[Editor’s Note: oof. Of all our Halloween articles, this one’s easily my least favorite. A late start led to me writing till ungodly hours of the morning two days in a row, and the sleep deprivation shows. To top it off, Kyle had other commitments and couldn’t get his part done in time, so it wasn’t even posted until February of the following year! There are a few good elements (mostly Kyle’s), but I cringe when I read every typo or awkward phrasing. Sorry.]

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“Please tell me we’re doing something fun for Halloween!”

Sprawled out in the backseat, legs resting on her medium-sized duffel bag, Lizzie sighs as she tries to work out the kink in her neck she’s been complaining about since you picked her up from the airport. “It’ll be great to see everybody, but I’ve had enough alcohol in the last week to float a boat.”

“Sorority life that difficult, Lizzie?” You look up from the road to lock eyes with your best friend in the rear view mirror, long enough to catch the obscene gesture she tosses your way. “Jack and Pat drove in this morning, and I’m pretty sure the only thing they packed was alcohol. So you better polish up your best ‘headache’ excuse.”

In the front passenger seat of your car, Kash laughs heartily. “I’m sure if you ask her boyfriend, he’ll tell you Lizzie has perfected her ‘headache’ excuse.”

You laugh along with Kash. Lizzie isn’t quite as amused.

“Hey, screw you guys! My boyfriend is very happy!”

Kash turns to glance over shoulder at Lizzie. “That’s funny, because I don’t see him anywhere in this car. I thought he was dying to meet us all?”

Lizzie mutters something unintelligible, and Kash looks over at you. You give her a quick meaningful glance, then shake your head slightly. It’ll be great having the old gang back together after two years where no one could make their schedules accommodate everyone, but it would be foolish to think that just because we all stayed in touch one way or the other, some things haven’t changed.

Maybe you should start softening the blow right away for them, like you have for everyone else. “Just keep in mind that it might a little weird, at least today. The last time you saw Jack he was a happy-go-lucky freshman, Lizzie. Now he’s kind of, well…”

Kash fills in your blank. “Kind of a burnt-out hippie guy. Try to resist your urge to give him all your spare change. He hates that.”

“Not that he wouldn’t take it,” you add.

Lizzie, happy to talk about something else, leans up over the front seats. “That just blows my mind. How can somebody change so much in so little time? What do you call that?”

You and Kash look at each other. “College,” you both exclaim.

Cursing softly under your breath, you pull your car over to the curb in front of your parents’ house and turn off the engine. “Case in point,” you explain, “I seem to recall telling Mike and Karen, both of them since I wasn’t sure who was going to drive, to leave the driveway clear for my car. Wonderful.”

“Oh, just chill, you!” Lizzie ruffles your hair, then grabs her hair and opens the door. “This is going to be so much fun we’ll be kicking ourselves for not doing it every Halloween!” Then she jumps out of your car, slams the door, and runs across the yard to hug Karen and Pat, who have come out front to greet you all.

“Yeah, maybe for her,” Kash mutters, “I’m so glad I’m ditching four hours of economics to hang out with a bunch of drunks in costume.”

“Isn’t that what you were in for at Michigan State?” you ask.

“My only date was with my chem books,” Kash replies.

“Oh.” You frown, hesitating slightly. “What about…”

Kash holds up a hand to stop you. “Let’s just say Lizzie isn’t the only one with a crap love life. But don’t worry. I’m happy just to see you guys. We’ve been doing the email thing for too long. It’s worth it to hang out, even if it means putting up with Jack getting drunk and hitting on me like he’s James Bond.”

You both laugh solidly as you get out of the car. “I’m betting you just guessed his big costume surprise,” you say. Looking up and down the road at the various Halloween decorations throughout your parents’ neighborhood, you grin. This is your favorite holiday of the year.

Head into your house