17 absolutely not
"I'm not going."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You already said yes."
"I said yes under emotional distress."
Jess doesn't even look up from her phone when she says it, which somehow makes it worse. She's sitting cross-legged on her bed like this is a completely normal conversation to be having, like I didn't just get blackmailed into attending one of the most unnecessary events in existence.
Riley, on the other hand, actually looks at me.
"You agreed," she says calmly.
"I was manipulated," I correct.
"You were predictable," she replies.
"That's not better."
Jess finally looks up, eyes lighting up in a way that immediately makes me suspicious. "Homecoming."
"I hate that word."
"You're going to homecoming."
"I'm being forced to go to homecoming."
"You're going with Caiden to homecoming," she continues, completely ignoring me.
"That part was implied."
"That part is the entire point," Jess says.
I drop back onto the bed dramatically, staring up at the ceiling like it's going to help me process this better.
It doesn't.
"This is a terrible idea," I say.
"This is a great idea," Jess replies.
"This is a public humiliation waiting to happen."
"This is a moment," she corrects.
"This is a mistake."
Riley shifts slightly beside her, leaning back against the wall with the kind of quiet patience that means she's already thought this through and come to a conclusion I'm not going to like.
"It makes sense," she says.
I turn my head to look at her. "Explain how this makes sense."
"You're already being seen together," she says. "Showing up to something like that together just... continues it."
"Continues what?"
"The narrative."
"I don't like the narrative."
"You don't have to like it," she says. "You just have to not contradict it."
I sit up, narrowing my eyes slightly. "You sound like that Dana woman."
"That's concerning," Jess mutters.
"It's logical," Riley says.
"It's terrifying," I correct.
Jess slides off the bed and walks over to her closet like we've already moved past the part where I refuse.
Which-
we haven't.
"Okay, so we need to think about-" she starts.
"We don't need to think about anything," I cut in. "Because I'm not going."
Jess pauses, then slowly turns to look at me like I just said something objectively incorrect. "You already agreed."
"I can un-agree."
"That's not a thing."
"It should be."
Riley watches me for a second, then says, "Are you actually going to back out."
I open my mouth. Then close it. Because-
that's the problem.
Because I could, technically.
There's nothing actually forcing me to go.
No contract.
No real consequences.
Just... everything else.
People watching.
People expecting.
The fact that this whole thing only works if we don't suddenly stop.
And I hate that I understand that.
I really do.
Jess notices the hesitation immediately. "Oh, she's thinking."
"I'm not thinking."
"You're thinking."
"I'm evaluating."
"That's thinking."
"That's worse," Riley adds.
I exhale, dragging a hand over my face. "This is ridiculous."
"Yes," Jess says.
"Yes," Riley agrees.
"Then why am I the only one acting like it's ridiculous?"
"Because you're the one going," Jess replies.
"I don't want to go."
"That's never stopped you before."
"That's not true."
"That's literally your entire personality," she says.
I glare at her. "You're not helping."
"I'm helping a lot."
"You're making it worse."
"I'm making it happen."
Riley shifts slightly, her shoulder brushing against Jess's as she leans in just a little. Jess leans into it without thinking, like it's automatic, like this is just how they exist around each other.
It's-
annoyingly stable.
"You're already part of this," Riley says, looking at me again. "Backing out now would be more noticeable than going."
I don't respond immediately.
Because she's right.
Again.
Which is becoming a pattern I don't enjoy.
Jess claps her hands once. "Great. So we're doing this."
"We're not doing anything."
"You're doing everything."
"I'm doing nothing."
"You're doing homecoming," she corrects.
I grab my phone before I can argue again, opening my messages.
His name is right there.
Annoying.
Consistent.
Already expecting this.
I type before I can overthink it.
The reply comes almost immediately.
I stare at that for a second.
Then type again.
I shouldn't smile.
I don't.
I absolutely don't.
I roll my eyes, typing one last message before I can reconsider any of this.
I hit send.
And immediately regret it.
Jess is watching me like she's been waiting for that exact moment. "There it is."
"There what is?"
"You agreeing."
"I didn't agree."
"You literally just agreed."
"I was pressured."
"You confirmed," Riley says.
"That's different."
"It's not."
I drop my phone onto the bed, leaning back again like maybe if I stay still long enough this will all go away.
It won't.
Because Jess is already moving again, pulling things out of her closet like she's been waiting for this moment her entire life.
"We need options," she says.
"We don't need options."
"We need several options."
"We need no options."
Riley stands up too, calmer but just as involved. "We'll keep it simple."
"It's not simple," I say. "None of this is simple."
"It can be," she replies.
"It's homecoming."
"It's one night."
"It's one very public night."
Jess turns back toward me, holding up something I'm not even going to acknowledge. "You're going to look incredible."
"I'm going to look uncomfortable."
"You're going to look both."
"That's worse."
"That's interesting."
I stare at the ceiling again.
This is happening.
I hate that this is happening.
I hate that I understand why it's happening.
And I hate that-
I said yes.
"I hate everything," I say.
Jess smiles.
"Yeah," she says. "I know."