For a while, I sort of thought maybe Henry was special like me. He seems to always get what he wants by just flashing his pearl-white teeth or talking smooth. It’s like being hypnotized by a snake. But once I was able to separate his feelings from everyone else’s, I realized he wasn’t like me. He doesn’t have any kind of supernatural ability to get what he wants. He’s just … determined.

“So you won’t mind if I take a crack at her?”

“What?” I’d assumed our conversation was over, but Henry’s question snaps me out of my daydreaming and back into my body. There’s a little spark of cold fire in his feelings now, right in my stomach, and it’s making me hungry in a way that’s not going to be satisfied with the too-sweet cookies sitting next to the not-sweet-enough punch.

“If you and Cait are just buds, then you won’t care if I try to get in there.” He smiles, the flame of determination growing up my torso and frosting over my lungs.

“She hates being called Cait,” I say for lack of a response, and because it’s true.

“Thanks for the tip, pal.” Henry winks, slapping me on the shoulder again, before sauntering away toward Caitlin. He takes the cold fire and the skin-crawlers with him and I’m left holding two glasses of lukewarm punch and wondering if I just gave him permission for something I have no right to give permission for.

Henry reaches Caitlin and Jessica and starts dancing goofily at them. I’ve seen this move before—he’s trying to break the ice, and the girls laugh, mostly out of politeness. The static pinpricks of their annoyance jump out at me and I involuntarily flinch as I step a bit closer to the dance floor. I’m cautiously edging into the radius of their emotions, knowing that whatever the combination is going to be, I might not handle it all that well. I count to ten as I try to gently probe into the swirl of feelings and find out what I’m dealing with.

Before I’m able to gauge the situation, Henry reaches an arm toward Caitlin, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to him, swaying awkwardly. She gives that polite laugh again, but this time there’s a razor edge to her smile that makes the jabs of annoyance sharper against my skin. My whole body is tense, my shoulders starting to reach toward my ears.

Caitlin tries to spin away from Henry but he pulls her in tighter, forcing her to dance with him. Caitlin’s annoyance grows hot with anger and I need to defuse this before it gets out of hand.