The past week went on as if it was a blur. The days happened to blend in with each other, homework, tests, surprise quizzes, going to the beach and surfing while also balancing in an increased friendship with, of all people, Julie. Amid everything, Sonny found talking to her was actually not a bad thing. In fact, while Sonny was hesitant at first, there was something about her that made Sonny feel a little good about himself. They had nothing to balls in common and maybe that was a good thing. And she didn’t seem to be interested in him like some might be, which he found to be a good thing. At the very least, they were getting along and he didn’t have to worry about getting the wrath of Chanel on his back, so that was good too.

Everything else aside, Sonny could be honest and say that the week went by a lot more quickly than he thought it would. In addition to everything else, he also became a little more friendly with Nadia. Talks here and there about homecoming, about the hard exams they had for the two classes they had together, and generally about how the dance was like a prison sentence ...well, Sonny was the one who brought it up. As he recalled, she just laughed and didn’t make any specific comment about it.

In all honesty, Sonny never expected himself to become as friendly with Nadia in the week they’ve met up for coffee, for study dates, and in overall, they just hung out and got to know each other more. By the time Friday came and it was time for Sonny to endure the last day before he took that perp walk, he had really found himself to be a bit of a friendly flirt with her. It was all fun and games, of course, but there was no denying it was playful on his part. He was naturally a confident, arrogant flirt, but surprisingly harmless - at least, that’s what Sonny believes. If Nadia took it another way, then that was just something else he could laugh at and tease her for.

Throughout the final hours leading to when Sonny arrived at the home of the three siblings (Nadia was one of them), Sonny did everything he could not to really care about getting ready. Of course, thanks to both of his parents who hounded him to get ready and not make an embarrassment of the family, he was forced to actually shower and eat and be ready before he ever planned to be ready. Before five, Sonny was full of enough fuel to last him throughout the night, his hair was groomed and combed back to his own satisfaction, and his suit with red tie and handkerchief that made him look like a poor excuse for a wiseguy. Odd of course because he wasn’t even part Italian.

“Look at my boy. All groomed up and ready to slay,” Jackson said, getting a good look at his son as he came down the stairs.

Sonny just rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets. Thankfully, only his parents were there. He got a text message from Stella and she said most of her entire family was there. He’d die if his sister had dropped everything from New York and decided to show up. He was lucky that she was too swamped with exams to make an attempt to embarrass him further.

“Let’s not make a big deal about this. It’s just a dance. And it’s not like me and Nadia are going to be dating or anything. We were forced into this,” Sonny clarified once again for the million-and-second time to them. They were ready to make a big deal about it when he first told them and they appeared to be ready to do the same thing right now.

“We know, but it’s not every day our son gets all dressed up like this. We just want to admire you, Sonny. That’s it,” Viola stated, flashing the camera in his face.

Sonny wanted to say something, but he just closed his mouth. He endured it for about fifteen minutes as they wanted to take all sorts of photos. He smiled for some and brooded during the rest.

After he was released from flash hell, he hopped into his orange truck and drove to Nadia’s house. It was only fifteen minutes away. Despite it being in the general area which, if everyone was being honest, it was like a small town that had big ass houses, over-the-top beaches and inhabitants, and a too-rich-for-their-own-good vibe. Sonny still felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, but it didn’t change him from enjoying the actual luxuries and benefits that came with coming from the Banks family wealth.

He popped on some tunes as he drove, though only a few minutes after he did, he slowed down as he passed April Foster’s house. That tacky mint green Ferrari that belonged to Kavi’s father was parked there. “Jesus," came Sonny's exaggerated, repulsed gag-like response to seeing the ugly as all fuck Ferrari. "And people give me shit for having a bold color for a truck,” Sonny laughed as he sped along to Nadia’s house.

And what a house it was. Holy shit, Sonny’s parent’s house was large but it wasn’t over the top. He didn’t know what was worse: the fact that poor, little Nadia who is so shy and the least boastful person he knew lived here or that she had to keep on that facade knowing that her parent’s house would give the Diablo’s parties a run for their money if a couple of them were thrown here.

Sonny would remember to mention that to her later on.

As he parked in the driveway, which was just as large as the house (when compared to other houses in the neighborhood), Sonny made the marathon-length walk to the front door. Everything about it just screamed white privilege. The only thing missing was some minority serving as the butler, but Sonny pushed those thoughts of white fuckboy-ism out as he gave the door a series of hard knocks.

The door opened right away, purely by coincidence, leaving Sonny face to face with the other resident: Victoire Bailey. Her expression was as interested as someone watching paint dry, less so when she noticed who was before her. She was dressed and ready to go, her clutch in one hand and her keys in another. God knows she wasn’t going to risk Jun finding out where she lived.

”Wow...coming to the door to pick your date up and everything, how cute,” She said, nodding in fake approval. ”All dressed and everything. You almost look presentable.”

It was a mutual surprise for Sonny as well. Who would have suspected that on a night where semi-formal was the style in which the students were expected to dress in, of all people, Victoire would actually take that as an excuse to out do just about everyone who appeared on social media flaunting their outfits before the grand unveiling. Not that Sonny was even remotely surprised. He knew she’d slay any outfit she put on, but there was a moment where Sonny had almost let her know that. And that was something that just couldn’t happen.

”No need to state the obvious, Viccy.” He offered in a response, holding his own as he gave her a smug smile. ”Why does it look like you’re about to leave? I don’t see the class clown anywhere. Did he not come and pick you up?”

”And have to deal with him more than I need to? No, thank you,” Victoire immediately shut that idea down, shaking her finger at him. For once she wasn’t going to bother getting into it with Sonny, deciding that she needed a clear head if she was going to focus on avoiding Jun like the plague. ”Besides, despite the facaulty thinking I’m a joke, I still need to oversee a few things. You know, making sure no one spikes the punch, double checking the dark corners in case anyone feels like making babies, watching out for any losers stuffed in lockers--you know, the usual.”

As Victoire spoke, Nadia herself descended the staircase, her eyes lighting up as she spotted her talking to Sonny. After giving herself a once over to make sure she was ready, she popped up behind the brunette. ”Hey! Did you want to hitch a ride with us?” She asked her.

”No thank you, I’d rather choke on glue,” She replied.

Sonny wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Vic because, to his surprise, Nadia came out looking not half-had; actually, if he had to be honest with himself, he would have to say she looked positively hot and that wasn’t because of her red hair - though that was also styled in a way that made Sonny forget completely about Vic’s annoying self.

“Well, have fun living an 80s high school movie. Be sure to give Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald my best.” Yeah, that’s what he was going to say to her.

So much for staying civil. ”Eat a dick, Torvald,” Victoire ended the conversation, avoiding him as she promptly made her exit and went to her car.

Biting her lower lip to avoid laughing too much, Nadia cleared her throat, her hands on her hips as she looked Sonny over. ”You look really good,” She paid him the compliment, giving him a genuine smile.

From everyone else’s mouth, his middle name had little to no effect on Sonny, but when Victoire said it, especially in the way she said it, he just couldn’t get that bad taste of it out of his mouth. He was silently cursing himself for letting himself walk right into it and cursing his parents for giving him such an awful middle name, but as soon as that came, it also soon ended when he turned around to face Nadia once more.

And at that moment, he returned her smile back to her, a gesture not always done with an equal authenticity. “If I look good, then you look incredible,” he shot her back with a complement of his own as he looked her up and down.

Nadia grinned, clearly pleased with his compliment. ”Thank you!” She knew it was genuine, so it made her happy. Realizing that she was probably smiling like an idiot, she shook her head. ”Sorry, I’ll tone it down. Ready to go?” She said, closing the door behind her.

“Don’t stop on my account. You have a cute smile.”

That was the only thing Sonny said until they got to his trick. If anyone saw them right now, what he did next was going to be quite the shellshock for anyone who knew Sonny Drake at all. Before she had the chance to open the passenger door, Sonny did it for her, offering her a smile.

It was a good thing that Sonny didn’t think much of it, because Nadia couldn’t quite hide her bashful smile. Tucking some of her hair behind her ear, she thanked him as she got into his car, making sure her dress wouldn’t get caught in the door. His car was well taken care of, and she took a moment to just look around as he got into the car. She didn’t know what to say, but for once staying quiet didn’t feel awkward or weird. She was perfectly comfortable around him by now, and she was actually looking forward to homecoming now.

The time it took for his truck to get from the outside of Nadia’s house and to the freeway was under ten minutes and in that time, Sonny didn’t really speak. He honestly didn’t know what to say nor did he feel like talking. It wasn’t that he had been suddenly in a bad mood or anything like that -far from it, actually. He was just enjoying the company and the drive. Traffic wasn’t too terrible and the brisk air was just enough to give them a breeze. In addition, it was just bright enough so that there was no need for any sort of headlight action.

When Sonny took a turn at an exit, he felt his stomach growl. He didn’t just hear it, but he felt it, so he pulled into the driveway of a Red Robin. “I was so focused on trying to be civil with Vic that the silence reminded me I’m hungry” Sonny admitted, parking near the front entrance.

Nadia laughed. “Might as well grab something now,” She agreed, though she paused. “We might be late getting there.”

She had a point and Sonny seriously considered, but as his stomach continued to grumble, his hunger overtook his logic reasoning. “So we’re late," Sonny shrugged, taking his keys from the ignition. "They said we had to attend. They never said when we have to be there.”

Oh, how Sonny loved himself loopholes.

The redhead grinned again, nodding in agreement. He had a point, after all, and grabbing some food before going was a good idea. “If you say so,” She joked.

“Then, as the saying goes: let us eat!”

Somewhere between the time that Kavi had skipped out on the school day of Friday and when he woke up from a power nap that he took around three or so, Kavi was getting himself ready for Homecoming, which wasn’t technically going to happen for an entire school day later, but he had other things to do in the day that didn’t include being one of those guys that just automatically showed up at their date’s houses.

Would it have been the good, decent thing to get there early? Probably, but anyone who knew Kavi by now would know that he was anything but that.

So, instead of Kavi Salvador showing up at April Foster’s place right away, he made it his known mission to visit a few places before making his way back to Crown Heights. Among those things he had to do, Kavi had to make sure that he looked the best that he could, so he made a trip to Miami to get his hair done. It took a special kind of gel and hairspray and overall treatment to get the silky smooth texture that his hair often had. It certainly wasn’t natural. For something this great - and by extension, the someone - Kavi had to put in the work. But it was so worth it when he touched it.

Once he made his grand return around six (or close to it, anyway), he took the keys to one of the three cars the Salvador-Parata driveway. Today, Kavi was feeling like driving his father’s pride and joy, a mint green ferrari. Everyone knew it was Italian based on how it purred through the streets. Even though Kavi knew where she lived, he wanted to show it off. There was no doubt in his mind she heard it.

By the time he finished his arrogant rounds, Kavi parked the spring green car in front of April’s house. The man of mixed Hispanic and Asian blood came strolling confidently in a reverse white and black suit, though he bore no tie. If anyone had to gauge him at this very moment, they’d say he looked like a fuckboy from Tampa Bay. those entitled pricks really knew how to look like they belonged in an early-2000s Romantic Comedy.

And then came Kavi’s knocks. There were three of them and they were somewhat hard. And when he was greeted by a male, he smiled. “Hello sir, April Foster, a party of two. Your Carriage is ready,” Kavi said as if he was some fucking waiter to a person he knew was her father.

“Sweety? Your...date is here to pick you up.” April’s father called out from the front door, glancing suspiciously at Kavi.

”I’m coming!!” April called out as she quickly corrected a few stray locks of hair. She paced out of her room, making sure to grab her small purse on her way. As she got to the door, she took in a breath before revealing herself to Kavi.

”Well, how do I look?” She asked, a nervous smile on her face. Hopefully, the nerves would be associated with the date and not with...no. Not now. It was homecoming and she was going to enjoy it, dammit!

Kavi took no steps in trying and hide how he looked her up and down. He gave her a smirk, eyes going from her round, slightly-pudgy face to her body and the curves that came with it. He honestly didn’t know what was better: her body or how her dress complimented it. The black and gold in appeal alone was worthy of someone to ride beside Kavi, but the way the fabric really hugged her body was another story. If it wasn’t for her father being in the house, Kavi had half of a mind to take her into her room, although given the first impressions they had of each other, it was probably not something she wanted to do.

“You look hot,” he stated rather simply. Truthfully, it was his honest-to-god opinion. “You’re going to make Diadumbo jealous without question.” He just had to make that comment. Again, it was another truthful one from his lips.

“Can’t say I’m surprised by that answer, coming from you.” April replied, her deep brown eyes giving him a quick once over. “I guess you clean up pretty decently as well.” April had to admit once again that Kavi was certainly attractive, at least on the outside.

What wasn’t attractive though, was that ungodly monstrosity of a Ferrari that now sat in her driveway. In April’s mind, whoever had decided to put that color of mint green onto a beautiful Ferrari 458 should be brought out into the street and shot. “We’re not riding to homecoming in that are we? What the hell did you do to the poor thing?” she inquired, motioning to Kavi’s car. Pacing over to it, April ran her fingers gently across the painted surface. After a moment of silence next to the car, she glanced to Kavi and then spoke to the car much like a parent would speak to a toddler “I’ll save you from his poor taste baby, don’t you worry.”

He just gave her a look. It was the sort of glance that was one that was born from shock as if she had the audacity to assume his father’s prized Ferrari 458 was his own choosing. “I don’t know what’s more offending,” he paused, turning to face her from his previous position of admiring his father’s Ferrari. To him it was priceless (even if others thought it was trash). “The fact that you don’t like it or that you seem to not like my father’s taste in colors,” he said, somewhat rolling his eyes at April. “But of course, if you don’t like it, you’re free to walk to the country club. I’m not sure how far you’ll get in those shoes, though.” He said, offering her a smug shrug.

“I think it’s more offending that your father chose that color for a Ferrari. The only colors a Ferrari should ever be is red, black, yellow or white. Certainly not that….odd choice of green.” April looked back to Kavi at the mention of her walking. “You really think I would resort to walking when I have my own beautiful baby in the garage?” She clicked the button on her keyring and the garage door behind Kavi opened to reveal her trademark white Maserati, it’s sleek form laying dormant in the garage as if waiting to be awoken. “Still a Ferrari engine, just in a different body. Tastefully colored.” She shot a playful smug look right back at Kavi.

The brunette paced back to Kavi from the Ferrari and stood even with him. “Admittedly, my comments were more of a joke to begin with, but we could certainly make this evening more interesting. How about it? A race to homecoming. If I win, you repaint the Ferrari.” April crossed her arms and looked Kavi in the eyes, her own eyes playful as she stared him down.

”Yeah, that’s not happening.”

In what could only be described as a rare moment, Kavi swiftly put to rest April’s bet. There was no way in hell he was going to be the source of his father’s anger (yes it existed) simply because of some jealous girl’s envy of his father’s superior taste in colors for sports cars. Of course, the main reason was that he took his father’s car as a reward for not being a total dick at school. Why in the hell would he risk that because April ‘Not April O’Neil’ Foster wanted to channel her inner Michelle Rodriguez and street race?

“Alright killjoy, we can take your distastefully colored Ferrari to homecoming instead of doing it the fun way.” April produced a fake pout before turning around and making her way back over to the mint-green supercar. She wasn’t really surprised that Kavi didn’t go for the bet, but it was how quickly he shot it down that did shock her. Normally Kavi seemed to be relatively carefree, not super by-the-book, mister goodie-two-shoes. Oh well, his loss.

As she opened the smooth hinged door of the Ferrari and carefully slid into the seat, she clicked the button on her keyring once again to close the garage door. ”Goodnight my sweet prince.” she said quietly, watching the headlights slowly disappear behind the door. Briefly, she glanced down to her waistline again to make sure she hadn’t been seeing things before but praying that she had. The paranoia was not to last though, as she felt a headache that had harassed her all morning beginning to crawl it’s way back into her skull.

Keep it together April, you’re fine, she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the window.

It was plenty clear to Kavi that things were a little awkward since but not limited to when he dismissed her offer to race and the eventual uncomfortable silence that followed. He tried not to act like it bothered him. And he succeeded for a while. The sound of his father’s flawless, superior sports car revved through the Crown Heights neighborhood. This was a testament to Kavi’s similar love of going fast that he knew April Foster had. It wasn’t necessarily his need to feel the engine beneath him sending him into the 100+ speed, but more like how he liked the power that came with driving such a beast that was his father’s Ferrari.

As he put the pedal to the metal as it sped down the highway, but not even five minutes, Kavi found himself particularly nettled by April’s obvious lack of talking. “Okay, what’s wrong now? Are you not used to being in the passenger’s side in this kind of car?” He asked. He did his best not to show his annoyance, but no matter how much he tried to hide it, Kavi Salvador never did excel in truly hiding such a feeling.

As they drove through Crown Heights, April’s head pounded like a bass drum. Her eyes had remained closed since they’d left the Foster estate and despite the glorious sound of the Ferrari’s monstrous engine, April’s mood had declined significantly. Had she not been feeling so off, the thrill of going at some ludicrous speed down the highway would’ve certainly brought a smile to her face. It was one of the few things that April and Kavi actually agreed on. When Kavi finally spoke up after what seemed to be like hours of silence, April couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt for making him feel like her silence was his fault.

“Don’t take it personally, but I’d rather not say. It’s not something you did, not at all. I’m just not feeling great.”

The speed of the highway certainly wasn’t doing her head any favors, nor was the gentle vibrations that came through the car of the tires rolling over the tarmac. It was only when a huge wave of nausea hit her like a freight train that April finally spoke up. “Kavi pull over the car.”

Does she not realize we were on the highway?

Only for a moment, Kavi thought about fighting her on this, but the way she looked actually sent him into a mild panic. If the way her eyes and her overall complexion was any indication - mainly Kavi knowing that look from his sister when she got too drunk at a party - it was that she was either just about to throw up or was well on her way. Either way, Kavi knew his dad would kick his ass if he let that happen. So the teen slowed as he pulled into what was often referred to as the Bike Lane.

In less than half of a minute, the beast of a vehicle that had been easily clearing 80mph was now at a complete stop. “Just..don’t get anything in the car. You have no idea how pissed my dad will be if he smelled the slightest hint of vomit and you certainly appear like you’re close to doing just that,” he noted to her. There was no hiding that fact from him, though Kavi found it odd. She seemed to be fine earlier.

With a practiced hand, April quickly and regrettably put her perfectly styled hair up into a ponytail and opened the door of the car. The fresh outside air made her feel better momentarily, but not before April dropped to all fours and threw up into the grass. How it hadn’t hit her dress was some miracle, maybe the homecoming gods were watching over her today. It would certainly be nice to have a streak of good luck for once. Though when April remembered what else she’d caught up in tonight, that streak of good luck she’d so hoped for fizzled in front of her eyes.

A few moments later after April regained her breath, she coughed a bit and shuddered. With the vile taste still filling her mouth, she stood back up and walked back to the car. April took a seat and closed the door with a shaky hand. “Thanks…” She said quietly and meekly, before leaning her head on the window once again. It was going to be a long night if this was going to continue.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this Kavi…I don’t need pity.” April certainly didn’t look her best, and while the makeup helped a bit, her discomfort was still quite noticeable.

”What’s the big deal about a little nausea? Everyone gets it from time to time. I don’t think anyone would have any particular interest, let alone ‘pity’ you for it,” Kavi spoke honestly. He was finding trouble understanding why she wanted him to keep quiet about it.

“You’re right...I guess there is no big deal.” April kept her eyes closed in an attempt to hide the absolute blatant lie she just told. Surely Kavi wouldn’t put the pieces together before they got to homecoming. Then again, if he knew Diablo--and he did--Kavi may very well put two and two together, and tell the world of her secret before she could speak. Now there was a nightmare she didn’t want to live. Or think of for that matter.

“Are we almost there, Kavi?” She said in an attempt to change the subject. “I’m starving now…” The brunette opened her eyes to examine their surroundings, wincing gently as the light caused her a bit of pain from her headache.

He really wasn’t buying it, but to save himself whatever remained of his favor points with April, Kavi decided not to push her on it. He was feeling remarkably unlike himself tonight, which meant he was going to cut her some slack. Whatever was bothering her, if she wanted to, he would be an open ear for her. It wasn’t that Kavi was trying to get into her pants. At the state, she was in, that particular experience wouldn’t be as enjoyable for her as it might be for him.

Kavi took a detour as he went to the furthest left lane, a slight swerving action taken, resulting in a couple of cars honking at his reckless action. “Oops,” he laughed, speeding down the exit. Quick, expert-like turns brought them in the parking lot of some restaurant. Kavi didn’t know what it was, but April said she was hungry, so he just found the closest one. Unbeknownst to him, he didn’t realize that it was some lower class place that only the poor kids eat at.

“Well, it’s no luxurious, 5-star dining establishment, but I suppose Red Lobster will have to do,” Kavi said to himself, looking to April, “or are you allergic to shellfish?”

“Honestly Kavi, if I hadn’t thrown up five minutes ago I would kiss you.” April looked over to him, a warm smile on her face. “I won’t be long...just gonna grab something quick. I really appreciate it Kavi.”

The brunette hopped out of the car with a little bit more energy than she had before and closed the door behind her. She paced up to the front of the building as her heels clicked against the paved parking lot, turning back to Kavi for a single moment as she got to the door.

“I totally forgot to ask, did you want anything?” April called out from where she stood, hoping that Kavi could hear her through the window. She felt super out-of-place, wearing a fancy homecoming dress in front of a not-so-fancy restaurant. Overdressed was an understatement.

Looking at her for a moment, Kavi just gave her a shrug. “Just get me whatever you’re getting. I trust your judgment.” As he said that, Kavi shot her a playful wink. Shades of how Kavi normally acted slowly returned and all it took was April’s fine ass to stand there looking pretty in this dump of a parking lot. Obviously, she stood out in the best of ways.

A few minutes later, April returned to the car with a styrofoam take-out box in one hand and a bright colored paper bag in other. The brunette couldn’t hide the biggest shit-eating grin on her face as she walked back to the car. Not because she’d actually done anything to his food, no that would’ve been too easy. No, April had gone a little further than that. As she got in the car and handed Kavi the paper bag, it became clearly evident that she’d bought him a kid’s meal. She shot a playful grin to Kavi before diving into the garlic shrimp she’d bought for herself.

“Enjoy! I hope the portion isn’t too big for you.” April couldn’t help to stifle a laugh as she took a bite of her food. It was evident that despite the events of before, April was feeling much better.

As he opened up paper bag, which was considerably lighter than hers, contained a serving of seven, small chicken tenders/sticks and a small styrofoam bowl with creamy mac and cheese. Kavi wasn’t exactly sure if she got him this as a serious gesture or a joke. Whichever the case was, instead of acting like he was offended (he wasn’t), he laughed and smiled at her.

“Oh, how did you know these were my favorites?” Kavi said, taking one of the tenders into his mouth.

“Lucky guess? I dunno, guess I just tried to think about how much of a child you are and went from there.” She shot him a playful grin before taking another bite of her shrimp. Despite the rather...cheap restaurant--at least for someone of Crown Heights--April found the food quite passable. Now it was nothing like the local restaurants, but for a fifteen minute prep time, it was quite good.

“Aww, look at you thinking about my needs--” Kavi began saying as April suddenly interrupted him ( and alarmingly so at that).

April looked to the time and her eyes widened. “Hey uh, we should probably get to the country club before there’s no parking. Even though they still had plenty of time, April was one for being early to an event and nothing had changed in her today. That, and the longer they were at homecoming together, the bigger the chance was that Diablo would see her and Kavi together in some form. Maybe then he’d see what he’d lost. Maybe then she could finally corner him and talk to him alone.

Kavi faked a disappointed frown. “And here I thought you were enjoying our date,” he joked, starting up the Ferrari. As he looked behind him, as soon as he was sure there weren’t any cars in the way (his father would literally kill him if he got even so much as a scratch on the car), Kavi pulled out of the driveway and made his way back the way they came. After their short detour, Kavi knew he had to get there as fast as he could (less April make a demand again).

“I never said I wasn’t enjoying it…” April replied, though no longer with the playful tone she’d had before.

The traffic on the highway was less than it was before he pulled off for Red Lobster, so it allowed a swift journey to their desired exit, which was the next one after the one that just passed. And for whatever reason, April was once again a little quieter than she usually was. “Do you need me to pull over again?” He asked her, already slowing down from the 80 MPH he had been going in the 65mph zone.

April shook herself from her thoughts as Kavi spoke, glancing at the time once again. “No no, not on my account.” The brunette was about to go quiet again when something caught her eye in the passenger mirror. “You may have to pull over for that guy, however.” She motioned to the police car not three car lengths behind them. “I saw him turn on behind us about a mile after we left Red Lobster.” April’s heart instinctively sped up. Even though it wasn’t her behind the wheel, having a cop following them still made her nervous. It was like they were drawn to her. It couldn’t possibly have been just the car.
“Oh, well then what should I do? Slow down so he can pass us or something?” Kavi asked, keeping with the speed limit as he occasionally looked through the driver-side mirror to see if that car was still following them.

“Worst-case scenario, he pulls us over and we have a neat story to tell when we’re two hours late because the car was impounded.” April shrugged. The cop hadn’t turned on his lights yet so, for now, they were in the green. “Honestly, he’ll probably just give you a ticket for a public eyesore. Despite all that Kavi had done for her, April was far from done with the jabs at Kavi’s car. It was too much fun to ignore.

He knew she didn’t like the color, but just for that, Kavi had decided he was going to do something a little reckless. Whether it was to hurry and get to the dance or as revenge for her constant jabs at his father’s Ferrari, April wouldn’t know. The only thing that she would ever know was the sudden increase Kavi made in speed as soon as he made the turn from the exit he just took. As soon that happened, the Ferrari went from a casual 45mph, which had the engine roaring somewhat mildly, but as soon as his foot pressed on the accelerator, that engine purred like she was meant to, bringing the total mph into the 60+ range.

And it was from the moment he did that to the half of a mile it was from the country club did that same car that April was talking about, turn its lights on, the sounds following the mint green Ferrari. “Would you look at that? It Seems we got a friend who wants to play,” Kavi smiled, looking through the rear-side mirror. There was no mistake it was a cop and he meant business.

April grinned as Kavi floored it. Finally, he’d caved to her pestering and her jabs at his car. As much as she liked the sound of her own car, the Ferrari was no slouch under the hood and took off like a rocket as he pressed the accelerator. April instinctively grabbed the handle on the door to steady herself. It was a new feeling, being in the passenger seat while going this fast. She felt so out of control, and yet that grin had yet to leave her face.

“Well, that's one way to make this evening more interesting. Just remember this is on you, I’m just along for the ride.” April reached down and plugged her phone into the stereo, quickly flipping through her playlist before arriving at Bell Bottoms by Jon Spencer. She cranked the stereo as Kavi whipped down the road, her playful eyes dancing between the windshield and the mirror on her right. Her wish had come true. They’d certainly have a story to tell when they got to homecoming. If they got to homecoming.

April wasn’t the only one who knew her way around a steering wheel. Kavi might not be the speed demon she was, but he had enough experience behind the wheel to know when to floor it and when to turn sharply. Based off how the cop was falling behind, Kavi was confident he would be able to get the upper hand. And that’s exactly what he did. A swift turn that cut in front of some oncoming traffic from the opposing lanes, Kavi sped right into the parking lot of the country club. He then whipped the Ferrari down a sharp turn again, this time, pushing his foot down on the break as hard as he could, drifting slightly into a free parking slot.

“Whew! That was lucky, wasn’t it?” Kavi let out a relieved laugh, but before April would be able to say anything, that same cop finally caught up, but he didn’t seem to know where they were. “Quick, get out. If he doesn’t see us, he won’t be able to give me a ticket,” Kavi urged of her, opening both doors thanks to a function on the set of keys to the Ferrari.

April was still grinning like an idiot as she scurried out of the car, all too aware of the cop car cruising down the road towards them.

“Come on Kavi! He’s right there!” April urged her partner on, taking his hand and practically dragging him towards the country club entrance. There were a decent amount of people already at the venue and so once they got close enough, picking them out from the crowd would’ve been damn near impossible. Especially because the cop had never gotten a decent view of them during the chase.

As they finally had a chance to relax, April looked to Kavi. “I was wrong about you Kavi.” The brunette looked down to her feet, trying to put the words together in her head. No matter what she tried, it always sounded cheesy. Fuck it. she thought to herself, before looking back up at her literal partner in crime. “I’ve had more fun this afternoon with you than I’ve had in a while. I was really dreading this evening after our encounter at lunch, but you’ve definitely changed my mind.”

“Oh?” Kavi looked at her curiously, smiling with a grin. “As I recall, you thought I was a ‘complete asshole’ and you were going to ‘make me say goodbye to my perfect smile’,” he reminded her, that perfect smile of his still grinning at her like the cheeky bastard he was.

“Believe me, it’s still a possibility...but for now you could say that I’m pleasantly content with how the evening’s gone so far.” April returned his grin with a warm smile of her own before turning to the party before them. “Shall we go raise some hell? They may have forced our dates for this evening, but they can’t force our actions.

“I like the way you think, April Foster.”

With their hands locked together, in went a couple of Kavi and April and it now the night had truly begun.

It was loud. Really loud. It was so loud that Kavi wasn’t even sure if he could hear himself think, which was certainly a problem for him. If he couldn’t hear himself think then he couldn’t hear himself speak. And if he couldn’t manage that much, then how the hell was April to know the compliments he has been trying to give her for the past three minutes. He certainly heard her, mainly talking about Diablo. Kavi wasn’t surprised. He passed them right as soon as they reached the dual tents where the homecoming was being held at in the country club. The one thing that Kavi wasn’t particularly thrilled with was the choice whoever was in charge of the music selection chosen.

At some point, Kavi and April managed to find a free table. It was a decent length away from the dancefloor, so the unreasonable blaring of EDM beats wasn’t so ear-piercing and it allowed Kavi to actually hear himself, though it wasn’t without some downsides. Specifically, April and Kavi left alone and only the awkwardness of silence remaining. Yeah, now it’s quiet.

Kavi checked his phone as he found himself scrolling through his many missed calls. If he was being honest, his mind was not necessarily on the dance or Santiago or even April, though his eyes couldn’t help but glance at her dress occasionally, which was a lot in a short amount of time. The truth was he was uncharacteristically distracted by the slight fear that the cop from before would come find them. Be whatever Godly figure that compelled him to actually give a rat’s ass about it, it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t every day he cared about shit like that, but Kavi as too beautiful to go to jail. He wouldn’t last a day and if he got arrested, that’s exactly where he was heading.

“So, I was thinking,” Kavi suddenly said as he took his eyes from his Samsung Galaxy S9 and directed them at April, “if for whatever reason I get arrested, don’t be the hero and say you were the one driving. One, they’d never believe you because I’ll say I was and two, well actually there’s only one thing. And another thing, how are you feeling?” Kavi asked, quickly directing his own topic to a totally different one.

To say that Stella was a bit on edge and nervous was to say that the homecoming decorations were just nice. It would be like saying that Oliver’s bowtie made him look alright. The bottom line was that, while completely accurate to say that Stella’s nerves were on high alert, it didn’t do them or her any justice. She was experiencing a lot. No matter what she tried to do, whether that meant she was focusing on Oliver’s occasional comment from the time she entered his car to when they stepped into one of the tents, his hand holding hers, she just couldn’t shake this uncontrollable feeling that was churning in the deepest regions of her small stomach.

As she tried to feel the groove of the current song playing, much like she had seen the others a few yards away do, she was only able to partially give into the rhythm. The rest of her was too nervous (or was it anxious?) Truth be told, at the rate she was going, the two might as well be one and the same. What seemed to bother her the most was the fact that Oliver was looking finer than hell and the romantic lighting the stars and lights that made her think of what Kavi said. How that she was the one least likely to get any sort of action.

She didn’t know why it got under her skin. Just about anyone who knew her, which she knew Kavi knew her but he was just being a dick about it, knew that Stella Lambert wasn’t the kind of girl who slept around for the sake of it. The last time she got herself that close to even doing that sort of thing was when she was briefly involved with Santiago Fernandez. Maybe that was it? Maybe Stella was nervous because she didn’t want this night to go that way. It was certainly a possibility. She hadn’t really thought about it that much. She didn’t think it would be on the table because Oliver wasn’t exactly the kind of guy who swung in the same area code as her, but she still couldn’t help that there was a chance. The way he looked at her was enough to give her some hope.

I’m probably fooling myself--

And just as Stella was going to poise herself right up, she saw …him. There he was with his dark hair groomed in the way she could remember. Even in the light and how dimmed some areas, she could still spot it a mile away. And his choice of outfits reminded her of the time he took her out on a date, which wasn’t a date date, but it still involved him romancing her (more in her mind than what actually happened). She knew he was the reason her mind was a giant, scattered mess.

“I can’t..not with him here,” she muttered to herself. Before she could do anything, however, she acted without thinking. “Santiago!” She shouted. He was only a few feet away from where she and it was too late for her to take it back. What was even worse, she saw that he heard her and he was coming her way. “Oliver, please don’t let this be the reason our night is ruined. I just...can’t control myself around him,” she said rather quickly, knowing the seconds were counting down quickly until the devil himself came to greet her.

The last time Salem was at homecoming, he accidentally spilled punch all over Gwen’s dress, and spent the rest of the dance shooting guilty looks at his embarrassed girlfriend. She assured him it was fine, and forgave him easily enough, but he could tell it bothered her all throughout the night. Salem’s hand flexed where he held it tucked towards his body, Marisol’s arm looped through his, and he gave a suspicious glare towards the punch table.

Despite being afraid of spilling punch all over Mari’s absolutely stunning dress, he wouldn’t be a gentleman if he didn’t offer her a drink. Leaning down low, so she could hear him over the blasting music, Salem whispered into her ear, “Do you want something to drink?”

Marisol, who had totally not been busy looking around the room for any signs of her ex-best friend and Pinkie Pie, quickly whipped her head towards her date. “Oh my God, yes,” she immediately answered, turning to Salem with a look that was somewhat pleading and pitiful.

Not seeing Sonny around with Nadia was making her nervous… Like really nervous. Her anxiously creative brain was coming up with all different scenarios about where they could be and what they could be doing together, each scene getting progressively more suggestive and painful to visualize. Mar had been right in the middle of one with Sonny kissing Rainbow Dash’s and his hands moving slowly down her body when Salem mercifully interrupted this nightmare. Bless him for coming with a distraction at just the right time.

“Of course,” Salem smiled before guiding Mari around the throngs of people in the direction of the punch bowl, stationed at the very back of the first tent. “Think the punch is spiked?” he muttered curiously in her ear.

A naughty grin spread across the girl's face, green eyes sparkling with the mischief of knowing something nobody else did. “I don't know about the bowl, but ours will definitely be…” she answered before opening her sparkly bag and giving Salem a peek at two miniature bottles of tequila. “Took them from the stash in the game room at my place. Figured they would come in handy eventually in this stuck-up party.”

Salem hummed playfully in response, glancing up to meet her glittering eyes with his own. His eyes flickered and held Mari’s only for a second before he focused on scooping into a cup what is essentially red water with a shit ton of sugar in it. He imagined that if he moved over and took a sniff of the drink, he would probably smell if there was any alcohol mixed in. But, in the end, Sal refrained to do so, because the fun was in the mystery... Not to mention how utterly dumb he would look doing it.

“Well then, have at it.” Salem grins, offering the cup to her and inclining his in her direction to make the spiking of their cups less noticeable by any potentially hazardous people.

“One sec…” Mari said, giving a quick glance around the room. The chaperoning teachers were currently distracted with other students, and the whistle-blowing rats like Victoire Bailey were occupied making others miserable. Without wasting any more time, the young woman pulled out the tequila from her bag, unscrewed the cap and proceeded to use up about half the bottle to spike up both cups before screwing it back up and hiding it from view.

“There we go,” she said, satisfaction heavy in her voice as she took the spiked cup of punch from Sal's hand. Their eyes met again, and another smile was on her lips now. Mar didn't know if it was the lighting in the room or just her imagination, but the Italian-American boy seemed to get more good-looking the longer she stared at him. Alcohol would probably only emphasize this feeling, but that was the least of her worries. “Should we, like, make a toast or something?”

Salem waggled his eyebrows mischievously and cleared his throat, raising his cup and giving his best Gatsby impression. “To a beautiful night with a beautiful lady, and many hopes that I don’t accidentally step on your feet while dancing!”

As usual, the taller boy’s antiques brought a laugh to Marisol, who shook her head and raised her cup towards his. “You are just absolutely ridiculous, you know that?” she told him, a grin stretched from ear to ear. “But, alright, let me add onto that, then: here’s to a beautiful night with the most handsome gentleman, and many hopes that my complete lack of experience does not fuck up your dancing.”

Salem revelled for a second in Marisol’s beautiful laugh, like the sound of windchimes on a summer morning, and his face lit up with a sunny smile. “Bottoms up, then!” He cheered, taking a big gulp of the drink and it burned down his throat like liquid fire. His date followed suit, taking another big gulp of her own cup and giving Salem a bright smile.

Over the rim of his glass, Salem watched Marisol’s expression with genuine enjoyment in his eyes. The lighting was perfect and flattering to Marisol’s soft eyes, so reflective he could swear up and down that he saw his own image mirrored back at him. Her skin seemed so soft and, in the forefront of his thoughts, Salem wondered if it would feel silky under the deep grooves of his fingertips. Salem banished the idea the minute he thought it.

Clearing his throat, Salem dramatically held out his hand and bowed, “Well, my little enchilada, should we slam these drinks back so I can ask you to dance without wasting the tequila you so thoughtfully brought?”

The girl didn’t bother with a spoken response. Instead, she winked mischievously at him before expertly downing the cup in one gulp. “Done,” she announced proudly, acting as if the back of her throat wasn’t currently screaming and burning.

“Mighty impressive for such a small girl.” Sal teased before finishing his drink off, taking extra care to not get it everywhere.

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Mari teased back, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “There’s way more where that came from.”

As if on queue, a familiar song began to play over the speakers: lovelytheband’s ‘Broken’. Mari’s eyes lit up instantly at the sound of the first few notes, and she let out an excited gasp.

“Dude, I fucking love this song!” she cried out to Sal, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the middle of the dance floor. Smiling brightly, Mar threw her slender arms around his neck and began to sway to the upbeat music, singing along to the lyrics she knew so well.

Salem laughed at her eagerness, wrapping his arms around her and moving with the beat. Knowing that much of the night would be spent yelling over the din of the music, Salem took the time to rest his voice and simply enjoy the moment with Mari. He didn’t know the song playing very intimately, but he recalled hearing it once on the radio of his ma’s car. Either way, Mari seemed to be enjoying herself, which made him enjoy himself as well.

A few more upbeat songs played back to back after the first one, and Sal and Mari danced and sang along to every one of them. It didn’t matter whether it was pop, rock or rap, or whether they knew the lyrics or not: all that mattered was that they were having a ton of fun together. Whatever negative things she’d been feeling before had disappeared.

“Holy shit. I haven’t had this fun in a fucking while,” Marisol giddily told Salem, once again walking back to the refreshments table to grab one of the water bottles on the cooler. All that dancing and singing had left her breathless and thirsty. “This is the first homecoming I’ve been to since middle school.”

“That long?” Sal grabbed his own bottle and took a long pull of it, humming thoughtfully to what Mari was saying.

“Yup. The last Homecoming I went to was in sixth grade. The boys and I were there for about an hour before we decided to bounce the fuck out. We went over to my place to watch movies, play video games and eat pizza instead. It sort of became tradition after that: we would skip every school dance and just meet up at someone’s place to chill and hang out,” she explained, taking a few seconds to drink some water before giving Salem a soft smile. “I’m glad they forced us to come together this year, though. You’ve been amazing company so far.”

“Well, then, I am happy to be your first high school homecoming experience and I will make sure this will be the best homecoming of your life.” Sal bumped his water bottle against hers in cheers, smiling radiantly at her.

“Then you’ll be even happier to hear that you’re already doing a hell of a job,” she told him softly, looking up at him with a sweet expression that would take by surprise anybody who knew her.

“If I die tonight, I will die a happy man, it seems,” Salem responded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “I’m having a lot of fun, too, this time around. It’s easy being around you. Relaxed, you know.”

Sal could feel his face heat up and scratched his cheek bashfully. There must be a dopey smile on his face now; he was always a big idiot around pretty girls.

Salem’s words only made Mari’s smile widen. “You feel it too, huh?” she asked him, brow raised in curiosity. When the boy nodded, looking at her with those sweet, big brown eyes, Marisol bit her lip while heart did somersaults in her chest.

And before she realized it, she was blurting out every single word that was on her mind.

“I fucking swear: I’ve never felt as comfortable with someone as I do with you. And I know it's only been a week since we've known each other, but everything just seems to click. It’s, like, I can be myself without worrying about anyone or anything. Like, ever since the shit with Sonny happened, I’ve been feeling like complete horse shit. But ever since you came around, I haven’t felt like that at all. Instead, it’s, like, not only do you accept me for who I am, but you bring out the best of me. I… I’ve never felt like this before - with anyone. You’re just- You’re just, like, fucking amazing, Salem. Really fucking amazing.”

As she realized what she’d just said, it was Mari’s turn to blush scarlet. She didn’t know if it was the tequila that had caused her to pour her damn heart out like a damn fool, but she meant every single word she’d said. It was too late to take anything back, though. She would take the heat of whatever came next.

Sal’s heart thumped in his chest and he didn’t know if it was from a heart attack, the thrumming of the DJ’s bass, or something else. The feeling was vibrant and lively as much as it was aching and stretched. It was the perfect pull of hurt and heal, the throb being soothed and the soothing cycling to a throb. Like butterflies fluttering in his veins, Salem became hyper aware of the alcohol pumping through him - he wasn’t drunk, but obviously his good sense was impaired.

Even so, Salem reached out his hand to caress Marisol’s cheek. The grooves of his finger slid gently across her silky skin; it was just as he imagined, but better. Salem’s throat felt very dry, and it took him a moment before he could work his mouth long enough to call her name.

“Marisol…”

Salem wanted more. He wanted to draw her close and feel the pink of her lips, know the way she tasted, and bask in the warmth of her body pressed against his. Dizzy, so dizzy, and he was pulling her closer because he wanted more. Her lips were so close to his, Salem could feel each puff of her minty breath against his cheeks and he wanted to swallow it. So close, he was so close...

Instead, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket like a fly in a room that you just can’t catch. Abruptly, Salem jerked away from her, his hand falling, and his chest pounding. Mind swirling with ‘stupid, stupid, stupid’ and with headiness, Salem just barely saw through the fog enough to manage pulling his phone out to see who the ever-loving fuck was calling.

He was content to ignore it until he looked at the screen and saw who was calling him. Salem’s face contorted into a grimace when he pocketed the phone, his face losing some color and eyebrows furrowing.

“Shit, Mari, I need to take this call. Sorry.” Salem began to walk away when he stopped for a second and turned back around, “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Marisol merely nodded as she watched him go, her mouth dry and unable to speak. Even if she was, she was certain no unintelligible words would come out. The girl was barely able to breathe, skin on fire where his gentle touch had been, while her heart was thumping loudly in her chest as if she’d just raced a marathon. Her head replayed the scene that had just happened over and over again, helping her come to terms with the very real fact that she’d definitely been just seconds away from making out with Salem Rivera.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

The more she thought about it, the more Marisol realized that she didn’t just want to kiss him, but was craving it… Craving him. Her body temperature rose and her tan skin became covered in goosebumps at the mere thought of it: lips locked together in a kiss that turned from sweet to passionate, bodies pressed together hard, hands running up and down bare skin where fancy clothes had mysteriously disappeared...

Oh God Almighty… She definitely needed a break.

Sighing deeply, the young woman grabbed her water bottle from the table and walked away in the direction of the gardens. Maybe some fresh air would help her clear her clouded judgement and raging hormones.

As soon as they had stepped inside the doors of the country club and ventured to where the King's Academy homecoming dance was primarily being held at, which happened to be the entirety of the immediate patio of the club. It was an almost-immediate right turn from the entrance to where the teens were being entertained. There was something about the bright lights and fancy decor that wanted Sonny to take himself and Nadia away from the atrocity that he saw in front of him, but as he looked to the redhead next to him, who happened to claim temporary ownership of his hand (Sonny wasn't sure if it was the romantic atmosphere or not), he breathed out a hard sigh. Fortunately for him, it was masked by the pulsating, electronic dance beat.

Oh, that was another thing that had him cursing through the gritting of his pearly whites. there was this unsaid fact about Sonny that he was born in the wrong generation. He clearly didn't have the same opinion about EDM (and its various sub-genres) that the others in his grade did. While the majority of them liked it and found it "catchy", Sonny found it repulsing and he could feel his annoyance levels rising to dangerous numbers. It was getting to such a degree that Sonny had to physically drag himself away from the DJ's booth and closer to privacy, though it wasn't without its downside. Sonny hadn't realized that he forced the isolation on Nadia until he found himself rambling on - ranting was more like it.

“Thank fuck. Another minute of that trash and I was about ready to peel my ears from my head,” he noted, looking at Nadia. “How can you stand that trash music?” Sonny wasn't sure if he was asking her directly or just looking for someone else to confirm the opinion of how much he hated that kind of music. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drag you away. Did you, uh, want to dance?" He asked her, scaling back his tone a bit. He didn't need to speak so loudly given they were a reasonable distance away from where the main party was.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Kavi almost didn't wait for her to get out whatever thought she had in her mind that may have made it to her lips. By the time she or even Kavi realized it, he had whisked her away from where they had been for the past couple of minutes and were closer to the other teens, though Kavi still didn't want to be any closer than he had to. He, much like a few others that he saw were hovering away from the general area of teenager inhabitation, didn't want to be forced to endure the cheesy bass drops and wonky percussion-based beats. Luckily for him, that wasn't his main focus. Despite being hunched over just an hour ago, April was moving and grooving as if without a care. Kavi couldn't help but smile as he noticed her doing the same. As they danced, Kavi happened to notice something else behind him.

Well, someone else. Santiago was walking somewhere and that somewhere was exactly where he saw Stella with her date, Oliver( that was his name, right?) Whatever that meant, Kavi sure wished the music was so loud and they weren't so far away. He would love to know the contents of the conversation they were about to have as it happened in real time. Oh well, he'd have to settle for the cliff notes from good ole' Estelle tomorrow. Or maybe after the devil left her immediate area.

Once more, the more handsome, sly devil Kavi turned his earthy eyes on his dazzling date. He followed the rhythm of the song as he moved closer to her, his left hand slowly reaching around her waist to pull her closer. "That's much better, isn't it?" He smiled, rocking with and against her.