assumed it was as I pictured it in my mind — baggy with lots of orange and brown fur. Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock when I finally opened the package the following week as I was getting ready for the party.
They don’t make costumes like they did when I was six.
Actually, the costume I wore when I was six had more fabric than this one.
"Amber!" I peeked my head out of the door of my room and yelled for her.
I heard footsteps moving rapidly down the hall, and then she burst into the room.
"What’s wrong?"
And, as I took in her costume, I realized that nothing was wrong. She already knew what my outfit looked like — an orangey-brown version of her tin-man costume — the only real difference being that she had a silver cap on her head where I had lion’s ears.
I stood there, gawking at her for a minute, when suddenly she squealed. "Oh my goodness! You look so cute in your costume!"
I looked down at myself, covered only in a mini-dress with fur around the edges and said, "Seriously? Amber, I feel naked."
"You’re not naked, Ashley. You look amazing. Come on, let’s see how Randi and Becca look." She took my hand and led my down the hall to their room.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised to see their costumes, but I was. They were as scantily clad as me and Amber.
Randi was adorned in a blue and white checkered dress with a large bow on her head and braided pigtails hanging down her shoulders. Becca was wearing a brown, green, and orange dress with a floppy hat. Both costumes were really cute — they all were. Becca’s even had fabric straw strategically hanging from it, but none would ever be mistaken for the real thing.
I turned toward the mirror Randi had hanging over her small bookcase and took in the vision of the four of us in our teeny, tiny Wizard of Oz themed costumes.
We were going to freeze.
****
When we arrived an hour later, the party was in full swing.
While the girls headed to the bar for a drink, I decided to wander around and check out everyone’s costume. Then, I saw him.
Colin was standing directly across the room from me. He was surprisingly easy to spot, mainly because he wasn’t wearing a costume. Colin saw me, and we locked eyes. I smiled instantly, forgetting that we were on the outs, just happy to see him and recalling the last cold night I ran into Colin at a party.
Then, I remembered that Colin still wasn’t speaking to me. I quickly looked away, embarrassed at my obvious joy at seeing him, and continued drifting around the room.
As I looked around the room at all the students dressed in Halloween attire, I began to feel more at ease. To my extreme relief, I was not alone in the scanty costume department. Almost all the females in the room were wearing outfits fashioned of various lengths of tight skirts and low-cut tops: sexy witches, super heroes, insects, and animals — though I was the lone lion). You name it, there was a slutty costume representing it.
By the time I made one full revolution around the large party, I was beginning to feel at ease. And then, Colin came over to me.
And, once again, I remembered my near-nakedness.
"Hey."
It was the most beautiful sound I’d heard in weeks. In the past eight days, I’d walked passed him a dozen times in the hallway of our dorm. I’d sat in rooms with him and eaten meals across the table from him, but this was the first word he’d uttered to me since he’d turned and walked away from me over a week ago.
I grinned at him, unwilling to hide my pleasure at seeing him.
"Hey," I repeated back.
"Nice costume," he said as he grinned at me.
I immediately felt myself blush but brushed it off and shrugged. "They told me Cowardly Lion — I thought it would be a safe costume. I certainly didn’t expect..." I gestured down to my mini-dress. "This." I shrugged again.
Colin raised his eyebrows. "Hoping for a full-body fur suit and a mask?"
I rubbed my hands over my bare arms. "Hey, at least I’d be
They don’t make costumes like they did when I was six.
Actually, the costume I wore when I was six had more fabric than this one.
"Amber!" I peeked my head out of the door of my room and yelled for her.
I heard footsteps moving rapidly down the hall, and then she burst into the room.
"What’s wrong?"
And, as I took in her costume, I realized that nothing was wrong. She already knew what my outfit looked like — an orangey-brown version of her tin-man costume — the only real difference being that she had a silver cap on her head where I had lion’s ears.
I stood there, gawking at her for a minute, when suddenly she squealed. "Oh my goodness! You look so cute in your costume!"
I looked down at myself, covered only in a mini-dress with fur around the edges and said, "Seriously? Amber, I feel naked."
"You’re not naked, Ashley. You look amazing. Come on, let’s see how Randi and Becca look." She took my hand and led my down the hall to their room.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised to see their costumes, but I was. They were as scantily clad as me and Amber.
Randi was adorned in a blue and white checkered dress with a large bow on her head and braided pigtails hanging down her shoulders. Becca was wearing a brown, green, and orange dress with a floppy hat. Both costumes were really cute — they all were. Becca’s even had fabric straw strategically hanging from it, but none would ever be mistaken for the real thing.
I turned toward the mirror Randi had hanging over her small bookcase and took in the vision of the four of us in our teeny, tiny Wizard of Oz themed costumes.
We were going to freeze.
****
When we arrived an hour later, the party was in full swing.
While the girls headed to the bar for a drink, I decided to wander around and check out everyone’s costume. Then, I saw him.
Colin was standing directly across the room from me. He was surprisingly easy to spot, mainly because he wasn’t wearing a costume. Colin saw me, and we locked eyes. I smiled instantly, forgetting that we were on the outs, just happy to see him and recalling the last cold night I ran into Colin at a party.
Then, I remembered that Colin still wasn’t speaking to me. I quickly looked away, embarrassed at my obvious joy at seeing him, and continued drifting around the room.
As I looked around the room at all the students dressed in Halloween attire, I began to feel more at ease. To my extreme relief, I was not alone in the scanty costume department. Almost all the females in the room were wearing outfits fashioned of various lengths of tight skirts and low-cut tops: sexy witches, super heroes, insects, and animals — though I was the lone lion). You name it, there was a slutty costume representing it.
By the time I made one full revolution around the large party, I was beginning to feel at ease. And then, Colin came over to me.
And, once again, I remembered my near-nakedness.
"Hey."
It was the most beautiful sound I’d heard in weeks. In the past eight days, I’d walked passed him a dozen times in the hallway of our dorm. I’d sat in rooms with him and eaten meals across the table from him, but this was the first word he’d uttered to me since he’d turned and walked away from me over a week ago.
I grinned at him, unwilling to hide my pleasure at seeing him.
"Hey," I repeated back.
"Nice costume," he said as he grinned at me.
I immediately felt myself blush but brushed it off and shrugged. "They told me Cowardly Lion — I thought it would be a safe costume. I certainly didn’t expect..." I gestured down to my mini-dress. "This." I shrugged again.
Colin raised his eyebrows. "Hoping for a full-body fur suit and a mask?"
I rubbed my hands over my bare arms. "Hey, at least I’d be
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