“Who do you want to go to prom with, Cal?” Her friend asked, plopping down beside her with a lunch tray and that same troublemaking grin. Cal felt her cheeks heat up instantly, but she quickly masked it by shrugging and looking down at her sandwich.

“Nobody,” she muttered, then let out a scoff before she could stop herself. Before she could give her pity. “And it’s not like anyone wants to go with me anyway.”

Her friends grin faltered slightly, but Cal didn’t notice. She was too busy glaring at the table. In her 17 years of life, this was just… how things were There was always another girl. Someone prettier, funnier, cooler. She wasn’t feisty, or edgy, or whatever else boys seemed to fall head over heels for. She liked art, nature, animals, and school. School, for gods’ sake. She could maybe make you smile, if you were in a good mood, but laugh? Forget it.

Over the years, she’d tried to fit in, but nothing ever stuck. Every time she compared herself to the girls around her, she came up short. So the idea of someone*—anyone—* wanting her to go to prom with them? Yeah, that was a joke. A painfully unfunny one. •

oh… my… god.

There you stood, center stage in the school theater, holding a giant sign that read: “of all the fish in the sea, will you go to prom with me?” And to top it off, you were wearing a fish mask. A literal fish mask.

Cal blinked, her brain short-circuiting as she tried to process what was happening. Then you took off the mask with a flourish, grinning like you’d just pulled off the greatest heist in history. Oh. My. God. You, the leader of the theater club. The one everyone knew for your over-the-top antics and endless confidence. You were asking her—of all people—to prom.

She stood frozen, her brain running through a list of possible explanations. Maybe it was a prank. Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe she’d accidentally walked onto the set of a school play. But then you took a step closer, holding out the sign like it was some kind of peace offering.