it. “You should be careful, with all these rituals. Having your phone tracked and everything.”
“I know.”
“If you want, I can…” He trails off though, eyes watching my house.
“What?”
After a moment, he answers, “I can show you how to disable it.”
“Oh.” I don’t tell him that I could probably figure that out myself. “Okay.”
He gives a heavy nod, and then looks toward the street. “Well, good night.”
I try not to feel disappointed. “Night, Reyn.”
I watch him hang up and follow suit, and when I close the curtains, I try not to memorize the tired curve of his shoulders.
That night, I want nothing more than to dream of the lake again. I lay in bed and try to remember the glow of fireflies, the calming stillness, the anticipation.
Instead, I dream of the two of us inside that car again. It’s anything but still here, with the wind whipping my hair around. It’s loud and dark, and my stomach feels full of the bad kind of expectation. Reyn looks older again, almost exactly like he did when I’d closed the curtain. There’s something hard and complicated swirling in his eyes. He keeps his gaze on the road, shifting gears every now and then, but doesn’t speak over the roar of the wind.
I keep waiting, but the crash never comes.
Even with the commotion, the deep sleep I got at Reyn’s house makes me more alert than I’ve been in weeks. At least Emory doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge, meeting me at the car with his usual barked, “AIS!”
I meet Sydney before classes start. “Wait, so you’re telling me that you fell asleep at Reyn McAllister’s house? That’s where you were when your mom was calling all over the place?”
Apparently before she remembered the location app, mom made a few desperate phone calls.
“Yes. By accident,” I stress.
“Uh huh.” Her eyes flick over to where I know he’s standing with my brother and the other jocks. Luckily, whatever issue Emory took with me last night didn’t seem to extend to Reynolds. Emory smiles at something Ben says, lobbing a playful smack into Reyn’s shoulder. “Maybe I need to show up at his house with dinner so I can sleep over by accident, too.”
I’m not expecting the vicious stab of jealousy that explodes in my chest. Sydney has zero boundaries. To her, all guys are an opportunity. If she tries to make a move on Reyn…
God, I don’t want to even think about what would happen. I remember the tired curve of his shoulders last night, his stillness and silence and the complicated darkness of his eyes, and it makes me burn. She’d chew him up and spit him out. I think of his scars and how Sydney would see them, like some kind of curiosity. I think of her telling everyone about them, and every fiber of my being screams no.
Luckily, I don’t see Reyn ever being interested in her.
At least, I don’t think so. I don’t even know what kind of girl he likes. Maybe he’d be into that—a one-and-done with a girl like Sydney. But he could get that from plenty of girls here, and he still hasn’t gone out with anyone since he’s been back. In fact, with all the Devil rituals, the one person he seems to be hanging out with the most is me. The thought instantly soothes away the sharp pang in my chest, even though it shouldn’t. Like Reyn had said, kissing me was a mistake.
I just don’t know which mistake he’s scared of making.
It’s so frustrating, not knowing how to approach this new shift between us. When we woke up, he was so soft and sweet. But he pushed me away when we kissed, so does that mean he just wants to be friends? I’ve never been friends with guys before, and I’ve certainly never been more than friends with a guy. How do girls navigate all these nebulous signals?
This is the sort of thing I’m supposed to have Sydney for, but she’s clearly not an option, and not only because of the Devil secrets. She’ll know instantly who I’m asking about, and by the next day, half the school will, too.
These thoughts linger in my mind as I make my way to my locker, but vanish as soon as I open the door. Inside, I discover a new black envelope, my name printed across the front, same wax seal on the back. I don’t get a chance to open it until I’m tucked away in