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felt lodged somewhere behind my heart. For a long moment we stared at each other and then in that instant the clouds parted somewhere above, just enough to allow for a radiant beam of red-gold afternoon light to tint the air around us like a benediction. I leaned over to kiss him, not caring that my carefully-applied lipstick would be gone. He cupped my jaw with his right hand and kissed me back, trailing his fingers over my neck. He always touched me like I was made of something so delicate, like porcelain.
    â€œI can’t wait until we’re dancing at our own wedding,” he said then. We had been talking about getting married so often that his folks, especially, took it as a foregone conclusion. Again I had such a strong sense of us together, being truly bound by marriage, and I almost shuddered with its force.
    â€œMe, neither, Chris,” I said, and pulled him back into another kiss.
    ***
    We caught up with Jo and Jackie two hours later and followed them to the high school. We entered the gym, where a DJ was playing “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen.
    â€œCome on!” Jo insisted, and Jackie grumbled but followed her willingly enough.
    Chris and I hung back a little; he kept my hand firmly in his grasp, rubbing the back with his thumb.
    â€œYou want to join them?” he asked.
    â€œLet’s wait for the first slow one,” I told him, looking around at the decorations. “So the theme is Midnight in Paris?”
    Chris laughed as he too looked around; for whatever reason, our student government thought that meant a color scheme of pink and black, and there was a wrought-iron Eiffel Tower near the punch table, which I knew Laura Henry’s father had made just for the dance. We were about to grab some punch when the song switched to “Almost Paradise,” and Chris hauled me onto the dance floor and wrapped me into his arms. I snuggled against him and slipped my arms around his neck while his hands smoothed the material low on my back. He smiled into my eyes. Because it was prom, they played three slow songs in a row. When we danced past Jo and Jackie, Jo said, “Chris, I want to dance one with you,” and so we swapped partners.
    Jackie gave me a big-brother sort of grin and said, “Hey there, Dilly Bar.”
    â€œUgh, I hate that nickname,” I told him. Jackie just laughed, of course.
    â€œI can’t believe you guys are graduating,” I told him, again gloomy at the prospect.
    â€œGod, I can’t wait,” Jackie said. “Bust out of Landon, finally.”
    As long as Joelle was safe here, I didn’t care if that was his attitude. But then he went on, “Maybe Jo and I will settle here eventually. After I come home from college.”
    â€œWill you marry her?” I asked, studying him intently.
    â€œThat’s my plan,” he said easily, looking over at my sister as Chris spun her around. He smiled and said, “I love her. I’m not ready to get married, but Jo isn’t either. It’s not like we don’t talk about these things, you know.”
    He sounded serious for once, and I peered up at him, but at that moment we danced near Justin and Aubrey and I had a flash of anxiety, recalling suddenly the whole spanking thing…me and my big mouth. But Aubrey gave us a big smile; well, she gave Jackie a smile and ignored me. She seemed pretty tipsy, her arms around Justin, who had lost his bow-tie somewhere. The top two buttons of his white dress shirt were open. Aubrey’s dress was covered in turquoise sequins, almost like a mermaid.
    â€œFeel this dress, Jack, for real,” Justin said, indicating Aubrey’s waist.
    â€œIt’s like sweaty scales,” Jackie said, rubbing his hand lightly over the material.
    â€œJustin won’t quit bitching about it,” Aubrey said, rolling her eyes. “Trade for a minute, you guys,” she ordered, moving into Jackie’s arms next