CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
( COSTUME )

     CARMEN SMILES TO herself. It had been nearly a week since the accident, and Carmen had been released from the hospital earlier on in the morning. She had arrived home with her mother and her friends after Casey, Laila, Cole, and Jackson had been sent in for questioning. Of course Carmen was required to answer questions too, of which Zach had protested until the very end.

Even through her condition, she managed to answer all the questions they had. And after that, Jackson and Cole were sent to jail. Jackson for assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder, and Cole for kidnapping and abetting a crime. By now, the two were awaiting their year sentences.

When on their way, Zach insisted on helping Carmen in every way he could- including carrying her instead of allowing her to use her crutches. And to his surprise, she hadn't argued with him at all over it. She never mentioned the fact that he was overprotective. Instead, she embraced and enjoyed it.

Carmen is helped out of the car by Zach, of which he places her gently into a wheelchair. The girl sighs, glancing up at the house she hadn't been to in over a week. Her mother pushes her forward, Zach walking alongside them with his fingers laced with Carmen's.

"Fuck off, I see my Caramel," Aurora shoves Jonah aside, slamming the car door behind them. "Carmen! I haven't seen you in hours!"

Carmen chuckles as Aurora moves Zach away from the girl, taking his spot. "You okay?" She questions, glancing over her uncomfortable position.

"I'm okay," Carmen shrugs. "But my ribs are hurting a little bit."

"Here, let me carry you," Zach says, stepping in front of them. Carmen's mother, Alyssa, smiles as he gently lifts her from the wheelchair, and carries her to the door.

Carmen lays her head on his chest, closing her eyes for a moment. When entering the house, Zach places her on the couch lightly, before taking the seat next to her and laying his feet on his lap. He then turns on Divergent on the television, a movie Carmen had previously watched and fell in love with at the hospital.

"I'm gonna have to leave, sweetie," Alyssa sighs, bending down to her daughter's level. "Jessica and I have a lot to talk about."

"Okay," Carmen nods, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek before she stands.

"You take good care of my daughter," Alyssa advises, giving Zach a stern look. "And make sure she's in your line of sight at all times."

"Of course," Zach nods, glancing over at Carmen. "I wasn't planning on letting her go anywhere, actually. I think she's better off here."

"There you go," Alyssa grins, kissing Carmen's forehead. "Bye, sweetie."

"Bye, mom."

Zach grabs Carmen's hand, giving her a soft smile. Aurora drags into the living room with Jonah, Daniel, and the others hot on her trail. She slumps onto the couch, taking the seat right next to Jonah.

"Halloween is in two weeks," She informs as the rest of the boys- except for Callie, who heads straight for the kitchen- take their seats. "We need to start thinking about costumes."

"I love Halloween!" Carmen grins from Zach's side.

"I heard Halloween," Callie says, re-entering the living room.

"That's the topic," Aurora clarifies, laying her head on Jonah's lap, and spreading her legs out on the couch. "I've had some damn good costumes over the years, and I don't plan on losing that legacy this year."

"Really?" Jonah chuckles, glancing down at her. "What kind of costumes have you had?"

"Well, last year Mark and I went as the-"

Aurora cuts herself off, stopping mid-sentence as she thinks back. It would be her first Halloween without Mark. Carmen frowns, sinking into the couch as she watches the girl's face fall in disappointment. She abruptly changes the subject, not wanting the environment to turn dreary.

"The point is, we need badass costumes. Like the Joker and Harley Quinn."

Jonah gives her a worried look, but doesn't say anything at the sudden change in tone. Carmen nudges Zach, before looking to Aurora.

"Or Tris and Four," Carmen suggests, gesturing to the movie playing on the screen with her uninjured arm.

"Caramel could be Tris," Aurora muses. "But Heroine isn't sexy enough to be Four."

"Hey!" Zach cries out indignantly, causing the others to laugh.

"I don't know what the four of you are laughing about," Aurora says, referring to the boys. "None of you are, either."

"Rude," Jonah mutters as Carmen continues to laugh, laying her head on Zach's shoulder.

"It's not rude if it's true, Marais," She teases. "Have you seen those abs? He is the definition of perfection."

"Look!" Callie yells excitedly. "It's his shirtless scene!"

"YAY!"

"NOPE," Jonah declares, lunging for the remote to turn the television off. "We are not watching that."

"Hey!" Carmen protests, her face falling instantly. Zach and Jonah, on the other hand, appear relieved. Smirking, Aurora pulls out her phone.

"Don't worry," She reassures Carmen and Callie. "I have pictures of him."

Jonah immediately snatches the phone from her hands. "That's where I draw the line."

Before Aurora can retort, Daniel decided to join the conversation. "Who plays Four?"

"Theo James," The girl, replies steadily. "But his full name is Theo Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis, which is Greek, I believe."

"I'm not even surprised you know that," Corbyn admits from across the room.

"Okay, that's enough about him!" Zach chimes in. "Lets get back to Halloween costumes."

The couples begin to talk, leaving Daniel and Corbyn to themselves. Zach turns to Carmen, an expectant look on his face. "So, any ideas?"

"I was thinking a Disney character," She replies, looking up at him.

"How about Beauty and the Beast," Daniel jokes from beside them. "You'll both fit the parts."

"Shut up," Zach glares, turning back around as Carmen laughs.

"I was thinking Minnie Mouse," Carmen says with a smile. "I've always like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

"I hope you're not talking about the one with the short skirt," Zach says shortly. "I will not allow you to buy that one."

"No, silly," Carmen rolls her eyes with a chuckle. "I could wear some black leggings and a long sleeve shirt, with a red skirt and some mouse ears with a red bow."

"You forgot their nose," Zach points out.

"So do you like it?" She grows excited.

"If you're happy, I'm happy," He smiles.

"Yay!" She claps her hands. "I already have them planned in my head! Now all I need to do is find the stuff for the costumes."

"We'll order online," Zach says, placing his forehead on hers. "I don't want you out again, at least until you're better."

"Zach!" She whines, puckering her bottom lip.

"Don't do that," He sighs. "Please just stay here, okay? We can order the stuff for the costumes tomorrow."

"Fine," She caves. "I'll stay."

"That's my girl," He smiles, leaning in to capture her lips with his.

---

"CARAMEL!" Aurora yells the next morning, shutting the refrigerator door. "CARAMEL!"

"What?" Carmen exclaims, slowly entering the kitchen on her crutches. "You're going to wake everyone else up if you continue to scream like that."

"I wasn't screaming," She smirks, jumping onto the counter top. "THIS IS SCREAMING!"

"So anyways," She redirects the topic as if she hadn't just burst Carmen's eardrums. "What costume did you decide on for Halloween this year? I know Callie wants to do something from Grease."

"I've decided on Minnie Mouse," Carmen says, cautiously leaning against the island. "Now, what do you really want?

"Am I not allowed to have a conversation with my best friend without having anterior motives?" Aurora questions, pretending to be offended.

Carmen fixes her with a look, simply raising an eyebrow and nit saying anything else.

"Fine," She grumbles. "We're taking a trip to Walmart while the others are sleeping."

"You do know that Zach will flip out if he wakes up and I'm not here, right?" Carmen asks, looking quite hesitant.

"The key word is if, Caramel," She informs her, taking a sip of her coffee. "Besides, we'll leave a note. And, if he still chooses to flip out, we both know I can handle him."

Carmen doesn't respond, appearing indecisive to Aurora.

"Please, Caramel," She pleads the girl. "We haven't went anywhere together without having at least one of the guys around."

"Okay," Carmen finally agrees, a smile tugging at her lips.

"YAY!" Aurora squeals, grabbing a Post-it notepad and an ink pen from the top of the microwave.

"Leave it somewhere they can find it," Carmen advises.

"Have some faith in me, Caramel," The girl teases, climbing down from the counter. "I'm sticking it on Heroine's forehead."

_____