Angry adults are hilarious. They get all red-faced and yell that whatever you've done earns you some big, huge punishment, like, let's say, not being able to go to the next school dance because you acted in a play. But when the time comes to actually dole out the punishment, they've calmed down and forgotten all about it, to the point that when you and your equally banished boyfriend stroll into the school dance, they smile and say:

"Good evening, Janie. Good evening, Thatcher. You both look very dapper tonight. Have fun in there."

I smile, doing my best not to give it away that Dr. Howard very obviously forgot about his threat back in the spring.

"Thank you, Dr. Howard," I reply as we follow Sean and Emma, who are each other's dates even though neither of them would ever be interested in the other in that way, and as a group, all of us thespians strut into the decked-out gym for Homecoming.

The Homecoming theme is "Coming Home" and it's basically decorated like an early Thanksgiving Day celebration. The lights are tinted in warm yellows and oranges, and fake fall foliage is spread over all the tables and around the door. The photo booth has a picture of an autumn woods scene with a little cabin in the background.

The same DJ that we had at Snowball blasts some 90s song I can't quite remember the lyrics to while we all arrive, and the thespians walking ahead of me begin dancing toward the center of the gym where a very small congregation of students have formed a dance circle. It's still early, so I know more people will be arriving in the next thirty minutes or so; but some of the lights in the gym are still on, and we are so exposed here in the center of everything.

I think about Moth and what he would say to me in this moment. It would be something like, "Ah, c'mon Janie, you know that when you are unapologetically yourself, others will be too." So I take a deep breath and join Emma in some sort of interpretive dance to the song playing through the gym.

And just then, as though my reservations had been heard by everyone, someone turns all the lights off except for the yellow and orange spotlights that dance around the gym along with us. The crowd already inside the gym cheers. Now we can really let loose and be weird. Or at least that's what us Ensemble thespians do.

Emma is jumping up and down and swinging her arms in the air.

Sean is literally on the ground doing the worm while there's still room on the dance floor.

Thatcher steps up his white boy head bop with a little arm crossing action.

And I'm just laughing hysterically at Sean and Emma while doing something with my legs, who knows. Who cares. I'm having an amazing time already.

A circle forms within our Ensemble theater group, and each person takes a turn in the center. Even me. In the center of a whole group of misfits, in the dark, I can do anything and I know I won't be judged.

I try to do a dance I've seen in old movies Mom made me watch with her. I think it's called the running man, but whatever it is, I am definitely not doing it correctly. I don't care, though. I'm too busy laughing.

That's when I hear a loud, obnoxious cheer for me on the side of the circle that I vaguely recognize. I look up: It's Gina, who has slipped into the outer circle and is cheering me on while her boyfriend Dylan watches from behind her.

This is not the Gina I once knew. If nothing else proved to me that she was trying to change for the better, this would be the clincher.

I wave for her to come in the circle and join me. Her smile falls as I can only imagine she runs through all the pros and cons of joining me. Then, as if throwing the list away, she smiles again and shouts, "What the hell," before skipping in to join me.

This is a new Gina. This is something I would never have imagined she would do. I'm so freaking proud of her.

I outstretch my hands to her and she takes them, so that we can do the same dance Moth made her do at Snowball. This time, both of us are laughing. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. Forgetting my freak out earlier, this is the best day I've had in a while.

After only about 30 seconds probably, but what feels like so long in Gina and Janie time, it's time for us to step to the outer ring of the circle again and give someone else a turn to be an absolute weirdo in the center of the circle.

Thatcher is the next one inside, so I take his place in the circle and take a moment to catch up with Gina.

"You did it," I shout over the music. "You actually got up in front of people and made a fool of yourself. I'm so proud of you!"

She smiles. "I told you I changed. I'm trying to do what your friend showed me to do last year."

"Moth."

"Yeah, Moth. Oh, yeah him!"

She points behind me, towards the gym's entrance.

"No, Gina, he's in Hollywood."

She scoffs. "Not right now. He's right there."

I turn around and there, in the doorway, wearing an all-red suit, stands Moth, who appears to be scanning the dark gym for all of us.

"Moth!" I scream.

His eyes shift to meet mine, and we run to each other. He stops a few feet ahead of us to open his arms, and I jump into them like it's been years since we've seen each other instead of a day.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him as I hold him close to me.

"You needed a Homecoming date," he replies.

I wiggle to break free from his hold and stand up in front of him. "Oh, Moth, I'm sorry I didn't text you or anything. Thatcher and I are here together."

"Weird, because I thought he already had a date. We were doing the same dates as Snowball, right?" He smiles a sneaky grin and steps out of the way so I can see a beautiful blonde princess in a purple ball gown standing just in front of the gym entrance so others can walk past her.

I wasn't aware that it was possible, but somehow I scream even louder than I had for Moth: "Patti!"

I race over to her and just barely stop myself from jumping into her arms as well. Instead, my happiness manifests into tears that quickly and unexpectedly stream down my cheeks as I embrace her in a hug.

"I was so tempted to ruin the surprise on the phone," she tells me as she squeezes me tighter. "I've missed my best friend so much."

"I've missed you too. I'm so lost without my director here. Please tell me you're home now."

"Just for the weekend," she says as we separate and both check our mascara. "But I wouldn't miss Homecoming. Not after Moth told me what a hard time you've been having. I'm already here for you, Janie, even if I'm far away."

Just then Thatcher wraps his long arms around us both and Moth appears on the other side to sandwich Patti and I between them for an overdue group hug. "The misfits are together again," Thatcher announces over the music.

Before I know it, more and more of the theater kids come over to join in the hug, a flash of a camera lights the darkness, and then more and more students yell at us to stop blocking the entrance.

All I can do is laugh at them. We are one big blob of happiness and everyone else at the dance is just going to have to deal with it.

Finally, Dr. Howard comes in. "Okay you all, move it along," he orders, and we finally break away just enough to be able to move back to the center of the dance floor and get back to the very important work of making fools of ourselves through movement.

As the music plays on, we all loosen up even more, laughter fills our circles, and even Layla, Taylor, and Greg join us for a few dances.

After a few songs, Layla is close to Patti in the dance circle that even though Patti's dress is sleeveless, I swear she rolls up her sleeves, and approaches her. I follow closely to make sure Patti doesn't do anything to get herself kicked out.

"Hey Layla," she shouts.

"Patti, what are you doing back here? Hollywood dried up so soon?"

"No, I'm just here for my friends, who I hear you've been pretty terrible to."

Layla shrugs. "I never say anything that isn't true."

"How about you never say anything to my friends."

"Or what?"

"Or I will trash talk you to every agent and casting director I meet. No one wants to work with someone who won't support their fellow actors and crew members."

Layla rolls her eyes. "Whatever, Patti."

Patti turns away from her with a little spin move and returns to dancing with me, a smile painted over her whole face.

"You're amazing," I say.

She pretends to brush the hair from her shoulder, since all of her curls are pinned up into a bun at the top of her head, and says, "It's nothing, really. I was just born this way."

I laugh, for the millionth time tonight, and think about what she jokingly said.

She wasn't born amazing. None of us were. It's a choice to be amazing. We can choose every moment of every day to be happy, to stand up for others, to show up for the people we love. How many moments did I waste choosing to do the exact opposite of all of those things? I'm going to start making more choices to be amazing. I have to.

After the dance--and after getting permission from my mom as well as giving her the cell phone numbers of four other people who promised to keep an eye on me--all of us Thespians, including Moth and Patti but excluding Layla, Taylor, and Greg, show up at Denny's for a post-Homecoming meal, which is apparently an Ensemble Theater tradition to do after any big Ensemble event. Usually only after shows, but tonight is an exception. Tonight is special.

After we've ordered and the waitress has brought out the trays of waters for all of us, Emma stands up, tapping her fork to her glass of water.

"I'd like to make a toast," she says.

"Honey, please stay seated," another waitress says, leaning over from the stand where she's plugging in another table's orders into the computer system for the restaurant. "You're not the only guests here right now."

"Sorry," Emma says with a quick grimace before we all can't help but laugh. "Okay, as I was saying," she continues from her seat towards the head of the table, "I would like to give a toast to the four 'misfits' as they called themselves last year. First to Patti and Moth for coming back and surprising all of us with their beautiful presence. You both are inspirations to us all and we are so grateful to have you in our group. You're showing us all that what happens in a little high school theater program can truly change your life. Now to Thatcher, who is about to prove this too, just after the show is over and his darling grandma can sweep him off to Hollywood. We are so happy you could stay in the show and be the awesome Lysander that you are. Your success is well-earned, sir, quite well-earned."

"Here, here," Sean says.

"And finally to our dearest, darlingest little Puck, our Janie down there. Thank you Janie for bringing us all together with these sweet patches and thank you for sticking it out with all of us. We know we aren't your misfits, but we are so thankful to be your new whatevers. Ensemble thespians? We can come up with a better moniker., but the point is, we love you too."

"Thank you," I mouth to her.

She raises her glass. "To the misfits! And to all a goodnight!"

We laugh and raise our glasses. I sweep my glance over Patti, Moth, and Thatcher and smile. All three of them are auditioning in Hollywood, but all three of them are here for me now. They're here for us. Hollywood won't change that.

"To the misfits," I say and drink a well-deserved gulp of water. All that dancing really dehydrates a person, especially when all of your friends come home to join you.