Letterman Jacket

30.4 / fourteen days before

Decorated in blues and golds, the school hall had been utterly transformed into a ball fit for a fairytale.

Several pairs of eyes glanced towards our direction as Nico and I walked inside. His hand pressed against the curve of my waist and the heat from his touch radiated all the way to my toes. Paula waved at me from across the floor as she danced with a cute junior I didn't know, and JJ sent me a wink from the bar and raised his glass.

Before I could suggest that we find somewhere to sit, Sutton, with her blonde hair in perfect curls and in a striking, red cocktail dress, appeared beside us and reached out to hug me quickly. "Thea! That dress is amazing."

"Hey! Thank you, yours is too. The place looks really great. You guys did amazing." And out of politeness, to get rid of awkward introductions, I instinctively reached behind me and grabbed Nico's hand to pull him forward. "You probably both know each other, but I want to introduce you properly and officially anyway. Sutton, Nico. Nico, Sutton."

He held out his free hand. "Sutton. Pleasure to officially meet you."

The blonde grinned as she shook his hand, but her smile faltered a bit as she glanced at me with question in her eyes. "Likewise, Nico. Thea, um..."

"Later," I promised, knowing she wanted to ask about Faust's absence.

She nodded immediately. "I've got a table saved up for you guys and the gang, so both of you can grab your drinks. I still need to work on some things, but the punch tastes exquisite."

Nico grabbed the drinks after guiding me towards the table first, nearly tripping on my own heels had he not taken ahold of my arms immediately. Once he came back, he handed me a glass before settling on his own seat, and the brush of his knee against mine made my pulse jump. I mumbled a quiet thank you before bringing the drink to my lips.

Setting his glass down, Nico shifted in his seat so he faced me, his body leaning closer to mine. The corner of his lips turned up as his eyes bore into my own. "Some dress," Nico murmured, reaching forward to toy with the hem of the skirt. His fingertips brushed my thigh and left a trail of goose bumps in their wake.

I tilted my head to the side. "You like it?"

"You bought it with Faust in mind."

My teeth pulled my bottom lip in. "That doesn't matter anymore."

"Yeah," he breathed, thumb still caressing my skin, "you're here with me."

Nico said it like he couldn't believe it.

"So I see you two are together," JJ piped up as he neared the table. Nico retracted his hand and threw an arm around the back of my chair instead. "Care to explain?"

"It was a last minute thing," I answered quietly, quickly glancing at Nico. His eyes never left mine. "Also, you know Faust and I broke up."

"Damn, I was actually planning to hit on you."

"I'll piss on you," Nico warned, voice threateningly low. "I'll really fucking piss on you."

JJ grinned and raised his hands in surrender. "Take a joke, hothead. It's indeed a surprise to see the great Nico Romero at an actual school event. Great job, sweetheart."

I blinked. "Uh, thanks?"

Paula came over and pulled my arm, a wide smile on her face. "Come on, Thea!"

With a frown, I let her help me up. JJ chuckled and Nico stared after us as Paula began leading me towards the full dance floor where the upbeat music was the loudest. My eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no. I don't, I mean, I can't—"