“Are you ready for tonight?”
It was Halloween and Rosalie was supposed to meet her boyfriend Zac at his house to go trick or treating. She only lived a few blocks away so she decided to just to walk over to his house and give him a call on the way to let him know she was coming.
“Umm, about that…” he stuttered into the phone.
“What? Is there something wrong with your costume?” she asked.
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Zac replied. “It’s just… well, we just can’t go.”
“What? I’m almost to your house! I’ll talk to you when I get there,” Rosalie snapped and jabbed the off button on her phone. She shoved it back into her pocket and huffed.
It was just beginning to get dark out and the first few trick or treaters were making their way down the street. Rosalie smiled at the ones she passed, trying to look happy when they recognized her costume.
She wasn’t happy, though. She pulled up her orange socks and tugged at her turtleneck a dozen times as she continued to stomp down the leaf-covered street to Zac’s house. She couldn’t believe he was letting her down. They’d put so much time into planning their matching costumes and he had seemed so excited about it.
When she finally arrived in front of the Hanson family’s house, she stabbed their doorbell with all her might, using it to let out some of her frustration with Zac. It didn’t help much.
Rosalie had her finger poised to push the button again when she finally heard the locks turn and the door opened to reveal Zac standing there in costume, holding a very pale looking Zoe. She wore her costume – a homemade brown furry jumpsuit – but her face was not painted and her obvious sickness showed.
“Oh no,” Rosalie said. “Is Zoe sick?”
Zac nodded. “I tried to tell you but I knew I was letting you down anyway. Taylor refused to stay home and watch her once he realized that I could instead. He’s out with his friends and so… here we are.”
He stepped aside and allowed Rosalie into the house. Rosalie lowered her shoulders as she walked past him, feeling very silly for being so upset about their change in plans. She followed him sheepishly into the living room and watched as he settled Zoe into a spot on the couch.
Once he had settled her in with a box of kleenexes, he looked back up at his girlfriend. “I know it’s not gonna be as fun as going out trick or treating, but we can still have some fun here. We can give out the candy in costume and Zoe’s got her favorite Scooby Doo video to watch.”
Rosalie nodded. “We’ll make the best of it.”
He popped the DVD into the player, and gave Zoe a pat in the head before standing up and offering his hand to Rosalie. “Come on, Velma. Let’s get the scooby snacks ready to hand out.”
Rosalie followed him to the kitchen, where it seemed every available surface was covered with the little treat bags that Mrs. Hanson was so famous for handing out every year. This year she and Walker were at a church party with the other children, but had entrusted Zac and Rosalie to take Zoe out. Obviously, that plan didn’t quite work out and Taylor had left all the treat bags undone once he discovered he no longer had to sit at home and hand them out.
Typical douchebag move for Taylor, Rosalie thought. She wasn’t truly upset, though. In the end, she still got to spend time with her boyfriend and she knew they’d still have fun. Zac was great with kids – mostly because even at 15, he still acted like one – and she knew she’d love watching him interact with all the trick or treaters.
The two of them had barely finished tying up all the treat bags and stuffing them into several large pumpkin-shaped baskets when they heard the first trick or treaters ring the doorbell. With baskets in each hand, they headed for the door.
“Zoinks! We’ve got trick or treaters,” Zac called out in his best Shaggy impression when he answered the door. The little children, decked out like ghosts and zombies, all giggled as they took their candy and ran off.
The night passed more quickly than Rosalie expected. She and Zac greeted all the children in character and Zac even chased a few of the scarier “monsters” around the porch. Rosalie could do nothing but shake her head as she watched him. All the while, he kept sneaking back to the living room to check on Zoe, their little bitty Scooby Doo with a head cold.
When the last of the trick or treaters were gone, they retreated to the living room again. The DVD had played all the way through and was now repeating the menu screen. Zoe didn’t seem to mind at all; she was fast asleep.
Zac gingerly lifted her off the couch and carried her down the hallway to her bedroom. While she waited for him to return, Rosalie turned the DVD on again and grabbed the last treat bag from the basket. She was surprised there were any left at all.
Moments later, Zac plopped down on the couch next to her and sighed. “Watching Scooby Doo again?”
“Yup,” she replied, holding out the treat bag for him to share. “You know it’s my favorite, too. I did pick our costumes, after all.”
“I know, and I promise next year, we’ll actually get to wear them outside of the house,” Zac said, unwrapping an oversized lollipop.
Rosalie smiled. “I don’t care what we do or where we go for Halloween next year. Just as long as I’m with you.”
Zac removed the lollipop from his mouth and placed a slightly sticky kiss to Rosalie’s forehead, then snuggled up against her.
“Just the same, I’m making Taylor give out the candy next year.”