Violet wondered why he worried about something so distant. What was the point of stressing now? But Noah had always been like that; if he thought about something, he worried, regardless of how far off it was.

She had always been his voice of reason. Sometimes, you need someone else to tell you what you already know.

"I practice ballet for an hour and a half every weekday, have about two hours of homework nightly, usually drive Nathan and Oliver around, and still make time for you. Do you honestly think that will change just because I'm going to college?" Violet asked practically.

"No…but you won't have time for me if you get a boyfriend," Noah said quietly.

Ah. So that was it. He worried her prom date would become something more, leaving her no time for him.

Violet didn't know what time constraints a boyfriend would bring. But it wasn't as if she'd never see her friend. Whenever their schedules clashed, she'd be with Noah, tutoring him as always.

"Worst-case scenario, you'd get a girlfriend, and we could double-date," she said with a shrug. "And nobody's schedules match perfectly; I'd still see you. But I don't think that's happening anytime soon."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Really? But I thought you were excited about this date."

"I am, but just because it's a date. Not because of the guy. I don't like him. I thought I was undateable," Violet replied matter-of-factly.

Until then, she hadn't had a lasting crush. She was secretly romantic—but things always fizzled if the guy didn't reciprocate.

Why bother liking someone knowing it wouldn't go anywhere? Not everyone was as persistent as her dad.

"How could someone like you be undateable?! You're pretty, smart, and fun to talk to. Someone's going to realize that and steal you away like a magician pulling a tablecloth without messing anything up," Noah said grumpily, crossing his arms.

She giggled at the imagery. He was the funniest person she knew. His phrasing was often over-the-top.

Violet knew his worry stemmed from overprotectiveness and the knowledge that he wouldn't graduate without her help. No other tutor had the patience.

"Great, now you're laughing at me," Noah sighed.

"No, it's how you worded it," she reassured him. "You don't have anything to worry about. Even with a boyfriend, I'll still be your best friend. Look at our moms. They didn't let marriage and children affect their friendship."

He looked at her as if she were stupid. "Vi, they're both women. It's different."

"Then I'll introduce you as a brother or cousin."

He was practically family anyway. No guy would mind his girlfriend hanging out with a cousin.

Noah rolled his eyes and dropped the subject. "Can we get back to math, please?"

"Gladly."

The conversation had taken a strange turn. He couldn't really be that worried about losing her—it was so unlikely, right? Sometimes he acted like a child.

For someone so sensitive about his age, his childishness didn't make sense. Normally, he seemed so mature. Yet, here he was, preemptively jealous about sharing his favorite person, before anything had even happened.

Violet wished she could comfort him better; her efforts seemed futile. The underlying tension hadn't dissipated. How could she prove she wasn't going anywhere after graduation?

The afternoon of prom, Violet missed ballet practice to get ready. Her mom took her for hair, nails, and makeup. She was so nervous, it felt like a swarm of butterflies.

To be a normal high school student, she needed to do this right. Plus, screwing things up would make yearbook class awkward. She needed to be a good date.

Dustin arrived at her apartment building so her parents could take pictures. Her mother made her promise to get pictures of Kaleb and his date, too.

That was easy. Vanessa, the cheerleader's mom, was a shutterbug and took tons of pictures. Airdropping them to Violet's phone was simple.

"I didn't get the chance to say this before, but you look really pretty, Violet," Dustin said shyly once they were in the limo.

"Thank you," Violet replied quietly. "You look nice, too."

It was perfunctory. He looked the same. His presence didn't make her heart race, which was disappointing, but she was still excited to be on a date.

She didn't think she was shallow—she'd crushed on average-looking guys before—but she wanted her heart to race when a guy was interested. The added text at the end of the passage was removed because it was an advertisement.