You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

Why.

"Hi, Kevin," you said to the boy.

"Wanna dance?" He reached out his hand.

You looked behind him to see several drunk teenagers stumbling around to the blasting EDM, and a few others awkwardly grinding on each other. You looked back at Kevin, whose eyes never left you.

"No thanks. Not my scene," you replied flatly before taking a cracker from the table beside you.

"Then why are you here?" Kevin asked, dropping his arm back down to his side.

"She's my ride," you nodded to your friend, who was having the time of her life on the dance floor. Kevin turned his head to look at her, then looked back to you.

"I'm going to give you a choice," he began. You rolled your eyes. "You can sit there for the rest of the night feeling miserable, or you could try to have some fun and dance with me," he reached his arm out once more.

You looked up to see his hopeful eyes. You didn't take Kevin for the sentimental type, but there was something about his expression that seemed... vulnerable. Maybe he's more than he seems. So, against your better judgment, you abandoned the carrots and crackers of the snack bar, and you took Kevin's hand.

He smiled and pulled you to the middle of all the action. You looked around expecting everyone to be staring at the weird girl with the popular guy, but to your surprise, no one seemed to care. Everyone was so focused on their own dancing that they didn't even bother to look up. You stopped looking around when Kevin took your other hand in his. He pulled you close and smirked before spinning you around to the music. He threw his arms up and started to hop around. He wasn't a good dancer, but somehow, the not caring that he wasn't a good dancer... made him a good dancer? Maybe that was it.

Just let loose, you thought to yourself. If you don't care, no one else will.

So, you closed your eyes, felt the music, and hoped for the best. You clumsily flung your arms about and swung your hips until your anxiety melted away. Only then did you open your eyes. You looked up to see Kevin staring at you with... adoration? His gaze seemed to burn right through you. You stopped dancing and shrank into yourself, feeling nervous and regretting leaving your corner.

"Wait no- don't stop," Kevin said, a friendly smile spreading across his face.

"Wha- why?" You laughed nervously. "This... this is... that was very new to me! I don't usually dance- especially not with-" you looked up at Kevin. "Agh, never mind. I have to go."

"Hey, wait!" Kevin said, grasping your wrist. "We don't have to dance. Let's just... talk. We can go upstairs, if you'd like?"

You looked at him and raised an eyebrow. You knew what going upstairs at a party meant. Kevin soon followed your train of thought and reassured you.

"Not like that. I mean like... actually talk."

You looked around once more, seeing your lonely corner by the snacks and realizing that you had nothing better to do.

"Okay."

💫

You spent the rest of the night upstairs with Kevin; talking and laughing about everything and nothing all at the same time. You exchanged stories, played games, you actually found yourself opening up to the boy you thought had no substance. But Kevin was actually... nice.

You were both rolling with laughter when you heard a knock at the door. You both looked over to see your friend peek her head in with her eyes tightly closed.

"(Y/N)! Are you in here? Or are there people foolin' around in here?"

You and Kevin looked at each other and snickered.

"Are we heading out?" You asked.

She opened her eyes, surprised to see you with Kevin. "Uh... yeah. I think I'm all partied out for the night." She looked at the two of you. "I'll be in the car," she said quietly before leaving, closing the door behind her.

"I should probably head out," you said to Kevin, getting up slowly.

"Yeah, right. Okay," Kevin shrugged it off and looked away.

"Hey- um... This was nice. Would you want to hang out again sometime?" You asked.

"I'd like that."

💫

A couple of months later, you knew that you had fallen for him. You texted constantly, and hung out every other day. He was always asking you how you were, and what you were doing... he really cared about you. You loved him. And he loved you.

But he loved his reputation more.

Once summer came to a close and your junior year began, you were heartbroken to find that he was ashamed to be seen with you. He'd lie to his friends about what he would do after school when he was with you. He ignored you in the halls. He let people believe he was single, but in private, he acted like everything was normal.

Until one night, you decided you'd had enough.

"I'm going to give you a choice," you said to Kevin, referencing what he said to you the first night you met. "You can go on living your fake life with your fake friends and live a lie without me, or you can be with me full-time and make our relationship public. It's up to you."

He stared at the floor and stayed silent.

"Kevin," you said sternly.

He tried to get you to stay. He tried to make you see what he did, but it just hurt you too much. If he couldn't be proudly with you, then he didn't deserve you. Luckily you had enough self respect to understand that.

💫