Free 3 Sides to a Circle by Jolene Perry, Janna Watts

blue eyes are bright, even in the dark, and more filled with sincerity than I’d expect from him.
    “I want to see your paintin gs,” I say before I can change my mind.
    “ Like we could get together tomorrow…?”
    We take a few more steps and a smile starts to spread across his face.
    “Or…now…?” He sounds so hopeful.
    I can practically hear Libby screaming in my ear, Just do it. And I’m going to . Because if she can survive saying exactly what she thinks all of the time, I can survive saying exactly what I want at least some of the time. “Now.”

Chapter Ten
    Toby
     
    I’m two seconds from leaving Blue Light House when Libby plows back in and makes a beeline for me.
    “Honor’s out. You gotta be my date.”
    “Libby, half this place thinks you’re together with Honor.”
    She shakes her head. “No, they don’t. Come on. It’s Honor. Who would ever believe she could be into girls? They all get that I was just protecting her.”
    “I’m not pretending I’m your date. I don’t even want to be here.”
    She bats her eyelashes and sticks out her bottom lip. “ Puh-lease, Toby. Stay with me. I’ll be your best friend.”
    “No way. I know you. You’ll ditch me in five seconds.”
    She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the makeshift dance floor. “I will not. See? I’m going to dance with you.”
    I drag my feet. I suck at dancing. All through high school, I was one of those guys who just put their arms around girls and shifted from foot to foot during the slow s ongs. I never even attempted the fast songs. “I don’t want to.”
    “Sure you do. Trust me. I’ll lead.”
    I find myself in the middle of a sea of people with Libby’s ass backed up into my hips. She’s grinding and then flitting away, twirling, and then coming back to grind some more. I have no idea what to do. I grip her hips and try to shift with her, but there’s no holding on to Libby. One second she’s on me, all over me, really, then the next she’s gone, grinding up against another guy. Dancing with Libby is like everything else. Untethered.
    Two more twirls away from me and I bail. I feel like an asshole by myself on the dance floor. I head out the front door and I don’t even know if Libby’s noticed until I feel her arm wrap around me from behind in this strange Libby hug.
    “You can’t leave.”
    “Let go, Libby.”
    She snakes her other hand in and now she’s sort of reverse bear hugging me, only it feels more like when you see those parents trying to leave kindergarten on the first day and their kids are clinging to them.
    “Don’t go.”
    I swivel around and she releases me. It’s starting to get really cold outside, but Libby doesn’t seem to notice. People pass us and say hi to Libby on their way in. She waves but then keeps returning her gaze to mine.
    “This isn’t my scene,” I finally say.
    Her eyes dart to the side and then a giant smile lights up her face. “I know. Look.” She points to the stoplight half a block down. “Let’s climb that.”
    “Um, no.”
    She nods her head and claps her hands. “Yes. Do you see the rungs? It’s meant to be climbed.”
    “Those rungs are probably for workers when they need to fix it.”
    “No. There’s even a platform. It’s for college students who need to climb it.”
    Before I can respond to this, she darts out into the street. The street. Not the sidewalk. She’s running in the middle of the street like no cars will come when she’s on the road. And part of me thinks that, of course, cars wouldn’t dare take up the space meant for Libby.
    I tear after her, but by the time I get there, she’s already up, standing on the platform with her arms spread like in Titanic . I grab the bottom rung and follow her up. There’s barely enough room for the two of us on the platform, and she teeters as she makes space for me. What the hell am I doing?
    She’s super close. To the point that I can smell everything about her: sweat, and