Angelica hit the bottom of the pack of Marlboro Lights with her palm. Lighting up a cigarette, she glanced up as a giggling group of girls exited the building. Five minutes passed, and she'd already snubbed out her cigarette on the pavement and was bored of people watching. She never found other people as interesting as herself, anyway. She sighed and glanced toward the door again. Yet Susie was still nowhere to be seen. Angelica picked up her bag. However, just as she turned to leave, Susie walked out of the building, her cell pressed to her ear. She was chatting so incessantly that she walked right past Angelica.

"Hey! Carmichael!"

Susie turned. "Oh, hey!" She put up a finger to tell Angelica to wait while she finished her conversation. Angelica cleared her throat in an impatient way to remind Susie that people did not make Angelica Pickles wait. Susie just rolled her eyes. When she finished, she shoved her phone in her jeans pocket.

"So, hey. What's up?"

"Just thought I'd try to catch you coming out of Civ. I didn't see you this morning."

"I know. I had to get to the library early, to work on my presentation. I'm just so swamped lately. Even more so than usual."

Angelica groaned. "I know what you mean. Midterms, ugh."

"Exactly. And work. Which, " said Susie, giving her friend a weird look, "I've been meaning to talk to you about. Are you even working there anymore? You're only on the schedule for one day this week."

Angelica motioned for Susie to walk with her down the steps.

"Well, I've just been busy with school and—"

"—Impromptu trips to New York and all."

Angelica bit back a smile. "Yeah…and it's not like I need a job."

"So, why work one day a week?"

"I dunno…it's like…something someone once said to me about character or something…Look, whatever, it's nothing. Listen, you wanna hang out tonight?"

"I thought you were going out with Peter?"

"He had to go on last minute business. So? You up for it?"

Susie sighed. "I can't. I've got to finish this project, then I'm meeting Phil to go shopping for our costumes."

Angelica raised her eyebrows. "Costumes? Listen, I don't need to know what you guys do behind closed doors. Keep that information to yourself."

"Ha ha. Our Halloween costumes, you retard." Susie hesitated. "For the party." She finally finished.

Angelica livened visibly. "Oooh, a party?"

"Yeah, the big Lambdi Chi one."

Angelica squealed. "Oh, I haven't been to a Halloween party in forever. I can't wait!"

"Woah, slow down. You just assume you're invited."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm invited. The Lambdi Chi guys love me. Who do you think I should be? I'm thinking Marilyn Monroe."

"It's a couples theme," replied Susie, pulling her vibrating phone from her pocket. "That's my partner for my project, gotta go."

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Angelica sighed and pushed her homework away. She just couldn't concentrate. She tapped her fingernails on her thighs and glanced at the digital alarm clock beside her bed. 4:14 PM. She wondered if Peter was busy. She picked up her cell and dialed his number. A moment later, he answered. "Angelica, hi, this isn't the best time—"

"I wanna go to a Halloween party."

"Uh, ok. Sure…one in particular?"

"Yes, the big one that Lambdi Chi throws every year.."

"Ok, well—"

"And you have to come with me. It's a couples theme."

"Ok, but—"

"Promise?"

"I promise, Darling, but I'm sort of in a meeting with the Danish Prime Minister right now. Could I call you back later?"

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Lil laughed as Tommy sidled up, handing her a drink with a flamboyant flourish and a goofy grin. "Here you go, beautiful."

"Thanks." She took the drink and kissed her boyfriend, who wrapped an arm around her and responded enthusiastically. "You know, I like this wig on you," he said, indicating the black bob. "It's sort of hot."

"Well—"

"Hey guys."

Lil glanced up and flashed a smile at Chuck. "Hey, man. Hi, Emmy."

Tommy clasped a hand to his best friend's back. "So, what are you guys supposed to be?"

Emmy looped an arm through Chuck's and pulled him close. "Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett."

"Oh, neat." said Lil.

Emmy flushed, obviously pleased. She pushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. "And what are you two supposed to be?"

Tommy grinned. "Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace."

Emmy gave him a blank look. Tommy gave her an exasperated one. "Oh, come on! Pulp Fiction. Classic Tarantino."

"Sorry, I'm absolutely clueless."

Chuck gave Tommy a consoling pat on the shoulder. "Very cool."

"How can she not know Tarantino?" persisted Tommy.

"He's talking about me as if I can't hear him." said Emmy, raising her eyebrows.

"He's a little sensitive when it comes to Tarantino." explained Lil.

"I'm just saying, cultural ignorance frustrates me."

Emmy laughed incredulously. "Cultural ignorance? Tell me, Tommy, do you even know who Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett are? You don't, do you?"

"Hey, just because I'm not an expert on history---"

"Literature—" corrected Emmy.

"—doesn't mean I don't know culture. Pop culture is a crucial part of society."

"Don't even get him started on Scorsese," advised Lil.

Chuck laughed and kissed his girlfriend's increasingly rosy cheek. "You're getting pretty riled up over Jane Austen. It's very sexy." Emmy's face turned completely red and she pushed him playfully.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous—"

"You're even more easily embarrassed than I am," he continued. "It's cute."

"Zing-ish-ay, Earthlings!" said Dil, as he walked up to the group. "That's 'Salutations' in my planet's language." He knocked Lil and Tommy apart with his cumbersome, lime green alien costume. Kimi walked up in a matching (albeit purple) costume, that was just as big.

"Hey, everyone." she said cheerfully. Chuck and Emmy backed up cautiously.

A grinning boy pointed as he walked by. "Dude," he said to his friend, "That alien is Chinese."

Kimi rolled her eyes. "I'm Japanese!"

"Hey, guys." Phil joined the circle, a big grin on his face. He pushed Chuck. "Dude, you look totally gay," he said, indicating Chuck's cravat. "What are you supposed to be?"

Emmy stroked Chuck's arm indignantly. "He's supposed to be Mr. Darcy, and he looks very refined."

Chuck looped an arm around her waist. "Yes, I look very refined," he repeated, grinning. "Besides, what are you supposed to be? Besides socially inept?"

Phil spun on the spot dramatically, simultaneously pulling a fake revolver from the waistband of his suit. "I'm a bad ass secret agent."

"Phillip! There you are." Susie strolled up, tossing her hair dramatically and breaking out in song.

Lil furrowed her brow in concentration. "Umm…Tina Turner?"

"No," said Tommy, "That doesn't make sense. Phil's a secret agent. Their costumes don't go together."

"I'll give you a hint," said Susie. "I-I-I will always, will alwayyys love yooouuuu—"

Emmy shrieked. "Oh, The Bodyguard! What a lovely film! It's one of my favorites."

Chuck and Tommy burst out in laughter. "The bodyguard!" yelped Tommy.

Phil ran a hand through his rumpled hair sheepishly. "Hey, I get to carry a gun…"

"Sorry," said Chuck, "But you can't make Kevin Costner cool. Nice try, though." He turned to Emmy. "Would you honor me with a dance, Miss Bennett?"

She smiled. "Absolutely."

"Gay." reiterated Phil as Chuck and Emmy left for the dance floor. Susie rolled her eyes.

Lil nudged Tommy. "So?"

"So what?"

"So, ask me to dance, you idiot!"

"Oh, right!" He set down his drink and gave her a bow. "Good madam, would you do me the honor of gyrating against me during this excellent rendition of Chris Brown's 'Poppin'?"

Lil rolled her eyes but grinned. "Sure, why not?" He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Kimi and Dil followed.

Susie leaned into Phil and snuggled against his shoulder. "Thanks for dressing up as Kevin Costner for me, Baby."

He pulled her close. "Hey, no problem. As least you didn't do to me what Emmy did to Chuck."

"Hah! But they're so cute together!" Susie said, indicating the dance floor, where Emmy was dancing all over Chuck's feet.

"Yeah…I guess they are."

Chuck grimaced as the hopelessly clumsy Emmy treaded all over his feet but smiled and gave Susie and Phil a thumbs up. Phil grinned and returned the thumbs up. "She's killing him out there." he said through clenched teeth.

"They don't look nearly as bad as those two," said Susie, pointing to Dil and Kimi, who were trying to maneuver out on the dance floor in their bulky, chicken wire and papier-mâché alien costumes.

"Bonjour, my humble subjects."

Susie grimaced and turned slowly on the spot.

"Well, you showed up after—" She stopped mid sentence and gave her roommate a blank stare. Phil grinned appreciatively. "Well, you really outdid yourself this time, Angelica. It's so…over the top."

Angelica smiled and patted her towering ash-blond wig. "Why, thank you. That's exactly what I was going for." She picked up her skirt, which was embellished with countless pink ribbons and pearls, and stretched out a long gloved arm theatrically. Every inch of her, from the toes of her shoes to the top of her precariously high wig was covered in ornamentation—beads, flowers, and ribbons. Large, sparkling diamond pendant earrings shone brightly among the silk roses adorning her wig.

"I must admit," said Susie, "It's the best Marie Antoinette I've ever seen."

"How the hell did you pay for this?" Phil asked, already knowing the answer.

"Peter."

"And where is your King Louis tonight?" Susie asked.

"Oh, last minute business. You know." She shrugged. "I understand. If it was me called on business, I would have done the same thing. Anyway, where is everyone?"

"Oh, around…"

"On the dance floor?" asked Angelica, standing on her tiptoes to scan the crowd.

"I dunno…" said Susie, uncomfortably aware that Angelica would see Chuck and Emmy any moment now and that two months of covertness and little white lies was about to go up in smoke.

Angelica let out a groan as she spotted Dil and Kimi. "Oh, God. The little weirdo hasn't changed since I last saw him, huh? Still an embarrassment to the family." However, she seemed amused. She craned her neck over the crowd, carelessly assaulting a nearby couple with her unwieldy wig.

"Oh, wow. Is that Chuck? He looks…different."

Angelica peered at her ex, who indeed looked quite different from how she'd remembered him. He still had that unmistakable head of untamed red hair and those same goofy glasses, but there was definitely something different about him. He seemed…more relaxed. More confident. And it radiated off of him. And she suddenly felt that old spark, that inexplicable attraction rising in her. It only took a second for Angelica to realize that she'd missed him terribly. And it only took another second for her to realize that there was a pretty girl on his arm, smiling up at him in obvious adoration. And, just one more second later, Angelica realized that they were walking in her direction.