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“Um, hello?” Zoe opened the door to find a room covered in red and orange streamers, festooned with a variety of leftover Crimmus and Fright Night decorations.
Bud, wearing a Holly hat with two red paper hearts taped to the ball on the end, gave a small wave from the snack table. “Yo, Zoe!”
Zoe looked around and pointed at an orange bowl with black square eyes filled with green-and-red-wrapped candy. “Um, why are there so many old holiday decorations?”
“Turns out Heart Day decorations often go pretty quickly, so we generally celebrate our ‘Neglected Hearts Party’ with neglected holiday decorations.” Zoe turned to see Vedika smiling next to her, offering a piece of candy.
Bud nodded, winking somehow. “It’s cheaper too.”
Harley arrived right behind her. “Besides, Heart Day chocolates are just Crimmus chocolates in a different shape.” She tossed Bud a small wrapped pumpkin and unwrapped a small chocolate Crimmus bush of her own.
Zoe looked between her friends as they devoured old chocolate, uncertain how to respond. Before she could start to stutter, Vedika grabbed her hand. “Come on, Bud has a karaoke machine set up!”
Zoe nodded, turning a bit red. “Um, sure.” She smiled and let herself be pulled away.
Bud beamed. Harley looked over at her, smirking. “Did you really put on this entire fake party so that you could get them together on Heart Day?”
Bud crossed her arms. “One, don’t you dare sink my ship, and two, I invited HP and Undine but they have *plans.* I’m not wasting this stuff.”
Laughing, Harley batted the end of the Heart Day Holly hat. “All right, Captain Bud. You wanna watch them make fools of themselves?”
Bud nodded. “Veds does a mean ‘Rockin’ around the Crimmus Bush.’”