I look up at the colorful flags hanging from strings above us and the banner “Arraial dos Estudantes” comes undone right as I walk under it. When the students closest to us scramble out of the way, one of them bumps into me and I get jostled back, ramming into someone else behind me. Wearing these heels, I can’t keep my balance, but Victor keeps me steady with an arm around my waist.

Warmth rushes to my cheeks at our close proximity.

“You alright?” he asks me.

I’m about to mumble an apology when I hear a cough behind me. I turn around, and Pedro is right there.

Another wave of warmth flushes in my face, this one much stronger than when Victor pulled me away from the banner. I realize he was the person I bumped into. The candy apple Pedro was holding had fallen to the ground. The sparkly red bow that was fastened to the stick is the only thing he could salvage, which he holds pitifully.

“Oh no!” Luana says, mourning the loss.

I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t notice her. And judging by her hand on his arm, they’ve come together. She’s in a beautiful short white dress and knee-high black boots. But, unlike me, she knows how to wear a dress and nice shoes.

I feel my smile disappear.

Pedro glares at me, looking even more dramatic in his all-black outfit. He’s even wearing a jacket, despite the warm weather, all for the sake of trying to look cool. The worst part is that he does. And I hate it.

“I’m so sorry,” I say about the candy apple, and I clumsily start rummaging through my purse to get my eyes off him, looking for money to pay for the damage.

Talita, who’s in line for a food booth nearby, bursts out laughing. “Your sandal! You broke your sandal!” I look down. The strap must have broken when I ran into Pedro. It’s humiliating, seeing it hanging off my ankle. And now they notice it, too. “Was it your first time on heels?” She’s laughing so much she’s out of breath. “That spin you did to catch yourself was literally the funniest thing I’ve ever seen! Salty, you’re comedy gold!”

Hearing the old nickname makes me cringe.

“Leave her alone!” Victor snaps at my classmates. The anger in his voice is so uncharacteristic, I notice the surprised look Pedro gives him, too, his eyes tracing Victor’s arm still around me.

I don’t know why, but I scoot away from Victor, hobbling because of my shoe. I’m caught in a hurricane of thoughts, as if I owe Pedro an explanation why I’m with him.

Despite Victor’s attempt, some of my classmates join Talita in laughing at my clumsiness.