Chapter 49 Party Costume
Phoebe
"Time’s up. Put your pencils down."
Ms. Collins' voice echoed through the dead-silent classroom. I set my mechanical pencil on the desk and let out a deep sigh. Finally. The semester finals were over. This was the last damn exam of the week, and now all I had to do was sit back and wait for the results.
I glanced around, checking out my classmates' reactions—some looked like they just won the lottery, while others had the same expression as someone who just got hit by a truck. I felt pretty solid about my answers. At least I wasn’t one of those poor souls staring at their blank answer sheets like their lives just ended.
As I gathered my test papers to turn them in, Tyra slid up next to me, practically buzzing with excitement.
"I'm throwing a party tomorrow night at my place," she whispered. "You have to come!"
I raised an eyebrow. "A party?"
She nodded so fast I thought her head might fall off. "Hell yeah! And I want you to bring Finley. Oh, and invite Hayden, Zion, and Adonis too, if they’re down."
I barely had time to react before she kept going. "Oh, and the theme is futuristic characters! So, get your ass in gear and find a costume."
I just gave her a nod as she bounced back to her seat, grinning like she just won the Super Bowl.
As Finley and I made our way back to the dorms, I filled him in on the invite.
"Futuristic theme, huh?" Finley mused, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets. "I could go as a cyborg or some badass space warrior."
I groaned. "I don’t even know where to start."
We crashed in the common room, scrolling through costume ideas while sprawled out on the couch.
Just as I was about to give up and say screw it, Zion walked by, slinging his backpack over one shoulder.
"What are you two up to?" he asked, eyeing us curiously.
"Tyra’s party tomorrow," I said. "You coming?"
Zion let out a long-ass sigh and shrugged. "No promises. My dad’s got me running pack business tomorrow. If I get done early, maybe I’ll swing by."
I just nodded. Being the future Alpha and all, Zion had way bigger shit to deal with than a random party.
For Adonis, Finley offered to pass along the invite. "I see him at the gym all the time now, so I’ll let him know," he said, stretching out on the couch.
"Cool. I’ll hit up Hayden."
I shot Hayden a text about the party, but—surprise, surprise—no response. He was probably busy or just straight-up ignoring his phone like usual.
After chilling with Finley for a bit, I called it a night and headed back to my room. Lying in bed, I pulled up Instagram and Pinterest, scrolling through futuristic costume ideas.
After what felt like forever, I finally found the one—a sick-ass silver outfit with holographic details, inspired by Nova from Cybernetic Dawn. It was sleek, badass, and definitely something I could pull off.
I quickly texted Tyra.
Phoebe: Hey, can you come with me to rent a costume?
Didn’t take long before my phone buzzed.
Tyra: Hell yeah! I know a dope place—FutureWear Rentals. Wanna go later tonight?
I smirked and typed back.
Phoebe: Bet. Meet you in front of the dorm.
An hour later, I finally tracked down Hayden in Coach Cooper’s office. I leaned against the wall outside, waiting for him to wrap up whatever serious convo he was having. From what I caught, they were talking about an upcoming Mobile Legends scrimmage between our school team, the Divergent Howls, and Vortex High.
After a few minutes, Hayden stepped out.
"Hey," I called.
He turned to me, looking as unbothered as ever. "What’s up?"
"Just wanted to let you know that Tyra’s throwing a party tomorrow," I said. "Theme’s futuristic. You in?"
Hayden gave me a blank stare before sighing. "I don’t do parties."
I tried not to let my disappointment show. "Oh. Alright. Just figured I’d let you know."
He studied me for a second before saying, "But you have fun."
I nodded, forcing a smile. "Sure."
As I headed back to the dorm, I texted Finley.
Phoebe: Hayden’s out. Still down for the costume shop?
Finley: Hell yeah! Meet me out front.
That night, Tyra, Finley, and I piled into Tyra’s car and headed to FutureWear Rentals, the best damn costume shop in town for sci-fi and futuristic gear. The second we walked in, I was hit with sensory overload—rows and rows of badass-looking suits, neon-lit bodysuits, and cybernetic armor.
"Alright, let’s find the coolest shit they have," Tyra declared, practically skipping toward the racks.
We spent way too much time trying on different outfits, but in the end, I found the one—the Nova costume from Instagram. Finley picked a sleek black armor suit that made him look like a space warrior, and Tyra went all out with a neon jumpsuit that screamed virtual reality diva.
Standing in front of the massive mirror, we all took a moment to check ourselves out.
"This party is gonna be insane," Finley said, grinning.
I stared at my reflection, feeling pretty damn good about my choice.
But then Finley leaned in and whispered, "Are you sure you’re going as Phoebe this time… and not Phoenix?"
My eyes widened. Shit. I’d almost forgotten I was still supposed to be pretending to be a dude.