“We’re gonna run to the bathroom,” Kimmie says, grabbing Darryl’s wrist. “We’ll see you in a bit.”

Before Adam or I can say anything, they turn around and disappear into the crowd.

“The bathroom’s the other way!” Adam yells after them, but they don’t look back.

My hands start sweating. I debate making up an excuse as well and running off, but then Adam turns toward me.

“Wanna come with me?” he asks. The second I look into his eyes, something inside me melts, and I nod without thinking.

“Come on,” he says. “This way.”

We make our way through the crowd with a bit of difficulty. Anyone who lays their eyes on Adam wants to talk to him, but he manages to shake them off, saying he’ll be back soon.

When we finally step out of the busy room and start walking down a long hallway, I don’t say anything at all. I just follow Adam, wondering if his heart is also pounding inside his chest.

“This is it,” he says, pointing at a door that has his name on it. He unlocks it, and we both step into the tiny dressing room.

“Not as fancy as you would think, huh?” he says to me as I look around. There’s nothing but a tall cabinet, a table, a chair, and a mirror.

“Still, you get your own dressing room. That’s pretty cool.”

The sound of a hundred voices is ringing in my ears. Even though it’s mostly silent in here, I feel as though I’m still back in that other room, surrounded by all those people, all those faces, all that movement.

“I don’t think I got a chance to say thank you,” I say slowly. “For the cell phone.”

“You’re very welcome.”

For a while, we stand there in silence, listening to the far-off murmur of the crowd outside the door.

“I want everything to go back to the way it used to be,” Adam says. “Can we try to be friends again? I—”

I shake my head. “Adam, you—”

“—promise I can get over it. We don’t have to be anything more. I just—”

I take a step forward, closing the distance between us, and he goes quiet. I can feel my face turning red, but when he smiles a little, I smile back.

I’m not sure exactly how this happens, but suddenly our noses are almost touching. Looking into his eyes, I realize there’s a bit of green in them. Not a lot—just speckles here and there, which I had never noticed in the three years I’ve known him. He stares back into my eyes, and my head starts spinning. This is it, I think to myself. Something is about to happen.