"This is bullshit. He wrote a SONG! About ME! About my MENTAL HEALTH! Without even bothering to tell ME about it!"
Everett and Camile were outside the apartment. It was the day after the award ceremony, the day after Everett had discovered that his dad Lancelot had written and published a song about Everett's struggles with panic attacks and his sexuality without his consent or knowledge.
They had just started speaking again. Now, they were back to the silent treatment once more.
"That must make you really upset." Camille nodded.
"Upset? UPSET?! I'm PISSED OFF!" Everett kicked a rock. "UGH! But most of all..." He sighed.
"I'm hurt, Camille. Really hurt. My dad doesn't even see me as a SON anymore- he sees me as a TEST SUBJECT, something that needs to be fixed instead of understood. If he really did have my best interest at heart, he'd TALK to me instead of maladaptive daydreaming in his tiny-ass diary every night."
"You sound like you need cheering up." Camille smiled. "THAT'S why I want to host a Spookyfest party this Wednesday! College and stuff is stressing all of us out, so why not have a celebration to wind down."
"Camille. We're talking about my dad right now. Not a holiday."
"Sorry, Ev. I really think it'd help you feel better, though!"
"In THIS apartment? But, it's SO small."
"And SO?! Small house parties are, like, ALL the rage right now. You won't even have to see your dad because we WON'T invite him."
"I have to get ready for work- I'll think about it there."
"I have to get to class, Emmett. Can you tell Reg about the Spookyfest party idea? We have different schedules so it's hard to chat."
That night, Everett officially agreed to the Spookyfest party, and when their respective partners had already gone to bed, Reg and Emmett sat with each other.
"You heard Camille's having a Spookyfest party this Wednesday?" Emmett started. "She wants us to help decorate while she's at class tomorrow."
"A party? Here? For what?" Reg frowned. "We're adults. We don't celebrate Spookyfest much."
"I dunno- for fun, I guess."
"Huh. I guess I can invite some of my co-workers at Turtle Tots to come." Reg had a few friends at the swim school he worked at, friends that Camille had yet to meet. "Um, Emmett?" Reg asked nervously. "Can I talk to you about something?"
"To be completely honest... I'm worried about my relationship with Camille. I don't think she's taking things as seriously as I am." Reg hesitated, scratching behind his neck.
"She barely listens to a thing I say, she's always out of the house, and we haven't been on a single outing together since I moved in, just the two of us. I barely even know her family."
"Well, maybe she just needs some time to adjust. She's never been in a relationship before."
"Still, something feels off." Reg looked down. "It's as if she's hiding things from me, like there's a reason she isn't comfortable getting too close."
"Maybe you're just tired. So am I; college's taking a lot out of all of us." Emmett stood up and stretched. "Camille's probably right about the party- we could all use the time to relax."
"I guess you're right." Reg conceded reluctantly. There was no use starting a debate so late at night. If Camille wanted a party, he guessed a party was bound to happen, whether he liked it or not.
Together, Reg and Emmett spent that entire Tuesday decorating the apartment for the Spookyfest party, and by the time Wednesday came around, everything was finally all set.
"Oh, Reg, it's PERFECT!" Camille smiled, thrusting Reg into a kiss after she returned from her biology class. "Thank you so, so much- I love you!"
"WOOHOO!" Emmett cheered. "TRUE LOVE! It's a Spookyfest miracle!"
"Let's dance together." Camille said to Reg, running to their shared room. "But first, I have to get changed into my costume! We have to take photos for my Social Bunny!"
Camille the fairy princess and Reginald the pizza delivery guy!
"You know what? I really missed this." Reg said, dancing in his girlfriend's arms.
"Missed what?" Camille spun him around.
"I missed THIS! This special time when we used to be together, just us."
"We were one-on-one a lot at ballet camp." Camille dismissed him. "It's hard to meet up when we have totally different class schedules."
"Yeah, but..." But this wasn't ballet camp anymore. This was real life. They were young adults now- with careers blossoming and all- and if they couldn't find a way to connect now, how would they be able to do it in the future?
"Reggie, I'll always be your girlie, even if we aren't together all the time. I love you."
"Love you too, Camille." Reg kissed her back. He hoped Camille would soon realize that love wasn't just expressed in words and kisses- it was shown in tangible actions, too.
The Spookyfest party kicked off that evening, and everyone was there: Camille, Everett, Emmett, Reg, Reg's two co-workers from Turtle Tots (Parker and Isla), Emmett's little brother Benjamin, and, most shockingly of all...
"JONAS!" Camille shrieked.
"CAMMY-CAM!" Jonas embraced Camille in a tight hug. "What's good, girl?! It's been a minute! LOVE your costume!"
"What are YOU doing here? I thought you lived all the way up in Brindleton Bay!"
"I've been visiting the area with my family, and word on the street was that there's a Spookyfest party here, so I decided to pop in!" Jonas grinned. "How's life been? Love the new apartment!"
The two began to discuss their lives with each other, Camille telling Jonas about her college degree and her rooming situation, and Jonas revealing to Camille that he decided to take up ballet professionally and was now working under Ms. Myra's aide as a ballet instructor at her clinic.
"I'd live to take you down to Brindleton one day," Jonas offered generously. "Maybe for a weekend."
"I'd love to, Jonas, but my mom's birthday is coming up and I need to be with her. Also," Camille glanced to the side. "Reg's been acting a bit clingy lately. He wants more time with me."
"I can see why he'd want that." Jonas grinned. "You're hot."
Camille blushed. "Aww, stop being so cute, will you?"
"I'm being HONEST! He probably wants more sex with that body."
"JONAS!" Camille swatted Jonas away playfully. "He's just being a bit overdramat-"
But it was too late. Once Jonas started, you couldn't stop him. Before Camille could finish her sentence, the two lovebirds got themselves entangled into a fiery kiss. "Love you, Cam."
Maybe Camille was right about taking a night off to decompress- that Spookyfest really was truly a party to remember.
"Hey, Emmett?" As the party came to a close, Reg's co-worker Isla stumbled outside with a few too many juices in her system to find Emmett standing in the dark, catching his breath.
"Oh." Emmett jumped. "Hey, Isla."
"I LOVE your costume. The Joker?"
"Actually, it's Beetlejuice." Emmett chuckled. "I couldn't find a striped suit, so I used my church one instead."
"That's okay." Isla smirked. "You still look beautiful in it."
Was she trying to flirt with him? Emmett couldn't help but laugh. "Don't get too frisky over there, m'lady."
Isla cackled too. "Even the way you LAUGH is sexy!" She got closer to him. "Want my number? We can talk more tomorrow."
"... I can give you my Social Bunny account."
"That's even better!" The two exchanged socials. "Perfect. See you around, Beetlejuice."
As Isla stumbled back home, Emmett felt something weird in his chest. Had he really done this? Had he really cheated on Everett? WAS this technically considered cheating? It wasn't like he was in LOVE with Isla. SHE was the one who went up to him.
But still, it felt wrong. And he didn't like that.
"Do any of you two know where Emmett is?" Everett frowned. "Haven't seen him in an hour or two."
"Probably drunk." Benjamin, in his Llamacorn suit, joked.
"Yeah, Emmett sure likes his juice. But ANYWAYS," Camille turned the conversation around. "See? I TOLD YOU the party would be a success! We should do more of these!"
"Camille." Everett said. "We can't just have a party every week. You and the other two have final exams for this semester coming up."
"We're COLLEGE ADULTS, Everett!" Camille exclaimed. "These are our FREEDOM years! We HAVE to make the most of them."
"I think YOU'RE the one that's had too much to drink, Camille."
