Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You want my help to find a costume for Rian and Kara's party? You'll end up looking like a whore!" Alex exclaimed.
"I wouldn't let you make me look too bad. I draw the line well before we get the 'this might as well just be underwear' stage." I corrected him. I honestly had no idea what I was going as for this party. Alex had, apparently, already chosen his costume weeks ago. I, however, had only just been told I was going, so it sucks to be me.
"Holly, we have three days for you to find a costume, don't you think we better get going now?"
"Yeah, I actually do. Hence mentioning it now, dip shit." We'd been at my apartment for two hours now, and school was probably about to let out. Meaning we'd get no weird looks wandering around the mall during school hours.
"Come on then!" He shouted, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the door, only letting me pause to lock my front door. He stole my keys off me and pushed me into the passenger’s seat before I could protest. "Right, you have to make me a promise." Alex stated, pulling up outside the mall.
"Okay, what?"
"Whatever I hand you, you have to try on."
"Do I have to show you it?"
"Only if you want."
"You can see some." I decided.
"Promise?"
"Promise." I smiled.
"Good! Now, come on! The costumes won't be hanging around forever!" I laughed as the two of us raced to the costume store, hand in hand. The mall was almost empty, so it was no difficulty running through it without breaking the hold we had upon each others hands. The costume store was on the other side of the building, giving us plenty of time and space to get weird looks off of kids from our school on their way to work who hadn't already heard about today’s events. And even off those who had heard were still giving us weird looks. No one in this place was used to us having any form of contact with each other.
"Alex, stop piling this shit on me!" I protested, almost drowning in the pile of costumes Alex had shoved into my arms, whilst trying to push me into the changing cubicle.
"No, get changed, show me, and I'll decide if we need any more!" I could practically hear the grin he was sporting.
"You just wanna see me in skimpy outfits," I mumbled, drawing the curtain to get changed into the first costume.
"I thought we agreed nothing slutty?"
"I said nothing too slutty."
"Oh. I'll be back!"
"ALEX!"
"Relax, I'm kidding. If I wanted to see you in skimpy outfits, I'd sneak into your room one night and cut up all your clothes."
"You're such a paedophile." I said, opening the curtain so he could see the first costume.
"You're older than me, the term is pervert." He wasn't even looking in my direction, he was skimming through the costume rack next to him.
"Ahem." He glanced over in my direction, turning back quickly, then doing a double take and staring.
"How do you manage to make the ugliest costume I could find hot?!"
"You gave me ugly costumes?!"
"Shit. Er, yeah. Sorry. I thought it'd give me entertainment. You know, most girls would be swooning over me calling them hot, not whining."
"Since when have I been most girls?"
"Too true, now go find me a pretty costume. I wanna see how you make them look," he smirked. I laughed and turned back into the cubicle, closing the curtain taking off the costume and throwing it over the top of the curtain at Alex. "Hols, you're a fucking tease."
"You just think I have no clothes on. I bet you're even trying to imagine it."
"You caught me," he joked. I laughed and reached for the next costume. Seeing it was another of Alex's "ugly" costumes, I threw that over the top at him, too. "Stop doing that!"
"Stop fantasising!"
"Fuck no."
"You're such a pervert," I laughed.
"You love it," he said. I could picture the smirk on his face. He was too predictable. It felt like hours until my outfits were whittled down to only three remaining, and I still hadn't found any I liked up until now.
"Alex, lets just leave it. We'll go further out tomorrow and see if we can find anything somewhere else," I sighed, utterly defeated.
"You still have three costumes left, try them and then we'll go." I threw my rejected costume out over the top of the curtain at Alex again and reached for another.
"Bitch no. I found another of your ugly ones!" I cried, throwing the cave girl outfit out over the top.
"Ha. I was wondering when you'd find that one," he was grinning. I knew it.
"Alex, go out to my car," I smiled, throwing my keys over the top of the curtain at him. "You don't get to see what I choose."
"Holly, you suck. I wanna see it!" He protested.
"You will; just not until Saturday," I laughed.
"I'm staying here until you come out."
"Then I won't come out. You can't win, Gaskarth." I was already back in my normal clothes with the two remaining costumes over my arm. One for myself and the other for Marissa. It was exactly her style, and hardly mine.
"But Holly!" He whined.
"No. Get out before I kick your butt."
"I'm going! Jeez! There's no need to get violent!" I could hear him dragging his feet the entire way out of the shop, mumbling unknown words meant for no one but himself. It was far, far too cute. Drawing back the curtain, I stepped out of the cubicle, making my way over to the counter to pay.

"Put your hands in the air and show me what's in the bag," a deep male voice told me, pressing something into my back.
"That doesn't make any sense. I can't do both," I stated, rolling my eyes.
"Fucking smart arse. Just give me the bag," the guy grumbled.
"Or what? You'll shoot me with your fingers?" I laughed. "Come on, Jack, you've gotta do better than that."
"But Alex wouldn't let me go get a water gun!" He whined, stomping his foot and pouting as I turned around.
"Still, the voice was a bit pointless. I know you inside and out, Jackster."
"That you do, babe," he winked, earning himself a slap from me. "I bet Alex knows you inside and out."
"Unfortunately not, bro," another voice sounded from behind us, just as I was about to reply to Jack with another slap and a 'that was uncalled for'.
"Oh, so now you want me?"
"When did I ever say I didn't?"
"Sweetie, I always thought you wanted Jack," I laughed.
"Been there, tapped that. Actually, I tapped that a lot. The boy needs new moves, he gets boring. You, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure I could never get bored of."
"Just because you insulted me while being cute at her does not cancel out the hurt you just caused me!" Jack exclaimed.
"It sure as Hell seems to make her happy enough."
"Yeah? Well, she's just a complete sucker for a pretty face."
"Are you calling me pretty, Jack?" Alex asked, fluttering his eyelids and forcing a girlish giggle.
"Don't you know it."
"Oh, Jack, you're such a sweetheart!" Alex cried, flinging his arms around Jack.
"I feel like I'm in the middle of Brokeback Mountain," I sighed, rolling my eyes at the two and crossing my arms over my chest. Alex unhinged himself from Jack and turned to face me, still with the same expression from before when he flung himself at Jack.
"Which cute cowboy do I get to be?!" He squealed. The boy sure didn't seem to be taking it badly that I had just called him a gay guy. He seemed more excited than insulted. I was beginning to wonder if he really was as straight as he claimed to be...
"Obviously you get to be Heath."
"GET IN!" Alex shouted. Forgetting we were in the middle of the mall, surrounded by people, he started doing some form of a victory dance.
"Dude, no! I wanted to be Heath! Why can't he be Jake, Jase?!"
"Ha, you made a rhyme," Alex giggled.
"Because, my dear friend, Alex could and would kick my ass if I didn't let him be the really fit one. Don't worry, you're still cute." I laughed, kissing Jack's cheek.
"Hey! Where's mine?!" Alex shouted, finally stopping his dancing.
"Bitch, you don't get one. She's mine," Jack stated, putting his arms around me and hugging me tight.
"But I want her! She let me be Heath!"
"Tough!"
"Can't you two play nice? You can share," I giggled, breaking free of Jack's grasp. "Like how I have to share Jack. It's simple."
"But I've never had to share you before!" Jack pouted.
"And I don't wanna share you with another icky boy!" Alex whined.
"You guys are so immature. And lame, did I mention lame? Oh, and Alex, you're a boy, too, genius."
"That's how I know they're icky."
"If I had shared that view point, I'd be a lesbian."
"Or you might not have hit puberty yet!" Jack chipped in, trying to be helpful but only causing Alex to slap him around the head.
"Judging by those," he pointed to my chest, "I'd say she hit puberty long ago."
"I don't know whether to hit you for being a perv or hug you for sticking up for me."
"Hug me for both!"
"Didn't I tell you she was mine?" Jack growled, pulling my close again. I laughed and pushed him off.
"Yeah, then I told you I wanted her."
"Jasey! Who do you want?!" Jack screeched, drawing everyone's attention toward us yet again.
"I'm not having this conversation in the middle of the mall. Gaskarth, gimme my keys."
"What, these?" He asked, jingling my keys off of his middle finger.
"Yeah, those."
"What do I get in return?"
"A ride home."
"Hmm... Tempting, but Jack's here, thus so is my car. I have a ride."
"Then you get to leave with your dick still attached to your body," I growled.
"Ha! She loves me more! She's never, ever threatened me with castration and I've known her longer!" Jack squealed gleefully.
"That's because you have no dick to remove, Barakat," I smirked, sliding the keys off Alex's finger.
"Ooooh! BURN!"
"Are either of you coming, or are you going back to Jack's to recreate Heath and Jake and come in a different way?"
"Ew. I'm going back to yours again. I don't know about Jack," Alex shrugged.
"Well, Marissa did say to come round after she finished work, so I suppose I could go around early with you guys if you don't mind."
"Not at all," I smiled.
"Now, look after my baby while you follow us," Alex said, obviously referring to his car.
"Are you not driving with me?"
"Nope."
"Great, I'm being replaced by Jasey."
"Maybe you are, but I always come back in the end. Where would I be without my Jack Attack?"
"Well, for starters you would have to talk to Rian about your conquests. Or, God forbid, Zack." Jack joked.
"Jeez, talking to those guys about it is Hell," Alex complained.
"I'm leaving now."