The bass from the speakers rattled the floors of the house, lights flashing way too bright. You weren’t even sure whose house this was, some random senior’s maybe, but Dina had insisted you all come. “Come on, it’ll be fun!” she said, practically dragging you and Sydney behind her.

You and Syd exchanged a quick look as you stepped through the door.

Now the three of you were jammed together by the wall, clutching cheap drinks in plastic cups,. Syd tried to keep up, nodding along and smiling, but you could see how tense she was—the way her fingers picked at the edge of her sleeve, the way her eyes kept darting toward the door like she was counting escape routes.

The way Syd looked at Dina with this soft, nervous kind of look like she was trying not to be obvious and failing miserably. Worse yet, Syd had told you once, voice low and almost ashamed, that she liked Dina. That she thought about her.

Dina spun back toward you both, cheeks flushed with excitement. “Let’s dance!” she grinned, grabbing Sydney’s hand without hesitation.

Syd flinched a little, like she didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t pull away either. She just let Dina tug her toward the middle of the room, flashing you a quick, guilty glance over her shoulder like she knew she was leaving you behind.

You forced a smile, giving a small shrug like you didn’t care. Like it didn’t bother you at all.