Kai gets a text from Freya on Friday: "party tomorrow, costumes optional, but encouraged lol." He reads it twice, decides "optional" means he can skip the costume, and moves on with his evening.
星期五，凯收到弗蕾娅的一条短信：“明天开派对，服装可穿可不穿，不过鼓励穿哈哈。”他读了两遍，认定“可穿可不穿”就是说自己可以不穿，然后继续过他的晚上。
He only reads the first half of messages lately, so he misses what comes next. Freya's second text arrives ten minutes later. It says: "actually nvm, everyone's definitely dressing up, it's kind of the whole point."
他最近总是只看消息的前半段，所以错过了接下来的内容。十分钟后，弗蕾娅的第二条短信来了：“算了算了，大家肯定都会盛装打扮，这差不多就是重点。”
By Saturday afternoon, Kai has completely forgotten about the second message. He shows up at Freya's house in jeans and a plain t-shirt. He's holding a bag of chips, his only contribution to the evening.
到了星期六下午，凯已经把第二条消息忘得一干二净。他穿着牛仔裤和一件普通的短袖衫，出现在弗蕾娅家门口，手里拎着一袋薯片，这就是他对这个夜晚的全部贡献。
Freya opens the door dressed as a very convincing pirate. She's wearing an eye patch and carrying a plastic sword. Behind her, Kai can see at least six other costumes. There's a dinosaur, two superheroes, and someone dressed as a very large slice of pizza.
弗蕾娅开门时，打扮成了一个非常逼真的海盗，戴着眼罩，拿着一把塑料剑。凯能看到她身后至少还有六套服装：一只恐龙，两个超级英雄，还有一个扮成超大块披萨的人。
"You didn't get my second text," Freya says, more amused than annoyed.
“你没看到我的第二条短信，”弗蕾娅说，觉得好笑多过生气。
"There was a second text?"
“还有第二条？”
"I said everyone's definitely dressing up. It's basically a costume party, not an optional-costume party."
“我说了大家肯定都会盛装打扮。这基本上就是个服装派对，不是什么服装可有可无的派对。”
Kai looks down at his plain outfit and back up at the room full of costumes behind her. "I have chips," he offers, holding up the bag like it might somehow fix the situation.
凯低头看看自己普通的衣着，又抬头看看她身后满屋子的服装。“我带了薯片，”他说着举起那袋薯片，好像它能不知怎么挽回局面似的。
Freya laughs and pulls him inside anyway. "We'll figure something out. My little brother has an entire box of old Halloween stuff in his closet."
弗蕾娅笑了，还是把他拉了进去。“我们会想出办法的。我弟弟的衣柜里有一整箱旧的万圣节用品。”
Twenty minutes later, Kai reappears from the bathroom wearing a bedsheet with two eye holes cut into it. It's the same outfit his little brother wore three years earlier. It isn't elegant, and it definitely isn't a pirate costume, but it's something.
二十分钟后，凯从浴室里出来，身上裹着一条床单，上面剪了两个眼洞。这和他弟弟三年前穿的是同一身行头。它算不上优雅，也绝对不是海盗服，但总归是个装扮。
"A ghost. Simple, but effective," Freya says, handing him a plastic cup. "Ten out of ten for commitment, considering you had twenty minutes and a bedsheet."
“一个幽灵。简单，但很有效，”弗蕾娅说着递给他一个塑料杯，“考虑到你只有二十分钟和一条床单，投入程度给十分满分。”
By the end of the night, Kai has been asked five separate times what happened to his face. He decides the wrong outfit might be more memorable than the right one would have been.
到了晚上结束时，已经有五个不同的人问过凯他的脸是怎么回事。他觉得，错的装扮也许比对的装扮更让人难忘。
