I’m fine. See you at the meeting tonight.
I know better than to press, and there’s nothing I can do about it right now, anyway. Every time something like this comes up, Reyn tends to fall into some silent, blank space that I can’t seem to reach. I’m just hoping that someday he’ll let me help him the way he’s helped me. I know there’s a lot of pressure on him with Jerry and Dewey always following him around, not to mention his dad and the combined expectations of Preston’s football program heavy on his shoulders. He’s finally found acceptance with me and it’s a secret wrapped in another secret.
All of that is still on my mind when we meet in the bunker that night. When I take my seat in the circle, he’s already there, sweaty and flushed from practice. His face is still set into that eerie stillness from earlier, jaw sharply clenched.
“We’re halfway through the rituals,” Emory says, holding the black book in his hands. “And we’ve had advance notice by the Devil ‘Powers that Be’ that there’s an endowment fundraising dinner at the club to kick off homecoming. Plan on being there.”
Reyn speaks up, voice flat. “Might be a problem, considering I’m not allowed on club property anymore.”
Afton’s eyebrows shoot up and Sebastian gives a deep little laugh. For once, no one looks at me.
“Don’t worry about that,” Emory says. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Any news on the next ritual?” Tyson asks.
“Yes,” my brother says, holding up a piece of black cardstock. He flips it around so we can see the silver handwriting. “Our next challenge is getting into the Preston Alumni House and leaving the Devil’s mark inside somewhere.”
“We’re doing another break-in?” Georgia asks, eyes darting around.
“Not exactly.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the key that is identical to the one we all have. “These keys open a lot of doors at Preston. The Alumni house is one of them.”
He goes on to explain the specifics. The Devils mark—the D with the pitchfork—needs to be stamped somewhere discreetly in the house. Apparently, this was done for years before it fell out of tradition. “Like the other rites, you’ll work with a partner. There’s a caretaker on site and we’re instructed to leave the marks between nine p.m. and three a.m. this Tuesday.”
“On a school night?” I blurt. All their eyes shift to me in varying degrees of amusement. One sentence just confirmed my excruciating lameness. It’s just hard getting out of the house at night with my parents watching. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out.”
Emory calls the meeting to a close and I stand, grabbing my bag. I turn to Reyn, excited that we have an excuse to finally talk, but he’s already filtering out the door behind Caroline. I watch, stomach twisting in disappointment as he leaves. It’s almost as bad as that night of the bonfire, wondering if I’ve done something wrong. Even if I hadn’t, it just always feels like all of Reyn’s problems are because of me.
“Hey.” Emory bumps our shoulders together once everyone else has left. “I can probably talk to Mom and Dad, try to get you an alibi.”
“Oh.” I try to play off my sullen mood. “No, it’s okay. I can wing it.” He’s already talking to them about Reyn. If I want to be treated as an equal, I can’t keep counting on Emory to have all my difficult discussions.
“Well, other than myself, Reyn is the most likely to get in and out of there with no trouble.” We walk toward the staircase and he turns to lock the door with his key. “I’m going with Aubrey.”
“You really like her, huh?”
His cheeks tint but he shrugs like it’s no big deal. “She’s cool. Way less demanding than Campbell. Less mean, too. Plus, she’s…” he looks at me and I see him mentally shift gears from whatever other compliment he was going to give her, “… uh, cool.”
“Right.” My eyes narrow and for a split second, I wonder what he was about to say. What do guys like in a girl, anyway? Of course, then I’d have to live with the knowledge of my brother liking something about a girl. Blech. “Well, for what it’s worth, I like her, too.”
He gives me a small grin. “Honestly, that’s worth more than you’d think.”
There’s a beat where I want so badly to tell him about Reyn. To share this enormous, all encompassing, life-changing thing I’m going through. The confession is like fire on the tip of my tongue. Maybe he wouldn’t really care. We’re all friends now. We’re Devils. Emory likes Reyn.
But I know better.
Emory’s approval has limitations. He’s getting something out of this—his best friend back. And I’m getting something too—the article. If he scratched the surface on my relationship with Reyn, god knows what else would come out.
“Reyn and I will do fine,” I say. “The odds of getting caught are pretty slim.”
“He’s uniquely skilled for this type of prank.” We reach the top of the stairs, but before we go outside, he says, “One thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
He turns to me, face serious. “You guys need to get in, leave your mark, and get out. Don’t let him take anything. I know for a fact they inventory everything in there. It’s a historic home, filled with historic Preston Prep artifacts. It’s like putting a fat kid in a candy shop, but he needs to keep his hands to himself.”
The snort happens without warning, and I slap a hand over my mouth and nose. It’s not the candy shop comment that gets me laughing. It’s the idea of Reyn keeping his hands to himself. I know for a fact that’s something he struggles with.
“I’ll try to keep him in line,” I reply, “or distract him somehow.”