“You just might get what you need?”

He shucked me under the chin and gave me his best cocky smile. “There’s hope for you yet.”

He walked away from me with a determined swagger and didn’t look back. I know because I watched the whole long beeline he made to his adoring fans.

I wanted to say hi to Kelsie, but she was flooded with people and looked super busy. I wasn’t sure if Devon was planning on coming. He said his mom had unofficially grounded him when she got a call saying he’d failed to turn in two major history assignments.

It was way too cold to have worn this ridiculous short skirt, and I shivered a little in the biting wind. I was already feeling dead tired, and being out in the frigid air didn’t help at all. If I had my license, I would have happily driven myself home. Since I’d taken a ride from Saxon and we’d made our awkward peace, I wasn’t about to hunt him down and ask him to take me home early. I made my way inside, where people were milling around. I saw a few people from school I knew, but before I could make my way to them, Nikki blocked my path.

“Hey there, Brenna.” Her eyes looked glassy, and I noticed the sharp smell of alcohol on her. She had three friends giggling behind her, including Krista from school. Not one of them looked remotely sober.

“Um, hey, Nikki.” I attempted to brush past her, because I could feel that she was looking for a fight, and I wasn’t interested in that at all.

“Jake’s here, but he isn’t interested in seeing you.” She poked a finger out, and I think she was aiming for the center of my chest, but she wove and hit my shoulder instead.

“Okay. Look I have someone I have to go see, I’ll be going. Now.” I realized that I had been backed into one of the darker corners of the little low building. Shit. Backed into a corner and facing down four angry drunk/high girls wasn’t my idea of a good time. “What do you want me to say, Nikki? You two are together. Fantastic. Jake and I haven’t talked outside of school in weeks, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Then whysee wearin’ the stupid fuckin’ watch you gave ‘im, huh?” she slurred. She blinked fast, and I saw two tears slide out of the corner of her eyes. “You don’t deserve someone like Jake! So whysee still into you? You’re a bitch and a liar! You better leave him the hell alone!” She lunged forward, and I took one step back into the corner, reaching along the wall in the hopes there was a door to a bathroom or outside or something, anything I could duck into.

“She’s not worth it!”

“Forget her! She’s nothing but a useless bitch!”

“If Jake doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you, screw him!”

Her friends were all pulling back at her, but she was still jumping forward, determined to get at me. I really didn’t want to see what the outcome of being jumped by four girls half in the bag was, but I clenched my fists and got ready to fight my way out of this corner I’d somehow gotten backed into.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Kelsie yanked two of the girls back and all I heard was a set of quick yelps before they went flying. In an instant she grabbed Krista by the red-tinted hair and snarled, “Get the hell away from her!”

Kelsie was usually a really gentle, sweet girl without any evidence of a mean bone in her body. Watching her unleash on these girls made my jaw drop, but it somehow made sense that all that hippie calm was a front for an intense, rarely unleashed rage. The first two had run away, but Krista was about to get into it when Jake appeared out of nowhere and threw himself in front of Kelsie.

Krista wound up landing a weak punch on his chest, and I sank against the wall with relief. If she had used her full strength and landed the punch on Kelsie, it would have smashed right into my friend’s face. Jake yanked Krista by the shoulder.

“Shambles is waiting outside. Tell him Nikki will be out in a minute.”

“I’m not leaving!” Krista snapped, her arms flailing.

“You’re drunk and high. I swear to god, I will call your father and have him come down if you don’t go now.” Jake’s face was cold and serious. Krista stopped wailing and jerking around and stomped to the door. Jake looked at Nikki, and I cowered at the pure disgust in his eyes. “Seriously, Nik? What’s with you lately?”

“Like you give a shit!” she screamed. “You haven’t paid any attention to me in weeks! I know you’re still talking to that slut!”

“Calm down.” Jake took her by the elbow. “You need to go home. Let Shambles take you. He’ll drop you to get your car tomorrow.”

“Why not you?” Her angry screech ended in a hiccup. “I spend more time with him than you, and you’re supposed to be my boyfriend! Why are you with me if you don’t even want to be?” The tears that coursed out of her eyes made her makeup run in murky black rivers down her cheeks. “You still love her, don’t you? Don’t you? Just admit it, you liar!”

Jake’s eyes locked on mine across the few feet that separated us. The electric shock that went through the air was so intense, I was surprised no one else around us reacted. My heart warmed up and swelled, and I wondered if he felt it, too. Then he tore his eyes off of me and looked back at Nikki.

“You’re drunk, Nik. And this isn’t the time or place to talk about this. I’ll call you tomorrow, when you’re in your right mind. Okay?” He spoke to her firmly but gently, and as much as I hated being the voyeur in the corner, it was fascinating.

When Jake and I dated, he usually deferred to me. He was the one who messed up, and I was the one who had all the right answers. It was amazing how many different versions of us there were, and, in a strange way, I was glad to see this other side of Jake, even if it did tear at my heart to watch him curl an arm around Nikki and walk her out into the parking lot.

Kelsie snuggled next to me. “You okay, girl? You look kind of beat.”

I wiped my suddenly damp eyes with my knuckles and let out a shaky laugh. “Kel, it’s been the world’s longest freaking night. I’m glad I’m here and all, but you don’t know how I’m lusting for my bed.”

“Did you come with Saxon?” She craned her neck and looked around for his dark head.

“I did. We’re, um, not together anymore. I mean, as much as we were, we’re not. After tonight.” My tongue felt tied in a fat knot.

“Oh.” She smiled a smile that was all sweet sympathy. “Are you happy about it?”

I nodded weakly. “I mean, happymight not be the right word. I’m just…I guess at peace with all the stupid mistakes I made. And I know there’s that old saying about how much you learn from your mistakes and all that, but, seriously, it just sucks. It sucks being wrong and stupid and screwing everything up for everyone.” I leaned my cheek against her shiny, smooth hair.

She patted my side. “You’re being hard on yourself, Bren. You know, all you can do is the best you can do. You’re going to screw up sometimes. But the people who really love you will hang in there. Like me.” She kissed my cheek, and I felt like I could relax for the first time all night.

The band came out, and I tried to put all the craziness of the night behind me. Kelsie and I screamed along with all the songs, danced until we were buckled over from laughing, and acted like the happy young fools we were. Saxon came in with three soccer girls who looked like they might scratch each others’ eyes out over him, and they were all strong, gorgeous, and determined. That scenario was probably Saxon’s wet dream. He joked and grinned a lot, but once in a while I caught him looking at me with no trace of a smile on his face.

By the time the last song played, I could hardly keep my eyes open. “I hate to ask you,” I said loudly in his ear, “’cause I can see how much fun you’re going to have, but could you give me a ride home? I don’t mind if you need to, uh, bring a friend along.” I glanced at the three girls, and their six glaring eyeballs and six aggressively crossed arms and three anxiously tapping feet. “Or three.”