"Why?"

"Because I said so! Close them!"

I closed them. Mostly. Survival instincts won over obedience.

I heard the soft pad of feet on carpet. The rustle of fabric. The quiet jingling of what might have been bells.

"Open!"

Harlow stood about six feet away, arms spread, wearing the vampire maid costume. The black dress hugged her waist before flaring out at the hips, the skirt hitting mid-thigh. White lace lined the edges. The apron sat tied in a neat bow at her lower back. Red ribbons crisscrossed up her torso. The costume covered everything important, technically.

But the way the fabric clung to her curves, the way the neckline sat just low enough to suggest without showing, the way her legs looked in those black thigh-highs with little bat patterns...

Troublesome.

She twirled, and the skirt lifted slightly. "What do you think?"

"It’s fine."

"Fine?" She stopped spinning, hands on her hips. "Isaiah, I spent six hours on this dress! Fine is not helpful feedback!"

I cleared my throat. "It’s well-constructed. The details are clean. Patterson probably won’t confiscate it."

"But do I look cute?" She tilted her head, her twin tails swinging. "Cute like you’d actually stop at the cafe booth cute?"

"You always look cute, Harlow. That’s your default setting."

Her cheeks flushed pink. "That’s not what I asked."

"It’s the answer you’re getting."

She pouted but returned behind the screen. More rustling. More soft fabric sounds that my brain categorized as dangerous.

"Okay, option two!"

She emerged wearing the zombie maid outfit. Same basic silhouette as the vampire costume, but in grays and whites with strategic tears in the fabric. The makeup was incredible—pale foundation, dark circles under her eyes, glitter highlighting her cheekbones. She’d even added fake blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Zombie Harlow reporting for duty!" She shambled toward me with her arms outstretched, moaning dramatically.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

She broke character immediately, grinning. "You laughed! Mission accomplished!"

"The makeup is impressive."

"Right?" She bounced on her toes, which made the torn fabric flutter. "I watched seventeen YouTube tutorials! And I can teach the other girls! We’ll have a whole zombie army!"

"Terrifying."

"In a cute way though!" She spun again, showing me the back. A zipper ran down the spine, partially undone at the top. "What do you think of the distressing? Too much?"

I stood up to examine the tears more closely. "It’s good. Looks intentional instead of actually damaged."

"That’s the goal!" She beamed up at me. "Controlled chaos!"

Our eyes met. She was standing very close, close enough that I noticed the glitter in her makeup had little silver hearts mixed in. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"One more option," she said, her voice quieter now. "You okay? You look tired."

"I’m always tired."

"That’s sad." She touched my arm. "You should take better care of yourself."

"Add it to the list of things I should do."

"I will." She squeezed my arm once before returning to the screen. "Okay, this last one is... controversial."

"How controversial?"

"Vivienne might actually kill me controversial."

"Maybe skip it."

"Too late! Already committed!" The screen hid her completely this time, and the silence stretched longer than before. Much longer.

My phone buzzed. Iris: u alive?

Me: your betrayal will not be forgotten

Iris: worth it lol. harlow promised me her sailor moon wig

Me: you sold me out for a wig

Iris: ITS A GOOD WIG

I pocketed my phone as Harlow spoke from behind the screen. "Okay so, this one is like, technically modest? But also not? It depends on your definition?"

"Harlow."

"Just... reserve judgment until you see the full vision!" She took a breath. "Ready?"

"No."

"Perfect!"

She stepped out from behind the screen, and my brain stopped working.

The succubus maid costume was... It was...

Purple fabric, dark and rich, cut in a way that followed every curve of her body. The neckline plunged lower than anything I’d seen Harlow wear, exposing the soft swell of her breasts without quite showing anything explicit. The skirt sat dangerously high on her thighs, shorter than the other two costumes by at least four inches. Black lace lined the edges. A heart-shaped cutout over her stomach revealed pale skin. She wore purple thigh-highs with small heart garters. A thin black choker circled her neck.

And on her head sat small purple horns, slightly curved and devilish. Behind her, a heart-shaped tail attached to a belt swished back and forth.

She spun slowly, and the movement made the skirt lift just enough that I had to actively work not to look.

"So?" Her voice came out breathier than normal. "Too much?"

I sat back down. "That is not appropriate for school."

"But is it cute?" She walked closer, her hips swaying slightly. The tail followed the movement. "Be honest."

"It’s not about cute. That costume will get you suspended."

"That’s not what I asked." She stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I had to look up to meet her eyes. "Do you think I look good?"

My mouth went dry. "You know you do."

"I want to hear you say it."

"Harlow—"

"Please?" She leaned forward, hands on my knees for balance. The motion made the neckline dip lower. "You can be honest with me. I won’t tell anyone."

I kept my eyes locked on her face. Her purple eyes sparkled with mischief and something else—something that reminded me uncomfortably of how Cassidy had looked at me yesterday in her room.

"You look good," I said finally. "But you already knew that."

She smiled, slow and satisfied. "Maybe. But it’s different hearing you say it."

"I’m giving you professional feedback on a costume design."

"Sure." She didn’t move. Her hands stayed on my knees. "Professional feedback. That’s why your heart is beating so fast."

"You can’t hear my heart from there."

"Wanna bet?" She leaned closer, her ear moving toward my chest. "I can hear heartbeats from pretty far away. It’s my superpower."

I grabbed her shoulders, stopping her before she could press against me. "The costume is well-made but inappropriate for school. Answer: wear the vampire maid option. It’s sexy without being explicit."

She pouted. "You called it sexy."

"Did I?"

"You said sexy! Out loud! With your actual voice!" She straightened up, bouncing slightly. "That means you think I’m sexy!"