Free Moving Neutral by Katy Atlas

said, squeezing my arm reassuringly. We might as well get a drink.
    No one was paying any attention to us, so I figured it was safe to talk. I can’t believe we’re here, I said, my disappointment overwhelmed for the moment by shock that any of this had actually happened.
    I can’t either, she said. And listen -- I think he likes you.
    I looked at her, trying to find traces of anger or jealousy that she was concealing. But Madison only looked excited for me, her green eyes sparkling as she delivered the news.
    I shook my head. No way. It was actually impossible. At Prospect, I’d never even had a boyfriend.
    She nodded like she knew something I didn’t. Trust me, she said. I can just tell. It’s like everything he says, he says it to you. Did he try to pick you up in line?
    I groaned, remembering the moment in line without my wallet. A moment made even more humiliating by the fact that Blake Parker had witnessed it. If Madison thought he’d picked me up, she clearly wasn’t as good at reading these signals as I’d thought.
    It wasn’t like that, I explained. My wallet was in my overnight bag with you, and I was holding up the whole line trying to get your attention. He probably just paid for our drinks because he didn’t want any of the girls in line to recognize him.
    Madison nodded as if she didn’t believe a word I was saying. She picked up a tumbler from the coffee table and filled it with juice, topping it off with a splash of amber liquid out of a decanter that looked expensive, and handed it to me.
    Come on, she said. I still have to drive home tonight, but you can relax a little bit.
    I picked up the drink and looked around the room, not feeling relaxed in the slightest. I saw an armchair in a corner and squeezed my way over to it, hoping no one would pay attention to us.
    I didn’t have to worry. The moment Blake and Sophie had left, no one seemed to notice we were there. Madison squeezed into the wide chair next to me and took a sip of my untouched drink.
    Should we tell them that we were at the concert? I wondered out loud.
    No, she said it so forcefully that my body jerked, almost spilling the drink all over both of us. Do you want them to think we’re just like those screaming girls in the bookstore?
    I nodded, trying not to feel guilty for the lie.
    Listen, Madison ordered me, the guy that we’ve both been obsessed with for basically the entire past year is sitting somewhere in this room, and I’m pretty sure he thinks you’re cute. Please, Casey, she looked at me with exasperation. Please do not blow this.
    I sighed. Madison was one of those girls who guys always liked. When it fizzled out with one, there was always another one waiting. She didn’t understand that when I blew it, most of the time I didn’t even know what went wrong, much less how to fix it.
    You’re okay with it? I changed the subject, looking at her for any sign that she wasn’t.
    I’m fine, she said. But if we ever meet Zac Efron, he’s all mine, are we clear?
    Grinning, I looked across the room for any sign of Blake, and caught his eye as he spoke to a man in his late twenties, wearing faded jeans and flip flops. He grinned at me and shrugged, gesturing subtly that he’d be done soon. I looked down, unable to think of how to respond.
    See? Madison looked at me, her voice gloating.
    I blushed, looking down at the red liquid that I assumed was cranberry juice in the glass in my hands. I swallowed a big gulp, wincing as it went down my throat.
    Oh, Madison exclaimed. There’s April.
    I followed her eyes across the room, thankful that she didn’t point. Sure enough, April was standing at the door of one of the bedrooms, entering the party with a group of people around her.
    I tried not to let my jaw drop. We knew from pictures that April was beautiful, more like a model or an actress than the lead singer of a band. But like Blake, there was something about seeing her in person that made her even lovelier -- tall and