Chase grins. “It’s the guy code.” He leans toward me and lowers his voice like he’s letting me in on a secret. “Never ditch your bros for a ho . . . sorry,” he says when I wince at the word. “Never let a guy get in a fight alone, and never go after another guy’s sister. You might not be his real sister, but in terms of the code, you definitely count.”

And there it is. Sister. The word crashes down on me; the balloon in my chest pops and deflates. Of course that’s what Chase meant. He’s still grinning at me, like he’s proud that he’s let me in on the code, like I should feel special and not like my entire world has shattered into a million different pieces, my hope exploding like the Death Star.

I crush the empty plastic cup in my hand and throw it into the trash can.

“I have to go,” I say, suddenly filled with anger, like my veins are crackling with electricity. It all makes sense. I might have met a guy earlier, might not have stayed a virgin for so long if Andrew hadn’t gotten in the way. And it’s not because he’s been jealous, because he loves me back. It’s just because I’m like his sister.

“I would have hit on you, you know,” Chase says. “Just for the record. You’re totally cute.” And then he smiles and heads over to Danielle and Ava, throwing his arms around both of them.

My hands are shaking. I need to find Andrew. I move to the edge of the room, pushing through crowds of people. The whole world is whirling color, shapes moving together in and out of focus, and it feels like I’m drunk. But it’s just the energy spreading through me like fire, blurring the edges of my vision. I can’t remember ever being so alert.

And then I see him coming out of the men’s bathroom and I’m struck by how much I want to hit him or kiss him or both, anything to just be touching him, to release some of this energy into him so that he can feel just as alive as I do.

I charge in his direction. When he notices me, his face breaks into an easy smile, but it soon disappears when I fly at him.

“You told guys not to hit on me?”

“What?” His forehead wrinkles and his hand immediately goes up into his hair like I knew it would, like it always does.