I took the costume out the bag and smiled. Admittedly, this was probably the most conservative costume in the store, at least out of the ones that Sophia kept handing to her. However, it did come with some alterations that made it a bit more interesting that the 1977 classic.

Before I even got dressed, I would need to figure out how to do my hair. My hair had gotten pretty long over the summer, and what used to be a manageable mess of curls was now just a mess.

While I was struggling to follow along to a Youtube tutorial on "Leia buns", I heard my phone buzz. I leaned forward to see it was a notification for a text from Marcus.

Curiosity got the better of me and I paused the video to read it.

M: Hey Bells, what time are you going to Katie's?

B: I think Jake is picking me up in an hour, you?

M: Oh you're riding with Jake, do you think I could get a ride?

B: I can ask him for you if you want? Do you not have his number?

M: That would be great, I don't have his number

B: Sure! I'll ask him now

M: Thanks Bells!

I put the phone down to briefly think about this situation-

I'm going to be in a car with two guys that both seemingly want me, yeah, this won't be awkward at all.

Also, let's just take a moment to acknowledge how incredibly insane this situation is?

I picked up my phone again and texted Jake.

B: Hey, can we give Marcus a ride to Katie's tonight?

J: Sure, did he text you to ask me?

B: Yeah, he said he didn't have your number

J: Oh, I guess I don't either

B: So, it's cool?

J: Sure, that's fine

B: I'll let him know, what time should I tell him we'll pick him up?

J: He's on the way, so I guess maybe in like 45mins?

B: K

J: I swear if you and him hook up tonight, you're both walking home

B: That seems fair

J: Trying to be the bigger man here, get it?

B: *eye roll* emoji

I blushed a little at Jake's words, did he really think I'd do that to him?

I left Marcus know we were going to pick him up and I re-focused my energy on getting ready.

30 minutes later…

My hair and makeup were done, now I just needed to get dressed. I looked over my costume again, this time, I thought about what everyone else would likely be wearing.

I needed to spice this up a bit.

I slipped into the long white dress, noticing that the material actually hugged my curves pretty well.

The costume was made up of two components: a long mock neck dress and a long, hooded cloak. Both the dress and the cape were made of white chiffon, except for a silver belt that cinched around in my waist.

I know the costume sounds pretty conservative, but let's not forget the modifications that I had mentioned earlier. Just under the neckline, there was a long slit that vertically divided the front of my dress, displaying just enough cleavage. The dress also had a side slit on the skirt, making me feel incredibly sexy.

Once I was fully dressed, I examined my appearance.

I look hot.

I smiled at my reflection, and in that moment, I decided to take a risk.

I reached under my skirt and pulled down my panties, throwing them onto my bed. Then, I removed my bra from under my dress, and threw that on my bed as well.

I was going to go commando.

Truthfully, it wasn't that risky- if I felt too naked, I could always just pull my cloak over my dress.

To leave the house though, I would need to wear the cloak, that's for sure.

My phone buzzed again, this time it was Jake and he was outside.

I grabbed my cloak, my bag, and my boots and headed downstairs.

As I was walking across my front yard to Jake's car, I hear the window roll down and Jake yell, 'Oh no! Turn around and go back inside!'

I walk closer, 'What! Why?'

'Bella, you are going to the lead of every guy's wet dream tonight if you go out in that costume.'

I open up the passenger door and hop inside, 'Well, I take you like it then?'

'Do I like it? Princess Leia is still, to this day, one of my all-time fantasies.'

I lean in closer to him, making sure he has ample view of my very visible cleavage, 'I know.'

He bites his lower lip as his gaze drifts from my lips to my breasts.

'Fuck, what are you trying to do to me?'

'Well, this is your treat,' I reply with a very satisfied smile across my face.

I lean even closer and plant a soft, lingering kiss on his lips.

Pulling away slowly, I look down to examine his costume. He's wearing a half buttoned- black dress shirt, the sleeves are rolled halfway up his forearms, a black belt with black jeans.

'OH MY GOD! Are you Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park?'

He chuckles, 'Yeah, I even have some black framed glasses and a makeshift splint on my leg.'

'That is incredible.'

'I figured throughout the night, the more I drink, the more I can unbutton my shirt.'

'I'd support that,' I reply.

We both laugh, enjoying the moment.

I look up into his eyes, my breath hitching slightly as we hold each other's gaze.

'You look so hot,' Jake mutters before both our mouths crash together in a heated kiss.

His scent engulfed me, pulling me closer towards his warmth.

Our mouths parted as he shifted his attention to my neck, sucking and licking the skin right below my left ear.

I inhaled sharply at the sensation of his warm tongue gliding across my skin, sending goosebumps across my skin.

I let out a small cry as one of his warm hands reached inside the fabric of my dress to feel one of my breasts.

I could feel the arousal build between my thighs, and I knew if he kept this up, we would end up having sex in his car in front of my house.

'Jake,' I murmur, 'Jake, stop.'

He lifts his head, 'Why?'

'Because we can't fuck in front of my house, and that's all I'm going to want to do if we keep this up,' I reply, my cheeks flushing.

'We could go somewhere else,' he responds.

'Jake, we have to go pick up Marcus,' I remind him, though I have a suspicion that he hasn't forgotten.

'Oh, so you want to stop so we can go get Marcus,' he pulls away, 'I see.'

I roll my eyes, 'Seriously? Don't even try to draw that conclusion.'

Both his hands on the steering wheel now, he takes a deep breath, 'You're right, man, I hate how much that guy bothers me.'

I smile slightly, emphasizing with that feeling of jealousy.

'I've been there,' I reply softly.

I have a quick thought; I reach over and grasp on of his hands. Slowly, I place his hand between my thighs, shifting the fabric of my dress to reveal my absent panties, and I guide two of his long fingers inside my wetness.

I let out a soft sigh, 'Jake, I want you too, but there's always later.'

Jake's eyes cloud over as the impact of my actions sinks in, and with his other hand, he pulls my head towards him for a deep kiss.

His fingers move dexterously in and out of my center, amplifying my arousal. He pulls them out briefly, using my own wetness to rub my swollen clit, then drives them back inside me.

I moan into his mouth, gyrating my hips against his movements. I place my hand on top of his, driving him deeper inside of me.

I feel his mouth form a smile against mine, and I can feel myself inching towards release.

Suddenly, he pulls his fingers out. I break our kiss, staring at him confused.

'What's wrong?'

He squeezes my thigh right before taking the fingers that were previously inside me into his mouth.

I stare at him, my chest heaving as I fight the urge to just sit on his cock right here and fuck our brains out.

'Nothing's wrong,' he stares back at me with a smirk, 'We have to go pick up Marcus, remember?'

I stare blankly.

'There's always later, right?' he responds, this time, a full grin across his face.

My blood boils, 'I fucking hate you!'

I smack his arm playfully.

He starts up the car and we head towards Marcus's house.

I pull down the sun visor to check my hair and makeup in the mirror.

Surprisingly, my hair was intact, but my lipstick had been smudged across my face and not surprisingly, Jake's as well.

I lick my finger and wipe off the smudges from my face, then do the same to Jake.

I let out a sigh of relief- that would have been so awkward.

I'm reapplying my lipstick when Marcus hops into the backseat of the car.

'What's up guys?' he asks cheerily.

'Oh not much, Marcus, how you doing man?' Jake replies instantly.

'I'm good, thanks for the ride man!' he responds.

'You great in the game tonight, Marcus,' I say, 'I forgot to mention it earlier.'

'Aw thanks Bella, Jake here scored the tiebreaker though,' he says enthusiastically as his hand claps down on Jake's shoulder.

'Yeah, where's my "Great job!" Bella?' Jake asks coyly.

I grimace at him, 'You did great too Jake.'

'Well thank you' Jake replies smugly.

'I couldn't see your costume on the way into the car, what is it Marcus?' I ask curiously, turning to face the backseat.

'I'm Indiana Jones' he responds, 'I even found a whip in my attic. I'm still trying to work out why we had one, but that's a different story.'

'That's awesome. You know, I always had a crush on Indiana Jones, but I really think I just had a crush on Harrison Ford, because I also had a crush on Han Solo,' I reply, glancing over at Jake.

'You're Princess Leia!' Marcus exclaims.

'Ha, yeah, I am!' I reply, a bit sheepishly, touching my hair.

'I just saw the hair and put it together,' Marcus replies, 'I can't wait to see the rest of your costume once we're out of the car.'

I laugh nervously, trying to fight off the feeling of awkwardness that just bubbled up in my stomach.

I glance over at Jake again, 'Jake's Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park.'

'No way! That's genius. I bet the girls are going to love that,' Marcus replies.

'Thanks,' Jake replies, turning his blinker on.

There's a heavy moment of silence in the car and I rush to fill it.

'Sophia's going as Cher, and I think it's going to be insane,' I spurt out nervously.

'Nice,' Marcus replies.

'Are you and Claire still a thing?' Jake asks.

Marcus clears his throat, 'No, we never really were, we're just friends.'

I glare at Jake.

'What about you Jake, weren't you and Ashley hooking up?' Marcus retorts.

'Nah, we never actually did,' Jake replies casually.

'Well, since we're talking about everyone's sexual history, I may as well add, I'm not hooking up with Ashley or Claire either,' I chime in heatedly.

Jake laughs and shakes his head, 'Well, I'm sad to hear that.'

Marcus also laughs, and chimes in from the backseat, 'Me too.'

I can't believe that worked.

The rest of the car ride was pretty uneventful, Jake and Marcus seemed to set aside their unspoken tension and carried on a real conversation.

We pulled up in front of Katie's house and we could see the familiar cars of our classmates parked out front.

We parked, and all got out of the car.

'Damn, Bella, that costume is every teenage boy's dream,' Marcus says as he catches a glimpse of my under the streetlight.

I laugh and ask, 'I'll take that as a compliment?'

'You should, because it is,' he replies.

'That's what I told her when I picked her up, she's going to be every guy's Princess Leia fantasy come to life,' Jake says in agreement.

'Ok guys, you're going to give me a weird complex, let's let this one go, ok?' I plead.

We start walking up the steps to Katie's house, the music growing louder and louder as we ascend.

We reach the front door and Marcus reaches over me to open the door for me.

'You first,' he says kindly.

'Thanks,' I reply.

I walk through the door and I'm immediately with a cloud of diluted weed smoke and what sounds like hundreds of chattering voices.

A new song starts, and heads start bobbing.

This is going to be a good party, I can feel it, I think to myself.

I reach into my bag and pull out my phone to text Sophia.

B: You here yet?

S: Not yet. Soon

B: Cool, come find me, we just got here

I put my phone away and I turn around, my eyes meet Jake's stare.

I mouth to him, what?

He replies, want a drink?

I nod, he motions to follow him.

As soon as I turn to follow Jake, Marcus touches my arm, 'You guys getting a drink?'

I reply, 'Yeah, you want one too?'

He nods, 'I'll follow you.'

So, there the three of us were, drinking beers, trying our best to ease the tension of this moment.

I decide to double down and take off my cloak.

'Damn Bella, seriously?' Marcus says as I throw my cloak over my arm.

'It's the costume!' I exclaim, 'Plus, there are loads of other girls in way skimpier costumes than me. This isn't even in the same ballpark.'

Marcus scans the room, 'You're totally right, wow, there's a lot of skin out tonight.'

I laugh at his comment.

'Well, here's to a great fucking Halloween then!' Jake exclaims, raising his beer.

We all drink to that.

'Bella!' I hear someone yell, and I turn to see Katie running over to us in her Cleopatra costume.

'Damn Katie, you look amazing!' I exclaim.

'You too! You're a knockout Princess Leia, wow!' Katie replies, turning to look over at Jake and Marcus.

'Don't tell me you're Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park!' Katie squeals.

'Yeah, I am,' Jake replies with a laugh.

'Oh my God, Laura is going to die,' she replies.

Turning to face Marcus, 'And you have to be Indiana Jones,' she says with a mischievous smile, 'nice whip.'

Her fingers reach out and touch the whip tied to Marcus's hip.

Marcus blushes, 'Thanks.'

I laugh quietly as I take a sip from my beer.

Katie turns to Jake, grabbing his arm, 'You have to come with me to find Laura.'

Jake looking panicked, 'Uh, I will, I promise! Let me just get another beer first.'

Katie looking disappointed replies, 'Ok, but you better find her, she's not going to let you go.'

Jake nods as he takes a sip of his beer, replying 'I promise.'

Before leaving, she turns to me, 'How did you get so lucky to be sandwiched between these two hotties?'

I blush immediately, 'What?'

'Tell me to back off if you're into either of them,' she whispers back to me.

Shocked, I reply, 'I will.'

She turns back to us, 'Ok, I'll catch up with you guys later.'

'Ok, see ya!' I reply.

'Fucking hell, she's a lot,' Marcus says in a huff as he runs his hand through his hair.

'That's sober Katie, wait until she's drunk,' Jake replies.

They both laugh, nudging each other.

'Christ, I need another drink, Jake you want one?' Marcus asks.

'Yeah dude, thanks,' Jake replies.

He turns to me, 'Bella, you want one too?'

'Please. Thanks Marcus!' I reply.

'Be right back,' he mutters, then heads towards the kitchen.

I turn to face Jake, 'Well, it was rough at first, but it looks like you guys are actually becoming friends.'

He shakes his head, 'He's cool, he is, but as long as he keeps trying to fuck you, I'm not going to like the guy.'

'You are a child,' I reply.

'Really? Ok, so you're telling me, if Ashley walked over here and started hitting on me, you'd want to be the best of friends?'

"Well, no,' I mutter, looking away, 'fine, I see your point.'

'Ha! Fuck yes, it feels good to be right for once,' he exclaims, making a fist in celebration.

'Don't get used to it,' I respond with a smirk.

Jake smiles down at me, 'Here, give me your cloak, I'll find a place for it.'

'Thanks,' I reply, surprised at his kind gesture.

'Don't look so surprised, I do shit for you all the time!' he exclaims, offended at my reaction.

'Do you though?' I reply, challenging his comment.

'Well apparently, not enough,' he responds, 'alright, I'll be right back.'

I nod, as he turns to walk into the crowd surrounding us.

I reach for my phone again, checking to see if Sophia has texted yet. Nothing.

B: Where you at?

I didn't get a response before Marcus returned with our beers.

'Where's Jake?' he asks, putting the three beers down on the counter.

'Oh, he went to go find a place for my cloak.'

'That's nice of him,' Marcus mutters, picking up one of the beers and taking a sip.

'Yeah it was,' I say in reply, doing the same.

'Well, now we can finally get that drink together,' he responds, tilting the mouth of his beer to cheers with mine.

I clink our beers together.

'How are you liking school so far?' I ask.

'You know, I like it a lot, I just can't seem to get this one girl to pay attention to me,' he replies with a smirk in my direction.

Caught off guard slightly, I respond, 'Oh yeah?'

'Yeah, you know, it seems like she's interested, and then she just disappears.'

'She sounds like a pain in the ass,' I retort.

He smiles, takes a sip from his beer, 'She is.'

I make a face at him, somewhere between annoyed and unamused.

He puts his beer down on the counter, folds his arms across his chest, 'You know, I think I'm beginning to see that she just doesn't know what she wants.'

'You may be on to something,' I reply.

'You know, I just can't tell if she's not interested or if she just needs some time.'

'That's a good question,' I reply, 'I'm not sure she knows either.'

Marcus nods his head, 'Well, I'll be here whenever she's ready.'

I smile warmly up at him, 'Thank you.'

He returns an equally warm smile, 'So, you want to dance?'

'Yes!' I reply enthusiastically, 'Should we wait for Jake?'

I look around, trying to spot his familiar hair.

Marcus blinks, 'Sure, we can.'

Catching his reaction, I add, 'I just don't want him to think we ditched him and his beer.'

Thirty seconds later, Jake returns.

Immediately, I sense something off.

'Ah, thanks Marcus,' he says as he reaches for the beer, downing it quickly.

I narrow my eyes as I notice some of his shirt buttons are undone, and when he puts the beer down, I spot a pair of red lips imprinted on his neck.

'You have trouble finding a place for my cloak?' I ask slowly, trying to contain my emotions.

'Yeah, it's madness in here,' he replies, casually.

I lick my thumb and reach up to the lipstick mark on his neck, smudging it slightly, 'Looks like you made a stop along the way.'

Jake touches his neck briefly, 'Ah, yeah, I caught up with Ashley.'

Marcus smiles, 'Nice, dude, I saw her costume tonight- all I can say is, damn.'

Jake winces slightly at his words, turning to me, 'Nothing happened.'

I laugh, it seems to be the only thing I can do to keep from crying.

'Why should I care?' I respond through gritted teeth, 'I'm gunna go find Sophia outside.'

'Wait, don't you want to dance?' Marcus says, grabbing my arm, keeping me in place.

'I forgot I told Sophia I'd go find her outside, I'll be right back.'

I hear Jake mutter, 'Bells…'

But I'm already gone, I weave my way in and out of the crowd, attempting to get to the back doors as fast as possible.

I walk out the doors, off the deck and out into the darkness of the backyard before I realize I haven't been breathing this whole time.

I force myself to exhale, then inhale sharply. It feels as if an elephant is sitting on my chest, and I hold my hand up to my chest to check that I'm actually breathing.

'Bella!' I hear Jake yell from behind me.

I keep walking, further into the backyard, attempting to escape him.

'Will you stop, come on!' he pleads, as he grabs hold of my hand.

'Are you serious?' I spin around, charging towards him.

'Yes, nothing happened, you have to trust me.'

'It really didn't look like nothing happened to me,' I retort.

'If you want to know exactly what happened, I'll tell you, but you're going to feel pretty fucking dumb.'

'I'd love to be proven wrong,' I respond angrily.

'I went to go put your cloak in one of the bedrooms, and when I was in the hallway, I ran into Ashley. She pulled me into one of the bedrooms and started kissing me and trying to take my shirt off. I stopped it as soon as I could, and I told her that I needed some space,' he lifts up his hands, 'I swear.'

I narrow my eyes, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

'Bells, you're just going to have to start to trust me.'

'I know, it's just that I know you too well. I know that you've lied to girls before, I know your history,' I say, exasperated.

'But that wasn't with you,' he replies.

'Exactly, that's why this is so much scarier.'

He laughs, 'That's a fair point.'

I lift my hand to my face, 'I overreacted, didn't I?'

Jake smiles, 'Yeah, just a bit.'

'Fuck, do you think Marcus caught on?'

'Honestly, I have no idea, but at this point, if he did, it would make my life a hell of a lot easier,' he responds.

'Why's that?' I ask.

'It's exhausting trying to babysit you two, running interference and shit.'

'Well, he already kind of asked me out,' I reply, 'but I told him I needed time.'

Jake blinks at me, expressionless.

'You ok?' I ask.

'So, Marcus literally asks you out while I'm putting your cloak away, and you get mad at me because some chick throws herself at me?' he exclaims.

'Well, I didn't know that at the time, did I? I thought you were trying to hide it!'

'What the fuck? Do you really think I'd do that to you?' he yells back at me.

'Yes!' I reply.

He takes a step back, 'Do you really think that low of me?'

'No, I don't. I don't know Jake,' I throw my hands up in the air, 'I don't know if it's because we're hiding this or if I just haven't felt this way before, but I'm all fucked up.'

I take a step towards him, 'I'm sorry.'

He lets out a long exhale, 'I get it.'

'You do?'

'Yeah, do you ever remember me being jealous of anyone before?' he asks.

'I guess not,' I reply, 'no.'

'I can't help it,' he admits, 'when I see Marcus talking to you, it's like this monster bubbles up inside of me, and it turns me into something I've never been.'

I laugh, 'I know the feeling.'

'Come here,' he says warmly, pulling me in for a hug.

I graciously accept, embracing his warm, solid abdomen.

I inhale deeply, letting go of the stress I had been carrying.

'Want to go back inside?' he asks, looking down at me.

'Sure.'

He kisses my forehead and we head back towards the house. We hold hands until we reach the edge of the light coming off the porch, letting them fall to our sides as we walk back into the light of the party.