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“What if we don’t have time?” Nick asked dully.
Jazz hesitated, brow furrowing. Nick was about to make a joke, telling her he was just kidding, but something stopped him, the words on the tip of his tongue but going no further. Jazz opened her mouth, but someone else spoke instead.
“Time for what?” Seth asked, and Jazz and Nick jerked their heads toward him. Seth stood in the doorway to the bathroom, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. He wore black slacks and a red dress shirt, complete with a white bow tie with little red flames imprinted on it. Nick’s breath caught in his chest at the sight of him and, not for the first time, he wondered how he’d gotten so lucky to have someone like Seth by his side.
“What were you talking about?” Gibby asked, pushing by Seth and coming into the room. Her tight pants were torn at the knees, wallet chain dangling on her hip. Her collared shirt matched Jazz’s dress—white with red and green flowers—her head freshly shaved, skull gleaming in the low light. “It looks serious.” She crossed the room, stopping next to the bed, leaning over and kissing Jazz on the forehead before sitting down next to her, feet on the floor. “Did something happen?”
“Nope,” Jazz said before Nick could steer the conversation back to dangerous waters. “Everything is good. Just talking with Nick about the party. You both look wonderful.” She squeezed Nick’s knee, letting him know she understood.
“Thanks,” Seth said, coming to the bed. He stopped next to it, standing above them. “It’s… nice. Having a night off.” He smiled down at Nick. “You good?”
Nick almost blurtedTAKE ME NOW,but thankfully caught himself at the last moment. “I’m good. Jazz is right. You look hot as balls.”
“Yeah?” Seth said, smile growing. “Exactly what I was going for. Good to know you approve.”
“Tonight is going to be the best,” Jazz said. “I swear to god, if anyone thinks of crashing my party and monologizing abouthow evil they are, I’m going to handle it myself. It will not be slow. It will not be kind. My wrath will be unending, and whoever comes will regret ever being born.”
They all stared at her.
“What?” she asked primly. “Do I have lipstick on my teeth?”
“I’m so glad you’re on our side,” Nick said honestly. “Because you are terrifying in the best way possible.”
“I’d make a pretty good supervillain,” Jazz agreed. “You’re lucky I don’t plan on switching sides because it’d be over for you bitches if I did.”
“Don’t we know it,” Gibby said, grinning at her girlfriend.
“You’re right,” Nick announced. “Enough with all of this. Tonight is about Jazz. And a-one! And a-two.And a— Haaaaappy birthday to you—”
The others joined, off-key and terrible. But Jazz didn’t seem to mind. She blushed, looking away, obviously pleased. When they finished, she clapped, and Nick felt a little better. His friends were right. This was the important thing. Them, together, happy and alive and pretending, at least for one night, that they didn’t have a care in the world.
