Chapter 55
Ellie's POV
I felt something brush against my hand and jumped, only to realize Jackson had moved closer in the darkness. Not touching, exactly, but near enough that I was aware of his presence like a warm current in cold water.
"You good?" he murmured.
"I've seen scarier things than guys in rubber masks," I whispered back, which was absolutely true. Full moon transformations made haunted houses look like children's birthday parties.
We emerged from the final corridor to find ourselves back in the main arena, everyone laughing and comparing notes on which scare had been most effective.
"The guy with the chainsaw," Ryan declared. "That's when Lily actually climbed me like a tree."
"It was LOUD," Lily defended. "And unexpected!"
The DJ's voice boome d over the speakers. "Alright, monsters and ghouls! It's time to get this dead party started for real! Hit the dance floor!"
The music shifted to something with a heavier beat, and the crowd surged toward the center of the arena. Our group got swept along with them, finding ourselves in the thick of bodies moving to the rhythm.
I let myself get lost in it—the music, the movement, the sheer normalcy of being a college student at a Halloween party with friends. For once, I wasn't thinking about full moons or hidden identities or complicated feelings. I was just... dancing.
Jackson stayed close, his movements fluid and unselfconscious in a way that shouldn't have surprised me but somehow did. We fell into sync naturally, the way we did during rehearsals, like our bodies understood some language our minds hadn't fully translated yet.
"You look happy," he said, close enough that I could hear him over the music.
"I am," I realized, surprised by how true it was. "This is... really nice."
"Yeah," he agreed, his expression soft. "It really is."
By the time 10:15 rolled around, the party was starting to wind down. The dance floor had thinned out, people drifting toward the exits in clusters, exhausted from hours of sugar and spooky festivities.
Our group reconvened near the western entrance, everyone looking pleasantly disheveled. Megan had lost one of her fake spiderweb accessories, and Lily's perfect makeup had smudged into something more authentically witchy.
"That was SO much fun," Megan sighed happily. "Best Halloween ever."
"Agreed," Lily stretched her arms over her head. "Though I'm definitely going to feel this in the morning. My feet are killing me."
We pushed through the exit doors into the cool October night. The temperature had dropped while we'd been inside, autumn asserting itself with a crisp breeze that cut through our thin costumes.
Megan stopped suddenly, her face lighting up with inspiration.
"Oh! We should go to The Crow's Nest!" She turned to face the rest of us, bouncing slightly on her heels. "It's still early—well, early for a Saturday night. Come on, this party can't end yet!"
"I'm in," Lily agreed immediately. "I need actual food. Dancing burns calories."
Ryan glanced at Jackson, then at me, then back to Jackson with an expression that clearly communicated: your move, buddy.
"Yeah, I'm down," Ryan said. "The Crow's Nest has good wings. Jackson?"
All eyes turned to Jackson. I found myself holding my breath without quite meaning to, some part of me hoping he'd say yes while another part braced for the disappointment of the inevitable no.
Jake—who'd somehow rejoined our group at some point—laughed. "Dude, Jackson doesn't do after-parties. He's probably already mentally in his sweatpants watching documentaries."
"Actually," Jackson said, and I swear the entire universe paused for a beat. "I'm in."
The silence was so complete that I could hear the distant sound of the DJ packing up equipment inside the arena.
"You're... what?" Jake's jaw actually dropped. "Did you just say you're IN? As in, you want to continue socializing? Voluntarily?"
"Is that really so shocking?" Jackson asked mildly, though I caught the hint of amusement in his voice.
"YES," Jake said emphatically. "Yes, it absolutely is. Ryan, back me up here."
Ryan, however, was wearing a knowing smirk that made me want to both thank him and throw something at his head. "I think it's great. The more the merrier, right?"
Megan looked at me, her eyebrows raised so high they'd probably disappeared into her hairline. I deliberately avoided her gaze, focusing instead on adjusting my veil.
"Well then!" Lily clapped her hands together. "The Crow's Nest it is! Should we walk or get a rideshare?"
"Walk," several people said simultaneously. It wasn't far—maybe fifteen minutes—and the night was beautiful despite the chill.
We set off across campus in a loose cluster, conversations splitting into smaller groups. Lily and Ryan drifted slightly ahead, their heads bent close together in a way that made my heart warm. Megan was debating the merits of different bar appetizers with Jake, who apparently had Strong Opinions about nachos.
Jackson fell into step beside me, his shoulder occasionally brushing mine as we walked.
"You're sure you want to come?" I asked quietly, genuine curiosity overriding any embarrassment. "Jake wasn't kidding—I've heard you're basically a social hermit."
"My reputation has been greatly exaggerated," he said, then paused. "Okay, no, it's pretty accurate. But tonight was fun. I'm not ready for it to end yet."
Something in his tone made me glance up at him. In the glow of the campus streetlights, his face was partially shadowed, the flower crown casting delicate patterns across his features. He caught me looking and smiled—not his usual subtle quirk of the lips, but something wider and more genuine
"Besides," he continued, his voice dropping lower, "someone has to make sure you actually eat something. You barely touched your cinnamon roll earlier."
"I was stressed about forgetting Halloween!"
"And now you're not stressed, so no excuses. I'm officially appointing myself your nutrition monitor for the evening."
"That's a terrible job," I protested. "I'm a terrible client. I forget meals exist."
"I've noticed," he said dryly. "Trust me, I've noticed."
We walked in comfortable silence for a moment, the sounds of our friends' laughter floating back to us. Above, the moon was bright but not full. Tonight, it was just beautiful.
"Thank you," I said suddenly. "For earlier. In the library. I really did completely forget, and I would have missed all of this."
"You're welcome," Jackson replied simply. "Though I think Lily would have eventually hunted you down herself."
"Probably true."
Ahead of us, The Crow's Nest came into view—a brick building with a neon sign shaped like, unsurprisingly, a crow. Music thumped from inside, and through the windows I could see the familiar chaos of a college bar on a Saturday night.
"Last chance to bail," I offered, giving Jackson an out even though part of me desperately didn't want him to take it.
He looked at me, his expression inscrutable in the neon glow.
"Not a chance," he said. "This is where the night gets interesting."
And with that, we followed our friends inside.