"Oh my gosh, Jen. That looks AMAZING on you!" Samaya gushes as I stare at myself in the mirror.

The sequins on the mini dress sparkle in the changing room light. I doubt any other girl will be wearing gold to a Valentine's day dance but it's rose gold and I'm kind of obsessed with the way it looks pink in some lights. I've been just shifting it back and forth to see the dress change colors for a good ten minutes now.

"It's so expensive, though," I say, still staring at the dress. And it's non-returnable.

Samaya practically glares a hole through me from where she's sitting in her dance outfit. It's a red, long-legged romper with a sweetheart neckline that fits her like a glove, and she hasn't taken it off since buying it.

"You can't put a price on beauty, Jennie. If you don't buy this dress, I'm buying it for you."

I let out a snort. I highly doubt Samaya has any more than $4.00 left in her bank account as a shopping addict but I appreciate the thought.

"It is pretty," I admit. And it fits perfectly. How often does that happen?

"It's GORGEOUS. Theo's gonna have trouble keeping his hands off you," Samaya says with a smile.

I let out a scoff. "Yeah, that's not gonna be a problem."

"You know what this dance is known for, right? I'm just saying you should make sure you and Theo should make sure you're on the same track," Samaya says.

If most high schoolers hook up on prom, our school is so horny that we can't even wait until then. The Valentine's Day dance means booked hotel rooms, white limos we can't afford, and roses on bed sheets.

The thought makes my throat close.

"We've only gone on a couple dates," I say. "We're not even exclusive so... Nothing's gonna happen."

Samaya seems to note my seriousness because she forces out a laugh. "Of course not! If he tries anything, I'll beat his ass."

I smile at her and stare at my reflection in the mirror. "I like this dress," I say. I don't have to make responsible decisions all the time.

Samaya smiles as she hooks her arm in mine. "Me too."

---

"What are you doing here?"

A smile is on my face as I jog out of the house to meet Theo. Ten minutes ago, he texted me telling me to be ready for our surprise date. My plan for the day was to lay in bed and watch true crime so the second he said that, I had to force myself up and change into real clothes.

He has a bouquet of pink roses, which he holds out to me, causing my smile to lift even more. "I'm here to take you on the best date of your life."

I stare down at the roses in shock. All of this, out of the blue?

"Ready to go?" he asks and I nod. A bright smile crosses his face and he walks ahead to his car.

He turns on the radio in the car, in a great mood, and I'm still in disbelief. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"Just a spot I know," he says, still smiling. Maybe it's because I just finished watching a kidnapping documentary but my body starts to freeze up.

"What spot?" I ask carefully.

He seems to notice the discomfort in my voice because he says, "Just relax. This is gonna be fun, I promise."

I reply with a small smile but still share my location with Samaya because I'm not trying to get killed the weekend before Valentine's Day after I spent all that money on my dress.

He starts driving even further out of town and I can feel my patience starting to thin. "So seriously, where are you taking me?" I ask. I thought we would be going to the movies or something but now we're out of the city.

"A place I know. It has a really nice night view," he says.

"But where?" I ask again.

"Lookout Point," he finally answers, obviously trying to stay patient with me. I start to calm down a little. I've been to Lookout Point before and there's usually a lot of people there at night to see the drive-in theater. "That ok with you?"

I nod. "Yeah, that sounds good," I say, trying to relax.

"Good," he says with clear relief. "I'm excited to go to the dance with you, Jennie. I got a limo rented and everything."

I bite down on my lip. "You didn't need to do that."

"Of course I did," he says. "You're such a special girl, Jennie."

For some reason, when he says this, something feels off. Then I remember...

You're a really special person, Jennie. I don't need fights or new hair to see that.

My eyes go down to the flowers and guilt fills me. Here I am with a nice guy taking me out on a date, and I'm thinking about a guy who doesn't even talk to me anymore.

"You feeling okay? Nervous?" Theo asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I put on the best smile that I can. I'm going to be as nice to him tonight as I can. I owe him that.

"Yeah, a little," I say. "Thank you for bringing me out, though."

He grins back. "Don't be nervous, Jennie. You know I'd never hurt you."

I clasp my hands together as he pulls into the drive in theater. There are only a few cars there, all spread out, and a huge screen overlooking the night view. It's breathtaking.

"This is amazing, Theo," I say in awe, staring out. I try to memorize what the sky looks like so that I can paint it later.

"I knew you'd like it," he says with a confident smile.

The movie starts to play and the sky gets darker. Luckily, this time it's a romance movie and actually pretty interesting. My hands stay in my lap as I watch intently.

All of a sudden, there is a face in front of mine. My eyes shoot open in alarm as Theo starts to kiss me, his eyes closed, my body utterly frozen. My lips refuse to move with his and my arms go up to push him away but he pulls back before I can.

I feel nothing. There's no spark. All I want to do now is go home.

He pulls away as I'm still frozen and starts to lean his seat back.

No. This is not happening right now.

"The dance is next week and I thought we should spend some time before then to be ready," he starts to say. He grasps my hand in his. "I like kissing you, Jennie. I want to see you kiss me somewhere else."

Immediately, I snatch my hand away from his. "What the fuck?" I say. "Are you serious right now?"

He looks honestly shocked at my outburst and I just know I'm one of a line of girls he's brought to "this spot he knows." Probably the only one who has said no to him, too.

He starts to panic."I- I thought this was normal. I mean, I didn't think you would freak out like this. You seem experienced-"

I shake my head in pure disbelief. "Take me home right now," I demand.

"Come on, Jennie. Is this your way of playing hard to get? I thought you were freaky," he says.

I scoff. "You're disgusting. Is this what you do? You bring girls up here and ask them to do that for you?"

He's so taken aback that his only response is, "Uh... yeah."

I have no words. "Take me home," I repeat, staring out the window. Oh geez, in a public place, too.

"No," he says.

My eyes flash and realization starts to dawn on me. "Are you... do you even like me? We're not even together. Or are you just using me?"

He's still in shock. "No! I mean... I don't... yeah?"

"Yeah what?" I ask before taking a deep breath. "Forget it. Are you gonna take me home? Because if not, I'll walk."

He grimaces and then nods slowly. "Yeah, I'll... I'll take you home."

I cross my arms over my chest and don't dare even look at him. He starts to turn on the car in silence. Neither of us says a word the whole way back.

This is our third date. Our third date and he thinks that this is okay? What is wrong with guys?

We pull up to my driveway and I practically jump out of his car when he says, "Look, I'm sorry, Jennie."

"You're not sorry," I say. "You're used to doing that to girls. You took me out, not to spend time with me, but to get something. But guess what? Just because you took me out on a date doesn't mean that I owe you anything."

His face falls and I see his eyes flicker around nervously. "Can we just forget this? I mean, the dance is next week."

"You're so gross," I say, getting out. "And if you think I'm still going to go to the dance with you, you're fucking delusional." I slam the door of his car shut and he drives away the second I'm out.

---

"You're back?" I hear as soon as I step inside, nearly scaring me to death. "Boo," Nico adds after seeing my shock. "Where were you?" he asks casually as he grabs a pint of ice cream from the freezer. It's the butterscotch flavor he apparently hates but always seems to be eating nonetheless.

"I was with Theo," I say. "For the last time," I add under my breath, face curling at the thoughts of what just happened.

Nico raises an eyebrow. "What happened?" he asks, sitting down at the counter.

"I... I realized that I have absolutely zero interest in ever seeing him again," I say, keeping it at that.

Nico freezes, the spoon barely in his mouth. "What?"

I shake my head, trying to compile my thoughts. "Is there something wrong with me?" I finally let out. "How come the only guys who ever show any interest in me are all... fuckboys? Am I seriously that unlikeable?" All of the thoughts that have been swimming in my head spill out as I verbalize them for the first time.

Nico looks at me, studying me, then gets up and wraps me in his arms. My whole body melts as I shake my head in his chest. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being stupid-"

"You're not," he says immediately, looking down at me. "You're not stupid or unlikeable and there's nothing wrong with you. I think you're perfect."

My whole face warms as I look into his eyes. His expression is soft, his eyes like serene waters at night. He reminds me of the boy I used to know when I was young but he's not a boy.

Right at that moment, my stomach growls and we both laugh. "If you're hungry, I think In-N-Out's still open," he says.

"I'm starving," I respond with a laugh. He motions for me to walk ahead to the garage. On the way out, his black duffel bag on the floor catches my eye.

"Were you leaving?" I ask him.

"Huh? Um..." He looks at me. "I was actually thinking I might stay."

I beam up at him. "You should stay."

He bites his lip. "Well, your life would be pretty boring without me."

I roll my eyes. "Don't forget. It's MY house, Nico."

"Our house," he mocks but I know he's happy because he nudges my shoulder before we leave.