Friday slipped by in a blink of signing yearbooks, emptying lockers, and classmates tearfully saying goodbye to each other even though they'd see one another at graduation in a couple of weeks, if not at Exam Jam this weekend. As much as I wanted to escape the unnecessary dramatics, I knew the last bell meant it was almost time for a crowded party of unknown people. At least when I had to suffer through parties with my classmates, I knew people and almost always had Sarah by my side. The thought of a party filled with strangers gave me a stomachache.

I blasted my music louder than I enjoyed trying to keep my negativity at bay while envying Jacob's naïve optimism. I was a more obsessive pessimist. Still, I figured I should acclimate to loud music rattling in my brain; it was inevitable tonight. Loud music, cheap beer, red solo cups were the clichés of the evening. Frustration was already worming through my mind as I tried to get dressed, fumbling irritably with buttons and zippers. I ripped off the faded tank I had worn all day and replaced it with a fresh black velvet version. One glance in the mirror and a heavy sigh meant it was good enough. I added a flannel tied to my waist in case it got cold. Sarah was in my head, "going for that exactly what everyone else is wearing look." I let out a laugh; my mental impression of Sarah was perfect.

While I waited for Jacob to pick me up, I flicked on a Gilmore Girls rerun. I didn't watch, though; I was still trying to suppress my anxiety. It was a black hole consuming all my energy.

"Hey," I jumped at Jacob's voice.

I swore under my breath.

"Sorry," an all-American smile adorned his face.

His effortless confidence irritated me.

"You look amazing." As he spoke, he leaned in to kiss the top of my head.

I adjusted my efforts to calm my annoyance at Jacob's general enjoyment of being a teen. "Let's do this." My voice came out with a strained bubble he wouldn't believe.

"I talked to Chris. If we go over a bit early, we can hang out with fewer people and head out before things get too crazy." It was a concession he was making for me without me even asking. Somehow even this made me bristle with crank.

He was perfect, an angel. He was everything inside me I wished I could be, but I felt off when he was near. All the puzzle pieces were there, still jumbled in the box, waiting to be put together.

Jacob was right. We walked in around 7 pm, and only about twelve people crowded around the beer pong table. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and friendly, which made my stomach churn further. I plastered a painfully wide smile on my face and considered taking up drinking.

"I love your top," a petite brunette spoke with a shy hesitation as the boys cheered a sunk ball. "I didn't have the energy to look cute." She looked cute in a faded Nirvana shirt she had knotted on one side, causing it to cling to her slender frame. "Luckily, just tying a knot in the shirt I wore to school today was enough. I don't even think Chris noticed it was the same tee." She let out a nervous giggle as her eyes shifted to where he was standing.

"Oh, Chris is Jacob's friend." I didn't intend to speak out loud. "I have him to thank for being here."

"Well, I guess we have something in common. Chris is my boyfriend. I'm Kelly." She had an unassuming kindness that I connected with immediately.

"Hey, I'm Emma."

We lingered in an appreciative silence; we could be introverted together.

"So, how long have you guys been together?" Kelly asked after a few minutes. Her hazel eyes were looking Jacob up and down.

No flare of jealousy erupted; it didn't bother me. Jacob was hot; people should notice. I looked Chris up and down. He was also hot, but more classic than Jacob. His strawberry blond hair faded into flawlessly tan skin. He had bright blue irises and broad shoulders that allowed him to carry himself as more of a man than the kids surrounding him. I tossed my gaze back to Jacob and, for the first time, saw that he resembled a man more than a boy. I wondered when that happened before remembering to answer Kelly.

"Five years," I murmured.

"Fuck, five years, Chris and I are babies compared to you two. We've only been together a couple of weeks."

"What's that like?" I was genuinely envious. I couldn't remember the first moments, but I was pretty sure Jacob and I didn't have them.

"It's fun," Kelly's face flushed as her mind skipped through the freshness. "I was in a relationship for two years before this. So, it's..." she paused, looking for the word before settling on, "different."

"Sorry about the breakup." I didn't know what else to say, so I gave her a crooked smile.

In my school, most breakups comprised a week of end-of-the-world drama, followed by both moving on to the next warm body. Jacob and I were a freak show exhibit, and Sarah never let me forget it.

"Yeah, it sucked. Connor is a great guy, but..." she trailed off again, this time losing her thoughts in her head.

I didn't press.

"Chris is a lot of fun," she qualified with a forced smile pricking at her lips. "Conner and I are working on being friends. He's coming tonight."

"Oh, fun," I couldn't mask the sarcasm.

"Yeah, he and Chris played baseball together; so, it's important to Chris that we all get along." Kelly shifted her feet around her flip-flops to relieve the awkward setting, "kumbaya and all."

"Should we have a code word for 'get me the fuck out of here'?" I offered.

"Yes, do you have any lipstick on you?" Kelly had already given this some thought.

"No, I stick to gloss."

"Perfect. If I ask to borrow your lipstick, let's get the fuck out of here. Chris has an amazing back deck that overlooks Capasic Park, and most nights, it's filled with fireflies."

"I may need to ask you for lipstick so that I can see that."

I was shocked at how easy it was to talk to Kelly. Maybe it was merely the girls at my high school that were soulless bitches.

"Here he is," Kelly murmured.

Everyone saw him enter. He was the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen, but not the dark, tall, lanky type I had always gravitated towards. This boy was just a few inches taller than me, maybe 5' 8", but he was thickly defined. He had broad shoulders and a deep chest that he tried to hide with an undershirt layered beneath a dark navy button-down. His sandy brown hair fell just above his clear green eyes. Even though his features seemed chiseled from stone, he had an alluring softness and grace to his movements, paired with overall ease rarely seen in a young person.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," I leaned into Kelly so no one else could hear.

"Yeah, I know. The worst part is, he's the sweetest." She trailed off again as if she was catching herself indulging too much.

I wanted to say something, anything, to make Kelly feel better, but I couldn't because even more amazing than drooling over Conner was who followed him into the party.

"Danny," fell out of my mouth.

"You know Danny Stevens?" Kelly skeptically asked.

"Sorta, I wouldn't say I know him," I didn't bother ripping my gaze from Danny as he floated into the room with a comfortable stride.

He wore his standard t-shirt and jeans, which sent a pang through me, wishing I could see the blue moon tattoo the sleeve hid. He appeared taller and more ashen next to Conner. His shoulders were straight and confident, but he ran his slender fingers through his hair and let his eyes cautiously dart around the room. He hadn't seen me yet, and I hadn't determined if I wanted him to recognize me or not.

"I didn't think you were the type." There was a tone from Kelly that I immediately disliked.

"Type?" I begrudgingly pulled my face away from the new guests to study Kelly's face.

"People know Danny for one of two reasons," she shrugged, trying to mask her judgment.

My impatience was boiling. "And they are?"

"Drugs or meaningless sex," Kelly deliberately looked straight into my gape when she spoke, as if baiting me.

I took the verbal punch with no recoil. "He's a regular at a coffee shop where I work. How about you?" I knew I shouldn't twist the blow back to Kelly, but protection for Danny overcame me.

"I'm the ex-girlfriend of his best friend." She raised one eyebrow before heaving herself up and heading to Chris' side.

I watched as Chris seamlessly engulfed Kelly into him as though she were an appendage he had been longing to reclaim. I knew Jacob would do the same, feel the same. So, what was wrong with me? Kelly murmured into Chris' ear; he gave a slight nod, followed by a tender kiss on the tip of her nose. It made my chest grow tight to witness the fragile warmth they shared without hesitation.

I heaved myself up and joined Jacob. Just as expected, he wrapped me in one of his arms.

"I missed you," he murmured as he kissed my temple. He had an infectious warmth, but I was numb. "It's not that bad, right?" He twisted to study my expression.

"No, it's not." I wasn't lying, but I dreaded what may happen next. "That's Danny," I gestured towards where he was talking with Conner and a small group of people.

Jacob gave me a confused cock of the head.

"He's a regular at work," I explained.

"Oh," a smile filled Jacob's face, "see, you know someone." He was as loveable as a golden retriever that had felt nothing but care and kindness. "You want to introduce me?"

But I didn't have to answer; I could feel Conner and Danny shifting without even looking. The air around Kelly and Chris changed; I watched Chris' fingers press harder on Kelly's hips. Simultaneously, Jacob's fingers constricted on my hips as well.

"Hey," Chris had the same bright tone as Jacob. "Glad you could make it."

He loosened his grip on Kelly as he leaned a shoulder into Conner for what Sarah would always call a bro-hug, but still clung to Kelly, not allowing her to slip away.

"Hey man," Conner's tenor was low and husky. It'd get lost in the room's noise if you didn't focus on hearing what he had to say; I focused. "Thanks for having us," he continued.

"Of course!" Chris extended a hand to Danny, who complied with a half-smile.

"Hey, Kel," the familiarity in Conner's two words gutted me; I couldn't imagine what it did to the love triangle.

Kelly gave him a shy smile while still clinging to Chris' side, as if she were afraid that being near Conner would suck her back to him. I could see why. He was a magnet; no matter how much you tried to escape the pull, science was not on your side.

"Coffee girl?" Danny didn't hide his surprise.

"Hey, Danny." As though I was in a compromising position, I blushed, and my voice cracked.

He extended a hand. I thought it was odd to extend a shake. As I tentatively reached out to him, he snatched it and pulled me to his chest. I tried to get my footing from the unexpected pull, but ended up falling to him as he wrapped me in a bear-hug. I buried a smile in his chest as he pulled me in deeper, squishing me tight against him. His steadying allowed me to regain my footing, and his embrace made me feel happy all over, as though my Nana was giving me an adoring hug.

Danny dipped his head to my ear. His warm exhale washed over the side of my face. "I checked all over; no red balloon."

I thought it was impossible, but, as my chest jumped in a chuckle, Danny pulled me even tighter to him with a slight lift. He set me down and dropped his head to my level as his arms lingered at my waist.

"You look good out of an apron," he continued.

I had never noticed his lop-sided smile; it dipped up a bit more on the right. Nor had I noticed the tiny scar spilling up from his lip just to the left of the center. I gazed back for a moment. It was as though he was willing my entire mind to be open to him, inviting me, daring me to let him enter.

Suddenly, I was being pulled back. Jacob hooked a finger through my back belt loop and dragged me to his chest. His arms encircled me with stern harshness. He was staking his claim to something he owned. I couldn't help but think how lucky I was he wasn't a dog.

"Are you going to introduce me?" He growled, setting me off-kilter.

"Of course. Jacob, this is Danny. Danny, this is my boyfriend, Jacob."

Danny flashed a confident smile and extended a hand. Jacob's body recoiled before he forced a pinched smile and curt shake. My body stiffened with concern. Jacob was jealous, but he didn't do jealousy.

"Danny takes his sugar with a splash of coffee." I hoped some good old-fashion teasing would lessen the tension.

"How do you think I stay so sweet?" Danny knew he wasn't helping the mood with his flirtation. I was sure he had no intent by it other than the enjoyment of getting a rise out of Jacob.

"Sweet? I'd cut back on the coffee." Conner joked. The pair of friends hypnotized me.

Conner and Chris broke into a conversation on baseball, which Jacob was more than relieved to settle into while keeping a firm grip on my waist. The topic didn't entice Danny; he drifted away with a slight nod and wink at me. I rested my head on Jacob's chest, neglecting all thoughts other than Conner's nose, the lone feature on his face that wasn't perfect, which made it perfect on its own. Rather than the rugged jawline that slipped into his thick neck, his nose was slightly too large for his face and almost plushy. I suspected the slight hook was due to it being broken at some point. It was all I could do to not poke it playfully like an elevator call button as his chin bobbed in conversation.