“I am not.”
“Purple dress, pink cheeks. Very coordinated.”
I elbow him lightly, his smile goes soft in a way that makes my stomach dip.
For one impossible second, the room around us blurs.
Then someone calls his name from across the room, and the moment loosens before I have to examine it too closely.
“Saved by the jocks,” I say.
He groans.“You really think all my friends are idiots, don’t you?”
“I think a room full of hockey players and free alcohol is a public safety risk.”
“That’s fair.”
He steps backward, eyes still on me.
“I’m not done talking to you,” he says.
I tilt my head.“That sounds threatening.”
“It’s a promise.”
And then he’s gone. He weaves back into the crowd like he was never standing close to me. Like he wasn’t close enough for me to notice the clean scent of his cologne or the way his voice drops when he says something real.
I exhale slowly. Tess appears at my side two seconds later, like she smelled the chemistry from across the room.
“You are in trouble,” she says.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Leo and Zane drift back over at that point, and the group reshuffles around drinks, jokes, and music. For a little while, it feels easy again. Easy enough that I stop scanning exits. Easy enough that I forget to be careful.
Which, in hindsight, was my first mistake.
I’m chatting and dancing with Tess and Gwen when I notice a brunette standing close to Zane. A blonde girl lingers behind her, equally polished, equally drunk.
The brunette says something to Zane, and as she does, she places her hand on his chest. I quickly walk off the dance floor and storm toward her.
“Excuse me?” I say loudly while I step toward the girl and push her away from Zane. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Wait, you’re the girlfriend? They said she was fat. You’re not that fat,” the brunette says in a confused tone, and all I can do is look at Gwen. The way her eyes get watery, the way she is holding her breath, the way she stands frozen.
The girl moves closer to Zane, and without thinking, I push her again.
“Get away from my brother, now,” I say in a tone I myself am not familiar with. A small crowd is forming around us, but all I can do is look at Gwen.
“Leave,” Tess adds while she gets next to Leo, and he automatically puts his arm around her.
The brunette looks around the group and spots Gwen. When she does, she starts laughing.
“This is her? You know you can do better, right?” she asks, and before any of us can do anything, I raise my hand and slap the girl straight in the face.
“Bitch,” the blonde friend yells while she throws herself at me, and when she does, Gwen steps in and shoves her. She instantly defends me.
The group gathering around us is getting bigger. Multiple cellphones point at us. As we look around, everyone notices the same thing. Without saying another word, we walk toward the exit.
