"Damn, everybody and they momma at this bitch," Aaliyah said, locking her arm with mine.

The music was banging, the weed was loud, and the drinks were flowing. We met up with Dominic and Treyvon at the corner of the party. Aaliyah wasted no time attaching herself to Treyvon's side, leaving me and Dominic awkwardly standing there, getting bumped into by drunk people. No one at the party was dancing, just drinking and chatting. It was more of a social thing.

As Dominic stepped out of the way of a drunk girl, she asked, "What are you tryna do?"

"What you tryna do?" I repeated, amused. But she didn't find it as funny as I did. "Well, our friends ditched us. Sooo..."

"I'll get some drinks," Dominic offered.

"Oh, I don't drink alcohol."

"Okay, I'll see what else they have. Just wait here." Dominic disappeared into the crowd.

I bopped my head to Salt-N-Pepa while my fingers tapped against my jeans. Dominic returned quickly, handing me a Sprite. I thanked her as she stood beside me, mostly people-watching. Every so often, I'd glance up at her, and sometimes I'd catch her staring at me before she looked away, her face turning red.

"Is Treyvon a good guy?" I asked. "I'd hate to see my friend get hurt again."

Dominic took a sip from her cup before answering. "He is. Trust me, he wouldn't hurt your friend. Besides, didn't she run off with him at the thrift shop?"

Aaliyah always rushed into things, seeing Prince Charming in any guy who called her beautiful. She was the hopeless romantic type, falling in love with the idea of being in love, no matter how awful the person was. Her last ex wasn't shit—he lied about having a baby mama and didn't care for his three kids. Then he tried to make Aaliyah his next baby mama. I had to knock some sense into her after that.

I didn't know Dominic well, but I trusted her word about her friend.

"You wanna dance?" Dominic asked.

"Uh, I can't dance."

"As bad as your singing?" she teased.

I smiled and nudged her arm. "I sound like an angel. Wouldn't you agree?"

She smiled but said nothing, taking another sip from her cup. I popped the tab on my Sprite and took a drink. The music shifted from Salt-N-Pepa to an artist I didn't recognize.

Dominic started dancing a little, feeling the beat. While she was in her zone, I swayed a bit, too. A guy with long, silky hair, dressed like a hippie, passed out blunts. "Veg out," he said, handing one to each of us before dancing away.

"Do you smoke?" Dominic asked.

"No, but I did in high school."

"Take mine," she said, offering me her blunt.

"Too cool for drugs?"

"Yeah, too cool." She nudged my arm and winked.

I didn't know Dominic well, but after our short ride together a few days ago, I got a glimpse of who she was. She was cool—rough around the edges, but in a way that didn't need fixing. God, I was starting to think like we'd be close friends or something. It was bold of me to ask if she liked girls. Even bolder to ask for her number. I still hadn't texted.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I asked. The party was fine, but I wanted a conversation without distractions.

Dominic shrugged and followed me out. I tossed my empty Sprite can in the trash, and she finished her drink before throwing her cup away. Behind campus was a park with a track, where a few people were smoking or skateboarding. I wasn't planning on smoking the blunts, so I tucked them into my shirt pocket for later.

"Tell me something interesting about you," I said.

"Like what?"

"Anything."

"I'm a fighter..."

"I know that."

"I mean, I'm an underground fighter."

"Oh, now that's interesting."

"I guess. Your turn. Tell me something interesting."

"I don't have anything that could top that."

"Gotta have something."

"Hm. When I was seven, I fell out of a tree and broke my arm."

"Oh wow, that's so damn interesting," she said, sarcasm dripping.

"You suck," I said.

"It's better to be sucked on."

I caught the dirty joke. I hopped in front of Dominic, walking backward on the track.

"Why not play volleyball or basketball? You're tall!"

"Do you think all tall people should play those sports?"

"Gotta put that height to good use," I teased.

"And you've really gotta hand it to short people... since they usually can't reach it." She laughed.

I clapped. "Wow, she's got jokes, ladies and gentlemen."

"I've got more."

"Save your corny short-people jokes."

"Damn, I was hoping to have you dying of laughter."

"Haha."

I noticed Dominic was wearing a necklace.

"Is that an animal's tooth?" I asked, pointing at it. She touched the tooth, holding it up.

"It's from a wolf."

I stopped. "Really? Let me get a closer look." Dominic paused, leaning forward a bit. I asked if I could touch it, and she nodded. 

"A wolf almost attacked me once," I said. 

Dominic stiffened, then straightened up, walking past me.

"I'm sure the wolf wasn't going to attack you," she said over her shoulder.

 I ran to catch up, walking close beside her. "It was massive! Huge teeth, like it could've ripped my throat out."

"He? How do you know it wasn't a she?"

"Does the gender really matter right now? It almost killed me!"

"So dramatic." Dominic reached out, patting my head. She didn't seem to realize what she'd done until she muttered, "Shit, sorry."

"No, it's fine."

"Wolves don't usually attack people. The risk is low."

"Are you some kind of wolf expert?"

"I know a lot about wolves."

"Oh, she's smart too. I like smart girls."

"And I like girls who aren't dramatic and annoying."

"Good thing I don't fit that bill."

"Umm... you do."

"Whatever," I mumbled.

We walked two laps around the track. On the second lap, we found a stray kitten. Dominic kept her distance from me and the kitten.

"Are you allergic to cats?" I asked.

"No, I just don't like them."

The kitten was small and white with pretty blue eyes. "Look at him, he's so cute!"

"Are you sure it's not a she?"

"Don't play with me," I said, approaching Dominic with the kitten in my arms. She stepped back, rolling her eyes. "He's just a baby, he won't hurt you." The kitten twitched its ears, raising its head to look at her.

"Put that fleabag down," Dominic said.

"Pet him!"

Dominic sighed but reached out, playing with the kitten's ears. "This thing's ugly up close."

The kitten hissed, raising a paw to swipe at her, but she pulled her hand back quickly, giving it a dirty look.

"Little shit."

"Hey, be nice! Do you think we should keep him?"

"Who's we?"

"You and I."

"Dominic doesn't do cats."

"I think Dominic should."

The kitten purred, rubbing its head against my chest. It didn't look like its mother was around.

"Put the cat down and let's go back to the party."

"No, I can't leave him here alone."

"He's been alone all this time. Leave it."

I pouted at Dominic. "Please."

She turned and walked down the track. I caught up with her as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Aaliyah: Where are you?

Me: With Dominic.

Aaliyah: Say less... 😏

Me: Don't get the wrong idea, miss thang.

Me: We're heading back to the party now.

Aaliyah: Good, 'cause your girl is starving and ready for some food.

When we returned, the party had thinned out. Treyvon was carrying Aaliyah on his back, and she was yelling lyrics to a Megan Thee Stallion song.

"She's a bit tipsy," Treyvon said. "She said something about getting food. Where should we go?"

"39th Street. There are places open 24 hours," I suggested.

We sorted out who was driving which car. Dominic and I ended up together in Aaliyah's car, with the kitten sleeping in the back seat. This time, I didn't share my horrible singing skills. Instead, I asked her to put on something she liked, and of course, she chose Rod Wave.

"What's your go-to song to get pumped up for fights?" I asked, switching lanes.

"You'll laugh if I tell you."

"Try me."

"Eye of the Tiger."

I let out the ugliest laugh and coughed to cover it up. "Oh, were you serious?"

"No, but now I know I can't trust you not to laugh at me," she said, smiling.

"You know I could just swerve this car and kill us both."

"You wouldn't..."

"Try me."

We were at the Golden Palace, a burger joint famous for its greasy burgers and thick milkshakes—thicker than a woman with a big ass. The kitten was hiding inside my flannel shirt, and Dominic kept feeding him French fries.

"Spring break is coming up soon," Treyvon said. "It'd be cool if we all did something together."

"Omg, yes!" Aaliyah chimed in.

"Omg, we should!" I added.

"Omg, I think the fuck not," Dominic said, feeding another fry to the kitten.

"Come on, Dominic, we're all, like, friends now," I teased.

"I don't recall establishing a friendship with your ass."

I rolled my eyes. "We have a connection. Can't you feel it?" I gestured between us.

"More like a poor mobile connection."

"You broke my heart," I said, pretending to be hurt. Dominic didn't look amused, but I caught the smile tugging at her lips when she turned away.

I sipped my strawberry milkshake. Aaliyah gave me a signal to follow her to the restroom. I left the kitten with Dominic, who reluctantly agreed to hold him. Once inside the restroom, she turned to me with a huge grin.

"So, Treyvon," she said. "I think he's the one!"

And here we go...

"Umm, babe, you barely know the guy, and you suddenly think he's the one?"

Her smile dropped. "Am I doing it again?"

"Yeah, kinda. Just take your time to get to know him. No need to rush because you think he's the one. Remember how you thought Jordan was the one?"

"Yeah... yeah..." she sighed.

Damn, I didn't mean to kill her mood.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again, that's all." I rubbed her shoulders. "You're a wonderful girl, Aaliyah. You deserve the world. Take it slow."

She hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad I have a friend like you, Jas."

When we returned to the table, Dominic was outside on her phone, and the kitten was curled up in the booth, eating a tiny piece of burger. I watched Treyvon with Aaliyah—he looked at her like she was his missing half. I guess some people fall in love faster than others. Aaliyah had ketchup on the side of her mouth, and Treyvon gently wiped it away. My friend was practically swooning from the simple gesture. I noticed Treyvon had a necklace similar to Dominic's.

"You and Dominic must really be into wolves," I said.

Treyvon choked on his milkshake, some of it coming out of his nose.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, wiping his face.

"The necklace."

He looked down at it. "Oh. Oh yeah."

"That isn't a real wolf's fang, is it?" Aaliyah asked.

"It is," he replied.

"Is there a meaning behind it?" I asked.

"Uh, well, when a wolf pup loses its baby teeth, it's sometimes customary for the wolf to keep them."

"Really?" Aaliyah and I said together.

"Yeah."

"But how did you end up with a wolf pup's tooth?" Aaliyah asked.

He ignored her question and instead offered her a fry dipped in vanilla milkshake.

When Dominic came back, she picked up the kitten by the scruff of its neck.

"You're not planning on keeping this thing, are you?" she asked. The kitten swatted at her face, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"No. Because you are."

"What?!"

"I can't take him home. I already have a cat."

"All the more reason for you to take him."

"Just keep him for a couple of days until I can get him some stuff."

Dominic groaned and dropped into the booth, placing the kitten on her lap. "You and this thing are both annoying."