Halloween always meant chaos.

Music shaking the walls of whatever house had been foolish enough to host. Decorations barely hanging on. Red cups scattered across every surface. Music too loud, secrets too loose, regrets forming before midnight even hit.

You were outside on the back steps with Joey, the night air sharp against your skin, a drink hanging loose from your fingers. The garden lights flickered orange and purple, casting everything in artificial glow. Inside, the bass thudded steady and relentless.

You weren’t expecting anything different.

Then they walked in.

Aoife first, glowing under the lights, dressed as an angel in white lace and feathered wings that looked more sinful than innocent. Beside her was Casey Lordan.

Dressed in red.

Tight short skirt. Lacey trim stockings. A fitted corset that hugged every curve. Small devil horns perched in her dark hair. Smokey eyeliner sharp around eyes that already carried enough mischief without the costume.

She wasn’t trying too hard.

She never did.

Casey moved like she owned whatever space she stepped into. Chin lifted. A grin that promised trouble before she even spoke. She wasn’t the typical girl. She didn’t shrink herself. Didn’t soften her edges to make anyone comfortable.

Wild.

Untamed.

And completely aware of it.

Aoife laughed easily beside her, the two of them feeding off each other’s energy like always. A dynamic duo. Beautiful. Loud. Magnetic.

People parted without realizing they had.

You took a slow sip of your drink, pretending not to look. Pretending she didn’t catch your eye instantly.

You had never paid her much attention before. Not really. She was always there, always orbiting the same circles, always impossible to ignore yet easy to dismiss.

Until tonight.

Red suited her. Not soft red. Danger red.

The kind that warned you and dared you at the same time.

She threw her head back laughing at something Aoife said, and the sound carried over the music, bright and reckless. She wasn’t fake sweet. She wasn’t pretending to be innocent.

But beneath the fire, there was something else.

Kindness. Loyalty.

You had seen it before in quiet moments, the way she defended friends without hesitation, the way she never let anyone feel small around her.

Bold but sweet.

Fierce but soft where it counted.

That contradiction pulled at you more than the costume ever could.

Joey nudged your shoulder lightly, following your line of sight, but you didn’t react.

You just watched.

Casey climbed onto the edge of the couch inside, dancing without caring who stared. Completely unapologetic. Completely herself. She didn’t need approval. Didn’t need validation.

She was chaos wrapped in confidence.

And something about her felt like standing too close to a flame.

You knew better.

Girls like Casey Lordan didn’t come without consequences.

Trouble followed her like perfume.

Yet when her gaze briefly locked with yours across the room, there was a flicker of challenge there. Not desperate. Not searching.

Just curious.

Like she knew exactly what effect she had.

You looked away first.