Stella was finding herself becoming more and more comfortable with Oliver. Every move they made, whether it was slow or not, didn’t seem to have any effect on how he was so reserved about dancing. Maybe it had to do with how she led him into a groove. She didn’t know how it seemed to others that may have been watching them, but to her, at the moment she brought him closer, or was it him who brought her closer? She didn’t know, but in his surprisingly sturdy arms, he held her close enough for her to smell his scent and god, she could die right now and she wouldn’t have any regrets, or at least it felt like that.

As their dance slowed down to match the new song that just popped on - a slower one, it felt like - Stella’s heart finally had a chance to slow its pace, but when she stared into his eyes and the way he looked at her made her heart go even faster. In addition, the way her entire body felt as his arms wrapped around waist made the sensation crawling up her spine increase even further. Honestly, Stella wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted to kiss him. She was this close to him and had so many thoughts and feelings coursing through her body all at the same time they slow danced.

And so, in the heat of the slow moment, she threw out all caution and anything that may have her overthinking her situation. Her lips had pressed on Oliver’s and everything seemed to dull out. The romantic setting of Homecoming wasn’t as important or romantic as it was to others. The slow strumming of the instruments of the current song didn’t seem to register. The only thing that Stella wanted to focus on - the only thing she could focus on - was Oliver Greyson who had her in his arms and who she had in hers. As slowly as she pulled away if only to save herself from the beating heart within her from bursting out, she smiled and she was as nervous as any teenage girl could be who had made the first move.

“Oliver, I--”

Before she could mutter out another word, a shocking separation came her way as Penny cut in between her and Oliver. The often forceful brunette had, in her own way, made herself comfortable between the pair, though Stella’s mind was still frozen in the shocking act she had committed to even register that she and Penny were now dancing.

“Huh?” Stella caught up with time and noticed she was in Penny’s arms. “Penny?” Her confusion was apparent, but it still didn’t seem to matter. “I thought you were with Santiago. When did you get here? A Better question: when did you steal me away from Oliver?” She asked, panic starting to set in. “I know I was--I mean, we had just..” Stella calmed herself. “After I kissed him, I don’t really remember much that happened after that.” A panicked Stella admitted to Penny.

Just as Kavi Salvador was just starting to have a little fun at this forced homecoming dance, he was met by not one but two highly regrettable mistakes he made. Number one was clearly letting his guard down when it came to girls he dated. He didn’t think they’d actually see him, let alone confront of him at the same time. This sort of thing only happened in movies and even then it wasn’t as anxiety-ridden as his current predicament was proving to be. Who in their right mind would confront a guy while he’s talking to someone else (or at least attempting to)? Clearly, Ariel and Nadia had no patience.

And that brought him to the second mistake he made.

As he let out a sigh, ignoring both Victoire and Mara (the latter choosing to give her two cents), Kavi turned to the beautiful girls now in front of him. Ariel, who was more feisty than Nadia ever could ever hope to be, was justifiably angry, though she can’t say she didn’t have a good time. Their date ended on a high note. Or at least that’s what Kavi thought. Nothing that happened on their date was a dealbreaker to him. Could it have gone a little further than just a goodnight kiss? Perhaps, but Kavi didn’t feel like pressing his luck.

As he thought about that one, the date that happened the day prior was a different story. The date that wasn’t even a real date. Nadia had told Kavi about how she was a little busy and she only had time after some photoshoot she was doing. It didn’t take him that long to put on the charm after he had met her at the hotel she was staying at. In his mind, her inviting him up to the hotel room and alone at that was a clear indicator to him that maybe Naive Nadia wasn’t so naive. So, when they were watching a film, he had made his move. To his genuine surprise, Kavi was immediately rejected. He remembered that night being the first time anyone had rejected his advances. What was even worse, she seemed surprised by his advances. It was almost as though it never registered with her. And she wondered why he never called her back.

He ran his hand through his hair and eyed both of them. “Nadia, you rejected me, so why should I have bothered with a text. At least Ariel didn’t completely turn away when they felt the soft caress of my hand through their hair,” Kavi smiled, looking at Ariel. “Or was that kiss for something else?” He asked her.

Kavi was practically holding in his frustrations from bursting to the surface. He was a lot of things, but he always - he always - made sure he knew everything before it was going to happen. For him to be caught by surprise like this unnerved him in ways he didn’t anticipate. And what was even worse, he didn’t like it one bit.

After his brief, if not testing, encounter with Marisol, Sonny couldn’t wait to escape that particular area of the country club. It wasn’t so much about Julie that Sonny was trying to escape. In all honesty, he jokingly wanted to evade any further conversation about how the two of them were in the same ballet class when they were younger. Sonny was only in that class for a few weeks. He honestly didn’t remember much, but there was one person he remembered never judging him. Some little redhead was nice to the pudgy boy.

He reached the bathroom and it was at that same moment that Sonny had the startling realization that the little redhead who was so nice to him back then was the same one who had been nice to him. Granted, she wasn’t little anymore, but it still proved to be a little difficult for him to grasp.

When Sonny opened the door and walked into the restroom, the first sounds that he heard was the running water of a faucet and slightly browned hands under the stream of liquid. He brought his eyes came up and of all people, Sonny had to run into him. God up above really must enjoy testing Sonny’s patience because now he was in front of the opposite end of the equation that was the strife in his life.

He took in a deep breath and walked forward. “Sup Sally?” He asked, choosing the lesser of two snide remarks. The other ones would have certainly been too mean. Plus, Sonny was in a good mood today, so he didn’t feel like making fun of the friendliest giant beta King’s had in its senior class.

Salem, on the other hand, was in an absolute shit mood. The day had started out great, of course, but soured upon getting the call from his dad. Sometimes, Salem thinks he misses his dad and wants to talk to him, see him, have an actual father-son relationship - then he remembers how much of an ignorant, immature child his dad really is. Salem wanted to fucking break something; wanted to feel powerful as something bent under his hands. He wanted to slam his fist against the fucking mirror - but he’s not going to.

Salem knows, from experience, that destroying things doesn’t glue yourself back together. Instead, he ran his hands under the sink and made it scalding hot, because burning was better than breaking. Though, when he lifted his head and saw Sonny in the mirror, Salem debated if the consequences of destroying things were worth punching the smug face off of Sonny.

Probably not.

“Don’t you have someone else to go be a dick to?” Salem said, scrubbing his hands harder under the sink like it would wash away Sonny’s presence.

That was too easy, but Sonny really didn’t want to start off a bathroom visit in a potential fight, so he opted not to take the low blow. “Relax, Sally. I’m not here to start something. If I was, don’t you think I’d choose a place a little less tacky than the country club’s male bathroom?” Sonny couldn’t help but point out. “But you’re clearly in a mood. Did my ex-best friend dump you like I knew she would? Cheer up. You know there are plenty of fish in the sea, right?” And yet, Sonny couldn’t help himself to take a shot a little above the belt.

Salem turned off the water, leaning his palms by the side of the sink and closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see Sonny’s rat face. People say cigarettes help with irritation, maybe Salem should take up smoking or chewing gum or some relaxing hobby. Like knitting. Maybe Salem should knit. When he opened his eyes, though, Sonny was still there and babbling about Marisol.

“Dump me? If we were dating, and we are not, who would she dump me for?” Salem smirked, his fingers tightening around the sink and his gaze going cold. “You? No one would want to be with some good-for-nothing piece of shit like you. Especially not Marisol, who could do so much better.”

“Oh?”

Sonny seemed to have hit a nerve. If he were a better man, he would’ve walked away at this point. He was having a good day so far. Nadia was being great company and he even had a good moment with Julie (even though it was embarrassing), but when Salem made it too easy for Sonny not to poke the bear a little more, who was he to refuse that all-too-tempting offer?

A smug face met Salem’s taller frame. “Is that why she took it upon herself to walk over to me when she could have made a beeline for literally anyone else? Face it, Sally, she’s still got me on her mind. I don’t know whether to be flattered or take pity on her,” he mused aloud, pretending to actually think about his stated options.

Was it the alcohol, the anger at his father, or the need to have Marisol’s back? Salem wouldn’t think about it till the morning after. At that moment, all he could see was red as he grabbed the collar of Sonny’s jacket to push him into the tiled wall behind him. He fisted the jacket, and with vicious glee, he noted that he had torn it at the seams slightly.

“Don’t talk about Mari that way.” He glowered, his grip tightening for a moment before releasing it. Like a pot of water, his anger had boiled over, but now it was simmering underneath his skin. He smiled thinly at Sonny, “A word of advice? Don’t mistake Mari’s friendship for sexual attraction. She’s learned her lesson already: nasty trash like you is sent to the dump, not recycled.”

How could Sonny be mad at Sal? He knew in a real fight, Sonny would smoke him. What was a few seconds of heated passion that caused the taller boy to grab Sonny to years of martial arts training? So he would let him speak his peace, talk all the big talk he wanted to, even let him push Sonny into the wall and try and act like he had control, but at the end of it when Sal finally finished, a smug reaction met him.

“Since we’re handing out words of wisdom, allow me to share something with you, dainty giant,” Sonny began,“if you’re going to put your hands on someone, make sure you know you can win and that they aren’t a brown belt in Karate. I think that’s pretty important. Also,” Sonny paused, straightening his jacket, “I’ll always be on Marisol’s mind. You never forget your first. I know she won’t. And despite what she may think, I haven’t forgotten either.”

“Black belt, brown belt - no one cares.” Salem shrugged, “I’m going to go back to my homecoming date, so go talk to somebody else about how you’re compensating for your ugly personality and tiny physique.”

With that final jab, Salem walked to the door to really find Marisol this time. He had about enough of this pissing contest and his anger had fizzled to irritation. The tension was still there, though. The feeling of a rubber band stretching taut, on the edge of snapping.

Before Salem would get a chance to do that, however, Sonny put his hand on his chest. He may have been tiny, but he still had superior strength and Sonny was just getting started. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, the door is right there, Sally,” he teased Salem. It was clear he was close to breaking, so Sonny wanted to see just how much effort it would take to get him to break.

Sal pushed a hand through his hair, his nose flaring with his annoyance. Leaning in close, he glared into Sonny’s eyes, “I don’t care for people like you. I don’t care for men - no, boys - like you. Marisol is a sweet girl and she doesn’t need a piece of shit like you lurking around, so leave her alone. Understand?”

Sal knocked Sonny’s hand away, stepping backward so he no longer had to breathe in Sonny’s scent. It’s been a long time since Salem has felt so riled up over high school drama. Gwen and he had always believed they were above that shit - but now here he is. Maybe it was pretentious of him, but he felt a sense of superiority over Sonny. Here this guy was, immature and bratty - and Salem was leaps and bounds more mature than him. It was enough to make Salem smile just as smugly as Sonny had earlier.

And like the immature brat that Sonny was, he yet again had deliberately prevented Salem for leaving. The shorter male stepped to the side in front of Salem, meeting him with a smug look. “And what if I don’t? You gonna do something about it, Sally?” Sonny asked, almost daring him to do something. To further his point, Sonny pushed Salem back with both of his hands pressed against the taller teen’s chest. It was just enough to give him a nudge a little more forceful than your average nudge.

“You think I’m going to fight you? Don’t be a child.” Salem snorted derisively.

He was about to say more when his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he half expected it to be his father texting him, or calling him, but of course, he wouldn’t. Apparently, a fucking emoji was enough of an apology for being a shit father.

Where are you? I’m outside waiting by the car. I’ve had enough of this bullshit and I want to go home.

Salem smiled, finally he’d get out of this damn place and just go home and relax. Away from the douchebag in front of him, away from crowds of people with perfume clogging his nose, and away from this damn bathroom where unfortunate events seem to occur to him.

“Well, then,” Sal nodded towards the bathroom door, “my date needs me. So would you let me go, please? I’ve had enough of this bullshit.”

Despite his best efforts, Salem wasn’t budging. And it did get to Sonny when Marisol was yet again mentioned. He could bad mouth her again, but that wasn’t enough. It didn’t get him to make the first move, so he had another idea. “Fine, fine.” Sonny stepped to the side, allowing Salem to pass. As he would, he uttered the following: “I guess I’ll just have to drop Gwen a line, then.”

Salem knew, distantly, that he was playing into Sonny's hands the same way he knew, distantly, what the lyrics of the song playing in the main room were. Yet, he still lunged at Sonny.

He wrapped his arms around his waist, tackling him and inadvertently pushing them both through the bathroom door. Once Sonny's back hit the ground, Sal cocked his fist back and clocked him on the jaw. His knuckles stung slightly, but he couldn't stop thinking about Sonny talking to Gwen. It wasn't even fear of Gwen falling to Sonny's advances, she would never, but fear of her misinterpreting the situation with Mari. With being disappointed in Salem getting involved in this trivial bullshit. God, with Gwen finding out it's not all roses and daisies in Palm Beach like Sal implied it was. He didn’t want Gwen involved in this, he didn’t want Sonny’s rat face to be sticking his nose into his relationship, and he didn’t want Gwen’s name in Sonny’s filthy fucking mouth.

Sonny looked up at Salem, smiling even though his jaw was sore and stung like a bitch. He kept smiling because he had won the verbal round. The fact Sonny was on the bottom and was now the victim of Sal’s punches, which seemed to pack more punch than the Drake teen gave him credit for. Looks were deceiving and Sal was quite the fighter when nudged in the right direction.

“Do you think Gwen likes bruises? I know chicks dig battle scars.” He kept teasing Salem. It seemed to him the more he said Gwen’s name, the angrier he got. And if Sonny’s sensei taught him anything, which that is to say a lot of it flew in one end and out the other, it was emotions compromised the equilibrium of a man. Whether he’d take advantage of that or not remained to be seen. Sonny was having too much fun getting the better of Salem in the battle of their mental state.

Salem got one more punch in before abruptly stopping. The phone that had been in his hand and had fallen to the floor buzzed again, telling him he still hadn't opened the message from Mari. There was a crack across the screen that distorted Gwen's face on his lockscreen saver.

“You're not worth the creases in my suit.” Salem spat, throwing one last parting punch, this one even harder than the one before, and standing up to walk away.

The last punch delivered actually drew blood. And yet, as he started to stand, a little off-balance from his nose and jaw both pounding like a really killer headache, Sonny somehow retained his smile. “You do that. I’ll see you later, Rivera!” He made sure to say it loud enough for Salem to hear him.

Now left alone, the crowd that had gathered had effectively disrupted. To call what had just happened a fight wasn’t being entirely accurate. Sonny didn’t feel like actually putting in the effort, so instead of actually giving Salem a run for his money, he chose to taunt him. That was more fun, but someone nearby was shaking their head at Sonny.

“Don’t even start with that. I could have taken him. The bitch-boy doesn’t know how lucky he is that I decided to not lay his ass out,” Sonny commented, walking in the opposite direction where Salem was, though he stopped and glanced back. “Yeah, real lucky..”

As he pocketed his hands, Sonny went off to find Nadia. Wherever she was.

Sonny had seen Julie walk past him and had he been in a better mood, maybe he would’ve followed her. Only a few moments passed and he saw that she went over to where Chanel and that British guy Jordan were. He made the automatic decision to avoid that particular area of the Homecoming area. The last thing he needed was to be forced into an awkward conversation with Chanel and about how both of them don’t like each other. Clearly she has some screws loose in her head, so Sonny rather not deal with the likes of her. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

He continued his search from one point to another. Along his search and trying not to allow blood to drip to his white jacket, Sonny was able to catch the best seat in the house as he witnessed both of his close friends start to enjoy themselves at the dance. In the blue corner, draped in a lavender dress, one Estelle Lambert was locking lips with her homecoming date and then being swept away from the Queen of the Sluts, Penelope Richards. And in the red corner, he saw his other childhood-ish friend, the self-proclaimed Kavimeister become face to face with two women. One of them had shiny red hair and was Nadia and the other, of all people, Ariel. In the matter of a minute, after Kavi had opened his mouth, he was met with two consecutive responses that made Sonny laugh. After both left, darting to opposite directions, Sonny was chuckling to himself so much that he nearly missed the scent of Nadia’s perfume wen past him like steam in the wind.

A quick glance to Kavi’s direction and the guy was left a bloodied mess. Sonny almost felt bad for him, but then he remembered it was Kavi and knew whatever he did, the idiot deserved it. He had more important things to do, like catch up with Nadia. She had a head start, but he eventually caught up with her inside the actual country club and away from all of the noise and antics.

“Nadia, wait up!” Sonny called out to her a she was a few feet away. She didn’t seem to respond, so he tried running. “Nadia!” He yelled out again.

The redhead had nearly missed the call, so caught up in her own emotions that she hadn't been paying attention to anything. Finally coming to a halt, she willed herself to calm down, hastily wiping away whatever tears she thought she had. After taking in a deep breath, she looked back towards where she thought she heard Sonny, eyes wide as she noticed his injuries. Her mood shifted dramatically, her anger washing away as concern took over.

”Sonny, what-what happened to you?” She asked him, gingerly touching under his swollen cheek.eek.

He smiled at her, though he swiftly waved away her concern by shrugging. “I got into a disagreement with Marisol’s new beta boy. Apparently, size really does matter,” he joked, a laugh following. “I’ll live. What I want to know is what happened between you and Kavi? He must’ve done something pretty terrible for you to act like Viccy.” Sonny looked at her in a similar way she was to him, though it was more of a curious glance rather than concern (though that was present in his gaze as well).

Nadia’s expression softened, green eyes examining his face briefly before she would concede. Marisol, huh? Last she heard the two weren’t talking, but she wasn’t exactly sure who the ‘beta boy’ was. Still, there was absolutely no need to resort to violence. Sonny was shrugging it off, but it looked so painful!

She hesitated when he inquired about Kavi, eyes welling up with tears again as she averted her gaze, taking in a shaky breath. There was no hiding how hurt she was, her previous anger having fizzled out. ”...nothing,” She copied his shrug, raising the back of her hand to her mouth as she tried to control herself. ”He doesn’t care, so I don’t care, either. So…”

There was more to the story, that much Sonny knew. He also knew how cruel Kavi could be. Whether he did it intentionally or did it without any amount of what effects his actions had on those they hurt, it was likely Nadia was another victim of Kavi Salvador. “I’ve known that dumbass for almost as long as I can remember, so you don’t have to say it.” He gave her a comforting smile. “He definitely deserved a lot worse than what he got.” Sonny couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to get Nadia to do the same.

Despite not wanting to, Nadia couldn’t stop the tiniest smile on her face, even if it quickly fell. ”Maybe.” She said quietly, sniffling slightly as she shook her head. ”I just feel so embarrassed...I’m so stupid.”

”No, you’re not stupid and you have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Sonny quickly assured her. ”Kavi is - and always will be - the idiot in every situation. He thinks because he’s charming that the shit he does won’t come back to bite him in the ass, but clearly it happened with you and Ariel. It was bold of him to think this wouldn’t happen. Nobody in their right mind would fly so close to the sun and not expect to get burned.”

As Sonny said all of that, he could just hear Marisol’s laughter in the background calling him a hypocrite. He chose to focus on comforting Nadia, not someone who was with a lesser boy.

Brushing her hair out of her face, she slowly exhaled. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she still felt dumb. Shaking her head slowly, she looked back at Sonny and ended up wincing, pitying his injuries. Opening her mouth to respond, she found herself much too distracted.

”If it’s okay, I don’t want to be here anymore,” She finally spoke. ”Let’s get you to a hospital, I’m really concerned about...all of this,” She motioned to his face, wincing.

“Is it really that bad?” He asked her. He hadn’t looked at himself since letting Sally get in a few good licks, so he didn’t know if it was worse than he felt.

”Yes,” She replied with complete sincerity. ”It looks like it really hurts, and…” She was very concerned about his nose in particular. ”Your nose looks broken.”

“What!?” Came Sonny’s elevated voice, a genuine worry across his face, though to anyone but him, Sonny becoming worried about himself appeared to be more like anger. “That little bitch actually broke my nose, huh? I don’t know whether to be angry or flattered,” he mused, smiling. And as soon as he did that, he felt the pain surge from his cheeks to his mouth and back up again, causing him to visibly wince.

Nadia winced as well, nodding as she fished through her clutch. ”If it hurts, that’s not good,” She wasn’t an expert, but she would rather be safe than sorry. Taking out a tissue, she gently dabbed at the blood on his face, trying to clean him as carefully as she could. ”I really want you to get it looked at,” She said worriedly.

“Say, Nadia, if I didn’t know it any better, I’d say you’re actually worried about me,” Sonny teased her, smiling cheekily at the redhead.

Surprised by Sonny’s comment, Nadia paused for a moment before breaking into a genuine smile. ”I am,” She told him softly.

He was both amused and surprised that he got a direct answer. Knowing her, he thought she would’ve tried to cover it up with some lame excuse. Suffice to say, Sonny was relieved to see her finally admit she didn’t totally hate him. “I’d smile but it hurts to even talk,” Sonny said with minimal lip movement. “Fine, I guess there’s no use fighting it. I’ve had enough of this dance anyway. If I’m named king, then I guess I’ll find out in the morning announcements come Monday.”

Without waiting for her to reply, on instinct, he took Nadia by her free hand, locking his fingers with hers.

Finally satisfied that Sonny wasn't looking like he had bathed himself in blood, Nadia was relieved when he would finally agree. Part of her had expected more of a fight, but maybe he actually saw her reasoning. Her hand in his felt so natural it wasn't until she started guiding him to the entrance that she noticed, her smile only widening even then.

”Of course, Your Majesty,” She replied, happily walking with him hand-in-hand.

As they danced, Stella couldn’t remember the last time she felt such a high and without having to drink anything. That wasn’t to imply she was the sort of girl who needed alcohol to have a good time, but lately, her moods have been skyrocketing and declining at abnormal rates. It didn’t help her cause that she had been trying to get along with Oliver as much as she could while Kavi teased her constantly about how he was gay. Stella had of course ignored him and despite her planting a kiss on his lips, the thought of what Kavi had said came to her mind. She didn’t even realize what had happened until she shook her head briefly and was locked in a soul-stealing gaze that would have otherwise not worked on her, but she was so lost in her own mind that Stella fell victim to Penny’s captivating eyes.

"Stella, darling, what would you most prefer? We can go tease Saliva-dor together. Or perhaps you can go back to smooch your date some more? Hmmm?"

On her multiple suggestions, the girl snapped out of it and shook her head. “Oh, no--I mean, he looks busy or like he’s not in the mood. He isn’t the best of company when he’s angry,” Stella informed Penny, almost warning her about what she assumed was Kavi’s state of mind. “And..Oliver, he probably wants time alone. I don’t know..” She hesitated to be certain about that.

She didn’t want to think he was angry at her. The kiss she gave him was almost as sudden as her being whisked away by Penny was. Plus, she didn’t know how to handle her feelings about everything right now: Oliver, Penny’s suggestions, and her own feelings that feel like they are swirling around like a storm ready to burst--but where?

Penny smiled and tugged Stella close again, enveloping her in her arms for a slow dance. “No one is good company when they are angry, babe. But it does sound like you need me more. Why do you think Oliver needs more time on his own, hmmm?” Her question was gentle and she moved close to Stella’s ear so that she didn’t have to shout over the music.

”You have a point.” Stella found herself agreeing with Penny, less uncertainty flowing into her mind.

As she thought about it, she didn’t know how to answer Penny’s question. Her first thought wa show she suddenly kissed him and maybe it was too much of a shock? Or maybe he didn’t like it and she didn’t want to bother him or push him into talking?

“I don’t know,” she murmured, the change of songs suddenly bringing the noise down temporarily. “I just don’t know.” She repeated, but this time said it a little louder.

Penny laughed lightly and brushed some of the girl’s hair from her face. “Oh Stella, my lovie duck. Any boy, or girl, who gets to taste your lips will only experience a blessing. Believe me, I know.” She drew back momentarily to wink at her slightly smaller friend. “Sometimes it is good to let them stew, but never let them stew too long. You can’t know the outcome of something unless you finally look at it babycakes. Like Schrodinger's cat or something.”. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Stella’s. “What's got my girl so nervous, hmm? And don’t say you don’t know. Give it some thought.”

She had to admit Penny had a way to make her feel better, though Stella always felt a little ...weird when she got so close. But Stella knew she was right. The one thing she knew was how she was starting to feel about Oliver and how not knowing how he felt about her was quite literally killing her. Clearly, she knew this to be the absolute truth. There was no denying that.

Smiling softly at Penny, she inhaled just as soft. “I guess I kind of like him.” That was the first time Stella said the words out loud. “I mean, I know it’s pretty obvious or else why would have I kissed him, right?” A question she was asking only because she was trying to jumble her thoughts in a somewhat cohesive way. “I have no idea if he feels the same. He didn’t kiss me back or maybe I didn’t give him the time.” As she said that, she attempted to look down, though with Penny’s forehead against hers, that was proving to be difficult.

Penny laughed quietly. “I didn’t exactly give him enough to time respond though, did I? I swept you away like Cinderella. My bad darling, I’ll admit it.” She lifted her face and looked down at Stella. “Honey, there is absolutely no way of knowing unless you ask. Maybe kiss him again. Maybe give him the chance to kiss you,” she teased. “It’s easy to wallow in self doubt, but I know you have the strength to ask those tough questions.”

“I suppose so,” she said not-so-confidently, her voice low. She knew Penny’s heart was in the right place, but the girl wasn’t exactly in the right mindset to do as she said.

The young woman sighed, unravelled herself from the girl, and took her hand. “Come with me,” she said loudly over the music. She led Stella through the mess that had become homecoming. People obviously drunk, random fights, posturing, it certainly summed up the whole of their school.

At last, she settled at a quiet table in the back of the room. Empties and punch stains littered it but that was not what Penny liked about the table. It was a quiet space away from the noise and pomp of the dance. She pulled out a chair for Stella and then sat right next to her. “Babe, talk to me about it. I am here for you.” She smiled gently at her friend and reached out to grab and hold her hand.

Stella didn’t know where to start. She again knew that Penny’s heart and intentions were in the right place, but she just wasn’t sure where she could begin. She didn’t understand her own feelings for Oliver or if they were even real. No, she knew they were real. She was passive and always second-guessed herself, but this was something she was absolute about. She knew she had feelings for Oliver. There was no doubt in her mind.

She looked at Penny, soaking up her supportive gaze as she squeezed the girl’s hand. “I just..I feel like he doesn’t like me back. No, that’s not it,” she paused, knowing she already said that and can’t know for certain. “Okay, the truth is I’m afraid the rumors about him might be true. Both Kavi and Sonny - more Kavi - teased me about Oliver. They think he’s gay because of how he acts and how he dresses. I know he’s just an idiot. Look at what happened with him and those two girls earlier? I know it’s clear as day he has plenty of error of judgments.” Stella didn’t know where that came from, but she was on a roll, so she wasn’t going to stop. “I don’t have the best history of dating. You know about my brief thing with Santiago, right?” She asked Penny.

Another sigh, but this one was accompanied by an indulgent smile. “Yes, you told me a bit about you and Santi. Is there something more you want to share?” Her thumb skimmed back and forth across the back of Stella’s hand.

Instinctually, she attempted to with her hand. “That tickles!” She whined softly, giggling. She had always been ticklish on the base of her thumb and Penny always knew exactly where that spot was. After a short moment, she recomposed herself. “I’m just saying that my luck hasn’t been the best. So what if this is just another reminder that me and dating is doomed to fail?”

“Mmm, I dunno lovely. I think saying something like that is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don’t think you can find love then you won’t. In terms of Oliver’s ‘gayness,’ it is certainly a possibility. However, people can be gay for a partner, why couldn’t he be straight for you? I guess, what I mean to say is, the truth can only be spoken from the secret holder’s lips.” Penny furrowed her brow and leaned down to catch Stella’s eyes. “Does that make sense, my love? If you want to go after this guy I wholeheartedly and without reservation am behind you. But I don’t want to push you either. If you want to take time and just relax with me, or even someone else… Feelings are some tough shit my girl.”

”Someone else?” She felt like she had to repeat it because she wasn’t sure what Penny was implying. “I doubt anyone else would be interested in me - well, at least in that way.” Again Stella found herself looking at the negative rather than the positive.

This was so much unlike her baby girl. She was the brightest, sparkling rainbow glitter princess. Penny leaned back and watched the features on Stella’s face. “I just mean, if you get sick of me darling.” She crossed her legs and brought a hand up to her chin as she settled the elbow on the table. From her propped up position, she watched Stella’s reactions. “You sell yourself short. I cannot imagine a single person in this whole wide world who wouldn’t be interested in you.”

Stella doubted that immensely, especially in her current state of mind. No amount of Penny’s much appreciated comforting words seemed to have any effect on improving her outlook about herself. “I’m sorry” was all she managed to say, a frown on her face where a beaming smile usually had a permanent residency.

Penny grinned her big, ol’ welcoming grin. “What in the world have you to be sorry about? You are an angel, my Stelly. There is nothing wrong with having moments of self doubt. There is nothing wrong with thinking everything I have said is a lie. But, my Stella-duckling, have I ever lied to you before? Do I not tell you the truth in all things?” She did not reach out for Stella like she wanted to. She did not cradle the girl against her like all of her instincts demanded. Instead, this was something for Stella to figure out. Penny would just be the catalyst to help it along.

She wanted to say that she was sorry for being lowsie company. She wanted to apologize to Penny for being the debbie downer. Penny has been nothing but sweet, supportive, and comforting and all Stella has done was make it seem like it was hopeless. No matter how much so she felt, she just felt even worse that she Penny’s efforts were falling on deaf ears. But there was something that Penny said that seemed to ring true: Penny never did lie to her. Sometimes she was blunt about it, but there was never a moment where she felt like Penny ever lied to her.

As Stella squeezed her hand, her smile returned, albeit not to its former glory but there was no longer a frowning Estelle meeting Penny’s gaze. “Thank you,” she said, giving Penny her gratitude. And in keeping with the spirit of the uniqueness of their friendship, Stella gave Penny a peck on the cheek. “I mean it. Thank you, Penny. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here,” she found herself admitting.

The kiss on her cheek caused a large, feral grin to spread across her face. She wrapped her arms around Stella’s waist and pulled her into her lap. She was now looking up at the girl and snuggled her close. Her fingers trailed up and down her friend’s spine. “Any time, my darling. I live for that smile upon your face.” After a moment of just enjoying Stella’s closeness, she loosened her grip on her waist with another charming smile. “If you ever need a single thing, I am your girl. Why don't you, tomorrow, come and hang out if you have time.”

It had been a while since Stella had been embraced by Penny. They both had been involved in their own spheres, so their best friend bonding time had been sparse. That’s why she appreciated Penny’s company, especially with how flip-floppity she’s been in the past twenty minutes alone. She was blushing just a little bit.

As she stood up, she adjusted her dress to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles “I’d like that very much,” she said, smiling again at Penny, this time a little wider than before. “My Aunt Florence and her family will be leaving in the morning, so I could swing by around the afternoon. Will that be okay?” She asked Penny.

”I would really love that and look forward to seeing you,” she said, letting her dear darling leave her lap. She looked up to her, hands clasped together at her stomach. Was Stella about to go do the thing she needed to do? “Just come over, ring the bell and I’ll come get you. Every single time.” She gave her another wink.

“Sounds like a date!” Stella exclaimed in a familiar tone.

Suddenly, Stella gave Penny a tight hug, wrapping her hands around her. “Again, thank you. I know what I have to do now,” she told her, releasing Penny from her embrace. “I’m gonna find Oliver!”

“Good, am so glad my darling love. You got this.” Another wink and a thumbs up. And, yet again Miss Penny was left alone. Was this to be her life? It seemed older males were the only sort to draw her attention or have their attention drawn to her.