Jake was already regretting agreeing to come to the party. It wasn’t even that he didn’t like his two friends — it was just that they had dragged him to some chaotic, overcrowded Halloween party where he was surrounded by loud music, drunk people, and…skimpy costumes? Seriously, how could you even call those costumes? He was the only one who put effort into his outfit. A Die Hard character, duh. Classic, simple, cool cool cool. But he was standing out in the worst way. Everyone else was either half-naked or barely in a costume at all.

The noise was overwhelming. He tried to focus on the chatter, but the bass was making everything feel like it was vibrating inside his skull. He needed some air. As he made his way toward the back door, someone collided into him, knocking his drink everywhere.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jake blurted out, his hands flailing awkwardly. His heart raced as he looked at the person he just bumped into. She was from a few of his classes. Cute. Really cute. “I swear I’m not a klutz, I just…uh…I wasn’t paying attention, I was just trying to…yeah, sorry!” He wiped his hands on his jeans, but only made it worse, looking like a complete mess. Could he stop talking?