Fall from Love

asks.
    “Says me,” Jenna challenges, but then her face softens. “Plus, I think it would be incredibly sexy to see you in a costume.”
    Josh sighs loudly in defeat and Jenna scoots out of the booth. “You and me. Costume shopping. Tomorrow,” Jenna instructs, pointing at me.
    I nod and scoot out of the booth.
    “What just happened?” Carter asks, coming up beside me as we walk towards the exit.
    I shrug. “What can I say? The girl’s good.”
     
    ❧
     
    “Okay, so what do you think? There’s Bonnie and Clyde, which I think can be really hot, or there’s Frankenstein and his wife. Which one do you think Josh will like better?”
    I stifle a laugh and shake my head. “I can’t believe you’re actually making him dress up, Jenna.”
    She sighs and shakes her head, looking annoyed. “What is it with you people? It’s Halloween and it’s a party. This is our senior year and we’re supposed to be having fun while we still can; you know, before we graduate and the real world catches up to us and we all go our separate ways.” Her voice cracks on the last few words. Looking over, I actually see sadness in her eyes.
    “Hey, what’s going on with you?” I ask her.
    She shakes her head and continues to sort through the costumes on the rack in front of her. “Nothing, let’s just drop it.”
    “No.” I grab her shoulder and turn her towards me. “Tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been acting mopey the last few days.”
    She exhales loudly and drapes the costumes she’s holding over her arm and plays with a tag. “I don’t know. It’s just, this is our senior year and I should be excited. I should be looking forward to graduation, right? I should be looking forward to no more early classes, no more tests, no more studying, right?” She looks up at me, like I have the correct answer. “But I’m not looking forward to giving all of that up. I’m dreading it. I like my life. I like school. I like living with you and having our apartment. I like having fun and being young and stupid. I don’t want this year to end. I don’t want to grow up.” She looks at me with a confused expression and I swear I can see tears building in her eyes. “Is that weird?”
    “No.” I smile at her. “It’s not weird at all.” I glance down at the costumes she’s holding. I had no idea that all of these thoughts were running through her head and, now that she says them all out loud, I can’t help feeling a heaviness in my heart as well. “Go with the Bonnie and Clyde… I like that one the best.”
    She smiles. “Really? Do you think Josh will like it?” she holds them out in front of her to get a better view.
    “Uh… I’m not sure about that one, but just bat your eyelashes a few times and he’ll be fine.” I laugh. “But I’m sure Carter will tease him relentlessly tonight.”
    “Not if you ask Carter to wear a costume, too,” she counters.
    Unease fills me. I take a few steps down the aisle and move to the rack at the end. “Why do you and Josh assume that I have this control over him? We’re just friends, Jenna.”
    She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say.”
     
    CARTER
    “You look ridiculous, man.” I laugh at Josh as we get in the car.
    “I swear to God, dude. Shut up. This is painful enough without you giving me shit, okay?”
    Jenna came over to our place earlier to drop off Josh’s costume and now we’re driving over to their apartment to pick them up for the party. I don’t even ask him what he’s supposed to be, but he looks like a dumbass in that tapered suit and hat. He’s trying to hide it, but I can see a small, plastic gun sticking out of his coat pocket. I can give him shit for this all night long and have a blast doing it, but I know he’s miserable, so I decide to keep my mouth shut—for now.
    “You’re lucky your girlfriend didn’t ask you to wear a costume. You just don’t understand how persuasive Jenna can be,” Josh says, pulling his seatbelt over him. “How did I get stuck with the bossy chick?”
    My heart tightens at the word girlfriend. Holly and I have become close over the last few weeks—really close—but it’s strictly just as friends. We still talk every night on the phone; however, Josh doesn’t know that or, at least, I try really hard to hide it, mainly because I know he’ll read too much into it.
    “We’re just friends,” I tell him, swallowing back the disappointment that my voice holds.
    “Yeah, you know,