The New Girl

[October] - Halloween

"Joe you've got to help me out," Oli stressed as he paced back and forth in Joe's bedroom. "Evie wants to be sexy for Halloween and I want to be Captain America."

"So be a sexy Captain America," Joe snorted. "I'm sure they sell costumes that are literally called that."

"Yeah that's what Evie bought me, but that totally takes away from the authenticity of the character," Oli paused his pacing to glare across the room toward his friend who was now fighting the urge to laugh.

"Sure, right, of course," Joe nodded solemnly. "Must remain authentic."

"What are you being?" Oli sighed, flopping down on his back onto Joe's bed.

Joe shrugged, "I don't know."

"Joe," Oli gaped up toward him, "Halloween is in two days."

"So?"

"So...so you have to figure out what you're going to be!" Oli exclaimed. "Caspar and Ambar are being Prince Charming and Cinderella. Evie is being Captain Marvel and I'm being Captain America--"

"SEXY Captain America," Joe interjected, smirking as Oli huffed in annoyance.

"So you and Dianne have to pick--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Joe interrupted again, holding his hands up quickly. "Why did you loop me and Dianne in together?"

"Because last I heard, she doesn't have a costume yet either," Oli rolled his eyes as if that was the most obvious statement in the world. "And since we're all going to Byron's party together, you might as well coordinate otherwise it will be two cool couples and two weirdos."

"Maybe we don't want to wear costumes," Joe quirked up an eyebrow. "Ever think about that?"

Oli smirked, "Oh so you ARE looping Dianne in with you? Have you two talked about this already?"

Joe shifted uncomfortably in his desk chair. Over the last few months he'd dealt with the quiet teasing from his roommates about Dianne - at first he'd taken it in stride. It wasn't unusual to get some casual ribbing from mates, especially when he was a single guy who got along with a single girl. But lately, the jokes had begun to wear on his quickly thinning skin, and he wasn't sure why. He'd told himself it was because it had become nearly constant - any time he even so much as brushed up against Dianne while passing her in the hall or reaching over her to grab something out of the kitchen cabinet, or just greeting her with a polite hello - he'd receive a wink, a quiet catcall in his ear, or a knowing look from his roommates. He'd even caught Evie doing it lately, which only infuriated him more. It was like they were in on some inside joke and had left him - and Dianne - out of it.

Sure, he and Dianne seemed to get along rather well - when they weren't bickering, of course, though he found himself enjoying those arguments too. He liked spending time with her, but he also liked spending time with all of his roommates. And that's all she was - his roommate. A definitely more attractive roommate. But roommate nonetheless.

"So you HAVE talked about it," Oli's loud voice interrupted his train of thought, as he slightly shook his head.

"No," he shook his head even harder, "I have not talked to Dianne about what she's being for Halloween. Why would I have done that?"

"Well, at least find out so you don't clash with her," Oli rolled his eyes.

"Clash?" Joe asked dubiously, getting ready to kick his not-so-lovely roommate out of his room.

"Yeah, you don't want to show up as like...a zookeeper and Dianne a tiger," Oli shrugged.

Joe stared at his friend for a second, "That...that doesn't clash, Ol, those two costumes go together."