The Multitudes Within Me (Sequel to The Sound of Ice)

4

On Halloween, at least half of my professors are dressed up, most of them as as some nerdy science pun. Mrs. Howard isn't, of course. She doesn't even crack a smile before starting the lecture. If anything, she gives us more homework than normal.

The campus is muddy and cold, a chill settled over the city. Still, that doesn't damper anyone's spirits about the holiday. It's all anyone seems to be talking about - what the plans are for tonight, who's wearing what, who's going where.

After my last afternoon class, I manage to fall asleep in the dorms until someone pounds on the door. I jerk awake, blinking groggily, fumbling to pause the old movie murmuring quietly on my laptop. "Come in?"

Eliza sticks her head in. "Hey. Where's your costume?"

I rub my eyes, my head spinning. Shit, that was a good nap. "I - what? Nonexistent?"

Her mouth drops open. "What?"

"I don't really dress up for Halloween."

"That's the entire point of Halloween, Sam."

"What are you going to be?"

"My roommate and I - you know Julie - we're going as cowgirls."

"Oh. Neat."

Eliza shrugs, bored. "It was Julie's idea. I wanted something cooler, but Julie was dead set on cowgirls."

"No, cowgirls are really cool."

She grins, rolling her eyes. "Shut up. That's not the problem here, anyways. The problem is that you don't have a costume."

"It doesn't really matter," I say. "Lots of people don't wear costumes. Besides, I won't stay at the party long. I'm tired."

Eliza marches in the dorm and flings open the wardrobe, her ponytail bouncing. I sit up straight, yawning, and watch her comb through my limited collection of clothes.

"How many hoodies do you have?" she asks, flicking through the hangers.

"Three, I think."

"Okay, rhetorical question. Hey - what about this?" She pulls out Cameron's jersey, and my face burns. She notices and smiles.

"That's not - that's -"

"I know," she says. "It's your boyfriend's. But why not wear it tonight? You can be a hockey player." She holds it up and inspects the jersey, the blue and white cloth stitched with Cameron's name. "Beckett," she reads out loud. "Twenty-one."

"I'm not going as my boyfriend for Halloween," I say. "That's weird. Why can't I just go as an English major or something?"

She throws the jersey at me and I catch it clumsily, hugging it to my chest. I like the feel of the fabric underneath my fingertips.

"I'm gonna go get dressed, and I'll be back in an hour," Eliza says. "You better be dressed up!" She winks theatrically before leaving the dorm room. As the door swings shut behind her, I flop back on my bed and breath in the jersey.

~

An hour later, I'm wearing the jersey. Technically it works out, since Cameron has a game tonight. He has games all the time now - Toronto tonight, then New York in a couple days, then Florida, then Raleigh, then Nashville - he's always travelling, always on the road, always playing hockey. I think he's loving it. And I'm so happy for him, especially after all the shit he went through last year.

Eliza, Julie, and I walk to some frat house, and I tuck my hands in my hoodie pockets, exhaling white clouds. I should've brought something heavier than a light jacket. The evening air is cold, trees whistling in the breeze, and nearby dormitories are lit up brightly.