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The night keeps rolling like a highlight reel on fast forward.

Kira and Parker are mid-shot showdown, cheered on by half the bar and judged ruthlessly by Grace, who’s filming it on her phone with live commentary. "Parker’s still got the edge on volume, but Kira’s form? Flawless."

"I was made for this," Kira declares, slamming down a shot glass with flair. "College didn’t teach me much, but it did teach me endurance."

"Careful," Parker grins. "I’ve got dad reflexes. You’re outmatched."

"Is that what we’re calling early bedtime energy now?"

Meanwhile, James and Ethan have somehow become Kira’s honorary wingmen, or prey, it’s hard to tell. She flirts withboth, switching targets every few minutes just to keep them off balance.

"You’ve got the jawline," she tells James, twirling a straw. "But Ethan’s got that dangerous little smirk. Honestly, I’m conflicted."

Ethan smirks harder. "If you need help deciding, I’ve got a spreadsheet ready."

"Are there graphs?"

"Pie charts."

"Sold."

Lexi and Priya wedge themselves into the banter like pros. Lexi’s critiquing James’s drink choice ("A whiskey sour? Bold. Conflicted. Possibly compensating.") while Priya and Mandy exchange knowing looks over their cocktails.

Mandy leans in to me, voice just loud enough to cut through the music. "Your teammates are unhinged."

"Completely."

"It’s kind of great."

I grin. "They grow on you. Like mold."

"The charming kind of mold."

"Exactly."

Across the table, Lexi leans toward Mandy. "Okay, serious question. If you had to choose one of these guys to be stranded on a desert island with, who would it be?"

Mandy lifts an eyebrow. "Alive or dead?"

"Alive, obviously. Otherwise it’s a horror movie."

Kira chimes in, already pointing. "Mikey. He’d make friends with a coconut and create an entire society in three hours."

"I would," Mikey agrees. "It would be called Mikeyland, and I’d rule with charm and slight delusion."

James raises his glass. "I’d give Mikeyland twenty-four hours before it devolves into a musical."

Ethan nods solemnly. "And I’d be cast as the brooding anti-hero."

"I’d pay to see that," Priya says. "Especially if there’s choreography."

The banter goes on like that, wild and sharp and a little unhinged in the best way. Mandy’s relaxed now, leaning back, laughing harder and more freely than I’ve seen before. Her smile is the kind that makes you forget how loud the world is.

At one point, she catches me staring and quirks a brow. "What?"

I shrug. "Just watching you win over everyone."

"Is that what I’m doing?"