with a sigh, cassie finished her hair and moved it down her chest, scanning herself in the mirror. it was straightened, with a bit of both front sides clasped by the middhe of the back of her head — providing it with a little more volume. alex opened the bathroom door and made a dramtic showing of her outfit.

"black widow? really?" cassie smiled and looked at her roommate.

"just because you don't want to wear a proper costume." alex pouted with a huff and crossed her arms together.

"you're not even wearing a red wig." cassie pointed out and raised her eyebrows a little.

"they were all so ugly and looked worn out. it's either black widow or sexy army commander costume."

"original."

"hey, i was on the verge of buying a swat police costume." alex laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"oh dear god. i would've actually hit you." cassie said truthfully and stared at her, loathing the typical police outfit.

"i think vanessa's wearing some baseboll outfit."

"come on!" she whined and leaned her body against the wall. "what happened to wearing actual costumes? i swear, if i see one person tonight with a thoughtful and creative outfit, i'll applaud that person."

"halloween's the only time of the year when you're allowed to dress slutty without being judged." alex quoted with her back straightened.

"such a stupid saying. if you want to wear short shorts and crop tops daily, do it. it's your goddamn body." cassie repeated, like she had done so many times before.

"unfortunately, not everyone thinks like that." alex sighed and stood up, caressing cassie's upper arms shortly. "i'm gonna' change to my army costume. this one's too tight and leather-y."

cassie nodded while smiling and watched her friend disappear back into the bathroom. she made sure her simple, black dress sat tight against her body before she grabbed the mask and waited for alex.

the two finally walked to where the party was held at and greeted jason quickly as they entered. vanessa soon joined them — indeed wearing a golden, black and white baseball costume — and offered them each a drink.

"why so boring?" vanessa pouted as she eyed cassie quickly. the two girls still nagged at cassie every halloween because she wouldn't properly dress up.

"i couldn't think of something different and unique, so i settled with this."

"you're an artist."

"yeah, but i'm not so keen about halloween, so i don't really find anything inspirational. although, i was just giving it a thought to go as princess jasmine, but."

"next year, we're making her wear something more halloween-ish." alex mumbled and drank from her cup.

"i'm not going to wear a 'sexy' costume, made from a serious profession." cassie air-quoted the word with her fingers and gazed at them. "the only acceptable outfit would be a cave woman."

"you're unbelievable."

"unbelievably gorgeous." cassie joked with a smirk and drank some.

they hung out for quite a while just like on any other party, which was fun. cassie excused herself to get some more beer, but was soon overwhelmed by a cold feeling down her chest.

"shit, i am so sorry." a guy apologized. she sighed and looked up, but he was wearing a full-on face mask.

without saying anything, cassie just hurried over to the nearest bathroom and grabbed some paper to dry away the liquid with. when the door behind her slowly opened, she glanced up at the mirror and barely pouted.

the person was wearing a mummy costume, hiding everything except for the eyes and mouth, and judging from the physical form, it was a guy. he stood still for a moment before standing beside her and washing his hands.

"i guess having no toilet paper isn't a problem for you." she smiled and raised her eyebrows, well aware of how bad the joke was.

"no, but it'd be quite disgusting if i dried myself with my clothing." he laughed and wiped his hands dry. "you know you're in the men's room, right?"

cassie frowned and looked around her, as if it would reveal a hidden sign. she vocally huh-ed and then shrugged carelessly.

"someone spilled a drink over me. i don't really have time to prioritate whether or not i should go to the bathroom where you're only allowed to enter if you have boobs. or vice verse."

"since i'm a human toilet paper, a hug would probably have solved your problem."

"smooth, imhotep." she snorted and turned to look at him; he didn't seem to catch onto what she meant. "imhotep? the mummy in universal's the mummy movies? the villain?"

"right. haven't seen those."

"oh lord."

matt had never seen the mummy movies, and he definitely had no idea who imhotep was. he just knew that she didn't recognize him — how would she though? so he deepened his voice and tried to momentarily drop the accent.

"sorry." he apologized with a shrug and smiled.

"i don't think many people know this, but the real imhotep was far from a bad guy." she laughed and folded her arms together. "he was actually king djoser's chancellor, architect and a high priest. he designed the pyramid of djoser in saqqara, which is the very first pyramid ever."

"i didn't know that the men's room had turned into a history lesson." he smirked and then cocked his head sideways. "but insteresting. i didn't know that."

"you don't even know who movie imhotep is." she deadpanned and raised her eyebrows.

"true."

"his name means 'he who comes in peace', which is a total opposite to what movie imhotep was like."

"can we continue this conversation somewhere else but in here?" he asked and motioned to the door.

cassie laughed through her nose before nodding and exiting the room. matt followed closely behind and sheepishly smiled when she moved to the stairs instead.

"there's so many people downstairs, hopefully we'll be a bit more... alone here." she mumbled and took in their surroundings. "and i was right."

"why, wanna' make out?" he snorted and she just made a face.

"i'd have to be extremely wasted for that to happen. no offense." she joked with sly eyes and sat down on a couch, taking off the mask.

"none taken." he frowned with his lips as he leaned against the wall with crossed arms, looking at her. "and just to be sure, you're cassie. right?"

"yeah. now tell me who you are." she almost demanded and barely puckered with her lips.

"you said it yourself. i'm imhotep." he teased. she weakly smirked while shaking her head a bit, not so surprised.

"alright... will you let me be the anck su namun to your imhotep?"

"anck su na-what?" he crinkled with his nose, causing her to laugh a little.

"anck su namun. it's a name. imhotep's lover."

"oh. will you be the leia to my han so i don't have to be solo?"

"nice one. although, i have never seen star wars and i never will." she confessed and shrugged shamelessly.

"oh lord." he copied her words quietly and placed himself beside her instead.

"it just doesn't seem like a movie for me. i love aliens, and sci-fi, but those movies are just so overhyped and i don't want to watch them anymore."

"one day, i'm gonna' make you watch them."

"good luck." she scoffed and turned her head to him. "i don't even know your real name and you're already planning our future?"

"yes. i'll also make you watch the other movies and not just the original one." he laughed and nodded.

cassie giggled briefly while again shaking her head. she stood up from the couch and moved over to all the wooden and old-looking cabinets instead, searching through them.

"you don't fancy beer that much, right?" she asked and pulled out a wine bottle.

"no, but isn't that stealing?" he retorted and sloppily pointed at her.

"borrowing." she grinned satisfied and grazed her teeth against her bottom lip, turning around gracefully with the bottle in her hand. "this is much better than cheap beer."

"if we get caught, it's on you." he joked and got them two glasses from another cabinet.

"of course it is." she playfully rolled her eyes and sat down beside him again.

cassie poured some wine in both glasses, licking her bottom lip inside her mouth. she and matt looked at each other before stupidly toasting and taking a sip from it.

"okay, you're right. this is way better than the drinks downstairs." he agreed and rested his arms against his lightly separated legs.

"i know. but nothing beats a breezer though." she pouted and drank a bit more.

"melon is my favorite flavour." he smiled, and she shot her eyes up at him.

"melon is amazing. and then pineapple and mango." she laughed, and he nodded.

"we're bonding over alcohol." he chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"better than bonding over nothing."

"cheers to that." she smiled as he clicked their glasses again, very carefully so he wouldn't break them.

"do you have an all time favorite song?" she asked curiously after a few seconds. he thought for a short moment before answering.

"i... don't know. i like a lot of songs. you?"

"i think that my favorite is hallelujah. and my favorite version of it is rufus wainwright's, from shrek." she answered quietly and gazed at him.

"why?" he smiled and looked back at her. she didn't think he'd ask that, so automatically she inhaled sharply and straightened her back.

"that's a very long story with different versions. which one do you want?"

"all of them."

cassie stared at him before looking down and pursing her lips. she considered telling him — even though she had no idea who he was. she just felt naturally comfortable with him. and besides, who would he tell?

"okay, so first of all, shrek is one of my favorite movies ever. they're just so funny and great, all of them. except the fourth one maybe, that was a disappointment."

"i've only watched the two first ones. but yeah, the song is pretty good in that movie."

"yeah. so it's a part of my childhood. second version; i learned that song on piano when i was younger. not my choice, my pianist wanted to me learn it. and i did. thanks to that song, i didn't quit playing piano for a very long time." she smiled and moved away some loose strands of hair from her cheek.

"and the third?" he asked carefully and had a concerned expression on his face. maybe he shouldn't have asked.

"i once had a neighbor, a little girl who was nine. her name was harper. i liked her the second i met her because she was just... so kind and funny. she sometimes heard me play that song when she would come over, and it instantly became one of her favorites. we spent almost every day with each other until..."

"you don't have to continue if you don't want to." he quickly said, regretting asking her since he started to feel bad.

"i have to spill this to someone eventually." she forced a smile and waved it off, inhaling a deep breath. "i had just come home when i heard it. the sound of a girl screaming and a car door closing. some drunk idiot didn't see her coming, and she didn't have the time to process what was happening. i'll never forget it, because i ran over to her and drove her to the hospital. i sat with her in that room every day for weeks because i loved her like a little sister. and even though i knew what was going to happen to her... the day that screen showed a flatline was the worst day of my life. that song reminds me of her, our happy times, and she adored it. i was quite heartbroken, but the song only makes me repeat happy memories in my mind."

cassie hadn't realized it, but she was staring straight forward as she spoke. her eyes weren't particularly glossy or red, but a tear rolled down her cheek anyway.

matt swallowed before doubtfully seizing her hand in his. he didn't feel as bad for asking now, seeing as she probably needed to get this of off her chest if she hadn't told this story before.

she looked at him again and studied everything she could see of his face. after squeezing his hand gently, she leaned her head against his shoulder at the same time as he wrapped an arm around her soothingly.

"i'm so sorry, cassie." he whispered and caressed her arm.

"so am i. however, i'm not grieving anymore, not like i used to. i've reached the acceptance state now, and as much as i hate it, i'm fine. i mean, i know she passed happy. but she was nine years old."

"shit unfairly happens to good people, and it sucks. i don't know how it feels to lose someone, but i can bet she loved you just as much as you loved her — if not more. i'm glad you told me this, seems like you needed to."

"thanks, imhotep." she pulled a genuine smile and peered up at him. "but i doubt you came to this party to comfort me, so let's dance."

cassie stood up and stretched down both hands, still smiling. matt grabbed her hands and then followed her back downstairs where everyone else were. she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and dragged him to the dance floor, spinning around to face him.

"isn't it annoying to have so much hair?" he asked while they danced — properly danced together, not grinding against each other like many other teenagers did around them.

"sometimes." she laughed when her back collided with his chest softly. "but i love it most of the time. and wow, i've never seen a mummy with moves like you. mummies can barely walk most of the time."

"my ex used to take dance lessons, so she taught me some." he grinned and swayed them side to side for a moment.

"smart girlfriend." she frowned with her lips in an impressed way and spun around to face him.

"yeah, she was– i mean, is. she's still smart, just not–"

"i get it." she smiled and stopped him from rambling.

"how long have you been cheerleading?" he asked and leaned her down, a hand against her back.

"a few years. i think i started the year before high school after quitting gymnastics." she answered and smiled widely when he brought her back close to him.

"uh huh."

cassie just continued smiling and dancing. she would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't enjoying the moment with this stranger. her eyes travelled among the other people surrounding them; she thought that maybe she could use her brain and figure out who she was dancing with by seeing the others.

the result was a fail, despite the fact that she knew every student to heart. with a sigh escaping her lips, she gazed back up at him and smiled softly.

"are you hungry too?" cassie asked after a while and looked up at him with a strange expression, almost as if she knew he was.

"a little. but there's only beer here."

"we could sneak out, get something to eat, and then come back?" she suggested and let go of his hands.

"sure, why not?" he laughed and nodded. "i just need to visit the bathroom one more time."

matt disappeared into the bathroom again, which gave cassie some time to go and get her black bomber jacket. she made sure she had her phone and credit card before looking up — only to get completely scared by someone with a zombie costume.

she couldn't suppress her weak and husky scream, or her slight jump backwards. the guy took off the head mask and playfully grinned, revealing a satisfied mason.

"for fuck's sake, mason!" she yelled and gave him a weak push.

"i'm sorry, i had to." he chuckled and shrugged. "you're so easily scared, it always works."

"i hate you." she muttered and put her hands in her jacket pockets. "and i hate halloween."

"how does one hate halloween?" he asked and raised one of his eyebrows.

"it's scary and people only celebrate it to get candy, or in our case, party and get drunk."

"yeah? why do you celebrate it then?" he laughed and folded his arms together.

"remembering the dead. like you're supposed to." she smiled and glanced behind her shoulder, noticing matt waiting by the door. "anyway, i'm gonna' leave now."

cassie quickly turned around and left, dragging matt with her. the two escaped the ear deafening house and walked in silence towards the nearest fast food place.

"so what do you want to eat?" he asked after a while and looked at her.

"pizza must be the easiest, right?"

"right."

the rest of the short walk was spent in silence. a comfortable one. they both needed some time to just be quiet— especially cassie. she had never shared that story before, except for with her parents and brother. she didn't regret telling imhotep though.

cassie looked up when they finally reached a pizzeria and entered as matt held the door open out of habit. the man behind the counter averted his eyes to them from his notepad and smiled, evidently suppressing a laughter. he cleared his throat and straightened his back before talking.

"hello."

"hi." cassie laughed quietly and glanced at matt. "how big is your pepperoni pizza?" she asked while forming a circle with her hands.

"like... around this..." the employee made his own circle with his hands, but bigger.

"are you the type to eat an entire one for yourself?" she asked matt and halfway turned around.

"definitely not. so yeah, we can share one." he smiled and barely nudged her body.

"okay." she laughed and turned to the man again. "one pepperoni."

"alright. it'll take ten minutes or so."

the two nodded before sitting down and waiting, again in silence. they scrolled down their phones to occupy themselves until the man called out for them.

cassie thanked him and held the pizza, both her and matt paying together. she flipped her hair behind her shoulder quickly and left the place with matt.

"where do we eat this? we can't go inside the party but i don't want to be far from it."

"we could climb up to the roof." he suggested, causing her to widen her brown eyes.

"illegal."

"come on, no one's gonna' see us. and if we don't do any harm, it shouldn't be illegal."

after a minute or two, cassie sighed in defeat and allowed him to lead her up a ladder that reached the enoughly flat roof. they sat by the edge; eating and small talking, cassie dangling with her legs in the air and matt admiring how beautiful she was, and easy to conversate with.

"you know..." she started and swallowed the piece of pizza she had chewed. "i kinda like you, imhotep. and that's going to be a problem if you won't tell me who you are by the end of the night." she confessed, staring at him. he just smiled softly at her.

needless to say, matt never told her who he was.

-

a/n

heeey guys

im posting this now so i can finish my homework and do boring stuff

have a nice day, hope you like it, bye ^^