Georgia was a total horror movie buff. From classics to camp, she loves them all.

She would say, "Fear. It hits you right in the solar plexus. To really stimulate fear is an art form. You need tension, threat, foreboding."

Georgia loved scary movies because it was fear in a formula. She loved dissecting it. 

She would say, "There are rules in scary movies. You can always tell who's gonna bite it and who's gonna survive to the sequel."

Carolina learned to love scary movies from a young age because of this. Though for a year, she clearly had to take the time away from the genre since real life had been terrifying for her enough. Real life was always more scary. Though this year, she was ready to get back to what she loved. Even if the Millers were worried that the Halloween time could be triggering for Carolina due to stupid kids or teens or even adults doing scares with very big noises or something worse, or the fact that Caro was set more on edge because of the time. Caro decided to remedy this by staying at home and watching movies and doing nothing else, and though the time of year did set her on edge, she was excited to see horror movies that she had seen before, repeatedly, and knew exactly how they were going to go. When she knew what was going to happen, and knew that it was only in a movie, she could be more at ease, and even excited to spend the next night watching them.

Carolina popped up in the kitchen behind Georgia. "What's your favorite scary movie?"

Georgia gasped, turning around. "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!"

Carolina chuckled, speaking while Ginny walked in. "I think I finally cracked the perfect Halloween movie marathon. Scream, Black Swan, and The Shining. The Shining is classic. Scream is camp, plus the whole series is a satire on all the tropes and stupid decisions made in horror movies. Plus I just love it for some reason. Cap it off with Black Swan. It's contemplative, nuanced, eerily disturbing, and it has a message. I'm not sure what it is. Something to do with the two women mirroring each other. The constant need for perfection and adoration."

Ginny nodded sarcastically. "Wow, you're a genius. Was that an off-the-cuff thesis or did you practice that?"

Carolina gave her a sarcastic look. Though she did show her excitement to see the movies and just spend the night home where she knew she would be okay tomorrow night, it was easy for Ginny and Georgia to tell that this time of year did put her a little uneasy.

"Caro, you okay?" Georgia asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine at home, and out in public as long as nobody makes super long banging echoing noises that my brain would probably immediately think of as gunshots," Carolina answered. "I'm trying to enjoy Halloween, after all."

Georgia nodded in understanding, turning to the stove top to continue cooking. "Glad to hear you so excited about horror movies again though."

Carolina watched Georgia get breakfast ready like she knew that her mother was up to something, having a feeling she would try a teasing jump scare to make all her kids feel better, narrowing her eyes in amusement.

Austin popped up behind Ginny and Carolina, making them both jump when he spoke. "Can I watch with you this year?"

"Yeah," Carolina and Georgia both said.

"No!" Ginny argued. 

"He's fine," Georgia told them. "It's just a scary movie."

"Mom, he's going to have nightmares," Ginny told her.

Georgia started to make their plates.

"No, he won't," Austin denied.

"See?" Georgia asked. "No, he won't."

Austin climbed up to sit at the island counter with his sisters.

Carolina reached for the mail, going through it, noticing one of them was opened, looking up at Georgia. "You do know opening other people's mail is a federal offense?"

Georgia looked over her shoulder with a teasing, almost seductive look. "Arrest me." Carolina smirked, picking up the poster container, taking the rolls of poster out. "You picked out some of my faves though. I'm glad you're finally decorating. Ginny already did a while ago."

Georgia opened a drawer to reveal a bunch of pink packets of sugar.

"Where'd you get all those?" Ginny asked.

"Blue Farm," Georgia answered.

"Just buy the sugar, Mom," Ginny told her.

When the light flickered above their heads, Carolina glanced up. "What's with that? The lights have been doing that all morning."

"Mom, is the house haunted?" Austin asked. Georgia didn't answer, her back to them. "Mom. Mom. Is it--"

Georgia suddenly turned around, growling her response. "Yes!"

Georgia laughed. Carolina, having expected that, and knowing that it wasn't scary in the least, just chuckled. Austin smiled.

Ginny was not amused, just looking at them with a judgmental look. "It's not haunted. Mom just needs to call an electrician and a shrink. For herself and for Caro."

"I don't need a shrink," Carolina denied.

Ginny scoffed skeptically.

"Just think of it as part of a spooky ambiance," Georgia told them. "Grab the hot sauce."

Carolina stood, walking toward the fridge. "With pleasure. Always gotta have my hot sauce for anything and everything."

"We can afford an electrician, right?" Ginny asked. "This isn't gonna be like Maryland, where we used flashlights for a month?"

Carolina grabbed the hot sauce, walking over to her seat to sit down again.

"That was fun," Austin told them. "Flashlight tag!"

Ginny smiled sarcastically, bitterly. "Oh, yeah. Poverty's a hoot."

"Would you stop complaining?" Carolina asked. Georgia handed out their plates, and they all went to sit at the table. Carolina added hot sauce to her eggs, looking at Georgia, who had a date with Paul. "Nervous about your big date tonight?"

"What?" Georgia asked. "No."

"Convincing," Carolina told her sarcastically, teasingly. "Don't feel bad, Mom. Ginny's nervous to meet her boyfriend's parents tonight."

"I'm not nervous," Ginny denied.

"It'd be normal if you were," Georgia pointed out.

"Well, I'm not," Ginny replied.

Georgia knew better. "I remember meeting Zion's parents. I was shitting myself."

"Gram and Pop aren't even scary," Carolina told her.

"I was 15 and pregnant, with twins," Georgia replied.

Carolina nodded. "Yeah, good point."

When Ginny's phone went off, she picked up her phone. "Maxine sent me a link." She opened the link. "Wow."

Hunter's voice played on the video she was listening to. "I can barely breathe..."

Carolina shook her head. "No, no, nope. Shut that off."

Ginny ignored her and continued to let the song play.

Georgia stood, walking over to look over Ginny's shoulder, seeing the video. "Oh, wowie, wow, wow!" Ginny was showed in the video on the phone. "So you're Internet famous now? I'm living with Logan Paul."

Austin smiled.

Carolina raised an eyebrow. "Ew. Logan Paul?"

Georgia shrugged, sitting down again. "He's the only one I know."

"Oh, God, please shut that song off," Carolina told her.

Ginny gave Carolina a look, but turned her phone screen off and stopped the song.

"So that's kinda cool," Georgia told her. "You're immortalized."

"It's no big deal," Ginny told them.

Georgia chuckled. "All right, Hollywood, just be careful. Fame means people are watching."

Carolina blew two sarcastic kisses. Austin made kissing sounds at Ginny too. Ginny gave both her siblings a sarcastic look while eating.

✯

At school, Carolina was at her locker.

Marcus walked closer. "Uh, Carolina." Carolina looked over. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure," Carolina answered.

Max and Ginny walked up to them, cutting Marcus off before he could say anything.

"Hey, Carolina," Max told her. Marcus sighed in annoyance. "I know that you don't get along with the others." Carolina nodded sarcastically. "But, uh, Ginny said you might wanna let loose, so I figured why not invite you, and..."

Carolina looked at Ginny, raising her eyebrows. "And why would you tell them that I would wanna let loose?"

"I just said something about your sleeping issues," Ginny said awkwardly. "Come on, you would like it. It's Booze and Boos. Like boo, and let's get wasted while in costume."

"MANG is trying to figure out their costumes," Max explained. "We're going as a group, might with Samantha too."

Carolina made a face. "Ew. No."

Marcus smirked, chuckling.

"That's basically our reaction too," Max agreed. 

Carolina looked at Ginny. "And what part of me staying home is good for me tomorrow so nothing happens unintentionally don't you get?"

Ginny tilted her head. "I know, but with the drinking and the smoking it might help a little bit more."

Carolina gave her a skeptic look.

"Marcus, what are you even doing here?" Max asked.

"Carolina and I are talking," Marcus answered. "Or trying to."

Ginny looked between them skeptically. "Uh-huh."

"I might be able to handle horror movies at home, but anything other than that?" Carolina asked. "I don't know." She pointed at Ginny. "And you're the one that made me promise to avoid your friends completely."

Ginny tilted her head. "Yeah, but I knew that tomorrow could end up bad for you even if you were excited to watch scary movies, and..."

"Can we not talk about this here?" Carolina asked.

Max and Ginny exchanged a look. Marcus looked at Carolina.

When Max looked behind them, Max looked very nervous. "Incoming. Sophie. Seniors. Uh, look alive. Be cool. Be cool. Be cool. Marcus, go!"

"What?" Marcus asked.

"Seniors coming in hot," Max told him.

Marcus rolled his eyes, walking away.

Carolina watched him go, sighing. "Marcus..."

Sophie and her friend walked up to them.

"Hey, Max," Sophie told her.

"Sophie, hey," Max replied.

"This is my friend, Kate," Sophie explained.

Kate was immediately interested in Ginny. "You're Ginny Miller, right?"

"Yeah," Ginny answered.

"Yeah," Kate told her. "I like your song."

Ginny smiled. "Uh, thanks. It's whatever."

"It's catchy," Kate told her. "'I can barely breathe when you are near'. I died. Dead." Carolina raised her eyebrows skeptically, frowning. "Oh, and hey, you're her sister, right?"

Carolina scoffed at hearing that yet again that day. "You're not the first person to ask that. But yeah. Carolina."

"Carolina," Kate repeated. "Cool name."

"Uh, do you guys have plans for Halloween?" Ginny asked.

"Not really," Sophie answered.

"Our friend Brodie is having some people over," Ginny explained. "It's gonna be chill. You guys are welcome to come."

"Max, are you gonna be there?" Sophie asked. Max smiled, nodding nervously. "Okay, fun, yeah. I... just send me the details."

"Okay, yeah, we will," Ginny assured.

"See you later," Kate told them.

"Bye, Max," Sophie told her, walking away with Kate.

Once they were gone, Max went into freak out mode. "Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God! What was that?"

Carolina shook her head. "I honestly have no idea."

Max smiled. "Our big dick energy is off the charts! My costumes need to be so hot."

"Costumes?" Ginny repeated. "Plural?"

"I cannot believe that that just happened," Max rambled. "God, are we like the coolest people in the world? Kinda feels like we are."

"Okay, Max, you always have way too much energy for me to keep up with you," Carolina told her.

Max smiled. "Sorry."

Press and Brodie were walking down the hallway toward them, singing a bit of Hunter's song while teasing Hunter and Ginny, with Hunter following them into the hallway.

Press: "I can barely."

Brodie: "I can barely."

Press: "I can barely."

Press/Brodie: "I can barely breathe when you are near!" People in the hallway were recording them. Carolina, Ginny and Max looked around as all the attention focused on them and the boys. Max smiled, dancing around. Press knelt on the floor, while holding onto Brodie's leg like air guitar. "And I really, really, really--"

""You guys are so embarrassing," Ginny told them.

Carolina rolled her eyes. "I can't deal with these idiots."

Carolina walked away. 

✯

After school, Carolina was working.

While Ginny was supposed to be working, she was also talking to MAN. "What about Golden Girls?"

"Ew!" Max complained. "No. Varicose veins are not sexy."

"Yeah, in the wise words of Randy Jackson, that's, uh, that's gonna be a no for me, dawg," Abby told her.

"Ooh, what about the Boleyn sisters?" Norah asked.

Carolina rolled her eyes, trying to tune them out as much as she could while working.

"Maybe you're not getting the theme here, girls," Max told them. "If I'm not showing my tits on Halloween, I have done something horribly wrong."

Carolina was serving food when she saw Padma sitting at a table with a girl.

"You need to stop with Marcus," the girl told Padma. 

"Why?" Padma asked. "It's fine. Stop worrying."

Carolina raised an eyebrow, placing down their food. 

"He hooks up with you, but won't be your boyfriend?" the girl asked. "He sucks." Carolina walked away, still in ear shot. "Plus, he's a sophomore."

"I don't want him to be my boyfriend," Padma told her. "I like casual."

The girl gave her a look. "Now that is some bullshit. Look, I just want what's best for you."

Carolina walked away with dishes to be taken back to the kitchen.

Ginny stayed at the counter for the register nearby the other girls. They saw a woman named Maddie sitting with her son Caleb.

"Caleb, no," Maddie told him.

Max tilted her head. "Yeah, I feel like you can't be a mom and also wear shorts that show your labia. I feel like that's just bad form."

Carolina walked by, seeing Maddie put some pink sugar packets into her jacket pocket.

"Mm, thigh tattoos are a vibe," Norah stated.

"Ew," Abby said. "That's just trashy."

Ginny whispered to the girls. "So trashy."

Carolina stood at the table nearby Maddie while taking their orders. "I'll be right with y'all."

"Whereabouts are you from, darling?" Maddie asked. "I heard a 'y'all'."

Carolina didn't answer, getting the other table's order.

Max squealed when she got an idea. "Spice Girls! Ginny, is it really racist if you're Scary Spice?"

Ginny gave her a look. "Not happening."

Max mouthed an 'Okay' before looking away.

Carolina walked over to Maddie and Caleb's table to take their order.

Abby laughed. "Look. She's got, like, a medicated Britney vibe going on."

Norah frowned. "Oh, yes."

"What, Britney?" Abby asked.

"I just want what's best for her," Norah stated.

Max nodded in agreement. "We all do, bro."

Ginny looked like she thought this was the perfect idea for them. "Britney. Let's be Britney. All of her different looks."

The girls loved the idea.

"So retro," Norah cheered. "I love it."

Abby jumped in place. "Oh, I call red jumpsuit!"

Max smiled. "Oops!... I Did It Again. Womanizer. The slutty stewardess one. Love. And I'm definitely red jumpsuit." Abby pouted. "Should I text Sam?"

Ginny tilted her head. "Uh... let's just make this a MANG thing."

Max gave her an impressed look. "Savage. I love you as Regina George." She made a biting motion at Ginny. Ginny smiled. Carolina raised an eyebrow at Ginny purposely leaving Samantha out, rolling her eyes at the girls in general while working. "By the way, your video is up to 12,000 views."

Ginny held a hand over her head, spinning around, bowing. "Thank you."

Abby was surprised by Max's phone. "Wait, you got an iPhone? Does this mean you're not gonna ruin our MANG text thread with your green goddamn monster anymore? I mean..."

Norah laughed.

Ginny reached for Max's phone. "Let me see." She turned to Carolina as she walked by to get a tray for plates. "Caro, you gotta look at this."

"I've heard you guys talking about it all night," Carolina told her.

"I know, but look," Ginny told her.

Carolina sighed, but looked at the phone where Ginny was showing her the comments on the video. 

Comments like "Can't stop watching" "the best" "she's an ugly half breed".

Carolina looked down at the last comment she saw. Ginny saw the comment too, both looking annoyed and a little hurt by how people still called people like them that.

Max saw their faces, taking the phone back. "What?" She saw the comment. "Ugh. That's hateful. You have haters. You've made it. That's the dream, bro. Oh, my God. There's some old, fat dude in Wisconsin who's probably obsessed with you. I mean, all you need now is a stalker."

Carolina shook her head, looking away. "That is totally not something to joke about."

The girls looked sheepish, looking at Ginny. Ginny shook her head.

"So, Carolina, are you going to the party?" Abby asked.

"What would you go as?" Norah asked.

"I doubt it, and if I don't go, nothing," Carolina answered. "I've gotta get back to work."

Carolina walked away, not noticing the looks that the girls were exchanging when she was gone.