A Watermelon Halloween

Today was Halloween. It didn't seem particularly more spooky than any other October evening, Dria thought. Her roommate had gone on and on about skeletons and fake blood for a few weeks while trying to convince Dria to attend her friend's Halloween party, and Dria had almost decided to spend the night alone in her dorm. Then Laura had asked her to go to the school's Halloween festival.
    They met up outside Dria's dorm. Laura greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek.
    “The festival's at the science building,” Laura said. “It's close.” Dria nodded. They chatted as they walked. Laura complained about a paper she had to write. Dria elbowed her playfully.
    October felt very different here, amidst paved sidewalks and manicured bushes. At home, the house was almost completely surrounded by trees, and when the wind blew it added an eeriness to the chill in the air.  Grace's neighborhood had the best decorated houses in town, largely contributed to by Grace's mother.
    Her college's annual Halloween festival was looking like it might beat Mrs. Lewis, though. She forgot which club organized it, but they certainly went all-out. The fliers posted all over campus had advertised apple cider, games, and a costume contest, which Laura was particularly excited about.
    Dria hadn't worn anything spectacular. She accompanied Laura as a plain black cat. She had on a black shirt and leggings and a beanie with cat ears. Laura had insisted that she draw some whiskers on her face.
    Laura, on the other hand, was dressed in a strapless black-and-green dress, black tights, and a black witch hat. She had done her makeup to match and even decided to wear heels, making her about an inch taller than Dria. Dria wasn't sure how Laura would survive the chilly night, but Laura was confident in her costume. She was willing to sacrifice almost anything, especially comfort, to make an entrance.
    Inside the festival gates, they were greeted by a man in a zombie costume. He handed them each a packet of M&Ms.
    “Nice costume,” he said to Laura. Laura beamed.
    “Thank you!” Compliment number one. Dria was keeping count.
    The pair continued, hand in hand, down the pumpkin-lined sidewalk.
    “Want to paint a pumpkin?” a girl called from a booth. Laura turned.
    “Hey, fellow cat!” the girl greeted Dria. To Laura, she said, “Sweet outfit, but aren't you cold?” Compliment number two.
    Laura shrugged. “I'm ignoring it.” They picked up a pumpkin and a few cups of paint.
    “Do you want to do something romantic, or typical Halloween?” Dria asked.
    Laura thought for a minute. “A witch and a black cat?” she suggested. “Best of both.” Dria handed her a brush and a cup of black paint.
    “You do the cat on one side,” she said. “I'll do the witch on the other. No peeking.”
    Laura giggled. Dria carefully outlined a bright green dress and some yellow hair and made two green dots for eyes. She stole the black paint from Laura to add a small hat.
    “Hey!” Laura said when she noticed it was gone. She grabbed it back, and Dria's brush splattered the side of the pumpkin with paint, smearing some of the witch's hair.
    “Hey yourself,” Dria said, flicking a drop of paint at Laura. Laura leaned over to see the painting.
    “It's cute!” She smiled. “Even with the paint.” Laura's side of the pumpkin appeared to be a large, black blob with ears.
    “I suck at painting,” she explained. Dria laughed at it and traced a nose and whiskers into the still-wait paint with her finger. They returned the paints to the table. Laura carried the pumpkin carefully so the paint wouldn't smudge.
    “Good luck with your dress,” the girl at the stand called after them.
    “Are you sure you aren't cold?” Dria asked when they were out of earshot.
    “A bit,” Laura admitted. “But we match! So it's worth it.”
    Dria hadn't considered their costumes matching, but she supposed they were. She had never matched costumes with anyone before. Not with Jack, her ex-boyfriend, or even with Grace, her best friend.
    “It's almost six,” Dria said, checking her phone. “Do you want to find the contest?”
    “Yeah!” Laura's green eyes shone in the light. Dria's heart fluttered.
    A makeshift stage had been set up in the middle of the lawn. The costumed man who had greeted them earlier tested the microphone.
    “Thank you all for coming tonight,” he said. “My name is Lucas, and I am president of the Drama Club. We put on this festival every year to raise money for our shows because costumes are expensive, you know?”
    He said some more about the club that Dria didn't hear. She watched Laura fidget with her dress.
    “--If you want to enter the contest, please come up to the stage calmly,” Lucas announced, and Dria looked up. “I forgot to say 'calmly' last year, and things got a tad crazy, so let's keep it down, okay?” A few people laughed. Laura stepped away towards the stairs.
    Dria surveyed the people onstage. There were forty, maybe fifty, all with rather elaborate costumes. She saw a few people she recognized from classes, but thankfully, her roommate was not one of them. Lucas passed around the mic. Each contestant said their name and what they were dressed as. Laura's reply was, of course, brimming with excitement and confidence.
    The judges came around and inspected costumes. Dria got excited when Laura made it to the top five, but she was eliminated in favor of a Harley Quinn costume. Laura came down from the stage and watched with Dria as the winners were awarded prizes.
    “You look amazing, even if you didn't win,” Dria said.
    “I know,” Laura replied. “But I could have been more original.”
    “Let's walk around and look at the decorations,” Dria suggested. Laura took her hand and they continued. Laura's fingers were chilly.
    “Are you warm enough?” Dria asked. Laura nodded.
    By the time they stopped for apple cider, eight people had commented on Laura's dress. Both of Dria's pockets were full of candy.
    “Are you sure you aren't cold?” she asked again. “You look like you're shivering.”
    Laura shook her head and took a cup of cider off the table. She held it to her chest, inhaling the steam. Dria put her hand around Laura's shoulders.
    “Babe, you're freezing!” she exclaimed. Laura took a sip of her cider.
    “I can hang out a little longer.” Dria squeezed her shoulders.
    “We can watch a movie in my dorm.”
    They made their way back through the festival. Laura waved to the girl at the pumpkin painting table and Dria opened a package of sours. In a few minutes they were snuggled on the couch in Dria's dorm room. Laura had on a pair of borrowed pajamas.
    “Warmer now?” Dria asked.
    Laura smiled. “Yeah. Thanks.” She wrapped her arm around Dria's waist. Dria leaned over and kissed her. 
    “Should've worn a jacket,” Dria said. “A sweater wouldn't have ruined your outfit.”
    “Maybe so,” Laura said, laying her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
    “What would I have done if you froze?” Dria asked.
    “Microwave me,” Laura mumbled. Dria laughed.
    “I was thinking more along the lines of 'hold you 'till you warm up.' It sounds a bit less deadly.” She twirled one of Laura's curls around her finger. “Cutie.”

♡♡♡♡♡

This is the third installment of the Watermelon series. I guess it's really a series now. 

I want to draw Laura's costume. It might be a while, but I'll get to it sometime.

Comment if you enjoyed!