Sorry guys, there's one slightly offensive remark about homophobic people, please skip if it bothers you.

[ALEX's Point-of-View]

"...That you and Theodosia may be together. You are perfect for one another, and Dad and I will work it out with her father." I finish, after a really long pause.

Philip jumps up in shock. He wraps me in a giant hug, and I relish in his warmth.

"Thank you so so so much!" He whispers excitedly.

John smiles at me, and I feel immensely better, despite the obvious challenges this will pose.

[PHILIP's Point-of-View]

I am so excited! Papa told me that I could be with Theodosia! She's such a wonderful person, I couldn't

have anyone better. But we are not technically together. She's just my friend. This thought makes me blush.

I suddenly remember I have to start on my Halloween costume! I am going as Anthony Ramos, and I've been planning it for weeks! Anthony is so amazing, and his partner Jasmine Cephas-Jones is wonderful too. They deserve one another.

Halloween is on Friday! I can't wait to see what or who Theodosia dresses up as! We haven't talked about it in class, insisting on surprising one another at the party tomorrow night.

[THEODOSIA's Point-of-View]

Yay! I decided on my Halloween costume three weeks ago, I have one last touch to put on it.

I am dressing up as Jasmine Cephas-Jones! I adore her so much, her style, her beautiful voice, everything about her. Plus, her partner Anthony Ramos is really handsome too! He deserves her.

I wonder who or what Philip is dressing up as. We haven't discussed it in school, because we want it to be a surprise. So I guess I'll find out tomorrow night!

[PHILIP's Point-of-View]

I finally finished my costume! Dad and Papa think it looks great! I can't wait to see how Theodosia dressed up! I guess it doesn't matter, 'cause she looks fantastic in everything, nothing can make her look bad.

Yeah, not together for sure. My brain jumps in. I shake my head to clear those thoughts.

I walk into the living room to find Dad pushing Papa up against a wall in a deep kiss.

Yuck! But they seem kind of busy, so I head into the kitchen to finish pinning up my jabbar (I think that's how it's spelled, the 1700s neck thing (you get what I'm talking about)).

I pin my jabbar and go back into my room. I want to text Theodosia to see how she dressed up, but I know that it'll be cooler as a surprise.

I put all my things back in place and I go out to the living room, where Dad and Papa no longer are. I find both of them in their bedroom adjusting each other's ties and smiling dopily.

"Who are you guys supposed to be? Lawyers?" I ask, confused.

Papa answers in a surprisingly slurred voice that sounds a little drunk. He doesn't usually drink, I wonder what happened. "We are homophobic people! Now they are scary..." He trails off.

Their costumes don't seem to denote anything scary, though. The only thing indicating homophobia is a pride flag pinned to their jackets with a "do not" symbol, with a circle and a line through that usually says "No Parking", on top.

"So, are we going? You remember we have to pick up Theodosia, right?" I remind my parents.

"Yes." Dad says in a slightly detached way, not quite drunk, but close.

I know from Aunt Angelica, Mom's sister, that Dad used to drink all the time, and that he and Papa can have the same amount of alcohol and Papa will show intoxication first.

They finish adjusting each other's ties and kiss each other. Then, they link hands and walk out the door

with me.

"You're supposed to homophobic, you know." I remind them.

"Bah humbug!" Papa exclaims, stumbling a little bit. "I love John too much to have this costume." He sloppily kisses Dad, and Dad giggles.

We get into the car and I shake with excitement. I can't wait to see Theodosia again!

When we get to Theodosia's house, I jump out of the car and my fathers laugh at my enthusiasm.

I climb the stairs to Theodosia's apartment and knock lightly on the door. The speed with which it opens suggests someone was waiting for me. I expect it to be Theodosia, but instead find myself face-to-face with her dad.

"Hello, Philip." He says curtly. "I understand you are taking Theodosia to a Halloween party and trick-or-treating."

"Yes, sir." I swallow nervously.

"Bring her back before 9:15 pm if you want to stay in one piece." He instructs.

"Yes, sir." I repeat.

"Theodosia!" He calls up the stairs.

Theodosia comes down the stairs, looking breathtaking as always. I crane my neck to try to see who she dressed up as.

As soon as I do, I gasp. A blush rises to my cheeks, and I try to act normal.

Oh man... You should've asked. My brain reprimands me.

Yeah, well, too bad. I think.

Theodosia has dressed up as Jasmine Cephas-Jones. She was Anthony Ramos's partner/wife. Our costumes are so suggestive. Oh my god, this is so embarrassing...

[THEODOSIA's Point-of-View]

I hear Dad call my name, and I descend the stairs, taking care not to trip and fall over my dress.

When I look up, I see Philip standing in the door, gaping and blushing furiously.

Then I see his costume.

He has clearly dressed up as Anthony Ramos. I think that is fine, until I realize that I am dressed as Jasmine, Anthony's partner/wife…

I realize why his face is so lit up with a blush. I feel a blush rise to my own cheeks.

"Theodosia, I understand Philip is taking you to a party and trick-or-treating?" Dad inquires.

I nod.

He turns to Philip. "Nothing happens to her. Nothing inappropriate, and if I find anything the matter with her, I promise this will be the end of any outings. Be back by 9:15pm."

"Yes, sir." Philip replies politely.

Dad doesn't seem to understand the issue related to our costumes. Figures. He's not a Miranda fan.

Miranda is my favorite musical. And Philip's too. It's based on the life of the great composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. I should have guessed. Jasmine and Anthony acted in the musical, and they did a phenomenal job. And a little romance too. ;)

"Bye, Dad!" I kiss him goodbye and take Philip's hand.

Dad calls after us. "And Philip, please tell your father to keep his ignorant mouth shut if possible!"

"Mmhhmhmhm." I hear Philip mutter slightly angrily as he leads me down to the car.

Philip's Dad and Papa have gotten out of the car and are standing leaning against it and smiling with a look of knowing amusement. Their already embarrassing smiles only widen when they see how I am dressed. I am guessing (since they're actually kinda cool) that they are Miranda fans, and know what's up with the costumes.

Philip's Papa has a knowing smile playing around his lips, and it gives me the impression that he knew in advance that this was my costume.

"Ooh! Theodosia! You are Jasmine Cephas-Jones!" His Papa exclaims. "Philip, you are Anthony Ramos, it's perfect!"

His fathers giggle, and that's when I notice that both of them seem a little drunk.

Philip notices, and sends me an answer with his eyes. Don't ask.

We climb into the car. At first, we try to maintain appropriate distance.

But when we get out of the car, Philip's Dad tells us, "Your characters were together, you guys should act that way too!" Philip looks at him, and his Dad adds, "Just for one night."

[PHILIP's Point-of-View]

At first, I try to keep proper distance, but then I figure, We're dressed together, might as well.

So I grasp Theodosia's hand lightly. She smiles. And then we act together-ish for the rest of the night. Trick-or-treating is awesome! At the end of the night, she's tired, and she leans her head against my shoulder as my fathers drive us home.

I bid Theodosia good night at the steps to her house, and since it is 9:10pm, her father looks at me somewhat approvingly.

I head back down to the car and climb in. I address Papa.

"I saw the smile on your lips today. You knew she was going to dress like that, and you let me be so embarrassed. Why didn't you tell me?" I ask angrily.

He replies calmly. "I knew because Mr. Burr was blabbing about it in the office. He doesn't know anythign about Miranda, and when I tried to explain it, he wouldn't listen to me. But you had a great time, right? So it turned out to be better."

"Well, yeah." I admit. "But I was still so embarrassed! We're not together! We're just close!"

"But you should be together. And this is the first step in that path." He answers nonchalantly.

I feel the anger boiling up in me. How dare he make decisions on my behalf? What if she hates me now?

Just in time, we reach the house. I clamber out of the car and up the steps.

"Philip, come back please." Papa instructs.

"No." I reply angrily. And before I can think, more words tumble out of my mouth.

"Oh yeah, Mr. Burr said you should try to keep your mouth shut sometimes. I happen to think the opposite. You tell him all sorts of things, but you won't tell me things that can keep me on good terms with Theodosia!"

Hurt flits across his face, but Dad holds him back before he can say anything else.

I rush into my room and slam the door for good measure.

Hey guys! Some anger flaring up! What does Theodosia think of what happened? Why are John and Alex drunk? Please suggest! I wrote this chapter around Halloween, but then I got busy and didn't have time to finish writing, so here it is! Thank you so much for adding to your stories in the reviews, but I am kind of losing track, so if you add more, please put the date you want it out (for birthdays only) and the day you suggested it, so I can keep them kind of in order. Also, some people have requested some bullying and a dance, dance will be later, but bullying in the next chapter. Also, I notice that a lot of Lams stories that have Philip get taken over by the kids, I will try to keep John and Alex in the story as much as possible. Sorry about how long this is, something didn't feel cpmplete untll he slammed the door. Also M.J., thank you for bringing the coding issue to my attention. I was too tired to fix it yesterday, especially since I didn't know.

Please be patient for the three weeks following the Thanksgiving holiday, I have exams, and things probably won't go as planned. Also, you all are more than welcome to send me art and stuff to be used for profile and story images! Hopefully the bold and italics will work in this story. Thank you all so much for supporting this story! Please review! ;)

-HamiltonAsparagus