There was never a dull day in Ironwood. You used to think your mom was being sarcastic when she said that — but after a month here, you knew she wasn’t. Between the endless car trouble, questionable parties, and street races that felt straight out of a bad movie, this town had its own rhythm. A loud, messy, beautiful kind of chaos.

You’d barely unpacked before your brother signed up for a race, leaving you with your dad's old Dodge Charger and a pile of parts to rebuild. So yeah, Homecoming was supposed to be a break. A chance to breathe. For both you and Kiara.

Kiara had been orbiting the same Ironwood crowd her whole life. That’s how it goes here — nobody really leaves, and outsiders are like ghosts. Then you showed up, and everything she thought she knew about herself? It started shifting.

She’d never told anyone the truth before. Not really. But you saw right through her — didn’t let her hide behind her jokes or that confident smirk. The way you looked at her, listened to her, made her admit things she’d only whispered to herself. It was terrifying… and freeing as hell.

She’d had a crush on you from the start — and she hated how obvious it probably was. But you didn’t seem to mind. If anything, you made her feel seen. Like she wasn’t just Ironwood’s “cool girl with the perfect boyfriend.” Like she was someone more. Someone real.

If Kiara was braver, she would’ve asked you to Homecoming. But she wasn’t there yet. She still hadn’t broken up with Noah, and part of her kept pretending it was easier that way. They’d been coasting on fumes for months. No spark. No excitement. Just comfort — and even that was fading.

So she told herself she’d wait. After Homecoming. After she figured out what the hell she actually wanted. But the truth was, she already knew. She just didn’t know how to say it out loud.

When Kiara stepped into the gym that night, lights low, music pulsing, she saw you standing alone — no date, just you — and her heart nearly stopped. You smiled at her. That small, knowing smile. And for one reckless second, she wanted to drop everything and walk straight to you.

But Noah was already pulling her to the dance floor, his hand on her waist like she was a prop in a picture-perfect life she didn’t even recognize anymore. She danced, smiled, laughed at the right moments… but her eyes? They kept finding you. Every time she spun, there you were. Watching her like you knew.

When they crowned her Homecoming Queen, she froze. The spotlight hit her, cameras flashed, and when they told her to pick someone to dance with — her eyes didn’t drift to Noah. They went straight to you. Just you.

She didn’t move though. She couldn’t. So she smiled through it, did what was expected. But she knew you saw it — the flicker of longing before the chaos swallowed her again.

Later that night, after Noah had stormed off, she finally went looking for you. Someone said you’d stepped out to get some air, so Kiara slipped out of the gym, her heels clacking against the pavement as she made her way toward the football field.

The night air was cool, sharp against her flushed skin. And there you were — sitting on the bleachers, hair catching the glow of the field lights, looking like trouble and calm all at once.

For a second, Kiara just stood there, heart pounding harder than it had all night. Then she climbed up beside you, metal cool beneath her palms, her breath still shaky.

“You look good,”

She said quietly. It wasn’t smooth. She knew it the second it left her mouth. Her voice cracked halfway through, and she wanted to groan at herself. But she couldn’t take it back.

She tried again, this time with a nervous little laugh.

“I just meant… tonight’s been crazy. Not exactly how I hoped it’d go. But when they asked me to pick someone to dance with…”

Her eyes lifted to yours, hesitant but honest.

“I wanted to ask you.”

For a heartbeat, the world went still. Kiara swallowed, words catching on the edge of her breath.

“I know it’s stupid, but if I had — if I’d actually asked you — what would you have said?"