"Girl, why aren't you dressed yet? A better question is, have you even showered today? You know what today is, right? The Halloween party starts in a little over an hour. Get up" Skylar whines walking in, dramatically slapping her forehead at the sight of me. Despite going to class earlier, I'm curled up in bed. Which is the same place I have been pretty much all week. Minus the few times I forced myself to go out and attempt to learn something. Ignoring her displeased look, I bury my body deeper down beneath my comforter. Maybe if I pretend she's not here, she will go away.

I shudder, imagining what I must look like. I've practically been living in oversized sweatpants and t-shirts. The last week has been pure hell. Most of my free time has consisted of being alone, lying in bed with my nose in a book. Reading has always been an escape for me. Anytime something went wrong when I was younger, I would get lost in a good story. The words on a page are refreshing. Each person reads them, interpreting them how they want to. There are no right or wrong answers. Plus, a good book doubles as a shield. It allows me to cover my face, hiding from everyone. As much as I have cried, I doubt I have any more tears left in me. The last time I caught sight of myself in the mirror, it was not pretty. It was hard to recognize myself because of my swollen, puffy, tear-stained cheeks.

The only good thing that has happened lately is it's been peaceful. Sky's been staying at Hope's place almost every night. Even when she finds her way home, it's usually super late and I'm already in bed. Lucky for her, she hasn't had to witness many of my depressing episodes. In a way, I'm glad. I haven't had to explain myself to her. No one likes to feel vulnerable. People ask questions, prying into their relationships and problems. No matter how close you are to a person, everyone likes their privacy from time to time. Regardless of all this, I have to admit I hate not having my best friend here with me. I miss our late-night conversations. Some of them are deep and others almost lack common sense. One night, we stayed up almost all night, debating about cookies. Whether sugar or snickerdoodles are the preferred snack. After a heated discussion, we both realized neither was. Oreos took the win.

Plus, not to mention our comedy sessions. No matter what mood I start in, I have a smile on my face by the end of our conversation. She always seems to know exactly how to cheer me up. I would never admit it to her, but I miss her never-ending styling tips. Sometimes she drives me crazy with her constant judgment of my attire, but lately, it's been too quiet.

I'm still out of it when I look up at her, rubbing my eyes vigorously. From what I can make out, she looks amazing. Based on her outfit, I assume she won the argument over costumes. With everything going on last weekend, I hadn't noticed what everyone had decided on.

Her curves protrude from the tight-fitting white nursing dress her costume came with. The outfit showcases her perfect hourglass figure. Her large, firm breasts barely remain inside of the low-lying vee-cut neckline. A row of vertically placed ruby red buttons run from below her breast to the hem of the dress. I'm assuming because of the recent drop in temperature outside, she's chosen to cover her legs. Surprising me with dark red fish nets ending in white thigh-high-heeled boots.

She has her hair tightly pulled back into a neat bun. A little white nursing cap sits perched on her head. It even has a red nursing emblem stitched into the middle of it. Her make-up is perfect, with a matching maroon color splashed across her eyelids. Her favorite blood-red lipstick pulls the whole look together. A small red stethoscope hanging loosely around her neck finishes it off.

"Yes, I showered earlier. Thank you very much. But I don't know if I even want to go," I sigh, glancing over at the vampire costume I had grabbed at the last second. It's not my style, but it was the first thing I saw in my size and price range. The only thing I had on my mind at that exact minute was getting away from Ashley. And that meant getting out of there as fast as I could.

"I'm so done with your ass. We are eighteen years old and in college, bitch. We only get to do this once in our whole lives. And we're going to do the damn thing. Do you hear me?" She snaps harshly. Without warning, she grabs the comforter, ripping it from my grasp.

"We go to class all week, bust our asses studying and learning. We deserve to party like rock stars on the weekends. So get your sorry ass up and get dressed. I can even do your hair and makeup for you?" she offers, placing her hands firmly on her hips. Her eyes narrow into slits as she glares down at me.

I give up. She's right. Sitting around here self-hating myself will not get me anywhere. The past week has dragged by. Skylar is never home anymore. I'm always alone. I haven't seen Hayden since our fight. He hasn't even been in class all week, either. I want to ask Sky and make if he's ok but it would be weird for me to ask her. I mean, especially asking where he's been. She would know something was up. She finally left the whole me and Hayden situation alone. Since our road trip, she has been suspicious, asking me random questions. I think she's trying to catch me up. We do not need to go down that road again.

"Okay, damn, I'm getting up," I mumble under my breath. Using all my strength, I roll myself out of bed, snatching up my costume. It's been hanging on the closet door ever since we got back. Unopened and never touched. I haven't looked at it once since I bought it.

Groaning, I rip open the packaging to reveal a silky material. My fingers skim over the material as I remove it from the bag. It looks small as I hold it up to myself, examining it. Well, it will have to work. It's too late to change it now. Sighing, I remove my pajamas, attempting to pull the costume up over my hips. I should have opted for a bigger size. I'm glad I only have to wear it one night.

It isn't as bad as I had been dreading. Instead of being some hideous old-fashioned dress, it turns out to be form-fitting. Hugging my large hips, the shiny black material glistens in the light. With the hem of it ending below my mid-thighs. It's a little short for my taste, but I can make it work. The main thing is that I don't bend over too far. If I do, I'll end up flashing some people. Sensing my hesitation, she lent me a pair of black fishnets and a pair of black army-style boots. Like the ones she wore on the first day of school. What would I do without her?

Digging into the bag, I notice that the costume also has a black cape. It's trimmed in a gorgeous blood-red color. Sequins run all along the top, creating a shimmer of sparkles when the light reflects off it. The underside of the cape is also made from the same deep blood reddish color material it's trimmed in. The cape has to be my favorite part of the entire costume.

After thirty minutes, my makeup was complete. She went for the usual smoky eyes only this time, adding a shadow look underneath. It helped to create a sunken appearance. The bright red lipstick on my plump lips looked great. But the thick globs of fake blood on both corners of my mouth were a bit too much. I can still taste the fake blood in my mouth, and it's unpleasant.

Since my hair looks decent today, we leave it alone. This is a rare occurrence. With a few last-minute tweaks and some hair spray it looks gorgeous.

"Don't forget, last but not least," Sky teases, holding up the plastic whitish teeth that had come with the outfit. Rolling my eyes, I grab them from her. I never even liked these as a kid. They feel odd in my mouth, rubbing against the inside of my cheek.

"Damn, you look hot for a dead chick! I did well. You might even get yourself laid tonight," she teases, winking at me, and checking her phone to see if our ride is here yet.

Looking in the mirror, I have to agree with her. The dress is snugger than I would like. It's holding onto my somewhat curves for dear life. But on the bright side, my tits look huge. The low-cut vee of the dress combined with its tightness makes it seem like my chest could spill out at any moment.

"Come on, slowpoke, Ben and Jessica are here," she squeals, wrapping her arm around mine. She glances one last time in the mirror before pulling me out the door.

Since our mini road trip, Ben and Jessica have been inseparable. I would have hated to be a fly on the wall that night. Whatever happened made them both catch feelings for one another. I can only imagine what Sky and Hope had to hear being right next door. Even though they probably weren't much quieter. In Jessica's defense, I've always heard the nerdy ones normally are packing. The rumor is most of them will give you a run for your money. Surprisingly, I have never put that theory to the test. Most nerds don't party and get high all the time. So I guess we never ran in the same circles.

The yard is completely crowded by the time we reach the party. Everywhere you look, there are people dressed up in different costumes. This is way more than I bargained for. There must be at least a hundred people in the yard. I can only imagine how many more are inside. Most of the ones outside are already staggering around, drunk. In the bushes, a random guy dressed like Frankenstein hunches over, puking his guts out. Several bright yellow minions are attempting to assist him. One of them aimlessly trips over a stone, landing in the pile of freshly spewed vomit. I have to hurry and look away.

"Look at all the other nurses and vampires. I told you we should have gone with different costumes," Hope whines, throwing a hissy fit. She's completely blind to the scene outside of her window. Instead, tossing herself backward into the seat. Her arms crossed, clearly annoyed that she had let Skylar talk her into these outfit choices.

"Yeah, but you two are the sexiest nurses here! No one even comes close to looking as good as you do," I smile, attempting to cheer her up.

"And you're the sexiest vampire ever duh," they both yell, bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Ahem, excuse you" Ben clears his throat from the driver's seat. With us parked directly under a street lamp, I can finally see all their costumes. Hopes is almost identical to Skys. The only difference is that hers is blue, not red. And instead of a bun, her hair pulled back in a claw clip. She resembles more of an actual nurse than a sexy one, minus her arm sleeve.

Ben opted for a prisoner's outfit. He had chosen a bright orange jumpsuit, adorned with a large prison number scrawled across it. It had even come with a fake set of shackles around his midsection. Jessica is his arresting officer. I have to admit; that she looks sexy. Her outfit consists of skin-tight black shorts with a blue button-up top. Her overly, enormous chest is very prominent, sporting a gleaming silver police badge. She finishes her look with a metal pair of handcuffs hanging loosely from her side. I can't help but wonder what they will be using them for later. She even took it up a step, adding a fake pellet gun to her waistband. The orange tip is visible every time she lifts her arms.

"Of course, you two are the cutest sexy cop and bad prisoner combo ever. So hot!" Skylar laughs while pretending to fan herself.

"Come on, let's go. I'm ready to get drunk and dirty with my Benny poo," Jessica coos. Keeping her eyes trained on him she grabs hold of the front of his shirt, pulling him out of the car. The rest of us pile out behind them.

Once again, my anxiety flares up. I feel sick to my stomach. Why do I let myself get like this? Everyone else is ready to party, let loose, and have fun. Why can't I ever do that? My mind is constantly on overdrive, making me think of random things I shouldn't be thinking about. I hope tonight goes well. I doubt I can handle anything like last weekend. Seeing Ashley triggered me in more than one way. If I had, had access to any drugs, I would have probably relapsed. Being around her took me right back home. Back to the very place I'm running away from.

My stomach churns thinking about Hayden. I hope he isn't here tonight. He's a whole different story. I bet he will be. Of course, he will. What was I thinking? I need to avoid him. That's my safest bet.

I refuse to ruin everyone else's night with my self-pity. Not wanting to be a burden, I hang my head in shame, staying close to Sky as we make our way through the crowded yard.