Ch. 25: It's Halloween y'all!

I process Sage's words and realize that still isn't a lot to go by. White Industries has hundreds of operations scattered across the globe; their office and warehouse downtown alone have nearly a thousand employees.

"Look, we can't do anything without a search warrant, and no judge will grant one based on a hunch. Why don't you kids head home and get some rest?" My dad sighs, looking exhausted.

"What? Are you saying just do nothing?" I ask, shocked. I cross my arms defensively across my chest, glaring at my dad.

"That's exactly what I'm saying! Matt and I will look into this. You just focus on school for now. Halloween's next weekend, so have fun with your friends! I'll let you know when we learn anything new, okay?" Dad and Uncle Matt share another look, and the words roll off my tongue before I can stop myself.

"What aren't you telling me? What are you leaving out?" I ask, angry. He isn't trusting me with the whole story. Dad pretends to be confused, but I know better.

"You and Uncle Matt know more than you're letting on!" I huff. Matt sighs, looking over at dad.

"Makayla-" my dad starts to say, but I interrupt. Judging by the tone of his voice, I know he's about to use a half-baked excuse.

"Don't lie to me Dad! Stop treating me with kid gloves. Whatever it is, I can handle it." I can't stop the anger from boiling over. I'm frustrated that my dad is hiding things from me. He shakes his head, letting out a heavy breath.

"Okay, look. The company oversees several government projects. Some aren't even public knowledge. If someone at White Industries is involved, it's going to be hard to cut through all the red tape." My dad explains.

His words suck the air out of the room. I look over at Uncle Matt for confirmation, and he nods.

"White Industries has a lot of politicians in their back pocket." Matt grimaces, hanging his head. Asher sighs next to me, letting out a heavy breath. I glance over at him confused.

"I'd like to say I'm surprised, but in dad's line of work, corrupt politicians are a dime a dozen." I frown at his assessment.

It's easier to pretend that behind closed doors, the people we vote into office are worthy of our confidence. Some focus on change, but others just want to line their pockets. It's a hard truth to swallow.

"So, there's nothing we can do? Is that what you're saying?" My anger starts to deflate, replaced with a sense of defeat.

"It's just going to take a little longer. I have a few contacts in the DA's office. I can run it by them, see if they can open an investigation. Until then, we're just gonna have to sit tight," my dad tries to reassure me. I go to talk, but I yawn instead. I try to stifle it, but the exhaustion ultimately wins.

"Look, why don't you go home and get some rest? There's nothing that can be done tonight, and you look tired, honey." My dad suggests, pulling me into a hug. I sigh, realizing he's right. Breaking apart, I look up at him.

"Fine, but the second you know something-." I start but Uncle Matt interrupts.

"You will be the first person he calls, Makayla. I'll make sure of it," he promises.

Our group leaves the room and heads out of the station. We make it to the parking lot when Asher stops me.

"You aren't going to sit back and do nothing, are you?" He asks, already knowing my answer.

"If there's a chance someone at White Industries knows what happened to my mom, I can't sit around and wait for the police to handle it. I've done that before, and it got me nowhere." I shake my head.

"So, what are you going to do?" Lily speaks up. I don't answer her, instead I glance over at Asher. Judging by his expression, he knows the gears in my head are already turning.

Sage leans back against the hood of her car, stuffing her hands in her jacket. She chuckles dryly, and I turn to look at her as she speaks up.

"Whatever you're planning, count me in."

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The football house is packed with a crowd of sweaty, drunk college kids. As I weave through the masses, Char notices Noah across the room and practically hops right over. I laugh at the irony of her actions; true to her word, Charlotte is dressed up in her version of the iconic Elle Woods playboy bunny costume.

Judging by the look on Noah's face, he approves of his girlfriend's choice in Halloween costume. I move past them when I see Asher. I tilt my head back in laughter when I notice his costume. Despite several protests, Noah won him over.

The pair are dressed in Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes, but with a twist. They covered the original label with red duct tape, having scribbled the words Drunk 1 and Drunk 2 in black marker.

Asher frowns at my reaction, but my amusement still bubbles to the surface. I'm still giggling when he pulls me into him.

"It's not that funny." He mumbles under his breath, as my laughter finally dies down.

"No, you're right. I think you look adorable!" I beam up at my boyfriend.

I still can't help but smile at that.

Boyfriend.

The other night, we were studying for our criminal law midterm when he blurted out the question. He was so nervous that I didn't hear what he said at first. When Asher finally managed to get the words out, he was completely flustered and his cheeks flushed red. As he scratched the back of his head waiting for my reply, my heart fluttered.

Saying yes was as easy as breathing.

"See man! I told you these costumes would be a hit." Noah's voice pulls me out of my thoughts, as I glance over and see him with his arm around Char, smiling proudly. My best friend nods in agreement, placing a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek to confirm.

"The only reason I agreed to this is because you wouldn't stop pestering me." Asher replies, rolling his eyes.

"Well, that. Also, the fact you were too lazy to think of anything else." I tease, drinking out of my Stitch cup. Asher chuckles dryly, looking down at me before taking a step back.

"Yeah, whatever. I don't want to talk about that. What I would love to talk about is you and this outfit." I watch as his eyes move, drawing the sight of me in. I laugh, spinning around to give him the full view.

At the last minute, I decided to go as Lilo from Lilo & Stitch. It was easy to put together. It helped by already owning a red tube top and dark green spandex. I was able to drive over to the nearest costume shop and find the rest: a vibrant green grass skirt with matching grass wristbands, an ivory crown, and a white puka shell necklace to tie it all together.

"You like?" I flirt. He takes his eyes off my body and meets my stare.

"Babe, you're always beautiful, but damn." He chews on his lip, scratching the back of his head, a nervous habit of his I'm starting to pick up on. Standing on my tiptoes, I smile and place a quick peck on his lips. Before I can pull back, he deepens the kiss, his hands finding their place on my waist.

A slight moan leaves his lips, and I can't help but grin. The sounds of whistling and loud clapping break us apart. Glancing over, I notice Colton and Nina have joined the group.

"You little deviants need to control yourselves!" Nina remarks, pretending to fake gag. Rolling my eyes, I pull away from Asher, but he doesn't let me get too far. As he keeps a steady hold on my waist, I lean into his side, relaxing into his embrace.

Colton got his way, and the couple are Sandy and Danny from Grease. Dressed in a black off-the-shoulder top and tight black leather pants, Nina pulls the look of Sandy off. Her black hair is in tight bouncy curls and her makeup is flawless. I still think she's crazy to wear black stilettos in the football house, but she says it's for the aesthetic. Colton's sandy blonde hair is slicked back to emphasize the 'greaser look,' as he wears a tight black muscle t-shirt and dark jeans to match. I had seen Nina's costume before we left the apartment, but seeing her stand next to Colton now, they are the sheer embodiment of a power couple.

"Like you two can talk! Colton can't keep his hands to himself longer than five minutes." Char chimes in.

"Can you blame me? Have you seen my girl? Total smoke show." He replies, pulling Nina closer. She blushes, smacking his chest at the comment. Char and I can't fight back our smiles. We've been rooting for them to make it work for so long. It's nice to see them back in love.

"Okay enough talk. I got next on the pong table! Who's in?" Noah shouts over the music thumping throughout the house. Both Nina and Colton yell that they're down to play, so we all start to push through the sea of people, finding our way over to the pong table set up in the corner of the living room. Most of the furniture has been pushed out of the way, so there's more space to dance and mingle. I spot Sage and Lily by the table and pull Asher along to greet them.

"Hey guys! Your costumes are killer." I say, loving the looks they put together. Sage is dressed up as the Joker to pair alongside Lily as Harley Quinn. Sage stumbles slightly when she sees us, forcing Lily to hold her upright.

"Sorry, Sage here has had way too much to drink. I kept telling her to not go past her limit, but she's stubborn and chose not to listen to me." Lily rolls her eyes while her girlfriend smiles cheekily.

"I'm not that drunk. She's exaggerating!" Sage slurs her words, chugging more out of her cup. Lily makes a move to steal her drink, but Sage sees it coming, darting out of the way at the last minute. More alcohol ends up on the already sticky floor as Sage laughs hysterically.

"It took you twenty minutes to crawl down the hallway to the bathroom, babe." Lily sighs, trying her best to fight the smile on her face. Asher laughs at his friend as she shoots him a glare.

I'm sorry, what? Crawl?

"It's not my fault that hallway was never ending!" Sage throws her hands up in the air out of frustration, only to end up losing her balance and falling. I'm about to ask if she's okay when she breaks out into another fit of giggles. Lily extends her hand to Sage, helping her back up.

Oh yeah, she's trashed.

"Looks like your friend here can't handle her alcohol."

I groan, recognizing the voice. I turn around and Cara's standing behind us, with a drink in hand. Her costume is basic, a simple sexy schoolgirl. It lacks originality, how fitting. When the beams bouncing off the strobe lights scattered throughout the room highlight her face, I falter, choking back on a snide remark. There's a subtle tint of a blue-purplish bruise by her left eye. It's clear she tried to cover it with makeup, but it's still noticeable.

"Yeah, go fuck yourself Cara." Sage slurs, flipping her off. Lily glares at Cara, pulling her girlfriend away from the scene. I follow their movements, making sure they don't need any help. After they settle on a spot on one of the couches, I focus my attention back on Cara. I don't miss the smirk on her face, clearly happy to have gotten under Sage's skin. She flips her hair in triumph and turns to walk away, but I stop her, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her back. Her smirk drops.

"Cara, what happened to your eye?" I ask. Her face drains of color as she frowns, biting her lip.

"Nothing! The girls dropped me from the top of the pyramid, and I fell. That's all."

It's an obvious lie. One I can spot from a mile away.

"And you landed on your eye?" Asher asks confused.

I notice the change in her mood, as her eyes shift around the room, not meeting my gaze. In that moment, I forget about the tension that has lingered between us all these years. Right now, I find myself worried for an old friend.

Cara doesn't give me a chance to ask again. Yanking her arm from my grasp, she scoffs.

"Like I said, it's nothing. God! Leave well enough alone, Makayla." Her words make me freeze, my blood running ice cold.

Leave well enough alone Makayla.

The same threat the unknown caller made recently.

The exact same words.

"What did you just say?" I manage to spit out, my body shaking. She rolls her eyes before answering.

"God, are you deaf? Just leave me alone. You won, Makayla! Like you always do. Hope you and Asher are happy together." She spits out, venom laced in her tone. I watch her walk away, disappearing into the crowd before I lose sight of her entirely.

Asher turns to me, baffled.

"What was that about?" His question lingers in the air between us, as I find myself replaying the interaction with Cara over in my head.

It had to be a coincidence, knowing deep down Cara isn't the person behind the threats. She's never been the type to plot behind your back; Cara settles on a more sophisticated approach: saying what she thinks right to your face, damn the consequences. Still, her words leave me rattled.

"Nothing." I finally answer, shaking away the intrusive thoughts that are desperately trying to grab my attention. I'm not sure if I'm trying to convince him or myself. I smile up at him before intertwining our hands. As we head over to watch Nina and Colton destroy Char and Noah in beer pong, I let the last few moments fade away, until they are nothing but a distant memory.

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Author's note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As the story continues to unfold, I'm interested to hear all your thoughts.

Who do you think killed Makayla's mom?

Same person sending the texts or different?

Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: I don't know the legality of using established references in works of fiction, but any characters or costumes mentioned are not my own. All rights to original creation.