Penny tells us on the way to the party, "did you know Halloween is the day when spirits visit the living world?" She makes a sharp left turn and I grip my seatbelt tighter. Her eyes meet mine through the rear-view mirror, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do." She hums along to her Halloween playlist playing through the radio. "I'm confident I'm going to be the best dressed at the party." Did I mention that this was her favourite holiday?

"How could you when the best dressed is sitting right behind you?" Archer adds with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

I turn around so I can see him in the back, and he winks. "I hardly think you'll be the best dressed." I roll my eyes, trying my best not to inflate his ego. If I told him what I was actually thinking I wouldn't hear the end of it.

"And how would you know that?"

"You're wearing the same thing you wear every day just with red horns." I chuckle. Do you know how long it took me to convince him to wear the horns? Three days! It took me three days to convince him to go to the store and at least get something.

"Exactly, I'm the best dressed every day." He grins.

"I think Penny's costume is better than yours." I challenge him. His jaw hangs open causing me to laugh.

She's dressed as a pirate this year. She had this idea that she'd recreate one of her costumes from when she was younger after finding a photograph a couple of weeks back of little Penny in a pirate costume, pointing a sword at the camera.

"Thank you, at least someone has eyes." Her eyes narrow at Archer and he scoffs.

We pull up outside the house that the parties being held at. I'm glad it's not the same place as the last one we went to. I don't need a reminder of what happened that night. Archer's blank face, as he delivered punch after punch to Levi, is the last thing I want to think about right now.

We step out of the car and head towards the house. Of course, we still have to step over teenagers passed out on the grass and the red solo cups scattered everywhere. I'm beginning to learn that this is just a necessity when it comes to high school parties though.

When we enter the house, it's different this time. Last time I felt exposed and scared of the unknown but now, with Archer hovering behind me, I feel more at ease. I know I'm safe with him.

"Do you see their costumes?" Penny shouts over the obnoxiously loud music. Again, another necessity.

I follow her outstretched arm to see where she's pointing. There's a girl dressed as a police officer with a pair of silver handcuffs attached to her waistband and a boy with his arm around her wearing an orange jumpsuit, a prisoner. "They look awesome," Penny states.

I notice Tyler heading towards us from across the room. At least he has more of a Halloween spirit than Archer does. Then again, I don't think it's hard to achieve that. He's wearing a batman suit. He even has fake abs, a cape, and everything.

Archer sees him soon after and they do their classic handshake. I swear every time I see it gets more complicated. "A devil, it suits you." He teases. Archer jabs him gently in the stomach.

"I see your abs aren't as hard as they look." He shoots back.

Tyler turns to me after. "What are you supposed to be?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?" He shakes his head in response. "I'm Sharon from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

He looks me up and down blankly. "Who?"

"Margot Robbie..." I trail off as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. He still has the same blank look on his face, having no idea who I'm talking about. "Never mind." I dismiss it.

I don't understand how he doesn't know. I'm wearing the signature white skirt, black turtleneck, and white boots. I even straightened my hair too to make me look more like she does in the movie. I debated on bleaching my hair blonde, but I thought that might have been a bit too far.

His gaze meets Penny's for a split second before passing over her as if she weren't there. In that split second, something flashed in his eyes. The blinding-coloured lights in the room meant that I couldn't decipher what it was. But, looking at Penny's flustered face raises my suspicions.

"Come with me, I'll take you to everyone." He tells us and Penny trails behind him.

Archer grabs a hold of my hand before I can take a step, my suspicions floating away as he does. He leans closer to me so I can hear him better. "I think you look hot." He grins and I blush instantly. Why do my hormones have to expose me every time?

"You'd look even better without the costume though." He adds. My eyes widen causing him to laugh at my reaction. "Come on, they're waiting for us." He lets go of my hand. I stay still for a moment, unable to comprehend what just happened. After a moment, I break out of the daze I was in and rush after him.

Once I step onto the grass outside, I'm thankful that the music isn't as loud out here as it is inside. I'm sure being in there for too long could do some serious damage to your hearing.

Tyler shoots a smile at his sister, Maya. She sticks her tongue out playfully. It doesn't take a genius to see that she's dressed as Tinkerbell. She's wearing a green sparkly dress that's cut to points at the bottom and a pair of delicate-looking wings. She even has some white pompoms glued to her shoes.

I'm introduced to everyone. I meet Sam who Archer and Tyler have been friends with since elementary school. They tell me that he's obsessed with gaming and doesn't get out much which is why I've never seen him before. Sam defends himself by saying, "at least I'm better at Call of Duty than you." Next, there's Jordan. He's wearing a dark suit with shades so I'm guessing he's meant to be someone from Men in Black. He gives me a slight wave and I repeat his gesture. Lastly, there's Kiera. She looks stunning with her pitch-black hair tied up into a bun. She's also wearing all black with clown makeup painted onto her face.

After the introductions are over, we're launched into a conversation about the memories that they have together. "Remember that one time when you hid from the principal in the janitor's closet. It took him an entire period to find you." Jordan struggles to get his words out through his laughter. Archer smirks. He's the one who hid in the janitor's closet for an hour in an attempt to get out of detention.

"Or, that time when Kiera convinced her dad that she needed them out of the house to do this top-secret project for school. She said she was going to surprise them with it the next morning but instead they came home to a trashed house. They never let you throw a party again." Maya finishes and Kiera high fives her.

This goes on for a while and I can't help but feel like an intruder. I can't relate to anything they're saying because I wasn't there. Even Penny can relate because she was there half the time. I mean, half the things they're talking about happened at her house.

I tap Archer to get his attention. He looks down at me briefly. "I'm going to go get another drink." I show him my empty cup.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asks, his eyes pouring into mine.

"It's fine, I can go alone." I leave his side and go into the kitchen to get some more lemonade. Penny and Archer decided not to drink alcohol tonight. Penny decided that she couldn't handle another hangover and I'm not sure what Archer's reasoning was.

I turn towards the fridge and see none other than Levi sitting on the counter. My irritation grows just at the sight of him. I have to try my hardest to conceal the scowl that's threatening to appear. "Madison," he draws out my name as if we're long-time friends. "It's been a while."

I start filling up my cup, avoiding his gaze. "Do you just spend all your time sitting in the kitchen?" He laughs.

"What can I say? This is my signature spot." I roll my eyes as I screw the cap back on the bottle.

He hops down off the counter. "Where's your boyfriend?" He questions, towering over me.

I clutch the drink in my hand, my jaw clenched. "He's not my boyfriend."

He smirks menacingly. "How did you know I was talking about Archer?" He cocks an eyebrow at me.

I stare at my feet plainly. "I should be going back."

I don't get the chance to leave as he takes my hand in his, keeping me from going any further than an arm's length away. His palm is sweaty against mine and I cringe inwardly. "I'm not a bad guy, you know?"

"What?"

"That night when you saw me and Archer, it was him who attacked me. I was just minding my own business." His eyes pour into mine and I try to resist the urge to roll them. I know that what he's saying could be true, but I also know that he deserved it.

"Okay," I decide not to say anything else and walk away.

He doesn't let me get far. He places his hands on my hips and twirls me around, so I'm facing him. He pulls me closer, so my body is flush against his. My eyes widen in shock, but my body won't let me move.

"I always thought you were beautiful." I shiver as he trails his fingertip up and down my thigh. Bile rises in my throat.

Before I can process what's happening, his lips are on mine. I try to pull away but his grip on my waist is too strong. His hold on me tightens and my anger only grows. I muster up all of the strength that I have and throw him off of me. He falls back into someone, knocking their drink onto the floor in the process.

"What the hell is your problem?" I spit.

He smiles as if he didn't do anything wrong. I'll wipe that psychotic smile off his face if he tries anything else. "Come on, I was just having a bit of fun."

"Fun?" I scoff.

He tries to pull me closer again as if his excuse has changed my opinion of him and this time, I don't let him, I bring my knee up and thrust it into his crotch. He lets go of me instantly and doubles over in pain.

"Go fuck yourself, Levi." I leave him there. This time he doesn't stop me. Maybe Archer was right, maybe I am badass.