“Princess Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog. First black Disney princess. If you’re gonna go formal, go big.”

“‘I’m rooting for everybody black,’ right?”

“Sure am.”

I stroked my chin. Curious about something. “You’re dressed like Tiana, but is she your favorite Disney princess?”

Mya shuffled uncomfortably.

“Tell the truth!” I said. “I’ve heard you humming at FISHto’s.”

She was caught. “Fine. It’s Elsa from Frozen. Okay?”

“I knew it. She’s like the whitest one!”

“Shut. Up! That song is bars!”

We laughed, a little like the good times, but also a little different. A little better. “You look great, though!”

“Thank you.”

“How are things at FISHto’s?” I sipped punch.

“Fried.”

I almost choked. “Good one. Who’d you come with?”

“Jameer.” She cocked her head toward him in the corner with Carlos, cackling at something the upperclassman said. “I think he’s ditching me, though. Guess our engagement is off.”

Mya poured her punch, faced the dance floor. More people jumped into the dance circle, including my date. “You came with Shianne. That a thing?”

“Naw. Just friends. It works.”

A pulsing beat couldn’t totally erase the long, awkward pause. Mya resorted to one of the many conversations we’d engaged in during my last weeks at FISHto’s. “Batman’s an a-hole, Del.”

“You finally read Tower of Babel?”

“I did not. I read Kingdom Come. Why do they name so many of the books after Bible stuff?”

“Gravitas.”

“Eh.”

“Batman is not an a-hole, though. He’s stern.”

“He took over a city with Batbots, or whatever you call them. Then sits back in his old-man smugness watching everyone, judging like some kind of—”

“God?”

She punched my shoulder. “Don’t start!”

The DJ mixed in another song, and Mya swayed in her gown, eyes on the dance floor. “Del, I gotta get in there. Hold my drink?”

I rolled my eyes, but complied. She hiked up her dress and skittered to the floor, leaving me and MJ to our conversation.

He said, “You probably should’ve followed her.”

“Why? For what?” My face felt suddenly hot.

“Uh-huh. She’s going to the After Prom. I saw her name on the list.”

I crossed my arms, swishing Mya’s drink around. “Um, thanks.”

MJ chuckled. “You know if you ever want to talk, get some advice, I’m here for you. Ask anything.”

This was sliding into uncomfortable territory. Questions and answers hadn’t worked out so well for me in the past. Though, now that he brought it up, one inquiry lingered. The story he never finished. “How’d you end up getting with your lady? After you’d said foul stuff to her in college.”

“Oh, that. I didn’t.”

I wrenched toward him, sloshing Mya’s drink. “You said her parents knew your roommate’s parents.”

MJ shook his head. “Naw, I said my roommate’s parents knew the parents of the girl I immediately keyed on. The one who when I saw her, I instantly crafted this story in my head about how I’d get with her. She. Was. Sexy! I was convinced that us meeting in that moment was some kind of sign. I messed it up by coming at her sideways, but no one could tell me that. At first.