As it grew dark outside, the house filled. I lost track of Danny in the crowd, and Conner excused himself not long into the baseball conversation. I assumed both he and Chris silently agreed they achieved their show of being adequate friends for their peers, and were clear to ricochet apart to their respective cliques. Even though I found myself fast friends with Kelly, her disdain for Danny was unforgivable, so I kept my distance. Jacob, on the other hand, always stayed close with an arm around me. My back was aching from the added weight of his slacked arm. I gave a big stretch to ease the throbbing.

"Hey Em, I have the perfect shade of lipstick for you." It was a peace offering from Kelly, complete with an apologetic smile.

"Really? Is there a mirror around?" Relief for the reason to extricate me from Jacob eased through me.

"Use my parents' bathroom. No one should be up there." Chris seemed pleased that the girlfriends were bonding.

I followed Kelly as she bobbed and weaved through the mass of people, but not to the porch, to the stairs. My anxiety rose as I realized how packed the house had become. The quiet of the bathroom was an oasis. Silently we straightened ourselves in the mirror and freshened our lip gloss. I hadn't realized how oppressive the heat downstairs had been. I gazed at the sink, wishing I could splash cold water on my face without looking like a drowned rat.

"So, sorry about earlier," Kelly spoke in a muted tone as she checked her teeth to ensure no gloss had smeared on them.

"It's okay. I don't know Danny that well. It just came across as..."

"Bitchy. That's because it was." There were shades of Sarah in Kelly; maybe that was why I enjoyed her. "Danny was..." she selected her words, which I appreciated. "Danny is a lot and is a lot of Conner."

I got the message; Kelly, at least partly, blamed Danny for her breakup with the world's most handsome man. I was thankful for the tentative knock that prevented me from prying further.

"Kel, can I come in?" Conner's low, sandpaper rasp drifted through the door.

I watched as panic rippled through Kelly, stiffening her frame.

I just mouthed a 'sorry' before opening the door. "I was just going outside to check out some glow bugs," I smiled as I slid past Conner.

"Hey, Danny was in the kitchen the last time I saw him. That dude loves lightning bugs."

I stopped short of the stairs and turned back to catch Conner's eyes.

"Glow bugs," I asserted.

Conner cocked his head a bit. "Agree to disagree?"

"Never, I'm not the agreeable type." I don't know where the moment of mischievousness came from; I was the agreeable type.

Danny was right where Conner left him. His arm slung around a brunette who seemed more than happy to be tucked by his side. She clutched his hand to ensure it stayed locked around her, pulling them closer to each other.

"Well, hello, princess." It came from the boy next to Danny, the human embodiment of a pent-up pit bull.

Danny had mischievous ease to him, and Conner had a dutiful protector vibe, but this guy had a villainous quality to him. His smile was a sneer, and his eyes gleamed with aggression. Everything about him left me unsettled. Danny gave him a tap on the stomach with his free hand and the shake-off with his head. Relief struck me when the boy took a physical step back in acknowledgment, nevertheless, my skin crawled as he looked me up and down like I was a delicacy he wasn't sure he could resist.

"Where you headed?" Danny's tone was springy as he tried to overcompensate for the funk in the air.

"Kel mentioned glow bugs." My cadence was fast, matching the drumming of my heartbeat.

For a moment, I thought about spinning around to find Jacob and tuck myself by his side for the rest of the night, but I was childish in my wants, and I wanted to see the glow bugs. I dipped my head and shifted to the sliding door of the deck, making my way through the doorway with a stumble. I heard the girl suctioned to Danny mock the glow bugs with a shrill giggle, but brushed it off as I slid the door shut on her mocking.

The sweet summer air had grown cool without the sun and nipped at my skin, causing goosebumps to spread down my arms. I regretted leaving my flannel in Jacob's car. But the field before me was alive and distracted me from the chill. Tiny sparks danced along the tall grass that, in the darkness, blew in dark waves like a ghost of the ocean. It was hypnotic and beautiful.

"Pretty amazing," but it wasn't Danny's voice. I didn't need to turn around to know the quiet rasp behind me. "Not the best choice of outfit." As Conner spoke, he draped his button-down around my shoulders.

I welcomed the shirt still warm from him. It smelled of his earthy cologne and cigarettes. I was a bit taken aback that he must smoke.

"It was warmer when the sun was up," I refused to adjust my concentration away from the field despite my company.

"You're a smart girl; you should know the sun sets every night."

His words hypnotized me, but my eyes continued to follow the fireflies.

"I kind of thought Danny would come out," I absently spoke as the flies dance in the darkness.

"Yeah, he's occupied."

"She was pretty." I conceded, trying to sound casual.

"He's occupied with Kyle. Danny wasn't happy with the way he looked at you."

"That makes two of us." Knowing Kyle was neutralized spread warm relief through me. "So, you're here to babysit me?"

"Something like that. Apparently, I'm less of a threat," Conner's tone was flirty.

I lifted my expression to him as he cocked a playful eyebrow at me, but it didn't change that Conner was safe. His eyebrows bowed down around the green pools of his eyes, giving them a sad look.

"Maybe it's that Danny knows I respect relationships," he conceded. "Jacob seems..."

"Protective," I finished.

Conner let a laugh slip out, but both knew it wasn't a joke.

"To be honest, I didn't think we were in a place where he would be jealous."

"In a place?" Conner moved closer to me as he continued to gaze out to the field.

"We've been together for a long time. It's just different." I didn't know why I had started this conversation. I hoped he would interrupt me, but he didn't. He just rested his hands on the railing and continued to gaze into the darkness. "I guess I've been wondering if he cared about me or just wanted the safety of us."

"Yo, we gotta jet," Danny cracked the moment.

"What's up?" Conner instinctively put a light hand on my shoulder. His spine stiffened as if he was ready to pounce.

"This party is getting heated. The cops will be here soon."

"Fuck, is Kyle in the middle of it?"

"What do you think?" You could feel the annoyance between the two of them. "He didn't cause it this time, but you know he'll throw a punch just for kicks," Danny added.

Conner just shook his head. I couldn't help but wonder why they even were friends with Kyle if all they did was defuse him.

"I'll go drag Kyle out of here; you get Emma to the car." Danny's plan felt well-trod.

My stomach flip-flopped at the idea of leaving with Danny any Conner, but reality soon set into my mind. "Wait, I have to get Jacob," I protested.

"I'll get him out of here too." Danny's blue eyes were clear and reassuring with tense electricity. "Go with Conner." His tone took arguing off the table, and Conner didn't wait for an answer.

Conner's bear paw hand immersed mine; it was as rough and calloused as his voice. I struggled to keep up with his quick pace. Getting through the kitchen was easy, but the packed living room was shoulder to shoulder teens, and I fought to keep a grip on Conner's hand even when he intertwined his fingers with mine. Finally, he gave up and yanked me to him, gripping my hips as he steered me through the crowd. Just shy of the front door, he halted. I recoiled into his chest as he steadied me.

"Kelly..." Conner roared. He shifted me to his side while maintaining a solid grip around my shoulders. "Kelly..." he shouted again and got a hand on her shoulder. "You gotta go." He reasoned with her. The crowd shifted again, and somewhere nearby, the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh sliced through all the other noises. "Now, Kelly."

"I have to stay for Chris," tears welled in Kelly's eyes.

I felt a pang of worry for Jacob. What would I do if Jacob were in this situation? I knew the answer as I shifted closer to Conner's safety. Jacob would want me to be safe.

"Kel, this is his house. We can't help him. He'd want you to get out."

I assumed Conner was right. Jacob would want me out, maybe not with Conner and Danny, but he'd want me safe.

"Kel, I'm sorry." Even when he was shouting, he could make his manner soft. "There just isn't enough time." He grabbed her by the waist and flung her over his shoulder.

He then reinforced his grip on me and shoved all three of us to the door. Kelly was protesting, but not enough to be effective, and even she knew it. The chilled air outside was the splash of cold water I had wanted. I lost Conner's shirt somewhere in the house, so the air was pressing against my bare arms. Conner released me when we got outside, but tightened his grip on Kelly, readying himself for another battle with her.

"Put me down, you ass," she whined as she slapped at his back.

"Nope," his answer was so closed it took Kelly aback.

"Conner, I can't leave."

"You sure can," Conner was not having any of it. He pulled up the door to a beat-up 4-Runner and tossed Kelly in. "Stay," he demanded.

Kelly yelled something about not being a dog as Conner ushered me towards the car.

"I should wait here for Jacob," my words came out timid as I hoped to avoid Conner's ire.

"Do I need to toss you in too?" As he spoke, he stuck a cigarette in his mouth, "get in."

The cigarette bobbed between his lips with each word. He cupped a hand around it and lit it up with a flare of fire that matched his mood. I didn't bother to argue; I just climbed in next to Kelly as he opened the front passenger door for no one.

"Kyle better sit upfront. I swear, Conner." Kelly yelled. She was annoyed but could get out the other side of the car if she wanted.

Conner left both passenger side doors open and moved to the driver's seat. He turned the car on and killed the radio in one swift movement.

"I swear, Con," Kelly continued.

"Yeah, yeah; I heard you, Kel. Danny will be in the back with you. He won't let Kyle near Em."

I felt a pang hearing Conner shorten my name. It was silly, but I couldn't help the skip of my heart.

The three of us kept our stares at the front door. Hours seemed to pass, but it was just a couple of minutes. Jacob burst through the door first. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Next, Danny came out; his scowl hardened his entire face, making his icy blue eyes grey. Nerves twitched my muscles and worsened with a murmured swear by Conner. Next, two guys Jacob had been talking to stumbled out. Danny was halfway to the car when Kyle tripped out the door. A maniacal laugh erupted from deep within him as he charged after Danny, ripping his shirt off and wrapping it around his bleeding hand.

"Meet us at Northgate," Conner yelled out to the other survivors as Kyle and Danny climbed into the car.

"You good?" Danny squeezed my knee and spoke in an even tone that didn't match the storm of his appearance. Jacob's benign gesture never sent the electric surge through me the way Danny's did.

My throat was dry, and I feared that if I contemplated the honest answer, I would burst into tears. Danny's expression softened to meet his tone as he wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders.

"Look at me, Em," Danny's voice was powerful, even in a whisper.

I turned to meet him. Our faces were so close that it was easy for him to rest his forehead on mine. His breath stung with the fumes of the cheap liquor he had been consuming.

"You're okay. Jacob's okay. Just breathe." He held my gaze until I mustered a more confident smile. He then let his head fall back to the seat and released his tight hold on my shoulder. "Kel, you good?" He moved a hand to Kelly's shoulder. The ripple of his muscles pressed on me as he squeezed Kelly.

"Great; I just left my boyfriend in the middle of a house brawl that I'm pretty sure tweedled-dumb escalated."

"Shut the fuck up, Kel." Kyle's tone was not playful; it was full of hate.

"Hey," Conner's fist hit Kyle's chest with a thunk. "You speak to her one more time, and I shove you out of this car without slowing down."

Danny tensed around me as he prepared to throw himself between them.

"Whatever." Kyle twisted in his seat to look directly at me. "Hey, princess," he sneered.

My stomach churned.

"Eyes front, Kyle," Danny growled.

"What the fuck?" Kyle sulked.

Conner snaked through neighborhoods I had never seen before, nor even knew existed. I couldn't help but feel the small size of my world. Their plan had come together so swiftly; this was a well-worn design. In Willsden, the worst thing that would happen was the cops would catch you drinking in a sandpit somewhere and drive you home. This was an entirely different world.