"Move," Dylan said, voice low and final. "No." Brandon rolled his shoulders. "Bro, we don't want to mess up that pretty suit of yours, so..." Marina gently touched Trevor's arm.
"Let me." He turned to her, eyes wide. "Marina, don't." "I mean it," she whispered. "Step back."
Something in her eyes must have convinced him because Trevor reluctantly shifted to the side, still near, still ready. But he let her take the front. Marina faced Dylan directly now. Up close, she noticed things other people probably didn't. The twitch in his jaw, the way his fingers tightened slightly on the bowl's rim, the stiffness in his shoulders.
He was trying to act casual, but he was annoyed she hadn't melted the first time they confronted her. "What do you want?" she asked, voice steady. Dylan smirked. "Just trying to help you stand out tonight." "You already did that," she replied.
"Now put the bowl down." Jace burst out laughing. "Or what?" You going to cry and run to the bathroom? Brandon chimed in.
"She looks about two seconds from it." Marina breathed through her nose, calm, controlled. Her uncle's voice echoed faintly in her head. Don't swing first, but don't wait so long that you lose the moment. Then out of nowhere, Dylan lifted the bowl higher.
Students gasped. Marina stepped forward. And then the fire alarm blasted through the ballroom. Everyone jumped. Red lights flashed.
Sprinklers clattered but didn't go off yet. Chaperones shouted over the noise trying to figure out what triggered the system. A few panicked kids ran toward the exits. Dylan's grip slipped. The bowl wobbled.
Punch sloshed dangerously toward the rim. But before it spilled, Marina made a decision. One that would flip the entire night upside down and expose exactly who she really was. The alarm was deafening. The flashing red lights flickered across everyone's faces, making half the room look like a crime scene.
Students darted toward the exits while teachers yelled that everything was probably fine, to stay calm, to wait. But nobody listens during a fire alarm. And in the middle of all that chaos, the punch bowl slipped again. Brandon tightened his grip, but the alarm startled him enough that the liquid sloshed over the edge, splattering across his sleeve. "Dude!" he yelled.
"My suit." Jace cackled. "Man, you look like you fought a fruit punch monster." Dylan, though, didn't laugh. He looked irritated, like the alarm had ruined his perfect moment.
His eyes snapped back to Marina, and something stubborn lodged into his expression. "You know what, Dylan? Forget waiting." He raised the bowl higher. Marina didn't think.
Her body acted before her mind even caught up. She stepped forward, grabbed the edge of the bowl with one hand, and yanked it down. The force surprised Dylan, and the bowl dropped out of his grip, smashing onto the floor with a loud crack. Red punch exploded everywhere, on their shoes, on the carpet, splashing up the legs of Dylan's expensive suit. A ring of shocked gasps echoed around them.