Still, there was a thrill in sneaking down the stairs, accompanied by the excited whispering of other students, the air filled with muffled music and musty basement smell.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs I unthinkingly reached out and grabbed Seth’s sleeve so as not to lose him in the dark, drawing a soft laugh from him.

Finally, we reached the door at the end of the hallway.

The party was held in a large cellar, the back of which I couldn’t even make out when I stepped through the threshold. Worn-down furniture, shelves filled with books, and teaching materials were pushed to the walls to make room for a dance floor in the center of the basement, the entire scene lit by some old lamps scattered around the room.

The majority of the students were up and dancing or sitting on the couches with plastic cups in their hands, but I also noticed that there were a few darker, less-crowded corners that were occupied by couples.

I wasn’t surprised when I spotted Noelle’s curly head in one of them. She was leaning against the wall with Elias’s arm slung around her shoulders, his mouth next to her ear as he whispered something to her.

“Do you want me to get you something to drink?” Seth asked over the music.

“Sure. I’ll drink whatever you’re drinking.”

“Got it. Be right back,” Seth said, saluting me with two fingers before he made his way over to the table with drinks in the corner.

Meanwhile, I steered towards one of the tables that had been pushed aside and sat down. Nearby were a bunch of girls from my classes, but even after two weeks, I hadn’t really been able to befriend any of them. I supposed it was partially because I spent most of my time with Seth, but also because they had already formed set cliques over the several years they had spent at this school. Amelia was on the other side of the room, but she was caught up in a conversation with a few members of the student council. And then there was Jasper, whose silver mop of hair stood out as always as he danced with his boyfriend.

My attention was directed elsewhere when a tall, blond guy who I was pretty sure was in year twelve made his way over to me.

“Hey,” he said as he came to a stop right in front of me. “I don’t think we’ve had the chance to talk yet. I’m Lance.”

“Evelyn.”

“Hm. Pretty name for a pretty girl.”

My only response was a strained laugh. Craning my neck, I tried to spot Seth, but he was still standing by the table with the drinks, his back turned to me.

Lance cocked his head, his eyes slowly raking me up and down. “See, I normally don’t do this, but I was wondering if you want to come up to my room with me? My roommate promised not to come back there before midnight—”