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“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

“You can just believe me when I say things. Really.”

He looked a little wounded. “It’s just that—knowing what happened— Darius glanced back, and I knew what he was thinking. Somewhere out there in the swirl of kids, Danny and Mason and all the rest of the team were having the prom night of their dreams, half-drunk and groping their dates furtively on the floor. “I’m worried about doing the wrong thing.”

“So am I. But—you’re not. I just don’t trust myself when I’m around you is all. But that’s on me, too, not just you.”

He gave me a sly grin. “How should I help you? I’m afraid I can’t be less handsome.”

I laughed. “Try. And be less funny, and less considerate and kind. Really, your only flaw is the whole pot thing. If we do start dating after all this and you get caught, I’m not going to visit you in jail. I already live in a trailer park—it’d be too trite.” I leaned back a little, tilting my face down while looking up at him through mascara’d eyes. “Would you really be into me, if I didn’t have this? Be honest,” I said, holding up my hand. A billow offake smoke roiled out, and I imagined little bolts of lightning flickering between my fingers inside of it.

“I was into you before. But until this, your game was too tight, you didn’t need someone like me.”

“And now?” I asked. I didn’t need-need him—but now that I had him around, I didn’t want to give him back.

“Every superhero needs a sidekick. As long as you promise not to make me wear tights, we’re good.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve totally got my suit on me here somewhere,” I said, teasingly.

“Yeah, you do,” he said, reaching around to draw his hand down my back, following the path the lightning’d taken. I shivered just as Mrs. Ellis loomed out of the fog.

“That’s enough—you two get back inside.”

We were walking very close back to the dancefloor, when I was pounced on my free side. “That dress!” someone screamed in my ear and I found myself engulfed in another hug. Sarah—the epitome of prom gorgeousness. Her make-up was perfect, her hair was perfect, her shoes were just-this-side-of crippling and her dress was on point, it hugged her body and had a huge window in the back in a way that mine could not. I spun for her sake.

“Who knew your mom was such a Martha Stewart?”

“Not me.”

“I love it. And you’re wearing it so much better than Charlie ever did.” She was shouting three inches from my face, over the DJ’s blaring tunes. From the alcohol on her breath I knew Bruce hadn’t been the only person pre-gaming.

“I can give it back?—”

“Whatever. Ever since she went to college, I hate her.” Sarah was beaming at me, but then her jaw fell in shock as she stared behind me. “Lacey?”

“Hey Sarah,” Lacey said.

“How did you—oh—it doesn’t matter!” Sarah leapt past me to hug Lacey next, teetering precariously on her heels. “The trailer trash trio rides again!”

Lacey looked over Sarah’s shoulder at me, baffled, as she pat-hugged Sarah back before extricating herself carefully.

“Look—I’m sorry about us not hanging out Sunday. And about everything. I know it’s been weird since the party, and I’m sure Jessie told you that I was a jerk about things—but that was stupid. I was wrong.” Facts I hadn’t known about Sarah: she was a cheerful, overly honest, drunk. “The truth is that all the senior girls are bitches and you two are the only ones that matter to me—I miss you both so much!” she said, voice rising into a squeal as she hugged Lacey again.

Lacey gave me another bug-eyed look, as I pulled Sarah gently back. I took her head between my hands, careful to not smudge or tangle anything. “Sarah—we love you. This is prom, and you’re here with Ryan and it’s everything you’ve ever dreamed! Go have fun—we’ll hang out later. Promise.”

Her contoured face took on an even more beatific glow. “Tonight at Rosie’s—her parents are out of town! Come!” she said, as she wobbled away, waving and air-kissing the whole while.

Lacey leaned into me. “What the hell is she talking about?”

Sarah and her big perfectly lip-lined mouth. “After the party she was mad—she was thinking about ditching you.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Lacey’s voice rose over the crowd.

“You had a lot going on!” I shouted into her ear. “Plus she didn’t really want to ditch you, she just didn’t know what to do.You getting into trouble made her uncomfortable. We both know Sarah doesn’t deal well with that.”