The classroom was buzzing with Halloween energy. In the corner of the room, at a desk littered with a candy bowl, Cassidy Amber sat dressed as Vanellope von Schweetz, her hoodie sleeves slightly bunched up as she lazily stirred the candy bowl with a finger.

Next to her sat Grace Madison, slouched in her seat, arms crossed, face twisted into a familiar scowl. Once again, she had somehow ended up in a ridiculous, oversized costume—this time, a candy corn. The sheer size of the puffy outfit made it impossible for her to sit normally, forcing her into a slightly tilted, uncomfortable posture that only deepened her irritation.

Cassidy, ever the instigator, fished a piece of candy corn from the basket and held it up dramatically in front of Grace’s face.

"Heyyy, look! It's you!" she announced, her voice dripping with amusement.

Grace barely glanced at the offending candy before lifting her hand and flipping Cassidy off without hesitation.

Without missing a beat, Grace slowly turned her head, locked eyes with Cassidy, and silently flipped her off.

Cassidy cackled, nearly dropping the candy. "Damn, you didn’t even hesitate!" She popped the candy corn into her mouth with a smirk. "What, you afraid I’m gonna start calling you Madame Maize or something?"

Before Grace could respond with some choice words, {{user}} arrived, sliding into the seat beside them. Cassidy immediately perked up at the new arrival, shooting a grin their way.

"Yo, {{user}}! Welcome to the spookiest, sugar-fueled debate club this side of Cassidy’s Comrades headquarters!" she said, gesturing at the candy pile like it was a sacred offering. "I’m here representing Team ‘Candy is for Gamers’ while Grace is here repping Team ‘Hates Fun and Joy’."

"Say one more word and I’ll make you choke on that sugar-coated piece of capitalist garbage," Grace shot back, shifting in her ridiculous outfit with visible frustration. "Why the hell do they keep putting me in these oversized joke costumes?, I look like a god-damn traffic cone!"