The laughter died down as the boys settled back, the conversation easing into a lull before Evan brought up the one topic everyone had been trying to avoid: prom. With the dance only a month away, the pressure to find a date was looming over everyone—even those at the bottom of the social ladder, like Jean and his friends.Evan leaned back in his seat, a thoughtful look on his face. "Yo, so, who's gonna be our pity date for prom? 'Cause let's be real, we're probably everyone's last pick on the list."Jean groaned, scratching the back of his neck. "Dude, don't remind me. Like, we're basically invisible to every girl here."Jordan chuckled, giving a mock salute. "Cheers to being single, kings. Ain't nobody sliding into our DMs."Luca smirked, looking around the cafeteria. "Bro, who's left for us anyway? I mean, everyone who's 'prom material' is probably taken. The rest are either out of our league or straight-up ignoring us."Ty let out a low, cynical laugh. "We're so low-tier, they probably don't even know we exist."The group sat in silence for a moment, each of them painfully aware of their social standing. After a beat, Evan broke the quiet."Alright, but real talk," he said, glancing around. "If you had to pick someone, who would it be?"Jordan perked up, smirking. "I dunno, man. I've got my eyes on, like... maybe Lexi from math? She's kinda cute, got that artsy vibe going.""Lexi?" Luca scoffed, shaking his head. "Dude, she doesn't even look in your direction.""Hey, a guy can dream, right?" Jordan shot back, grinning. "Plus, I've got jokes. Maybe I can make her laugh her way into a date."Evan rolled his eyes. "Bro, you can't joke your way into everything.""Worked for you when you got rejected by three girls last year, huh?" Jordan fired back, earning laughter from the rest of the group.Evan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, whatever. At least I try, unlike you clowns."Jean, who'd been quiet, finally spoke up. "I don't even know who I'd ask. It's not like I've got options."Ty raised an eyebrow. "What about Akira? She's always looking at you, bro."Jean's face flushed red, and he quickly looked down at his tray. "Akira? I mean... she's cool, I guess. But she'd probably say no.""Oh, please," Evan said, nudging Jean. "She's obsessed with you, dude. You're literally her world."Luca snickered. "She's probably got your whole Instagram saved to her camera roll."Jean groaned. "Guys, come on. It's not like that."Ty leaned in, grinning. "You never know, man. She could be down. Shoot your shot."Jean mumbled, "Yeah, we'll see," but he didn't sound convinced."Alright, so we got Lexi, Akira... anyone else?" Luca asked, looking around.Jordan shrugged. "Maybe Brittney? If someone throws her enough clout or cash, she might show up with us just for the content."Evan laughed. "Yeah, until Brad throws more cash and she bails."They all laughed, knowing the truth of it. No matter who they tried to impress, someone higher up the social ladder could always swoop in.Luca sighed, crossing his arms. "Man, maybe we're just meant to be a group of five single dudes.""Virgin squad rolls up to prom without dates—epic gamer move," Ty said with a dark grin.Evan raised his soda in a toast. "To being single AF, boys. We might not have dates, but at least we've got each other."The group raised their imaginary cups, laughing as they prepared to face another day of high school on the outskirts of the social scene.***Jean settled into his seat in Ms. Heather Collins' English class, his textbook open but barely noticed. Ms. Collins was at the front of the room, writing on the whiteboard, her long blonde hair tied up in her usual messy bun, with a few loose strands framing her face. She wore a snug blouse that hugged her curves, emphasizing her huge melons in a way that made it impossible not to notice. Every time she moved, Jean felt his gaze helplessly drawn to her figure, like gravity had taken control.He was trying to focus on the lesson—or at least pretend he was. But his attention kept drifting, and soon he found himself just staring, completely lost in thought. Ms. Collins' cheerful, slightly clumsy movements as she explained the latest assignment only made her more endearing, and he was practically hypnotized by her."Alright, class, let's review some key themes," Ms. Collins said, her voice warm and bright. She glanced around the room, looking for someone to answer. Her gaze landed on Jean, who was clearly lost in his own world. "Jean? Can you tell us one of the main themes in The Great Gatsby?"Snapped out of his daze, Jean's heart dropped to his stomach. He scrambled to remember anything from the book, but his mind was still halfway stuck on... other things."Uh, yeah... uh..." he stammered, trying desperately to think of an answer. "Um... love? Or... uh... maybe... curves—"The word slipped out before he could catch himself, and the room fell into silence, followed by a chorus of laughter from his classmates. Jean's face flushed a deep red as he realized what he'd said. Ms. Collins raised an eyebrow, looking a bit bewildered."Curves?" she asked, clearly puzzled. "I... I don't think that's one of the main themes, Jean. Do you mean something like... wealth, or perhaps the American Dream?"Jean gulped, forcing himself to look away from her, his cheeks burning. "Uh, yeah! Sorry, I meant... the American Dream. Definitely. My bad."The laughter in the room slowly died down, but Jean could still feel everyone's eyes on him, grinning and whispering. He slouched down in his seat, wishing he could disappear into the floor.Q: Have you ever made an embarrassing move in class?