The crowd was eerily quiet as Jade made her way to the small stage. I bit my lip, wondering if she could hear the whispers of confusion or see the faces of distress strewn throughout the dim room.

"Okay," Ian said, his eyes trained on Jade as she stopped next to Principal Herrings. "That's the spot." 

He slammed his hand against the button beside him and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into the horde of people to hide our culpability. I watched as the basketball hoop began to lower into its vertical position, Herrings standing beneath it as he placed a silver tiara upon Jade's head.

It didn't take long for people to notice, alarmed calls emitting from the mass of teens, a few pointing up at the ceiling. Herrings glanced up just as the paint can began to tip, leaking a small stream of red. The weight of the paint almost immediately caused the can to careen forward, dumping its half-gallon of scarlet paint onto Jade.

She jolted as it splashed off the top of her head-- Herrings jumped back as his brown suit became splattered with red. The paint spread through Jade's brown hair and streaked down her face, then her dress, coating the floor. The gym was alive again, filling with shouts and gasps, a few people shoving to get away from the stage. 

Jade's jaw hung open as the last of the paint trickled out onto her head, and I wasn't sure if it was feigned shock or genuine surprise at the suddenness of it all. The paint can above her was empty, still held back by the rope. 

Just as fast as the room got loud, it fell quiet. Everyone stared at the stage, hundreds of wide eyes watching the girl who was now bright red from both paint and embarrassment.

I turned to Ian, who was cringing, looking guilty for what he'd done. Time seemed like it was on pause, everyone frozen, no one knowing what to do or say. Even Principal Herrings seemed like he was stuck, just staring at Jade as she wiped the paint from her eyes. 

Just as I was about to ask Ian if we should do something, I saw Roy hurrying up the steps, sprinting across the stage. His feet slipped against the paint as he made his way to Jade, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she looked at him in surprise.

The crowd began to whisper, obviously confused by Roy's presence. He started leading Jade away, walking carefully, the two of them sliding every few steps. As he passed the microphone he leaned in, glancing over to Herrings. "So much for respected events, huh Herr?"

Herrings' expression contorted into anger as he stepped towards the mic, clearly ready to rant. But his path was covered in the red liquid, and as he stepped forward his legs wobbled. There was a second before he lost his balance, his legs sliding out in front of him, arms flailing to try to regain composure that was already long gone. I gasped as he landed on his butt, and the crowd erupted into laughter, their entertained outbursts only growing louder as he struggled to stand.

Roy grimaced playfully and looked away, rushing carefully off the stage with Jade under his arm. Herrings finally made it to the mic, but his yells about this type of stunt being unacceptable were barely audible over the frenzied student body.

"Come on," Ian nodded to the exit, a goofy smile on his face. I followed him, unable to stop my eyes from scanning the room one last time. They went over the food table, the lonely corners, and the few tables set up around the edges, but they didn't spot what they were looking for. I even shot one last glance towards the crowd, but it was no use-- even if Daniel was in there, I wouldn't be able to see him.

The lobby was empty now except for Roy and Jade, who were doubled over in laughter, unaware of our arrival. "Oh my God," Roy choked out, "The look on his face! The fall!"

"You called him Herr," Jade giggled. There were drying stripes of red down her forehead and cheeks, which cracked slightly as she grinned. "I think that made him angrier than the paint."

Roy's white sleeve was stained from holding Jade's shoulders, but he didn't seem to care, still cackling even as he scooped a glob of paint from her hair and shook his hand clean over a nearby trashcan. "You should go get cleaned up before this stuff dries," he said, laughter finally starting to calm down. "I'll get your clothes from Matt's backpack, it's still in my backseat."

"I'll take you to the locker room," I said to Jade. The main part of our plan was over, but since Jade told us she'd rather not have to explain the paint to her parents, we came up with the idea for her to shower and change at school. I turned to Ian. "You got the keys?"

He fished in his pocket for a second before taking out the small ring. "It's the silver one with a two on it," he informed, showing me the key he was referring to. I nodded, watching as Roy kissed Jade's cheek before walking to the main doors and out into the night.

"I'll go get your brother and his friends," Ian said. "We'll wait outside of the locker rooms."

"Okay," Jade agreed, "Thanks."

He gave a nod, turning to head to the computer lab. Jade and I started down the opposite hall, her heels leaving a few red prints on the ground before she stopped to take them off. I joined her, the chill of the tile floor seeping through my stockings.

"So," I started, filling the comfortable silence, "How was your date?"

She smiled, blushing. "It was nice. I think Roy wanted it to go differently, but even with what I had to do... I wouldn't have changed anything, you know? Plus," she paused, biting her lip, failing to suppress another grin. "Well, he kissed me. So the whole getting-covered-in-paint-in front-of-the-entire-school thing seems pretty small in comparison."

He kissed you?" I smiled as we came to the locker rooms, happy to focus on a relationship that wasn't my own. "How was it?"

Jade's face only got redder. I reached for the light switch as we headed inside, the ceiling lights flickering on. "It was... I mean..." She shook her head, words clearly failing to recapture the moment. "It was perfect." She clasped her hands together, a far off look in her eyes as she headed for the showers. 

I sat on a bench between two of the pink locker banks just outside the shower stalls. "I'll wait here."

"Okay." She gave a small but grateful smile before turning the corner. I heard her dress unzip, soon followed by the noise of one of the shower curtains being pulled back. The water turned on after a few seconds, and it wasn't long before she let out a laugh. "Uhg-- it looks like I'm bleeding to death."

I laughed with her, listening to the water run as my mind drifted. Jade and Roy were different in so many ways, yet they fit together so well. Daniel and I were a couple people would expect Our personalities were so similar, we had so much in common, and yet lately all we did was argue, even before the incident with Ian. 

"Maddie?" Jade's voice called to me from the shower, "What did you mean in the dance, about Ian giving you a hard time?"

"Oh, right. That." I sighed, leaning my head against the cold metal locker behind me. "He's... well... The truth is, Ian and I almost kissed."

"You what?" Jade sounded so shocked that it actually made me crack a smile, despite the unfortunate topic of conversation. "What about-- I mean-- Are you and Daniel broken up?"

"I'm not sure," I explained, grimacing. "The thing with Ian happened days ago-- it's why Dan got so mad at me. We were having trouble before, though," I admitted, figuring I probably didn't need to go into detail-- she'd been there for many of our recent disagreements. "But anyway, Ian keeps saying things that just make everything more confusing for me. I don't want to like him-- Daniel is a good boyfriend and I feel terrible for hurting him. But Ian is..." 

I trailed off, unsure of how to describe it. "Well, he's Ian. He drives me crazy-- but in a good way, you know?"

Jade giggled, and I realized how good it felt to finally get this stuff off my chest. "Yeah."

"If Daniel does want to stay together, I don't know what to do about Ian. And if he wants to break up..." I sighed. There was no use trying to deny it anymore. "I do like Ian. But... I just don't think I'd be ready to jump into another relationship. It wouldn't feel right."

"So be his friend," Jade said simply. "I don't know much-- or anything, really-- about relationships. But I think I know Ian well enough, and I don't think he's the type of guy to pressure you to start something you're not ready for."

I stayed silent, knowing she was right. My brain yelled at me that this was all hypothetical-- I still had a boyfriend as far as I knew. "I shouldn't even be theorizing like this-- Daniel might still want to be with me."

"Maddie, I don't want to say something out of line," Jade spoke, sounding nervous, "But do you want to be with him?"

I blinked back shock at the question, feeling guilty that the answer wasn't immediately yes, or even a yes at all. The more I thought about it, the more I realized: I had no freaking idea.

There was a knock on the door before I could reply. I stood and opened it, Ian's blue eyes meeting mine as he held out his hand, which held a stack of clothes and a fluffy white towel. 

"Jade's stuff."

"Thanks." I took it, looking out into the hall where Roy was having an animated conversation with Matt and his friends. 

"We got the points," Ian said, drawing my attention back to him-- as if it ever really left him in the first place. "We're first still, thanks to the fact that we always complete our challenges on time. But if the Five Capers complete their next challenge on time too..."

"We'll be right back where we were before, neck and neck," I finished. 

After my fight with Daniel, Ian tried to continue our interrupted conversation during the next ballot drop off. I didn't let it happen, insisting we needed to focus on the challenge, and knowing he probably saw right through that excuse. Now, the challenge was over. My excuse was gone, and I was nervous he would try to bring it up again. I still wasn't ready-- my thoughts weren't any clearer than they'd been an hour ago.

"Well, at least it didn't matter to The Seven that it was one of us who got painted," I continued, trying to keep the topic on the competition.

"Thankfully." He smiled, leaning against the door frame. "It would've sucked if they disqualified us on a technicality like that."

I hated the fact that just standing there with him was enough to fill me with adrenaline. It just wasn't logical-- I barely knew him. Sure, we talked at lunch with the rest of the group and we had a few things in common, but did I really know Ian? 

I froze as my mind trailed back, remembering how Daniel and I had started on even less of a friendship, knowing almost nothing about the other on our first date-- and I hadn't felt this way about Daniel. No blushing, no nerves, no heat. I remembered Ian's words about tension, and I felt it.

"I- um," I stuttered, all at once feeling a wave of warmth run through me at the realization, "I should get these to Jade. We'll be out soon."

When Jade did emerge from the shower stall, dressed in clean, unstained clothes, there were still a few flecks of red caught in her brown hair. Roy picked at them as we all walked to the parking lot, Jade playfully swatting at him to stop. Ian smiled at me, speaking low under his breath. "I guess we called it, huh? Back at the party?"

"I guess we did." I waved goodbye to them, Ian and I heading for his truck. Jade waved back and Roy wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head as they walked, Matt pretending to gag behind them.

The night had been crazy and confusing, but there was one thing I was sure of: Daniel was wrong. These people were definitely my friends.