Page 54 of Incompatible

The last period gets canceled, since everyone’s being let out early to set up for the Halloween party in the evening.

I won’t deny it, I’m already excited. I love listening to Bay perform, and I know he practiced like crazy for this.

???

When we’re dropped off in the school parking lot, we’re already in our costumes, the full versions we planned out, and Bay reallydoes look convincing with the white makeup, the darkened eyes, the bluish lips, and that fake scar drawn across his cheek. He also has a pair of black wings with red streaks on them, hanging a little to the left. Definitely a creative mix.

My costume is different, even though I’m in pale makeup too, with the shadows on my face deepened and sharpened so I look more skeletal, but I aimed for the way an undead lich or necromancer might look. I’ve got a bone crown on my head and a chain of small skulls across my chest, and the long dark-purple robe is supposed to represent my necromancer distinction or whatever.

When we step out onto the parking lot, there’s already a pretty big crowd of kids in every kind of costume imaginable, but we stick together as we head into the gym. It’s covered in Halloween decorations, and Bay wants to double-check with the band that everything’s plugged in right, from the sound system to the mics.

People start gathering slowly. Music plays in the background, popular songs everyone knows, and some kids are already dancing, but the main event of the night is the band’s performance. I walk up to Bay because I know they’re about to begin.

"Good luck, Bay, you’ll be amazing," I tell him with a wide smile.

"Thanks, Alex." Suddenly he hesitates and grabs my hand.

"Wait."

He opens his mouth, then closes it again, and I can see him fighting with something inside himself. Then he leans in out of nowhere and plants a quick, soft kiss on my lips.

But not just one. I can’t believe it.

Bay freezes, doesn’t pull back, but does it again, and this time it isn’t just a peck, it’s a real kiss, short but definitely real. Our lips brush and shift against each other, and I swear I feelthe lightest flick of his tongue before he straightens quickly, and even under the makeup I can see him blushing.

I stop breathing for a second. I stare at him, stunned, not understanding what just happened, and I see the embarrassment flood his face, so I try to rescue him as fast as I can.

"I guess every zombie feels an instinctive pull toward the necromancer who controls them, right?" I tilt my head with a small smile.

Bay exhales like he’s been holding his breath, almost relieved by my joke.

"That’s true. You’re a very convincing necromancer. Please allow me to be your loyal undead servant…"

"Go infect a bunch of minds with your… music," I say, throwing out a cringey line and patting his arm lightly even though my heart is blasting in my chest. What just happened?

I smile and walk away like nothing’s unusual, but inside me something is shifting fast. Maybe… maybe there’s a chance things could finally change between us. I saw it in his face, the way he fought with himself all day. Bay never struggles to talk about anything except this one thing, the thing that concerns us.

I’m almost certain he wanted to say something, maybe suggest changing our status. The excitement is wild, and I can’t wait for the performance to be over.

The Halloween event is split into two parts, the band’s set first and then regular music from the speakers, with dancing, games, contests, and the vote for best horror couple with the best costume. It goes on for hours, and I can’t wait for later.

Soon Bay starts playing, and holy shit, he looks so freaking good. His long red hair falls over his shoulders in a thick wave, and even with the zombie makeup he’s still the most handsome alpha I’ve ever seen.

During the more upbeat and cheerful songs, he pulls the strings inside the costume and his black wings rise and spread out to the sides, which gets an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

When I first met him, it was just a dumb crush, but now that I’m sixteen, something in me has shifted, and I think about things I shouldn’t be thinking about, wondering what would happen if we were actually dating. My skin feels hot just imagining it, my pulse jumps, so I try to shake the thoughts loose by jumping in place to the music, waving my arms, clapping along, doing anything so I don’t drift too far into fantasies.

I need to be patient. We’ll see what happens after the event, if Bay and I finally have some kind of serious talk.

The last song starts, and I’m jumping around like crazy because the excitement is eating me alive. I can still feel that kiss, and it definitely wasn’t just a kiss between friends, more… passionate. No way. I’m so hyped I start overheating, and the crowd is yelling for an encore, clapping so hard it sounds like thunder.

I need to cool down before I do something stupid like running onto the stage and kissing him back the moment he steps off, way too hungrily. So I slip outside to the parking lot to breathe a little.

There aren’t many people out here; most are still inside since the band’s playing. I walk down the stairs, planning to sit on one of the benches by the little patch of grass, and I drop onto the closest one. That’s when I notice a group of people in Halloween masks heading my way. I don’t think much of it, but one thing is certain.

I’m making a huge mistake.

While I’m busy taking deep breaths, two of the alphas step up, bend over, grab my arms and lift me right off the bench.