Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 45

I tightened my grip on my clutch.

“You made this happen,” I whispered to myself. “So you’re going to walk in.”

And I did.

Inside, laughter bounced off the gym walls. Music pulsed in the background... a pop song I used to sing in front of my mirror, back when everything felt easier. Back when love was still magic, not math. I felt like a ghost slipping into a memory that had kept going without me.

Until...

“B!”
Inez’s voice sliced through the noise, sharp and warm all at once. And just like that, I was pulled into a glittering world that smelled of perfume and hairspray and something close to joy.

She looked radiant, wrapped in deep sapphire, her dress stitched with a thousand tiny beads that caught the light like stars dancing across her skin. Her curls were pinned to the side, her makeup soft but somehow fierce, like she’d stepped out of a painting and dared the world to look away. Tim stood beside her like a walking exclamation mark, his gold sequined suit flashing like a disco-ball prince. Gaudy and glorious and unapologetically Tim.

“You look like heartbreak and elegy had a baby,” Inez said, cradling my face in both hands. “You’re stunning.”

“She really is,” Tim added, squinting at me like I was suspicious. “Like… too stunning. I feel like you’re hiding a sword somewhere.”

I laughed, really laughed. The kind that shook something loose inside me.

Then Corey and Drake appeared behind them, dressed like they belonged in a movie premiere. Midnight-blue suits, perfectly tailored. Corey wore a skinny tie and a paper crane boutonnière, I recognized it from décor prep; I must’ve folded that one. Drake had gone for the opposite: loose collar, no tie, hair messily perfect in that effortless, infuriating way.

“Betty,” Corey said, placing a hand over his heart like I’d just descended from heaven, “we are not worthy.”

Drake held out a soda can. “I brought this for you. Girl you look parched.”

I took it. “Thanks.”

We all laughed. And for a moment, just a moment, it felt like nothing had broken. Like the glitter, the lights, and their love were strong enough to hold me together. Even if only for tonight.

“How are you feeling?” Inez asked once the laughter quieted, the kind of question that didn’t ask for a lie.

I hesitated. My fingers drifted instinctively to the bracelet on my wrist. It sat there like a whisper I couldn’t ignore. Quiet, gleaming, heavier than it looked. A weight from a version of me that had still believed tonight might turn out differently.

“I’m here,” I said. It was all I could manage. But it was true.

“That’s brave,” Inez said, and pulled me into a hug that felt like a shield.

“James might still come,” Tim offered, his voice softer than usual. “Maybe he’s just late.”

I nodded, but my heart didn’t follow. It had stopped hoping sometime between the second and third silence from him. My eyes scanned the crowd again, the sea of gowns and tuxes, glitter and smiles. No tall figure in black. No storm-gray eyes searching for mine. Just the hum of a night moving forward without him. But I was here. I looked beautiful. My friends had shown up. That had to count for something. The music shifted, a familiar beat rising beneath the chatter. Disco lights painted the room in streaks of purple and blue, as if constellations had come down to dance.

“Come on,” Inez whispered, grabbing my hand before I could say no. “Just one dance. For me.”

I hesitated… then let her pull me in.