Evelyn was so full. They didn’t go on a dinner date, but it didn’t stop her from devouring her salad and a few breadsticks with ferocity. Her stomach had been in such knots all day, and all day yesterday, that she realized she couldn’t remember when she ate last and had to make up for it.

She was talking with her cheerleading friends, Brandi and Amber, as they drove to the high school. They had spent about a half hour taking pictures together with their dates when Blake, Amber’s date, finally pulled into the school parking lot.

“I’m so ready to dance!” Brandi said, leaping out of the car.

Evelyn smiled as she got out, straightening her dress as she walked beside Connor. “Hey.”

“Hey. You look real pretty tonight,” Connor said.

Evelyn gave him a humorous look. “I know.”

This had to be the third time he said this, and the third time she answered like that. He still seemed to find it funny. Connor had to know they were just friends, right? She would have answered to him the same way she would have answered to Derek. They were going to a dance because they wanted to show their school spirit as cheerleaders and football players.

Evelyn had a feeling Akshi would be here, but it still didn’t calm her nerves enough when she saw him standing beside Mr. Stower. She stayed by Connor’s side, trying to stay involved in the conversation as they passed the vice principal.

“Hello!” Mr. Stower had an unusually cheerful voice.

“Hello, Mr. Stower!” they all said. Akshi watched them closely, but moved his gaze when no one paid attention to him.

The gym was loud, even though it was a slow song. They definitely weren’t the first to arrive. They had spent longer than usual taking pictures.

They met up with some other friends. Jennifer and Rebecka were there with their dates. She scanned the crowd for any other familiar faces and saw a few. Derek, with his group of drama friends, talked and laughed around the refreshment table. She also saw Hazel and Rafael dancing. It made her pause. All the times Evelyn had seen him, Rafael had a concentrated look. Nose to the book, throwing himself into his studies, almost hardened. But tonight, he was looking at Hazel, and Evelyn glimpsed her friend from years ago. Easy to smile. Cracking a joke. Relaxed.

Evelyn looked away and forced herself into the conversation again, laughing at a joke she didn’t quite hear.

***

Derek had way too many thoughts swirling through his head, and he didn’t want to remain on any of them. His mind cycled through them, making himself dizzy.

He got the part of Wadsworth.

Miguel was going to get a new job.

His family would move at the end of the year.

He was a senior. He needed to get his college application out.

Phoenix. His family was moving to Phoenix.

Milo was at home.

Two dozen orcs.

Akshi was here. Beginning his slow slither through the gym.

“Derek? Are you alright?”

He was dancing with Emma.

Derek pulled his thoughts to the moment. He tried to smile. “Yeah. Of course.”

“You seem distracted.”

Akshi moved around the edges of the gym, studying the students. “Nah, I’m not.”

Emma frowned, but Derek was admittedly more concerned about what was happening out of his peripheral vision. He tried not to look.

“Congratulations, again, on getting Wadsworth,” Emma said.

“Yeah. It’s a huge part.”

Emma showed off her sparkling white teeth. “And yet it fits you so perfectly.”

The swirling thoughts and emotions stilled enough for him to focus on the present. “Me? Wadsworth? Have you… read the play?”

Emma shrugged. “I mean, sure. Kind, loyal—”

“Seriously, Emma, have you read the play? Watched it, even?” Derek asked. “He’s like, the mastermind behind all the murders, according to the best ending.”

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Emma gave that laugh, the loud and boisterous one, calculated to make sure it was unique enough so everyone knew who was laughing. “You’re so funny, Derek.” She took one hand off his shoulders to play with her perfectly curled hair. “Honestly, I love working with you. It’ll be so much fun being the Ms. Scarlet to your Wadsworth.”

“Right, yeah. Um,” Derek decided not to ask her a third time whether she’d read the play.

“You’re going to try out for Beauty and the Beast for spring, right?” Emma asked.

“It’s kind of required.” He studied her again. “For my grade.”

She laughed again, giving him a small push with her hand. “You never fail to make me laugh!”

It clicked in his mind that Emma was flirting. She was doing that thing where she played with the guy, letting him feel honored by being in her presence. String them along. Let his imagination go wild instead of doing anything.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, smirking. “But really. I think Mr. Jensen mentioned you’d be a great fit for the beast. I can totally see it.”

She was playing the game. Teasing him about the possibility of kissing her. Planting in his mind the idea of him getting the part of the beast, because of course Emma would get Belle. Fill his thoughts with thoughts of dating her.

“Mr. Jensen said that about me?” Derek placed a hand against his cheek, mocking surprise. “How crazy!” He dropped his hand back to her waist. “I don’t know, Emma. Isn’t it weird that we’ve done two Disney plays so close to each other?”

Emma shrugged, brushing some hair behind her shoulder. “Probably because I did such a stupendous job bringing in a crowd when I was a sophomore.”

Derek nodded, watching Akshi make another round through the gym. The song had to be almost done. He was feeling thirsty, and he wanted to time it so Akshi was nowhere near the refreshment table when he went over there.

“It’s hilarious to me that Missy broke up with you over the summer. I mean, really, you’re such a catch,” Emma said.

That was all Derek needed. With the stresses, the confusion, he was waiting for something familiar, and here it was. Emma playing coy and trying to string a man along. So he did the thing he swore to do to shut Emma up.

He grabbed her face and kissed her like it was their last day on earth. It was a hidden anthem, an attempt to take dignity back from all the guys she strung along, pretending to date, but having far more fun in the chase. It completely made sense in Derek’s head.

He let her go, fully prepared for a slap in the face. He kept his hands on her waist, dancing like absolutely nothing had happened. His eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where Akshi was, when Emma took his face again and resumed the kiss. Derek blinked a few times before he realized the proper etiquette was to close his eyes.

Oh, right. It made sense in Derek’s head because his head was scrambled with too many thoughts. That didn’t mean it was smart.

***

There seemed to be a lot of slow songs. Maybe she noticed because Connor was asking her to dance at every single one of them. Evelyn tried to keep the conversations light for her own sanity.

“It’s been a fun night,” Connor said.

“Yeah.” There was no privacy in these conversations, as she was half yelling in order to be heard. “It really has.”

“Really? You’ve enjoyed it?” Connor asked.

“Of course. It’s always fun to get together with a group of friends and hang out.”

The smile on Connor’s face dropped. “Oh. Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

Evelyn studied his face. “What? What was that?”

“It’s just… I thought that…”

Unease put more knots in her stomach. “Didn’t they… Brandi said we were all getting together as friends. You… knew this, right?”

Connor sighed. “Evelyn, come on. You’ve got to know what people are saying about you.”

She was caught off guard by that sentence, and she hated how she didn’t know what he meant. “Um… what?”

“Come on, Ev,” Connor said. She never heard that nickname given to her, and she hated it. “You’re a sophomore. In high school. You’re supposed to date people now.”

Evelyn blinked, and she couldn’t help but keep blinking. “Seriously? Of all the scandalous things people could say about me, the only thing cropping up is how I don’t have a boyfriend?”

“So, just checking. You are straight, right?” Connor asked.

Evelyn’s brows drew together so quickly they almost tingled. “Seriously?”

Connor sighed. “I had a really fun time with you tonight, Ev.”

“Evelyn.” Her tone was dry, almost dark.

“It’s strange for a cheerleader to not have a boyfriend,” Connor said.

They were still half screaming at each other, and she hated the lack of privacy. Evelyn wanted an excuse to escape, but she also wanted to make her position clear.

“There’s more to relationships than… being a cheerleader.”

Connor shook his head. “Then is it true your brother threatens anyone who even looks in your direction? Because that’s the only other way this makes sense to me.”

In her flustered state, she turned her head and saw Akshi. Akshi turned, and for the briefest moment, their gazes met. Fear flooded her system, and she pretended her gaze continued to move across the room, scanning for anyone.

“I’m sorry, what? What does my brother have to do with any of this?”

“He’s got a criminal record,” Connor said.

“No, he doesn’t.”

“I assumed he’s threatening boys who get too close to you.” His face dropped. “Does he?”

“No. It’s… I…” Evelyn faced forward, her heartbeat rattling as she saw out of the corner of her eye Akshi dropping to the floor and speeding right up to them.

“Do you know how hard it is to assume men have to be perfect before you consider dating them? Do you know how toxic that is?” Connor asked.

“This entire thing was set up because I agreed to go with a bunch of my friends. We all agreed that this was to show school spirit, not to pair off and start dating,” Evelyn said.

“Ugh, come on, Ev.”

“Evelyn.” Her tone was unmistakably harsher, and needing to scream didn’t help in the slightest. Akshi raised his body up, staring right at her.

Connor rolled his eyes. “You’re making it very difficult to want to date you.”

“I’m going to say this as clearly as possible. If I had a hint of knowing that by signing up for this group date meant I’d have to choose a boyfriend by the end of it, I wouldn’t have come.”

“It’s alright if you’re a lesbian, Evelyn. I have a cousin who’s—”

“Seriously, you need to stop,” Evelyn said.

Connor gave her a look. “The more you pull away, the more I think you’re not straight.”

“I won’t date you to prove I’m straight!” She was fully screaming at this point. The fact that Akshi was right there did not help Evelyn feel like this conversation was all that private.

Connor rolled his eyes. “Fine. You clearly must have a type. Are you even attracted to anyone on the football team? Because I’ve heard you’re into this nerdy game Ch—”

It was on fear alone that made Evelyn slap his face. She could not let Connor say Choice, Chance, and Consequence when Akshi was right there.

She spun around and rushed out of the room, her breathing coming in quick gasps, terrified as Akshi followed. She had to pretend she didn’t see him. It drove her into a panic she tried to use. She sprinted out of the gym, Akshi hot on her tail.