Oh Dear

Aritsu was determined, goddamnit. 

This was their year. They graduated high school, they moved into a modest university, they had finally grown into their body and people actually liked them for once! They were being invited to parties left and right, like a full-fledged popular kid. 

Initially, all the attention had overwhelmed Aritsu. They had shyly turned down each invitation, their cheeks had burned hot and their heart felt like it would have burst out of their chest. A little over a month after the school year started, they considered going to one of the parties. 

It was a Friday, with exactly one week until All Hallows Eve. They had just put their textbook in their bag when someone approached them. Aritsu recognized the man, vaguely. He always revved his motorcycle and peeled out in the parking lot as they walked to class every other day.

"Hey," he practically purred at them, voice thick with what could only be his best attempt at being sauvee. His hand slammed down against the table in front of Aritsu and he leaned over them. Even if they were both stood next to each other, he would have still towered over them. He trapped them to their seat. They shifted uncomfortably, but they smiled up at him anyway, charming as ever. 

"Oh, um, yes?" Aritsu asked. His smokey gray eyes lit up in a way that twisted their stomach. They couldn't tell if he made them nervous or excited. 

"Some guys I know are throwing a wild party for Halloween at the Wilde house. You should come." 

Aritsu opened their mouth to answer, but the man had jammed his hand down in his pocket. Jingles sounded in the mostly empty classroom as he spoke and searched for... something.

"I promise, it's gonna be fire. Wilde house is known for having the best parties, especially for Halloween. It's, like, hella ass spooky." Just as he finished his pitch, he found whatever he had looked for. A phone, of course. They were silly to have even wondered. He tapped around on it before he held it out to them and lightly shook it.

"Gimme your number. I'll text you all the details."

A party... They gave a small nod, and their bubblegum pink hair fell into their eyes. They slowly took the phone and put in their number. "Okay. Um, remind me your name again?" They asked in a small voice. 

"Damn, am I really that unmemorable?" He dramatically sighed and stood up straight. "Tristan. We went to elementary school together for five years? Your family had just immigrated here from Japan, we were in the same kindergarten class. My family moved across the state in fourth grade."

The more Tristan spoke, the hotter Aritsu's cheeks felt. By the end he finished and reached out for his phone, they felt like their face would melt away. 

"Oh. I-I just... sorry, um, I didn't recognize you!" They giggled, voice taught and high pitched. 

Tristan's face was stoney and he was silent for a beat. Then, he cackled and howled with laughter. "I'm fucking with you! I don't think I've ever met you before. I'd totally remember those pretty pink eyes."

They looked away and fanned themself, as if they could make the embarrassment go away. "You totally wouldn't. They're... Contacts, obviously." He only seemed to laugh harder.

"God, you're weird. Come to the party." With a small wave, Tristan headed towards the door. Aritsu stayed in the classroom for a few minutes more before they slowly made their way back to their dorm.

That very night, at Midnight exactly, Tristan messaged them a poster for the party and a simple fire emoji. 

Aritsu slept like absolute shit. All night, they tossed and turned. Their mind ran a mile a millisecond. It was a crazy idea - they weren't a party animal. They were antisocial, frankly. They hated Halloween. No, no, it was a nice idea, but they simply couldn't attend a Wilde party.

Maybe it was time to move on from their past candy corn flavored trauma. They had seen some awfully cute costumes online this year. It wouldn't hurt to look at a few shops in the city. Their fashion was rather... eclectic anyways, so they could probably find something to add to their regular wardrobe rotation.

WIth thoughts of shiny pink dresses in mind, they set out. Before they knew it, they were on the third costume store they'd been to. They were losing hope on finding the perfect outfit — a bunny suit that matched their favorite heels. Internally, they made a deal, If they could find something in the exact shade they wanted, they would go to the party. 

They reached the back of the store. They were about to give up for now and break for lunch when they had seen it. Delicately wrapped in a plastic container, there sat a latex one piece with an icy white collar and cuffs, in their size. They snatched it up before anyone else could dare look in its direction. 

In the dingy dressing room of the store, it perfectly hugged their every curve. They grabbed the curtain and twitched it open just an inch before they remembered to change out of the costume so they could buy it. 

Next Friday, on Halloween, Aritsu went to class as normal. It wasn't until their last class of the day that they couldn't sit still and every second they stole glance after glance at the clock. When their professor dismissed them, they were the first to get up from their chair and ran all the way home.

As soon as they stepped into their room, they stripped down and donned a pink robe. When they finished their shower, they sat alone in their room with nothing but a towel that covered them. 

They stared at their outfit for half an hour before they took a deep breath. This was it, there was no going back. They were going to an actual college party. They squirmed into fishnets, they wiggled into the clinging bodysuit and then added all their accessories on top. Makeup was pounded across their pale cheeks and gave them life. Glitter went everywhere - their skin, their hair, and even their thighs.

The final touch came in a pair of dark hot pink stilettos. They carefully slipped into each heel and clasped the thin bands around their ankles. They stepped twice and rolled their ankles around. Then they strutted out the door with the confidence of twenty strippers.

Wilde house was drowning with light. Aritsu could hear the bumping music even from their dorm house down the street. Their classmates had overtaken the entire cul-de-sac. Beer cans and rolls of toilet paper were scattered everywhere. They had only just arrived, they hadn't even gone inside the house yet but they already had an unknown substance on their once pristine pumps. 

As Aritsu walked inside the house, their footfall made wet squelches and the heels left the soles of their feet with each pull upward. It was two minutes before they weaved their way through the crowd and landed in the kitchen. Then it only took ten seconds for a beer bottle to find its way into their hand, or maybe they were given it at the door?

The beer was half empty. Their mouth tasted foul. The sun had only just set when they arrived, but as they looked out the window they could only see the full moon held high by the cloudless sky. 

Their mouth was open and they felt each word as it vibrated on their lips, but they had no clue what they had said, or who they had said it to. Everything swayed as they were pulled upstairs and into a dark room. 

Aritsu blinked as they looked up at a black ceiling fan. Someone leaned over them. Pain ripped through their hand and all they saw was red. 

They blinked once, twice, thrice before the fan came back into view. They sat up slowly. The pain in their hand throbbed and drew their attention enough to look down. For a second, they took in the sight of their bloody palm and remnants of a shattered beer bottle. Then they noticed the hand that laid limp over their waist. 

Their eyes followed the appendage up to a body. Glass was everywhere in the bed they lounged upon, and deeply embedded in the strangers matted black hair. 

"Oh dear... Not again..." They mumbled. Their canines barely grazed across their bottom lip, and dense blood sprang up in their wake.