You know, after being alive for nearly eighteen years, you would think you'd learn a thing or two about dumb decisions, stupid mistakes, and being an idiot in general.

But nope. Not when you're me.

As I hid up in a tree with my best friend, I was definitely evaluating my life choices. The cops' flashlights were whipping back and forth below, searching for two teenaged delinquents who had trespassed on private property.

Oh yeah. We were those delinquents.

"Hey, over here! I think I got something!" one of the policemen on the far side of the lot shouted to the others.

The pack of five security officers flocked toward the voice of the first, giving Logan and I just enough time shimmy down from the tree and book it through the parking lot, over the gate, and around the corner of the first building we came to.

"Dude, Meghan's dad's gonna kill us all if he finds out she's throwing a party here," my companion told me, gasping for breath.

"This coming from the one who had the brilliant idea to come in the first place," I sarcastically whispered back, peering warily around the corner.

"Yeah, well, frick you too, man."

"Shut up! I think I hear 'em coming back. We gotta get to the club's main building."

I grabbed his arm and pulled him along until we were finally at our destination: the main building. We could hear the faint thumping of the bass coming from inside the country club's top floor.

Glancing left and right cautiously, we slipped into the building quickly and quietly. We took the elevator up to the top floor and stepped out of the metal doors into utter chaos.

"Woah, this is a theater kid after-party?" Logan asked me in awe, watching kids grinding on each other and sipping cheap booze.

I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my bomber jacket. "We usually go to Denny's."

We stood against the wall, staring at the horde of teenagers. There were so many flashing lights and so much glitter that I thought I was about to have a seizure. I blinked a couple of times and shook my head.

"Why go to Denny's when you could come here?"

"Because ever since Meghan's dad bribed the director to put her in as Zoe Murphy, she thinks she can win everyone over by flaunting her wealth and using her dad's country club for after-parties."

We had closed our production of Dear Evan Hansen that night, and I had been lucky enough to be cast as Evan himself, but unfortunately also meant that I had to work closely with Meghan, since she was playing Zoe. It was a trying few months.

"So, before tonight, Denny's was our home."

"Frankly," Logan said, munching on some complimentary nachos, "I see this as an upgrade."

"I don't," I mumbled, looking around uncomfortably. "Look, maybe we should just go-"

"Ean! You made it!" I heard a high-pitched, annoying voice shout shrilly over the din of the music and other voices.

I plastered a fake smile on my face and turned around, mentally bracing myself.

"Meghan!" I said, wanting with every fiber in my body to leave this train wreck.

Meghan South, the pretty, rich brunette who was throwing this party, threw herself into my arms, giggling obnoxiously.

"I'm so glad you came!" she cooed, running a fake-nailed hand through my hair. I felt a chill run down my spine, but not in a good way. That just felt all sorts of wrong.

I peeled her off of my body, the fake smile never leaving my face. "Glad to be here!" I energetically lied.

Meghan giggled again. Which only made me internally shudder.

Out of all the girls at school who had crushes on me, Meghan was, by far, the worst. She walked those halls telling everyone she came into contact with about how the two of us were an "item". She threatened girls and said if they so much as spoke, looked, or even breathed in my direction, she would bust their kneecaps. That scared most girls away.

But not my female best friend: June Deetz.

We grew up together and had been next-door neighbors for as long as I could remember. We did almost everything together and would do anything for each other.

So when Meghan came up to June one day during lunch and made her usual threat, June didn't back down. Instead, she slowly looked up at the brunette through half-lidded eyes and said, in the most creepy and serious tone: "Bust my kneecaps? No, I would eat yours first." She then immediately went back to eating. Meghan just had this look of pure fear and horror on her face before retreating quickly retreating back to her table.

Needless to say, Meghan steered clear of June Deetz from that moment on.

Which is why Meghan and I were both super shocked to find her and her best friend Sofia standing a couple of feet to our left.

"What are you doing here?" Meghan asked June rudely, her nervous eyes darting around.

"Um, I may only be on tech, but I'm still considered part of the production crew. Therefore I'm allowed to be here."

"Well, I know for a fact your little friend isn't, so there," Meghan said triumphantly, gesturing to Sofia.

"You told people they could bring a plus-one. Sofia here is my plus-one. Just like Logan is Ean's plus-one," June answered coolly, examining the undersides of her black nails.

Meghan opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it and shut it again. The prissy brunette mumbled something about getting a drink before quickly sashaying away, her dark brown waves bouncing with every step. Once she was out of earshot and occupied, I turned back to June and Sofia.

"Okay, so what are you really doing here?"

"Well, we're trying to make sure you two idiots don't die. Or worse: go to jail," my friend answered with a shrug.

Logan huffed and crossed his arms. "We don't need to be babysat, June."

"Apparently you do. You two almost got caught scaling the fence at the front of the complex! Honestly! Who in the world uses the main entrance when they're trying to sneak in anywhere??"

Logan jabbed a finger in my arm. "See?? I told you that was the main gate!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Look, it was dark and my gps wasn't working right, okay?"

"Yeah, neither was your common sense," Sofia piped up sassily, her curly ponytail swishing back and forth in time with her sassy head bobs.

Our delightful conversation was cut short when an obviously wasted dude came storming up to me, a furious look on his face.

"Hey, you!"

I stared at him and pointed to my chest in confusion. "Me?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, pretty boy! Why you hittin' on my girl?"

Logan and I exchanged a confused glance, both equally puzzled.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow-"

I was cut off mid-sentence when the guy's fist collided with my face. There was an audible crunch, and from the extreme pain and stars in my vision, I was pretty sure this dude just broke my nose.

I stumbled backward, clutching my nose, which was now gushing blood everywhere.

"What the heck, man??"

June and Sofia were having difficulty holding Logan back from just annihilating this guy.

"Lemme go! Lemme pummel his face into the ground!"

I was just leaning against the wall, trying not to pass out.

"Uh, Ean?" June said, eyes widening in bewilderment. "Your blood-"

"Yeah, June, I know it's getting everywhere, but there's not a whole lot I can do about it, right now."

"No," Sofia interjected, now staring at me, as well. "Bro, you're blood's red in some parts but the majority of it is... green."

I pulled my hand away from my nose, and, sure enough, a good majority of the blood was a radioactive green. The rest was a normal scarlet color.

My eyes widened and my brow furrowed.

What the heck???

"Okay, I have no idea why-"

I was interrupted when a small, blonde boy scurried in and screamed: "The cops are coming!"

The room exploded in an uproar. Kids were running around frantically like a bunch of headless chickens.

"Okay, that's our cue to exit stage left!" June shouted over the cacophony in the background.

Logan, Sofia, and I followed June out a set of glass doors and onto a balcony. Out in the parking lot several stories below, I spotted Sofia's small, grey Honda.

"Come on! Down the fire escape!" Sofia said, waving over Logan and me.

We obeyed, scaling the rusty ladders as quickly as we dared. After a few minutes of agonizing stress, we finally reached the ground and booked it to Sofia's car.

We heard commotion behind us, but didn't stop to look back at what was going on. We just hurriedly hopped into the car and sped down the road, leaving chaos behind us.