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Greeley smiles, shakes his head, and turns back to whoever he’s talking to.

It’s getting late, and she’s dancing on this guy too much, and when he puts a hand on her waist, she takes it off. I’ve had enough of the show. When she sees me coming, she stops dancing.

“You ready?” I say.

Flannel guy stops too and keeps his hands to himself.

Kylie blinks. “For what?”

“To go.”

She looks at me for a second, and then she starts dancing on him again. “I didn’t ask you to take me home.”

Flannel guy looks up at me like he’d like to not be part of this, but she dances on him anyway.

“Let’s go,” I say.

She shakes her head. “Not yet.”

I look down at her skirt, which inches up her thighs with every move, and I bite back what’s in my mouth and walk away.

I go to the kitchen and fill a cup with water. Rafe follows me in and says he wants to leave. So do I, but I’m not leaving her here, and I don’t have to say that out loud for him to know it.

When the song ends, Kylie walks into the kitchen with flannel guy trailing her. I don’t blame him. I’d follow her too if I were that desperate for attention. He sees me, grabs a drink, and she says, “I’ll see you out there,” and he looks at me once and goes.

“Are you having fun?” I ask.

She looks at me. “You should try it.”

“I will.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

She shakes her head and looks out at the party.

“We’re leaving in five minutes,” I say.

To my surprise, she doesn’t argue. “Okay,” she says, and walks back out to flannel guy. He doesn’t follow her onto the dance floor this time. I watch from the kitchen and start counting.

Rafe brings the car around without being asked. Koda herds the girls out onto the porch into the cold, and Kylie zips her jacket all the way to her chin this time and crosses her arms.

Greeley comes over when he sees we’re leaving. “Kennebeck. Good to have you, man.”

“Greeley.”

He isn’t looking at me. He’s looking past me at the walk, where Kylie is standing under the porch light in a black skirt and a jacket, and he’s smiling, and he doesn’t say anything else, because he doesn’t have to.

I open the car door for the girls. Kylie gets in the back with Kenzie and Bianca, and I’m in the front with Rafe. Koda and Paige walk. The whole way back, Kenzie talks about a guy she met.

On the third floor, everybody splits.

“Night,” Kylie says at her door.

“Night.”

She goes in, and I go three doors down.