Chapter: Casuals vs Costumes
(Jay's POV)
Halloween night.
And instead of a classy party or haunted house?
We ended up at the park.
Yes.
The park.
Because apparently Keigan said, "Real Halloween vibes come from open spaces."
Which is just a dramatic way of saying they wanted to show off their costumes.
Only three of them were dressed up.
Keigan — full vampire mode. Cape. Fake fangs. Dramatic walking style.
Keiran — skeleton hoodie with glow paint.
Ci n — a pirate. With an eye patch that kept slipping.
And then there was us.
Me in a black crop top and high-waisted jeans.
Keifer in his usual casual outfit — black tee, ripped jeans, chain bracelet.
No costume.
Just natural menace.
We walked into the park and kids were running around with candy buckets.
Ci n adjusted his pirate hat. "We look cool."
Keigan flipped his cape dramatically. "Obviously."
Keiran pointed at me and Keifer. "You two look like you came for grocery shopping."
I gasped. "Excuse me?"
Keifer looked at his brothers lazily. "At least we don't look like discount Halloween decorations."
Ci n clutched his chest. "Bro, you couldn't even commit to devil horns."
"I don't need props," Keifer replied calmly.
I crossed my arms. "Exactly. He's naturally scary."
Keigan looked at me suspiciously. "Was that a compliment?"
I paused.
"…No."
Ci n leaned toward me. "Jay, why didn't you dress up?"
"I didn't feel like it."
Keiran smirked. "Or maybe she wanted to match him."
I turned slowly. "Match him?"
Keigan nodded dramatically. "Casual couple aesthetic."
My ears heated up immediately.
"Shut up," I muttered.
Keifer smirked slightly but stayed quiet.
Oh no.
He was enjoying this.
We sat on one of the park benches while kids screamed around us.
And that's when the roasting officially began.
Keigan stared at his older brother dramatically.
"Jay, do you know what's scarier than ghosts?"
"What?" I played along.
"His mood when you don't text back."
Ci n fell to the side laughing.
Keifer glared. "I do not have moods."
Keiran pulled out his phone. "Should I show the screenshot where you typed 'okay' with a full stop?"
I gasped. "FULL STOP?"
"That means he's angry," Ci n confirmed like a scientist.
"I was not angry," Keifer defended.
"You typed 'Okay.' Not 'okay.' Not 'ok.' But 'Okay.' That's emotional damage," Keigan said dramatically.
I turned to Keifer slowly.
"You use punctuation when you're mad?"
He looked betrayed. "Why is everyone against me?"
"Because it's Halloween," Ci n said proudly. "Truth night."
I leaned closer. "So when you send 'Hmm.' with a full stop…"
He groaned. "Stop analyzing my messages."
Keiran smirked. "Jay, he once deleted and retyped a reply five times."
I froze.
"Five?"
"Seven," Ci n corrected.
Keifer looked like he wanted to disappear.
"You rehearse texts too?" I asked, trying not to smile.
"It's called thinking before replying."
"It's called overthinking," Keigan corrected.
I couldn't stop laughing.
For someone who acted so calm and confident?
He was exposed tonight.
But then Ci n made a mistake.
He smirked at Keifer. "At least I don't stare at Jay like she's the only person in the world."
The air shifted.
Keifer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Repeat that," he said calmly.
Ci n swallowed.
"I mean… in a respectful way."
Keigan whispered dramatically, "Pirate about to be executed."
I decided to join.
"Actually," I said thoughtfully, "he does stare."
All three boys looked at me.
Keifer's expression changed.
"Oh?" he said quietly.
I smirked. "Like he's calculating something."
"Calculating what?" Keiran asked eagerly.
"Whether I'm about to cause trouble."
Ci n burst out laughing again.
"Or whether you're about to bite him again," Keigan added.
Keifer pointed at him. "That was one time."
"Legendary time," Keiran corrected.
We moved to the open grass area where some teenagers were taking photos.
Ci n tried to pose dramatically with his pirate sword.
The sword bent.
Keigan screamed laughing.
I clapped. "Great warrior."
"At least I have a theme," Ci n defended. "You two look like you're on a date."
I choked.
Keifer looked way too calm.
"It's not a date," I said quickly.
"Then why are you standing so close?" Keiran asked innocently.
I stepped aside immediately.
Too late.
Keigan pointed. "See? Defensive reaction."
I glared at all three of them.
"You're all annoying."
"That's not profanity," Keifer noted casually.
I turned to him sharply.
"You're enjoying this too much."
He leaned slightly closer and said quietly, just for me—
"They're not wrong."
My heart did something stupid.
Ci n screamed dramatically, "WHISPERING ALERT."
Keigan added, "Casuals but romantic tension 100%."
I covered my face. "I hate all of you."
Keiran shook his head. "No, you don't."
We ended up sitting in a circle on the grass.
Pumpkins glowing nearby.
Kids running around.
The night air cool.
Ci n pointed at Keifer again. "You know what's the scariest thing about him?"
"What?" Keigan asked.
"He acts tough but if Jay even looks sad, he forgets how to function."
Silence.
I blinked.
Keifer's jaw tightened slightly.
Keigan slowly nodded. "True."
Keiran added softly, "He actually panics."
I looked at him.
He didn't deny it.
Didn't joke.
Didn't deflect.
Just looked away slightly.
And for some reason…
That made my chest feel warm.
Ci n stood up dramatically. "Halloween verdict: Keifer Watson is not a devil."
"Oh?" I asked.
"He's whipped."
Keigan and Keiran screamed laughing.
Keifer stood up slowly.
"Run," Keiran whispered.
Ci n ran.
Keifer chased him across the grass while Keigan and Keiran cheered like it was a sport.
I stayed where I was.
Watching them.
Laughing.
And when Keifer finally came back, slightly out of breath, he dropped down beside me.
"Your friends are terrible," he muttered.
"They're your brothers," I corrected.
"Unfortunately."
I nudged him lightly. "You survived."
"For now."
The pumpkin lights flickered.
The sky dark.
The chaos around us loud.
But somehow?
It felt peaceful.
Even without costumes.
Even without drama.
Just five idiots at a park on Halloween night.
And apparently—
Roasting was scarier than ghosts.