Glee: Race to the Finish (the fifth book in the Glee series)

Chapter 18: Paintball Apocalypse

It's time for the Halloween special! I can't believe I actually wrote it in time! This is only part one but it's the main costume-y part. I've also posted pictures of everyone in their costumes on tumblr so you can look at that on iamarias3.tumblr.com/tagged/halloween if you're interested. Enjoy! The second part will be posted when I'm done partying and can finish writing it :P
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"Ahh, Halloween. The time of year when you're most likely to come across idiots in costumes, doing something they're not supposed to be doing, getting totally wasted and—"

"Who are you talking to?" asked Julie when she joined Ryder at the bar. He had been cleaning the counter and watching people he didn't know flood his club with all sorts of Halloween-related props and decorations.

Ryder turned to Julie, surprised to find her there, and said, "Oh no one. I just sometimes... Sometimes when I'm here alone I narrate just for... It's like a voice over."

"Weird," Julie said, putting her head on her hands and propping her elbow on the slumped down.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Ryder asked. "Party's not until later tonight." He didn't make eye contact with her. Ever since Marley had brought up their romantic past, he'd been avoiding her and now that Halloween had come around, she was bound to be showing her face around him so he tried not to show how awkward he was feeling.

"Well, just getting some peace and quiet," she explained. "I have to go home and get ready in a bit so I thought I'd stop by and talk to the only person in the world who isn't going crazy about the Lima Apocalypse."

Ryder laughed. In an effort to raise their group's spirit, as well as community participation, Kitty had been planning a city-wide event. It combined the greatness of a zombie apocalypse with good old fashioned paintball. Children were not allowed to participate so the town had eventually voted down on her idea. Principal Figgins, however, did not oppose to having it be an event out on the McKinley campus, which was one of the largest lots in town. The school had then been converted into the gaming zone for Kitty and her friends to use in an ultimate showdown.

"Did you get your costume already?" Ryder asked.

Julie nodded. "Sure did," she said. "I wanted to do a matching disco thing with Sam but he had his heart set on being a Bohemian so now I have an extra suit lying around my place."

"Hey, Marley's doing a 70s thing, too," Ryder said. "I didn't get a costume because I didn't think I'd be getting the night off but I did and... Maybe you can help me match with her after all..?"

"You want to wear my extra costume?" she asked. "Well... Ok! Sure, that sounds great! But just as a warning you should know that it's essentially a hippie man version of what I'm wearing?"

He shrugged. "I'm alright with that," he said. And he was because otherwise it would mean that Marley's concerns were with good reason and the last thing he wanted was for that to be true.

***

"Are you sure I don't look ridiculous?" asked Riley when she came out of the restroom dressed as a cowgirl, with a hat, boots and everything.

At the sight of her in pigtails, Kitty giggled and said, "You look awesome and super hot, young lady! This is going to be great. Let me fix up your skirt though, it's folded at the bottom."

As Kitty did helped her out, Riley said, "Thanks for letting the New Directions in on the game, again. It'll be fun for us to all hang out when we don't want to kill each other for roles or stupid high school things. Shooting each other with paintballs should help."