busy keeping the drinks and food in supply for their party-goers. There was nothing alcoholic as Wren's parents ordered, but Lauren could tell that people brought their own by the behavior of some of the party guests. As it got later into the evening; the wilder their behavior became.

  Around eleven; Lauren lost track of Joan in the huge crowd, and Lauren walked through the field where they had the bonfire and towards the barn. She was asking anyone she could find if they had seen Joan or someone who had a costume similar to her own. No one had seen her.