POV: Jordan

It was the day of the dance. Animals scurried around with their couples, dragging their boyfriends by their necks, trying on different outfits at the mall, getting their bubble tea and mochas and bragging about how fabulous they looked in their dresses. It wasn't prom, but damn, it was hyped up to be somewhat prom-like. Dreams came true during the dance, and I had made up my mind, I was going to kiss Nathan. It was clear, he liked me, and I liked him. So there was no doubt in my mind that he would accept the kiss, it had been a long time coming.

I finished trying on one of the dresses Mom picked out, it was light blue, frilling at the bottom...I looked like a budget Cinderella, and I hated it.

"Mom," I said, coming out of the dressing room, "I look horrible."

Mom bit her lip, running her hands through the dresses she had picked out, hanging on the rack provided outside my fitting room. "You know, blue isn't your color." She pulled out a strapless black gown, one that actually looked promising with its simple design. "Lets try this one." She held it up to me, it fitting perfectly against my body. "You're going to look amazing!" She clapped her hands together and pushed me into the dressing room.

I cocked my head to the side, adjusting the dress against my body. It was a bit tight up top, maybe I was just gaining weight, but that didn't seem to be the case when I turned and admired the slim side profile view of my body. The dress was actually quite pretty, its flattering fit cinched my waist and the gorgeous bottom flared out perfectly, its length shorter in the front and down to the floor in the back as it flowed behind me wherever I went. The sweetheart neckline was a nice touch, and a thin, sparkly blue belt wrapped around my waist. My shoulders shrugged, putting on the sheer black heels Mom had also picked out, clasping together the blue jeweled necklace, matching the belt very well. Mom was right, blue wasn't exactly my color, but a little splash of it in my outfit did bring out my ocean eyes. For once, I looked good, but more importantly I felt good, or at least better than being in ripped jeans and graphic tees.

I stepped out of the dressing room, a bit uncomfortable from the cold air blowing directly onto me. "You look beautiful," Mom gushed with a smile, her eyes widening in admiration as I walked toward her. "Now we'll just add a bit more accessories and you'll be good to go."

"More accessories?" I groaned, slumping into one of the chairs and kicking off the high heels. "Do I really need bracelets or anything? What if I just go wearing simple stuff?"

"Simple stuff? No, never. I don't think you understand how important this is. This is your first dance, your first date. You are going to look beautiful and you're going to take lots of pictures."

"But isn't all this stuff expensive?" I asked, twirling a black studded bracelet in my hand.

"Well it just so happens that Richard got a bonus from work." She radiated some evil vibes as she strutted around the store, tearing jewelry from every stand and asking other moms if they were using some of their discarded accessories. Needless to say, a demon had taken over Mom, and there was no stopping her when she went on a shopping spree.

When she had finally finished sleuthing around for jewelry, she threw them all my way, forcing me to try on every piece. None of them seemed to look good, at least, they didn't look good enough for her. Some of the accessories I actually liked, the jade bracelet that didn't go well with my outfit at all, the dark fishnet stockings that scratched my legs more than my claws, and the tiny black purse that was a bit, well, too tiny. Still, when I looked in the mirror, I thought I looked cute.

I kicked up my heel and snapped a photo in the mirror, quickly sending it to Alex. It took me only a second to realize how weird that must've looked on his end, one of his friends sending him a picture only wearing a slightly revealing black dress. He texted back a thumbs up and all the pressure was relieved from my body, the stress and tenseness washing away.

Mom took the labels from the clothing items, finding the check out in the back. I stayed behind, reading a tabloid about some pop star that went crazy. "Man," I said, "I hope I don't end up like her."

"Jordan!" somebody shouted behind me. Turning to take a quick glance stiffened my posture. Brittney was walking towards me, dresses piled in her arms with a sneering father behind her.

Damn, okapis are scary.

What the hell does she want with me?

"Oh, hey Brittney," I said, setting down the magazine and feeling completely uncomfortable in the dress I was wearing.

"Wow," she beamed, "you look amazing." Her father tapped her on her shoulder, but she shook him off, ordering him to one of the aisles with more dresses. She admired my dress, aweing at it with her eyes. "You look amazing in black, it really is your color." She sighed, holding up her hangers to the light. "I look horrible in all of these."

My heart softened, shoulders lowering from their raised position. "I can help you find one if you want."

Brittney looked up in shock. "Wait, really?"

"Sure, how hard can it be?"

She took a quick look back towards her dad, he kept a watchful eye on me, like he was staring right into my soul. If I thought Mom was a demon when she shopped, then this man was on a whole 'nother level.

"Actually," she said, smiling and grabbing my hand, "I have a better idea, c'mon!"

Am I really being nice to Brittney Coleson?

We raced around the mall, grabbing random accessories and shirts. There was this one purse I really wanted, but it was Gucci, and I didn't have that kind of money. "Here," Brittney said, handing me her credit card. "Take a good look at anything you want and just pay with this."

"But...Brittney this is your dad's credit card. Don't you think he'll-"

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "This is our day to feel pretty for once, he doesn't know anything about you at all, and he never will because he's so stubborn and ignorant to carnivore affairs." She gave me a weak smile, glancing down towards the ground. "Lets just...have fun today, ok?"

I couldn't help but smile, helping her find shoes and purses and dresses and jeans and shirts and clothes and everything she could ever possibly want. Expensive items were not a problem, we just swiped the credit card. And if we got in trouble by any of the office security, Brittney just showed them her ID, and they immediately backed off.

We ended our shopping spree with tons of bags around our arms, pulling down our sunglasses when cute boys walked by.

"This was so much fun," Brittney said as we walked back to the store Mom was busy looking in. "thanks for...hanging with me. I know I…"

I lightly touched her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it."

She was a bitch at the start, a horrible, ugly, annoying, shitty, bitch. And over time, her experiences seemed to change her. I couldn't tell by how much or how she actually had changed. There was no telling with that poker face of hers. But I liked to think that maybe I had something to do with it, that maybe my own plight inspired something in the herbivore who hated all carnivores. I was never going to know though, I couldn't read her thoughts.

Even if she was a bitch, she still deserved kindness.

Everyone deserves kindness.

Brittney left my side before Mom showed up, rolling her eyes as her dad lowered his to mine. I stuck out my tongue, hoping he knew that his daughter was much different now, and that I had spent over a thousand dollars on his credit card on stuff for myself.

"Was that Brittney?" Mom said with a couple bags in her hand.

"Yeah, I said, "it was."

"You must've done something super spectacular to change someone like that, so much to the point that she'll hangout with you."

Sadness crept into my heart, seeing Brittney walk away with her dad by her side. "I don't think she has any friends…"

Mom sighed. "That's what you get for ruining the lives of animals. She was the one who ripped out one of your teeth, and actively fought against you in the election."

"I think she gave up on that a long time ago."

"Her campaign?" Mom asked, starting to walk away. "Does not sound like her at all."

"Animals change, sometimes for the better."

She creased her eyebrows. "I do have one question though, are you going to show up at the dance with Nathan? Or are you gonna go with like, a group of friends?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, never really thought I'd get this far. I know Alex is taking Steven, so maybe I could ask them if we could go as a group so it's less awkward, although they're really infatuated with each other."

"They're good for each other," she said. "Alex is a nice kid, despite what he's been through. Although, we could all use a Steven in our lives once in a while."

Mom drove me back to school with the clothes in bags in the back of the car. I couldn't hold back the excitement of seeing Nathan, of getting the chance to dance with him, or possibly the chance to kiss him. It was all I ever wanted ever since finally understanding my feelings for him, and I was going to have it.

When I finally made it to my dorm room, I tried on the dress I had bought, feeling its silky black texture running down my legs. Although strapless dresses weren't the most comforting, it felt good to finally think of myself as 'pretty' for once. Mom was right, black did look good on me, and I couldn't stop doing a mock photo shoot, deleting the photos once I took them.

The time had finally come, the clock striking the metaphorical twelve, even if it was six in the afternoon. I was finishing up putting on one of my heels, a knock at my door. My heart fluttered for the animal awaiting the reveal of my outfit, heat rushing to the cheeks on my face. I was afraid that if it burned any hotter, he would've seen it through the fur.

My hand hesitated over the door knob, wobbling in the high heels and using it as balance. Once I regained my composure, smoothing out my dress and making sure the necklace was clasped together, I opened the door.

Fuck, he's hot.

Nathan stood in a tailored black suit, white tie, black dress shoes, and that smile I could die for plastered across his face. He paused for a second, our eyes locked together, both of us stuck in an entrance that I didn't want to end. "Hey, are you ready to go?" he finally said as he held out his elbow and I locked it into mine, my brand new Gucci purse in my hand.

"Of course I'm ready." My heart was thumping so fast I thought it was going to beat out of my chest. I tried to hide my other hand because it was shaking so hard, lungs burning from holding my breath with each step we took. Animals all around us stared. I didn't think we looked that proper. I was only wearing a tiny black dress and Nathan a suit, there was nothing to stare at.

We walked together through the halls, past students, past teachers, and met up with Steven and Alex. Like Steven had thought, Alex looked amazing in a suit. It perfectly defined every part of his body, making him look a little bit broader than before. If I still had feelings for him, I would've dropped Nathan in a heartbeat, but Steven looked ready to pounce on anyone who came near his man.

"Are we ready to go?" I asked, the doors leading to the dance only mere inches away. No one said anything, probably because we were too scared of what awaited us, or what could happen after the dance and emotions were high.

After a couple of glances and unsure looks, we all took a deep breath and pushed through, being greeted with pink and black balloons, loud music. If I had to describe the scene in a couple of words, it looked like we were partying at a rich dude's house.

The theme of the party was, "Under the Stars." It was cheesy with its makeshift stars on the top of the ceiling and streamers that looked like comets, but they really outdid themselves from last year. Because last year, it was Jurassic Park...a really horrible dance that I was glad I never showed up to. There was also this massive meteor hung together by strings, animals danced underneath it and I made a mental check note that was where I wanted to kiss Nathan.

Nathan took my hand in his. "Wow," he said, looking around the room. "This place is amazing. I've never been to a school dance before, I'm glad I'm going with you."

More heat rose to my face, burning in the palms of my hand and spreading throughout my body. "I'm glad I'm here with you too," I smiled.

Steven grabbed Alex by the hand. "Ok guys, cya later!"

"Wait!" I tried to shout, but was drowned out by the loud music, Steven pulling Alex away from us.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Nathan stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Ok," he said, glancing around the room, "now what?"

I sighed, feeling defeated. "I have no idea."

Our first idea was to take a bunch of random photos, so we headed to the photo booth and put on all the crazy hats and scarves they had for us. Nathan put on this large green hat and a pair of random high heels, finally making him taller than me (we're pretty much the same height). He couldn't keep his balance and fell over a couple of times while trying to stand straight up, both of us laughing at his goofiness.

"I don't know how you do it," he said, throwing the high heels back in the bin. "Those things are like Satan himself."

I giggled. "You get used to them, although they do hurt your feet after a while."

Alex and Steven were still nowhere else to be found, and the DJ was lowering down the music, Brittney in a light pink dress without any flashy accessories walking up on the stage with a microphone in hand.

"Excuse me, everybody," she said, her voice powerful and assertive. "It's time we announce the winner of the student council election." She took her time, waiting for the crowd to go silent as the DJ stopped the music all together. She smiled at the crowd. "This animal has done more for the school than I ever had, and she deserves this spot more than anyone else." She raised her shoulders, taking in a large breath. "And the winner for the Student Council president spot is, Jordan Anderon."

The crowd erupted into cheer, me standing in the back starstruck by the name being called. She had to be lying right? There was no way I won, even if I thought I had won. There was just no way, it couldn't have been me, it had to be someone else, there had to be another Jordan Anderson at the school.

"Jordan?" Brittney said again, sadness creeping into her voice. "Does anyone know where Jordan Anderson is?"

I hid behind Nathan and he gave me a funny look, trying to raise his hand but I pushed it down, hissing underneath my breath.

Brittney lowered the microphone, then brought it back to her lips. "She may be hiding in the back, thinking she doesn't deserve this position. That, or she's afraid to stand up to everyone, which isn't the Jordan I know. The Jordan I knew beat the system, did the one thing everyone told her she couldn't do, the thing she wasn't allowed to do.

"Jordan, if you're out there, I just want you to know how much you mean to me, how much you've changed me. I was a...horrible animal in the past and I know I can never probably redeem myself for everything I did." She turned her attention to the crowd.

"Jordan has your best interests at heart. Jordan can change this school-no-Jordan will change this school. She has the greatest leadership ethic I have ever seen. And I don't know who I would be without her in my life.

"I've done some shitty things in the past, things I will never forgive myself for. But Jordan, she showed me kindness when no one else wanted to, she took my hand and led me out of the darkness. There's not many animals I know who would do that just because they think it's the right thing, just because they know it's the right thing.

"So, Jordan, come up here. Please."

Nathan rolled his eyes and stepped out of the way, the spotlight hitting me directly as animals made a pathway for me to walk. My heart pounded with each step, each murmur and excited squeak. My lungs were so tense, vision going blurry from the lack of oxygen, the stage getting so close, my heels clicking against the waxed wood, Brittney so close, the microphone in my hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Brittney shouted at the top of her lungs, gesturing her arms towards me. "Your new Student Council President, Jordan Anderson!" The crowd erupted into cheers, Alex and Steven in the back clapping happily with smiles on their face. The one animal I couldn't find though, was Nathan. He wasn't where I had left him and he wasn't in the back. He was my comfort, my support.

"H-hey everybody," I said into the microphone, my voice unexpectedly booming through it. "I...honestly didn't expect to receive this position at all. I don't really know what to say…I didn't really prepare a speech for this because I didn't think I would win. I thought Brittney would find a way to...," I swallowed hard, hands shaking on the microphone, "well I just thought Brittney would win."

"Go Jordan!" A voice shouted at the bottom right of the stage. I looked down towards it to see Nathan with a silly grin on his face, failing to hold back his excitement.

Brittney took my hand and held it up to the sky, more cheers from the crowd. "You deserve this," she said, everything going silent in my mind except her voice. "You deserved this from the very beginning, from the moment you walked through the school doors and laid your feet on its floors. You were destined for this, you were always going to get this position. I'm just glad I was the one able to give it to you."

"Last time someone said goodbye to me," I said, "they died."

Brittney's face turned solemn. "Emma, yeah. There's no making up for my mistakes. I could've helped her through everything, but I instead made it worse...I made everything worse."

I sighed, lowering our hands. "I'm not mad at you, not anymore. I just pity you that it took this long for you to realize, but I'm glad I was the one who was able to show you kindness."

"I'm glad you were too."

I turned to look at Nathan, his eyes dead set on me, that smile still there, melting my heart. With excitement coursing through my veins, I ran off the stage, straight into his arms as he lifted me off the ground, his smile melting my heart. He swung me around then set me on my feet, both of us laughing, brain dizzy from the sensation. He had to be pretty strong to lift a snow leopard on his own.

Then the music went quiet once more as Brittney stepped off the stage, a slow song playing as the DJ said, "This is our couples song, so come grab your partner and get down here!"

Nathan chuckled nervously and so did I, standing in the middle of the crowd as they waltzed around us.

Nathan smirked. "Care to dance?"

I chuckled. "Dancing is a dangerous game," I said, placing my hands on his shoulders as he placed his on my hips. Everything was happening so fast, the lights, the smells, the smiles, the perfect emotions flooding my body. I couldn't help it, I couldn't stop staring into his eyes that lit up my world. The music, the lights, the emotions, they were all so perfect.

So we danced for a couple of minutes as the songs played, our eyes never leaving each other, whispers of conversations in our mind, never needing to be spoken out loud. We didn't even try to make small or lovey-dovey talk, we didn't need to. It was just me and him, him and I in this world, in this game we called life. It was us together forevermore.

A couple of times he had leaned in, but pulled away at the last second, just as he had spun me around, head tilting to the floor.

Stop stalling you bastard! Just kiss me already. Unless he doesn't want to kiss me. No that's stupid, of course he does. Don't ruin it!

He spun me around one more time, and I had enough of it once he pulled me back to my feet. I grabbed his tie which came loose from his suit and pulled it towards me, forcing his face close to mine, heart pounding in my chest, breathing rapid and frantic, hands shaking and legs wobbling. This was the moment, this had to be the moment, it was the moment I had been waiting for, I just had to do it.

Fear swept over me and I let go, his eyes filling with surprise. I just couldn't do it, I wanted to do it, and I couldn't do it. It was all too much, the anxiety, the comments, the whispers of our relationship, the reputation we would earn. It was all too much.

The whole place was dressed to the nines, and we were dancing like we were made of starlight. But I still couldn't do it.

Nathan took a sharp intake of air, then pressed his lips against mine.

This is the best night ever. I will never forget how he moved.

The world around me spun, the lights like stars as we floated into the abyss of space, their lights so bright, passing the moon and other planets that seemed so unimportant. My body melted into his, my lips on fire and blazing from the new sensation, heat traveling up and down my body, burning each nerve and each muscle.

Stars flew past as we traveled through the galaxy, eyes closed, ignoring the magnificent view around us. His hands touched my face, warm and soft as he kissed me harder, leaning into it with blazing passion. We were like a supernova, heat and colors exploding around us. Everything was so colorful from my closed lids. Stars ignited, being born from dust, gravity and force causing them combust, the milky way envying our luminous light.

He pulled away, both of us breathing heavily. Then I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning into the kiss just like he had done, wanting to show him that I loved him just as much as he did.

It was starlight all around us, together blazing in glory as passion and heat filled out entire bodies. Love becoming an emotion fully cemented in a kiss. Just one simple kiss that I never thought I would get, one simple kiss that I thought would be Alex's.

Don't you see the starlight? Don't you dream impossible things?

I pulled away, breathing helplessly as tears came to my eyes.

"Oh shit," he said, wiping them away. "Was it bad? Did I do it wrong?"

"No," I said through tears and laughter, the long forgotten happiness in full bloom. "No it was perfect, everything was perfect." I placed my hand on his cheek, kissing him again, feeling the same supernova sensation, the starlight all around us. I couldn't get enough of it, I was addicted to it, and I wanted more of it.

"At this rate," he smirked, pulling away, "we might have to get a separate room."

I just wanted to stand with him forever in the ballroom of the school, just us and the stars around, nobody telling us who we could or couldn't be, nobody telling us we were wrong, that our love was treacherous. I knew our love was treacherous, and I didn't care.

He must like me for me.

"I love you, Nathan," I said, lacing our fingers together.

"I love you too."

That was all I needed to hear, that was all I wanted to hear.

The dance ended a couple hours later, finally meeting up Steven and Alex outside in the warm spring air. We were all broken in some way, some more than others. But we were all friends, we all had feelings, and we all found our happiness.

We danced like we were made of starlight, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Oh wait!" I said, pulling out my phone. "Come on, we need a group picture to remember this night."

Everyone huddled around me, and I snapped the photo, the memory forever in my mind. The love I had felt was real, the happiness I had felt was real, and the passion I had felt was real.

Nathan held my hand after everyone had left, kissing me again and again. We couldn't get enough of it, I didn't want to get enough of it.

"I love you so much, Jordan," he said. "I was so scared to tell you, to do anything with you because I didn't know how to do it. I know I'm awkward, I know I'm weird, but my love for you is real, it's something that I understand."

I giggled and touched his nose. "I knew it for a while, I was just too scared to ask you as well. So, are we gonna get married, have ten kids and teach them how to dream?"

He took a step back. "T-ten kids?!"

I doubled over in laughter. "I'm just kidding. And yes, I love you too," I said, failing to hold back the urge to kiss him again.

I want your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day.

I'll be there if you're the toast of the town. Or if you strike out and you're crawling home.

Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you.

And I will hold on to you.

Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.