We introduce ourselves. Then Ivan looks at me again. “Thanks for letting us park here,” Ivan says, leaning back in his chair. “This pce is packed tonight.”

  “No problem,” I reply, keeping my tone neutral. “It seems like everyone had the same idea.”

  Mia smirks, her gaze lingering on me. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Are you new around here?”

  Before I can answer, Kelly Anne cuts in smoothly, “You could say that.” She gives me a sly look, and I bite back a smile.

  “Yeah, I assumed as much. There’s no way we’d have missed someone like you,” Mia says, her tone dripping with faux interest.

  Ivan chuckles softly, clearly oblivious to the undercurrents in Mia’s words. “So, where are you from?” he asks, leaning forward slightly, his eyes fixed on me with genuine curiosity.

  “I’m in town for a few days,” I say vaguely, keeping my tone light. “I attend Starlight, so I live in the dorm.”

  Mia snorts. “That school for wannabe models? Oh, so fancy,” she says snidely.

  Ivan shoots her a sharp look, his easygoing demeanor faltering for a moment. “Mia,” he says, his voice low but firm. “Knock it off.”

  She rolls her eyes but doesn’t push further, instead picking at the edge of her napkin with feigned disinterest.

  Ignoring her sarcasm, I reply. “Yes, it’s fancy, and it’s a school for models and designers, but it has some of the highest academic standards in the state. Hence why it’s so hard to get into.”

  Ivan’s eyes light up with interest. “That’s impressive. What are you studying there?”

  “Currently, my focus is on academics,” I say, trying to keep the conversation casual despite Mia’s obvious disdain. “It’s a tough school, but I love it.”

  Mia scoffs, “Tough; I highly doubt that. They turn out trophy wives who can count slightly higher than 10.”

  Ivan clenches his jaw for a moment. Then he opens his mouth to respond, but I beat him to it. “You are funny,” I say, my voice calm but edged with steel, “because st I checked, Starlight alumni include CEOs, award-winning designers, nationally accimed models, and even a few groundbreaking researchers. Though if telling yourself that is what it takes for you to feel good about yourself, then go for it.”

  Ivan stands and growls, “Mia, stop!” He turns to me and offers his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

  I smile, uncross my legs, and stand. “I’d love to.”

  Mia’s jaw drops slightly, her face flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment. She opens her mouth to say something, but Ivan’s sharp gnce silences her before she can get a word out. I take his hand, feeling the warmth of his grip as he leads me toward the dance floor. The music shifts into a slower tempo, a sultry melody that wraps around us like a velvet curtain. Ivan’s hand settles gently on my waist, and I pce mine on his shoulder, the other still csped in his. The crowd around us blurs into a sea of colors and movement, but I focus on him as we dance.

  “You’ve got a sharp tongue,” he says, his voice tinged with amusement.

  I raise an eyebrow, matching his tone. “Not normally; usually people say I’m quite sweet, but when someone snipes at me for no reason?” I shrug slightly. “Then all bets are off.”

  He chuckles softly as his grip on my waist tightens just a fraction. “I like that. You don’t take crap from anyone.”

  “Life’s too short for unnecessary drama,” I reply, letting my gaze drift over his shoulder to look at the corner where Kelly Anne is and notice Mia staring daggers at me before I return my focus to his eyes. “Besides, I’ve found that people like Mia usually back down when you stand your ground.”

  “Mia’s... complicated,” he admits, his expression softening slightly. “Don’t take it personally.”

  “Complicated? I really doubt that. I’ve seen her type far too many times. Let me guess—she’s a cheerleader, just manages to keep her grades high enough to stay on the squad, and believes she’s the school’s queen bee. Am I getting it right?”

  Ivan’s lips twitch into a half-smile, but he doesn’t deny it. “You’re not far off,” he says, his voice low. “She’s not all bad, though. Just... protective.”

  “Protective?” I echo, tilting my head slightly. “Of what? Her territory? Her ego? Or maybe... you?”

  He stiffens almost imperceptibly, his hand on my waist tightening for a brief moment before he rexes again. “It’s not like that,” he says quickly, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes—guilt, maybe, or hesitation.

  “Isn’t it?” I ask, my voice soft but probing. I let the question hang in the air between us, the music swelling around us as we move in sync. His gaze falters for a moment, and I see the conflict written across his face.

  He exhales slowly, his breath warm against my ear as he leans in slightly. “Mia and I... she’s been my friend since we were kids. We’re close, and so are our families.”

  “Close?” I repeat, my tone is light but with an edge of skepticism. “It looks to me like she thinks she owns you.”

  Ivan steps back slightly, his hand still on my waist but his expression shifting into something more serious. “She doesn’t own me,” he says, his voice firm. “And she knows that. But... it’s complicated.”

  I raise an eyebrow, not letting him off the hook. “Complicated how? Because from where I’m standing, it just looks like she’s used to getting her way and doesn’t like any hint of competition.”

  He sighs, his gaze drifting over my shoulder for a moment before returning to mine. “It’s not like that,” he replies mely. “I guess that maybe she has expectations.”

  I raise an eyebrow again. “I know all about expectations, and they are what boundaries are for. I set them with my father, and we still butt heads over it, but he’s not going to run roughshod over me either.” I pause and gnce to see Mia’s still gring at me. “You need to set some or you’re going to get steamrolled.”

  Ivan’s eyes widen slightly, as if the idea had never occurred to him. He opens his mouth to respond, but the music shifts again, the tempo quickening and pulling us back into the rhythm of the dance. His grip on my hand shifts as he spins me out and then pulls me back in. For a moment, we’re not talking about Mia or families or expectations—we’re just two people dancing. I twirl away when the music’s beat shifts into high gear, making any further conversation difficult, though Ivan’s eyes are locked onto me as I move with a hint of a smile pying on his lips.

  As the song reaches its peak, he catches my hand again, pulling me toward him. Though this time, it’s not just pyful as his eyes lock with mine, and I can see the gears turning, and I hope he isn’t getting the wrong idea about me. Needless to say, I step away from him to diffuse the situation.

  After the song, we return to sit back down so I can cool off. Then Mia snipes at me yet again, and I’m getting sick of it, though I ignore her, which only seems to aggravate her more. Having said that, she is getting under my skin, though I’m not allowing it to show. I continue to smile and chat with everyone as I act like we’re all the best of friends.

  While it’s true that a couple of them here bullied me, treating them the way they treated me would make me no better than them. With that said, Mia’s really testing my patience.

  For some reason, Ivan seems quite smitten with me. I do get it, though, because I’m quite pretty after getting extensions. Surprisingly, he hasn't picked up on the fact that I’m keeping things friendly yet distant with him.

  Ivan asks me to dance again, and I happily accept because I love dancing. We dance for several fast songs, a couple of slow ones, and then a couple more fast ones before I tell him I need to cool off. Ivan and I make our way off the dance floor once again. I take my seat and sip my drink as I cool down. I try to chat with the group, but Ivan’s entire focus is on me. Truthfully, he seems to be pulling out all the stops trying to impress me.

  Mia, however, isn’t even close to being subtle. Mia’s eyes narrow as she watches Ivan lean in closer to me again, his grin widening as he tells some story about a football py that I’m barely listening to as I sip my drink.

  She’s been simmering at a low boil all night, and her sharp comments are almost continuous. I murmur a reply of how impressive that was, and Ivan preens and smiles so broadly I think his face is going to split in half. I suppose that’s the final straw because Mia can’t hold back anymore. If you can call all of her snippy comments holding back.

  “Wow, Jackie,” she says, her voice dripping with faux sweetness. “I’d love to know how you’re able to hold Ivan’s attention with,” she gnces at my chest, “so little to hold it.”

  Her comment hits me right where I ck confidence, and anger finally courses its way through me. My mind races as I attempt to come up with a reply. Then I remember a reply I saw in one of the trans support groups I visit. I lean forward and smile sweetly as I quickly adapt it to fit the situation. “Mia, honey, breasts are mere accessories; they don’t define a girl. Regardless, as you can see, size doesn’t matter.” I turn to look at Ivan and smile charmingly. “Does it, Ivan?” He agrees mutely, and I turn back to her to offer a Gaelic shrug. “Well, there’s your answer.”

  He shakes his head as he grins awkwardly, and Mia’s eyes widen, her cheeks flushing a deep red as the group falls silent for a moment. Then, like a dam breaking, several of the others ugh loudly.

  Mia gres at me, her lips pressed into a thin line. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” She snaps, her voice trembling with fury.

  I lean back in my seat, keeping a sweet smile pasted on and my expression calm. I shrug and reply in a saccharine tone, “Honey, I’m clever enough to know not to argue with an idiot because they’ll beat you with experience, and the people listening may not be able to tell the difference.”

  Her expression twists as she snarls, “Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  I maintain my smile and then shrug as I reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “The fact that you don’t understand expins why I shouldn’t argue with you.”

  Mia’s hands ball into fists at her sides with her nails digging into her palms as she barks, “Oh em gee! You are such a know-it-all bitch!”

  “Why, thank you, Mia,” I say in a gratified tone. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me this evening,” and I smile a little bigger as she struggles to find a way to get under my skin.

  She snidely states, “Ugh~ As if you Starlight girls are so special!”

  I raise an eyebrow and state, “Not to put too fine of a point on it, but we are.” I raise a hand and flick it at her dismissively. “You could never pass the admission tests, and that ck of a personality would get you thrown out of the interview in a heartbeat. You rely on your looks and those big lumps of fat on your chest for your successes. You are probably the big fish in the fishbowl of your school, but wait until you graduate and are released into the ocean. You’ll find out you are merely a little fish amongst many other little fish. Whatever, though, you do you, miss future queen of a trailer park.”

  Several people in the group gasp, ugh, or giggle nervously as I stand and offer my hand to Kelly Anne. “Come on. I’ve had enough of this. Let’s go dance.”

  Kelly Anne hesitates, gncing between me and Mia, whose face is now as red as a tomato. Then she grins, taking my hand and letting me pull her to her feet. “Yeah,” she says, her voice bright and acting unbothered by the tension still crackling in the air.

  As we turn to make our way to the dance floor, Kelly Anne ughs as I arch an eyebrow and grin. For a moment, I think the incident is over, but Mia surges to her feet and whirls on Ivan. “Ivan!” she screeches, her voice cutting through the music like a knife. “Are you just going to sit there and allow her to talk to me like that?!”

  I stop and gnce over my shoulder to see Ivan look up and shrug. “Come on, Mia. You’ve been sniping at her all night.”

  Mia’s jaw drops, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Are you serious? You’re taking her side?” She asks, her voice rising an octave.

  Ivan leans back in his chair, his expression unbothered. “There are no sides, Mia. You started it. If you hadn’t, then this would’ve never happened.” He responds in a casual tone, as if he’s merely commenting on the weather, then he takes a sip of his drink.

  Mia stares at him for a moment, her chest heaving. Then she turns to gre at me, her eyes bzing. “This isn’t over,” she spits, her voice low and dangerous.

  I smile sweetly again. “Awww~ Bless your little heart, honey,” I contemptuously say. “Whatever gave you the idea that I care?”

  Kelly Anne cuts in before she can retort. “Alright, that’s enough,” she says firmly, giving Mia a pointed look. “We’re all here to have a good time, so just drop it, okay?”

  Mia hesitates for a moment, her eyes darting between me and Kelly Anne. Finally, she seems to understand that she isn’t going to win. She huffs, plops down in her seat, and crosses her arms over her chest. “Whatever,” she mutters loudly, though the venom in her voice is unmistakable.

  We turn again and head to the dance floor. Once there, Kelly Anne leans over and whispers in my ear, “Jesus, Jackie. Where did all that come from?”

  I smirk slightly but keep my voice low. “I’m not going to let her run me off, nor am I going to sit there and take her crap all night. She got a well-deserved comeuppance.”

  “Fair enough,” Kelly Anne says with a grin. “But let’s try to keep the drama to a minimum from here on out. Deal?”

  “It’s a deal,” I agree, though I gnce at Mia out of the corner of my eye.

  She grabs my hand and twirls me, smiles, and says, “Now, let’s dance!”