Phoebe sighed. "Melanie, you're not helping."

Cole, who had been standing awkwardly to the side this whole time, finally cleared his throat. "Hey, uh... maybe we should all just, you know... focus on having a good time? Like, there's a dance floor, music—"

Melanie ignored him entirely, her eyes locked onto Cortni like a hunter spotting prey. "You know what? I'm gonna go over there and say something."

Phoebe immediately grabbed her wrist. "No, you absolutely are not."

Melanie smirked. "Oh? Who's gonna stop me?"

"Me." Phoebe pulled her back. "Melanie, you cannot start something with Cortni. Not here. Not now."

Melanie groaned. "Fine. But if she comes over here, I am not holding back."

Max, still stunned, mumbled, "I can't believe she moved on that fast."

Melanie scoffed. "Please. She was probably never into you in the first place."

Max winced, and Phoebe shot Melanie a look.

Melanie sighed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, that came out meaner than I meant it. But, Max, you don't need her. I mean, yeah, this sucks. But trust me, you're better off without her."

Max let out a long exhale, shaking his head. "Yeah, well... tell that to my ego."

Melanie placed a hand over her heart, mockingly dramatic. "Rest in peace, Max's ego. You had a good run."

Cole snorted, and even Phoebe cracked a small smile.

Max rolled his eyes but straightened up. "Whatever. She's not worth it."

Melanie grinned. "Now that's the attitude."

But just as things seemed to settle...

Cortni turned, finally noticing them.

Her smirk was instant. "Oh, wow. You guys are here?"

Melanie's expression immediately soured.

"Oh, great."

☆

The energy in the gym was electric. The dance floor was packed, the music was thumping, and laughter echoed through the room. Colorful lights flashed overhead as groups of students swayed and cheered. But for Max, everything had blurred into background noise the moment he saw Cortni with someone else.

Melanie had been standing near the snack table, sipping on a fruit punch that she hoped wasn't spiked with some weird school-approved substitute, when she noticed Max's entire demeanor shift. His usual confident smirk had faded, his shoulders stiffened, and his hands clenched into fists. She followed his gaze, and the moment she spotted Cortni, her own expression soured.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Phoebe sighed beside her. "Melanie, please don't start anything."

"I'm not gonna start anything," Melanie muttered, though her grip on her cup tightened. "But that doesn't mean I have to like this."

Max finally snapped out of his daze, shaking his head in disbelief. "Can you believe Cortni chose that guy over me?"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because she's just so great at making good life choices."

Max turned to Phoebe. "Wait, you knew about this?"

Phoebe frowned. "Max, no. I didn't—"

"You mean she didn't choose the annoying dude with no sense of personal space?" Melanie interrupted, crossing her arms.

Max groaned. "Great. Now there's a third guy who likes her?"

Cole suddenly popped up behind them. "Hey there, Footloose."

Max shot him a look. "Not now, screw loose."

Phoebe grabbed Max's arm. "Max, you're too far. You might want to stay away from the air vents."

Cole frowned. "Wait, are you following your brother again?"

Phoebe shrugged, trying to play it off. "No, just... going where the music takes me."

Before Max could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Oh, sorry. Hey, Cortni."

Cortni turned, flashing a sickeningly sweet smile. "Hi, Max."

Max swallowed hard, trying to act unfazed. "So, I thought you didn't want to go to the dance."

Cortni twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh, it's not that. I just didn't want to go to the dance with you."

Melanie visibly cringed. "Oof."

Max stiffened. "Well, who's that?"

Cortni gestured to the tall, broad-shouldered senior standing next to her. "That's Jacob. He's a senior."

Melanie scoffed. "Yeah. Citizen."

Jacob smirked down at Max. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Max narrowed his eyes. "Hey, relax, man. I'm just talking."

Jacob took a step forward, towering over him. "Talk to someone else, freshman."

Melanie's fingers twitched at her side. She really wanted to throw a drink in his face.

Cortni gave Max an exaggerated pout. "Look, Max, you're cute and all. It's just... I'm with Jacob. He has a car."

Max's jaw clenched. "Yeah, well, you would've loved our walks."

Jacob scoffed. "Why are you still here?"

Max opened his mouth to fire back, but before he could, Jacob smirked and said, "Relax, bro. I'm just dancing, okay?"

Max's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you call that dancing?"

Jacob crossed his arms. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this is about to get good."

Jacob took a step forward, a cocky grin on his face. "So you think you're a big shot? Well, bring it on, freshman."

Max straightened up. "Huh. Oh, I'll bring it. It'll be bringed—branged—brunged—you know what I mean."

Melanie smirked, nudging Phoebe. "Your brother just challenged a senior to a dance-off over a girl who just rejected him. This is gonna be hilarious."

Phoebe groaned. "Melanie, not helping."

Before the competition could start, Cole leaned closer to Phoebe. "So, since your brother's gotten over his shyness, wanna get out of here and grab a pizza?"

Phoebe hesitated. "I... I can't."

Cole frowned. "I get the feeling you don't want to hang with me."

Phoebe's stomach twisted. "No, I do."

Cole sighed. "Then let's go."

Phoebe took a step forward, then hesitated, looking back at Max.

Cole frowned. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He turned and walked away.

Melanie winced as she watched Phoebe's face fall.

Phoebe let out a frustrated breath. "Ugh. I can't believe it's over with Cole... and it's all your fault, Max!"

Max blinked. "Wait, my fault?"

Phoebe threw her hands up. "You knew this night was important to me!"

Max crossed his arms. "It's important to me too. I'm about to have a dance-off with a guy I've never met before over a girl who wants nothing to do with me."

Melanie snorted. "That is the worst way to explain this situation."

Phoebe sighed. "It'll probably take you... what, ten minutes to get over this?"

Max smirked. "Hey, I've been following you around all night. It's your turn to follow me." He turned toward the dance floor. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to dance."

Melanie clapped him on the back. "Listen, I've only seen this in movies, but from what I do know—take him down. One of us needs to win tonight."

Max grinned, shaking off his nerves. "Yeah. Let's do this."

The music kicked in, and the crowd gathered as the battle began.

Melanie stood back, watching as Phoebe chewed her lip, clearly still torn.

She sighed, bumping her shoulder. "Hey, I know tonight didn't go the way you planned... but it's not over yet. You can still fix things with Cole."

Phoebe exhaled. "Yeah. We have to fix this."

Melanie nodded. "That's the spirit. Now, let's see if your brother can actually win this thing."

The energy in the gym was electric—colorful lights flashed across the dance floor, and groups of students gathered around to watch Max's dance-off unfold. The DJ had cranked up the music, the bass vibrating through the room as students cheered and chanted. Some kids were recording the showdown, others whispering about how insane it was that Max was actually winning.

Melanie, standing with her arms crossed, watched intently, occasionally throwing glances at Phoebe, who looked absolutely miserable. Phoebe barely reacted to the wild moves happening in front of her, too wrapped up in her own emotions.

"I can't believe it's over with Cole," Phoebe finally muttered, her voice tight. "And it's all your fault."

Max, still catching his breath from the last round, gave her an exasperated look. "It's important to me too. I'm about to have a dance-off with a guy I've never met before over a girl who wants nothing to do with me."

Phoebe crossed her arms. "Yeah, and it'll probably take you ten minutes to get over it."

Melanie winced slightly, feeling for her friend. She wasn't the type to get overly sentimental, but she could see how much this whole Cole situation was crushing Phoebe. And honestly? Melanie thought it was so unfair. Phoebe had been looking forward to this night for weeks, and now it was crumbling apart because of some dumb mix-up.

Still, Melanie knew the best way to handle a mess was to push forward.

"Hey, I've been following you around all night," Max shot back. "It's your turn to follow me. Now, if you don't mind, I have to dance."

Melanie smirked, nudging him. "And you better win, because I do not hype up losers."

As Max stepped back onto the dance floor, the crowd erupted with excitement. His opponent was good—really good. The guy pulled off some crazy moves, spinning effortlessly and landing with a confident smirk.

Max hesitated for a second. "Wow, he's really good. I don't know if I can top that."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Please. You can take him. Just try something like this." She spun on her heel, doing an exaggerated move just to mess with him.

Max stared. "Yeah, there's no way I'm doing that."

"Fine," Melanie sighed. "Then take out the spin, street it up, and throw in your triple Maximus."

Max's eyes widened. "Wait, how do you know about my secret move?"

Melanie shrugged. "Dr. Colosso's been posting videos of you dancing for weeks."

Max's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Three million hits," Melanie grinned. "Take that, stupid talking animals."

Phoebe let out a small chuckle despite herself. Max groaned but didn't have time to argue—his opponent was waiting.

Melanie clapped him on the back. "Just go dance. And take him down. One of us needs to win tonight."

And he did.

The moment Max pulled off his final move—the triple Maximus—the crowd lost their minds. Cheers echoed through the gym, students clapping and whistling. Even the DJ gave an impressed nod.

Max stood, panting, as his opponent shook his head, admitting defeat.

Meanwhile, Phoebe stood to the side, still stuck in her thoughts.

"Max, you looked really great out there," a voice purred.

He turned to see her, batting her eyelashes. "What, so now you want me? Because I showed off my sweet dance moves?"

She smirked. "Isn't that the point of a dance-off?"

Max scoffed. "Is there ever really a point to a dance-off?"

Melanie snorted. "Nope. But it was hilarious to watch."

She giggled. "Well, maybe now you'll realize what you missed out on."

Before Max could respond, she perked up. "Oh, wait! Since you're so into winning dance-offs..." Her eyes darted around before landing on someone. "Oh, Sarah! You're up!"

Max blinked as another girl stepped forward, clearly ready to challenge him.

Melanie gave him a teasing pat on the shoulder. "Good luck, champ. Looks like your dance career isn't over yet."

But as the next round started, Melanie finally turned back to Phoebe, her teasing demeanor dropping slightly.

"Hey," she said, nudging her gently. "You okay?"

Phoebe sighed. "Cole hates me."

Melanie frowned. "He does not hate you."

Max, overhearing, jumped in. "Trust me, he totally likes you."

Phoebe gave him a skeptical look. "How do you know?"

Max shrugged. "Because I'm a guy. And because I was within three feet of you two all night. Well... most of the night."

Phoebe's eyes widened as realization hit. "Wait... if Cole still likes me, then he must've left thinking I don't like him."

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. You kinda did look like you wanted to punch something half the night."

Phoebe groaned. "I can't let him leave for two weeks thinking that. I have to fix this."

She turned toward the exit—then immediately tripped over a chair.

Max and Melanie winced.

Phoebe pushed herself up, brushing off the embarrassment. "We have to fix this."

Melanie cracked a grin. "Now that's the energy I like to see."

Phoebe, Max, and Melanie made their way through the quiet, dimly lit streets toward Cole's house. The dance had ended a little while ago, but the night air still carried the distant sound of music and laughter from students lingering outside the gym. The energy between them was mixed—Phoebe was determined, Max was slightly amused but also exhausted, and Melanie... well, she had suddenly stopped walking altogether.

Max and Phoebe were a few steps ahead before they noticed. Phoebe turned back first, eyes narrowing.

"Melanie?" she called. "Why'd you stop?"

Melanie sighed dramatically, tilting her head back toward the sky before looking at them. "My feet are killing me."

Max raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Phoebe smirked. "Yeah, what does that have to do with us?"

Melanie shot them a look. "Oh, I don't know... maybe that I need one of you to carry me?"

Phoebe and Max exchanged glances before, without hesitation, Phoebe grinned and turned to her brother. "Max, give her a piggyback ride."

Max blinked. "Wait—why me?"

"Because I'm on a mission right now, and you're the one who actually likes showing off." Phoebe folded her arms. "Besides, you literally carried Dr. Colosso around for years. I think you can handle one friend."

Melanie grinned, already walking up to Max. "She's got a point."

Max rolled his eyes but crouched down. "Fine. Hop on, princess."

Melanie wasted no time jumping onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Ugh, finally. I was about to perish."

Max adjusted his grip and stood up with ease. "Wow, you're actually lighter than I thought."

"I'm graceful," Melanie corrected. "Now, onward, noble steed."

Phoebe laughed as they continued toward Cole's house, but then Max hesitated.

"Wait a sec—what happens if your ankle bracelet comes off?" he asked.

Melanie blinked. "Uh... I don't know. My powers will probably go off or something?"

Phoebe stopped dead in her tracks. "Excuse me? Probably?"

Max groaned. "Oh, great. So you're telling me I'm carrying a walking disaster right now?"

Melanie rested her chin on his shoulder, smirking. "What, you scared, Thunderman?"

Max scoffed. "Of you? Please."

Phoebe, however, narrowed her eyes. "Wait, hold up—define go off."

Melanie shrugged. "I don't know! I've been wearing this thing all night, so I haven't had any fun yet."

Max shifted uncomfortably. "Alright, now I'm concerned."

Phoebe groaned. "Max, be careful! If her bracelet comes off, she could go all wonkers on us!"

Melanie gasped dramatically. "Wonkers? How dare you."

Max huffed. "I swear, if I get zapped, thrown, or turned into a hamster, I'm making you walk."

Melanie grinned. "No promises."

They were barely a block away from Cole's house when the inevitable happened.

The ankle bracelet gave a small spark—then fizzled out.

Phoebe noticed first. "Uh... guys?"

Max barely had time to react before a pulse of energy crackled through the air. "Oh, come on—"

With a sudden burst, Melanie's powers surged, sending all three of them flying into the air.

"AHHHH!"

A few seconds later, they landed—hard—into the bushes in front of Cole's house.

Max groaned from the ground, "I knew this was a bad idea."

Melanie, still tangled in the branches, snickered. "That was awesome."

Phoebe sat up, brushing leaves from her hair. "Yeah, tell that to my spine."

Melanie held up her ankle, looking at the now-deactivated bracelet. "Welp. Guess it's out of commission."

Max sighed. "So now what?"

Phoebe dusted herself off. "Now? We fix this mess first... then we fix my mess with Cole."

Melanie smirked. "Sounds like a plan. But first... Max, mind giving me another lift?"

Max glared. "Oh, absolutely not."

As they approached Cole's house, Phoebe was already feeling the pressure. The night had been a rollercoaster, and now, after all the chaos, she was about to pour her heart out. Max and Melanie flanked her, offering their own brand of "support," though Phoebe wasn't sure how much of it was actually helpful.

Max nudged her. "Just a word of warning—there's a slight chance Cole might've moved on to a girl with a car."

Phoebe gasped. "I thought you were over Cortni!"

Max groaned. "So did I!"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Okay, relax. He likes you. You know that. Just tell him how you feel."

Max scoffed. "Lame. Guys don't wanna hear that."

Phoebe shot him a glare. "Oh, and what do guys wanna hear, Max?"

Max smirked. "Easy. Just say—"

But before he could finish, Melanie grabbed Phoebe's arm and yanked her backward. "Too late! He's coming! Hide!"

Phoebe barely had time to react before Cole stepped onto his porch. He spotted her immediately.

"Hey, Phoebe. What are you doing here?"

Phoebe froze. This is it. Say something cool. Say something natural. Say something—

"I just wanted to tell you before you leave that I really like you. And not just like, like, but like-like. I mean, you could even say that I like-like-like you. Wait, that's too many likes. That sounded weird. Am I still talking?"

From the bushes, Max groaned. "Unfortunately."

Melanie smacked his arm. "Not helping!"

Cole blinked, clearly trying to process whatever Phoebe had just said.

Phoebe panicked. "What do I do?"

Cole tilted his head. "Uh... what?"

Max hissed from the bushes. "You're messing it up!"

Phoebe shot a look at the shrubbery. "You're not helping!"

Cole frowned. "What do you need help with?"

Phoebe stammered. "Uh—nothing, Cole. I mean..." She sighed, before muttering under her breath, "I messed up big-time."

Max perked up. "Yes! Say that! Say you messed up big-time."

Phoebe took a breath and repeated, "I messed up big-time."

Melanie nodded encouragingly. "Good. Now compare it to sports. Guys love that."

Max smirked. "Yeah, like in a game when you go up to block a shot and get called for a foul in the paint."

Phoebe hesitated. "Like in a game when you... uh... go up to block a shot and get called for a foul in the paint?"

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Phoebe blinked. "I think I know what I'm saying?"

Cole chuckled. "Well... I think I know what you're saying."

Max whispered, "It's working. What's next?"

Melanie smirked. "Just go for the classic 'I just want to say one more thing.'"

Phoebe nodded. "I just want to say one more thing."

But before Max or Melanie could give her the next line, something rustled in the bushes behind them.

Cole narrowed his eyes. "Is there something in the bushes?"

Melanie quickly picked up a pine cone and chucked it into the yard. "Nope! Where I come from, we throw pine cones for good luck!"

Cole gave her a weird look but let it slide.

Max hissed. "Okay, okay, I'm back. Keep it short and sweet. Just say you're sorry and hope you can try again."

Phoebe nodded. "Got it." She turned back to Cole, taking a deep breath. "Cole, I'm sorry about tonight. I hope we're cool and we can try this again sometime."

Cole's expression softened. "That was