Chapter 3: The Party

As Kevin and Roger stepped into the gym, the party was already in full swing. The gym had been transformed—colorful LED lights flashed along the walls, a DJ booth blasted music near the stage, and the air smelled like a mix of soda, chips, and way too much body spray.

Kevin glanced at his watch. 7:05 PM. He raised an eyebrow. "Did we come late?"

Roger, already bouncing to the music, shook his head. "Nah, man. Teen spirit is just always on fire." With that, he grinned and jumped ahead, nodding along to the beat as he disappeared into the crowd.

Kevin let out a breath and scanned the gym. Rows of round tables were scattered across the floor, each decorated with centerpieces of balloons and confetti. Some students were already seated, chatting, laughing, and messing around with their phones. Others stood in groups, dancing or hyping each other up.

Up ahead, the stage stood tall, lined with speakers and a microphone stand. The main event of the night would start soon.

But Kevin's mission was simple: Find his seat.

Navigating through the sea of students, he passed by a few familiar faces.

"My man, Looking fresh." Kevin dapped up a guy in a striped hoodie.

"Tony, you still didn't move?" He smirked at another classmate slouched in his chair, looking half-asleep.

Tony waved lazily.

Kevin shook his head and kept moving.

Finally, he found it—his table.

A white name card sat in front of an empty chair: Kevin Trade.

And right next to it—Rana Rose.

Kevin took a quick breath. Alright. No big deal. Just sit down. Be normal.

But before he could pull the chair out—

"Kevin!"

He turned just in time to see her walking over.

Rana.

She had this bright energy to her, even in the dim lights of the gym. Her dark brown hair was curled at the ends, and she wore a simple but cute red dress. She wasn't super tall—shorter than Kevin by a bit—but she had this presence that made her stand out.

She smiled. "You actually came!"

Kevin cleared his throat, nodding. "Uh… yeah."

She tilted her head. "Did Roger force you?"

Kevin smirked. "Well.... yea"

Rana laughed, crossing her arms. "That sounds about right."

For a second, Kevin was doing great. Solid start. But then—

He looked at her too long.

And suddenly, his brain locked up.

What do I even say now?

Not wanting to make it awkward, he just kept talking—but without actually looking at her. He pulled out his chair, keeping his gaze casually anywhere else as he spoke. The ceiling looked nice. The table decorations were interesting. Yep. All very important things.

Rana didn't seem to notice. She pulled out her chair as well, but before she could sit—

"Oh! I gotta head up."

Kevin finally glanced back. "Huh?"

She pointed toward the stage, where a teacher was calling her up.

"I'm supposed to say a few words to start things off." She gave him a quick grin. "Save my seat, yeah?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, sure."

With that, she turned and walked toward the stage.

Kevin exhaled, slouching slightly in his seat.

Okay. Not bad. Could've been smoother. But not bad.

He sat back, watching as Rana stepped up to the microphone.

Rana stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand. The music lowered, and the buzzing conversations of students gradually settled into a quiet murmur.

She took a breath, flashing a confident smile.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you guys long, I promise."

A few chuckles rippled through the crowd.

"But before we officially kick off tonight's party, I just want to take a moment to appreciate the people who really made last year a big one for us."

There were some cheers and claps from the tables.

Rana nodded. "First off, let's give it up for our school's National Science and Debate teams, who both placed top three in their divisions!"

A group of students in one of the front tables whooped loudly, standing up as the rest of the gym clapped for them.

"And of course," Rana continued, "huge shoutout to the members of our student government, who spent countless hours organizing events, improving school life, and, most importantly, making sure the vending machines were stocked all year."

That got an even louder cheer.

Rana smirked. "We also can't forget our amazing teachers—seriously, we're lucky to have some of the best."

The students cheered again, and even some of the teachers in the back of the gym smiled and waved.

"And with that," Rana took a step back, "let's make this a night to remember. Have fun, stay out of trouble, and let's go!"

The DJ immediately dropped a bass-heavy track, and the entire gym exploded into movement.

Some students rushed to the dance floor, others headed straight for the food tables, and within seconds, the party had completely come alive.

Rana hopped off the stage and made her way back to her seat. As she sat down, she turned to Kevin with an amused look.

"What do you think? Been taking speech lessons?"

Kevin, still looking at the crowd, shrugged. "I mean… you didn't mess up, so that's something."

She let out a short laugh, shaking her head.

Then, after a brief moment, she glanced at him again.

"So, how've things been? Still into comics?"

Kevin, now focusing on his drink, nodded. "Yeah. Always."

She smiled knowingly. "Wouldn't be you if you weren't."

Then, as if remembering something, she leaned in slightly.

"Hey, I was actually talking to some of the teachers earlier… and I thought, maybe, we could get you a special club of your own?"

Kevin blinked, finally turning his gaze back to her.

She smiled again, noticing that she had his full attention now.

"Not like your own personal club or anything," she clarified, "but more like an extension of the newspaper club. Next year, the teachers want students who haven't participated in school activities to get involved. And, well… you're basically at the top of that list."

Kevin opened his mouth, then closed it, before simply nodding. "Right, right…"

Rana tilted her head. "I mean, you'd get to talk about comics, maybe write reviews, or even make some of your own. I figured if anyone deserves that shot, it's you."

Kevin nodded again, but his focus wasn't entirely on her words anymore.

It was on her smile.

There was something about it—something bright, something that made it impossible to look away.

And yet, somehow, he had been avoiding looking at her earlier?

Yeah. That was dumb.

Rana didn't seem to notice his slightly dazed expression, though. She just casually leaned back in her seat, scanning the gym.

"Of course, nothing's final yet," she added. "But if I get elected as president again next year, I wanna make sure you—and others—get a space to do what you love."

Kevin took a sip of his drink to ground himself before nodding. "That'd be cool."

Rana nudged him lightly. "So, I can count on you to actually do something school-related next year?"

Kevin let out a small chuckle, finally easing up. "No promises."

She rolled her eyes. "Figures."

The music thumped in the background, the party roaring on, but for a moment, Kevin barely noticed it.

The night had barely started