"Boo!" I yelled, jumping out from my hiding spot.
The two little kids in front of me squealed and stumbled back. Their fear faded quickly as they looked at my friendly costume and they giggled to themselves, reaching for their parents' hands as they continued on through the haunted house.
The Social Action Club volunteered every year at the local haunted house, splitting members between the children friendly house and the actual scary house. Tyson, Bishopp, and I were the three stuck in the children house, but I didn't mind it. The kids seemed to be having a good time.
"Hey, they're halting the lines at both houses for about twenty minutes," Tyson said, coming over to me. "Some display going on they want people to come watch."
"Tyson Strazio, where are your glasses?" Bishopp said as he came out of his spot.
"I've been wearing them the entire time," Tyson said with that charming smile of his, pulling the sunglasses out of his pocket and flashing them at Bishopp.
"You're the biggest liar I've ever met. Put them on when we come back," Bishopp said.
The director of the haunted houses told Tyson he had to wear sunglasses to protect his good eye. He said it was rare for the younger kids to strike out in fear, but if they did, he didn't want Tyson's eye getting injured.
Tyson, naturally, hated the idea and refused to wear the glasses. I did feel bad for him, but I also understood why the director wanted him wearing those glasses.
"Let's go get the others out of their haunted house," Tyson said, checking the time. "We'll have a few minutes to grab a cider and some snacks before we get back to work."
The three of us left the house and crossed over to the real haunted house. Lights inside were flashing, smoke slipping out of cracks in the windows and doors. Tyson took us to the back entrance, flashing his ID badge to the security there.
We entered the basement of the house, maneuvering around the decorations there. It was a little more lit up, as this was where participants would exit. But it was still hard to see, and I stuck close to Tyson in case he tripped over anything.
We searched around, knowing at least one of our members should be hiding in the basement for a final scare. There were plenty of hiding places, and I wished we'd just waited for them to meet us outside. I'd never liked haunted houses.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a hand suddenly darted out of the stack of mannequins I was walking past, grabbing my shoulder, a terrifying masked face moving into my field of view. I let out a yell, stumbling back and falling right on my ass.
"Oh, man, that was fun," Talon said, pulling the mask off and laughing. "You should've seen your face!"
He yelped as a mannequin fell on him and knocked him down. Tyson leaned his arm against the shoulder of another mannequin.
"My bad. Hard to see in the dark," he said.
"You're an ass," Talon grumbled, getting back to his feet.
"Please don't ever do that to me again, I will die," I said, slapping a hand over my racing heart. Tyson held his hand out to me and hauled me back to my feet.
"It's a haunted house! My job is to scare people," Talon said.
"I thought you and Nyssa were in a room together, and Farren had the basement?" Bishopp said.
"I sent Farren to go get Nys so I could scare you guys," Talon said, scratching at his hair. "Hope Farren doesn't have lice. I just wore his mask."
The door to the basement opened and Farren and Nyssa came out. Talon tossed Farren the mask.
"Should've seen it, Nys! I scared Nolan pretty good," Talon said.
Nyssa pinched his arm roughly. "You're such an ass sometimes, Tal."
"Ow, ow! None of you people know how to have any fun!" Talon whined.
"Where's Connor?" I asked, looking around.
"He's working the visual effects. He claims Jonesy is scared of haunted houses," Farren said.
"Connor is here," Connor said, standing in the exit. Jonesy's head was poking out of Connor's jacket. "I figured Talon would try to scare anyone who came in to get him. That's why I left it up to you three."
"Thanks," Tyson said dryly. "Let's just go snack while we have a break. I need some hot cider."
"Did you know if you fuck with Tyson's boyfriend, he drops a mannequin on you?" Talon said to Nyssa, yelping as another mannequin fell on him. "Quit it, Ty!"
"This darn darkness," Tyson said, smacking another at Talon.
Nyssa caught it and righted it. "Cider, Tyson. Kill my brother later. Our break isn't long enough for this."
"Oh, thanks, Nys," Talon grumbled.
"You definitely deserved that," Connor said.
"Shut it, or I toss your rat into the zombie pit room," Talon threatened.
Connor put an arm around Jonesy. "I can turn the smoke machine up so high it suffocates you. Don't threaten my dog."
"Clock's ticking," Tyson reminded.
We left the haunted house and he moved next to me. It was chilly out tonight, but we'd only be out here for a little while, so I just enjoyed the crisp air and the smell of popcorn and cider that filled the air.
"You okay?" Tyson asked.
"Hm? Yea, just not a fan of haunted houses," I said, shaking my head a little. "Dylan and I went in one with some friends once and I don't know which one of us screamed louder." I found a sad smile coming to my face at the memory. "We always did love Halloween. It was the one time a year you could be whoever or whatever you wanted, and no one would judge you for it."
I found myself slowing down a little, and swallowed hard. No, stop it, Nolan. Everyone was having a good time. Now wasn't the time to be sad.
But Tyson put a hand on my shoulder and waved the others forward. He took me around to a quiet spot.
"Holidays are hard when you're missing someone important from your life," he said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his coat.
"I'm okay," I said, managing a weak smile. "Really, I am."
"I don't like being lied to," Tyson said.
"Look, I'll be okay, Tyson. It's just...still pretty fresh, you know? But I'll be okay. Tonight has been really good for me. I like volunteering and getting to help the kids have fun. I like being with my friends and staying busy. It helps a lot," I said.
"I'm not particularly sensitive in these situations. I hear 'asshole' more than 'helpful'. But if you need more to keep you busy, I can help," he said. "My parents helped the club get this volunteering gig. They can find more for just the two of us, if you want."
"I would love that," I said, reaching out and tugging his arm. Once his hand was out of his coat, I took it in mine.
"I put them in my pockets to warm them, you fucking icicle," he said, yanking his hand away from mine. At my expression he reluctantly held his hand back out. "Fine, fine. But I'm buying you gloves."
"A warm cider would help until the gloves arrive," I said.
He kissed my cheek. "Anything that will make you feel less like dating an Alaskan winter."
We rejoined the others, who had already gotten their drinks and donuts. Tyson got us each a cup of cider and a donut, handing me mine. The warm cup did make my hands feel a lot better, and I shifted closer to Tyson to steal his body heat as well.
"Hey, when this is over, back to my place for some horror movies and the brownies my dad made," Tyson said to everyone.
"Oh yes, those brownies are amazing," Farren said.
"I bet Bishopp is going to bitch out. He seems like the kind of guy who's afraid of horror movies," Talon said.
"He's the kind of guy who can give you detention," Bishopp said. "I'm still a teacher, Talon. Besides, I have plans after this."
"Told you," Talon said, wincing when Nyssa stomped on his foot.
"You'll never get to taste the amazing Halloween brownies, I guess," Tyson said. "Your loss. Outcast, you in?"
"That was a strangely worded question, but yes, I'm in," I said.
He put an arm around my waist. "Good. You need a heated blanket or something. How are you still so cold?"
I tugged on the costume I had to wear for tonight. "Thin material. I won't say no to heat and dessert."
"Fair enough." He leaned a little closer to me, lowering his voice. "Stay the night. We can talk to my parents in the morning about volunteering. There's a trick or treat street for the little kids coming up."
I smiled, genuinely grateful. Dylan wouldn't want me to spend my holidays upset. He would want to see me happy, and see me making others happy in his honor.
"Thanks, Ty," I said.
He pulled me closer, resting his drink on my shoulder. To the others, he probably looked like he was just using me as a table. But he let his cup touch my cheek, the warmth of it good against the cold breeze that had picked up.
I'd never have another Halloween with my best friend. But I had people in front of me right now who were smiling and laughing, alive and enjoying every moment of it. So I kept Dylan in my mind as I joined in their conversation, determined not to waste a second of time I got with the people still in my life.
Tyson noticed the shift in my mood and I caught the hint of a smile on his face. Things would get easier with him here to support me and keep me grounded in the moment instead of my sadness. He would help me enjoy Halloween again, and I was grateful to him and the others for that.
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A.N.- Sorry if it's a little ehhh, I haven't touched these characters in a while and I didn't have time to go back and reread for their personalities! What other stories do you want to see a special for? (Do NOT request: outside the lines, conversion academy/the only faith/blurring the lines, he's my dork, my stepbrother/rebound but newfound, fixing the scatter, alone together, just a spark, or changing will. They all already have a special)