“Trick or treat,” he said meaningfully. Steve frowned at first, wondering what he meant, and then understood that Rick had something to share with him. They had split a pint of bourbon once, and a bottle of wine, and hadn’t gotten caught. “Behind the tree line,” Rick whispered again. It was where they had done it before, and Steve nodded, looking pleased by Rick’s suggestion, as he helped himself to a handful of candy on the way out. There were miniature Snickers bars and KitKats, M&M’s, Tootsie Pops, and Hershey’s Kisses. The new athletic director had gone all out and spent her own money on it, as a gift to the kids.
Gabe came up behind them then, and Steve passed the message to him. “Behind the tree line.” Gabe got it immediately, and the three of them headed toward a seldom-used path that was a shortcut to some maintenance buildings. It was more frequented this year, because it was also a shortcut to the girls’ dorms, which some of them had discovered. But there was no one walking there now.
The trees provided a solid wall, beyond which there was a clearing, and a cluster of tall old trees with heavy roots. It was a secluded spot that no one ever went to. All three boys were strong enough to push through the bushes that reinforced the tree line, and with a few leaves sticking to them here and there, they walked into the clearing and laughed in anticipation of what they were about to do.
“So what’s the treat?” Steve asked Rick, keeping his voice down, so no one venturing down the path would hear them. But the maintenance staff was off by then, and most of the girls seemed to travel the more obvious paths to their dorms.
“Courtesy of my father’s bar,” Rick said, pulling a silver flask out of his jacket pocket with a grin. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and windbreaker and black jeans that had been part of his pirate costume a little earlier. They could see the flask clearly in the moonlight.
“What’s in it?” Gabe asked, as Rick took the first swig himself.
“Vodka,” Rick answered and handed it to him. Gabe took a swallow and handed it to Steve, who drank from it too.
“Trick or treat, gentlemen,” Rick said and all three of them laughed, and then stood still and listened as they heard voices on the path. They were male voices, and they recognized them immediately. Steve ran over to the tree line, peeked through a narrow opening, and called through the bushes in a stage whisper.
“Hey!” Chase and Jamie were on the other side, and stopped walking when they heard him. “Trick or treat!”
“What are you, a freshman?” Chase said with a grin.
“Come on in,” Steve invited them.
“What are you doing in there? We were heading there too.” Without hesitating, Jamie and Chase pressed through the trees and bushes as the other three had, and looked at them smiling. “You’re having a party and didn’t invite us?” Chase was carrying a backpack, and all five of them walked away from the bushes and went to sit under the enormous tree with the gnarled roots. Steve almost tripped over one of them, as the vodka started to take effect. They all sat down on the ground, and Chase set down his backpack and Steve handed them the flask. Both newcomers took a drink.
“Sissy stuff,” Chase said as he handed back the flask, opened his backpack, and pulled out a full bottle, while the others’ eyes grew wide. Rick slipped the flask back in his pocket.
“What is that?” Rick asked, intrigued at the prospect.
“Tequila. I figured maybe we could have a little farewell party before graduation and it might come in handy,” Chase said with a grin. “But we decided to have a few shots tonight. Looks like you had the same idea.”
“And you had it in your room?” Gabe looked shocked. He wouldn’t have dared bring alcohol to the school or hide it in his room. He thought Chase was gutsy to do it.
“Locked in my trunk. I carry the key. We figured we’d give it a try tonight and save the rest for later. Everyone’s so busy with the haunted house, no one’s going to notice anything.” He and Jamie had talked about it before they left their dorm, their rooms were side by side, but they wouldn’t dare drink it there. The clearing behind the tree line was the perfect location for a little mischief. Having a few drinks on Halloween sounded like fun to them.
Chase opened the bottle and handed it to Jamie, who took a drink and made a face as it seared his throat. It was the strongest drink he’d ever had, and a lot stronger than the vodka.
“Not bad, huh?” Chase commented. “I tried it last year when my parents told me they were getting a divorce.” He looked serious for a minute, took a swig himself, and passed it to Rick, who took a longer drink and passed it around. It made him feel manly and confident.
“Wow, that’s strong stuff,” Steve said and took another swallow of the liquid in the bottle. It made the rounds again between the five of them. By their third drink of it, they were all starting to feel a buzz, and then stopped dead when they heard a high voice singing on the path.
“Shit, girls,” Rick whispered, and they all sat quietly waiting for the voice to pass, and then realized that it was a male voice singing in Chinese. They recognized it immediately.
“Tommy,” they all said in unison and laughed as they ran back soundlessly to the tree line, peeked through the bushes, and saw him carrying his violin case.
“Hey, Yee!” Jamie said through the trees. Tommy nearly jumped a foot, and for a minute thought it was a ghost. He was on his way to practice at the music lab, since he had promised his parents he would every night.
“Who is that?” he asked, looking terrified, talking into the bushes.
“It’s us, get in here,” Chase said boldly, and they were all grinning. Tommy had gone through all four years with them and they liked him, and once in a while he hung out with them, when he wasn’t studying. They pushed the bushes apart for him, and pulled him through, as he looked around the group and grinned. He saw that he was among friends.
“I thought you were a ghost,” he said, smiling at them. “What are you doing in here?” But he could guess. He’d been at the wine party with them in the same place the year before. They only broke the alcohol rule about once a year, for a special occasion.
“A little trick or treating.” They all went back under the tree and sat down. This time, Rick and Steve stumbled over the roots. The tequila had begun to give them a warm glow. It was a cold night and none of them cared. Chase handed Tommy the tequila bottle, and he looked impressed.
“Whoa, you guys have upgraded, that’s strong shit.”
“Try it,” Chase said. Tommy took a cautious sip and made an awful face.
“I’ve got vodka if you want it,” Rick offered. He held out the flask again, and Tommy took a sip of that too. They continued passing both bottles around between the six of them, but eventually they stuck with the tequila. It tasted worse, but the effect was stronger. They hadn’t intended to get drunk, just to get a little buzz on, but sharing it among them, they’d had more to drink than they realized. Rick was lying on the ground with his head on a tree root, grinning to himself and then at the others.