Sky's POV
I walk in Jack's apartment with Ben, looking around at all the people inside. Olivia, Jack's sister, sees us and walks over, smiling. "Hey! I'm glad you guys could make it," she chirps happily.

"Happy birthday!" I reply, smiling back at her.

"Thanks. It's just a reminder that I'm getting older." Olivia laughs. "Come get something to eat or drink. Jack's over there if you want to talk to her," she tells me, gesturing to where her sister is standing with Marlee. Olivia moves away to greet some of her other friends.

"I'm going to grab a drink," Ben tells me, stepping over to the kitchen. I decide to join Marlee and Jack's conversation.

"Hey, Sky," Marlee greets as I walk up. Jack gives me a bright smile as she and Marlee continue their conversation.

When a sudden loud noise comes from the kitchen, we turn to see Ben standing at the drink table, the front of his shirt covered in the water from the pitcher he just knocked over. He looks at Marlee, his eyes wide and begging for help.

Marlee lets out a deep sigh. "Okay," she says under her breath. "I'm going to get him cleaned up." She leaves Jack and I to lead Ben to the bathroom.

"That was," Jack pauses, searching for the right word, "in character for Ben." Just the sight of her grin causes my heart to skip a beat. As she laughs lightly, I'm afraid she'll be able to hear how fast it's beating.

"I'm going to help Olivia clean that up. Hold this for me?" Jack hands me her drink before I can reply. "I'll be right back." With that, she goes to the kitchen. For the next hour, I laugh with my friends, celebrating Olivia's birthday.
Once a slower song plays over the speakers, I approach Jack. "Dance with me?" I ask with a slight grin.

"Oh, I'm flattered, but I'm good," Jack replies, shaking her head and smiling.

I sigh. "Come on, you'll never be more confident in your dancing skills if you only do it at rehearsals."

"And auditions," she adds.

"Please?" I beg, giving her my best puppy dog eyes.

Jack still shakes her head. "No, I'm good."

"Okay," I say slowly, deciding to take a different approach. "I dare you to dance with me, Jack Kelly."

Jack laughs. "I'm dialing it back on the dares since the hand sanitizer incident." She crosses her arms. "So that's not going to work on me."

I cross my arms, mirroring her stance. "Alright, then. I double dog dare you to dance with me."

She gasps dramatically. "You did not just double dog dare me." In response, I nod. "I guess I can't turn that challenge down."

I triumphantly offer her my hand, she takes it, and I lead her to the area serving as a dancefloor. Several people linger in the area, but very few are actually dancing. I find a good spot and stop, putting my arms lightly around Jack as she does the same. "See? This isn't so bad, is it?"

Jack tilts her head, smiling slightly. "Hmm, I guess not, since you're not such a bad dancer." She smiles slowly as we sway back and forth to the beat. "Have you heard anything about Mean Girls yet?"

I shake my head. "No. Generally it'll take a little more time before we get any answer," I explain. "But I'll let you know the moment I hear back." She nods, satisfied. As we dance, I can't help but notice how natural it feels to have her in my arms. After weeks of thinking, I still can't come up with a logical explanation for why Jack is still with River, but I can't tell her that. I'll have to be patient, but I'll happily wait a lifetime if it means I can be with Jack.