Rodney dragged his feet along the sidewalk. Derek had been unusually quiet on their walks to school the past few mornings. They turned to cut through the conservation area as usual, slipping down the path, across the bridge, and up the set of steps to the field across from the high school. They had just started walking toward the crosswalk when something caught Rodney's eye—movement just by the tree line.

  "Erica?" Rodney mumbled to himself, catching sight of her dark silhouette behind the maple tree. He shook his head sharply, he thought the visions would go away after he told Derek the truth. He looked back toward Derek who had already reached the crosswalk. He turned the vision of Erica, "Just leave me alone, okay? I've got enough going on right now, and I already told Derek everything."

  "You told him everything?" Erica responded, causing Rodney's heart to stop. He wasn't seeing things this time, Erica was really there and seemed confused. She eyed him up as she moved from behind the tree, her arms crossed over her chest. "Wow, Rodney, I didn't think you had it in you. But it doesn't matter, you hurt me. So even if Derek knows everything, it won't help you," she said, glaring at him as she breezed past him.

  Rodney's face flushed crimson, he stumbled over words that refused to form a sentence. He wanted to know what Erica was going to do, his mind racing with all the possibilities. He watched her go, wondering if she really did have a picture tucked away, ready to out him at a moment's notice.

  ---

  Lunchtime found Rodney slumped at his usual table, an untouched sandwich before him. The seat across, Derek's usual spot, remained empty, he stayed in chemistry to finish a lab.

  "Hey Rodney," Madison's voice filled his ears as she reached the table with her tray. She slid into the chair beside him, setting her tray down with a thud. "Where is everyone?"

  Rodney looked around the table as if realizing for the first time no one else was at the table. "Derek is finishing a lab. I think Matt is having lunch with Zoe again, and Jordan... Jordan is somewhere."

  "So I guess it is just the two of us," Madison began, opening her salad dressing, "Are you and Derek still good? I mean after you told him about the whole Hunter thing,"

  "I think so," Rodney said, picking at his sandwich. "I mean he is still walking to school with me. That counts for something."

  Madison leaned back in her chair, nodding sagely. "Derek's just cooling off. He's most likely just upset that you didn't tell him tell him about Hunter and you when it was actually happening."

  Before Rodney could respond, Zoe breezed over with a stack of textbooks in her arms. "Hey, you two! So excited about the Spring formal. It's going to be epic to finally hang with all of you outside of school!"

  Madison shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, actually I'm not sure I'm going yet."

  "Yeah..." Rodney shrugged, the knot in his throat tightening. "I don't know either. We'll see. Where's Matt?"

  Zoe's smile dimmed ever so slightly, but she recovered quickly. "Well, whatever happens, happens. Matt is rehearsing with Ally, he is so nervous about being the DJ for the dance... it's kind of cute,"

  "Why don't you join us for lunch?" Rodney offered, grateful for the distraction.

  "Well, I already ate," Zoe seemed almost embarrassed to admit it. "But I could sit with you, get the inside scoop on the things Matt won't tell me," She sat down across from them.

  Time passed and the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and Madison slung her bag over her shoulder with a heavy sigh. She bumped into Jordan on her way to class, they were coming out of the student council office, and almost fell over from the impact.

  "Sorry, I should have been looking where I was going," Jordan rubbed the back of their head, "I was just helping out with the dance committee, are you going Friday?"

  Madison scrunched her nose, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes. "I don't know, I was kind of hoping Luke would ask me but he has been silent, which is weird for him."

  "Well, have you talked to him about it?" Jordan suggested, nudging her playfully.

  "Are you kidding?" Madison looked insulted by their suggestion. "That would be social suicide. You know how it works—girls get asked, they don't do the asking."

  "Even if that means spending the night alone?" Jordan raised an eyebrow, challenging her logic.

  Madison bit her lip, considering this. "I'll give him one more day," she said, "Speaking of which are you going to ask anyone to the dance?" Madison wanted to take the attention off herself.

  "Nah, I'm going solo," Jordan shrugged, a hint of disappointment in their tone. "Haven’t really clicked with anyone since Steven."

  "Well, why don't you go with some friends?" Madison encouraged, trying to lift their spirits. "What about Samantha?"

  "Can't. She's tied up with her dad's birthday that night," Jordan explained, shifting their books from one arm to the other.

  "Ah, bummer." Madison stopped at her classroom door, looking back at Jordan. "Maybe Rodney would go with you, he could use the cheering up,"

  "Yeah, maybe. I'll catch up with you after class and we can come up with a game plan." Jordan replied, stepping away from the door.

  As Madison disappeared into the classroom, she couldn't shake off the concern for Jordan. Sure, they put on a brave face, but Madison saw the look in their eye when Jordan mentioned Steven.

  ---

  "Luke has to be here somewhere," Madison muttered to herself the next day, scanning the crowded hallways. Today was the day she had told herself she would ask him to the dance, and she had made it her mission to do so.

  "Hey, Rodney!" she called out, spotting his head bobbing above the rest of the students. "You seen Luke around?"

  Rodney turned, his head tilting with uncertainty. "No idea where he is, but hey, since I found you, mind if we study for the advanced functions test during lunch?"

  "Uh, sure," Madison agreed hastily, her gaze still darting around the sea of students.

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  "Great, catch you in the library then," Rodney said, "And I'll text you if I find Luke, ok?"

  "Perfect, thank you," Madison flashed him a smile before heading down the hall.

  By lunchtime, Madison's phone remained void of replies from Luke, her worry morphing into mild panic. Where could he be? Was he sick today of all days?

  "Focus, Madison," she chided herself, heading to the library to meet up with Rodney.

  "These are for you," Matt said offering her a bouquet of roses as she stepped inside.

  "Wha—" Madison made a double take before taking the flowers. Her friends lined the room, grinning like they held the world's best secret.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting," Luke emerged from behind a bookshelf, Rodney came out behind him strumming a guitar.

  "Wait, is this…" Madison’s heart skipped as the familiar melody filled the space, Steal the Show—their song.

  "Figured I'd ask before you beat me to it," Luke said, looking over to Jordan.

  "Luke…" Madison's voice trembled. This was exactly how she saw it playing out in her head, and she found herself speechless for the first time.

  "Madison, I'm sorry it took so long, I'm not like, great at the whole romance thing. But would you go to the spring formal with me?" Luke finished, removing the ticket from his pocket.

  "Y-Yes!" Madison stammered, throwing her arms around him. "But next time, don't wait so long."

  "I won't," Luke whispered, returning her embrace.

  Looking around, Madison saw the faces of all her friends sharing in her joy, but her gaze settled on Jordan. They clapped, the corners of their mouth upturned, but they didn't seem as happy as they usually were. Madison wished Jordan had someone going with them, it always felt like Jordan was there for everyone else but no one was there for them.

  "Let's go grab lunch," she declared, leading everyone out of the library. As they walked she began coming up with a plan to make sure the dance was one they would all remember.

  The next night the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over Madison's front yard as Jordan stepped out of their car. A flutter of nerves danced in their stomach; tonight was the Spring Formal, and Madison had invited them to go with her and Luke. Jordan still felt a little like a third wheel but both Madison and Luke had insisted they come.

  "Hey, you made it!" Madison called to Jordan as she swung the door open, she was wearing a royal blue dress with golden accents.

  "Of course, wouldn't miss hanging out with you," Jordan replied, suddenly feeling underdressed in comparison. They stepped inside, only to halt abruptly at the sight of Steven lounging on the living room sofa, his hair slicked back and his paisley bowtie slanted ever so slightly.

  "Steven?" Jordan's voice squeaked, a hurricane of questions swirled through his mind.

  "Surprise," Madison grinned, walking over to Steven. "I know you two have just started being friends again, I figured you could use a friend another friend at the dance tonight."

  "Hey, Jordan," Steven said, standing up. He straightened his bowtie and offered a shaky smile. "I know this isn't like a date or anything. I just thought it would be cool to hang out at the dance with you."

  "Yeah, I agree," Jordan admitted, feeling a weight lift slightly off their shoulders. "I needed someone who dances worse than I do, makes me look better in comparison."

  They all laughed, and Steven's eyes caught Jordan's. It was the kind of laughter that healed, that patched up tiny cracks in friendships.

  "Well, we're all here now, should we get going?" Jordan asked tentatively, actually excited to go to the dance now.

  "Absolutely," Steven agreed, moving for the door.

  "Just let go grab Luke, he was struggling with his tie in the bathroom last time I checked," Madison looked over her shoulder, the bathroom had fallen silent.

  "I hope he's still good in there," Steven chuckled. "Knowing Luke, that tie will be anywhere except around his neck,"

  ---

  The gymnasium buzzed with dancing students as Matt and Ally started their first-ever set as DJs. There wasn't a single decoration out of place thanks to Zoe's careful planning and oversight of the setup.

  "You guys are sounding great," Zoe reassured them, leaning in for a quick kiss that left Matt grinning like a fool.

  "Thanks, Zoe. I was wondering about the food situation—"

  "Say no more, the dance committee is at your service," Zoe interjected with a playful salute before turning toward Ally. "Is there anything you need right now?"

  "I'm good, unless the dance committee can conjure me up a boyfriend," Ally joked, there was a brief silence before Zoe offered a laugh.

  "I'll see what I can do…" Zoe said as she walked toward the table of food by the gym entrance.

  Matt watched her leave before turning to Ally, his brow furrowed. "A boyfriend joke when you are talking to your ex's new girlfriend?"

  "I know, it wasn't great. I feel like I've been so off lately, I mean I used to be so chill," Ally confessed, staring down at her hands. "Now I'm thinking about how there is only one year left of high school for us after this and I have no clue what I actually want to do."

  "Wow, you kind of sound like Rodney," Matt half laughed. "It's not a bad thing, it's just kind of funny. Yeah, high school is going to end for us next year but that means you still have time to find out what you want to do, and it's not like you can't change your mind later."

  Ally mulled over Matt's words, there was time and she could even take a victory lap if she wanted to. And she did sound like Rodney; he seemed to always be thinking about something, the future, a new idea, a class assignment and the list went on. No wonder he had a hard time expressing everything going on inside his head, she had only started to think about it this year and it already felt like too much.

  "You're right, I have time. I should focus on making sure tonight is amazing."

  "Exactly," Matt smiled, then turned back to the soundboard. "Now, let's kick this formal up a notch."

  ---

  Rodney didn't bother going to the dance, he didn't want to see Hunter dancing with Chelsea or accidentally bump into Erica. Instead, his fingers were racing over his keyboard, while he masterfully maneuvered through digital battlefields on his PC. He quickly wiped out half the field before he was taken down from behind.

  A snap notification punctured the silence, and Rodney's concentration shifted to his phone. He saw an unfamiliar name flash on the screen and assumed it was someone who had the wrong person. With a sigh, he swiped to ignore it, his thoughts drifting back to the game's waiting room. When another snap from this new person pinged just moments later he decided it was best to let them know he wasn't who they were looking for.

  "Wrong numbers suck," Rodney muttered, moving to click on the name, Treritup32. But he noticed it was two images that were sent, and he hesitated, thumb hovering over the delete option. His curiosity told him to see what they were, even if they weren't meant for him.

  With a click, the blood drained from his face. There it was, a photo of Hunter and him kissing, they didn't delete all the photos. The caption clawed into his fears: "Shame you aren't at the dance for the big announcement." He tapped the second photo which only confirmed that it was Erica, her face smiling back at him, she was clearly about to get her revenge.

  Panic surged, cold and swift, this is what she meant when she said she would get back at him. Erica was out for blood and she was going to out them in front of the entire school. The phone buzzed with another message but Rodney didn't bother to look at it. Rodney's mind raced; if Erica released this, could ruin his life and Hunter's relationship with Chelsea.

  "Come on, Hunter, pick up!" Rodney pleaded into his phone, as he pressed on his name. But the call went straight to voicemail. "Ugh," He huffed, "I know you're mad at me but come on," he said to his phone.

  He pushed off his desk, making his way to his sock drawer. Then he headed to the entrance, grabbing his jacket and house keys before heading out into the night. Hunter may not be his boyfriend but he certainly didn't deserve to be outed because of something Rodney did.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Erica slipped undetected into the deserted school hallway, she had been planning this moment ever since Rodney broke her heart. She ducked into the bathroom, sending taunting messages to Rodney with a smirk. Waiting until the coast was clear, she ventured further into the school, tonight she was going to make Rodney as miserable as she was.

  She reached Rodney's locker and swiftly entered the combination she had memorized over their brief time together. The lock clicked open—a sound that echoed like victory in the empty corridor. Her fingers wrapped around the Chromebook inside, the weapon of his destruction.

  As the device powered on, Erica's smile widened. Rodney was so easy to read, she knew exactly what his password would be. She moved herself to the bathroom, not wanting to get discovered while she worked. She knew Rodney would fixate on being outed, so he wouldn't even notice if one of the projects he was working on went missing.

  "Let's see how you get out of this one, Rod," Erica whispered, as she found his English essay that was due Monday. The dance, the music, the laughter—all of it faded into the backdrop as she got to work. Tonight would be the night no forgot.