Ellie heard the party well before she got to the front door of Walker dorm. She was walking briskly, trying to get out of the autumn chill as quickly as humanly possible. Several people were still milling about in the dark, and she gave them a brief nod and wave when they waved at her.

A small group of boys were standing outside Walker dorm. When they saw her approach, one of them reached for the door and pulled it open. The sound of thumping music inside intensified. Ellie picked up her pace, not wanting to make anyone hold the door for her longer than she absolutely needed them to.

“Thank you,” she said quickly, slipping inside the dorm and out of the cold.

“No problem, miss,” she heard the boy reply before letting the door go.

Ellie was inside. There were a few people standing in the hallways just talking, but Ellie followed the sound of music toward where she assumed the conference room was. When she found the double doors, Ellie took a deep breath and pulled the door open, letting the booming music out.

Most of the tables had been removed and a DJ booth had been set up. The whole conference room was a blur of colorful lights and moving bodies. Balloons floated by here and there. Everyone was dancing in the middle of the room, so Ellie stuck to the wall and made her way around the room.

What was she doing here?

“Yo, girl, I love your hair!” another girl said. She was swaying back and forth a little to the music. Ellie thought that she might be a little too tispy already, but the compliment made her heart flutter. Nobody had ever said that they liked her hair before.

There was a snack table on the far side of the room. Ellie kept moving, trying to get there as her next goal. But it was difficult with how many bodies were packed into the room.

It took a while, but Ellie was eventually able to make it to the snack table. There was a punch bowl here, along with a bunch of red plastic cups. She poured herself a drink and took a quick sip to confirm that it hadn’t been spiked.

Then she turned around and ran right into someone.

“Oof, sorry!”

“You’re okay! I should have been more careful!”

Ellie’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up into the face of the boy she’d run into. He was tall, with deep, rich brown eyes. Noah was looking right at Ellie, eyes wide in shock.

He stammered, “Um… hi, I’m Noah! Have we… met?”

“No!” Ellie squeaked.

“Oh, sorry!” Noah knit his brow in confusion. “Are you sure? Maybe I’d recognize your name.”

“It’s… um… Ellie.”

“Hmm, I guess not. It’s nice to meet you, Ellie.”

Ellie’s mouth was dry. He’d almost recognized her, which was terrifying. It meant that she had to be careful. Her stomach was in knots. How long could she pretend to be someone else before Noah saw through her disguise? She needed to get away from him.

But when she locked eyes with Noah and took in his gaze, it was impossible for Ellie not to smile softly.

“Do you want to find a quiet corner to talk?” Noah asked.

Ellie just nodded. The two navigated their way to one of the walls where the music wasn’t so loud and leaned up against it.

“Do you go to a lot of parties, Ellie?”

“No,” she admitted, folding her arms and shifting her weight onto one leg. “I wanted to try something new. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“It can be,” Noah agreed. “I don’t really like coming to these things alone, but sometimes it’s hard to find someone to go with you.”

“No girlfriend?” Ellie asked, smirking.

“And my best friend doesn’t like parties.”

They shared a chuckle. Ellie felt a pang of regret that she was lying to her best friend. But she couldn’t tell him the truth. Noah might believe she’d encountered a faery, but the fact that she was a girl now would just make things awkward between them.

“What year are you?” Noah asked.

“Freshman. You?”

“…Same. How do you like it here?”

“It was my first choice school,” Ellie told him. But she could feel sweat forming on her forehead. She didn’t want to lie, but if she kept telling him the truth it would sound suspicious how similar she was to Liam.

For a moment, she thought that Noah was eying her like he was trying to figure something out.

“What are you majoring in, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Graphic design,” Ellie answered without hesitation.

That was an outright lie, but she’d always thought that if she could major in anything, it would have been that instead of computer science.

Noah looked impressed.

“Are you an artist?”

She giggled and replied, “Only until I sell out, right?”

Noah chuckled, nodding along. His smile was infectious, and Ellie could feel a bit of heat rising in her cheeks. This was the most comfortable she’d been around Noah in a while.

“Hey,” Noah said suddenly. “My friends are about to get here. Do you want to meet them?”

Ellie opened her mouth to turn him down. More people meant more opportunities to be found out. But would it look suspicious if she attempted to bow out?

“Um… sure,” she said, figuring that she could just leave if things didn’t go well.

Noah led Ellie through the crowded conference room and to the door. When it closed behind them, Ellie felt a lot of tension wash off of her. She hadn’t even realized how much the music was making her head hurt until it was gone. She rubbed her temples and leaned up against a nearby wall.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ellie said. “I just… I’m not used to it.”

“Don’t worry, we don’t have to go back in.”

Ellie smiled softly. Noah was an incredibly kind person. He didn’t even really know her but he was trying to put her needs first.

“Here they come.”

Ellie glanced over to see a group of people she recognized approaching. Her heart sank. Would they be fooled by her appearance as easily as Noah had been. They’d have to be. Noah knew her better than any of them did, after all.

“Who’s this,” one girl, Sarah, asked.

“Y’all, this is Ellie,” Noah said. “Ellie, this is Sarah, Charlotte, Harper, Elijah, and Oliver.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Ellie said, nodding politely but not looking any of them in the eye.

“Glad to meet you.”

“That’s a lovely dress, Ellie.”

“She’s cute, Noah.”

“I absolutely love your hair. Where did you get it done?”

Ellie was completely overwhelmed. Did one of them call her cute? Actually cute? And they liked the way she looked. Her heart was hammering in her chest, louder than the music in the other room. She shrank a little and failed to suppress a smile.

“You’re all too kind,” she said in the smallest voice she could muster.

Nobody seemed to want to head back into the party. They had found each other, and it seemed like that was enough. The boys in the group gravitated toward Noah, while the girls seemed to circle Ellie. She kept stealing glances over at Noah, disappointed that they didn’t get to talk further.

“Where are you from, Ellie?” Harper asked.

“Ashling,” she replied; it wasn’t exactly where she grew up, but it was close to it.

“You’re far from home, then,” Sarah said. “Are you alone?”

Ellie had to restrain herself from looking at Noah as she replied quietly, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Aww, don’t worry girl,” Charlotte said. “You can hang out with us anytime.”

Her heart fluttered again to be called a girl. What was this? Why was she so relaxed all of a sudden? Where was the usual discomfort that came whenever someone looked directly at her? Ellie found herself smiling, genuinely smiling in a way that she hadn’t since… since high school started.

“I have been meaning to try some new things,” Ellie said. “It would be great if I had some friends to help me explore my boundaries a bit.”

“What were you thinking?”

“We… I heard that there was some pretty good kayaking around here.”

“Yes!” Harper cried. “I love kayaking. I’ll take you.”

Ellie chuckled. Harper couldn’t stop talking about camping and other outdoor activities. Ellie, as Liam, had always been curious, but never felt like he had the energy to try it out. But suddenly the thought felt a lot more appealing. She could imagine herself on a camping trip now, for whatever reason.

Of course, she couldn’t. After tonight, there wouldn’t be an Ellie anymore. She asked the girls for the time, and Charlotte pulled out her phone. Almost ten o’clock.

“Do you have to be somewhere?” Sarah asked.

Ellie frowned and replied, “In a couple of hours, yes.”

Why did this bother her? The thought of Liam going on a camping trip with his friends didn’t nearly interest her as much. It would be the same, wouldn’t it? Except she’d be a boy, and everyone would treat her differently.

The thought stung for some reason.

“Hey,” Charlotte said, snapping her out of her stupor, “do you want to come dance with us?”

“I… um…” Ellie cast a glance over at Noah, her face turning red.

“Ah, I see. How about we leave you two alone, then?”

Ellie stammered a bit, but the girls just exchanged a glance and giggled.

“Have fun,” Harper said, leading the other two into the party room.

As soon as she was alone, though, Ellie’s eyes began to water. In a few hours, she’d be gone and Liam would be back. She’d never get to be, well, herself around her friends again.

“Ellie?”

She blinked the tears out of her eyes and smiled at Noah. His brow was furled. Noah took a few steps away from the other boys, and Ellie scooted closer to him.

“You okay?” he asked her quietly.

“I’m… fine. I’ll be fine. I don’t…”

Ellie had to be fine. She didn’t have any choice, did she? In two hours, she’d be a boy again no matter what.

Noah lowered his voice to a whisper and asked, “Ellie… are you… ?” Then he sighed and asked instead, “Do you want to just go back inside and dance for a bit? You look like you need some cheering up.”

“I… I don’t know. That seems kind of overwhelming?”

Noah nodded, but continued, “Do you not want to do it all, or do you not want to do it alone?”

Ellie replied quietly, “I don’t want to do it alone.”

Truth be told, it would be nice to get her mind off of the things she was feeling. Noah grinned and gestured for her to lead the way. Ellie smiled softly and headed for the door.

It was just as loud inside as before. There was no way for Ellie to hear Noah at all over the noise. He took her by the wrist and pulled her into the crowd of dancers. Ellie kept close to him, afraid to get separated. Noah stopped and let go of Ellie, turning to face her.

Ellie had no idea what to do. She’d never gone dancing before. But Noah apparently had. He raised his arms and started swaying and bouncing around. Ellie couldn’t help but snicker a little bit at how silly he looked. Then she raised her arms and started bouncing too, swaying from side to side. She closed her eyes for a moment and started nodding along to the beat of the music.

This was… fun.

“Now you’re getting it!” Noah cried out over the music.

Ellie laughed and picked up the pace. She even did a little twirl, bouncing off of the people around her. It was easy to get lost in the lights and the music. For once in her life, Ellie felt completely at ease.

She stuck close to Noah, careful not to take her eyes off of him in case he got lost and she couldn’t find him again. They were both drenched in sweat. Neither could stop smiling. Noah locked eyes with Ellie for a moment, and time seemed to slow down.

Ellie’s foot knocked up against someone else’s and she tripped, falling forward. Noah scrambled, reaching out and grabbing Ellie in his arms. Her face collided with Noah’s chest and Ellie cried out in pain.

“Are you okay?!”

Ellie nodded, standing up straight. Noah didn’t let go of her right away. Her hands were still on Noah’s chest. Her face was burning from embarrassment. She gulped and looked up. Noah was blushing a little as well.

“I… um…” Ellie was speaking too quietly to be heard over the music. “Thank you. I… I really…”

She pulled away.

“It’s kind of crowded in here,” she said. “And the music is really loud. Can we find somewhere… else?”

“Yeah, let’s ditch.”

Again, Noah led Ellie out of the conference room. They continued outside into the chilly autumn, away from the sound of thumping music. Everything was still, and dark save for the soft glow of lamps along the various pathways.

Ellie allowed herself to be led toward the quad, right to the fountain in the center. They sat down together on a low brick wall, thighs touching. For a few moments, they just watched the fountain splashing. A sharp wind blew over the two of them and Ellie shivered.

“Here,” Noah said, taking off his jacket. “You look cold.”

Heat rose in Ellie’s cheeks.

“No,” she said. “You’ll just be cold if I take it.”

“I can handle the cold for a few minutes,” Noah insisted.

“I… if you’re sure…”

“I am.”

Ellie smiled and took his jacket, stuffing her arms into the sleeves. It was warm, and it smelled like Noah. Her face must have been beet red at that point.

“You look really happy,” Noah said softly.

“I guess I am,” Ellie replied. “It’s nice. I’m glad I decided to go.”

Noah nodded.

Ellie asked, “So… can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you studying magic if you don’t want to become a mage?”

Noah was silent for a while, then said, “I mean, it’s not like I’m majoring in magic studies or anything. It’s just that there’s this whole world of magic all around us, all the time, and for a lot of people it’s just part of the background of daily life. I want to actually be able to recognize and appreciate it, you know?”

“I guess so,” Ellie agreed.

“What about you?” Noah asked. “What made you want to go into graphic design?”

Ellie shrugged.

“I always liked doing art in middle school and high school,” she admitted. “My parents thought it was a waste of time and I should focus on a hobby that would actually make me money. But I figured, you know, I’m in college now, so I can be an entirely new person if I want to be and just shrug off the past altogether.”

She fell silent, lost in thought. For a while, neither of them spoke, then Ellie yawned and leaned over to rest her head on Noah’s shoulder. Noah tensed up, then relaxed.

“You tired?”

“Just a little cozy,” Ellie admitted, blushing again. “I’ve never… felt this close to someone before.”

Noah nodded and took Ellie’s hands in his own. She gripped his hands firmly and closed her eyes. This was nice. Ellie’s face was a little warm and she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Her heart was fluttering at a mile a minute. She didn’t want to leave this moment for a long time. It was cute. It was warm. It was almost romantic—

Ellie took a sharp breath and sat straight up. What was she thinking?! This was her best friend! Where had these strange feelings come from? It must have been the magic! The faery had done something to addle her brain.

“I have to go,” she said, slipping out of Noah’s jacket and handing it to him.

“Oh, is something wrong?” Noah asked, standing up with her.

“I just… this isn’t right. I can’t be doing… this.”

“Doing what?”

“This! I just… I need to go.”

She started walking away, and after a moment heard footsteps behind her!

“No!” she cried, spinning around and nearly losing her footing in her heels. “Don’t follow me! Please! Please don’t follow me.”

Noah looked hurt, but nodded. Ellie turned around and, as fast as her heels would let her, ran back to her dorm. The front entrance was blissfully empty of people. As soon as she was inside, Ellie leaned up against the wall and choked out a sob.