A Halloween Story - 1. A Halloween Story

I hate Halloween. There, I’ve said it. I know it’s not normal to hate Halloween, but I’ve never understood why other kids like it so much. Sure, it can be fun to dress up, but only if you’re really creative or willing to spend a lot of money on a cool costume. I’m neither. Most store-bought costumes look really cheesy, and they don’t hold up well, especially if they get wet.

And what’s so great about celebrating death? I mean, really? It’s not like we remember loved ones we’ve lost on Halloween. Well, I guess in places like Mexico, where they celebrate the Day of the Dead, they do, but not here in America. What’s worse, it’s a celebration of the macabre, of graveyards, rotting corpses, skeletons, spiders and anything haunted. When I was little, Halloween used to scare the shit outta me, sometimes literally. Now, I just think it’s perverse. I really don’t get it.

So many people go all out these days decorating their houses for Halloween, my parents included. Halloween decorations rival those of Christmas, but at least that occasion celebrates something joyful. Every year, my parents add something new for Halloween. This year it’s a fog machine, so Trick or treaters will find our front porch enshrouded in fog as they approach our front door. They’ll hear creepy sounds and eerie music, and when they pass through all the fog, they’ll see a realistic-looking corpse, sitting in a rocking chair on the porch.

While a lot of kids my age will think that’s really cool, I bet a lot of kids’ll hafta go home and change their underwear. I mean, what’s the point in trying to scare the wits out of six- and seven-year-olds kids? Hell, the fake corpse scares the wits outta me, and I’m fourteen. Like I said, I just don’t get it.

The other thing about Halloween is that the weather’s not that great. Maybe if it were at the end of September, but by the end of October there’s already a winter chill setting in, and if it rains, it’s a cold rain. I remember one Halloween when I was eight, I think, we had ten inches of snow on the ground. It’s not like we’re up in Canada or anything. We live in New Jersey. Some years it might be in the seventies during Trick or treating, but other times, it may be in the thirties.

It’s not like you can wear a winter coat over your costume either. No matter how many layers of thermal underwear you wear under your costume, if it’s cold and rainy, you’re gonna be miserable. It’s a wonder I never caught pneumonia.

And then there’s the candy. My parents and I are vegan so we never keep sweets in the house. A lot of sweets contain gelatin, which is made from animal skin and bones. Yuck! I grew up eating home-made granola and fresh fruit snacks for dessert. What’s crazy is that if someone actually gives out stuff like that, my parents won’t let me eat it. Some crazies have been known to stick razor blades in apples or to poison fruit or granola, so all that stuff gets thrown out. My parents won’t let me eat the candy either — not unless it’s vegan, low in sugar and organic.

Believe it or not, you can buy stuff like that. My parents give out organic fruit and nut bars, but you know how many other people give out stuff like? Zero; that’s how many. So I never get to eat any of the candy. Instead, we take my haul to the children’s floor of the hospital. In other words, the candy’s not good enough for me to eat, but it’s good enough for kids with cancer and other serious illnesses. Don’t they need to eat healthy food even more than I do?

So now that I’m in high school, I’m getting to be a bit old for Trick or treating. A lot of kids my age still do, but most of us don’t anymore. Still, my parents won’t let me hide away in my room, so I have a choice. If I don’t want to go Trick or treating, I can dole out candy to all the little kiddies and the not-so-little kiddies, or I can go to a party.

It’s not like I don’t want to give out candy or that I’m antisocial or anything, but… well… imagine this: You’re a little kid who’s going around the neighborhood, collecting all the candy you can carry. You approach our house and see all the fog, and you get a little bit scared, but you’re old enough to go Trick or treating without your parents, so what the hell. You can do this. So you walk up the steps to our porch, and once you get through the fog, you see someone waiting for you, sitting in a rocking chair, but then you see their face of rotting flesh and scream.

If you don’t run, and you didn’t crap your pants, maybe you think, hey, that’s pretty cool, but your heart’s still racing at a thousand miles a minute. Then the door opens and a teenage boy zombie greets you and you say, ‘Trick or treat.’ The boy then throws a fruit and nut bar into your bag, and you look at it and say to yourself, ‘What the fuck is that?’ There’s no hiding the look of disappointment on your face. You don’t even thank the kid. You just turn around and leave.

My parents seem to be utterly oblivious, but I can see the disappointment in the kid’s eyes. Sure, maybe the kid will actually try the fruit and nut bar when they get home and really like it, but if that happens, I’ll never know it. All night long, it’ll be just one disappointed kid after another. Maybe I’m being sentimental, but I really don’t want to do it.

So that means going to a party. Not that I have anything against parties, but we’re talking about a Halloween party, and that means wearing a costume. Not some cheap costume like I used to wear for Trick or treating, but a real costume. Like I said at the start, I’m not all that creative and on top of that, my parents both work long hours, so asking my mom to make me a costume is a nonstarter. Hell, I’m the only one in the house who actually knows how to sew, anyway. I learned how in middle school.

Even if I figure out what kind of costume to wear, I hafta decide which Halloween party to go to. It’s not like I expect to get a lot of invitations. I’m not a loner, but I’m not one of the more popular kids either. Of course the school has a Halloween dance planned, but it’s a dance. That could be awkward. I’m not exactly coordinated when it comes to dancing or, honestly, much else either, but it’s more than that. It’s not the girls I want to dance with. I’m in the closet and not exactly ready to come out yet. I’m just coming to terms with the realization that it’s boys I like.

Hell, not even my parents know. True, hidden behind a costume, no one would have to know it was me if I asked a boy to dance, but what if someone somehow recognized me? Especially if it was the boy I was dancing with!

No, it’s not worth taking a chance.Then again, what if I dressed up like a girl? Not that I’m into drag or anything like that, but if I dressed up like a girl, no one would guess it was me, and I could dance with all the boys I wanted.

But I don’t know the first thing about dressing in drag. I might not be athletic, but I’m definitely a boy. I’m shaped like a boy with shoulders that are broader than my hips. I haven’t yet started shaving, but I have the start of a mustache on my upper lip. At least I don’t have any peach fuzz on my cheeks, but I do have the start of sideburns. To dress in drag, I’d hafta shave all that off.

And then there’s the matter of acting like a girl. I'm not the least bit effeminate. I might not be athletic, but I’ve spent a lifetime learning how to act masculine so that no one would call me a sissy. Boys walk differently than girls. My voice is a high tenor, not all that different from many girls I know, but boys talk differently than girls. It’s not like I have any real acting skills to speak of either.

Brooding up in my room, I realized there was no way I could pull it off on my own. If I asked a friend to help, it’d only raise more questions, and I wasn’t ready to provide the answers. But maybe…

Chloe was my lab partner in my eighth grade biology class. Over the course of the year, we got to talking to each other about ourselves and our hopes and dreams. Eventually, she asked me if I was gay, and of course I denied it. She explained that her twin brother’s gay and that she’d noticed things about me that reminded her of him. She said that if I ever wanted to talk, she was there to listen. I never did admit to her that I’m gay, but we became close friends.

At the end of the school year, she told me she wouldn’t be going to our high school this year. Her brother had been bullied a lot in elementary school, so starting in the fifth grade, their parents decided to send him to Catholic schools. It wasn’t that they were more gay-friendly than the public schools. Not even he knew he was gay back then, but the nuns didn’t put up with bullying. In any case, their parents decided to send both of their kids to a Jesuit prep school this year.

Chloe’s family isn’t all that religious, and they aren’t even Catholic. Academically, our high school’s supposed to be in the top percentile nationwide, but their school is internationally known. It’s renowned. When I mentioned it to my parents, they offered to send me there too, even with the stratospheric tuition. But I’m comfortable in my high school. I already know a lot of the kids from my middle school, whereas there I’d have been starting over.

However, since Chloe doesn’t go to my high school, maybe it would be safe if she figures out I’m gay. I wouldn’t hafta worry about it getting back to my classmates or my parents. She doesn’t live all that far from me — maybe four or five miles by bicycle, so early on a Saturday afternoon, I sent her a text asking if I could come over…

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It took me less than a half hour to bike to her house. Hers is in a more affluent neighborhood. Not that our neighborhood isn’t a nice one. It’s definitely middle to upper middle class, and being so near New York City, no one could accuse us of being poor. However, Chloe's neighborhood’s clearly upper middle class. Our house is a typical four-bedroom colonial. Like many of the houses in her neighborhood, hers is a McMansion that replaced a teardown. It’s set on a larger lot with stone and brick siding and what I guess are maybe five or six bedrooms.

Setting my bike down out of sight against the side of the house, I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Just as I was about to ring the bell again, someone answered. “Hey. Could you please tell me who you are and why you’re here?” They had a Ring doorbell similar to ours and so I wasn’t surprised to be greeted by a voice rather than someone at the door. It was a young male adolescent voice, and I assumed it was Chloe’s brother.

“Hi, I’m Sean,” I replied. “I’m here to see Chloe.”

“Is she expecting you?” the boy asked.

“Yeah, we just texted each other a few minutes ago,” I answered.

“Chloe, Sean’s here,” I heard him shout out. After a time, he said, “Where the fuck is my sister?” I was a bit taken aback that he used the ‘f’ word with a total stranger, but then while I couldn’t see him, he could see me and probably thought it was okay since I too was a teenager. “Just a minute, I’ll try to find her,” he added.

After a few more minutes, the door opened, but it wasn’t Chloe but rather her brother who stood at the entrance. He was wearing only a pair of skimpy athletic shorts. His hair was damp and there were droplets of water on his shoulders. Apparently, he’d just gotten out of the shower. He was beyond a doubt one of the best-looking boys I’d ever seen. “Hey, Sean, I’m Chad, Chloe’s brother.”

He held the door open for me to enter, but at first I just stared at him. Realizing I looked like an idiot, I pulled myself together and walked through the door and into a large, two-story atrium.

I thought I was plain-looking, but he was gorgeous. TV star material, or maybe an influencer for sure. The sight of his bare chest was having a predictable effect on me, and I started to bone up. There wasn’t much I could do to cover it up and making any kind of move to adjust myself or hide it would’ve only drawn Chad’s attention to it, so I did my best to keep my eyes on his face and not his chest.

“I looked all over the house before I finally thought to text her,” he went on. “She’s at the mall with some of her friends. After you texted her, she texted Mom and Dad to ask if one of them could pick her up. She forgot that they’re at a charity golf tournament. She texted them, but she forgot to text me! So Chloe’s waiting for one of her friends’ parents to pick them up and drive her home.

“She expects to be home in an hour or so, and she’s fine with it if you want to make it another time. Otherwise, I’m to keep you entertained while you wait,” he said with a grin. God, he was adorable when he grinned.

“Hell, it’ll take me close to an hour to go home and come back, so there isn’t much point in making it another time,” I responded. “You don’t need to keep me entertained, though. I’m perfectly happy to sit and brood while I wait.”

Giggling, Chad replied, “Sit and brood? No need for that. My sister likes you, so you can’t be all that bad. Besides, I have nothing better to do. We might as well hang while we wait for Chloe.” Then motioning with his head, he said, “Why don’t you kick off your shoes, hand me your jacket and let’s go to the kitchen and grab a snack.”

Toeing off my sneakers and giving him my jacket, I followed him through the family room into a large, spacious kitchen. Chad pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen table and motioned for me to take a seat.

Being polite, I said, “You don’t hafta go to any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” he replied. “I was gonna get myself something anyway, so it’s no problem to get something for you, too.”

“But I interrupted your shower,” I pointed out. “Don’t you need to finish up in the bathroom?”

Laughing, he said, “I pretty much finished up when you rang the bell. If I’d known I’d be entertaining company, I’d have grabbed a shirt, but I was already downstairs when I heard back from Chloe and I didn’t want to keep you waiting. I can put on a shirt if it would make you feel more comfortable,” he added.

I had mixed feelings about that, as without a shirt, he was undeniably sexy. The effect on me was predictable, and I didn’t want Sean to get the wrong idea, even if it would have been the right idea if I were out. Having him wear a shirt would make me more comfortable, but I was enjoying seeing him shirtless way too much. Therefore, I replied, “Nah, no need to put on a shirt on my account.” However, I felt myself blushing when I said it. God my face must be red as a beet.

Giggling, he responded, “You’re cute when you blush.” Then getting a more serious look, he added, “Don’t let it freak you out, but I had you pegged as gay from the moment I opened the door. Not that you act gay, Sean, but the way you looked at me gave you away. Seriously, if you’d rather, I’d be happy to grab a shirt, or perhaps you’d rather take yours off,” he added with a flirtatious giggle.

“Oh god,” I said as I planted my face in my hands.

Placing a hand on my shoulder, Chad said, “It’s okay, Sean. You’ve probably already guessed that I’m gay, or maybe my sister told you. I’ve been out for a couple of years now…”

“You came out when you were twelve?” I asked in disbelief.

“Didn’t you know or at least suspect you were gay when you were twelve?” he asked as he sat down across from me.

“I was coming to terms with it,” I admitted. “Fuck, I still am, but I was in denial. If I’d been honest with myself, I’d have known maybe even when I was eleven.” With that, I realized I’d actually come out to Chad, but for some reason, I was glad he knew.

“You should join your high school’s GSA,” he went on. “It’s not like you have to tell anyone you’re gay, but it would help you get more comfortable with it. Of course there wasn’t one in my elementary school, but I joined my high school GSA at orientation.”

“Your high school has a GSA?” I asked and he nodded his head. “But it’s Catholic!” I exclaimed.

“A lot of Catholic schools have GSAs,” Chad responded. “Some of the more religious ones don’t, but this is Jersey, and ours is pretty liberal, and the emphasis is on inclusion. They call it the ‘Diversity Club’, but everyone knows what it is. Besides, I’m not the only one who isn’t Catholic.”

Continuing, Chad asked, “Is there a reason you’ve decided to stay in the closet? Are you afraid your parents won’t accept you? Are you afraid of being bullied in school?”

Sighing, I replied, “I don’t really know. My parents have gay friends, and I don’t think they’d have a problem with it. Still, coming out to them is a big deal. I don’t know about school either. I mean, there are some kids who are out and proud, and they don’t take shit from anyone. Then there are the kids everyone thinks are gay. Some kids are mean to them, and I don’t doubt that they’re being bullied on social media.

“I’ve never given anyone a reason to think I’m gay, and I kind of try to stay under the radar, so I’ve never been bullied. Still, I worry that the few friends I have will turn their backs on me.”

“If they do, they aren’t really your friends,” Chad responded. “Besides, if you join the GSA, you’ll make new friends and maybe even find a boyfriend.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked.

Blushing, he answered, “There have been prospects, but I’ve only been in high school for a month. The trouble is that when boys find out I’m vegan, they decide I’m not worth the effort.”

“Really! You’re a vegan?” I exclaimed and Chad nodded.

“I’m vegan too! Well my parents are vegan, and I was raised vegan. Chloe isn’t, though. We sometimes sat together at lunch and she usually ate meat.”

“Every family has their black sheep,” Chad said with a shrug, and I laughed. “Seriously, she’s free to make her own choices. We don’t keep any meat or dairy in the house, but it’s up to her what she eats at school. I’ve never had the desire to eat meat and am not about to because my friends do.”

“I’m not sure I’d turn something down that wasn’t vegan if I was in a group with other kids, but the smell of a burger actually makes me sick,” I related.

“Boy, I know exactly what you mean,” Chad replied. “I don’t think I’d knowingly eat something that contained meat. I’ve been known to eat cookies or cake at birthday parties and the like, even knowing they contain milk and eggs. But meat or cheese? Forget about it. Eating anything like that would make me sick as a dog,

“My doctor told me I shouldn’t eat red meat, ’cause I don’t have the enzymes to digest it. She also told me that since I never drank milk or ate dairy products while growing up, I might be lactose intolerant. She told me and my parents what kinds of food I should eat to make up for the lack of protein and iron in a vegan diet. We eat a lot of legumes and stuff like spinach and broccoli.”

“We do eat fish,” I interjected. “Quite a lot of it, actually. Always wild-caught by pole and line and MSC-certified. I guess that makes us pescatarians.”

“I know a lot of fish are heart-healthy, but there’s no getting around the issue of contamination with mercury, PCBs and other toxins. More importantly, overfishing is a big problem. You can see species loss when it’s on land, but just because you can’t see it happening under water doesn’t mean it’s not significant. Besides, why kill a living animal for food when you can eat something that evolved to be eaten.”

“Evolved to be eaten?” I asked with a snort. “What do you mean by that?”

“Plants have evolved various ways of dispersing their seeds,” Chad went on to explain. “One of the most ingenious is with fruit. An apple tree doesn’t produce a big red ball of mostly sugar because it’s pretty. The bright color draws attention and the sweetness makes eating an apple something of a treat for any animal. Most animals, however, lack the dexterity to avoid the seeds, so they swallow the seeds along with the fruit. Then a few days later, they expel the seeds in a pile of fertilizer.”

“Ha!,” I responded. “I never thought of that.”

“Speaking of food, let me get a snack for us to munch on while we wait,” Chad suggested. “Would chips and hummus with a glass of water be okay?”

“That would be fantastic,” I replied. “I love hummus. It’s one of my favorite foods, and it’s one of the healthiest things you can eat.”

“Ours is homemade,” Chad explained as he got out a glass container of hummus from the fridge and poured us each a glass of water from a pitcher inside the refrigerator. He then got out a bag of organic tortilla chips and emptied it into a bowl.”

“How do you make homemade hummus?” I asked. “We buy ours ready-made — mostly Sabra or Cedar’s, or when it’s on sale, Ithaca.”

“Those all come in plastic containers that have the potential to contaminate the hummus with microplastics. We haven't found any tortilla chips that don’t come in plastic bags, though, and making those from scratch is a bit more work. But hummus is easy. I’ve even done it myself. We buy organic chickpeas in bulk and cook them in a pressure cooker, but you can buy canned organic chickpeas and they work just as well.

“Most people use store-bought tahini, which you can get in glass jars, but it’s nothing more than ground sesame seeds. With our Vitamix blender, we can just add raw organic sesame seeds to the chickpeas and let the blender do the rest, without all the mess. The only other ingredients are garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a little bit of cumin. Throw it all in the blender and out comes the best hummus you’ve ever tasted.”

Grabbing a tortilla chip and dipping it into the hummus, I popped it into my mouth and wow! “This is the best hummus I’ve ever tasted,” I exclaimed before I even finished chewing it.

“See what I mean?” he responded as he popped a tortilla chip with hummus into his mouth. “So how do you know my sister?” he asked.

“She was my lab partner in biology last year,” I replied.

“Oh, that’s who you are,” Chad responded. “She said she thought her lab partner was gay, but was afraid to tell her so… Sorry if that’s too forward of me. She never told me your name and I didn’t know you or anything…”

“It’s fine, Chad,” I replied. “I vehemently denied it, but I don’t thing she bought it. Obviously, she didn’t. She told me I could talk to her about it anytime.”

“I wish she’d tried to get us together,” Sean suggested. “There was no GSA in my elementary school and I didn’t know anyone who was out. If nothing else, it would’ve been nice to have had someone to talk to about it.”

“The trouble is, I wasn’t out,” I explained. “Fuck, I’m still not out. She’d have had no reason to get us together…” Then pondering the situation a bit, I added, “Perhaps that’s what she’s doing now.”

“Shit, that’s just the sort of thing she’d do,” Chad exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” I agreed.

“So why did you come over to see my sister anyway? It’s not like you share any classes or anything.” Chad asked.

Sighing, I replied, “I hafta dress up for Halloween. It’s not exactly my favorite holiday and my parents won’t let me spend it holed up in my room. They’d have no problem with me going Trick or treating by myself, but what’s the fun in that? It’s not like I’d get to eat any of the candy, nor would I want to. We always used to give it away to children at the hospital.

“So if I don’t go out myself, I either hafta give out candy to all the Trick or treaters, or I have to go to a party.”

“Those sound like pretty good options to me,” Chad replied.

“We give out fruit and nut bars instead of candy…”

“That must go over well,” Chad interrupted sarcastically. “My mom makes homemade vegan cookies. She wraps them in aluminum foil rather than plastic and slaps on a label that the cookies are non-GMO, organic, vegan and gluten-free. Her phone number’s on there too, so parents can know the cookies are safe to eat.”

“Damn, I wish my parents would do something like that. Neither one of them is what you’d call a homebody,” I responded. “They both work in The City and don’t have time for such things. Hell, I’m the only one who knows how to fuckin’ sew on a button. If they lose a button, they give their clothes to the homeless shelter and buy new ones.”

“That’s crazy, man,” Chad agreed. “You know, maybe you could come over when my mom makes her cookies. They’re not hard to make, and you could make a few batches for the Trick or treaters who visit your house.”

“I might take you up on that,” I replied, “but it’s not like I wanna give out goodies on Halloween anyway. I literally hate the holiday.”

“But why, Sean?” Chad asked.

“I dunno, it all seems so stupid,” I replied. “When I was younger, I was petrified of Halloween. “I was afraid of skeletons, and zombies that might eat my brains, and vampires that might suck my blood, and creepy crawly things. I’m not scared anymore, but the whole concept seems so stupid. My parents are really into the holiday, though, and they decorate our house, adding something new every year.

“For a few years, now, we’ve had a realistic-looking, rotting corpse that we set in a rocking chair on our front porch. That’s enough to scare anyone, but this year, they’re adding a fog machine, so the kiddies won’t see the corpse until they’re right in front of it. That’s another reason I don’t want to give out candy. I’d be seeing a lot of terrified little kids who need a change of underwear.”

Chad laughed at that and said, “Your parents shouldn’t put out the corpse until after seven or eight o’clock, after the little kids have gotten their treats.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I replied. “I’ll hafta suggest it to them. But anyway, then there’s the death issue. Halloween is all about death. Why do we celebrate death?” I asked.

“It’s not really death we’re celebrating,” Sean countered. “Yes, Halloween originated as a pagan holiday but it’s been fully incorporated into Christianity. In Latin cultures, they celebrate the Day of the Dead…

“Yeah, I’m familiar with it,” I interrupted.

“But Catholics celebrate it as part of a festival honoring those who are no longer with us. It starts with All Hallows Eve, which we call Halloween, and then on November 1, they celebrate All Saints Day, which is a remembrance of all who gave their lives in the service of humankind. On November 2, they celebrate All Souls Day, which is a remembrance of our loved ones who’ve passed away.

“Sure, Halloween is overhyped, and it’s become commercialized, but the idea behind it is a good one, and I like the idea of celebrating not death, but those who’ve come before us.”

“That’s an interesting way of looking at it,” I agreed.

“Besides which, dressing up for Halloween is so much fun!” Chad exclaimed.

“That’s easy for you to say,” I replied.

“So I take it you’ve decided to go to a party?” Chad asked.

“Yeah, if I hafta do something on Halloween, a party would be the least worst option,” I answered.

“Such a positive attitude,” he quipped, and I laughed with him. “I take it you’ve been invited to a party?” He asked.

“Actually, no, I haven’t. Although if someone invites me, I’d kind of like to go, but I’ll probably just go to our school’s dance. Since Halloween’s on the weekend this year, they’re holding it on the holiday itself. The trouble is that I’m a bit of a spaz when it comes to dancing. Besides which, I don’t want to have to dance with girls, nor to spend the whole time as a wallflower. I thought that maybe if I went as a girl, I could dance with boys without anyone knowing they’re dancing with a boy or that it’s me.”

“So you thought my sister could maybe help you to dress up in drag?” he asked, and I nodded my head. “Did you ask her about it?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “I was gonna today.”

“Have you ever dressed up in drag before?” Again, I shook my head. “Let’s think this thing through,” he responded. “You’re not at all effeminate, any more than I am. You walk like a boy, and you talk like a boy. At least you’re not real harry like some boys our age, but you’ll definitely hafta shave off that bit of peach fuzz on your upper lip, and unless you wear long sleeves, you’ll need to shave the hair on your arms. If you wear a sleeveless dress, you’ll need to shave under your arms, too.

“You can probably fake the sound of a girl’s voice, though you’ll hafta do it all night and be careful to stop from using language that guys use. Worst of all is your walk. The walk of a girl is completely different from that of a boy. It’s not just a matter of learned behavior either. Girls have a lower center of gravity than boys do and that affects the way they move in general.”

“Yeah, I realize that,” I countered. “Dustin Hoffman managed to do it in Tootsie…”

“That’s a great classic film,” Chad interrupted.

“But I’m not much of an actor. That’s one of the reasons I wanted Chloe’s help. Not only do I need to dress up like a girl, but I need to practice how to act like one. Probably a lot.”

“But then there’s something you haven’t thought about, Sean,” Chad went on. “Have you considered how the boys you dance with would react if they figured out they were dancing with a boy?”

“They wouldn’t take it well,” I acknowledged.

“No, they wouldn’t,” Chad agreed. “How ironic it would be if you asked someone who’s actually gay, and they turned you down because they didn’t want to dance with a girl. Then if you asked a straight boy to dance and they somehow figured out you’re a boy, there could be real fireworks. Enough that you might not want to set foot in that school again.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted.

“Let me suggest something else,” Chad suggested. “My school’s GSA is holding a dance on Halloween, and you don’t hafta go to my school to attend. It’s open to the public and kids from all of the area middle and high schools are invited. The cost is only 25 bucks in advance or 50 at the door. You can purchase your ticket online to get the cheaper price, or I can buy yours at school, if you’d like.

You can still dress in drag if you want, but you wouldn’t need to, and you might not want to. I’m guessing you aren’t interested in dating boys who are into dressing in drag…”

“God, no,” I responded.

“I didn’t think so,” he continued. “Anyway, you wouldn’t hafta worry about what might happen if you asked a straight boy to dance with you.”

“Yeah, but then I’d be coming out to everyone,” I replied.

“There might be some kids from your school there, but even so, they’d mostly be gay kids and no one would out you to the rest of the school in any case.”

“But I’d hafta ask my parents for a ride to the dance, and they’d have questions,” I replied.

“I still think you should come out to them anyway,” Chad responded. “Better to do it yourself than have them find out from someone else. In any case, I’m sure my parents would be happy to pick you up when they take me and Chloe to the dance.”

“You’re asking me to go to the dance with you?” I asked for clarification. “Like on a date?”

“Not that I wouldn’t like that, but with my sister along, it wouldn’t be just the two of us going to the dance together,” Chad answered. “But it would give you a perfect reason to be going to a dance that’s not at your school. Since Chloe was your lab partner last year, it makes perfect sense that she’d ask you to our school’s Halloween dance.”

“Yeah, but it’s a GSA dance,” I replied.

“Your parents don’t hafta know that unless you tell them,” Chad pointed out. “You wouldn’t need to lie about it either. It’s a school dance, and it’s on Halloween.”

“But doesn’t your school have a regular Halloween dance? Not just the gay one?” I asked.

“Yeah, but they’re holding it on Friday, so we can have the holiday to go to other parties or even to go Trick or treating if we want.”

“The other problem is that my parents will think I’m going as Chloe’s date,” I related.

“And you don’t want them to get the wrong idea, even if it’s to avoid coming out of the closet,” Chad stated rather than asked.

“Exactly,” I replied.

“I still think you should come out to them, but the easiest thing would be for you to tell them you’re going with Chloe and her brother. That way, it won’t sound like it’s a date and it has the virtue of actually being true.”

“Yeah, I guess that would work,” I replied.

“That said, I’d really like to take you as my date,” Chad added as he blushed furiously. “I really like you so far, and I’d like to get to know you better. For one thing, you’re one of the few guys I’ve ever met who’s vegan, or at least can tolerate a vegan boyfriend… Oops, I didn’t mean to put it that way, at least not yet. But you’re smart and you’re not half-bad looking. Actually, you’re one of the best-looking boys I’ve met.” His blush made him even more adorable.

“I feel the same way about you,” I admitted as I felt myself blushing as well. “So, yeah, I’d love to go as your date, even though it might out me to some kids from my school. You’ll hafta be patient with me though. I’m still coming to terms with my sexuality and not entirely comfortable with everyone knowing I’m gay.”

“The great thing about a GSA dance is that no one fucking cares if your gay, bi or just curious, so no worries there, Sean,” Chad related. “Now we just hafta decide on a costume for you.”

“Who are you going as?” I asked.

“Mick Jagger,” Chad answered. “I have a wig and a mask that looks pretty realistic.”

“That’s cool,” I replied. “Who’s Chloe going as?”

“With her long blond hair, the choice was obvious,” Chad answered. “She’s going as Taylor Swift. She and about a hundred other girls will be dressed that way. At least Mick Jagger is more of an original. Not that I have anything against all the Swifties. There’s no doubt Taylor Swift’s one of the more talented singer-songwriters of our day, but all the fame has gone to her head. Her best music was in the past and her very best was written during the pandemic.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” I replied. “So you like Mick Jagger?” I asked.

“The Stones made a major contribution to the music of the sixties, and unlike The Beatles, they’re still together.”

“They’re still alive,” I interjected.

“Losing John Lennon when he was only 40 was a tragedy,” Chad responded.

“Mozart was only 35 and Gershwin was only 38, yet they did far more in their short lives that we ever will.”

“Speak for yourself,” Chad responded. “We lost George Harrison to lung cancer when he was 58, but McCartney and Ringo are still cranking out songs, as are The Stones. Actually, I really do like the music from when my grandparents were growing up more than the music of today. I like Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King, Carly Simon, Elton John, Steely Dan and the like.”

“Those are all great bands,” I agreed. “Their music is classic, but there are some more contemporary groups that are decent, too. Like Coldplay, U2, Snow Patrol, Young the Giant and the Punch Brothers.”

“I like all of those, but I’ve never met someone who’s even heard of the Punch Brothers before.”

“Their music’s really cool,” I responded. “I’m not into bluegrass music at all, but theirs is New Grass and it’s really, really good. I also listen to a lot of classical music,” I added.

“Me too!” Chad exclaimed. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with The Knights…”

“Of course I am!” I exclaimed. “Only in New York would you have an all-volunteer, nonprofit orchestra of such acclaim.”

“Actually, they’re based in Brooklyn,” Chad countered.

“Last time I checked, Brooklyn is part of New York.”

“Brooklyn’s a far cry from Manhattan, but I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Chad responded. “They tour all over the world, and they have a series of concerts every year in Central Park and at Carnegie Hall. Some of their invited guest performers are world-renowned. We have season tickets…”

“So do we!” I interrupted.

“I can’t believe we have so much in common,” Chad responded, but then he looked down and turned red as a beet. He started to open his mouth, but seemed to be really hesitant.

He was nervous about something so I asked, “Chad?”

Still looking down and not at me, he asked very quietly, “Have… have you, like… ever kissed a boy?”

Suddenly, the temperature in the kitchen went up by at least a thousand degrees and I felt flushed. I answered, “No, how could I have? I’ve been hiding in the closet.”

“Although I’ve been out for two years, neither have I,” Chad related quietly, still looking down rather than at me. “But I’d like to,” he added. “But only if it’s someone I really like.”

The reality was that I’d already fallen for Chad and wanted nothing more than to rip his shorts off and do a whole lot more than kissing, but I wasn’t ready for that, nor apparently was he. I answered, “If you’re asking if you can kiss me, the answer is definitely yes.”

With an even more intense red hue, Chad stood up and so did I. At first it was a bit awkward as neither one of us was sure what to do with our arms, or which way to tilt our heads. Eventually, we pulled each other into a hug and our lips made contact. It was like nothing I’d ever felt. Of course I’d read about tongue, and so when I felt Chad pushing his tongue through his lips, I eagerly let him in, and he did the same with me.

I was insanely aroused, seemingly harder than I’d ever been in my life. Likewise, I could feel Chad’s member pulsating against my own. The fact that he was shirtless only heightened the arousal as the kiss went on and on.

Suddenly, we heard Chloe’s voice as she said, “Well, it’s about time you two got together.”

Chad and I broke the kiss abruptly and stared at Chloe, but we didn’t release our arms as we continued to hold each other tightly.

“You set us up,” Chad responded.

“Of course I set you up,” she replied. “You two would have never gotten together on your own. So I take it you like each other?”

“More than like each other, Sis,” Chad answered. “I’m really falling for Sean. He’s gonna go with us to the GSA Halloween dance as my date.”

“I’ve fallen for your brother too. Hard,” I added.

Suddenly, Chad started laughing so hard that we had to let go of each other. At first I didn’t understand why, but then my double entendre dawned on me, and I colored up furiously and began laughing too.

“Boys!” was all Chloe said. “Do you have a costume, Sean?” She asked me once the laughing subsided.

“No,” I replied. “The whole reason for coming over was that I planned to go to my own high school’s dance in drag and needed your help for that, but then Chad pointed out what might happened if a boy I danced with realized he was dancing with another boy.”

“Yeah, that might not end well,” Chloe agreed. “Now, since Chad and I are going as pop stars, maybe you should go as one too.”

“If I hadn’t already bought my costume, I’d say we should go as Simon and Garfunkel,” Chad suggested.

“The trouble with that is that no one would know who you are,” Chloe pointed out. “I suppose we could bleach and tease Sean’s hair to make it look like Art Garfunkel’s, but most kids of today would only know of the name and his music, and forget about anyone recognizing you as Paul Simon, Chad. You should stick to going as Mick Jagger. You have the costume, and even today, he’s well-known.”

Turning to face me, Chloe continued, “If you want to go as a well-known pop star from the sixties or seventies — one who’d be recognized, even today — you should consider going as Elton John…”

“But Elton John’s gay,” I exclaimed.

“And so are you,” Chloe responded. “It’s not like straight boys don’t dress up like Elton John either. With a haircut and a flashy outfit, I think you could dress up as a passable Elton John. You two make a cute couple, by the way, and dressing up as Mick Jagger and Elton John would be ideal.”

I could feel myself blushing yet again and saw that Chad was blushing too. In spite of my embarrassment, I couldn’t help but marvel at how cute he was. I guess Chad was feeling the same way about me, as he gave me a quick peck on the lips. I kissed him right back, and it was anything but quick.

“Now, now, boys, there’ll be plenty of time for that later,” Chloe interrupted.

“But can you sing like Elton John?” Chad asked.

“Can you sing like Mick Jagger?” I asked in return.

Rather than answer, Chad walked out into the living room and sat down in front of a piano I hadn’t even noticed was there. It was a baby grand and walking around, I saw that it bore the well-known Steinway logo. Chad started playing a tune I recognized easily. When he started singing the lyrics to Paint It Black, I was mesmerized. His voice was amazing. He was amazing.

When he finished the song, I clapped loudly and said, “That was fantastic! You have an incredible voice. You could sing professionally.”

“I don’t know about that,” Chad replied, “but I do enjoy singing. In addition to the piano, I also play guitar, but my guitar is upstairs in my room. You never did answer my question, though. Can you sing like Elton John?”

“If you let me use the piano, I’ll show you,” I answered. After Chad stood up from the piano bench, I sat down and began banging on the keys, singing his classic, Crocodile Rock.

When I finished, Chad started clapping as loudly as I had and said, “You thought I have a great voice? Yours is amazing, Sean, and you played the piano beautifully.”

“I started taking lessons when I was four,” I replied. “I don’t think I’d want to play professionally, but it could be a way to make some extra cash when I’m in college.

“Now where can I get a costume for Elton John,” I asked.

I have an old sequined dress that I think we can modify to work as a jacket. I’d need to let out the sleeves, but there should be enough material for that, and the sequins will hide the seams. All you’d need would be a white pair of pants and and maybe a black dress shirt or a polo, and a pair of old sneakers you wouldn’t mind covering with glitter. We could buy an oversized pair of glass frames and cover them with glitter, or make something with cardboard. A little black nail polish between your two upper front teeth and you’ll have the same gap that he does.

“It’s too bad you two won’t be able to sing at the dance,” Chloe added.

“Hey, you never know,” Chad replied.

I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant by that.

<> <> <>

It was at dinner later that evening that I told my parents about going over to Chloe and Chad’s house and making plans for Halloween. I started out by telling them what Chad had said about not putting the fake corpse out until after the last of the little kids came by for Trick or treating with their parents. Dad said they’d already planned to cover it with a white bedsheet until then, so it wouldn’t be so frightening. I then said I’d be going to the Halloween dance at Chloe and Chad’s school with them, and that their dad would pick me up and bring me home.

“You’re going to the dance with both of them?” Mom asked. “And you’re going to the dance at their high school and not yours?”

“Well, Chloe and I are still in touch, and she invited me to go,” I explained.

“As her date?” Dad asked.

“Well, no,” I answered. “We’re just good friends.”

“But why would you want to go to their school’s dance instead of your school’s dance, if you’re not going as one of their dates,” Mom asked.

“One of my colleagues has kids that go to their school,” Dad chimed in. “I’m pretty sure they said the dance is on Friday night — not on Halloween. Perhaps Sean wants to go to their dance on Friday and to his own school’s dance on Halloween, too?”

I could feel my face was on fire. I wasn’t sure how I was gonna get out of this mess, but then it dawned on me that Mom suggested I might be going as either of their dates. Sucking up a lot of courage I didn’t think I had, I realized I was about to come out to my parents.

Before I could say anything, however, Dad said, “Sean, we aren’t trying to put you on the spot. We both think the world of you and we’re proud of you. We just want you to be honest with us. It’s obvious you’re trying to avoid telling us something and if it’s what I think it is, I want you to know that our love for you is absolute.”

“We love you more than anything,” Mom chimed it, “and that has nothing to do with who you date.” Fuck, they knew.

Sighing and looking down at the table, I said, “I’m going as Chad’s date. We’re going to their school’s GSA Halloween dance.”

“I haven’t heard you mention Chad before,” Mom said. “You said he’s Chloe’s brother? Have we met him before?”

“No, Mom, he’s never been here before,” I replied. “Actually, I just met him today,” I admitted. “My original plan was to go to my school’s Halloween dance, and I asked Chloe to help me with my costume. When I got to her house, she wasn’t home yet, and I spent the afternoon with Chad.”

“Isn’t it a bit premature to be going to a dance on a date with a boy you just met?” Dad asked.

Laughing, I answered, “If you’d have asked me that yesterday… Hell, if you’d have asked me this morning, I would’ve said of course it’s too soon, but then I met Chad. For one thing, he’s a vegan. He doesn’t even eat fish. It’s a lot easier to date a fellow vegan than to expect someone to adapt to having a vegan boyfriend.”

“A relationship is built on a lot more than your eating habits,” Mom responded. “And you’re too young to have a girlfriend, let alone a boyfriend.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that Chad’s my boyfriend,” I said as I finally looked up. “We need to spend a lot more time together before we’re ready for something like that, but come on. Age has nothing to do with it. I really like Chad, and he likes me. We share a lot of common interests. If I fall in love with him and he falls in love with me, why shouldn’t we become boyfriends?”

“Because you need to get to know other boys before you can know that you’ve found the right one,” Mom countered.

“Maybe I’ll do that,” I suggested. “I’ll be going to a GSA dance, and I’ll meet a lot of boys there and probably dance with some of them. Some of them might even go to my school. Perhaps I’ll date some of them too, but I’d really like to get to know Chad better. If after dating him for a while, we fall in love, we’ll become boyfriends. You hafta trust me on that.”

“How old is Chad?” Mom asked.

“He’s Chloe’s twin. Their birthday was in August, so that would make him fourteen, just like me.”

“You say you have a lot in common,” Dad said. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, we’re both into classic movies and classic rock. We like to listen to a lot of the same kind of music. He’s even heard of the Punch Brothers and no one our age knows about them. Like us, his family has season tickets to the Knights at Carnegie Hall. Well, Chloe isn’t interested, so she doesn’t go. Neither of us is athletic or into sports. We both like to read.

“Before you say it,” I went on, “I know there’s a lot more to a relationship than that, but I think we’re off to a great start. I know high school relationships usually don’t last, but I really like Chad and maybe I’ll fall in love with him. I’m not about to give up on what might be the love of my life because you think I’m too young. Isn’t dating supposed to be about getting to know each other better and seeing if there’s something more?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what dating’s about,” Dad answered.

“Have you decided on a costume?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, Chad’s going as Mick Jagger, and I’m going as Elton John. I need to buy a pair of white pants and some large eyeglass frames. I’ll wear a black polo, and I can cover my old pair of sneakers with glitter. I’ll also hafta cut my hair shorter, but you’ve been asking me to do that anyway,” I added with a smile. Continuing, I said. “Chloe has an old sequin-covered dress that she’s gonna turn into a jacket. The sleeves are too short, so she’s gonna take material from the bottom and use it to lengthen the sleeves.”

“It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Mom said.

“With a little help from Chloe and Chad,” I replied with a smile.

“Do Chad’s parents know he’s gay?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, he came out to them when he was twelve. He’s out at school, too.”

“We’ll want to talk to them before you go out with Chad,” Dad responded.

“You know, I haven’t even met his parents,” I replied, “but sure, I’ll get their contact information so you can call them.”

“Going to a school dance with another boy is a big step,” Mom noted. “Are you ready to come out to your entire school? Do you think you’ll have any trouble with your friends?”

Taking a deep breath, I replied, “It’s a GSA dance, so anyone there from my school will either be gay or accepting. I don’t think I need to worry about someone outing me to the rest of my school, but I’ve been thinking about it. I was more worried about coming out to you, actually. Not that I thought you would have a problem with it, but coming out to your parents is still scary.”

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and then Dad said, “We’ve kind of suspected it for a while. Even when you were eleven, when girls were starting to notice you, you were oblivious of their interest. Boys do mature a bit later than girls and some kids are late bloomers, but you were obviously entering puberty. Then we noticed you sometimes stared at other boys.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked. “It might have saved me a lot of the confusion I felt at first, and I wouldn’t have had to worry.”

“Because we read up on it,” Mom explained. “The experts all say that kids get crushes on both sexes when they begin to enter puberty, and that kids can prematurely label themselves as gay when they’re either bi or straight. It’s better to let kids discover their sexuality on their own and wait until they’re ready to come out to their parents.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” I agreed. “I just wish I’d known you knew. We did discuss a lot of that stuff in sex ed, but it’s one thing to discuss it in a classroom and another to discuss it with your parents.”

“Would you have felt comfortable discussing it with us when you were eleven or twelve?” Dad asked.

Shaking my head, I replied, “Not on your life.”

“On a more practical note, is your homework done?” Mom asked.

Shaking my head, I replied, “I’ve been so preoccupied with the Halloween dance, I haven’t even started it.” Standing up and stretching, I said, “I’d better get started on it now.”

<> <> <>

During the three weeks leading up to Halloween, Chad and I texted and FaceTimed each other every day, usually multiple times each day. New Jersey had instituted a smartphone ban in all public schools, and Chad’s school instituted one too, so we couldn’t contact each other during the school day. However, we made up for lost time every morning and after school.

My parents wouldn’t let me go over there on school nights, and I had to do my homework first before going over on the weekends. However, instead of putting it off, I got started on it on Friday night and finished it on Saturday morning.

Our weekends were the best as we spent time together chatting, playing video games and, well, making out. Chad played his guitar for me, and as good he was on the piano, he was incredible on his electric guitar. We both were passionate about music and liked a lot of the same kinds of music. We sang a lot of our favorite songs together and found there wasn’t much music from the sixties and seventies that we didn’t know. Not only did we both like classical music, but we listened to a lot of classical jazz too.

My parents invited Chad for dinner the Saturday before Halloween. We were both nervous, but my parents were on surprisingly good behavior and put us both at ease. Rather than giving him the third degree, they asked him open-ended questions and allowed him to tell us his story, his way. I actually learned a lot about Chad from that and ended up telling him about myself as well. It turned out he loved reading about ancient civilizations and thought he might want to study archeology or anthropology, and maybe even become a university professor. I told him about my interest in science fiction and how I might like to become a scientist, but wasn’t sure in what field yet.

My parents seemed to be impressed with Chad, but then why wouldn’t they be? I was, too.

I spent most of the Sunday before Halloween at Chad and Chloe’s house. We went to the mall, and I bought a pair of white chinos and some oversize sunglasses. I got a haircut and had my hair lightened, straightened and styled so that I could pass for Elton John. Back at their house, we covered the frames of the sunglasses with sequins from the dress Chloe was gonna use to make my jacket. We did likewise with the old pair of sneakers I brought with me that were otherwise too worn to wear.

I was amazed at Chloe’s skills with a sewing machine as she deftly turned her sequin dress into a passable dinner jacket. She used the extra material from the skirt to lengthen the sleeves. When she was done, I really couldn’t tell where she’d done the alterations.

It was as we were working on my costume that Chad made a suggestion for next week. It made perfect sense, but selling it to both sets of parents wouldn’t be easy. Rather than take all of the parts of my costume home and then trying to dress up as Elton John on my own at home, wouldn’t it be easier to leave everything at Chad and Chloe’s house? I could bike over in the early afternoon and Chad could help me with my costume, as I could with his.

I could eat dinner at Chad and Chloe’s house — either the rents would feed us, or we’d bake a vegan pizza — and their dad would drop the three of us off at the school. The only problem was that we probably wouldn’t get back from the dance ’til after midnight. It wouldn’t be safe for me to bike back to my own house that late, and besides, there’s a curfew. Sure, Chad’s dad could drop me off at home, but then all my stuff, including my bike, would be back at Chad’s house.

The obvious solution was for me to spend the night there. The very thought of it and of what might happen was enough to fuel my imagination, but the rents would never allow it if there was even a hint that Chad and I might take advantage of the situation. As Dad would put it, we were walking bags of hormones and couldn’t stop ourselves from having sex if the opportunity presented itself.

The obvious solution was for me to sleep in their guest room, but would that be enough to quell our parents’ fears of what we might do? The reality is that with Chad’s bedroom door right across from mine, if I got up during the night to use the bathroom, it would be so tempting to return to his bedroom rather than mine, and vice versa. Could I even stop myself? Could Chad? No our parents would never go for that. At least I didn’t think so. Not for a long time, anyway.

The alternative was just the opposite — to have a slumber party in their basement rec room, with each of us sleeping separately, in the open on futons. With Chloe in the same room, there’d be no way for Chad and me to do anything, nor would we want to. Hell, even making out with Chloe in the room would be embarrassing. It was the slumber party idea we took to the parents — first to Chad’s parents, and then to mine.

After much discussion, promises made and phone calls back and forth between the two sets of parents, it was agreed!

<> <> <>

I awoke on the day of Halloween as excited as a young boy on Christmas morning. Of course I wasn’t expecting to find presents from Santa under the tree, nor was I expecting a visit from the Great Pumpkin of Peanuts fame. I’d be spending all afternoon and the night with my boyfriend. Maybe it was a little premature to call Chad that, but it was the way I thought of him. In the three weeks since we met, we’d chatted every day. There was no denying it now. I was falling in love with him.

Yes, there was lust, but there was more. I felt empty on the weekdays when I couldn’t see him. Yeah, I wanted to get naked with him, but just being with him was enough. My parents said it might not last, but I knew better. This was the real deal.

I got up, showered and dressed. I grabbed a quick breakfast of granola and oat milk. I had a shitload of homework to do before I’d be allowed to head over to see Chad, so I got right down to work. It was one of the few times on the weekend when I was up before my parents, so they came down and got their breakfasts while I did my geometry homework.

In years past, I’d have helped my parents get ready for Halloween. Of course the holiday decorations had been up for a few weeks already, but there were finishing touches that needed to be made and they had their own costumes to prepare. I just wanted to get through my homework as quickly as possible, so I could head over to my boyfriend’s house.

I’d hoped to head over just after lunch, but I still had to translate a story for Spanish. I was so tempted to just use AI — I knew some kids were doing it, and if caught, they’d get an F grade for the semester and have to take it over. It just wasn’t worth it. Besides, it was an AP course and I really needed to know my Spanish if I wanted to pass the AP exam and get college credit for it.

I finally finished at just after 3:00 and after saying my goodbyes to Mom and Dad, I grabbed my backpack with everything I’d need for my sleepover, and headed over to Chad and Chloe’s house. Parking my bike in their garage, when I went inside, I almost didn’t recognize Chad. “Woah,” I said. “You died your hair.”

“Well, I was afraid that the wig might not cover all of it and I couldn’t exactly go as Mick Jagger with blond hair, now, could I?”

“Of course not, but you know, you really look good as a brunette,” I exclaimed.

“Should I keep it this color?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t mind it, but I think you look better as a blond,” I replied. Then lowering my voice, I added, “I’m more partial to blonds, but you look sexy either way.”

“I could dye it red, or purple, or maybe you’d like fluorescent green, blue, orange or pink,” he quipped.

Rather than commenting on it, I said, “I’d love you no matter what color your hair was, but something tells me the nuns wouldn’t like it.”

“It definitely would be against the dress code,” Chad agreed with a laugh, but then asked, “Did you just say you loved me?”

Coloring up, I replied, “Yeah, I guess I did. I know it hasn’t been long but I’m head over heels for you, man.”

“I’ve kind of been afraid to say it for fear you might not feel the same way,” Chad admitted.

“Are you kidding?” I exclaimed. “For the past three weeks, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by when we failed to text and FaceTime each other. Every time I watch something on TV, I wonder if it’s something you would like. I’ve wished you were right next to me so we could watch it together. I feel empty during the school week, anticipating getting back together on the weekends.”

“It’s the same for me, Sean,” Chad related. “I’ve fallen in love with you, too, but saying it aloud kind of scares me. I worry that just saying it will jinx us.”

Laughing, I replied, “That’s an old superstition for sure, but I’ve kind of felt the same. I think it’s the worry itself that could jinx us. To borrow a line from an old Carpenters song, ‘We’ve only just begun.’ Let’s give it time to flourish. It might not work out, but I have a good feeling about this.”

“For the past week, I’ve been thinking of you as my boyfriend,” Chad admitted.

“I’ve thought the same thing, but my parents would freak if they knew,” I responded.

“Mine, too, but between the two of us, would you mind it if I thought of you as my boyfriend?”

“I’d like that,” I replied. “I’d like it a lot.”

My emotions were riding high as I faced my boyfriend, but the grins on my face and his made kissing impossible. Finally, getting a serious look on his face, Chad moved in closer, and I did likewise. All week I’d waited for this. As our lips and then our tongues made contact the world around me faded as my whole universe centered around the boy I loved. I was aroused as never before, and could feel Chad’s throbbing member alongside mine, but our arousal was only a small part of what I was feeling. I was in love and making out with the boy I loved.

“Is that all the two of you do?” Chloe exclaimed as she appeared out of nowhere.

“Get your own boyfriend,” came Chad’s retort as he gave his sister the finger and went right back to making out with me.

“C’mon, guys,” She said. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Mom and Dad are preparing an early dinner. It’ll be ready soon, and then we’ve gotta get ready for the dance.”

Reluctantly, Chad and I separated, and he said, “C’mon Sean. I’ll show you where you can put your things downstairs.”

<> <> <>

Unlike at our school, where dances were held in the gymnasium, Chad and Chloe’s school was on a sprawling campus with a student center in a separate building by itself. That was where the dance was held. It provided a much more intimate environment, free of the bleachers and basketball courts and the like that normally detracted from the party atmosphere. There was an actual live band and a real dance floor, as well as a full kitchen that constantly replenished the refreshments. It was easy to see what my $25 was paying for.

The place was decorated for the holiday, not with the usual paper skeletons and plastic pumpkins that were common in school settings, but with realistic props, not unlike the kind my parents used for our decorations, but on a much larger scale. There were kids of all ages there, with some who looked like they were no older than twelve and at the other extreme, kids who looked like adults. At fourteen, we were definitely on the younger side, but I didn’t feel out of place at all.

There were way more kids than I’d expected. I knew the dance was open to all the middle schools and high schools in the Northern New Jersey suburbs, but I didn’t think there’d be so many who’d be interested in a GSA dance. Of course not everyone was gay, as exemplified by Chloe. Still, it was the one place where I could ask a boy to dance without worrying about being punched out for it. If I asked a straight boy, he could simply decline, or perhaps he’d even like to give it a try.

Our costumes came out much better than I’d expected. Chad’s was by far the best one, but then he’d spent a fair amount of money buying a realistic Mic Jagger wig and face mask. It wasn’t the kind of hard plastic mask we all wore as little kids when we went Trick or treating either. It was a silicone rubber mask that fit his face like a second skin. With a little makeup, it blended in perfectly with the skin on the sides of his face and his neck, making it nearly impossible to tell where the mask ended and his own skin began. Even the prominent lips moved perfectly with his own.

Chloe’s costume was a bit more of a challenge, not because she didn’t look like Taylor Swift, but because so many other girls were dressed like her too. Making her outfit stand out from the others without being over the top had been a challenge.

I thought my Elton John outfit came out particularly well. My hairstyle matched his when he was younger, and the glasses and outfit were typical of what he wore. The black nail polish between my upper front teeth cinched it.

Of course like all young teenagers, Chad and I headed first to the refreshment table to fill up on Halloween snacks. They weren’t the typical store-bought munchies either. More typical of stuff you’d buy at a bakery, or if you had the talent, bake yourself at home. “You think any of this stuff is vegan?” Chad asked.

“Do you really care?” I asked in reply.

“You do realize these are probably made with milk and eggs,” Chad said as he loaded up a plate with cookies and cupcakes.

“And our parents would never let us eat this stuff,” I agreed as I loaded up my own plate with an assortment of sugar-frosted goodies.

“But they’re not here,” Chad said with a grin.

“Nope,” I replied, and then took a bite out of an orange-frosted, pumpkin-shaped cookie. It was sickeningly sweet, but oh so good.

After polishing off a plate full of goodies and chasing it with blood-red punch, Chad asked, “So this is supposed to be a dance, and it’s not like there’s anything else to do. So do you want to let me show you my pathetic dance moves, or lack thereof?”

“They can’t be worse that mine,” I replied as I let Chad lead me out onto the dance floor.

Of course, the only school dances I’d been to before were in middle school, and those involved a teacher pretending to be cool as they spun tunes through the PA system. The sound quality left a lot to be desired to say the least. Marginally better were the bar mitzvah parties I’d attended, hosted by some of my Jewish classmates. At least for those, they hired a real DJ with professional sound equipment. I never did figure out how they got the music to play continuously from song to song over a steady beat.

Tonight there was an actual live band, which was a first for me. The band members were all teenagers, maybe a year to two or three older than me. I guess they all went to Chad’s school. They were actually quite good for amateurs, playing a series of popular tunes interspersed with classic Halloween songs.

That it was a GSA dance was immediately apparent, as there were far more boys on the dance floor than girls and less than half the girls were dancing with boys. I guessed there were about forty or fifty brave souls on the floor, about half of them being boy-boy couples. Seeing that we were not alone gave me the confidence to be myself with Chad. Not that I wasn’t still self-conscious about my pathetic lack of coordination, but then not many of the others seemed to be much better than we were.

At first dancing with Chad felt very awkward. Although I had no interest in girls, my only prior experience was with girls. Dancing with a boy was easier in many ways, but for some reason, it didn’t feel natural. Perhaps it was because I was trying to impress my boyfriend, and I guess he was trying to impress me. Finally, after about four or five songs, we stopped trying to do anything other than moving to the music, and the feeling of awkwardness went away. We were simply two boys sharing the music with the one we loved.

I lost track of the number of songs we danced to, until the band finished the set and took a break. That was our cue to take a break as well and to hit the refreshment tables for some more cookies, cupcakes and punch. It was only after we stopped dancing that I noticed how sweaty I was, but then so was Chad. The mask was porous enough to let the sweat through and frankly, the sweat on his brow made him look even more sexy than he already was.

“Sean, is that you?” a boy asked as he approached. He was dressed as a vampire, but even with the makeup, the hairstyle and the teeth, I recognized him as a kid I’d known since middle school.

“Todd?” I asked.

“One and the same,” he answered. “I’m a bit surprised to see you here. You haven’t attended any GSA meetings that I know of. Not many kids would know about the dance unless they heard the announcement at the GSA meetings. Unless, of course, you came with someone else.”

Suddenly realizing I’d left Chad hanging, I turned to introduce him to Todd, but he wasn’t there. Oh Shit! Looking around, I didn’t see him anywhere. Turning back to Todd, I said, “My boyfriend was just standing here, and I was gonna introduce you, but he’s gone somewhere. Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something,” I added hopefully.

“I didn’t know you were gay, let alone you had a boyfriend,” Todd responded. “Is he someone I would know?”

“I doubt it,” I replied. “I don’t know if you remember my lab partner in biology last year, Chloe Richards. Chad is her twin brother. They both go to school here now, which is how I knew about the dance. I’m here as Chad’s date — if only I could find him.”

“The music’s starting back up,” Todd noted. “Would you like to dance?”

“I’d like that very much,” I responded, “but I don’t want Chad to think I ditched him.” Scanning the room once again, I spotted Chad on the dance floor, dancing with another boy. For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy, but then realized he’d probably been asked to dance while I was talking to Todd. “Looks like he beat me to it. He’s on the floor with another guy. Shall we?”

“Let’s do it,” Todd replied.

I danced several songs with Todd as Chad danced with a few other boys I didn’t know. When Todd said he thought he’d sit the next one out, I thanked him and then attempted to cut in with Chad, but he ignored me. It was evident he was pissed, but why? Was our relationship that shallow that he could become jealous if I merely talked to another boy?

Just as I was about to go back for some refreshments, the band finished the set and everyone started to drift from the dance floor. Once again, I attempted to find Chad, but I didn’t see him anywhere. Perhaps this time, he really did go to the restroom.

However, just when I’d given up trying to find him, a boy and a girl who appeared to be juniors or seniors stepped up to the mic and the boy began, “Hey everybody. Welcome to the sixth annual Diversity Halloween dance. My name’s Ronnie Wilson…”

“And I’m Sarah McGrady,” the girl added. “We’re your hosts for the evening. We have a number of things lined up for you tonight, with prizes for best costume in several categories, best dancing and of course, the ever-popular talent contest.”

“Seven brave souls have signed up for the competition this year,” Ronnie continued. “As always, there are no tryouts, so what you see is what you get. Without further delay, let’s get to the first contestant.”

The first five contestants were surprisingly good. There was a boy who performed a magic act. He had only some simple props, and I never did figure out how he pulled off his magic tricks. There was a girl with a puppet who was an amazing ventriloquist. I swore she never moved her lips, even as the puppet carried on a full conversation with her. A boy who appeared to be about my age did an amazing dance routine to the song Cool from West Side Story. Then Chloe sang the Taylor Swift’s I Knew It, I knew You, from the movie, Toy Story 5. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she had a great singing voice, given how well Chad sang. That was followed by four older boys singing a cappella as a barbershop quartet.

The sixth contestant was Chad. I had no idea he was gonna sing in the talent contest. Hell, I didn’t even know there was gonna be a talent contest. He hadn’t mentioned it to me, nor was I aware that he’d practiced for it. Getting up on the stage, he borrowed one of the band’s guitars and began to sing the Rolling Stones’ iconic song, Satisfaction. His voice, his intonations and mannerisms were so like Mick Jagger’s that I could almost believe it really was Mick Jagger on that stage. Unsurprisingly, Chad brought down the house.

“I think you’ll agree we’ve seen some real talent tonight,” Ronnie began and everyone cheered loudly. “We have one more contestant, and then we’ll vote. Our final contestant is Sean Grady!” Holy fucking shit! Chad must’ve signed me up, the stinker. I hadn’t prepared. I wasn’t prepared. After the way Chad had behaved all evening, I should’ve just walked away, but then I wasn’t about to let him show me up. So I strutted up on the stage and headed for the grand piano that was already there.

I was determined to show Chad up, so picking the right song to sing from Elton John’s extensive repertoire was critical. There were so many songs to choose from, but how could I showcase my abilities with a single song? Then it dawned on me. I’d sing a medley. I started out singing Elton’s iconic Your Song and when I’d sung about half of it, I segued into his high-energy song, Philadelphia Freedom. Finally, I brought the temperature back down with Tiny Dancer. I was shocked when the response was every bit as loud as it was for Chad.

After the ruckus settled down, the MCs had all seven of us get up on the stage and then had the audience clap for each of us. Chad and I clearly had the loudest response, but I couldn’t tell which was louder. Apparently, the MCs couldn’t ether, as Sarah said, “It appears we have a tie, so let’s try it again with just the two of them.” The response was still too close to call.

I don’t know where I got the courage to do what I did next, particularly when I’m more used to staying in the shadows, but I approached the MCs and said loudly enough for it to be picked up by the microphone, “If I could make a suggestion, since Chad and I are here together, why don’t we sing a duet and if the audience likes it, you can give us the award jointly.”

“What do you think?” Ronnie asked. “Would you like to hear Sean and Chad sing a duet together?” The audience response was enthusiastic.

Before singing, I explained, “Elton John and Mick Jagger once sang along with David Bowie and Paul McCartney in a rendition of Dancing in the Street during the Prince’s Trust benefit concert in 1986. Also, Elton John claims to have hijacked a Stones concert, joining them onstage to sing Honky Tonk Women. More recently, he played the piano on the 2023 Stones Album, Hackney Diamonds, which is one of my personal favorites. How many bands can say they had Elton John playing backup to their vocals. Anyway, if Chad’s game, we’ll sing the classic Rolling Stones song, Brown Sugar.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Chad said tersely as he approached.

“Why not?” I asked. “It’s a great song to showcase both our talents, don’t you think?”

Rather than answer me, Chad picked up the guitar and then I sat down at the piano. He started playing the iconic opening chords on the guitar, and I joined in. Chad of course sang the lead and I sang the harmonies. Once again, we brought down the house, and then someone shouted, “Encore!” Soon, the whole crowd was screaming, “Encore! Encore!…”

Looking at Chad, I raised my eyebrows. He responded by suggesting, “Don’t go Breaking My Heart?”

Nodding, I asked, “Which one of us will be Kiki Dee?”

“Since you’re Elton, I guess that would be me.”

And so we sang Elton John’s famous duet together.

<> <> <>

The mood between Chad and me afterwards was tense. Yeah, we won the talent contest as a couple and we even won free admission to the DreamWorks water park at the American Dream Mall. The gift certificate was for two all-access day passes, but I wasn’t sure Chad even wanted to go with me anymore. Chad just stood there, not saying anything and not even looking at me.

Finally, I asked, “What happened, Chad? I love you, and I thought you loved me…”

“Then why’d you look at other boys?” he asked. “I saw how your eyes wandered, and then you danced with another boy.”

“What are you talking about?” I exclaimed more than asked. “I wasn’t looking at other boys, but even if I was, it’s normal for gay boys to look at other boys, just like straight men look at attractive women all their lives. But I was looking to see if I recognized anyone. You might know a lot of the people here, but I don’t, and I kinda feel like being the new kid in town. Seeing other kids I know makes me feel more comfortable.

“And as to the boy I danced with, he came up to me, ’cause he goes to my school. Neither of us knew the other was gay. I don’t know him that well, and he seems to be a nice guy, but I wouldn’t consider him to be boyfriend material. Not like you. So he came up to me and when I turned to introduce you, you’d disappeared.

“When he asked me to dance, and I saw that you were dancing with another boy, of course I danced with him. Even married couples exchange partners at a dance. Different people have different dancing skills and God knows, I don’t have many of my own. Dancing with multiple partners is a way to improve your dancing. Besides which, it’s fun!”

“I’m not sure I like that,” Chad responded.

“Then maybe you’re not ready to have a boyfriend,” came my retort. “Maybe our parents were right about that. All I know is that we have a lot of common interests, we get along great, you’re sexy as hell and you’re a great kisser. I really think this is love and not just lust, but it won’t work if you get jealous every time I look at or talk to another boy. Being clingy only suffocates a relationship.”

I then turned around and walked away, leaving Chad to think about what I’d said. Spotting a cute boy standing alone who looked like he still might be in middle school, I went up to him and asked, “Hi, I’m Sean. Would you like to dance?”

Looking a bit unsure of himself, he replied, “I know who you are. Your singing is awesome. I’m not in your league, but uh, sure, I’ll dance with you.”

“Don’t be so sure about not being in my league until you see me dance,” I responded with a laugh. “I’m a total klutz.”

“Then that makes two of us,” he replied. “By the way, my name’s Greg.”

“Hi Greg. Nice to meet you,” I said as I led him onto the dance floor.

I ended up dancing with a number of boys during the evening, including a few who went to my school that I hadn’t known were gay. My celebrity status from having won the talent contest gave me a new sense of confidence. It made it easier for me to step out from the shadows and into the spotlight. Sadly, Chad also danced with other boys, but he managed to avoid me for the rest of the evening.

However, Chloe cornered me between sets and asked what was going on. I explained how it was Chad who ditched me and not the other way around. She cautioned me that all the bullying he’d experienced in elementary school had made him feel insecure. His rejection was probably a defense mechanism to avoid the risk of being hurt. That thought gave me pause. Chad was fragile and needed careful handling. I just wasn’t sure I was up to the task.

All in all, I had a wonderful time. I still didn’t get the whole idea of Halloween, but for a change, the holiday didn’t suck. Not only did Chad and I win the talent contest, but I won a prize for the best celebrity costume. How weird. The prize was a $25 gift certificate to Applebee’s, though. I’d rather eat at CrapDonalds or Bugger King than eat at Applebee’s, and I’m a vegan!

<> <> <>

In the car, the tension was palpable as Chad and Chloe’s dad drove us to their house. Sensing something was off, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

Rather than answering his dad, Chad burst into tears and my heart melted. He’d fucked up and he knew it. I pulled him into me and let him cry on my shoulder.

Chloe surprised us by saying, “Dad, I think you should let Sean spend the night with Chad in his room. I don’t think he should be alone tonight. He needs to be comforted, and that won’t happen in the rec room. Sean can comfort him if they share a bed. I certainly can’t do it.”

Rather than dismiss the idea out of hand, their father asked, “I take it things didn’t go well at the dance?”

“They went exceptionally well at first,” I replied. “But then Chad got jealous when another boy came up and talked to me. He vanished and refused to dance with me the rest of the evening.”

“We were both in the talent contest,” I added. “The stinker signed me up without telling me…”

“I knew you’d be great,” Chad interrupted. “I thought if I told you in advance, you’d have fretted about it or even refused. This way, you didn’t have a chance to back out.”

“Anyway,” I continued, “We tied for first place, so I suggested we sing a duet and be counted as a single act. That way, someone else could get the prize for second place. We ended up singing two duets, ’cause everyone was shouting ‘encore’.”

“What did you win?” Chad’s father asked.

“Free admission for two to the DreamWorks WaterPark at the American Dream Mall,” I answered.

“That’s like $70 per person,” he commented. “$90 on weekends. Are there any restrictions or black-out dates?”

Looking at the passes and reading the fine print, I replied, “It says, ‘Admission for two to all WaterPark features on all dates, subject to availability.’”

“That’s a pretty good prize. Maybe you two should go tomorrow.”

“That’s actually a great idea,” Chad agreed.

“Yeah, I think it’d do us both a lot of good,” I chimed in. “The only thing is, I didn’t bring a bathing suit with me.”

“You can borrow one of mine, as long as you don’t mind wearing a Speedo,” Chad said.

“So long as you wear a Speedo, too,” I replied as I wiggled my eyebrows.

“Sean won the award for best celebrity costume,” Chloe exclaimed.

“The prize should be yours,” I responded. “It’s really your costume, after all. In fact, you’re welcome to have the prize,” I added as I retrieved it from my pants pocket and handed it forward to Chloe.

Looking inside at the certificate, she said, “A $25 gift certificate to Applebee’s? Maybe I can give it to the homeless shelter.”

“My sentiments exactly,” I replied with a laugh. Then remembering what Chloe had suggested, I asked their dad, “You’d be okay with me sleeping with Chad tonight?”

“So long as it’s for sleep and not for other things,” he replied.

“I brought my pajamas…”

“I’ll wear my boxers and you can too,” Chad replied. “We’ll promise not to have sex, Dad. Not anything more than we’d do on our own anyway.”

“I so didn’t need to hear that,” Chloe interjected.

<> <> <>

I called my parents when we got home from the dance and got their permission to go to the water park with Chad on Sunday. I told them I’d be home in time for a late dinner. Chad and I really didn’t do anything that night, even though we slept in the same bed. We didn’t even make out, other than a few kisses and a lot of cuddling. The time wasn’t right for doing anything more. Chad needed to be held and hugged. He needed to be reassured he was loved.

In spite of getting to bed at a late hour, we got up early enough to arrive at the DreamWorks Water Park at 11:00 AM, when it opened. The wave pool was closed for the installation of new features, but there was still plenty to do. This was the largest indoor water park in North America, after all. There was also an 18-hole black-lit miniature golf course, a mirror maze and a laser tag arena, but those cost extra and besides, neither of us was particularly good at things that required eye-hand coordination. There was also a Nickelodeon amusement and theme park in the mall, but that was worthy of a day by itself.

There were kids of all ages at the water park, from toddlers with their parents to teenagers and young adults, all of them in swimsuits. There was a lot of eye candy, so I started pointing out boys I thought were cute and rating them, and I asked Chad to do the same. Perhaps I was taking a bit of a chance after what had happened at the dance, but I thought that by making a game of it, maybe I could desensitize Chad. He needed to accept that gay boys can look at cute boys, even ones in swimsuits, without being unfaithful to their boyfriends. It seemed to work.

We started out on the water slides, which were a lot of fun, but pretty tame, and quickly moved on to the more adventurous attractions like the Mad Flush, the Surfari Slider, the Speeding Frenzy and the Carnivortex. I was disappointed to see that you could skip the lines by purchasing a TurboPass, which cost an extra $40 each. It wasn’t that we couldn’t afford it, but I had better ways to spend my money. It just didn’t sit right with either of us that rich kids could buy their way past everyone else. It was kind of like the E-ZPass express lanes on some highways that let you pay a toll to bypass all the traffic.

After taking turns on some of the advanced rides, we stopped for a late lunch. There wasn’t much offered for vegans, so we settled on veggie wraps with fries. While we ate, Chad said, “I’m really sorry about how I acted at the dance. I know I really fucked up, but I freaked out when I thought you might find someone else. It wasn’t really that you looked at other boys or even danced with them. It was that I suddenly panicked and thought you’d almost certainly find someone better than me.”

“There is no one better than you as far as I’m concerned,” I replied. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, and neither of us has any experience with dating. But you’re a perfect ten if there every was one. The problem is that you don’t seem to have much self-esteem.”

“That’s an understatement,” Chad related. “As a little kid, I wasn’t exactly effeminate, but I was a very slight child, and I just wasn’t into all the rough and tumble stuff like the other boys were. I liked playing with the girls more, which got me labeled as a sissy. I was a bully magnet, and I got bullied a lot. Living in such an affluent area, a lot of the boys were spoiled rotten and were used to getting away with it, so I suffered.

“My parents did what they could, but the teachers can’t be everywhere and I was constantly being targeted, on the playground, in the cafeteria, in gym class and especially after school, when the teachers weren’t around to protect me. Things were much better when my parents took me out of the public schools and sent me to Catholic schools, but that wasn’t until I was in the fifth grade. By then, the damage had been done.”

“I went through some bullying too,” I responded. “Nothing like what you experienced, but I wasn’t exactly athletic either. I always had friends who stuck up for me. I guess I just got lucky.”

“You’re gonna hafta be patient with me, Sean,” Chad continued. “I’ll do my best to avoid freaking out the way I did last night, but there will probably be times when I go off the deep end.”

“I won’t pretend that what you did at the dance didn’t hurt,” I replied, “but now that I know what we’re dealing with, I’ll be there to help. Maybe I could even transfer into your school next year, assuming I could get in. My parents offered to send me there.”

Laughing, Chad replied, “It doesn’t sound like you’re all that religious…”

“Not at all,” I interrupted. “Not that I’m an atheist or anything, but I’m not keen on organized religion. Neither are my parents.”

“At Catholic schools, there’s no such thing as the separation of church and state.” Chad explained. “You can opt out of a lot of things, but there are required classes in religion and mandatory church services. Not that I’m religious, either, but attending a Catholic school is a bit of an adjustment.”

“I can live with that,” I replied. “The important thing is to be there for you.”

“You don’t need to switch schools to do that, Sean. FaceTiming at the end of the day, spending time on the weekends and you just being you are enough.” I could feel myself blushing he added, “You’re adorable when you blush, and it’s not just your face, but your neck, the tops of your shoulders and part of your chest all turn red.” I could feel myself blushing even deeper and Chad giggled in response.

After we finished our lunch, we headed back to the water and rode Shrek’s Sinkhole Slammer, Swamp ’n’ Splash, and Thrillagascar & Jungle Jammer. We had a blast and were thoroughly drenched and more than a bit dizzy by the time the water park closed. After we got dressed and exited the water park, Chad’s dad was already waiting for us.

Back at their house, I gathered my things and stuffed them in my backpack. I hugged Chad tightly and kissed him deeply before getting on my bike for the ride home. The sun had just set, so there was no time to waste if I didn’t want to ride in the dark.

When I reached our house, our Halloween decorations seemed to light up the neighborhood. At least the fog machine was gone, but the corpse was still sitting in the rocking chair on our porch. No doubt, my parents went overboard when it came to decorating the house for Halloween, and yet I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Did I still hate Halloween? It was a stupid holiday, but I had a lot of fun, and there was something to be said for dark comedy. In a way, celebrating the morbid made it a lot less scary all around. I really enjoyed dressing up as Elton John and still couldn’t believe I won an award for the best celebrity costume.

Most importantly, had it not been for the need to go to a party on Halloween, I’d have never met Chad, the most wonderful boyfriend in the world. Sure, he has issues, but then doesn’t everybody? There might be some rough times ahead — almost certainly there would be — but working through them together would be so very, very worth it.