The night ends

As the dance wound down, Becky caught Noah by the punch bowl one last time. "You have to come shopping with us next weekend! Give me your number!"

"Oh, um..." Noah fumbled to come up with a lie but one jumped out at him.

"As much as I really wish I could, I'm moving out of state."

The guilt stabbed at Noah as she sadly hugged him goodbye, knowing this was going to be the last time she would ever see "Noelle". Noah turned to Jacob, seeing the disappointment on his face having just overheard.

As they walked to Jacob's car, Noah trailing behind slightly in his heels, he took one last look at the school. For the last few hours, even though he never would have chosen to, he'd lived a different life. He'd made friends, punched Tony, and been crowned queen.

But it wasn't real, and it couldn't last. He removed the tiara from his head and looked at it for a while.

"Ready to go?" Jacob asked, holding the car door open.

Noah nodded, carefully arranging his skirts as he slid into the passenger seat.

The plastic tiara in his hands caught the streetlights as they drove away from the school, casting scattered sparkles across the dashboard like falling stars. Noah directed Jacob to his mother's house, thankful that Jacob only knew his dad's address.

Jacob pulled up to the curb in front of Noah's mom's house, the headlights briefly lighting up the lawns before going dark. The night air was cool as they sat in comfortable silence, the events of the evening hanging between them.

"So..." Jacob began, his fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel. "That was quite a night."

Noah smiled, still holding the tiara in his lap. "Yeah, it really was. Thanks for... everything."

"I should be thanking you," Jacob turned to face him, his expression earnest in the dim glow of the street lamp.

"Jacob's voice grew quieter. "Listen, Noelle... I know you're moving away, but..."

Noah's heart began to race as Jacob leaned closer, one hand coming up to gently cup his face. Before Noah could process what was happening, Jacob's lips were on his, soft and questioning. Noah's mind short-circuited. To his own surprise, he found himself responding, his painted lips parting slightly as his hand came to rest on Jacob's chest.

The kiss deepened, becoming something warm and electric that made Noah's head spin. Jacob's cologne filled his senses, and the hand on his cheek moved to cradle the back of his head. It was nothing like kissing Sarah had been. This was different, dangerous, and thrilling in a way that made his whole body tingle.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Jacob rested his forehead against Noah's. "I wish you could stay," he whispered.

The words were like a bucket of cold water, reminding Noah sharply of the deception he'd been living all night. He pulled back, guilt churning in his stomach. "I... I should go."

"Of course. Good luck with everything," Jacob said, though he looked disappointed.

Noah nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He gathered his skirts and carefully extracted himself from the car, his heels clicking on the sidewalk as he made his way to the front door. At the threshold, he turned and waved to Jacob who waited for Noah to go inside.

His hands shook realizing that he didn't have his keys. He took a gamble and tested the doorknob and finally, it looked like luck was on his side.

He waved one more time as he stepped into the entryway closing the door behind him. He kicked off the torturous heels with the intention of sneaking into his room to change but when he bent down and picked them up, his mother had appeared in the kitchen hallway in her bathrobe with a cup of tea in her hands. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of her son in a red prom dress, smeared lipstick, holding a pair of heels and a plastic tiara.

Noah clutched the crown to his chest, desperately searching for words as his mother's shocked expression shifted through confusion, surprise, and something else he couldn't quite read.

"I can explain..."