“Girl bonding.” Lucy wasn’t sure why she said it—like she cared if Gavin thought she was dissing him.

He shrugged and pulled an airplane bottle from his back pocket.

Lucy and Gavin’s dancing had enticed a few more to join. The night was sponsored by Pulse, and Ryan had made it a mixer of sorts, including some of the newer Pulse hires. Thankfully. Because the Dave ratio was strong at ValleyStart. A few more girls in addition to guys in those tees only given to Pulse employees began circulating through the crowd.

All of ValleyStart—and a few of the Pulse hires—were underage, which meant the bar was locked down for the night. But it was still a club. And so the lights dimmed further and the music pumped louder.

Lucy found Delia and Maddie. “Come on, I love this song!”

She knew the only way she’d get Delia out there was if Maddie came, so she locked eyes and silently pleaded with her.

Maddie’s eyes were unreadable, and then, finally, they softened. “One song,” she said, moving past Lucy and to the center of the growing crowd.

Lucy mouthed a thank-you before clasping a hand around Delia’s wrist and dragging her to the floor. Maddie was a decent dancer, her height and confidence making up for her lack of innate skill. Delia wobbled beside them, as unsure on her legs as a newborn fawn.

“Just let it go!” Lucy cried over the music, but Delia only shifted from one foot to the other, and so Lucy wrapped her arm around her waist and led her in an exaggerated tango.

Delia’s hands were clammy and her face glowed pink, but by the third time Lucy spun to lead her in the opposite direction, Delia was giggling. They zoomed past and through Maddie, trying to get her to join them, but Maddie simply snuck away after the song ended.

“Your loss,” Delia shouted, surprising Lucy by grabbing her and leading what was probably the worst tango in history. But Delia was finally showing confidence, leading, and Lucy, knowing everyone was watching, let her.

Until a super cute guy in a Pulse tee cut in. Another planted himself in front of Delia, and Lucy gave her a thumbs-up.

Lucy then followed her own advice and let everything go—Gavin and no news on Stanford and her mom’s voice in her head and her constant worries that they weren’t bringing Lit to the next level. She commanded the floor, moving from Pulse employee to Pulse employee and eventually landing in the arms of one of Eric’s teammates.

“Marty, right?” Lucy said.

“Marty Martinez,” he said. “And, yes, it was on purpose, and, no, my parents aren’t crazy, they write sitcoms, and, yes, I’ve considered changing my name.”