I glance at her as I back out of the driveway. “How’s your eye?”

“It’s not as puffy. I tried covering up the bruise with make-up. Can you still see it?”

“Barely, and only because I know it’s there. I still can’t believe you got hit.”

“Have you talked to Jake?”

“Nope.” I almost called him, but each time I tried, I got more pissed off. Even a text would have been a string of useless curses. He had no right coming to Kinsley’s last night.

She sighs, and I know I’m in for an earful—that I won’t like. “You can’t be mad at him forever. It’s over and done with. He’s your best friend.”

“He hit you in the face, Kinsley. My best friend showed up at my girlfriend’s house, even after I told him to stay away, and hurt you. That’s not something I’m going to get over or take lightly.”

“But I’m fine. I don’t want you two being pissed at each other because of me.”

This isn’t an argument I’m going to win, so until we get to the dance, I keep my mouth closed before I say something I’ll end up regretting. She takes my silence as anger, and crosses her arms over her chest. “This is ridiculous,” she mumbles.

Maybe it is, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.

Almost everyone’s already inside the gym by the time we get to the high school. It’s my fault we’re running a little late. Between the conversation with my mom, and then ogling Kinsley a little too long in the living room, we could have been here twenty minutes ago.

“Do you think Becca still came with Jake?” I ask her, unsure if she’s spoken with Becca since she ran last night. Wyatt told us he found her a couple blocks away from the apartment, swinging on a swing at the playground. She shouldn’t have been out so late by herself, but at least he found her before anything else happened.

“I’m not sure what she decided. She was with Wyatt until early this morning. He left at some ungodly hour to go back to school—said he wanted to get some sleep before the game tonight.” She glances at the time on her cell phone. “The game starts in ten minutes.”

“Sorry you’re missing it.”

“What? Are you serious right now? I’m pretty excited to go to my first dance with a date if you haven’t noticed.”

“Another first.”

She smiles shyly, her cheeks turning the slightest bit of pink, as we walk hand in hand through the gym doors. Heads turn toward us, and Kinsley grips my hand a little tighter. She hates when people stare at her, but looking like she does tonight, there’s no way they can’t. She’s the prettiest girl in the entire room.

“Dance with me?” I ask her even though she has no choice. I’ve been waiting for this all day.

“Sure.”

We find a spot on the floor, and I pull her close. One Direction’s, “Eighteen,” plays in the background. People continue to stare, as I kiss her lips while slowly swaying our bodies from side to side, but I couldn’t care less. All I see is my Sunny.

Just as the song ends, we almost bump right into Becca and Jake. “Come on, Kinsley.” I have nothing to say to Jake. Not yet anyway.

But she tugs on my arm, pulling me back to where we were standing a moment ago. “Rhett, please. Talk to Jake.” Her eyes are pained and I can tell it’s eating her up inside to have come between the two of us. She doesn’t get it though. I’d put her first no matter who touched her.

“Rhett, come on man. This is stupid.”

And once again, I’m in his face. “Stupid? You think showing up at my girlfriend’s apartment completely wasted and picking fights is stupid?”

“No, I think you being this pissed about it is stupid. I didn’t try to hit her. I’d never lay a hand on a girl and you know that.”

“He’s right, Rhett. He’s not a bad person just because he made one mistake.”

I whip my head toward the girl I love more than anything. Even she’s on Jake’s side. “That one mistake could have knocked you out, Kinsley. He shouldn’t have even been there!”

“But he was. It’s in the past.”

“Pfft, maybe for you.”

Kinsley pulls me aside, and grabs my face between her hands. “Listen to me. He’s been your best friend for years. Don’t throw away a friendship because of me. He needs his best friend right now.”

I glance at Jake and for the first time I notice he looks pretty miserable. Part of me wants to stay mad, but when I see how much it means to Kinsley to talk to him, I know I have to. There’s no way I’ll ever forgive him for hurting her, but I can at least try to have a conversation. “I can’t pretend I’m not pissed, but I’ll try.”

“Thank you. I’ll take Becca. Find out what’s going on.”

Once the girls are gone, I have no choice but to work things out with Jake. “Lets go sit down.”

“Dude, this is probably the shittiest homecoming ever.”

“Why?”

“Because I fucked up. I can’t lose my best friend and my girlfriend in the same weekend. That’s serious loser status.”

I follow Kinsley with my eyes until I see where they’re going. They stop on the other side of the room near the bleachers. Becca’s talking a mile a minute like she normally does, and Kinsley’s listening to her every word. “I’m still your friend, Jake. But I swear to god if you ever touch her again I will kick your ass—accident or no accident. And lay off the alcohol.”

“Done. I don’t care if I ever touch it again. Not after last night.” Everything happens for a reason and maybe Kinsley getting hurt is enough for Jake to realize there’s more to life than getting drunk every free chance he has. He’s getting to the point that if he doesn’t slow down now, he’ll surely kill himself by the time he goes to college.

“Are you and Becca still together?”

“Hell if I know. She’s barely talking to me and when she does, it’s not like it used to be. Whatever Wyatt put into her head last night worked. I feel like she’s already with him and we’re not even officially broken up.”

“Have some confidence, then. Maybe she doesn’t want to break up. You’re all uptight about losing her, but you still have her. Make her want to stay.” Jake’s finally looking a little more optimistic, but now Kinsley has the same look he had a couple minutes ago.

“What’s wrong, Sunny?”

“Do you mind if we go back to my apartment?”

“Are you sure? We haven’t even been here for an hour.”

“I know, but I think Becca needs us right now.”

Jake overhears her, and raises an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with her?”

Kinsley chews on her fingernail, her eyes looking toward mine for help. I can’t help her though—I have no idea what’s going on. Regardless, I trust her judgement. If she thinks we need to leave, then we probably do. “We can leave.”

Jake’s on our heels, not giving up on getting information out of Kinsley. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

Becca’s standing next to my truck once we get to the parking lot. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, and there’s a trail of black shit all over her face. This can’t be good.

Jake takes one look at her and a bunch of unspoken words are tossed back and forth before he shakes his head and kicks my tire. “I fucking knew it. I knew you were lying.”

His reaction only makes Becca cry harder. “D-don’t Jake,” she pleads. “I’m s-sorry.”

“So am I. I’m sorry I ever thought you gave a shit about me. I would never have cheated on you, Becca. Never.”

He turns to walk away and Becca runs after him, grabbing his arm. She holds onto him as she cries into his suit jacket. “Jake, please. I’m so sorry. This wasn’t supposed to h-happen.”

“It is what it is,” he says before peeling her hands off his arm and walking away. Becca falls to the ground, her sobs coming out in short bursts in between her silent tears.

Kinsley and I help her off the ground before I pick her up and sit her inside my truck. Kinsley climbs in next to her and shuts the door.

Becca raises her head from her hands, “I’m sorry I ruined your night.”