Chapter 45 - Halloween Goes Wrong (But in the Best Possible Way)

The party was in full swing when we arrived. The atmosphere was a chaotic mix of laughter, loud music, and extravagant costumes. Olivia, as always, led the way with her boundless energy, while Sack walked behind us, hands in his pockets, with that "this isn't for me" expression on his face. I tried to stay in the middle, balancing their opposing energies.

"This is going to be amazing!" Olivia exclaimed, adjusting the proton pack on her Ghostbuster costume. "I already feel like tonight is going to be epic."

Sack just snorted.

"I don't see how anything can be epic if I can barely hear my own thoughts over this music."

"Relax, Sack," I said, giving him a light tap on the arm. "Just try to enjoy it. You don't have to stay the whole time if you don't want to."

He glanced at me briefly but didn't respond. I knew Sack had a point, but I also knew he hadn't come for the party. He had come for us.

However, it didn't take more than ten minutes before Olivia started causing trouble.

"My phone!" she suddenly shouted, frantically checking her pockets. "I had it just a moment ago!"

"Where did you last see it?" I asked, trying to calm her down.

"I don't know! I was texting Megan to let her know we'd arrived, and now… it's gone!"

Sack crossed his arms, watching the scene with a mix of annoyance and resignation.

"You probably left it somewhere while running around like you always do."

"I wasn't running!" Olivia protested. "Well, maybe a little. But that doesn't matter now. We have to find it!"

Before we could stop her, Olivia was already pushing her way through the crowd, shouting, "Excuse me! Has anyone seen a phone?"

Sack sighed deeply.

"This isn't going to end well."

While we were looking for Olivia, someone stopped us near the main stage.

"Hey, you!" a girl dressed as a cat shouted. "Do you want to participate in the costume contest?"

Sack immediately raised his hands.

"No, thanks. I'm not interested."

But the girl didn't listen. In the blink of an eye, she dragged him onto the stage.

"Wait!" I tried to intervene, but it was too late. Sack was under the spotlight, standing alongside other costumed students.

From below, I saw him frown and mutter something that he probably didn't want anyone to hear. Despite his discomfort, the audience began to applaud when the host announced, "And here we have the winner of the 'Most Serious but Intimidating Costume' award!"

Sack stepped off the stage with an unreadable expression, though I could see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"That was… humiliating," he muttered as he returned to my side.

"It was adorable," I replied without thinking, quickly averting my gaze when I realized what I'd said.

Sack didn't say anything. Instead, he reached over and ruffled my hair, something in his expression shifting. Maybe it was surprise, or maybe something else.

After losing sight of Olivia again, we decided to look for her together. We headed toward one of the side rooms where we thought she might be, but as soon as we entered, the door accidentally closed behind us.

"What happened?" I asked, pulling on the handle.

"It's stuck," Sack replied, inspecting the lock. "Someone must have blocked it from the outside."

We stood in silence for a moment, processing what had just happened. We were trapped. Just the two of us, in a small room illuminated by flickering Halloween lights.

I tried to break the silence.

"Well, this is… unexpected."

Sack let out a dry laugh.

"Unexpected? This is exactly the kind of thing that would happen on a night like this."

I smiled weakly.

"I guess you're right. But at least we're together, right?"

He looked at me then, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The silence returned, but this time it was different. Lighter, more intimate. I moved a little closer to him, feeling the air charge with something I couldn't name.

"You know, today… when I found your letter along with the bracelet…" I began, nervously playing with the bracelet on my wrist. "I don't know how to explain it, but it meant a lot to me. I never imagined you'd open up like that."

Sack lowered his gaze, as if embarrassed, but he didn't pull away.

"I'm not good with words," he said finally, his voice quieter than usual. "But I wanted you to know… that you're important to me. More than you probably realize."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, but I didn't look away.

"You're important to me too, Sack," I replied, my voice barely a whisper.

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Sack took a step closer to me, closing the distance between us. His hand brushed against mine, almost accidentally, but he didn't pull away. I felt a shiver run through me, and I knew he felt it too.

"Lindsay…" he started, but before he could finish, the door burst open.

Olivia barged into the room without even knocking, holding her phone in one hand and wearing a triumphant expression.

"I caught you!" she exclaimed, pointing at us dramatically. "Now you can't deny that you're a couple."

Sack and I quickly separated, though it was obvious we'd been in the middle of something. Olivia looked back and forth between us, a mischievous smile indicating she was enjoying the moment far too much.

"What?" I said, trying to sound casual as I adjusted my costume. "We were just stuck in here. The door closed by itself."

"Sure, sure," Olivia responded, making exaggerated air quotes with her fingers. "That's why you're so close and look so… comfortable. Totally normal. Nothing suspicious here."

Sack rolled his eyes, though I could still see a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Olivia, we weren't doing anything," he said, crossing his arms. "We were just trying to find a way out."

"Oh, of course," Olivia replied, dragging out her words sarcastically. "Because that's exactly the position people get into when they're 'trying to get out.' Very convincing, Sack. But don't worry, your best friend is here to save you from this… romantic dilemma."

I laughed nervously, trying to change the subject.

"Olivia, you found your phone. Why don't we go back to the party?"

"Of course," she said, pretending innocence as she turned toward the exit. "But remember: if you need more alone time, just let me know. I'm great at keeping secrets… or pretending I don't notice anything."

When we returned to the main party area, Megan was in the center of a group of people, telling paranormal stories about Stanford. Olivia, who normally would have been trembling with fear after reading some posts about these legends the day before, seemed unusually calm.

"Aren't these stories scaring you?" I asked quietly, surprised by her composure.

"Not at all!" Olivia replied with a confident smile. "I think being surrounded by so many people, especially you two, has made me brave, at least for tonight. Besides, if anything goes wrong, I can always use my prop proton pack to scare away ghosts."

Sack raised an eyebrow.

"That 'proton pack' wouldn't scare away a fly."

"Hey!" Olivia protested, pretending to be offended. "It's symbolic, you know? The real power is in the attitude."

We all laughed, and for a moment, we forgot any earlier awkwardness. Megan's stories continued, but even when she mentioned a particularly chilling legend about the Ghost of Hoover Tower, Olivia didn't show an ounce of fear.

"I think you're finally starting to overcome your fears," I told her, smiling.