Teenagers loved parties. Drinking until they dropped, using 7 Minutes in Heaven as an excuse to make out with their crush, and the occasional fight. Just the usual stuff dumb, pubescent kids do on their weekends. That all got even more intense when a holiday or theme was involved and everyone could dress up like crazy. There were no limits to creativity, but a lot of people still dressed up as the most popular TV characters at the time. Like that one year when The Suicide Squad came out and every girl looked like Harley Quinn. You know, trends.

Was I part of that group of teenagers? Hell no. I hated parties. Music too loud and way too many people, especially drunk ones. Don't even get me started on all the ones making out. It had been bearable with Brandon because I actually got along with his friends back then and he went to a different school, which meant I didn't have to see anyone from my grade. Now it was different.

Now Elsa had convinced me to go to Olivia Johnson's Halloween party with her, Jack, and Hiccup where half our school would be. That's why we'd been walking through the mall for almost an hour, looking for a costume. And I made sure she knew exactly how annoyed I was.

"You don't even know how it's going to be," she told me for what must've been the hundredth time. "I bet you'll have fun."

"No," I shot back, following her into yet another store with a Halloween-themed display in the window.

I didn't bother digging through the racks or checking out every costume, I didn't like most of them anyway. Every now and then I glanced over at Elsa when I heard her gasp, which meant something had caught her eye. Most of the time she'd just mutter something to herself and hang it back up.

"Do we have to dress up?" I asked after walking past the entire wall without finding anything good.

She gave me a disapproving look. "Of course we do, it's Halloween."

"I could just wear a red hoodie and a brown wig and be Marco from Star vs. the Forces of Evil."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, not happening. You're wearing something cooler."

I groaned for who knows how many times now, but she ignored it. She kept going through the aisles while I followed her like a lost puppy. She checked out some princess dresses, but just one look from me was enough to make her drop the idea. Not even wild horses could drag me into one of those poofy dresses.

Then came the sexy versions of various professions, including a construction worker outfit I'd never seen before, but even those got a disapproving glance from Elsa as she walked by. Finally, she found something for me.

"This!" she said, a big smile on her face showing her white teeth, and turned the front of the costume toward me so I could see it.

I had to admit, it wasn't bad. It was a pirate costume, thankfully without the eyepatch and not the sexy version either. Black leather pants, a white off-the-shoulder blouse with flared sleeves, a brown leather corset that went down past the hips, and a belt for the waist. I definitely wasn't going to wear the black knee-high leather boots like the model on the package, but overall, I actually liked the costume.

"And?" Elsa asked, already wearing a smug look. "You like it, don't you?"

I held back a grin. "It's not bad. But since we haven't found anything better, we might as well go with this one."

"Sure, that's the reason." She winked at me, I just rolled my eyes.

We went to the checkout and only after we left the store did I realize Elsa hadn't picked anything for herself. She hadn't really been looking for herself at all, only for me.

When I asked her about it, she waved it off. "I already have mine at home. This was just for you, but I knew if I told you that, you wouldn't have come." She grinned again, I could only shake my head and laugh.

Is this what it felt like to have a best friend? If so, I hoped it would never end. I hadn't been this happy in a long time, wandering through stores with her, eating fries, telling each other stories from our lives. I'd never had a best friend before, with Brandon's friends, it was always about the whole group and no one had ever tried to get to know me on my own. This feeling that I could trust Elsa, that I could tell her about the bad days in the hospital without worrying she'd use it against me, made me smile.

❁

October flew by, but my feelings for Hiccup didn't. On the contrary, they only got worse. By now, there wasn't even a bowl between us while watching TV anymore because somewhere in season three of Stranger Things, he'd just plopped it onto his lap and sat down right next to me. Full body contact.

"I want to finally put my feet up too," he had said when I gave him a questioning look. "You're not supposed to put them on the table and there's no room left on the couch, so from now on, you're cuddling with me."

And so, we'd been cuddling ever since. Not in the lean-against-each-other-and-hold-hands way, rather my entire right side was touching his entire left side. And my heart couldn't handle it at all. In those moments, it went completely haywire, not knowing whether to stop beating or race twice as fast. How Hiccup hadn't noticed my crush by now was beyond me. Maybe he just didn't want to, or he was way too interested into the series.

"How many Eddie Munsons do you think we'll see tonight?" I asked Elsa, who was in the bathroom with me getting ready for the Halloween party. I didn't even want to explain what made me think of that. My blushing cheeks said enough.

She laughed. "A ton, I bet. The hype around him is still going strong."

"He's one of the best characters."

She nodded in agreement while continuing to apply her eyeshadow. "Not even Angus Young can pull off a guitar solo like that."

I gasped. "Don't you dare insult the guitarist who played the Highway to Hell solo."

She raised her eyebrows and looked at me through the mirror. "Oh, I didn't know you listened to AC/DC."

I shrugged. "Not deeply, just the famous songs, but that guitar solo is seriously cool." She grinned at me and moved on to her mascara.

She'd dressed up as the Snow Queen. Her tight white dress with snowflake patterns reached her ankles but was slit up the left leg for better movement. Her shoulders were bare, just like mine, and her sparkling sheer sleeves reached her wrists. The blue eyeshadow emphasized her icy vibe, as did her blue eyes. She looked stunning.

She had also kindly braided my hair into two French braids starting at the hairline, since I couldn't manage that myself. Anything below the ears was easy for me, above was a disaster. She had also talked me into putting on a bit of gold eyeshadow, mascara, and some pink lip gloss. The Astrid in the mirror looked totally different from the one I'd known for so long. She looked happier, prettier, healthier.

Elsa applied dark red lipstick. "Jack loves this color," she said with a grin that clearly hinted at something more.

"It suits you," I said, studying her face. "It makes a great contrast with your fair skin. You really are the perfect Snow Queen."

She smiled at me. "Thank you. You look great too. The makeup does something to your face, it looks brighter. More radiant, somehow." She looked at me like I was a piece in an art museum. "Your eyes! That's what makes the difference. The blue really pops now."

We finished up in the bathroom, grabbed our stuffed bags from my room, and headed downstairs to put on our shoes and jackets. My dad, who was our driver tonight, was already waiting.

"You two look amazing!" he said when he saw us, beaming.

"It's nothing special," I replied, pulling my black ankle boots from the shoe rack which matched the costume perfectly.

"Nothing special? The last time I saw you dressed up was at Carnival when you were seven. The fact that you agreed to go out at all is already special. I'm happy you're doing something again." His smile was so warm and gentle that I hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of my head.

"That's what happens when you have good friends," Elsa said with a smile after I let go of him.

He smiled at her too, then pulled out his phone. "Stand over by the door. My mother wants a picture of you two."

"You told Grandma?" I said, but did as he asked.

He grinned as he adjusted the phone. "Of course. She was thrilled to hear you're going out among people again. Now smile!"

He took a few pictures because apparently one wasn't enough. We just stood there arm in arm and let him have his fun.

Twenty minutes later, we reached Olivia's house, or should I say mansion because holy crap, that property was huge. It was even surrounded by a tall iron fence, though the gate at the entrance was open.

"Her parents are CEOs of some company," Elsa explained, since my dad and I were just sitting there staring out the window with our mouths open. "Which means they've got a lot of money."

"No kidding," my dad muttered as I unbuckled my seatbelt. Elsa and I got out, my dad rolled down the passenger window. "Take care of yourselves. And if anything happens, call me."

"Will do," I said and waved. "See you later." Elsa waved too and he drove off.

"Jack and Hiccup are already inside," Elsa said after checking her phone. "They're waiting in the living room for us."

The place was packed. Even out front, there were small groups and couples gathered, most with red plastic cups in hand. The steady rhythm of the music drifted outside and the closer we got, the more we could make out the lyrics. I just hoped we wouldn't have to shout to talk inside.

At the entrance, a wide staircase led up to the second floor, but it was completely covered in coats, blocking the way. Ours ended up there too. Whether we'd get them back later was anyone's guess. Elsa didn't seem to care though, she clearly knew how these things went and kept walking without hesitation, so I followed. Right now, she was the only person I trusted here and I wasn't about to lose sight of her. She must've noticed I was a few steps behind, because she turned around and grabbed my hand to pull me along, like she loved to do.

She led me through the packed hallway, past a room that looked like a living room but apparently wasn't. On the right was the kitchen, where all the alcohol was lined up on a counter, along with stacks of plastic cups. Finally, we passed through an open archway into what seemed to be the actual living room, where the music wasn't quite as loud. Here, the hum of conversation filled the space instead.

Elsa stretched and pointed to the left corner. "There's my white-haired beacon." I laughed, and she pulled me along again.

Jack was talking to someone I couldn't see yet because of the people in front of us. Only when we passed the group did I finally recognize Hiccup, but ...

———

This is a mean cut, I know, but the chapter would have been too long otherwise :)