Chapter Twelve 🎃

A'ja Wilson

The October air in Vegas had that perfect crisp feel as I adjusted my white wig one last time in the mirror. Jordyn had insisted we throw a Halloween party at our place, and somehow she'd managed to convince the whole team – and then some – to go all out with their costumes.

"Baby, you seen my purple contacts?" I called out, rummaging through our bathroom drawers. The white hair and black leather bodysuit of my Storm costume were on point, but I needed those contacts to really sell it.

"Check the bedroom dresser!" Jordyn's voice carried from downstairs, where she was probably putting the finishing touches on her 'A Pimp Named Slick Back' costume. She'd been practicing that walk for days, complete with the exaggerated swagger and the purple suit that somehow worked perfectly with her height.

I found the contacts and was carefully putting them in when I heard Jordyn's phone conversation floating up from downstairs.

"Trust me, everything's ready... Yes, Chelsea, I got the dry ice for the punch bowl... No, I didn't forget the LED spiderwebs... Girl, who you talking to? A Pimp Named Slick Back don't forget nothing!"

I smiled, shaking my head. She'd been planning this party for weeks, determined to make it the perfect mix of spooky and fabulous. Our house looked like Spirit Halloween had exploded in the best way possible – fake cobwebs draped artistically over everything, jack-o'-lanterns with intricate designs (courtesy of Jackie's surprisingly steady hands), and these amazing holographic ghost projections that Jordyn had found online.

The doorbell rang just as I finished with my makeup. "I got it!" Jordyn yelled, and I heard her theatrical voice boom through the house: "The party don't start till A Pimp Named Slick Back says it do!"

I couldn't help but laugh as I made my way downstairs. The sight that greeted me was pure chaos – in the best way possible.

Angel was already there, her Poison Ivy costume stealing the show. The green bodysuit was covered in actual ivy leaves she'd somehow attached, and her hair was dyed a perfect auburn red. But what made me smile was how she couldn't take her eyes off Paige, who'd shown up in the most authentic-looking firefighter gear I'd ever seen.

"Giving my girl some competition for hottest first responder," I teased, nodding toward Jackie, who was rocking a cowgirl outfit complete with boots that probably cost more than my first car.

"Please, there's no competition," Paige grinned, pulling Angel closer. "Though I gotta say, Storm looking pretty fine tonight too."

"Hey now," Jordyn appeared beside me, twirling her purple cane. "That's my woman you talking about. Don't make me have to show you what A Pimp Named Slick Back does to people who don't respect the game."

"And what exactly would that be?" Angel challenged, earning an elaborate eye roll from Jordyn.

"Girl, did you not watch The Boondocks? The whole point is you gotta say the whole thing – A Pimp Named Slick Back. Like A Tribe Called Quest, you say the whole thing!"

The doorbell rang again, and this time it was KK in her pilot uniform, looking sharp as ever. "Captain Cooper, reporting for duty," she saluted, then broke into laughter as she hugged us all.

"You look amazing!" Angel exclaimed, circling KK to take in the full effect. "Wait, is that an actual pilot's cap?"

"Yeah, my cousin's a pilot for Delta. She hooked me up," KK grinned, adjusting the cap. "Said it was the least she could do after I got her courtside tickets last season."

"Y'all see Kahleah yet?" Jackie asked, adjusting her cowboy hat. "She said she was coming as a cop, but knowing her..."

Right on cue, Kahleah strutted in wearing what had to be the most dramatic police officer costume ever – complete with aviators and a fake badge that read "Fashion Police."

"Ma'am," she said seriously, approaching Jordyn. "I'm gonna have to write you a ticket for being too extra with that purple suit."

"Now hold up," Jordyn stayed perfectly in character, "A Pimp Named Slick Back don't take no tickets from nobody, especially not when they looking that fine in a uniform."

Chelsea arrived next, dressed as what she called a "modern witch" but looked more like she'd raided the Kardashians' closet and added a pointy hat. "The punch is my responsibility," she announced, heading straight for the kitchen with several mysterious bottles.

The night flowed perfectly from there. Chelsea's spooky purple cocktails tasted like grape candy but hit like a truck, and the dry ice effect made them look like something from a mad scientist's lab. The playlist was a perfect mix of Halloween classics and current hits, and watching Paige try to teach Angel the "Thriller" dance was definitely going in my Instagram stories.

"No, babe, it's like this," Paige demonstrated the zombie walk again, while Angel dissolved into giggles.

"I'm trying! These leaves keep getting in the way!"

"Here, let me help," Paige moved behind Angel, guiding her through the moves, and I caught Jackie pretending to wipe away a tear.

"They're so cute it's disgusting," she stage-whispered to me.

"Look who's talking," I shot back. "Don't think I didn't see you FaceTiming with your 'friend' earlier."

Jackie's cheeks flushed under her cowboy hat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhmm. Sure."

At one point, I found myself in the kitchen with Angel, both of us taking a breather while grabbing more snacks. "You good?" I asked, noting how she kept glancing toward the living room where Paige was deep in conversation with Jackie about something.

"Yeah," she smiled, and I could tell she meant it. "It's just... nice, you know? Being here like this, everyone together. No hiding, no pretending. Just us being us."

I pulled her into a side hug, careful not to mess up either of our costumes. "That's what family is, mini me. Speaking of which..." I nodded toward Paige, who was now demonstrating some firefighter lift technique with Jackie as her willing victim, "she fits right in."

"She does, doesn't she?" Angel's face softened in that way it always did when she talked about Paige. "This morning she was helping me attach all these leaves to my costume, and I just thought... this is it. This is what I want."

"What you want looking mighty fine in that uniform too," I teased, making her blush.

"A'ja!"

"What? I'm just saying, maybe we need to start planning another wedding soon..."

"Speaking of weddings," Angel's eyes lit up, "how's yours coming along? Have you picked a date yet?"

Before I could answer, Jordyn's voice boomed through the house again: "Ladies and gentlemen, A Pimp Named Slick Back requires all my beautiful people on the dance floor! And yes, that includes you two in the kitchen plotting!"

Angel and I shared a look before bursting into laughter. "We better go before she comes in here with that cane," I said, grabbing Angel's hand.

"You mean before A Pimp Named Slick Back comes in here," she corrected, grinning.

"Girl, don't encourage her!"

We made our way back to the living room, where someone had pushed the furniture aside to make a proper dance floor. Paige immediately gravitated toward Angel, while Jordyn pulled me close, still fully in character.

"Storm, baby, you lighting up my night," she drawled, making me roll my eyes even as I smiled.

"You're ridiculous," I told her, but I was already moving to the beat with her.

"That's A Pimp Named Slick Back to you, sugar."

Looking around at our little family – Jackie teaching KK some country dance moves, Kahleah pretending to arrest Chelsea for "crimes against fashion," Angel and Paige slow dancing to what was definitely not a slow song – I felt that familiar warmth in my chest.

The party continued well into the night, with impromptu dance battles (which Kahleah won, obviously), a Halloween costume contest (Angel and Paige tied for first), and enough stories and laughter to make my sides hurt.

Around midnight, as things were winding down, I found myself on our back patio with Jordyn, both of us taking a moment of quiet. She'd finally dropped the Slick Back character and was just my Jordyn again, her arm wrapped around my waist as we looked up at the stars.

"Thank you for this," I said softly. "For making everyone dress up, for the party, for everything."

"Anything for you, superstar," she kissed my temple. "Plus, I got to wear a purple suit and boss everyone around all night. Win-win."

I laughed, turning to face her. "So... about what Angel was asking earlier..."

"About the wedding?" Jordyn's eyes softened. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too."

"I know we said we'd wait until after the season, but..."

"But maybe we don't have to wait that long?"

I smiled, linking our fingers together. "I was thinking maybe December? During the break?"

"Christmas wedding?" Jordyn pretended to consider it. "You know that means everyone's gonna wear red and green."

"Not if we don't let them," I countered. "I was thinking more winter wonderland than Christmas. All silver and blue, lots of lights..."

"Ice queen vibes? I can work with that." Jordyn pulled me closer. "You know Chelsea's gonna insist on being the wedding planner, right?"

"Already got like fifty texts from her about it," I laughed. "And Jackie's been sending me Pinterest boards for months."

"They love you," Jordyn said simply. "We all do."

Inside, we could hear the others starting to gather their things, saying goodbyes and making plans for brunch tomorrow. Angel and Paige were probably going to need help getting all those ivy leaves off, and I was pretty sure KK was going to have to give Chelsea a ride home after all those purple cocktails.

"We should probably go help clean up," I sighed, but Jordyn held me in place for a moment longer.

"Hey A?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't wait to marry you."

I reached up to touch her face, not caring that my Storm makeup was probably smudged by now. "Two months, baby. Then you're stuck with me forever."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

We headed back inside to find our friends had already started cleaning up, because that's just who they are. Angel and Paige were collecting cups while having what looked like a very serious discussion about whether Poison Ivy and Batgirl could ever work things out. Jackie was carefully wrapping up the leftover food, and Kahleah was still in full Fashion Police mode, issuing "citations" for various costume infractions.

"Hey lovebirds," Chelsea called out when she saw us. "I've got three different wedding planners on standby and a list of venues that could work for December. We're meeting tomorrow at 2 to start planning. No excuses."

I looked at Jordyn, who just shrugged with a grin. "Told you."

As our friends slowly filtered out, each with a hug and a promise to help with wedding plans, I couldn't help but think about how lucky we were. This wasn't just a team or a group of friends – this was family. The kind that dresses up in ridiculous costumes, dances badly to Michael Jackson, and drops everything to help plan a wedding in two months.

Later that night, as Jordyn and I finally crawled into bed, exhausted but happy, she turned to me with that smile that still made my heart skip.

"So, winter wonderland wedding, huh?"

"Mhmm. You still good with that?"

"Baby, you could say you wanted a underwater theme and I'd find a way to make it work. As long as I get to marry you, the rest is just details."

I snuggled closer, already thinking about all the planning we'd have to do. "Chelsea's gonna be impossible tomorrow."

"Oh, absolutely. But she'll make it perfect, you know that."

"Yeah," I yawned, feeling sleep start to take over. "Love you, baby."

"Love you more, superstar. Even if you did make a better Storm than I did Slick Back."

"That's A Pimp Named Slick Back to you," I mumbled, making her laugh.

As I drifted off, I could still hear the echo of our friends' laughter, still see Angel and Paige's faces as they looked at each other, still feel the warmth of this family we'd built. Two months seemed like forever and no time at all to wait for forever to begin.

But first, we had a wedding to plan. And knowing our friends, it was going to be one hell of a ride.

Tagged: Halorae, jalendurenLiked by jalenduren and 21,538 othersAngelreese5 poison ivy and Spidergirl are actually cool guys🥰View all 4,841 commentsDidirich1 ouuu Halo ate you up girl! Aneesahmorrow24 No notes 👏🏾😍

Liked by nolahurricanes and othersJordylove that's a pimp named slick back to you 💰View all 3,283 commentsMkwill12_ yo?😂 you gotta be stopped_Kkc215 P af my dawg

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Excuse all errorsAjah 🩷