Ethan, Jules, Bash and Theo
Ethan laughed softly at the complements, feeling a little flutter in his chest as Jules agreed with Sebastian. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, but it was still nice to hear. If things had been different, maybe they'd have been more than friends. He supposed he'd never know. It was just good to see her smiling so much.
"Okay. I'll find you soon. I have a few more people for Ethan to meet." She was still debating whether or not to find Ruby. It wasn't that Jules was doing something wrong by being there with Ethan, but she remembered Amelia's face when Jules arrived at the family barbecue with Ethan, and then Mr. Lucas's uncertainty. She didn't want to feel guilty over something she didn't think she needed to feel guilty about. "Maybe after we can hang out," she suggested, since she would much rather spend time with Bash and Theo than some of her other friends. That was probably mean but Bash was less likely to embarrass her.
"Sure. We've been hanging out over at the table in the corner," Sebastian said, nodding towards said table. It wasn't the best place to be seen, if that's what she wanted, but it was a nice enough distance from the crowd and the speakers that they could actually hear each other speak and they didn't have to yell. He wasn't sure about Jules, but his priorities had changed over the last few months and being at the center of everything no longer seemed quite as important as it once had. "Come find us after you've made the rounds."
Jules glanced over at the corner Bash pointed to before nodding and giving him a grateful smile. She could handle Vic and all of the other girls, of that she was sure. She just had to tap into Jules Cooper again. She looked the part, at least. Now she just had to survive the night. This was prom, she just wanted to have fun for once. And that meant not hiding. Jules looked up at Ethan. "Are you ready to meet the rest of them? If not, we can always hide at the table and try to avoid eye contact with people."
"Sure, I can meet people. Maybe we can even dance," Ethan said, teasing lightly. If Jules hit the point where she wanted to hide and avoid eye contact, they could always leave. It wasn't like she needed to stay for Ethan's sake. The point of prom was to have fun and it felt like they were off to a good start. They may have gotten there late, but the night was just beginning.
Oh, right. Dancing. People were already doing that and Jules let her eyes wander over all of them before she nodded. "We can dance," she said. "Maybe we can do that now." Sure, she was procrastinating and finding an excuse not to track down the rest of her friends, but she doubted Ethan would mind. Jules grabbed his hand and waved at Bash and Theo. "We'll find you guys in a little bit."
"Whatever you want to do," Ethan laughed softly, then gave the guys a wave as they headed towards the dance floor. Or her friends. Ethan wasn't sure. Maybe if they danced first, they could develop a game plan on who to talk to next. She could even have a code word in case she needed an escape plan. It seemed a bit extreme, since they were supposed to be friends, but Ethan knew that being here tonight was a big step and was willing to do whatever she needed to get through it.