Several songs ter, we take our seats again, and Ivan leans over and asks, “Did you really have to do that to Mia?”

  Honestly, I’m absolutely rethinking my entire stance on Ivan at this point. He always ignored, ugh, Jake and never bullied him, so maybe there’s more to him than being a popur jock, and he’s been polite and pleasant company all evening, and he’s proving to be kindhearted.

  I gnce at Ivan and softly reply, “Did she really have to come at me like that in the first pce? From the moment she sat down, she’s been at me all night, Ivan. I have feelings, too, and I’ll only tolerate so much.”

  Ivan looks at me for a long moment, his expression softening. “You’re right,” he says finally, running a hand through his hair. “She’s been... intense tely. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

  “I do,” I respond in a gentle tone as I look up at him. “You’ve been paying attention to me when she thinks you should be with her.”

  Ivan’s eyes widen slightly, and he looks away, a faint blush creeping up his neck. “It’s not like that,” he mumbles, though the way he avoids my gaze tells a different story. “I mean, Mia and I—we’re just friends.”

  “Sure,” I say lightly. “But that isn’t what she thinks. Do I need to prove it to you?”

  Ivan shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers drumming lightly on the arm of my chair. “Prove it? How?”

  I sigh and lean in a little closer, lowering my voice so only he can hear. “Okay, I’m going to kiss you. Watch her reaction when I do. Umm… Listen, don’t read into it either. I am not looking for a boyfriend or to hook up. This is only to prove my point.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I slip a hand behind his neck and pull him to me. Caught off guard, he freezes for a split second, but then he returns the kiss with gusto. Kelly Anne has always said that I’m like a phenom at kissing, and with all the practice I’ve had with her, I suppose I should be, so the kiss I give him would probably make a succubus proud. When we pull apart, he looks over my shoulder at Mia.

  I follow his gaze, and there she stands, her face a mask of disbelief and utter rage. Her fists are clenched at her sides, her eyes burning with a fire that would rival a nuclear detonation, and the air around her seems to crackle with electricity as she takes a step forward, her voice trembling with fury.

  “You think this is funny?” She hisses, her eyes darting between Ivan and me. Her voice is low, but it carries a sharp edge that cuts through the room like a knife when she asks, “You think you can just waltz in here and kiss my boyfriend?”

  Ivan sits here stunned and doesn’t seem to realize his hands are still on my hips. I remove them and pat one of his hands gently as I mouth, ‘See?’ I rise gracefully from my seat and calmly reply, “Boyfriend? That isn’t what he says. He says that you two are just friends.”

  I’m not trying to start a fight with her, just trying to make her talk to him or, failing that, at least state how she feels. Regardless, I can tell by her stance she’s on the edge of becoming violent, so I move my left foot behind me to provide a more solid stance and react if needed. A heartbeat ter, she tries to sp me, and I lean back enough to dodge as I hold up my hands pcatingly. Kelly Anne and Olivia jump up and grab her arms as Kelly Anne yells, “That’s enough!”

  Mia struggles against their grip, her face contorted with fury. “Let me go!” she shrieks, her voice breaking as tears of rage and humiliation well up in her eyes.

  Ivan finally snaps out of his daze and stands, his voice firm but calm. “Mia, stop. You’re taking things too far, and you’re going to get us kicked out.”

  She whips her head toward him, her eyes bzing. “Too far? You’re the one who kissed that bitch!” Her voice cracks, and she shakes her head violently, as if trying to shake off the image of what she just witnessed. “How could you do this to me?”

  “Mia,” Ivan says, his tone softer now. “I didn’t do anything to you. We aren’t together, and you’ve never been my girlfriend.”

  Mia gasps, looking like she’s been physically struck. Her eyes widen, her face pales, and tears well up in her eyes as Ivan’s decration sinks in. “What?” she murmurs, her voice trembling. “But... but I thought...”

  “You thought wrong,” he says firmly but gently, though his tone doesn’t soften the blow, and I feel a pang of sympathy for her. She’s clearly been living in a fantasy of her own making, but that doesn’t excuse her behavior.

  “Mia,” I say, cutting in, and she gres daggers at me. “I’m sorry,” I say, and her eyes widen in surprise. “I told this lunkhead how you feel about him, but he’s intent on ignoring reality. So I kissed him to demonstrate how wrong he is, and you proved my point beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

  Her anger is quickly repced by confusion. She looks at Ivan, then back at me, her lips trembling as she tries to process what’s happening.

  I nod at Kelly Anne and Olivia. “Let her go, please. Mia, sit down and take a breath.” Once she does, I squat down near her, though I take the precaution of gently grasping her wrists “You can’t simply assume something exists in a vacuum. You have to sit him down and talk to him. Especially when they’re lunkheads like he is.”

  Mia looks at me, her eyes still wet, but the fire in them has gone out. I reach over and remove a tissue from my clutch and hand it to her, and she dabs her eyes. “You’re... you’re not mad?” she asks, her tone implying she’s uncertain why I wouldn’t be.

  I shake my head. “Mad? No. Frustrated? Absolutely. You’ve been a raging storm all night, but I get it, feelings are messy.” I gnce over at Ivan, who’s standing awkwardly by his chair, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. “He’s not worth all this drama if he can’t figure out how he feels about you.”

  I’m not going to rete the entire screwed-up conversation that happens between Mia and Ivan from there. Suffice it to say, he tells her that he cares about her as a friend but never thought of her as more than that. Then a couple of her friends take her to the bathroom after that, and the corner settles into silence except for the music.

  Ivan colpses back into his chair, running a hand over his face. “That was... intense,” he mutters, his voice low and exhausted. He gnces at me, a mix of guilt and gratitude in his eyes. “Thanks for... I don’t know, handling that. I didn’t even realize...”

  “That she was head over heels for you?” I finish for him, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, it was obvious to everyone but you. You need to pay attention to what’s going on around you, or this will keep happening.”

  He lets out a heavy sigh and asks, “How did you get to be so perceptive?”

  I giggle and gesture toward Kelly Anne, who just sticks her tongue out at me and then smiles. “My person taught me how to read the room. Something you desperately need to learn.”

  I pick up my drink and take a sip, then settle into a more comfortable position on the loveseat. Kelly Anne moves over to sit beside me and murmurs, “I dearly love you, but Jesus, couldn’t you have figured out a less dramatic way to get them to talk?”

  I chuckle softly, then lean in and nuzzle her nose with mine. I look into her eyes and smile for a moment, then shrug slightly. “Maybe, but both of them were being stubborn, and they drew me into their little drama.” Touching my forehead against hers, I sigh before adding, “It was over the top, but I seriously doubt anything less would’ve ever pierced that veil of silence they lived in.”

  She pces her hands on my waist and squeezes gently. “Jackie, you have a big heart, but do yourself a favor and stay out of other people’s drama. You got lucky; they listened, but normally, they would’ve attacked you rather than face their problem.”

  I nod, knowing she’s right. Kelly Anne always has a way of cutting through to the heart of the matter with her calm, rational wisdom. “You’re probably right,” I admit, leaning back slightly but keeping my hands on her shoulders. “But she wanted him, and he seemed interested in me, so I was stuck in the middle of them.”

  I gnce over at Ivan, who’s still sitting in stunned silence, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. He looks like he’s been hit by a truck and is still trying to figure out which way it came from.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

  He blinks as if coming back to reality and nods slowly. “Yeah, I think so. Just... didn’t see that coming.” He rubs the back of his neck, his expression a mix of guilt and confusion.

  Beside me, Kelly Anne snorts softly while shaking her head. “Men,” she mutters under her breath, rolling her eyes. “Most of them are clueless.”

  I ugh and then ask, “Was I like that?”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Did you really just ask me that? You, a girl, asked me if you were a clueless boy.” She shakes her head as she ughs and then grins at me.

  I grin back at her. “Fair point,” I concede, leaning into her side.

  Macie and Olivia stand. “Come on, you two,” Olivia almost whines, “Less drama and more dancing.”

  Macie grabs Olivia’s hand, tugging her toward the dance floor where many others are already gyrating to the music. “Yeah, enough with the heavy stuff,” Kelly Anne says, throwing a pyful gnce over her shoulder. “Let’s go shake our booty!”

  I ugh, letting Kelly Anne pull me to my feet. “Shake our booty? Really?” I tease, but she just grins and drags me toward the others. The music shifts to something upbeat, and our tension seems to dissolve as we start moving.

  When Mia and her friends return to the seating area, I see Mia is looking at me again, but at least she isn’t gring.

  Leaning closer to Kelly Anne, I ask, “Do you care about your reputation at school? By that I mean, do you care if anyone thinks you’re a lesbian?”

  Kelly Anne pauses mid-step, her hand still in mine, and looks at me with a soft, knowing smile. She tilts her head slightly, her eyes searching mine for a moment before she speaks. “As if I care what they say about me. The people who like me, like me, and the rest of them don’t matter,” she says simply, her voice steady. “If people want to bel me, that’s on them.”

  I squeeze her hand, feeling a warmth spread through me at her words. “Good,” I reply, my voice quiet but firm. I gnce over to make sure Mia is still watching, then wrap my arms around Kelly Anne’s neck and press myself against her as I lock lips with her.

  The music fades into the background as Kelly Anne’s hands instinctively find my waist, pulling me closer. Her lips are warm and familiar, and for a moment, the rest of the world disappears—Mia’s gaze, Ivan’s dithering, the hum of the crowd around us. All that matters is this: her breath mingling with mine, the way her fingers tighten against my back, the quiet hum of contentment that vibrates between us.

  When we finally pull apart, I catch a flicker of surprise in her eyes, quickly repced by a soft smile. “Well,” she murmurs, her voice low and teasing, “that was certainly unexpected.”

  I grin and wink at her, then flick my eyes over to see Mia’s astounded expression. “Look at Mia.”

  Kelly Anne follows my gaze, her lips curling into a smile as she catches sight of Mia’s wide-eyed stare. “Oh, she’s definitely processing that,” she says with a chuckle, her voice light and amused. She turns back to me, her hands still resting on my hips. “You’ve got a big heart, girl.”

  “Me?” I ask, feigning innocence and batting my eyeshes dramatically. “I just wanted to kiss my person. No one else even entered into the picture.”

  Kelly Anne ughs, shaking her head. “Sure, sure. Totally innocent,” she says, clearly not buying it for a second. But there’s no judgment in her tone—just affection. She leans in, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “God help the man you choose because he isn’t going to stand a chance,” she says warmly, her eyes twinkling happily. “For now,” she adds, her grin widening, “I’m just going to bask in all the jealous looks I’m getting.”

  I ugh, shaking my head at her pyful confidence. “You’re impossible,” I say, but I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. She’s right, though; we have a lot of people staring at us. Many with open mouths, like they’ve never even heard of two girls kissing before. I don’t care though; I’m with my person, I’m dancing, and we’re having fun, so let them stare.

  The music shifts again, this time to a slower tempo, and Kelly Anne pulls me even closer, our bodies swaying together naturally. Her hands slide around to the small of my back, and I rest my head against her shoulder, letting the rhythm guide us. For a moment, everything feels right in my little world.

  “You know,” she murmurs, her voice low and intimate, “I’m going to miss this.”

  I tilt my head up to look at her, catching the faint curve of her smile. “Miss what?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

  “This,” she says simply, her eyes locking with mine. “You and me hanging out, doing whatever. I’m going to miss you when you go to Starlight.”

  Thankfully, the remainder of the night is drama-free. Macie, Olivia, Kelly Anne, and I dance our little butts off. Ivan has asked me to dance several more times, and to avoid any more drama with Mia, I politely turned him down. He finally figured out that I wasn’t interested and stopped asking, though the four of us have been asked by many boys, and we usually accepted. So, discounting the drama from earlier, we had a lot of fun, and by the time we left the club at 11:30, all of us were tired.